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President Obama last night emerged from the White House after 100 days, thus beating the previous record set by American magician, David Blaine, although unlike Blaine, he achieved the feat without the use of a straight jacket.
"There were times when I came close to needing one but I'll save restraints for the bedroom" Obama told us, before rounding off the stunt with a dive into a deep recession, while playing 'Hail To The Chief' on a nose flute, and juggling the nation's deficit.
While he was inside the White House he was under public and press scrutiny the whole time. Observers say they could see no obvious chicanery, or clever tricks with smoke and mirrors, so often associated with White House stunts.
Obama's success was down to very careful planning and preparation. Before attempting the stunt he spent months immersed in an election campaign, being scrutinised, interrogated, photographed, glad-handed and insulted to build up the stamina levels required.
After being checked over by medical staff, Obama said he felt fine and was suffering no after effects. "You know what?" he quipped, "I reckon I could spend another four years in there."


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|Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections
Serbs continue historic run in Paris
June 05, 2007 18:06 IST
Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic continued an historic French Open for Serbia when they both marched into the semi-finals of the women's singles on Tuesday.
Fourth seed Jankovic, the form player on the circuit coming into Roland Garros, beat 18-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-3, 7-5 while Ivanovic, also born in Belgrade, beat 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 in a topsy turvy encounter.
Jankovic will face the winner of the match between top seed Justine Henin or Serena Williams [Images] in her second grand slam semi-final while Ivanovic will play another Russian in her first, either Maria Sharapova [Images] or Anna Chakvetadze [Images].
It is the first time two Serbian women have reached the semi-finals at a grand slam tournament and Novak Djokovic has the chance to follow them on Wednesday in the men's event.
The 19-year-old Ivanovic, who lost in the quarters here two years ago, took the first set against a dazed Kuznetsova in just 21 minutes before the Russian belatedly came to her senses and levelled the match.
Kuznetsova asked for the trainer at 1-2 down in the decider, complaining of abdominal pain, and was clearly below-par as the tall Ivanovic marched through the next four games.
Despite winning in straight sets, Jankovic was given a much sterner examination by Vaidisova, the youngest player in the last eight and a semi-finalist here last year.
Brimming with confidence after an impressive claycourt season, Jankovic took the first set with a single break of serve and was in control after breaking midway through the second.
The match came to the boil when Vaidisova broke to level the second set at 5-5, saving a match point in the process, but she immediately lost her own serve to give Jankovic the chance to close it out again.
The tension increased as three more match points went begging at 6-5 before the battling Vaidisova netted a forehand to the relief of her opponent.
As well as the other two women's quarter-finals, two men's last eight matches are also scheduled for Tuesday.
Top seed Roger Federer [Images] takes on Spain's Tommy Robredo, while Russia's Nikolay Davydenko tackles Argentina's Guillermo Canas.
The French Open 2007 coverage

subset: commoncrawl


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Wallace Butts coached Godfrey (Goot) Steiner. Goot Steiner coached Neil Callaway and now Callaway will be coaching Georgia's offensive line.
more Smith columns
With Callaway's background, you know that he will coach his linemen tough. As everybody knows, Butts coached his players with an accent on toughness.
Goot Steiner probably coached his players as tough as anybody who ever played for Butts and then became a coach.
Callaway, who learned toughness under Steiner at Lanier High School in Macon, knows what it takes to win and he knows that toughness is the key ingredient for offensive line success.
In addition to his Butts-Steiner legacy, he gained an additional appreciation for toughness when he played for Bear Bryant at Alabama and then coached for Pat Dye, who played for Butts.
I asked Dye recently if Georgia's offensive line would play tough under Callaway, Bulldog offensive coordinator.
''As tough as you would want,'' Dye said. ''He knows that the game has changed and everybody is throwing the ball so much more, but that your success on offense still comes down to how well the offensive line plays.''
Dye and Callaway still talk a lot and when they do you can bet that the conversation, more than likely, will be about fishing, bird hunting and football. Like Dye, Callaway likes all three.
And now that Callaway's sons (Clay and Russ) are old enough to hunt, Neil often schedules outdoor outings with them.
''My family is my hobby, and I enjoy hunting and playing golf with my boys,'' Neil says.
But right now most of his time is spent working on football.
He is very familiar with Georgia, having been recruited by the Bulldogs' John Donaldson. Then with coaching stints at Auburn and Alabama he knew a lot about Georgia's program.
He likes the opportunity he sees in Athens and knows that to win you first must recruit the players.
''After that it is work, work, work,'' he says. ''In coaching you can't work too much.''
You better love football if you are going to coach and you better be prepared to spend long hours.''
He appreciates the fact that the Bulldogs signed a good number of linemen in February, but notes that Georgia needs to sign more linemen.
''In today's game you have to play a lot of linemen to be successful,'' he says.
Callaway has always wanted to coach. His father died when he was seven years old and all his role models were coaches.
From Bryant he understood early in his first year that winning usually comes when teamwork is underscored.
''I saw how important little things were under him,'' he says. ''He was so organized and details were so important.''
Dye signed him but then left Alabama for the head coaching opportunity at East Carolina. Dye gave him his first coaching job, a graduate assistantship at ECU.
Callaway was first introduced to Mark Richt when the two of them recruited Eric Zeier, who played high school football at Marietta.
As things wound down for him at Alabama last season, he knew that he would be looking for a job.
He wanted an exciting opportunity and he wanted to stay in the Southeastern Conference if possible.
Everything has worked out to his satisfaction.
''You can win at Georgia and we are very excited about the opportunity here,'' he says.
This article published in the Athens Daily News on Monday, March 5, 2001.
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Gandhi Nu Gam, Ludiya, Partnering with People: Redevelopment with Community Participation
Vastu Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design, 2001 - Emergency housing - 47 pages
Account of the post earthquake housing process as observed and applied to Ludiya Village for rehabilitation and redevelopment through community participation effort.
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455 Bhungas Akli amenities and facilities Animal Husbandry aspirations Awareness and Conviction Building Components building pattern emerges built environment builtform cattle centre check dams chowki cow dung Craft and Architecture damaged decorated distinct identity dwelling unit end users Evaluation and Approach existing feedback Gandhi Nu Gam geo-climatically relevant Gova River Grass Bank Harijan community individual Infrastructure Educational Infrastructure Khavda Koli Kutchchh region layout lifestyles Liveiyhood livelihood Ludiya Partnering Ludiya Village materials bank Mepai Vandh Monsoon Movar Vandh Maulana Muslim number of plots open spaces organised Participation Vastu-Shilpa Foundation physical Planning Material Provision plinth pre-primary school Movar primary school Pucca Rapport Site Selection Redevelopment with Community relationship relevant and contextual resultant school 4 rooms school Movar Vandh Selection Site Planning Self-Help Construction Process Shelter and Expression simulation socio-cultural and geo-climatic Solar panels styrofoam Thatch roof Traditional dwelling Typology Vandh Maulana Abul Village Profile Identity Water Management Water supply Wattle and Daub


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I made a matching tote bag to put my sisters quilt in out of the scraps left over. I did not follow a specific pattern - just read several directions and took what I liked out of each and combined.
The blue jean tote my DD brought over jeans she was going to donate and asked if I could make a tote for her. She picked the green fabric as a contrast. It too, is a product out of my head with no instructions. The top of the bag is weak and having issues staying upright. (I did not put batting or fusible fleece in as it was getting heavy and thick just with the denim. ) Any ideas on how to stiffen the top up without opening seams??
Thanks for looking :)
Cake & Icecream matching tote - back
Front - put a 4 built in gusset
Jean tote for DD
Jean tote - front
Inside jean tote - she asked for pockets from jeans on the inside of the tote. Bag has a total of 7 pockets.


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If you've happened to have seen one of the seemingly endless number of ads, billboards, "advance looks" and preview pieces on entertainment websites - then maybe you knew that Fox is premiering its new show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles this weekend. It's going to be a back to back premiere (not unlike 24 has done in the past) with the pilot episode premiering Sunday night, followed by the first episode in the show's regular timeslot on Monday nights. The reason for this seems to be clear. As we tell you in our review, the pilot is quite good. But the following episode adds all of the elements to the mix that enables a great movie franchise to become a television series with loads of potential.
We told Thomas Dekker our take on this. "Thank you!" he said, enthusiastically agreeing with our assessment. "It sucks because most people have only seen the pilot, and we as the cast feel the show just gets better and better and better. We're all very happy with the pilot, but honestly I'd say it's our lamest episode." Perhaps not the sentiment you'd expect from a star of the show, but Dekker explains his reasoning: "The pilot does what it has to, and is almost a remake of one of the movies in a way, to get the audience and set everything up. But it's episode two where we're doing our own thing and it's really cool."
Summer Glau, who plays the "protector machine" of the series, agrees: "A lot of pilots have a "pilot look" as everyone is learning how to work together and working out all the kinks. I think our show starts to take on the look that we want in the first episode. Our pilot is great too. Another thing I'm really proud of with our series is that yes, it's a huge action show and the fight scenes and visual effects are really important. But there's a lot of funny moments in our series too, and I think the first episode really starts to blossom that way."
As for how the movie series translates to the small screen, Glau explains why she finds the idea exciting: "There are a lot of subplots that are being introduced. Films don't get to do that. You have two hours to get the point across, make it big, make it exciting and then it's over. A TV show can meander more. You can have all these cool guest stars and sub-plots, and I love that all of that stuff is starting to develop in the first episode."
While Cameron is an original creation, Lena Headey is playing a role made famous by Linda Hamilton. However, Dekker is playing a role played already by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl – and now none other than Christian Bale will be playing John Connor in the next trilogy of Terminator movies. Dekker, however, has the opportunity to chronicle John's transformation into the leader of the resistance against the machines. "I'd be really happy if we were on for many years. It's a little scary, because we all had to sign a contract for eight years. It's a big commitment, but we all love these characters and – more importantly – we love each other. We could do this for a long time I think."
As Cameron, Glau plays a Terminator that isn't programmed to just look human, but to assimilate even more than previous models – which means the ability to mimic emotion and humanity. "I was really excited about this idea," the actress says, "especially when I talked to Josh Friedman about it. Of course it's fascinating to for things to shape shift and turn to liquid and be able to change form. But I think that I am more excited as an actress to play a machine that can impersonate lots of different people. And that can be convincingly emotional. I want people to realize that she's a robot, but I also want people to stop every once in a while and think 'Oh my Gosh, it seems there's something more going on behind her eyes than just math.'"
In fact, in the first episode, you can see John Connor himself torn on this subject. Not only does the first pretty girl he meets in a new town turn out to be another Terminator, but even later John seems to be spooked by the appearance of some humanity. Something that becomes apparent in the early episodes is the dichotomy between the two women of the show. Sarah Connor has spent much of her life becoming more of a machine to protect John, whereas Cameron – who is literally a machine - needs to become more human in order to achieve the same goal.Continues


