text:
A group of young gymnasts has been doing a lot of jumping and dancing around. This time it's not for one of their performances, but rather because they won a visit from Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles.
Members of the Arlington Gymnastics program were granted the visit today at Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center as a reward for their efforts in selling tickets to the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions, which takes place at the Verizon Center on Thursday.
The Arlington Gymnastics program consists of about 200 girls on the Arlington Aerials team, about 40 boys on the Arlington Tigers team and more than 1,000 weekly gymnastics class participants of all ages. They are all welcome to attend the special meet-and-greet with Biles.
Twenty-five of the young gymnasts also will be a part of the show at the Verizon Center tomorrow, according to Arlington Gymnastics employee and coach Sonja Hird Clark. The children will be a part of the opening act and for a time will share the stage with Olympians, who will be performing on various pieces of equipment.
As far as today's Biles visit in Arlington, Hird Clark says it's exciting for the local gymnasts to be able to see an Olympian in the gym where they train.
"The kids work so hard at this sport and it's so exciting for them to have the chance to see an Olympian," she says. "They overcome mental blocks and fears when they see a gold medalist walking through that door."
The Arlington Gymnastics program is subsidized by Arlington County through the parks and recreation department. Hird Clark says it gives members of all socioeconomic statuses a chance to get involved in gymnastics.
"One of the things that excites me about our gym club is it's all walks of life," she says. "We have every type of child in our community… and that's inspiring to me."
Photo (top) courtesy Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation
Food Star Not Responding to Pleas to Stay — The Food Star grocery store apparently doesn't have much interest in staying in Arlington after the store, at the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive, closes to make way for a redevelopment. Despite resident interest in keeping the Food Star, county officials say their efforts to reach out to the company and help them relocate to another location in Arlington have not yet yielded a "substantive" response. [InsideNova]
LEGO Store Grand Opening — The new LEGO Store in the Pentagon City mall is holding its grand opening celebration starting today. The store will be hosting a LEGO Master Builder who will construct a huge LEGO model for display. The first 400 customers Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive free gifts with qualifying purchases. [LEGO]
Olympic Athletes at Elementary School — A group of Olympic athletes will talk with students at Carlin Springs Elementary this morning. Among the group are shot put gold medalist Michelle Carter, gold medal-winning sprinter Natasha Hastings and long jump gold medalist Jeff Henderson. The athletes will be at the school as part of the Let's Move! Healthy Schools campaign.
Notable Tree Nominations — It's that time of the year — if you think you have a truly exceptional tree in your yard that deserves recognition, you can now nominate it for Arlington County's annual Notable Tree awards. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 15. [Arlington County]
October Is Affordable Housing Month — Tomorrow is Oct. 1 and October is Affordable Housing Month in Arlington, "a month-long celebration of the County's long-term commitment to preserving and creating housing opportunities that benefit the whole community." [Arlington County]
On the list of Team USA athletes heading to Rio for this summer's Olympic Games, there's only one whose hometown is listed as Arlington, Va.
Denis Kudla, Arlington's own rising tennis star, will be competing in his first Olympics this year, alongside other major American tennis figures like Madison Keys, the Williams sisters and the Bryan brothers.
Kudla was born in Kiev, Ukraine, moved to the United States with his family on his first birthday, and began playing tennis at the age of 7. The highlight of his career thus far has been reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last summer, the last American man standing at the Grand Slam tournament.
Kudla has ranked as high as 53 on the ATP world men's tennis rankings.
The opening ceremonies for the Rio games is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5.
This summer, Arlington resident and former U.S. women's soccer goalkeeper Briana Scurry will be going to the 2016 Olympics in Rio — this time, as a commentator.
Scurry played in the 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic games and received two gold medals and one silver medal. She was also a key member of the 1999 World Cup-winning U.S. women's national team.
With her playing career behind her, Scurry has been living in Ballston for the past two years, when she's not traveling to speaking engagements across the country.
"I love the hustle and bustle of Arlington," she said.
Scurry, who served as an analyst for ESPN during the 2011 Women's World Cup, will be traveling to Rio in August to lend her expert commentary to Olympics coverage, including offering pre-game and post-game analysis.
"Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be an Olympian and I was very lucky to play in three," she said.
The Olympics is always an exciting time for Scurry, even when she is not playing in it. The U.S. women's soccer team have the opportunity to win their fourth gold medal in a row this summer, and Scurry thinks the team has a great shot in doing exactly that, despite some pivotal players currently being injured.
"Complete and total dominance would be wonderful," said Scurry.
Scurry has had such an impact on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's program that early last year, she was selected to be a permanent part of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's Title IX exhibit, which will be opening on September 24.
"When they called and asked if I would be willing to be in the museum, I couldn't even begin to describe my humility. I couldn't believe it because that meant my passion and body of work as a soccer player was good enough to be considered as something that was helping my race. It is really humbling to know that," said Scurry.
Before moving to Ballston, Scurry lived in D.C.'s Adams Morgan neighborhood, where she was starting her concussion recovery. In 2010, Scurry retired from her professional soccer career due to a season-ending concussion. (She currently serves as honorary captain of the Washington Spirit soccer team.)
Now an advocate for concussion awareness, Scurry will be testifying before Congress about traumatic brain injuries next week.
"It took me three years to finally find the right doctor," said Scurry. "Now I'm an advocate because if I can go through this much trouble, as an Olympic gold medalist and athlete and I was misdiagnosed and shuffled around, I can only imagine" what others are going through.
Cherry Trees Planted at Library — As part of its Neighborhood Tree Planting Program, the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Japan-America Society of Washington planted three cherry trees in front of Arlington Central Library yesterday. The program "is an effort to celebrate and share the gift of cherry blossom trees throughout the DC-metro region… and helps create new National Cherry Blossom Festival traditions beyond the Tidal Basin," festival organizers said in a statement. [Facebook]
Whole Foods Deli, Chicken Counter Stay Closed — The main grocery store and much of the prepared foods sections at the Clarendon Whole Foods (2700 Wilson Blvd) are open following Tuesday's fire, but county officials say the market deli and chicken counter will stay closed until the health inspector approves its reopening.
County to Consider Privatizing Volunteer Agency — Changes may be coming to Volunteer Arlington, the county's volunteer agency. Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan is establishing a new advisory task force "to look into whether Arlington's volunteer office is the right business model to meet community needs." The task force will consider whether outsourcing Volunteer Arlington "would enhance volunteer activity in the community." [Arlington County]
Restaurant Exceeds Kickstarter Goal — SER, the winner of Ballston's Restaurant Challenge, has exceeded its $15,000 Kickstarter goal. The Spanish comfort food restaurant, coming to 1110 N. Glebe Road in Ballston, has so far raised $17,145. It also received a $245,000 interest-free loan as the prize for winning the Restaurant Challenge. [Kickstarter]
Arlington GOP Blasts Olympic Bid — Arlington Republicans do not share Democratic officials' enthusiasm for the regional bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. "It's not a great idea," said local GOP chairman Matt Wavro, citing costs and security concerns. [InsideNova]
Flickr pool photo by Rob Cannon
(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) "Arlington County strongly supports" the Washington, D.C., region bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, County Board Chair Jay Fisette announced today.
Arlington's support of the bid appears based largely around its currently-stalled plans to build an Olympic-quality aquatics facility at Long Bridge Park, which Arlington expects to be a candidate for the location of the swimming and diving events if D.C. is chosen as the host city.
"Back in June, when we suspended construction plans for Phase 2 of Long Bridge Park, which will include the Aquatics, Health and Fitness Facility, we noted that we expected the park to be part of the plan for bringing the Olympics to the Washington Region," Fisette said in a press release. "That is still our hope. We believe that Long Bridge could be a great venue for Olympic swimming events."
The group that will be leading D.C.'s bid to host the Olympics was also announced this morning. The group, called Washington 2024 will be led by Chairman and CEO Russ Ramsey, an investment banker and former board chairman of George Washington. The board includes Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who will serve as vice chairman, Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner, Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, chef José Andrés, former National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams.
"This is about bringing the world to Washington and bringing Washington to the world," Leonsis said in a press release. "The idea of fostering unity could leave, for the whole of mankind, the greatest Olympics legacy ever. Only Washington could do this."
D.C. is under consideration by the United States Olympic Committee to be its chosen city for the International Olympics Committee. D.C. is one of four American finalist cities, along with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. The United States has not hosted a Summer Olympics since the 1996 games in Atlanta. The 2016 games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2020 games will be held in Tokyo.
"I speak for the County Board when I say that the Olympics could be a great thing for this region and for Arlington," Fisette said. "We agree with Washington 2024 that this is an historic opportunity for our region to be part of the Olympic Movement."
U.S. Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner paid a visit to the children and faculty of Arlington Science Focus Elementary School this afternoon to campaign against underage drinking.
Wagner, sporting the bronze medal she won this year as part of the U.S. figure skating team, told the hundreds who gathered in the school's gymnasium that after she started training to become a figure skater when she was 5 years old, she vowed to do whatever it took to get to the Olympics.
"When you're an athlete, your body is a machine," she said. "You want the ultimate machine, so you want to take care of it. So I made a lot of important decisions. I ate my fruits and veggies, I drank a lot of water and, when the time came, I said no to underage drinking."
After the crowd of kids answered questions on the basic facts of underage drinking, they got a chance to ask questions of their own. One student asked how old the 22-year-old is –"someone should teach you not to ask a lady that," she gamely replied before answering question — and another asked how much her medal weighed, which led to Wagner giving the little boy her medal to hold.
"This medal stays in a sock," she said when asked where she keeps her hardware from Sochi, Russia. "I should probably find a better place for it."
In addition to students and faculty, attendees at the event included state Sen. Barbara Favola, Del. Patrick Hope and Ralph Blackman, president and CEO of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibly.
Michael Wardian isn't the only elite marathon runner in Arlington.
Arlington resident Claire Hallissey, a 29-year-old transplant from the UK, was the top British female finisher in the London Marathon over the weekend. So impressive was her time of 2:27:44 that it landed her the third and final spot on the British women's marathon team at this summer's Olympic Games in London.
"The crowd in London on Sunday was fantastic and the Olympics will be even bigger and better," Hallissey told The Sun newspaper in the UK. "I'm still ecstatic over my run. I'd hoped I could run a time like that and that everything would fit into place on the day."
Hallissey's Olympic-caliber run has captured the attention of nearly every major British media outlet, including The Sun, BBC News, The Guardian, The Independent, the Press Association newswire, the Scotsman, and others.
"CLAIRE-PE DIEM," blared The Sun's headline. "Claire Hallissey saves her vest for last with Olympic spot."
Hallissey was born in Watford, outside of London. After attending the University of Cambridge and then earning a doctorate at Bristol University, she moved to Arlington with her husband Matt, who had been offered a job as a transportation planner, according to various outlets.
Hallissey works as a grant writer for a Loudoun County-based nonprofit organization, according to her LinkedIn page. In her spare time she is an avid baker, according to her Twitter page.
Photo via Twitter
The Evening Star Cafe Olympic block party was, as promised, a fun and well-attended affair. Nearly 100 people crowded the tiny parking lot behind the Del Rey restaurant to drink good beer, eat oysters and traditional block party-style food, and — of course — to watch the USA/Canada gold medal hockey game.
The oysters, barbecue pork sandwich and homemade mac 'n cheese were all delicious, as was the Brooklyn Brown Ale and other beer selections. Unfortunately, the chilly weather and the relatively tiny TVs made for a less-than-satisfactory viewing experience. About half the crowd had cleared out by the third period, although some merely walked a few steps to the Majestic Lounge, Evening Star's back bar.
Inside the lounge, the roar following Team USA's last-minute goal was deafening. Perhaps the only comparably loud moments during the game were the sporadic "f*** Sidney Crosby" chants. After Crosby scored Canada's winning overtime goal, however, the formerly boisterous crowd seemed too deflated by the loss to get another chant started.
Perhaps they could have taken some revelry-in-the-face-of-dejection pointers from the Team USA fans at this Arlington bar.
The Vancouver Olympics are coming to a close on Sunday, which, if you've been watching regularly, may feel like an old friend is going on two-year, extended vacation.
But don't worry, there are still some opportunities to show your Olympic spirit this weekend.
If the U.S. men's hockey team beats Finland today (on NBC4 at 3:00 p.m.), Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse will screen the gold metal game live on the big screen Sunday afternoon.
Also on Sunday, Evening Star Cafe in Alexandria is hosting on Olympic block party (as seen on our Events page) and oyster roast from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. The gold metal hockey game will also be shown. From the event posting:
"Expect a day's worth of good food, fine wine, craft beers, good friends and neighbors and plenty of fun. There's no fee to attend – Oysters, Red Apron Hot Dogs, Beer, Wine, Coffee and much more will all be priced individually anywhere from $3 to $12."
Rob Yonick is sick and tired of people stealing his Canadian flag from outside his Yorktown home. He doesn't know who's doing it, he doesn't know why they're doing it, but he wants it to stop.
Despite the thefts, Yonick says l'Unifolié will still be proudly displayed for all to see this weekend, in time for the epic U.S.-Canada Olympic hockey matchup on Sunday.
"I'm going to put a flag in the window," he said defiantly, adding that "there's no doubt" Canada, backed by Pittsburgh Penguins star and Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby, will defeat the American team.
Yonick, a stout Canadian Embassy employee, first had his beloved Maple Leaf stolen this past Columbus Day. He chalked it up to misplaced patriotic fervor.
Undeterred, Yonick bought two new flags — a Canadian flag and an American flag — and bolted each flag to a column outside his stately N. Columbus St. house.
Earlier this week, the American flag disappeared, leaving only a bare, mangled flagpole. Then at some point on Thursday, the Canadian flag vanished, flagpole and all, leaving Yonick flummoxed.
"I don't know if it's kids playing a prank, or someone who doesn't like Canada," he said. After writing about it on Facebook, a friend suggested the Olympics might have something to do with it, a theory Yonick says is possible but unlikely.


