text:
When Wilbert Enriquez left for his sixth deployment in the Middle East he knew when he returned to Houston his wife, Lee Ann, would have him a new puppy.
Little did he know his new friend would become an integral part of his life.
Enriquez, who was in East Texas during the weekend for the Sixth Annual Texas Wounded Warrior Celebration and Pro-Am, was injured by an improvised explosive device in 2009 while Afghanistan. It was the second time the U.S. Marine had been felled by an IED. The first time was 2006 while in Iraq.
"My wife went ahead and purchased (Nala) through a breeder — an English Lab breeder in North Carolina as a gift for me when I got back from deployment," he said. "Unfortunately on this deployment (his first to Afghanistan, the previous five were in Iraq), I came back three months earlier than originally scheduled because I was wounded.
"A couple of organizations got involved — everyone wanted to give me (a service dog) or take mine for a year to train. … I didn't want that because I had already got attached to her. I had already fallen in love with her, and I didn't want to give her up for training."
In stepped Paws for Vets with a solution.
"(Paws for Vets) came up from Florida and taught me and Nala about becoming a service animal," said Enriquez, who played the golf course at Willow Brook Country Club on Monday.
Nala, with a beautiful brown coat, is by his side at all times. She was riding in the golf cart with the Enriquez family as they toured the course.
Many injuries to the approximately 30 soldiers here for the weekend are visual, but others it is not. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder.
That is why Nala is so important to Enriquez.
"Nala helps with a number of things," said Enriquez, a retired staff sergeant. "She opens doors for me, brings me my medicines when I can't get a hold of them.
"Occasionally, when I fall I can brace on her to stand up. She wakes me up from my nightmares. When I let her go she walks around corners to make sure no one comes up and startles me."
Both times Enriquez, who was on the USS Enterprise in 2002 near Australia before heading to the Persian when Gulf, was injured he had just completed a mission and was being picked up by motorcade.
For Enriquez, there are good days and bad.
"I am coping — every day is different," he said. "It is just day-to-day, I have great physicians."
The golf weekend has been a respite for Enriquez and his fellow heroes.
"These great people out here invite us here for a wonderful weekend," said Enriquez, who picked up golf in 2006 as part of his therapy after his first Purple Heart. "It breaks us from the monotony of hospital visits. This means the world to us."
The mission of the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation ( www.txwounded
warrior.com), a 501(c)(3) organization, is to honor and empower wounded warriors and to raise awareness of their continuing post-combat needs. Go to www.txwoundedwarrior.com for more information.


text:
Gillard's Rentals
Home Page
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Your one stop place for bounce inflatables and party rental needs. We offer free setup and take down of your inflatables and free delivery within 45 miles of Albion. We also offer white tents, 5' round tables and 8' Banquet tables and chairs for birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings/receptions, special functions, and corporate events.
We have cotton candy, sno cone, popcorn machines, and a bubble blowing machine, which is great for weddings and birthday parties.
Follow us on Facebook, Gillards Hardware & Rentals for specials and updates!
Contact Jeff or Ben at 618-445-3502 or email at
for availability. Standard pricing is listed, we also offer multiple rental discounts and discounts to churches and schools.
Hello Kitty Bounce House just arrived. Rent me for $150.00, includes setup and take down. Size is 17x17.
Below is our Big Kahuna Water Slide....Loads of fun splashing into the Pool at the end. Rent me for $250.00
Pictured above is our new 18'dry slide. Rent me for 175.00
Now have a drive-in in your backyard with our inflatable movie screen. Comes with projector and sound system for only $150.00 per night. The screen measures 12'x7', and overall measures 16'x13'.
Rent our new DJ in a box--The Quebbie. Has over 10,000 songs to choose from. Has all genres and an extensive wedding song collection. Great for weddings on a budget, school dances, church functions, backyard parties, and corporate events. Rent me for $150.00
Content copyright

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Human Rights Commission seeks candidates
The Morris Human Rights Commission is seeking two candidates for open positions on the commission.
The Human Rights Commission was established by the Morris City Council in 1997 to promote and encourage equal opportunity and fair treatment of all individuals.
Any interested candidates can contact the Morris City Hall at (320) 589-3141 for information on applying.
The deadline for applications is Thursday, Feb. 25.
Eight citizens serve on the commission -- seven are appointed by the City Council and one is an ex-officio representative of the Council.
To learn more about the MHRC and its work, contact one its members: Bert Ahern (589-2474), Christine Gibson (585-5949), Becki Jordan (585-5773) Tom McRoberts (585-2639), Jeff Miller (589-1832), Ida Stewart (589-2868) or Ann Streed (585-2982).