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The College of Operational and Strategic Leadership (COSL) was formally established in 2007 to focus the Naval War College's efforts as an
advocate for developing the Navy's operational expertise, promoting the ethos of the naval officer, and understanding the requirements
to develop leaders for the future. As such, it has worked very closely with senior Navy leadership and all the U.S. Navy fleet
commanders around the world to prepare for the complex challenges of today and help anticipate the needs of the future.
Material contained herein is made available for the purpose of peer review and discussion,
and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.


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19 Comments
Love the water color effects !
nice watercolor effect! +1 check out my newest design! http://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/61529?page=5
Love the effects and colors look good on the tee. Well done. +1
not sure why this doesnt already have more votes. probably cause its new into voting. anyway, its really beautiful
I really like your style! +1
Great colours and positioning.
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great style
Very interesting! +1
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Voted:)Try to look on russian avangarde and old posters:)Maybe you will find something interesting and usefull:)Good luck
Love the texture! dig this one. +1
Ei, check out mine to. tnx!;)
this is sick
i'm big fan of watercolors…nice work :-)
yeah thats pretty cool :)
Great Design, love how you used the watercolor-effect.
Is this actually aquarell or did you achieve the effect digitally?
Thanks for the comment Askhari.
Actually, its a little bit of both.
Please check out my designs:
1) Mister Jackie http://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/63087
2) Lil' Abby http://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/63214
I love this design! very good style!!!


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Ulster Unionists Sandra Overend MLA and Jim Nicholson MEP have paid tribute to the Maghera Local Committee for Cancer Research UK following their successful 'Big Breakfast' held at Walsh's Hotel in the town.
"I would like to pay tribute to Maghera Committee Chairperson Violet Phillips and her team for another phenomenally successfully Big Breakfast, which is the largest in the UK." she said.
"It was great to be able to host my Ulster Unionist colleague Jim Nicholson MEP in Mid-Ulster last week. Jim visited numerous local businesses and attended a number of events, but none more important than this one, and I know he welcomed the opportunity to support the Maghera Local Committee in their fundraising efforts.
"Cancer Research UK is a wonderful charity, and the work which they carry out is at the heart of the progress which means more people than ever are now beating cancer.
Mr Nicholson added: "I was delighted to be able to attend this fantastic event. I travel right across Northern Ireland and visit all kinds of business and organisations, but truly believe that raising funds and awareness for charities such as Cancer Research is one of the most important things I can do in my role as an MEP.
"I would like to thank the organisers, not only for such a warm welcome and a delicious breakfast, but for the work they do throughout the year. I would also like to congratulate them for raising more than £10,000 on the day, a tremendous amount of money for such a worthwhile cause."
More pictures on pages 38&39.


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ATLANTA -- Forgotten in the hoopla over the Kevin Brown-Randy Johnson matchup is the pitching battle in today's opener between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
Tom Glavine vs. Curt Schilling isn't exactly shabby.
Facing Schilling was Glavine's reward after winning the NL Cy Young Award last season. Greg Maddux started five of the previous six openers for the Braves.
''It's part of the territory,'' Glavine said. ''You're going to face other teams' No. 1 guys.''
Schilling, the subject of trade rumors all winter, was 15-14 with a 3.25 ERA last season. He led the league with 300 strikeouts and 15 complete games as the third-place Phillies went 75-87, 31 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
Glavine was 20-6 with a 2.47 ERA as the Braves won their seventh straight division title. His only previous opening day assignments were in 1990 and '92.
''I'm not pitching against Curt Schilling so much as I am pitching against his offense,'' Glavine said. ''I have to get those guys out and give our guys a chance to win.''
Glavine allowed just one run in his last 15 innings during spring training. Schilling made his last spring training start on Wednesday, striking out seven in six innings against Cincinnati.
Schilling likes his offense, which includes second-year third baseman Scott Rolen, who hit 31 home runs and drove in 110 a year ago; Rico Brogna, who hit 20 home runs and drove in 104 runs; and newly acquired Ron Gant, who had 26 home runs and 67 RBIs with the St. Louis Cardinals.
''We're going to score more runs. I don't think there's any question about that,'' Schilling said.
He threw 108 pitches against the Reds, and Philadelphia manager Terry Francona said Schilling is ready to throw about 120 pitches in the opener.
''I think he's very, very strong,'' Francona said.
Atlanta enters the season with two key losses: first baseman Andres Galarraga will miss the season because of a malignant tumor in his back, and closer Kerry Ligtenberg needs season-ending elbow surgery this week.
Galarraga hit 44 home runs and drove in 121 runs. Ligtenberg had 30 saves in 34 chances as a rookie after Mark Wohlers had control problems that jeopardized his career.
The Braves, however, do have depth. During the offseason, Atlanta acquired second baseman Bret Boone from Cincinnati and signed free agent outfielders Brian Jordan and Otis Nixon.
Boone hit .266 with career highs in homers (24) and RBIs (95) last season. Nixon, who played with the Braves from 1991-93, returns after a year in which he hit a career-high .297 with 37 steals in 110 games for the Minnesota Twins. Jordan hit .316 with 25 homers and 91 RBIs last season with St. Louis.
Wohlers had a decent spring and is expected to reclaim his closer's job. If not, John Rocker, who pitched 12 shutout innings during the spring, could step in.
''I like our team. I think we're fine,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ''Wohlers -- that has to be the one major thing that has happened this spring.''
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Our Wednesday Tech Report is all about kids under the age of two and whether they should watch TV. What no one knows yet is whether they should be playing with computers, smartphones, or tablet computers. Maybe it's fine, maybe it's not. Too early to say. But one thing we know is that babies are playing with iPads a lot already. Here are some of the videos we found.
This one is perhaps the most viral clip of the moment involving a baby and an iPad. She tries to get a magazine to work the same way. It doesn't.
Here's a gamer approach. A little boy learns Angry Birds. At first I thought he was crying but it's more of a primitive yawp of joy.
Here's Bridger checking out the pad.
I'm not sure how much of the interface this girl really grasps but she sure has energy.
Just because you're cute, doesn't mean you're great at video games, BABY.
And finally, here's a two-month-old. TWO MONTHS!