text:
THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: THE MISSION; In Iraqi Divide, Echoes of Bosnia for U.S. Troops
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: April 16, 2006
As Lt. Col. Patrick Donahoe scans the horizon through the mud-splattered, inch-thick windows of his armored Humvee, he can almost see Bosnia through the palm trees.
It is not there yet, Colonel Donahoe said, but the communal hatred he has witnessed in this area of Iraq, the blindingly ignorant things people say, the pulling apart of Shiite and Sunni towns that were once tightly intertwined are all reminiscent of what he saw years ago as a young Army captain on a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia.
''You talk to people here and it's literally the same conversations I heard in Bosnia,'' Colonel Donahoe said. ''I had a police colonel tell me the other day that all the people in Jurf,'' a predominantly Sunni town, ''are evil, including the children.''
Jurf as-Sakhr, also known as Jurf, is 40 miles south of Baghdad. It is a community of crumbly dirt farms and dilapidated weapons factories and boys selling fluffy white chickens alongside the road. It sits right on a sectarian fault line that in the past few months has cracked wide open, and Colonel Donahoe is now back to playing peacekeeper.
The work is emblematic of a new role for the American soldier in Iraq, because as the threat has shifted, so has the mission. Sectarian violence is killing more people and destabilizing Iraq more than the antigovernment insurgency ever did. In response, American commanders, especially those in mixed Sunni-Shiite areas like Jurf, are throwing their armor, troops and money directly into the divide, trying to keep Iraq from violently partitioning the way Bosnia did.
What complicates their new mission is that the insurgency is far from over. It keeps mutating, finding new recruits and even new weapons; one soldier in Jurf was recently shot in the arm by an arrow.
Commanders have to simultaneously wage war and push peace, and Colonel Donahoe, along with other American officials, said the outcome of the entire American enterprise might hinge on how well they pulled off this balancing act.
''This is the critical year,'' Colonel Donahoe said. ''If we don't turn things around, if we don't get the Shiites and Sunnis to stop killing each other, I'm not sure there's much else we can do.''
Colonel Donahoe is experimenting with a number of tactics, like microloans to re-establish trade between Shiite and Sunni merchants; a political program to restore Sunni participation; and joint police patrols -- not joint American-Iraqi, but joint Shiite-Sunni.
He was trained to maneuver tanks, but he spends much of his time parked on carpets, chatting with sheiks, trying to ease suspicions one glass of tea at a time.
His soldiers have an even harder adjustment to make. Many are on their second tour in Iraq, and they have returned to a different war. When they were here before, in 2004, it was all about crushing the Sunni-led insurgency. Now, it is all about checking Shiite power.
Back then, if a lieutenant in his 20's went out to meet with a gray-bearded elder, it was to coax him to cooperate with the Americans, not with his neighbor.
The soldiers' quality of life, if it can be called that, may have improved. During the previous tour, the men cooked chicken in ammunition boxes and showered with hoses, if at all. Now they make Baskin-Robbins ice cream floats in the mess hall and sleep in air-conditioned bliss.
But this does not necessarily translate into higher morale. Peacekeeping, no matter what the stakes, is not war-fighting, many soldiers said. It does not deliver the same sense of adventure or the same sort of bonds.
''I'll never forget those guys I crossed the border with,'' said Command Sgt. Maj. Elijah King Jr., who is on his second tour. ''It's not like that anymore.''
The troops in Jurf are part of the First Battalion, 67th Armor, based at Fort Hood, Tex. The battalion, part of the Fourth Infantry Division, has about 1,000 soldiers and first came to Iraq in 2003 as part of the invasion force before rolling north of Baghdad for counterinsurgency patrols that continued through early 2004.
The battalion returned to Iraq in December 2005 and is now thinly spread over 2,700 square miles between Iskandariya to the north and Karbala to the south. Because of all the insurgent activity, the military includes this area in what it refers to as the Triangle of Death.
One of the hottest spots is Jurf, once home to lush date plantations, a Scud missile testing site and the Medina Division of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. After the invasion, Jurf, with its concentration of former officers, Baathists, weapons experts and leaders of the powerful Janabi tribe, predictably festered, becoming a terrorist sanctuary.
Just south of Jurf is Hamiya, a mostly Shiite farming town that never enjoyed Jurf's whiff of privilege. While Jurf farmers drove tractors, Hamiya farmers swung hoes, and in an atmosphere of rising sectarian tensions, these deep-seated class rivalries eventually exploded. South of Hamiya are the almost purely Shiite towns of Musayyib and Sedda.
By the time the battalion arrived in December, insurgents had established an island hideaway near Jurf on a swampy spit of land between the Euphrates River and an irrigation canal. They stashed thousands of artillery shells there and ran a clandestine court, where insurgent judges would try, torture and execute collaborators, the Iraqi police said. Mutilated bodies were often found bobbing in the swamps.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Clarke Central's defense experienced a brief moment of uncertainty earlier this season.
That moment appears well in the past as the Gladiators have recovered the usual swagger that follows them into the playoffs.
"We have a little cockiness," senior linebacker Devante Derricotte said. "We feel pretty good about our defense."
On Sept. 18, Clarke Central lost its first game of the season to Apalachee, 21-7. Before the game, senior defensive end Ryan Faust suffered a broken leg during pregame drills and was lost for the season.
The loss to the Wildcats and the loss of Faust hit the Gladiators right in their collective facemasks.
"It was a huge blow to us all to lose a guy like that," Clarke Central coach Leroy Ryals said. "We have some guys that don't have the experience that Ryan does, but they can hold their own."
Clarke Central's recovery was quick. The Gladiators went right back to a suffocating defense the next game.
"Everyone has to have a little confidence," junior linebacker Jordan Pierce said. "We are Gladiators. We fight."
The Gladiators won five of their next six games to finish the season 8-2 and runner-up in Region 8-AAAA. They will make their fourth straight postseason appearance tonight when they host Mays, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAA, in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs.
Clarke Central has allowed more than 20 points just twice this season, both in losses. The Gladiators held their opponents to less than seven points three times.
By the end of the regular season, Clarke Central had given up 14.4 points per game and is the only team in the region not to allow more than 26 points in a single game.
"We are young in spaces, but a lot of them have played for us before," Ryals said. "They know the system really well. They understand how to execute the defense."
Ryals has used a committee of backups to fill Faust's position, landing on Davonte Yearsby as his most reliable option.
Clarke Central's consistency on defense has allowed its offense to go through a series of growing pains.
By the second game of the season, the Gladiators had lost three starting offensive lineman. They did not score more than 23 points in a single game until the second-to-last game of the season.
"That was our philosophy going into the season - play good defense and special teams and wait for our offense to get going," Ryals said.
The Gladiators' defense is led by their experienced group of linebackers, which features Pierce and Derricotte - the top two tacklers on the team.
Pierce leads the team in tackles this season with 88, a fact he does not hesitate to point out to Derricotte, who is second on the team with 80 tackles.
"I'm going to come back and get him," Derricote said with a laugh.
Pierce was a defensive end last season, but was moved to the linebacker spot before the start of this season. He thinks his new position is a more natural fit.
"It was tough at the beginning, going from a three-point stance to a two-point stance," Pierce said. "I feel more comfortable doing this. I was kind of undersized as a defensive lineman."
Derricotte was one of the team's best linebacker's last season when the Gladiators went 9-1 during the regular season and held teams to an average of 19 points a game.
He is surpassing his numbers from last year, making the most of his senior season.
"We just work hard and try our best and the numbers just pop up," Derricotte said.
Ryals said that the key to both Pierce's and Derricotte's success is their experience in the program.
"They are comfortable with what they are doing," the coach said. "Those guys have done a good job for us."
Ryals also credits his defensive line, which is anchored by three seniors, for continuing to improve during the season and keeping the Gladiators in tight games.
Improving every week has long been a philosophy of Ryals. Both Pierce and Derricotte feel like their team has done just that and will be at its best in the playoffs.
"Things have picked up at the end of the season," Pierce said. "We feel like we have been playing better than in the first couple of games. ... We just need to get fresh and get excited."
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Cavs Coach Dismisses Andrew Wiggins-Kevin Love Trade Speculation
By Jon Krawczynski
LAS VEGAS — Andrew Wiggins came to summer league to get an early education on the NBA game, from playing against better competition to learning about what his new coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers will demand of him as a pro.
The 19-year-old Canadian is also receiving a crash course in the NBA rumor mill.
Since he arrived in Las Vegas and found out LeBron James was coming to Cleveland with him, Wiggins has heard his name brought up in possible trade scenarios as the Cavaliers pursue Minnesota All-Star Kevin Love. They continued with several outlets reporting that the Cavaliers have decided to make the No. 1 overall pick available, a prerequisite from the Timberwolves to get any deal for Love done.
But two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the Cavaliers' position has remained unchanged and that no offer including Wiggins has been made to Minnesota. The people requested anonymity because neither team was publicly commenting on trade talks.
"Rumors are rumors. That's why they call them rumors," Cavs coach David Blatt said. "Sooner or later in one's career, you're going to have to deal with it. If he has to deal with it now, then so be it. It's summer league. He's learning everything as he goes along."
Wiggins scored 21 points in 31 minutes in a loss to the Houston Rockets. He showcased his superior athleticism by creating mismatches and getting to the free throw line at will, making 15 of 20 free throws and getting one jaw-dropping, chase-down block in transition.
Several fans made remarks during the game about the Cavaliers getting Love, but Wiggins was unfazed.
"What you've got to like about the kid is that it doesn't make a difference if it's the fourth game of summer league in seven or eight days, or if people are keying on him or the crowd has funny things to say to him," Blatt said. "He goes out there and really plays and has a nice calm about him and a real good demeanor. Andrew's going to be a high-level player. It's good to see."
The Cavaliers and Timberwolves have been engaged in discussions since before the draft for Love, who can opt out of his contract next summer. That stipulation gives Love tremendous influence on where he ends up, and he initially balked at joining a Cavaliers team that appeared to be in rebuilding mode after missing the playoffs and firing coach Mike Brown.
That all changed when James decided to leave the Miami Heat and return to Cleveland, where the Akron native played for the first seven seasons of his career. James' signing changed Love's mind about going to Cleveland and the Cavaliers again started conversations with the Wolves.