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Chapter 1 : monday
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I shouldn't say this, but for the best experience, you might consider acquainting yourself with the poem "Invictus" by William Henley, as the energy of this poem is what has inspired this fic. thank you for reading!
And youre delirious in the potions fumes again. Your hair a bushel of wire, a cloud floating above your shoulders. Your hands clutch the edges of that cauldron like your nose is close to touching into liquid, or youre looking for your reflection at the bottom of the pot. Only skin of boomslang there, poison snake, beady eyes.
I consider my quill, my wand. Each a dull brown against the gloss of the black tabletop, newly polished, a brand new shine. I observe the parchment spilling out of my bag, nudge the fabric with my shoe. Things have been quiet, it is winter, the walls are getting porous, are starting to feel hollow again, and my mind is burning up, bored with potions weve already learned to make.
Our lesson ends at half nine. It is the same every Monday. Theres no reason to, but I always wonder if anyone ever hears my skin stretch over my anxious inner-person, always pushing up at those boundaries, sometimes nearly breaking free.
Im in the common room, leaning out of an open window, looking down at the grass poking out of the snow.
Whatre you doing? Youll lose an eye!
Hardly, I say, turning back towards the room, and the fire is casting shadows and throwing light onto the same walls. Its not that cold.
Cold hands, warm heart, Molly trills. I grimace, pushing my lips together, apart, frowning, and squinting my eyes near closed. Everything seems a grand effort.
Warm hands, cold heart, I say, pushing a curtain of hair over my shoulder.
Are you still planning the break-in for later?
You cant-- I fly towards her, upturning poufs, tripping over the claw of an ornate chair. You cant say things like that, youll get us killed! I hiss, quite close to her face. I can see where acne has sprouted up near her hairline, the mark of an end-of-term Seventh Year.
So. Lets talk about you.
No, thanks.
Look, he says, leaning in closer. I scoot back, my chair screeching in the classroom full of the hum of students talking under the drone of Flitwicks lecture. You think just because youre this golden girl everyones going to take an interest in you, or like you, or something.
I stare at his face. It is wide and his forehead is smooth and high, ending in a stack of tightly-wound, black curls. His deep, brown skin is freckled over the bridge of the nose and rounded cheekbones.
Addae, I say, tilting my head, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Addae Jordan, right?
He looks at me out of one eye. Yes, he says. His face asks how I know.
Lets finish this assignment, I smile, and he hesitates before sighing and lifting his wand to my eyebrow and closing his eyes. I can see his lips flutter. He cheats on the nonverbal spell. I pretend not to notice, looking down at my hands when he opens his eyes.
He grins widely, baring square, brilliantly white teeth. Im startled by how easy it is for him, as though he doesnt think at all.
There, he says slowly, holding a mirror out toward me in both hands. I take it gingerly, and lift it to my reflection.
My left eyebrow is a vivid, cobalt blue. My face twitches into a smile, my eyes crinkling to twinkling slits.
Nice work, I say, setting the mirror down on the table between us. Addae watches me warily. I can tell he wants to try again, see if Ill speak now.
From across the room, Molly is waving her arm in a large arc, almost Roman. I gaze at her skeptically, molding my face, inhaling sharply as your face appears at her shoulder, sporting a new, bright pink unibrow. I push my lips forward, and then smile, rubbing my left shoulder with my right hand. I raise a finger. You hardly notice. Youre watching Albus pepper the back wall with spitwads covered in hair.
Ham, Molly is saying through a mouthful of food. Chicken. Beef. Roast. Pie. Pota--
Are you sorry, yet?
I turn my head, angling my chin over my left shoulder. I have an eager face; I often need to close it. Everything can open it up: anything can. Quiet light coming in through dirty windows, candlelight bouncing off wood, wandlight on dense black nights. Open air in the Great Hall. Things are always splitting me open. Im quick to cover up what stuff gets quickly bared.
Youre not sorry, you little thief! What else do you want to eat?
Mollys stolen Albuss carrots. He makes her recite all the things she wishes she was eating while serving her only greens. It is a strange sort of power play. If I had ever had any hope for either of them to begin with I would worry. But as it is, I ignore them. Lunchtime is tedious, like most other times.
I feel eyes on me. Lunchtime is sometimes also dangerous.
Hows the Weaslette on this fine evening?
Peeves, I sing, walking past him in the opposite direction. I hear him cackle as he turns in midair to follow me.
Weasel, Weasel, pumpkin pie,
tough as nails, weak as rye,
hair large enough to kill some guy!
Youre going off it, Peeves, I say, lifting the right corner of my mouth higher than the left. I put a hand on my hip and swerve to a stop in the middle of the corridor. Isnt it past your bedtime?
Youll crack some day, Rosie! he cries, before whizzing through a tapestry depicting Cliodnes birds. I turn to face this tapestry fully, holding out my arms in front of my body and dragging the tips of my fingers down the soft fabric, fraying in places.
Moondew, I whisper at it. Tell me your secrets.
That isnt quite fair, is it? a voice says, shrill and nasal. Mollys caught a cold again. I stand still, staring at a patch of mauve thread-work. Theres a lone bead dangling from a string of threads. I dont indicate that Ive acknowledged her here.
Did you know, asks a voice from the other side of the tapestry. I jump, and settle back into my skin. I shift my focus between the threads of a thin, fraying patch on a birds wing, the part lying over the heart of the sleeper. Did you know that what Cliodne does most on her Chocolate Frog card is scratch her nose?
Ive got three of her, Molly says, and Albus steps out from behind the tapestry, upsetting dust and a winged mouse, which flies quickly around my head for a moment and disappears into a puff of dun-coloured smoke.
We walk back to the Common Room, three-wide, sweeping the corridors silently and quickly. I feel now, as I often do, simple pride in the ability to do something well.
Were roasting things in the fire. Partly because Albus has made friends with one too many house elves, partly to show the lower years that were extending them the privilege of sharing our turf. There used to be times I didnt think I could trust the common room, but after seven years I have learned that anyone who can pass our knocker is someone with whom anything I have under my skin is worthy to be shared.
A marshmallow swells to the size of Mollys head and pops, splattering our textbooks, essays, faces, robes, hair with white-hot sugar. I pull my wand out before anyone can make a noise and vanish it silently. Our skin is peppered in quiet little red welts, but were experienced fire-roasters. Albus pulls out a phial of essence of Murtlap, and we take turns applying it, sometimes helping each other.
We spend our hour quietly, muttering occasionally about the length of our Defence essay due Thursday, wondering aloud how our last Saturday trip to Hogsmeade will deflate further our expectations. At times I feel I will almost burst into song: budding laughter at once inflates and compresses my chest. I am everywhere trying to get out of my own skin, I am always convincing myself the skin and the self are the same, I am trying to love what I have, and aching to change.
Only double-Herbology left today, Molly whispers as we watch the fire flicker once, and then settle into a bed of glowing embers.
Why do we have so many N.E.W.T.s? Albus wonders aloud.
Im not great at Herbology, I worry.
Please, Albus says. I can hear him rolling his eyes, and I wish he wouldnt. An E O.W.L., and its your worst one. You have to lower the bar, Rose.
Im tall, I say. I can climb over pretty high bars.
Molly laughs, a piercing sound, travelling quickly away from us. It has a way of rounding out at the end, and coming back towards us.
I wont be part of it, you understand. Not what anyone will see of it. But Im good with timetables, and tasks. I can organize it all fairly easily, and there are people eager to aid me. People have never thought of doing it this early, of starting so soon. This is a new level of leaving, of struggling to be remembered. For me, it is another struggle, almost entirely removed from me and wrapped up so tightly in us that it nearly makes me ill to consider.
I grin into the snow, feeling indulgent, feeling derisive. My hands begin to freeze, and I squeeze my fingers into fists, then release, feeling the skin crack over the middle knuckle of my right hand, splitting open, spilling me out, but I know the hole is too small for a proper escape.
Cold hands, I mutter, and Molly links her arm through mine as we step through the snow carefully. I like the sound of ice being splintered beneath our boots. Our Herbology gear is heavy and permanent.
Warm heart, Molly says, rubbing the inside of my arm and glancing each step or so at the blooming sore on my right hand.
None of us has a warm heart, Albus calls from behind us, propelling his voice hard and fast to offset the headwind.
An owl floats by overhead, a letter clamped in its beak. I imagine I can read the name inked into the envelope. I am always imagining things.
Like this: In Herbology, I am often assigned grunt work, which is the true failing of the planning. We all know this, history is screaming it at us: central planning will fail, and has, without fail, failed. Professor Longbottom is a good chap, friend of the parents; that does make it hard to smile around him. I never know who he is seeing when he looks at me. I am wary of all old people, of all people outside of our House, outside of our common room. It is a safe way, tiring, exhausting. I smile sometimes, because I have to say, occasionally: nobody said it was going to be easy!
In Herbology, I am assigned the grunt work. They have me popping Snargaluff pods. I am not strong enough to wrestle with the stump, and not because my arms are weak. I look at the gnarled mass, I consider the bark, twisted, chaffed, flaking, grey and brown, and am never able to dig inside to pull what it wants to keep out of its body. Coaxing things to give is outside of my nature, is decidedly beyond my capacities.
Here is what I imagine. My hand is around the bright green birth that has surfaced from this pathetic stump. It is like slime against the inside of my hand, and my skin is rough in contrast. There is a blood-red globule puffing up my whole right hand; it is the same hole gaping from the center of that fraying clump of wood, and while I am dreaming of poetic irony, this creature propels itself from the table into my body. My hands act before I can, throwing themselves forward in untempered self-defence, and the Snargaluff scrapes against the canvas Herbology cloak protecting my forearms.
One table over, you are not prepared for what is about to land on you, and you are holding one hand in the air, an unmitigated plea for assistance from a Professor who is mending a burn on another students cheek. At this table, my arms are still moving upwards, as if underwater, but the stump has already made contact. And now I am watching as I push it up into the air and far away from me, my chest, from whatever heart it thought it could snatch, get back somehow. But Greenhouse Seven will not escape casualties. This stump has changed course, a homicidal act, it is heading towards you and gathering noise about it, and when I think it will pass you by, your arm disappears into that maw, and my heart is a bird boring for freedom against the inside of my chest, drilling a pain between my lungs. Putting a hand there does nothing to stop.
It is not quite that you are precious to me. I could say that somehow, brushing elbows with you for seven years has made me fond, but that is not entirely the case. You are dear to me; whether or not you know, you are always receiving my voice. It will not always speak outside the body, but something about us transcends.
I imagine increasingly violent things. Your arm develops a rash, a sprawling, green, flaking set of scales that crust your lower arm. Professor Longbottom sends you to the Hospital wing. I accompany you there. On the way, I trip over a rock, and you do not look back, concerned for your safety. They never said bravery in every case, I suppose, looking at your gold and scarlet tie, your gold and white hair, because now the sun is out, and things can be gold again.
I get to my feet, I walk after you, and things are pouring from my right hand, Im leaving a trail of me in the snow which is a safe place, because it will melt, and then grass will grow over whats bared of me in the sun, and flowers will grow out of my sadness, and the guarded heart Ive left in puddles, and something, perhaps an earthworm, will one day crack the shield Ive built up around it, and someone, somewhere, some little earthworm brain will really know.
But none of this is happening. You are so intent on holding your Snargaluff steady that I cannot see your face, but I can read your posture. You approach life as something to tackle, to win over. In a quieter way, so do I. Life is something to outsmart, to con somehow, to make to believe me. At the heart of it all I convince myself, the world filter. Veil that I am.
Nothing happens to me, I say. My voice is louder than I intend, cracking on the rise in the word happens. People are turning to look at me. It is a rare mistake. Things are all breaking down on this week in winter and I cannot see why there is a good reason. I put my face towards the pod under my hand. There is still that gaping crack centering the balance of my right hand. It stings, it is nearly numb. I imagine for a moment that I can see down to the bone.
I consider floating away, through the glass, into the white evening sky.
At dinner, I use my right hand to push food across my plate. I look for my reflection in the gold. I put my hands around the edges and lift it, my biceps flexing, my shoulders tense.
Hungry to know where meaning lies, Molly quips, pushing my left hand back towards the table. I set down the plate and straighten my back. I breathe in deeply and tuck a vagrant curl behind my ear.
These plates are heavy.
You ever considered that I could get one of the little guys to pass me one of these? Hide it under a pillow, something?
Get one to melt it down in the fireplace when everyones gone to bed, I snap, glowering in Albuss direction. Something rips at my throat, I feel ill, Im shaking all over.
Merlin, he says, dropping his fork. It falls with a dull thud to the wooden table.
You cant talk like that, I say. I glance at Molly, whos gone quiet on my left side.
It was a joke, Rose, Albus says, looking incredulous.
Im not daft, I say, my voice cracking. I realise Ive put my fist down hard into the table, upsetting a second-years pumpkin juice down the line. People are staring. I can almost hear their eyes blinking toward me. Thats your whole problem! Thinking you can joke about things like that.
I stand up, flinging a leg over the bench and standing up. I put my hands on my waist and squeeze them hard, turning my knuckles white, down to the freckles there. I want to say more things to Albus--all of the slurs are so close to my mouth, but people are watching. I breathe heavily at him and jerk my head in his direction, frowning deeply, and turn to walk out of the Great Hall, my shoes making a racket on the flagstone floors.
Weve gone to bed. Its just Molly and me awake, the others deep breathing absorbed into the fabric theyve pulled around their four-posters.
Hey, Rose?
Do you ever imagine being in love with somebody?
For a moment, I contemplate brushing off the question. It would be easy. Really? Are we going to talk about that tonight? But I dont say this. I stay quiet for a while and wait for her to talk.
Its just--I wonder--do you think we need to practice at that kind of thing? Its so easy to--
Fly off, I finish, folding my arms. The duvet puckers and rustles under my skin. Goosebumps creep up my forearms. I poke at the sore on my right hand with my left index finger, crackling the new scab.
Thats not what I was going to say, Molly says, but shes thought about it, hesitated a moment.
Theres this thing about living with people for long enough, I say. You get to know them pretty well. I know youre talking about earlier.
And I know you pretty well. Are you ever going to talk to me about Scorpius?
I feel flat, suddenly. All my organs are gone. There is no blood pumping through me and Im suspended in space. I close my eyes, I wait for the bed to return, for the gentle scratching of the woolen socks against the skin on the tops of my feet.
Theres nothing to say.
It isnt true. There are a lot of things I never have told to Molly about us, and there are a lot of things I even wish I could tell her. But everything is gone from me. I feel no energy, no drive. All the times I have ever felt lonely abandon me in this tremulous moment, and I feel my boundaries gather in the darkness.
What did anyone ever do to hurt you? Molly whispers. You arent the only one here with this story, Rose. Your sulkings going to cut you off--
I cant talk about this right now, I say, and its true. I dont know anything.
The breathing around us has shallowed out. The others have woken. I turn to the chest by my bedside, close my hand around my wand, draw the curtains closed, and pull the duvet over my head.
A minute passes. Perhaps more than one. Mollys Muggle clock is clicking time out on her wall. I am almost asleep when I hear the curtains part and feel the mattress groan underneath me as someone elses weight compresses the side of the bed, and a gentle heat warms up the right side of my body as another presses up against it, arms snaking under the duvet to wrap around the front of my shoulders and underneath my neck.
I breathe quietly. I cannot tell if times this happens it is for her, or for me.
a/n: the line "hungry to know where meaning lies" is from the poem "monologue for an onion" by suji kwock kim. peeve's little rhyme is unfortunately mine.
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50 Cent was in the middle of a great performance until a fan went crazy during a live performance in Brazil. What did [lastfm]50 Cent [/lastfm]do, or should I say, what didn't [lastfm]50 Cent [/lastfm]do this time?
Find out after the jump.
Let me start off by saying [lastfm]50 Cent [/lastfm]didn't do anything this time, surprise right? I mean he's had beef with a gang of peeps in the industry, if you haven't heard he's had beef with [lastfm]Fat Joe [/lastfm], [lastfm]The Game[/lastfm], [lastfm]Rick Ross[/lastfm], and not to mention the newest one with [lastfm]Diddy[/lastfm] maybe you are living under a rock. It's sufficient to say that 50 Cent has unfinished business with tons of his peers.
However, this time the chaos had nothing to do with 50 or his industry spats. 50 was scheduled to perform in Brazil over the weekend and as he was in the middle his hit "Ayo Technology" when a fan jumped on stage and rushed [lastfm]50[/lastfm]. Of course the not so smart fan was tackled by security and led off the stage and in [lastfm]50 Cent [/lastfm]nature he gave the fans what they paid for. He brushed his shoulder off and continued the song.
We've seen a lot of people rush on stage and honestly it's not a smart thing to do. I mean security is on alert at all times, and if they see someone run on stage it's not going to be a good experience. You will get hurt and tossed as you can see from the video below, that's exactly what happened to [lastfm]50's [/lastfm]crazy fan.
Who's the Wankster now! I am curious to find out what was your favorite [lastfm]50 Cent [/lastfm]beef? There are so many, and I would like to know what yours is. Leave a comment below.


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10:27 am to be more exact ;)
Printable View
10:27 am to be more exact ;)
it was 12:25 pm for me... ;)
God. It's 6:32 AM. That was rough on the old noggin'
Wow, I forgot about this thread ;p.
Anyway, if any of you are interested, I came out of term one with an %80 average in Physics. And I think my average in AP Math is about that or higher.
Thanks for all of your suggestions and encouragment too BTW.
At this forum we don't bump old threa.......
Just kidding. :D
Glad you made it through.


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50 Cent was in Columbus, Ohio this past Saturday to promote Effen Vodka. While in town, Fif had a chance to chop it up with DJ Mr King and talk about his vodka, Future, the top 5 songs he's made, upcoming season 3 of Power show, and announced that Chris Brown is featured on the official remix of 'I'm The Man' that's dropping soon.
Check out the snippet of 'I'm The Man' remix feat. Chris Brown below.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WUSA9) -- Friday, hugs seemed tighter than normal as around 1,200 U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen re-united with their families. The Midshipmen, or "Plebes" as they're called, are in summer training at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD where for seven weeks, they haven't been allowed to listen to music, use the internet, watch TV or visit with their families, among other restrictions.
On the sixth week, the midshipmen get to see their families once more for "Plebes Parents' Weekend."
The Plebes gathered in attendance as their families waited. Then with one command, they all broke formation in search of their loved ones. Once their child was found, parents cried and hugged their sons in daughters with smiles reaching ear-to-ear.
The emotional reunion comes as the United States seems to be amplifying its role in Iraq once more, just when many thought our involvement with the Middle East was closer to an end. The Midshipmen, even though students, are still considered "active duty" servicemen and women. This means they could be called to fight at any time if need be.
Knowing this and knowing the recent events overseas, parents beamed with pride Friday.
"What you see here is a generation of young people, like my son, who've answered the call to serve knowing that we're at a time of war. We've been at war for many, many years and that's significant," said U.S. Navy Commander Carey Cash as he congratulated and hugged his son, a current Plebe.
Liberty Detty, a Plebe, said, "Our job is to give people back their hope and I wanted to be a part of that, I wanted to go to other countries and give people back their hope."
Her father, Buzz Detty, told WUSA 9, "It's through the sacrifices of Liberty and Lydia [his other daughter in the National Guard] and others out there that keeps this country great."