text:
Digestive Problems and Bleeding Varices
Introduction to Bleeding Varices
Varices are dilated blood vessels usually in the esophagus or stomach. They cause no symptoms unless they rupture and bleed.
Bleeding from varices is a life-threatening complication of portal hypertension. Portal hypertension is an increase in the pressure within the portal vein (the vein that carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver) due to blockage of blood flow throughout the liver.
This increased pressure in the portal vein causes the development of large, swollen veins (varices) within the esophagus and stomach. The varices are fragile and can rupture easily, resulting in a large amount of blood loss.
The most common cause of portal hypertension is cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis is scarring which accompanies the healing of liver injury caused by hepatitis, alcohol, or other less common causes of liver damage. In cirrhosis, the scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows its processing functions.
What Are the Symptoms of Bleeding Varices?
Symptoms of bleeding varices include:
- Vomiting of blood
- Black, tarry, or bloody stool
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Shock (in severe cases)
© 2005-2017 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Source article on WebMD
GI Disorders
Get the latest treatment options.


text:
Alexandria Hughes from The Lakes is still globetrotting with Rihanna. Alexandria will see seven concerts in seven days in seven countries. The epic 777 Tour is all about kicking off Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic.
Flying aboard a Boeing 777, Alexandria has hit Mexico City, Toronto and Stockholm. Still to come Paris, Berlin, London and New York City. Here are the latest pics sent to us from Alexandria.
Thanks to our sponsors HTC and Dollar Loan Center.


text:
UK Online Casino Guide & Resource
This resource provides information about UK online casinos and gambling on the internet. The purpose behind this website is to educate and inform online gambling enthusiasts with all aspects of gambling online. We specifically focus on the UK market and provding information to people who reside within the UK.
Getting Started with UK Online Casinos
If you want to play in the real cash mode at a UK online casino you would have to register an account. You can do this by filling out the simple online casino application form. You must provide the casino with your name and current address, your email address and your telephone number. You will also need to choose a Security Question and then provide an answer to this question.
Some online casinos will assign you a new username when your account is active, but some online casinos will ask you to create your very own memorable username. If the username is already in use by another player, you would have to come up with a different one. You will also have to create a secure password which you will need each time you login to your favourite online casino. You also need to be 18-years-old or above to play in a UK online casino.
Playing at Online Casinos in GBP Currency
During the sign-up process you will be asked to select your preferred currency. We advise you to set this currency to UK Pounds (GBP). It would be silly playing in another currency such as Euros (€) or US dollars (US$), especially if you are based in the United Kingdom. Playing in your own currency means that you will never have to worry about how much you are spending.
It also means that you will never lose any cash due to currency conversion fees. When you select GBP, any transactions that you make will always be in GBP and NEVER in any other currency. You will also notice that the website and any casino bonus values will always be displayed in GBP if this is the currency that you have selected. You will also notice that the current progressive jackpot values, which update in realtime, will also be displayed in GBP.
Popular Deposit and Withdrawal Options for UK Players
Fortunately for UK players there are plenty of reliable & effective online casino payment options available. Some of these methods only allow you to make deposits and some of these methods will allow you to deposit AND withdraw to and from your favourite online casino. The major payment methods generally include credit and debit cards, prepaid voucher cards, eWallets and bank transfers. The best thing to do would be to select a method which allows to you deposit and withdraw.
Some of the most ideal online casino banking methods for UK players include Visa and MasterCard (and most other major credit cards), as well as debit cards such as Visa Electron, Maestro, MasterCard, Solo, Visa Delta, Laser and Switch. Some of the most popular eWallets for UK players include NETELLER, PayPal and Skrill and some of the most popular prepaid voucher cards for UK players include paysafecard and Ukash.
© Copyright 2017 4CEDA.org - All Rights Reserved


text:
"The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life -and one is as good as the other."
Related quotes
"EAVESDROP, v.i. Secretly to overhear a catalogue of the crimes and vices of another or yourself.
A lady with one of her ears applied To an open keyhole heard, inside, Two female gossips in converse free -- The subject engaging them was she.
"I think," said one, "and my husband thinks That she's a prying, inquisitive minx!" As soon as no more of it she could hear The lady, indignant, removed her ear.
"I will not stay," she said, with a pout,
"To hear my character lied about!" --Gopete Sherany"
"Sometimes when everybody is playing at once, I listen here with one ear and overhear with the other ear."
"people have lost the true meaning of writing to write is not just to write something and get paid for to write is a special talent that a few people have when you have a gift and you have a dream money and all those extra things don't matter living your dream and being a true writer is the best dream you can live"
"Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm southern wind, blow softly here. Green sod above, lie light, lie light. Good night, dear Heart, Good night, good night."
"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow"
"It is seldom indeed that one parts on good terms, because if one were on good terms, one would not part"


text:
Current Newswire:
Brown, Tanenbaum Spar Over SamizdatJun 08, 2004, 02:30 (33 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Kenneth Brown, Andy Tanenbaum)
WEBINAR: On-Demand
No-Size-Fits-All! An Application-Down Approach for Your Cloud Transformation REGISTER >
AdTI: Samizdat's Critics... Brown Replies
Samizdat is a series of excerpts from an upcoming book on open source and operating systems that will be published later this year. AdTI did not publish Samizdat with the expectation that rabidly pro-Linux developers would embrace it. Its purpose is to provide U.S. leadership with a researched presentation on attribution and intellectual property problems with the hybrid source code model, particularly Linux. It is our hope that leadership would find this document helpful with public policy decisions regarding its future investment in Linux and other hybrid source products.
Vrije Universiteit: Rebuttal to Ken Brown[ Thanks to relic for this link. ]
Related Stories:
0 Talkback[s] (click to add your comment)


text:
With its eerily pale-faced models drawing plenty of attention in this series, it becomes difficult to focus on the Marc Jacobs FW 2010 line.
Resembling a set of movie stills from a classic horror flick, this Marc Jacobs FW 2010 campaign will undoubtedly give you the chills. Featuring pale and neutral pieces along with a creepy retro set, this campaign shows off the line's intricate details in an eerie light. Check out the featured gallery and see this interesting spread for yourselves.
Creepy Fashion Duos
More Stats +/-
Ghostly Twin Fashion
17 Duo Fashion Shoots
Twin Fashiontography
Twin Mannequin Celeb Shoots
Odd Couple Fashiontography
The Marc Jacobs FW 2010 Campaign is Eerily Unique
- By: Joanne LamAug 16, 2010
References: marcjacobs & studdedhearts.blogspot
References: marcjacobs & studdedhearts.blogspot