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Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Missouri
i was living in Missouri with my ex girlfriend and her mother in her mother's house. i went to texas to visit my children for Christmas, who live with my ex-wife, and while i was there, my ex girlfriends mother told me i could no longer live there.in January, she wrote me on myspace and told me that my belongings were "abandoned", and that she was going to charge me $100 a day storage. i owe her for wrecking her car months prior to all of this, which i have acknowledged and agreed to. my question is this.....can someone kick you out of thier house (i wasn't paying rent), and tell you that you cannot get your belongings?
1 Answer from Attorneys
If you have established residency, a person may not be evicted without court assistance. As tot eh belongins, the party in control of the premises, may not dispose of items of value without reasonable notice to the owner. You may have established residency to the extent taht you coudl nto just be kicked out. The mother's letter may have sufficed as adequate notice to remove your belongings before they are thrown out. If you wish to pursue this matter, you will need to consult directly with an attorney in your area, who has access to more of the facts of your particular situation. Many attorneys offer a free or low cost initial consulation.
Good luck


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The Red Hat Society has officially sanctioned a trio of novels about love, relationships, and happiness over the age of 50. Cafe owners Mia McAfee and Leanne Chilton try to help a runaway teenager, but when Sheriff Cade Sloane shows an interest in the widowed Mia, will she trust him with the truth? Original.
Publisher: Vision (November 15, 2008)
Format: EPUB
File size: 559 KB
Protection: DRM
Language: English


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Former South African president Nelson Mandela, who is 94 and has been in hospital since Saturday for tests, has suffered a recurrence of a lung infection but is responding to treatment, the government said on Tuesday.
The revered anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace laureate is spending his fourth day in a hospital in the South African capital Pretoria. He remains a hero to many of South Africa's 52 million people and two brief stretches in hospital in the last two years made front page news.
"Doctors have concluded the tests, and these have revealed a recurrence of a previous lung infection, for which Madiba is receiving appropriate treatment and he is responding to the treatment," the government said in a statement.
Mr. Mandela, whose clan name is 'Madiba', was admitted to the Pretoria military hospital on Saturday after being flown from his home village of Qunu, which is in a remote, rural part of the Eastern Cape province.
Until now, South African authorities had given few details about the reason for his latest visit to hospital.
In a 2009 interview that was shown again late Monday on South Africa's eNCA television channel, Mr. Mandela's Mozambican-born wife Graca said it was painful to see the former president's "sparkle" fading.
When he was admitted to hospital on Saturday, officials stressed there was no cause for concern although domestic media reports suggested senior members of the government and people close to him had been caught unawares.
Mr. Mandela, South Africa's first black president and a global symbol of resistance to racism and injustice, spent 27 years in apartheid prisons, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town.
He was released in 1990 and went on to be elected president in the historic all-race elections in 1994 that ended white-minority rule in Africa's most important economy.
He used his unparalleled prestige to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks, setting up a commission to probe crimes committed by both sides in the anti-apartheid struggle.
Mr. Mandela's African National Congress has continued to govern since his retirement from politics in 1999, but has been criticised for perceived corruption and slowness in addressing apartheid-era inequalities in housing, education and health care.
Mr. Mandela spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains. He was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.
He has since spent most of his time in Qunu.
His fragile health prevents him from making any public appearances in South Africa, although he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton in July.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story did not make clear that the interview with Nelson Mandela's wife Graca that aired on Monday had actually taken place in 2009. This version has been corrected.


text: Mini-Circuits introduces MCA1, a series of very broadband, low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) frequency mixers. With level 7, 10 and 13 (LO) models available for your 300 MHz to 6GHz designs, these double balanced mixers have insertion loss down to 6 dB (typ), isolation up to 40 dB (typ) and are built with all circuitry hermetically embedded inside the ceramic to realize suitable temperature stability, repeatability and compact 0.07" profile. They're ideal for the government's COTS program and your commercial applications.


text: Today our link up party is sponsored by Jeff's Naturals! I LOVE their products! They are one of my pantry essentials! You can read my previous review of them, here. They are graciously giving away a SIX PACK of their products and an awesome tShirt!! You can enter a multitude of ways! Bloggers AND Readers can use the rafflecopter and each entry in the link up will also get entered into the random drawing!


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Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits axing Aston Villa's Gareth Barry from the England starting XI would be harsh.
Chelsea midfielder Lampard is fit again and could return to displace Barry as Gerrard's partnership.
But the Liverpool skipper, who will captain his country in the absence of John Terry against Estonia, said: "Gareth was fantastic in both games and I'm sure he'll feel hard done by if he was dropped. He was man of the match in those two games."


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3/4 cup shortening, butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Thoroughly mix shortening, brown sugar, egg and molasses in a bowl. In a second bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the shortening mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Roll chilled dough into balls the size of large walnuts (1 to 1 1/2 inches). Dip tops in granulated sugar. Place sugared side up, 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or just until set. Cool on wire rack.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.
PER COOKIE: Calories 74 (41% from fat), Fat 3 g (1 g sat), Cholesterol 4 mg, Sodium 70 mg, No fiber, Carbohydrates 10 g, Protein 1 g
SOURCE: Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cookbook (out of print)/The Miami Herald


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Friday, 20 July 2007
Six inches
Well what a day...
We're homeless again.
11 comments:
Dear oh dear. It is not your day is it? (massive understatement I know)
I did get home ok although it did take nearly 3 hours!
Poor Helen is stuck in Wantage with no way home so I am sat indoors on my lonesome like a saddo. I keep asking her if I can pick her up but I forget that if I could do that she would be able to come home herself! Looks like she may have to kip at a friends.
Guess you are pretty stressed at the mo, hope you are all ok.
- 20 July 2007 at 19:54
- Beverley Cuddy said...
As Kevin Brockbank famously said at equally stressful times - "at least n one died!" Glad you got home ok. Thanks for all your help. Hope Helen finds her way home ok.
I'm looking at Weybridge at the moment for some nice serviced offices. Troops - what do you say to Weybridge? Would have to be nowhere near the river Wey of course....
- 20 July 2007 at 19:59
- PBGV princess said...
mmmmmm - Weybridge would mean a longer journey into work for me, jen and probably Julia.
A x
- 20 July 2007 at 21:38
- Beverley Cuddy said...
Actually it is 5 mins nearer for Julia, exactly the same for Jen - haven't got your address to hand to type it in. Brooklands Weybridge is what you need to type in to a route finder.
- 20 July 2007 at 23:20
- lisa said...
i dont no where weybridge is but its ok with me if i can still get to shool on time
- 21 July 2007 at 17:15
- Beverley Cuddy said...
There's one in Chertsey that is looking promising as well as the one in Weybridge Brooklands. It will only be short term and we'll pick whoever can take us asap without charging an arm and a leg. It won't be as far as Windsor this time, so that will be easier!
And as the kids have now almost broken up school runs shouldn't be a problem for this temporary relocation.
- 21 July 2007 at 18:33
- lisa said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 21 July 2007 at 19:38
- lisa said...
will we be going back to the old office in the end or moving from there completely? .
- 21 July 2007 at 20:16
- Beverley Cuddy said...
Too soon to say, depends what our lease says. I would prefer not to! Two floods in one year would kind of indicate it will happen again.
We've only been back in five months after being in 'temporary' offices for seven months!
But the priority is continuance - getting back to work asap.
I'm hoping we'll be back at it Tuesday in a new location.
Bouncing back is the thing. It's how you deal with the negatives that decides your luck!
I'm sure we'll find somewhere near enough for us all - but the priority is speed and price!
- 21 July 2007 at 20:44
- PBGV princess said...
Out of the two, Brooklands would be much better for me.
A x
- 21 July 2007 at 22:05
- lisa said...
have you tried looking at office space in camberley or lightwater there is quite a lot of choice at the moment.
theres a lot down A30 if that any help.
- 22 July 2007 at 14:20


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MILTON, Ga. – The city of Milton wants to talk about the plans to expand Bell Memorial Park, so the Parks and Recreation Department will hold a Living Room Conversation on the topic Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Shannondale Farms.
Shannondale Farms, owned by Parks and Recreation Advisory Board member David Shannon, is located at 2225 Birmingham Road in Milton. Refreshments will be provided.
At the meeting, Parks and Recreation Interim Director Jim Cregge will talk about city's preliminary plans for the park and discuss a timeline for the project. There will then be an opportunity for residents to comment on the project and share any concerns they may have.
This meeting follows September's unanimous city council vote to purchase 14 acres of land adjacent to the park, fulfilling the promise outlined in the Parks Master Plan to expand the asset.
The city paid $1.287 million for the land, which will allow the park to more than double in size. The exact use of the land will be determined through community involvement and a series of public meetings to ensure the park's design meets local expectations.
The money paid for the land was based on fair market value in an open environment that included public hearings on the purchase prices. The purchases were funded through the city's parks land acquisition budget.
For more information on this project or the meeting, contact Cregge at 678-242-2489 or email@example.com.


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BOB MOON: Online advertisers will announce self-policing guidelines today for how they collect and use data about you and me. The announcement's aimed at heading off tougher federal rules being considered by Congress. Marketplace's Sam Eaton reports.
SAM EATON: The new guidelines address growing privacy concerns over the collection of personal information by tracking people's web browsing habits. The data is sold to advertisers who want to reach a more targeted audience. Starting next year about five thousand companies ranging from Google to Procter & Gamble will abide by a set of "self regulatory" principles.
One big change is that companies will now use ads or web links to alert consumers that they're being tracked. Another requires advertisers to get consent before collecting sensitive information like medical records, prescriptions and Social Security and bank account numbers. There's also a ban on collecting information about children under the age of 13.
The $8.5 billion advertising industry says the guidelines provide transparency. Consumer advocates disagree. They say self regulation is meaningless and what's really needed is Congressional legislation.
In Los Angeles, I'm Sam Eaton for Marketplace.


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AUSTIN — A House panel will investigate the West fertilizer plant explosion to see if any state laws and regulations need to be changed and assess whether emergency planning is adequate, especially in rural areas.
Speaker Joe Straus instructed the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee on Friday to look into the April 17 detonation of West Fertilizer Co.'s ammonium nitrate that killed 15 people, injured hundreds of others and caused at least $100 million in damage.
He said the panel in coming months should dig into whether there are "deficiencies in safety, risk management, and disaster planning by chemical facilities and state entities." It should evaluate everything from current inspection to enforcement and then "make specific recommendations on how to reduce the likelihood for damage, injury, or death," he said.
Straus, R-San Antonio, also asked the committee to review the state's role "in preparing, resourcing, and coordinating with local emergency response, specifically in rural areas or areas that depend largely on volunteer response efforts."
While investigators have identified numerous ways the West disaster might have been prevented, or at least mitigated, the administration of Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature have not adopted specific measures to keep something like it from occurring again.
A Dallas Morning News investigation found that Texas has taken no measurable steps toward adopting a statewide fire code, which could have prevented the blast. Nor has it tightened rules for storing or securing ammonium nitrate. The state does not require facilities that stockpile such materials to carry liability insurance.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state agency whose mission includes the broader role of protecting the public's health, has largely steered clear of any involvement in West-related matters. The News found there is no one agency or commission that watches all aspects of safety related to fertilizer plants and storage of ammonium nitrate.
Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee Chairman Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, has said his panel soon will discuss the possibility of legislation that would direct one state agency to regulate and inspect facilities such as West Fertilizer.
Straus issued the directive to Pickett's panel as part of his "interim charges." The charges, issued a few months later than usual this cycle, represent the speaker's homework assignments for all House committees this year.
They often reflect what committee chairmen want to work on, whether it's looking at how a state-federal experiment with Medicaid hospital funding affects mental health services or checking out how much graffiti is costing businesses and taxpayers.
The next session starts in January.
In November, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is locked in a tough re-election battle, gave a more cautious green light to review of the West explosion. Dewhurst instructed a Senate committee to study "regulatory and insurance requirements for the storage of ammonium nitrate."
He added that any changes should not cause "duplicitous practices and procedures for the Texas workforce."
Follow Robert T. Garrett on Twitter at @roberttgarrett.


text:
Kristianstad, Sweden (UPI) Dec 11, 2010
Powered by food waste, manure and cooking oil, a Swedish city has drastically cut its fossil fuel consumption.
Kristianstad and its surrounding county, with a population of 80,000, burn practically zero oil, natural gas or coal for heating, The New York Times reports. Twenty years ago, all its heat was derived from fossil fuels.
The agricultural region generates energy from ingredients such as potato peels, manure, used cooking oil, stale cookies and pig intestines. A plant outside Kristianstad uses a biological process to convert the refuse into biogas, a form of methane, which is then burned to produce heat and electricity, or is refined as a fuel for cars.
The city also burns gas seeping out of an old landfill and sewage ponds, as well as wood waste from flooring factories and pruned trees. Kristianstad officials say the city's carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by a quarter in the last decade.
The European Union's emissions trading system taxes fossil fuel consumption, and many European countries have increased their reliance on renewable energy, from wind farms to hydroelectric dams.
In Germany, about 5,000 biogas systems generate power, many of them on individual farms.
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Lurcher Marine Area Statistics
Lurcher Storm Track
Lurcher Storm Track Image With Storm Tracks
Lurcher Marine Area Boundaries
From 43°N 65.5°W westward to 43°N 68°W then northeastward to 44°N 67.5°W then eastward to the coast of Nova Scotia, then southeastward along the Nova Scotia coast to longitude 65.5°W then south to 43°W 65.5°W.
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text:
1 Carat Baguette and Princess Diamond Full Eternity Ring
Exciting diamond eternity ring fully set with Princess and Baguette cut diamonds
One Carat Baguette and Princess Diamond Full Eternity Ring
These two diamonds have been bought together to create a striking statement, the Princess cut diamonds and Baguettes have been expertly matched to bring as much fire and brilliance to this piece as possible.
The band is fully set with a total of 1.00cts in diamonds, both different cuts of diamonds have been matched and graded at F/G in colour and VS in clarity. We have sourced the finest diamonds possible to create this extraordinary beauty. A range of finishes are also available including 18ct White Gold, 18ct Yellow Gold, 18ct Rose Gold, 950 Platinum and 950 Palladium. This design can be at your door gift packed in 3 weeks.
Delivery to Australia
All deliveries of diamond wedding rings and diamond eternity rings to Australia are sent by Fedex. We include all shipping and duty before you make payment so that all you need to do is await your parcel and sign at the door. All items are exquisitely boxed in a presentation box, within a secure, rigid outer box. We send all items under plain cover and fully insure your parcel until it arrives.
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text:
Like two of the biggest mobile games in the world really need any help these days.
Developer GungHo Online Entertainment is teaming up with Finnish studio SuperCell on a new cross-game event that will promote both company's titles.
During the event, players of GungHo's role-playing match-3 game Puzzle & Dragons will have access to characters and a dungeon based on SuperCell's mobile strategy title Clash of Clans.
Gamers can use the Clash of Clans characters, like the Barbarian, Healer, and Goblin, to fight against and capture new monsters.
This is the second time SuperCell and GungHo teamed up for an event like this. In June, the pair launched a nearly identical cross promotion. Although, this is the first time the two are working in tandem since GungHo — in partnership with Japanese investment company SoftBank — acquired a majority stake in SuperCell for $1.53 billion.
Puzzle & Dragons is one of the top-grossing mobile games in Japan. In May, it was generating $3.75 million every day in revenue and nearly 10 percent of Japan's population had an account for the game.
Clash of Clans, meanwhile, is a major success in the U.S. and around the world. The strategy title is currently the second highest-grossing app on iOS just behind Candy Crush Saga.


text:
Northern & Central Midwest
September, 2009
Regional Report
National News - From NGA Editors
New Pink Annabelle Hydrangea
The round white flower heads of the Annabelle mophead hydrangea ( Hydrangea arborescens ) are a favorite of many gardeners. The flowers are produced on new growth in summer and continue to bloom...
Growing Giant Pumpkins Organically
Fall is pumpkin time in the U.S. For a particular group of people, fall is all about giant pumpkins -- the enormous fruits that you see at country fairs and on the news. The current world record...
Houseplants Give Off VOCs, Too
It is common knowledge that houseplants can help clean the air. Many houseplants remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) deemed indoor air pollutants, such as toulene and xylene. These VOCs are...
New Low Maintenance Lawn Grass Variety
The Holy Grail for many home owners is a lawn that looks great but needs little maintenance, especially mowing. Well, for homeowners in cool parts of the country, there is a new grass variety that...
In the Garden
I was riding my local bike trail the other day and saw two people walking and tasting berries all along the way. I admire anyone who is willing to try wild foods, but it is extremely important that you know what you are tasting before taking a chance....
Read more »
Web Finds
U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine This list is by no means exhaustive, but the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive...
Favorite or New Plant
Lemon Queen Sunflower Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' is a stately perennial sunflower reaching six to seven feet. The stalks...
Read more »
Regional Reminders
- Let Amaryllis Go Dormant
- Prepare for Lady Beetle Invasion
- Apples are Ripe
- Plant Pansies
- Don't Move Firewood