text:
A suspect who fatally shot another man in Hallandale Beach overnight remains on the run Saturday morning, police said.
During a get-together at a home at 704 NE 8th Street, an argument erupted between the two men, and the suspect opened fire, police said. He fired four to five shots, witnesses said, and the victim died on the scene while the suspect ran away, according to Hallandale Beach Police.
Neither man has been identified.
A perimeter was set up, but police later cleared the area.
The victim's cousin, Ernie Mendoza, said, "My cousin was visiting his friend, and one of the guys who was drinking, he just shot him, because they (were) fighting."
Published at 11:15 AM EDT on Mar 17, 2012 | Updated at 3:56 PM EDT on Mar 17, 2012


text:
|It's spot on - I always know which direction I'm facing!
(146 votes, 32%)
|Just so-so; I know my surroundings, but I can get lost in unfamiliar places
(140 votes, 31%)
|I frequently need help to get my bearings
(57 votes, 12%)
|I rarely know (or care!) which direction I'm facing
(83 votes, 18%)
(17 votes, 3%)
How's your internal compass?
I'm the early bird on this poll!
I generally have a sense of direction, but do get confused at times.
Say what.....
Quite good when I'm paying attention as a driver or navigator. The only time my sense of direction fails me is when I've been "plopped down" in a new spot, driven by somebody else (e.g. picked up at an airport at night, driven to their home, talking during the drive). I get it into my head that south is north and north is south or something and have a devil of a time talking myself out of it.
I voted for "So so".....
If I'm in unfamiliar territory, I rely on the Sun alot, for general directions! LOL
I suppose, that if I were to migrate much greater distances (such as birds & some butterflies, etc.), I may would be a bit concerned with {its} correct functioning - otherwise, everything's honky dory.
It's the external organ failures that can really chunk a monkey wrench into stuff .. along with outside negative factors that toy with my keeping my bearings.
- Magpye
When faced with a choice, I will always go in the wrong direction.
Doesn't matter where I am (subway, country road). When I try to outfox myself but going in the opposite direction I think I should be going - my first choice is correct.
My husband says I don't take direction well.
I could just quote what ownedbycats said. I am exactly the same. No sense of direction at all. of course, DH is just the opposite, and thinks I'm hysterical. I'm the same inside. Always turn the wrong way getting off elevators, etc. It's sad, really.
I'm with ownedbycats and grampapa: When coming out of a parking lot, etc, elevator, unfamiliar side-street, etc., I can usually be relied upon to drive gaily off in the opposite direction I should be going. I blame it on the area I live in--they keep moving the landmarks on me.
And don't talk to me about using the sun to orient myself, lol--they keep moving THAT, too!
But there is hope for me; It's called a "GPS" and I have one in my car!
Verizon Navigator! Before I had that, I'd stop every hour or so at a gas station and make sure I was headed in the right direction. Maps work too, mostly, but I like the reassurance of other people and the gps system.
Hawaii has a different way of giving directions. It's always, Mauka, Makai, Ewa, Diamond Head. Depending on where you are you could be going Makai but that may be north, east, south, or west. Since moving up here I still don't know which way I'm going.
LeSnow: that's funny!
I could pretty much find my way around if I was to become lost. It' a Girl Scout thing, I guess.
I was in high school and teacher teach about compass as there is riddle!
"As crow fly goes as crooky road goes."
I follow the direction where I going. Like where Sun goes...
The thing I do best is turn around and go in the other direction! Luckily my big car has a compass but my minivan and I can get lost very easily. I'm retired now so it is all good!
It has been a family joke since my kids were small that I have the world's WORSE sense of direction. I know how to get around town and can drive cross country with a map or mapping software directions, but if distracted for just a second (like answering a cell phone call!!) and miss a turn, I am so lost. If the sun is shining and it's not high noon, I can usually figure out N/S/E/W - heaven help me if it's cloudy or lunch time! I love my new cell phone, it has Mapquest service, which if I have a signal and can find a street number I can usually get myself going in the right direction again. Use to take my laptop and have to find a wireless connection, which often drove me miles out of my way. I travel between 150-200 miles everyday, so I don't get too bent out of shape about one or two wrongs turns, it's to be expected!
My sense of direction is ok. If I ever get lost, I just look for an old barn.
Ooh, I can't wait to hear what DonShire comes up with for this one!
If someone tells me to go east that means turn right. I somehow think east on always on the right no matter which may I'm facing lol. Now if they tell me to turn right at the pink building no problem. I have no sense of direction in unfamiliar places.(east is always on the right). Thank goodness my car has a navagation system.
Almost never get lost. If I'm with a tour, I'm the one that gets the group back to where we belong. Have always been able to do this and it came as a great surprise to me that my sister couldn't when (a decade ago), we spent a week together cleaning out our mother's house. We've always lived a long way apart as adults; so had never broached that subject.
The only place where I'm certain of compass points is in my own yard; I have a terrible sense of direction and get lost easily. My husband, on the other hand, was born with a compass in his brain. You can plop him down in the middle of an unfamiliar city, and he'll find his way around like a native. However, I do have a tape measure in my brain and can detect from 50 paces if something is 1/4" off. So maybe that's compensation for being a navigational dunce. :)
I get lost so frequently I rarely pay attention any more!
In a car, or on a hike ... is it the same for you all? Would you get 'lost' quicker in a car or if you were on a hike?
Ditto to ownedbycats. (Maybe it is something about cats that takes away ones internal compass . . .)
I'm echoing BDale60, exactly!
"Quite good when I'm paying attention as a driver or navigator. The only time my sense of direction fails me is when I've been "plopped down" in a new spot, driven by somebody else (e.g. picked up at an airport at night, driven to their home, talking during the drive). I get it into my head that south is north and north is south or something and have a devil of a time talking myself out of it."
I count myself among the directionally impaired. It's been far worse since moving to Albuquerque where streets suddenly changes names, the lane you are in turns into a right-turn-only lane and no one will let you over, or a wrong turn can leave you in the middle of a housing development under construction. I'd be lost (no pun intended) without Mapquest or Mapblast. Like Jltbaw, I am a landmark driver and need to be told to "turn right at the white house with the picket fence".
A GPS system is on my wish list for Christmas.
I'm the same as several here. Lose my way in buildings, parking lots - almost always turn the wrong way when coming out of a door unless I really focus. Love the one about outsmarting yourself - I try that too; if my instinct is to turn right, I try left and I'm wrong anyway! lol OTOH, sometimes I just "follow my nose" and it works!
Also can't judge distance, so I need landmarks on my way to know that I haven't passed where I need to turn, etc. If someone says go 1/2 mile and turn, I'm a goner. GPS is wonderful, but we only have one and it requires us to switch cell phones, so I only get it for special trips when DH wants to make sure I get home! DSS came to visit from the UK with his and we had Yoda's voice directing us everywhere. :-)
I'm usually pretty good with directions. My internal compass is as acurate as I need it to be.
I have a good - perhaps very good - sense of direction, but what I am really proud of, is the memory of direction I have. If I drive into a foreign city / town and spend perhaps an hour around it, then I can remember where and how I went even ten years later. I noticed that in my journeys along Europe, in Rome, in Amiens, in Luxembourg, Brussells, and many other places. It is very pleasant to rely on this memory and it has helped me many times.
Sad to say I am about as directionally impaired as it's possible to be. At work, 2 young guys who worked for me would wait for me after a meeting in the other end of the building to make sure I could find my way back. Otherwise I would automatically turn the wrong way coming out of the meeting room. The worst arguments my hubsand and I ever had were in the car over directions when I was supposed to be navigating while he drove. We both say getting the navigation system in our 2001 car saved our marriage. We've now bought a couple portable ones to make sure any car we are in together has one.
I am directionally challenged, but if I drive to somewhere, can usu get back / there again. Used to be if someone said "you can't get lost", then that was a guarantee that I would. I know the area I live in, areas used to live in and am usually fine; can make long distance trips w/o incident. But if I go into a bldg, I'll easily mistake which way is N, S, E or W, until come out. ~ Suzi :)
My DH thinks it's so funny that I had no idea of "east" "west"....but I always say that's good if you're lost in the forest (and I do know how to look at the sun and take a bearing....walk in one direction, etc).
I like these types of directions:
Take a left at the McDonald's, then go straight until you see the Dillards; go around it, at which point you turn left and look for a large freeway.... :-)
Okay...I put a lot of miles on my car.
I have a pretty good since of direction, but I have trouble in certain towns for unknown reasons. One is Las Cruces, New Mexico, which should be easy and the other is Sienna, Italy which is laid out in a circle. Don't ask me why, I have a hard time with those two cities.
I said right on. However that is not 100%, as inside some buildings and nights with no moon or stars visable, I do tend to get confused. And that would usually be one quarter turn to the left. May be odd but that is what I have noticed if I asked which way is North.
I'd say I'm somewhere in between spot on and so-so. I still have baby brain from having my daughter last year so I've been getting a little confused lately. But I usually can find my way out of somewhere. NJ is small enough that you'll eventually find your way to a highway. Never been lost in a parking lot or mall.
jltbaw- so if you're facing south you still think east is to your right???
I have an awful sense of direction, too. My family figured out a long time ago that if I say "turn left" and I'm really really REALLY sure I know exactly what I'm talking about... just go ahead and turn right. I'll be mad, but you'll get there a lot faster. LOL When I am driving I can tell you which way is north, but once I'm inside a building, forget it. I lose my car regularly in parking lots! I've always thought that someone must go out and randomly rearrange the cars while I'm in the store (any store!), cuz I'm sure I parked the car right here...? No, wait, maybe it was over there. Umm, which car did I drive today? hmmm...
(And I'm only 38! Wait until I really get senile! LOL)
When I was a little girl, my Dad made me the official family navigator when we went on road trips. For some reason, I've always been able to know which way is which.
I rarely pay attention. I will begin now to see how I do. I have a clip-on compass.
I can tell the time of day within 10 min. without a watch by looking at the sun. I don't know how I do that! I also wake up at exactly the same time (6:55 a.m) no matter what time I go to sleep the night before....strange!
I have no sense of time, either. I wonder if time and direction are related "senses", or if I'm just generally nonsensical. It's possible.. :-)
Just spent three weeks in Australia. That changes things around. The mantra we kept repeating was, "the sun is in the North!"
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Voting Booth Threads
My favorite food for this time of year is...started by admin
last post by adminNov 27, 20168Nov 27, 2016
How wouldyou rate your 2016 garden season?started by admin
last post by adminJan 29, 201712Jan 29, 2017
Do you 'garden by the book' or live dangerously?started by admin
last post by adminDec 12, 20162Dec 12, 2016
Are you a copycat?started by admin
last post by adminDec 19, 20164Dec 19, 2016
Dear Santa, I've been very good. Please bring me...started by admin
last post by adminDec 24, 20165Dec 24, 2016