text:
Anyone else have this problem with a Kontronik FUN400-23?
I've been enjoying a Pico Jet Combat powered by a FUN400-23 -- a very easy way to have a whole lot of fun.
However, about two months ago I landed the plane normally, put in a new pack, and found that the motor all of a sudden was pulsing and cutting out intermittently. I suspected the speed control, but when I borrowed another motor and esc from a friend I found that my motor did the same thing when connected to his esc, and that my esc worked fine with his motor.
I sent the motor back to NSP to be sent to Kontronik. A while ago, it came back from Germany with this note from Kontronik: "One wire of the coil is torn off where it comes out of the motor. The customer must have torn out the blue cable. It's impossible to repair this and this motor is not under warranty!" (The motor was "under warranty" in the sense that this happened during the warranty period -- what Kontronik meant was that the warranty wouldn't cover the problem because they felt it was due to abuse rather than normal use.) I examined the motor, and the only thing I noticed was that the insulation on the blue cable did not extend all the way into the case, i.e., there was about an eighth of an inch of exposed copper wire showing. The wire, however, was connected and did not appear to be damaged or worn. I had not noticed this before.
Needless to say, I was not happy with Kontronik's response since I had never abused this motor and had not done anything to it but use it for its intended purpose. I had flown about 30 flights without a crash at the time that the problem developed.
This morning a friend at the flying field told me that he had recently had the same symptoms with this FUN400-23, and found that the blue cable on his motor had become worn where it came out of the case and was only hanging on by a few strands. Examination revealed that the blue insulation on the cable did not extend into the case, and the rubbing of the bare copper wires on the case had worn the cable through.
I then looked at the replacement motor that I was using in my P-Jet and noticed the same thing: the blue insulation on the blue cable did not extend all the way into the case and a bit of the bare copper wire (enamelled for insulation) was exposed. The blue insulation could slide back and forth on the wire.
So I have now established that this problem exists in at least three motors. It seems to me that Kontronik has (or had) a quality control problem. My friend was able to resolder the wire on his. I'm planning on trying to see if I can fix mine (even though Kontronik says it's impossible).
In the meantime, it seems to me that Kontronik owes me a new motor. Has anyone else had this problem, and does anyone know who I could contact at Kontronik to talk to about this? Thanks in advance for your help.
Last edited by Neil Morse; Sep 08, 2002 at 05:20 PM.
Thanks for the help. I'll try Mike. I'm one of the few people in the world who is still without a digital camera, so I can't post a photo of this until I borrow one.
The Isolation is on the 3 wires of the motor. We have changed nothing since we use that on the motors. (since 4 Years)
The Isolation only comes off, when anyone is pulling at the isolation. They don't move itself. The isolation is to protect the motor and controller from shortcuts.
The copper wires breaks (with or without isolation) if they will move to often up or down, or will be damaged by a crash.
Warranty incl. all failures which happens without any reason from outside.
sorry for the bad english
To better understand how Kontronik supports their customer, see this thread:
Kontronik fails to honor warrenty
Hi Neil
Your post has prompted me to inspect my 400/22's. It appears the 22 has a black insulation that extends out of the motor case and then blue shrink (or green or red) immediately over that. In spite of crashes with both motors,(in retrospect, one should learn aerobatics with can motors) all wires exiting the motors look very good, with insulation intact. It sounds like a different process or design of insulating in the 23.
Kontronik used to be one of the few choices in the brushless motor/controller market. However, competition is everywhere. They will have to be market-wise and customer-friendly to survive.
I hope you get your problem warrantied.
Looking at the pic of Andy's, I would suggest running a bead of silicone around the wire exit. This should help keep the insulation in place and also prevent the wires from chafing on the can.
Good luck and have fun guys!
Steve McBride
Thanks for posting the pic so people can see what we're talking about.
After examining the new 400-23 that I bought to replace the one that failed after 30 flights (I obviously still really like these motors!), here's what I've found:
The colored insulation on the three cables seems to be CA'd together (i.e., to each other) at the point where the cables exit the motor. However, the insulation is free to slide back and forth on the cables (which have enamel insulation on them anyway). Soo ... I think the problem can develop when just from the normal wear and tear of being plugged in and unplugged, the CA joint on the insulation breaks away and the insulation is free to slide on the copper cable. I assume the insulation on the blue cable is the shortest, i.e., extends the shortest distance into the case. The result is that the insulation on the blue cable can easily become loose and slide back, exposing the copper wire to the stress of rubbing against the case. Whether this is a defect or not can be debated, but I think that Steve's suggestion is an excellent one. I will be using silicone from now on to make sure that the insulation stays in place on these motors.
This explains how my friends motor failed where the cable became so frayed that it couldn't carry the current any more. However, it doesn't really explain how my motor failed. With mine (again sorry for not having a photo yet), the copper cable itself appears to have pulled out of the case to the point where there's about a quarter inch of copper exposed between the case and the insulation. All I know is that I never abused the motor. All I can think of is that the esc was not secured to anything in the P-Jet, and there may have been a slight tug on the wires when a battery was being disconnected that put some strain on the blue cable. This, however, certainly shouldn't have been enough to detach the cable somewhere inside the case. I will know more when I take the motor apart and look inside.
Although I'm unhappy because I'm convinced that the motor I got was defective, I still wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these since they work so well. I should also mention that although Carolyn at NSP protested at first and was going to go along with Kontronik that I had abused the motor, she ultimately agreed to sell me a new one for half price. This wasn't totally satisfactory to me, but I appreciated the gesture on behalf of NSP since they were sort of caught in the middle on this one.
My insulation is unable to move due to the way I have soldered the connectors in place. Not saying it's right or wrong, just that mine is securely locked in place. Not only that, but I had to open my motor as it was missing a spacer - when I assembled the motor, I used silicone to secure it, and I believe I did put some extra around that insulation there.
I think you are more meticulous about these things than some others of us are likely to be. Of course it is "right" to be sure that you solder your connections on so that the insulation is locked in place, but unless you're aware of the potential problem of the insulation sliding back you can't take steps to prevent it. I think that if Kontronik sticks to this design that they should at least include a warning about it in the instructions.
Yes, you might have noticed that I have ignored Mike's response as I consider it pretty pathetic. I only now read the thread that you posted a link to about your experience. The most stunning thing on it is the reponse from Sal. Wow! I don't know who Sabine is, but it sounds like she it the person that I should be dealing with on this.
|Thread Tools


text: On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 23:09, Kevin Ar18 <kevinar18@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: >> ls /bin will give you most command line programs > That should work good. :) > Thanks > /boot/common/bin and /boot/home/config/bin may also contain goodies. >> But anything executable on your path could be used > I thought that might be the cased. :( Sad because I know this probably means > there is not single command to list everything. > > I know Haiku's focus is the GUI, but... I wonder what about having some > command that listed all programs+commands available on the path? Anyways, > thought I would ask; I just remember thinking how much more useful that > would be. :) > In Terminal, you can press Tab twice. It'll prompt you "Display all N possibilities? (y or n)" This'll show you everything in PATH and bash's built-ins, eg, pushd, popd and please don't top-post. --mmadia


text:
It was a good thing his team won in dramatic overtime fashion on Sunday night, because Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald was already having a bad week.
An independent arbitrator ruled last Friday that the Raptors must pay former centre Nate Huffman the remaining $2.56 million US on his terminated contract.
The Raptors ended Huffman's three-year deal in January 2003 after he had been with the team only a few months, saying he had not fully disclosed his medical history before signing the contract. A grievance was filed on Huffman's behalf by the NBA Players' Association, and Roger P. Kaplan was jointly approved by the union and the league as the arbitrator. Because the outcome of arbitration cases is binding in the NBA, it's believed the Raptors have no appeal route.
In a release yesterday, Grunwald said: "We are disappointed in the decision and are considering our options."
One league source indicated that the Raptors could respond by suspending Huffman without pay, which would take the case back to Kaplan.
The reasons for the decision have not yet been provided.
After emerging as one of the best centres outside of North America -- with Israeli club power Maccabi Tel-Aviv -- Huffman signed with Toronto in the summer of 2002. But the 7-foot-1, 240-pounder underwent surgery on his right knee shortly before the start of the season and wound up playing only seven games with the Raptors, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.
The Raptors then took the rare step of terminating Huffman's contract, insisting that they would have never engaged in contract talks with Huffman if they'd known the condition of his knees. Had they won in arbitration, the Raptors could have established a precedent for teams seeking to void guaranteed contracts based on pre-existing medical conditions.
Since his contract was terminated on Jan. 16, 2003, Huffman has not been paid. Rehabilitating in his native Michigan, according to agent Bill Duffy, Huffman is scheduled to undergo another knee surgery this month and still holds out hope of making a comeback.
"We're thrilled," Duffy said. "It's obviously our job to protect Nate, and we feel he did nothing wrong. He was forthright with his condition (when he signed with Toronto) and the union stood up for him. This kid's career has been in limbo waiting for a resolution. He'd like to resume his career, so we plan to get him healthy and get him back playing."


text:
TreeNode Class
Assembly: System.Web (in system.web.dll)
The TreeView control is made up of nodes. Each entry in the tree is called a node and is represented by a TreeNode object. A node that contains other nodes is called a parent node. A node that is contained by another node is called a child node. A node that has no child nodes is called a leaf node. A node that is not contained by any other node but is the ancestor to all the other nodes is the root node. A node can be both a parent and a child, but root, parent, and leaf nodes are mutually exclusive. Several visual and behavioral properties of nodes are determined by whether a node is a root, parent, or leaf node.
Although a typical tree has only one root node, the TreeView control allows you to add multiple root nodes to your tree structure. This is useful when you want to display item listings without displaying a single main root node, as in a list of product categories.
A node primarily stores data in two properties, the Text property and the Value property. The value of the Text property is displayed in the TreeView control, and the Value property is used to store any additional data about the node, such as data used for handling postback events. A node also stores the path from the node to its root node in the ValuePath property. The ValuePath property indicates the node's position relative to the root node.
Nodes at the same level must each have a unique value for the Value property; the TreeView control cannot distinguish between different nodes at the same level that have the same value. In this scenario, if the user clicks a node that has a duplicate value, the node that appears first in the TreeView control is selected.
A TreeNode object is made up of the following four user interface (UI) elements, which can be customized or hidden:
An expansion node indicator icon used to show whether the node is expanded, collapsed, or non-expandable.
An optional check box associated with the node.
An optional node image.
The node text.
You can specify a custom image for the expandable, collapsible, and non-expandable node indicators by setting the ExpandImageUrl, CollapseImageUrl, and NoExpandImageUrl properties of the TreeView class. The expansion node indicator icons can even be hidden entirely by setting the ShowExpandCollapse property of the TreeView class to false.
To display a check box next to a node, set the ShowCheckBoxes property of the TreeView class. When the ShowCheckBoxes property is set to a value other than TreeNodeType.Node, check boxes are displayed next to the specified node type. You can selectively override the check box of an individual node by setting the node's ShowCheckBox property. When a check box is displayed, use the Checked property to determine whether the check box is selected.
You can display an image in a node by setting the ImageUrl property. This image is displayed next to the node text.
The text of a node in the TreeView control can be in one of two modes: selection mode or navigation mode. By default, a node is in selection mode. To put a node into navigation mode, set the node's NavigateUrl property to a value other than an empty string (""). To put a node into selection mode, set the node's NavigateUrl property to an empty string.
By default, clicking a node that is in selection mode posts the page back to the server and raises the SelectedNodeChanged event. You can optionally specify a different event to raise by setting the node's SelectAction property. For more information, see SelectAction. To determine which node was clicked in selection mode, use the SelectedNode property of the TreeView control.
When a node is in navigation mode, all selection events are disabled for that node. Clicking the node in navigation mode directs the user to the specified URL. You can optionally set the Target property to specify the window or frame in which to display the linked content.
The TreeNode class contains several properties that are used to store the state of the node. Use the Selected property to determine whether a node is selected. To determine whether the node is expanded, use the Expanded property. The DataBound property is used to determine whether a node is bound to data. When a node is bound to data, you can access the underlying data item by using the DataItem property.
The class provides several properties that help to determine the position of a node relative to other nodes in the tree. Use the Depth property to determine the depth of the node. You can get the delimited list of nodes from the current node to its root node by using the ValuePath property. To determine the node's parent node, use the Parent property. Child nodes are accessed using the ChildNodes collection.
Sometimes, it is not practical to statically predefine the tree structure due to data size or custom content that depends on user input. Because of this, the TreeView control supports dynamic node population. A node can be populated at run time when it is expanded. For more information on dynamic node population, see the PopulateOnDemand property.
For a list of initial property values for an instance of TreeNode, see the TreeNode constructor.
The following code example demonstrates how to set up the frames for the next code example.
 <frameset cols="30%, 75%"> <frame name="Menu" src="TreeViewFramecs.aspx"/> <frame name="Content" src="Home.aspx"/> </frameset>
The following code example demonstrates how to use declarative syntax to create TreeNode objects in the TreeView control. This example is used within the frameset of the previous example to display a table of contents.
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>   <form runat="server">
TreeView Declarative Syntax Example
 <asp:TreeView id="SampleTreeView" runat="server"> <Nodes> <asp:TreeNode Value="Home" NavigateUrl="Home.aspx" Text="Home" Target="Content" Expanded="True"> <asp:TreeNode Value="Page 1" NavigateUrl="Page1.aspx" Text="Page1" Target="Content"> <asp:TreeNode Value="Section 1" NavigateUrl="Section1.aspx" Text="Section 1" Target="Content"/> </asp:TreeNode> <asp:TreeNode Value="Page 2" NavigateUrl="Page2.aspx" Text="Page 2" Target="Content"> </asp:TreeNode> </asp:TreeNode> </Nodes> </asp:TreeView> </form>
- AspNetHostingPermission for using the TreeNode class in a hosted environment. Associated enumeration value: AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal
Windows 98, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.