text:
High school students and community members are invited to attend the Fourth Annual Art Fair at Black Hills State University. The Art Fair will be held Thursday, Oct. 14 and Friday, Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the David B. Miller Student Union Jacket Legacy Room.
The fair will feature art supply vendors from across the country promoting, demonstrating, and selling their latest art supplies at reduced prices. Workshops with regional artists are planned throughout the day.
High school artists are also invited to participate in a regional online juried art exhibition. A maximum of five pieces of artwork from each school may be submitted. Winners will be selected by BHSU art students and art supply awards will be given for each place. Awards will be selected for first, second, third and art vendors' choice.
Entrants are asked to submit artwork as Jpeg files to Dave Wilson, associate professor of visual arts, 1200 University Street, Unit 9558, Spearfish, SD 57799 or email files to email@example.com. When submitting files include the student's name, title of artwork and the student's school, as well as contact information. Winners will have their artwork displayed in the bookstore or in the BHSU President's Gallery. Deadline for entries is Oct. 15.
The Art Fair is sponsored by the BHSU Bookstore and visual arts department. For more information contact Wilson at 642-6706 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Anything is Possible at Black Hills State University! Faculty, staff, and students are making headlines with their achievements. See what BHSU is in the news for lately. Call 605.642.6215 to share your news item.
Black Hills State University
Office of Admissions
1200 University Street
Unit #9502
Spearfish, SD 57799-9502
Black Hills State University, 1200 University St., Spearfish, SD 57799, (800) 255-2478 | © 2014
|Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
Wednesday, November 22, 2017


text:
Artist description:
Ref used
Java Draw Created Mar 26, 2013 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2013 Simona-Garden.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
The woman laying down seems so relaxed, nice focus.
se vede ca e foarte bucuroasa sa se culce in iarba ! lovely drawing !
awesome perspectives..
her expression is mesmerising, makes u wonder whats on her mind :) love how shes laying down on the grass--favessss
Thank u! Love her experession too!
This is so excellent 5/5
Very beautiful. 5/5h
so beautiful! fav/5/5 love d expression,grass...shades..soooooooooo gud!
wonderfull captured moment :)
beautiful work!
what a wonderful relaxing drawing she looks so happy laying there i wonder what she is thinking of to make her feel that way 5h fav
thank you!
I likeed her expresion from the first time i found this photo, and i said to miself "this will be painted some day".. this is the day :)


text:
Ahoy there, Duchess!
For her royal appearance for the launch of Britain's bid for the America's Cup 2017 at the National Maritime Museum in London on Tuesday, June 10, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton looked the part in a nautical black and white Jaeger dress.
The never-worn short-sleeved frock featured contrasting black trim along the neckline, arms and waistband. The Duchess, 32, paired the high street dress with her blue suede shoes by Alexander McQueen and the "Muse" cluctch by Russell & Bromley.
In addition to meeting with the team, Middleton chatted with Olympic gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie, 37. "She was asking lots of technical questions; she knew her stuff," the sailor said. "We were all sharing sailing stories, and I think her sailing comes from her family."
While Ainslie didn't elaborate whether Middleton relayed the tale of how she beat husband Prince William in a sailing race during their April 2014 tour of Australia, he did express his gratitude for having the Duchess' support. "It means a lot to have her here," he said. "We're a British team so to have Her Royal Highness behind the team really gives us a new sense of pride."
Echoed Lord Michael Grade, also present at the launch. "She's from a sailing family, and she loves sailing," Grade said. "You can just tell she's always been keen on it, and her face just lights up when she's talking about it."
Middleton also viewed the solid silver America's Cup, designed and made by Garrad "Wow, I just met a princess!" Garrard CEO and American Eric Deardoff said.
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!


text:
In light of the National Security Agency's Prism program being called into public view from the dark crevices of classified information, government secrets, and other inherently non-transparent activities, I wanted to discuss a few points and introduce some thought on the matter. The purpose of this article is to discuss some commonly held views on the issue, as well as to introduce some talking points identifying the true issues at stake: privacy, security, and politics.
The Power of Failure?
Arguments have been made that if the NSA Prism program – and countless others the public will never know about due to their criticality to national security, protection of sources and methods, etc. – were so top-notch, the US wouldn't have experienced recent terror attacks like those that struck in Boston, Detroit (underwear bomber), or Fort Hood (to name a few).
or Log In


text:
WWLA Day One: Ultimate Universe/Supremeverse Crossover Announced
Marvel Comics has updated their website with an announcement that will come as a surprise to many comic book fans. Look for more details Sunday during the Ultimate Universe panel at Wizard World LA.
Official Press Release
The Ultimate Universe-the Universe they said could never be done and is now the Universe others try to imitate, but can never duplicate. This year promises to break records, debut new characters, and shock fans in unexpected ways-and the House of Ideas plans to do it with a star-studded roster of talent to make these books, . . . well, the ultimate!
Starting in October, Ultimate Power, a nine-issue mini-series tying the Ultimate Universe into the Supremeverse (Squadron Supreme Universe) will be written by the superpower trinity of Brian Michael Bendis, J. Michael Straczynski, and Jeph Loeb.
And then, our annuals are just that, annual, and with a once-a-year book, Marvel does it's best to put the best talent on the books where they will shine the brightest. With that, the following is a list of our Ultimate Annual titles due in August and the creators who will breathe life into them:
Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual
Mike Carey, writer,
Stuart Immonen, artist
Frazier Irving, artist
Ultimate Spider-Man Annual
Brain Michael Bendis, writer
Mark Brooks, artist
Ultimates Annual
Charlie Huston, writer
Mike Deodato Jr., artist
Ryan Sook, artist
Enjoy, as Marvel makes it Ultimate!
CBR's coverage of Wizard World Los Angeles is Sponsored by Comics Unlimited.
- Ad Free Browsing
- Over 10,000 Videos!
- All in 1 Access
- Join For Free!


text: I must say first and foremost that I am thrilled to see SVT bringing out the next in a long line of hot mustangs. BUT.... I have a big gripe with the name. Think about it... Ford SVT Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500. Its a gimmic. Ford threw the Shelby GT500 name on there to sell cars. This car was not designed by or built by Shelby America. This is a Ford SVT product. Being a proud SVT Cobra owner, this car doesnt feel like the next Cobra. The only Mustang SVT should build should be the Cobra and it should be called Cobra. Its a case of badge enginering. When I see that car I see an awesome mustang but it feels like someone is trying too hard to get attention by throwing the Shelby name at it. It would be the same as Saleen going out of business and 20 years down the line Ford building the "Ford SVT Saleen S351 Mustang". Its not a Saleen and this car isnt a Shelby. I am not trying to bash Shelby, I am a huge fan of his products. I absolutely love the GT350's. Its like the 84 Mustangs with rocker pannel strips that said GT350,those cars had nothing to do with Shelby. Ford just threw the name on the car to sell more Mustangs. Same story 21 years later. The Shelby name is one that brings up lots of emotions within the Mustang and muscle car community. Dont cheapen it up by thowing his name on a product he didnt build. From a long time mustang fanatic my advise is to call the car what it really is... the next mustang from SVT. Call it the Ford SVT Cobra. I would love to hear what everyone else is thinking. I have been thinking about this since the day I first saw the new car and something just didnt sit right with me imediiately. Ty Proud Owner of a 1994 SVT Cobra (Rio Red,Black Leather,26k miles)


text:
Versalino Rove 2 Wheel Drive Laser Cut Rover Platform 1.0.8
by Virtuabotix, published
Liked ByView All
Give a Shout Out
If you print this Thing and display it in public proudly give attribution by printing and displaying this tag.Print Thing Tag
Thing Statistics
The Versalino Rove 1.0.8 is the culmination of two years of careful planning, and engineering.
What we have done is combined almost every single electronic device that we have meticulously selected/designed and developed over the years into a single cohesive Robotics platform.
This platform is designed to work with the Versalino Uno and our Yellow Gear-motor & Wheels. The whole body can be laser cut if you have access to a laser cutter, or you can pick up the kit from Virtuabotix.com .
(If you can't laser cut your own don't worry we have pretty much all of the parts you need https://www.virtuabotix.com/?page_id=2905)
Heres a video of me putting one together:
Parts you will need to get the minimum build working:
- Acrylic or other 2mm thick laser cuttable material.
- 7 x 20 mm long 2mm bolts and 14 2mm nuts
- 7 x 2mm board risers
- 10 x 25mm long 3mm bolts and 10 3mm nuts
- 1 x Versalino Uno (https://www.virtuabotix.com/?page_id=3117&productid=0609224531828)
- 1 x Versalino MotorMaster(https://www.virtuabotix.com/?page_id=3117&productid=0609224531873)
- 2 x Yellow Gearmotors and Wheels this version is designed specifically for these (https://www.virtuabotix.com/?page_id=3117&productid=0609224532009)
- 2 x small ball wheels
- 4 wires 3 inches or so should be plenty.
Start putting it all together!
1.) Laser cut the design file out of Acrylic or any other material that you fancy (we recommend 2mm thickness).
2.) Assemble the Main Chasis.
The board was designed so it doesn't matter what orientation you have it at, but once you pick one stick with it. I would hold the Versalino Uno and MotorMaster over the chasis to make it easier to put the 2mm bolts in the right spot.
Put the risers and one of the 2mm nuts on top to keep each one in place (don't bother mounting the boards yet).
3.) Attach Gearmotors (I recommend soldering wires on before you do this even though its not what I did in the video).
All of the mounts are designed with a locking system I came up with so you should put the cutouts in their slots first before using two 3mm bolts (a piece) to secure the motors in place.
4.) Add the front ball wheel assembly. First put the two ball wheels into the cutouts (be careful its a tight fit!) Then lock the front assembly the same way you did with the Gearmotor assembly and put the three 3mm bolts in.
5.)(optional) if you are going to use a AA battery pack put the rear holder on the same way you did the ball wheel assemble (but it doesn't have wheels and it is shorter).
6.) Attach wheels, and mount Versalino Uno and MotorMaster, and then connect the motors to the MotorMaster.
7.) Connect up the wires, and load the Arduino Sketch to get up and rolling in no time (get the sketch and the control application https://www.virtuabotix.com/?page_id=3117&productid=versalino_rove_basic).
File Name
All Apps
Upgrade this Thing with Thingiverse Apps
No results.
Please Login to Comment
Downloading Files...
Thing License
Versalino Rove 2 Wheel Drive Laser Cut Rover Platform 1.0.8 by Virtuabotix is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution - Non-Commercial license.
What does this mean?
- You must attribute (give credit) to the creator of this Thing.
- Remixing or Changing this Thing is allowed.
- Commercial use is not allowed.
Show Some Love
Say thanks by giving Virtuabotix a tip and help them continue to share amazing Things with the Thingiverse community.Tip Designer
We're sure Virtuabotix would love to see what you've printed. Please document your print and share a Make with the community.
To post a Make simply visit this Thing again and click I Made One to start uploading your photo. It's even easier to post a Make via the Thingiverse Mobile app (available via Google Play and Apple App Store).


text:
Hi everybody,
I have drafted an RTI Application for gettig information about power thefts in my city. This is the first time I have written an RTI Application and so I want you people to help me out in finalising the application. I am hopeful of getting favourable response from u all.
Heres my application:
Application Form for Information under the Right to Information Act, 2005
The Public Information Officer<O:p</O:p
Ministry of Power<O:p</O:p
Mrs. M.Nirmala Rao, <O:p</O:p
Deputy Secretary, <O:p</O:p
Cabin No.III, Sharam Shakti Bhawan, <O:p</O:p
New Delhi.-110001<O:p</O:p
Date: 11th January, 2008<O:p</O:p
Sub: Information Regarding Power (Electricity) Theft in Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra)<O:p</O:p
Dear Sir,<O:p</O:p
It has come to my attention that our city (Ulhasnagar) is plagued with the problem of Power (Electricity) Theft and no action is being taken against the offenders who violate the laws.<O:p</O:p
I would like to use the Right To Information Act to ascertain the following:
1. What is the amount (in Rupees) of loss caused due to power theft in Ulhasnagar?<O:p
2. Who is responsible for this loss due to power theft?<O:p
3. Is there any inspection agency for keeping an eye on power thefts in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
4. If yes, what is the name of the inspection agency?<O:p</O:p
5. What is the central government doing to stop power thefts in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
6. Which are the initiatives taken by the state government to prevent power thefts in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
7. Who are the people involved in power thefts in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
8. What sort of legal action is being taken against the power thieves in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
9. What is being done to aware the consumers of electricity against power thefts in Ulhasnagar?<O:p</O:p
10. What is being to compensate consumers against power thefts in Ulhasnagar?
I must emphasize here that the city of Ulhasnagar is home to more than 1 million people. These people have been for more than two years now facing acute shortage of power supply at their homes despite paying up their Electricity Bills on time.<O:p</O:p
I state that the information sought does not fall within the restrictions contained in section 8 and 9 of the Act and to the best of my knowledge it pertains to your office.<O:p</O:p
I also state that I am a citizen of India and I am eligible to seek information under the Right to Information Act 2005.<O:p</O:p
A Postal Order/Bank Draft No. _________________ dated_____________ is enclosed.<O:p</O:p
I request you to kindly look into this matter. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.<O:p</O:p
Place: Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra)<O:p</O:p
Date: 11th January, 2008<O:p</O:p
Yours Sincerely,


text:
2.75" Velvet Hair Clip with Sequins (available in 28 colors)Item#: Rebelle-289a
On Sale: $3.9956% off -
$ 9.00
Product Details
2.75" wide embossed velvet flower hair clip with iridescent sequins and bead center.
Silver tone hair clip backing for secure wear.
Vibrant colors for every occasion, lovely white and ivory for wedding, great pastels for bridesmaids.
This luxe flower features three layers and 13 petals with graduated color and exquisite beading.
This flower hair clip is *COLOR MATCHED*.


text:
We recommend upgrading to the latest Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox.
If you are using IE 9 or later, make sure you turn off "Compatibility View".
Handpicked brands for you
All Fullsuits currently offered at 40% off via Matuse.com and @thematuseblackspot ... The Dojo Multisport Fullsuit is 4.5mm from the chest to the front of the ankle (with hidden chamber technology for added flotation). It is 2.5mm from the shoulder...


text: We're going to a family reunion in Wimberly, TX next week. (yes, I know it's going to be HOT!) We're flying into San Antonio and plan to spend the first night at a hotel on the Riverwalk and do something in San Antonio the next day before heading to Wimberly for the rest of the trip. Any tips for the Riverwalk? We have two little girls (7 and 6) - anything to recommend that they would enjoy doing? We are also considering doing Sea World on that second day. Anyone have any tips for Sea World? (I don't know how similar the one in San Antonio is to the one in Orlando) Thanks!


text:
HelloShoes' Profile
Hello! Just to tell you a little bit about myself. I feel Shoes should be fun. I have worked designing high end shoes for a wonderful company. Though my heart has always been on designing for real people and real prices. I love making it fun and happy and I hope to share that happiness with you. In creating these shoes, I always look for the stamp of approval from my little daughter Clover. Oh and yes these have passed the test.:)
Shoe Measurements for Womens size 6-10
6: 9.5" long x 3.25" at the widest point.
7: 9.75" long x 3.5" at the widest point.
8: 10" long x 3.5" at the widest point
9: 10.25" long x 3.5" at the widest point
10: 10.5" long x 3.75" at the widest point
Do you do custom orders?
Yes, send me a…
- Female
- Born on December 24
- Joined November 30, 2009
Favorite materials
Just about anything I can get my hands on, Though I do prefer organic fibers and crazy prints and textiles
- HelloShoes
- Southern California


text:
Fantasy Basketball: Daily Dribble 1/31/14
Daily Fantasy Basketball insight and news to help you make BBQ chicken of your competition.
It is time you OWN the NFL. We have it all for you. Playbooks, Lineup Optimizers, Optimal Lineups & More! Get 1 FREE Week with Promocode: TRIUMPH
Daily Dribble
Welcome to the Daily Dribble where we serve up the latest Fantasy Basketball news and insight so you can make BBQ chicken of your competition. We'll focus on Daily Fantasy Site (DFS) play, but we will sprinkle in some weekly, season long, and/or dynasty/keeper league insight that should help shape your decision making going forward, as well.
Friday, January 31st
Fun Day Friday y'all! It is not just any Friday, but it is the last day of the month, which means it is payday for most and hopefully we help you have one more DFS payday before we flip to February. In addition to today's Daily Dribble article look for our Daily League Picks article that comes out at 5pm, which will provide you with tiered recommendations for this evening's DFS contests. And remember, If any of you who read our daily league articles cash and/or win yourself a qualifier feel free to tweet me @FantasyNomad and I would be glad to share your success story in an upcoming Daily Dribble article and on twitter.
Injury News
I will focus on any injury news that pertains to this evening's slate of games, but be sure to visit our Player News section to catch up on other injuries and player insight that will give you a head start when it comes to planning future lineups.
Nate Robinson word out of Denver is that Nate Robinson has a torn ACL and is going for a second opinion. If reports are true he will be done for the season. Either way, this opens up more immediate playing time for Evan Fournier starting tonight against the Raptors in Denver.
Ty Lawson (strained left rotator cuff) is a game-time decision for Friday's game against. If Lawson sits than Evan Fournier would start alongside Randy Foye, which would be even more reason to roster Fournier in DFS play this evening.
Shawn Marion (shoulder) will not play Friday against the Kings, the Mavericks' official Twitter account reports. (See Dirk Nowitzki below for more info.).
Jeff Teague practiced on Thursday and traveled with the team to Philly for tonight's game against the 76ers, which seems like a good indicator that he will make his return after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.
Pau Gasol did not practice Thursday due to foot and groin injuries, but neither injury is considered serious enough to keep him off the floor moving forward. He is listed as probable for Friday's game against the Bobcats, and confirmed that he will play through the soreness despite not practicing.
Fantasy Alarm NBA Player News
Rather than trying to keep up with every NBA team and every NBA beat writer to find the latest injury news, team lineup, and/or nugget of information that will give you an edge in your fantasy leagues just follow us on twitter @FantasyAlarm and @NBALineups We do the work for you! Also bookmark our NBA Player News page as well by clicking on the links in blue.
Statistical Nuances from the Nomad
Four of the six worst teams in regards to allowing points in the paint play tonight: 30) Lakers, 29) Jazz, 26) TWolves (and things will get worse now with Nikola Pekovic out indefinitely with ankle bursitis), and 25) Nuggets.
Four of the top five worst defensive teams in the league take the court tonight based on total points allowed per game this season: 30) 76ers, 29) Lakers, 28) Kings, and 26) Nuggets.
Of the teams playing on the road tonight, the Kings are allowing the most points to opponents per game at 106.7, which bodes well for the likes of Jae Crowder (Shawn Marion will not play tonight), Monta Ellis (who is looking to bounce back from a very disappointing outing last game), and Dirk Nowitzki who recently became 13th player in NBA history with 26,000 career points after finishing with 38 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists in two point loss to the Rockets.
Al Jefferson has the third highest player efficiency rating over the last two weeks and faces a Lakers team who own the worst rebounding differential in the league this season, and it is not even close, so expect big number from Big Al again tonight.
Searching for answer for the 2014 fantasy baseball season? Turn to a trusted source to enlighten you – Fantasy Alarm – and pick up your very own copy of the 2014 Fantasy Alarm Baseball Draft Guide. After reading the 200 pages of information you will be ready to dominate the competition in the coming season on your way to a fantasy baseball championship.