text:
Originally published Friday, January 25, 2013 at 11:02 AM
Hawaii tourism booming
Almost 8 million travelers visited the islands in 2012, especially Oahu.
The Associated Press and The Seattle Times
HONOLULU — A recovering global economy, more flights and marketing campaigns helped bring a record number of tourists to Hawaii last year.
Nearly 8 million travelers visited the islands in 2012, said the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
That's an increase of nearly 10 percent over the previous year. It also breaks the previous record of 7.6 million visitors in 2006, before the recession encouraged travelers to stay home. And even more visitors are expected this year.
Travelers spent a record $14.3 billion in Hawaii last year, nearly 19 percent more than in 2011. The tourism boom made deals on flights, hotels and rental cars harder to find at peak times.
More than 80 percent of Oahu hotel rooms were full on average. Occupancy hovered above 70 percent on Maui and Kauai and above 60 percent on the Big Island.


text:
The political environment in California for SAG-AFTRA and other unions could change dramatically after the November elections.
One of this year's ballot initiatives, Proposition 32, also known as "paycheck protection," would prevent corporations and unions from using payroll deductions for political purposes. It would also ban those entities from donating directly to state and local candidates. (It wouldn't apply to federal campaigns, which are governed by federal law.)
SAG-AFTRA and other entertainment labor groups have joined the push against the measure. Gabrielle Carteris, SAG-AFTRA national vice president and co-president of the union's Los Angeles local, called the proposition a "wolf in sheep's clothing."
The initiative's proponents argue that Prop. 32 will level the political playing field by taking so-called "big money" out of the equation, but union officials say its language is geared more to preventing labor groups from spending on campaigns and donating to candidates while still allowing corporations to spend relatively freely.
The League of Women Voters and Common Cause—two nonpartisan advocacy groups—have taken a similar position to that of labor.
"Corporations outspend unions 15 to 1" in the political arena, Carteris told Backstage. "We have to make sure our unions have a voice for members; if this passes, that's what we lose."
Prop. 32 doesn't directly affect SAG-AFTRA because many of its roughly 90,000 members in California are actors who work on a freelance basis and thus don't pay dues through payroll deductions. Moreover, the union doesn't endorse or contribute directly to candidates or parties, so a ban on those contributions wouldn't have a direct impact on its political activity.
But Steve Smith, a spokesman for the California Labor Federation, argued that SAG-AFTRA still has some skin in the game, because the makeup of the state Legislature that it lobbies would be impacted by Prop. 32's passing.
Smith, whose group is leading the "no" campaign, noted SAG-AFTRA had recently joined with other entertainment labor groups and studios to lobby successfully for the passage of an extension to the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program. If Prop. 32 passed, he said, "you'd be lobbying with a very different group of folks than you have now, some of whom would probably be opposed to your interests."
A spokesman for a group called Yes on 32 pointed to its initiative filings, which state that "special interests" such as unions and corporations have "too much power."
He added that their political contributions "yield special tax breaks and public contracts for big business, costly government programs that enrich private labor unions, and unsustainable pensions, benefits, and salaries for public employee union members, all at the expense of California taxpayers."
Carteris, who sits on the California Labor Federation's board, said SAG-AFTRA will encourage its members to vote against the proposition and educate them through a member-to-member grass-roots campaign. "We will definitely be speaking out on this," she said.
If the voice of labor is restricted, all union members lose out, she added. "We need to make sure we don't lose the ability to speak."
While Prop. 32 only applies to California, its passage could have repercussions for SAG-AFTRA's national membership, Carteris said. "What takes place here will resonate throughout the country."


text: The 18th annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon, held on Sunday in Malibu, Calif., raised more than $268,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Competitors included several Olympic athletes--American swimming medalists Amanda Beard and Larsen Jensen, and Australian silver medalist triathlete Michellie Jones. Celebrity participants included NYPD Blue actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Los Angeles County sheriff Lee Baca, Tate Donovan of The O.C., actors Dan Metcalfe and David Duchovny, and Los Angeles news personality David Ono. Fox Sports Net will televise the event on October 16. (AP)


text:
A dog was kept by police in a 1m by 3m cage for two years without ever being exercised.
Stella was seized in Devon in 2014 after her owner was visited by police on an unrelated matter.
SEE ALSO: Woman saves starving dog after visit to manicurist
SEE ALSO: Dog buried alive in France sparks social media outrage
According to the BBC, Devon and Cornwall police refused to give a reason why the dog could not be exercised and said she was considered potentially dangerous.
A worker at the kennels said they were told by police not to exercise dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The RSPCA guidelines issued for the welfare of seized dogs in kennels states that they "must have daily access to outdoor safe and secure areas, away from the kennel area and this should be for at least 30 minutes per day".
Laura Khanlarian, an assistant at the kennel, told the BBC that Stella had left her kennel twice and only for behavioural assessments.
She said: "Animal welfare comes before anything, and that was my job. I don't believe I would be doing it properly if I would sit back and think that's OK. It wasn't OK - it's not OK."
The dog was considered potentially dangerous due to her breed, behaviour when police seized her and her behaviour in assessments.
Devon and Cornwall Police told the BBC it would not comment on this specific case.
The full story will be shown on BBC Inside Out South West, tonight (Monday) at 7:30pm on BBC One South West and available on the BBC iPlayer.


text:
Wonders of the Tijuana Estuary
Goldenbush, lemonadeberry, pickleweed, buckwheat, sagebrush, and 398 kinds of birds
The Canyoneers 11 a.m., Nov. 15
Featuring bands, wine and beer in the Baja Wine and Craft Beer Garden, and the first ever San Diego Bay seafood tasting. Also including Maritime Museum vessels and swift boats, and the shores will be lined with exotic automobiles and arts and crafts exhibits. The Youth Zone and Stage will feature BMX riders, professional skateboarders, DJs, live bands, and more. 619-233-5008.
999 Bayside Parkway, Chula Vista, 91910
Get directions
Please log in to submit event corrections


text:
LOS ANGELES, CA The numbers are indisputable, and the smile on Tim Thomas face is instructive.
The 37-year-old goaltender is feeling it now in a way that he wasnt over the previous couple of months, and has been perhaps the single biggest factor pushing the Bruins back into their winning ways. Thomas stopped 40 of the 42 shots that he faced in his teams 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center, and played a major role in an important road win for the Black and Gold.
I still think theres some growth that we need to have with eight games left to go in the season, said Thomas. Id prefer the Bruins of a few games ago where we score a few goals early and we have that cushion of a couple goals. But the win is the most important part.
Thomas has a .946 save percentage in his last four games while putting together a 1.50 goals against average and a 3-1 record during that span of good fortune, and hes also got some nifty new equipment. Thomas ditched his old pads and stick after the horrendous trip through Pittsburgh and Florida, and showed up for his home game against the Flyers with new goalie pads colored with black and white shading.
Thomas said his old pads were starting to break down and had been so weighed down with sweat from the games in Florida that he wanted to opt for some equipment with some stiffness.
It looks like the rigid new pads are working out. Thomas has been like himself again over the last two weeks, and was at his best when the Bruins needed him in Los Angeles. He made 12 saves in the first period to match Jonathan Quick, and then Thomas kicked out a strong extended leg save on a Slava Voynov bid with a wide open net on the backdoor.
Thomas lucked out that Voynov flung the puck right back into Thomas leg pads with the while open net to shoot for, and there was certainly luck involved when Mike Richards dinged a slot shot off the left post.
The Voynov stop highlighted the Bs penalty kill efforts to shut down a Los Angeles man advantage with their best PK player, Zdeno Chara, off the ice with a high-sticking penalty.
But Thomas was more good than he was lucky while stopping 17 pucks in the third period. He also got defensive support from Chara with a kicking stop of a Kings shot headed for the back of the net in the final minutes of the third.
Sometimes you do what youve got to do with everybody getting thrown at the net, said Thomas. I was lucky to have a 6-foot-9 giant on my side.
Nearly every stop on Thomas part was a deft, acrobatic stop from a master goaltender, and belied the fact that it was the 15th straight game for the All-Star netminder.