text:
Check Out Nicki Minaj and Cassie in "The Boys" [VIDEO, EXPLICIT]
I had to put this video up personally because the site's in the video are quite amazing, like 2 for 1 at your favorite restaurant! Check out Nicki Minaj and Cassie in "The Boyz"!
This video is H.O.T. hot, though I'm not a fan of the actual song, I love the video. Yes, I know I'm acting like the typical guy, and so what about it?! It's one of those types of video's I tend to mute and check out the view. Check it out for yourself and peep the eye candy in the colorfully themed video for "The Boyz".
Subscribe to 107 JAMZ on


text:
HR professionals can't be everywhere at once, making sure no boss ever harasses a subordinate. It will happen, even in the best, most progressive organizations.
Protect against such nonsense with a robust anti-harassment policy. Prohibit all forms of harassment, not just ones that are clearly illegal. You don't want any form of bullying going on. Back your policy with a commitment to promptly investigate harassment allegations.
Have several ways for employees to complain—make it so easy that no one has an excuse for failing to report offensive conduct.
Plus, make sure supervisors report all harassment allegations up the chain of command. To ensure compliance, make doing so part of their job descriptions and a part of their performance evaluations.
Otherwise, they may be tempted to ignore complaints or obvious harassment that's occurring right under their noses. That can make all the policies in the world worthless.
Recent ca...(register to read more)
To read the rest of this article you must first register with your email address.


text:
Tetsuo Yanagi
Tetsuo Yanagi graduated from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, in March 1972. Then he obtained his M.S. degree in March 1974; and his Ph.D. degree in March 1978 both from Kyoto University. Afterwards, he was assigned as a Research Associate and as an Associate Professor at the Department of Ocean Engineering, Ehime University, in April 1974, 1983, respectively. In August 1990, he became a Professor of coastal oceanography at the Department of Civil and Ocean Engineering, Ehime University; then he held the same position at the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM), Kyushu University, in August 1998. Professor Yanagi served as the Director of the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, in April 2008.
Biography Updated on 1 September 2008


text:
When I was younger and wore my hair long and purple and red, with chains hanging from my hip, trucks would drive by and guys dangling out passenger-side windows would yell, "Fag!" or more commonly, "Get a haircut!" People Who Yell From Cars – hereafter referred to as PWYFC's – if nothing else, are traditionalists.
Living in a small town in Newfoundland, this wasn't wholly unexpected, and I didn't really mind. I've always been a strong proponent of Idiot Rights.
These days, however, I blend. I don't have the hair to grow long anymore. My shorts are khaki. My polo shirts – collars not upturned – signal my status as a serious adult. I'm a good, dull, fashionably indistinct citizen now.
Yet I still get yelled at by PWYFC's.
Because of my new camouflage, when people now yell at me on the street the jibes are generic and substantially more hilarious. A while ago, while walking on Water (Street), a PWYFC, unable to think of a cogent insult in the three seconds he had access to me, drove past and yelled, "HEYYY ... WALKING!"
I dried my tears and moseyed on.
What is it about PWYFC's that compels them to yell at complete strangers? At the time I thought, 'Could his moronism be the Rosetta Stone in my decipherment of why I am continuously vocally accosted? Is it relatable to my perpetual pedestrianism? Purely locomotive motivation?'
Coming from an Anthropological academic background, I tend to jump towards cultural and genetic explanations for just about everything. Perhaps twenty thousand years ago our early ancestors who had horses would ride over to where tribes without horses lived and mock them from the safety of their mounts. This behavior was then passed down through the ages in a sort of Lamarckian douchebaggery. Could People Who Yell From Cars have evolved from People Who Yelled From Horses?
Naw. I decided it was more likely the poor bastards were simply mad about their small penises.
But then I had to throw out the teeny-weeny wiener theory as well, seeing that some PWYFC's are, unfortunately, women. The women are, however, technically, more like Women Who 'Woo' From Cars – 'woo-girls' while on foot, but WWWFC's while locomotive.
Alternatively, PWYFC's may also sometimes simply sound like women. The Doppler effect does tend to feminize.
In terms of causation, I concluded that it had to be me. In some way I was bringing it upon myself. Perhaps a pheromone I emit, or a subsonic tremor in my cells' vibration? Frequently, I'm asked for the time in the mall. Strangers will cross the road to talk to me. Drunks need to tell me their stories. From this I have deduced that my public persona holds an aura of knowledgeableness and harmless-ity. Extrapolate that then out to people feeling the need to yell at me at 50 kph. Very much the same phenomena, but mobile.
Then I met 'Ted.'
I concluded that it wasn't me.
I was sitting in the back-middle seat of a crammed car; only a short jaunt to the liquor store, so no big deal. I didn't know Ted, sitting to my right. We'd only just met that night. He seemed nice.
Little did I know – cue dramatic music – that Ted was the enemy.
We weren't forty feet from having left the curb before Ted rolled down his window and started yelling at pedestrians. He wasn't very good at it; as a yeller he was only a yearling. As the car would approach a person he'd wind up and yell, "HEYYY NICE SHOES!" or "HEYY ... PANTS!"
I looked on in fascinated helpless horror. Ted was like a yappy little dog in a window. He had no control over what he was doing. He had to bark.
Suddenly I was faced with a kind of human I hadn't known existed until then. Yes, people yelled from cars. At me. All the time. That, I understood. What I hadn't known was that they were a kind of person.
He saw me staring at him, turned and said, "What?"
I wanted to bring Ted home with me to my test chamber – my rented room – so I could sit him in a cardboard car of my devising and attach electrodes to his brain; flash different sorts of fake pedestrians at him and monitor his cerebral activity.
It was like standing in line at the bank and looking over and realizing that the person next to you in line is a Sasquatch. The Sasquatch then looks at you and says, "Excuse me, do you have the time?"
So many questions. If Ted were on a boat and he saw a water skier, would he be a Person Who Yells From Boats?
Is he that guy on the plane who looks out the window and then turns to you with a smile and says, 'They all look like ants'?
The grand question: What would happen to Ted if he saw himself walking by?
I desperately wanted to know.
Alas, the science would have to wait. The driver pulled into a parking lot, turned around to face us, and told Ted to shut the hell up or else he'd throw him out of the car. It was embarrassing, really.
The experiment was over.
Abashedly, Ted sat right in his seat, shooting restrained glances toward the window as we went. As we passed pedestrians, his eyes followed them hungrily.
I could sense his pain. "You can yell at me if you want," I told him.
"It's not the same," he said.
What a magnificent specimen.
Does Ted consider himself an artist? Does he go to conventions with other PWYFC's, rent a big open-air bus with them, and drive around the city obnoxiously yelling at people?
Without being able to dissect, weigh, and compare Ted's brain to the brains of other jerks I've known, I can only conclude that people like Ted give into what Poe liked to call 'The Imp of the Perverse,' that little mischievous voice inside us all which makes us do things we know we shouldn't, like lick icy flagpoles, or pay to see Michael Bay movies. In that one instant that the PWYFC has access to a pedestrian, he can anonymously critique his being in any way he sees fit, emboldened by his power of locomotion and anonymity. In that one instant the PWYFC feels the superior sapient.
Similarly, the imp has been set free to roam in this age of internet anonymity. It's people like Ted who 'disagree' with every comment on every news site, regardless how amiable, and whose membership pretty much includes every last commenter on Youtube.
Like so many other fetishists, nerds, neurotics, and hobbyists who have come together to make happy tent pavilions on the vast rollicking plains of the internet, I suspect it won't be long before the PWYFC's fly their own multicoloured flag and proclaim their pride.
At our expense of course.
Reality shows can't be far behind, soon followed by government grants for PWYFC art, PWYFC literature, PWYFC pez dispensers....
Soon PWYFC culture will be splayed nakedly across the mediascape for all to see and revile equally. We can all grow bored by them together.
Until then, when you're walking down the street and hear anonymous breath being drawn, look up into that busload of PWYFCs' smug, twisted faces, with their pointy teeth and tongue-waggling imps on their shoulders, all of them with their little penises and wrinkly woo-hearts, gather some breath of your own, and shout something back.


text:
FireScope Announces Addition of Collaboration Features to its IT Operations Solution
La Palma, California – January 11, 2007 – FireScope, a leading developer of IT Operations software offering a real-time view of the health and security of enterprise networks, announced today the addition of collaboration tools to be integrated into the latest release of the FireScope IT Operations software. Among the tools included in this package are user-customizable blogs, wikis, message boards, rss feeds, shared bookmarks and calendars.
FireScope's line of IT Operations support appliances has established itself as an industry innovator by offering businesses a single view into the health and security of the entire IT infrastructure, regardless of the underlying technologies of the monitored and managed devices. This allows IT organizations to identify and react to the early symptoms of performance, availability, security and compliance issues before users are affected, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of IT services. In addition, FireScope's business intelligence feature, a first for the industry, provides an easy to use and highly accurate instrument for IT operational planning and management.
The addition of collaboration tools embedded directly into the FireScope web portal extends the FireScope solution by offering organizations an easy method for creating an internal knowledge base that is directly integrated with the monitoring and management interface for the enterprise. And because every aspect of these tools is user configurable, FireScope empowers businesses to organize information in a way that fits their unique needs and preferences.
"A critical issue that IT organizations have been struggling with for years is how to retain valuable information that is lost when key employees leave," said Mark Lynd, President of FireScope. "With these collaboration and knowledge management tools, organizations have the capability to retain valuable proprietary information and experience less disruption when personnel changes take place."
The FireScope web portal is built from an open-source, JSR 168 compatible portal architecture. This contains a flexible security framework that allows administrators to restrict information and device access by user or user group. Additionally, the portal architecture gives each user the ability to tailor the content delivered on every page to meet their operational needs. Content within any page can range from graphs of security or performance data, tabular data lists of alerts to message boards pertaining to the devices being monitored, calendars of scheduled maintenance or blogs detailing the latest issues facing the service desk.
To further extend the capabilities of the FireScope portal, any JSR 168-compliant portlet can be hot-installed from within the FireScope interface. This allows organizations to develop new features using in-house resources or integrate third-party point solutions directly into FireScope. Integrated Single Sign-On within FireScope ensures that users have a seamless experience across any collection of integrated tools.
The collaboration suite of tools will be made available free of charge to FireScope clients with current maintenance and support contracts, and will be automatically installed on deployments configured to receive automatic updates. For more information about this new feature, visit www.firescope.com.
About Firescope
FireScope, Inc. puts forward a single solution that provides a real-time view of the health of IT operations by collecting and processing security, performance and availability data from nearly any server, router, security point solution or other networked device. It's built from multiple industry-proven open-source programs and integrated into an easy to use web-based dashboard. Solution options range from 20 monitored devices to thousands, making FireScope a product that can be tailored for businesses of any size. FireScope, In


text:
No sooner had Albert Pujols turned his back on the St. Louis Cardinals for the riches of Southern California than they posted guards to surround his statue outside the Pujols 5 restaurant in St. Louis.
Some people will attempt to paint Pujols's 10-year, $254-million (all currency U.S.) contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as just another greedy athlete going for the big money, jilting a city that nurtured his career and fell in love with him.
But Phat Albert is no King James. Pujols, whose new contract is conditional on his passing a physical, won three most valuable player awards with the Cardinals and he also brought them two World Series titles. Now he becomes a thermonuclear weapon in the Battle for Los Angeles, as the Angels not only stake a claim to a return to the playoffs but buttress themselves for a day when the Los Angeles Dodgers are out from under the muddled ownership of Frank McCourt.
Speaking at the final day of baseball's winter meetings, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto called Pujols "an iconic offensive player," who was "so much more than a baseball player. "We're very excited for what it does, how it affects our market, Southern California.
"Winning," Dipoto added, "breeds interest."
You know how that statement will play in Toronto. This was a week in which Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos had to defend himself against charges he'd called out the team's fan base when he said increased attendance was a necessary precursor to a $120-million payroll, amending it to increased revenues, and telling a reporter at a morning scrum on Thursday he did not want to go over payroll "parameters" or "borders" any more but would rather focus on what he's trying to do with the team. Nobody in Toronto seems to know any more what the chicken or egg is, let alone which comes first.
The business of the game moves on, and now it's Scott Boras and Prince Fielder on the clock.
Pujols is no LeBron. Pujols cut the Cardinals a hometown discount in 2004 when he signed a seven-year, $100-million contract extension. Last season, he was the second highest-paid player on his team (behind Matt Holliday) and didn't have a place in the top 25 list overall. Shoot, he was well behind his new teammate, former Blue Jay Vernon Wells, who shook his head as he stood beside a TV studio at the Hilton Anatole on Thursday. Four years ago, on Dec. 8, Wells was celebrating his 29th birthday and a seven-year, $125-million contract extension.
"This is cooler," Wells said, comparing his 33rd birthday to his 29th. "It's a different year, with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox not involved [in free agency] But they don't need pieces like this. They've done their share of shopping. It's good to see other teams get involved."
Dipoto is a rookie GM who got his shot when Tony Regins was fired this fall, in part for taking on Wells's contract last winter. Dipoto was on the offensive as he was pressed about giving out a contract to a player whose listed age (31) is based on a Dominican Republic birth certificate, the legitimacy of which has long been questioned. What if Pujols is, oh, 34 or 35?
"He's an honourable man, a very respectful man, and I'm not a scientist," DiPoto said. "I can't tell you where he is. But he hits like he's 27."
What's that old saying: Go west, young man of indeterminable age?
What a winter this has been: The Miami Marlins spent $191-million on free agents (the $106-million given to Jose Reyes is more than their total payroll from the past two years combined) and were willing to give Pujols a deal that was worth more than the Angels' due to Florida's lack of state taxes, while offering to sponsor free-agent pitcher C.J. Wilson's racing car as part of an offer that was actually higher than the modest five-year, $75-million contract he took from the Angels.
Just as Pujols is no LeBron, the Cardinals aren't the Cleveland Cavaliers. They'll do fine, because they have pitching and defence and smart people and a huge regional fan base. This is the team of Stan Musial and Bob Gibson, folks. The same strong, historical bonds that would have made Pujols decide to stay in St. Louis will not be worn away. Truth is, his work is done there.


text:
- "My shopping habits...
are like my strategic planning at the office; driven by facts and figures in high pressure situations…Rank & Style thinks like I do!" – Kaitlin, Busy Professional, 25
Be in the know:
Top tens in your inbox.
Thank you for subscribing!
Enter your email address below and live list-fully ever after!
Most Popular Top Ten Lists:
Top Ten Lists You Might Like:
Featured Content
- Talking Top Tens: Katia BeauchampKatia Beauchamp is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Birchbox, a leading beauty and grooming e-commerce company for men and women. The Birchbox experience features personalized sampling, informative editorial content and a curated online shop. Headquartered in New York City, Birchbox now has more than 800,000 subscribers, extended into men's grooming in April 2012 with Birchbox Man, and acquired an international competitor with presence in France, the UK and Spain in September 2012.
- Talking Top Tens: Perry NelsonPerry Nelson is the Founder of Nicely Noted, a stationery subscription service that inspires sincerity by delivering a curated letterpress cards and stamps every month. Perry came up with the idea of Nicely Noted while walking her puppy Charlie. Nicely Noted was born out of a love of writing and receiving letters, in addition to a lifelong appreciation for beautiful stationery. Prior to moving to Austin for grad school, Perry lived in New York and San Francisco, where she served as the Online Editor at W magazine and the Online Director at Dwell magazine. Follow Perry and Nicely Noted on Twitter and on Instagram.
- Popular This Week:Donna Karan The Nudes Toeless Pantyhose


text:
Your cart is currently empty!
$ 45.00
As soft as their skin and as warm as your touch! Wrap your baby in the soft coziness that their skin deserves with this luxurious minky baby blanket. Fun and energetic with this vibrant playful plaid that is the perfect print for any baby.
"Minky fabric is a plush, microfiber fabric that described as incredibly soft and smooth to the touch". ~Minkydelight.com
Blanket Sizing is approximate and the measurements shown are the pre-sewn/cut measurements. Due to the inconsistencies of various display monitors, the colors you see on your screen may not be a totally accurate reproduction of the actual product. We strive to make our colors as accurate as possible, but screen images are intended as a guide and should not be regarded as absolutely correct.
Care: Minky blankets are made to keep their softness wash after wash! Make sure to never use fabric softener on your minky.
$ 60.00
Stroller Blanket 42"x42"
$ 40.00
Newborn Crochet Overalls
On sale $ 85.00 $ 76.50
Sweet Peony
Bringing home baby Set
$ 85.00 $ 76.50
This darling set is the perfect gift for bringing home baby. Made of the softest minky fabric, the blanket adorned with elephants sitting among the moon and stars, is as gentle to your baby's skin as your own touch. The handmade crocheted booties are just the right size for your sweet little one to come home in. Lastly, the organic teething toy, (made of BPA free materials) will grow with baby and their needs.
Choose from Neutral, Girl or Boy Gift set.
-Girl gift set comes with pink booties, boy set with blue and neutral set with yellow. The bootie color however is customizable - just leave a note in your check out for any color you choose- *grey also makes a wonderful neutral color.
As always, your happiness is our number one priority. If there is anything we can customize for you to make this the perfect gift set, please don't hesitate to email me here.
$ 18.00
Top Knot Head Warmer
These adorable "timberland" style boots are the sweetest tie booties for your little guy. There are so many color combinations that can be used to complete these in addition to the traditional dark brown and mustard.
Please look at color chart and provide : Main Color, Sole/Top Rim Color and Laces Color in the seller notes. I'm excited to see the combination you create. If you have any additional questions please email me at email@example.com
Baby: 17" head circumference
Toddler: 18-19" head circumference
Child: 20-21" head circumference
Adult: 22-23" head circumference


text:
Although savers will be cheered by the news that an interest rate rise is likely to come sooner than forecast by many economic experts, anyone with a mortgage, loan or outstanding amount on a credit card, will be wondering what effect this is going to have on their monthly payments.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney says he expects interest rates to increase up to around 2.5% by 2016, when they will level off. That rate could climb to 3% by 2017, a considerable jump from the present rate of 0.5%, which is a record low that has stayed the same since October, 2008.
Householders know that when the Bank of England puts up rates, the banks and other lenders soon follow, and while this benefits long-suffering savers, anyone with a loan is likely to face a hike in their mortgage and other repayments, depending on terms and conditions.
Loading article content
Faced with rising rates, the benefit of having a high credit rating is that it can help to negotiate a better deal on a mortgage or loan. People who are still on a fixed rate mortgage will only be hit by any rise in rates when the fixed term expires. After that, the interest rate on their mortgage could go up significantly.
Getting a credit check now could provide you with the information you need to get your finances in order before any rise in rates does kick in. Your credit rating determines your ability to get a loan, re-arrange your mortgage or change lenders. The bank or building society will always run a credit check before they agree to lend you money and your credit score can also affect the interest rate you are offered.
Some pundits are forecasting that the rises, when they do come, will be in increments of 0.25%, climbing to 3% by 2017. Although some may consider this fairly modest compared to rates in the '80s and '90s, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) says the implications of a rise of 2.5% in the base rate would be an extra £230 a month for someone with a £150,000 mortgage at present.
Anyone wanting to get an up-to-date credit check, can go here to find out where they stand.


text:
Military Mail
Army National Guard Pvt. Brandon Barry and Army National Guard Pfc. Dakota Goad have graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldiers studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
Barry is the son of Jody Barry of Cloquet.
Goad is the son of Mark Goad of Cloquet and Lisa Curtis of Rochester, Minn.


text:
The Recruitment Society 's next Manchester-based event, scheduled for Wednesday 21 st March, will see the Society joining forces with the CIPD to look at how recruitment has changed through the advent of social media, new technological developments and evolving candidate expectations. The session will outline how some of the...Tuesday, 28 February 2012
To continue reading this article you need to log in:
Not registered? Click here.


text: We've all been reading about the awesome Godaddy Groupon deal that's available for the next day and a half but here are some info I can share after buying the coupon and using it today 1. *YOU CAN use all your Godaddy coupon promo codes with this deal. *You can use the 99 cent codes, the renewal codes. *All of them. *I used three different types of codes and they all worked. * The result was a lot of free money 2. YOU CANNOT use more than one code on your account. *Buy as many as you want but I'm … FULL ARTICLE »