text:
[np_storybar title="Why Rwandan woman forgave machete-wielding man who killed her baby" link="http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/07/why-rwandan-woman-forgave-machete-wielding-man-who-killed-her-baby-and-cut-off-her-hand-during-genocide/"%5D
She lost her baby daughter and her right hand to a manic killing spree. He wielded the machete that took both.
Yet today, despite coming from opposite sides of an unspeakable shared past, Alice Mukarurinda and Emmanuel Ndayisaba are friends. She is the treasurer and he the vice president of a group that builds simple brick houses for genocide survivors.
Read more …
Bloodcurdling screams and sorrowful wails resounded throughout a packed sports stadium Monday as world leaders and thousands of Rwandans gathered to mark the 20th anniversary of a devastating genocide that killed more than one million people.
Dozens of mourners had to be carried out of the stadium as horrific scenes were re-enacted from the 100-day genocide that saw packed churches set on fire and machete-wielding attackers chop down whole families from a demonized minority.
As genocide survivor Fidele Rwamuhizia recounted his tale – he hid in a mosque where many people were slaughtered – it triggered emotional reactions that required some mourners to be assisted by counsellors.
And during an intense scene on the sports field, a young girl of perhaps 10 recounted the torture of a young boy. Spectators screamed and the severely traumatized were carried off.
"It is so hard for the people, because it opens mental wounds, hearing the testimonies of those who survived, they are reminded of what happened to them,' a Rwandan health ministry official said, according to the Daily Mail.
A minute's silence was punctuated by screams of dozens of survivors.
"As we pay tribute to the victims, both the living and those who have passed, we also salute the unbreakable Rwandan spirit in which we owe the survival and renewal of our country," said President Paul Kagame.
Kagame and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon together lit a flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which estimates that 1,000,050 Rwandans perished in three months of machete and gunfire attacks mostly aimed at the country's minority Tutsi population by extremist Hutus
"We must not be left to utter the words 'never again,' again and again," he said according to Reuters. "Many United Nations personnel and others showed remarkable bravery. But we could have done much more. We should have done much more."
Missing from the stadium was the French government, which Rwanda banned. The dispute started when Kagame told the Paris-based weekly Jeune Afrique that France and Belgium helped lay the groundwork for the genocide and participated in some killings. In response, the Paris government said France's justice minister would not come to Kigali as planned and that only France's ambassador to Rwanda, Michel Flesch, would attend.
Speaking in Kigali, Flesch said Monday he received a brief phone call saying he would not be accredited.
"Of course I am disappointed," Flesch said.
He said withholding his accreditation was an extension of the dispute.
At a later news conference, Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said many books, movies and documentaries provide evidence of France's genocide role.
The ceremony and Uganda's president highlighted the influence that white colonial masters had in setting the stage for the violence that erupted on April 7, 1994. Stadium-goers watched as white people in colonial outfits jumped out of a safari car and stormed the main stage.
The wide-brim hats then changed to blue berets, the headgear worn by U.N. troops who did nothing to stop the carnage. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in his speech blamed colonization for many of Africa's violent troubles.
"The people who planned and carried out genocide were Rwandans, but the history and root causes go beyond this beautiful country. This is why Rwandans continue to seek the most complete explanation possible. We do so with humility as a nation that nearly destroyed itself," Kagame said.
The blue beret actors evacuated and Rwandan troops – symbolizing the Tutsi military force Kagame led back then – stormed the field.
Rwandans in white and grey lay scattered throughout the field, representing the dead.
Ever since the killing spree, the world community has been forced to acknowledge it did nothing. The U.N. chief said he hopes to reaffirm the international community's commitment to the idea of "never again," though he said there genocide is still possible. He mentioned violence in the Central African Republic and Syria.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said the genocide was a "devastating reminder that nightmares seemingly beyond imagination can in fact take place."
The genocide required hundreds of mass graves to bury the victims of what the government says was a long-planned killing spree that ignited after the plane of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down.
Kagame has won praise for pulling his country out of the violence. His government has advanced women's rights, economic development and health care. But critics say that progress has been marred by an authoritarian approach that has seen government critics and opposition members killed.
"We are now 20 years after the genocide, so we cannot continue to do the same things we did in 1995 or in 2000. So we ask the government to open up more space, allow more opinion, allow more political parties, but also enforce the rule of law," Frank Habineza, the leader of Rwanda's only opposition political party, said in an interview.
"The laws of Rwanda guarantee freedom of expression and association but in reality things happen otherwise."
Human Rights Watch, which Kigali practically views as an enemy organization, says civil and political rights in the country remain severely curtailed. It said the persistence of attacks on Rwandan government critics in exile "is striking."
With files from the National Post


text:
Lupita Nyong'o Oscars acceptance speech video for Best Supporting Actress win
Lupita Nyong'o took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress tonight and delivered an emotional speech.
Nyong'o, who starred as Patsey in "12 Years A Slave," took to the stage to receive her award.
She stated: "It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is due to so much pain in someone else's." The star referenced her character, who she played based on a true story.
The actress gave thanks to the cast and crew of the film, which also received the prestigious Best Film award tonight.
Others nominees for the Best Supporting Actress award were:
Jennifer Lawrence -- "American Hustle"
June Squibb -- "Nebraska"
Julia Roberts -- "August: Osage County"
Sally Hawkins -- "Blue Jasmine"
Watch a video of her acceptance speech below:


text:
Questions in Account Management
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- Does 7Search Monitor for Keyword Relevance?
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(55844 views)
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(46970 views)
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(48829 views)
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(33727 views)
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(27892 views)
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(30252 views)
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(84832 views)
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(50086 views)
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(156243 views)
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- What is the ###KEYWORD### variable? How can I use it to improve my ad?
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- I funded my account and I am not receiving clicks. What can I do to increase exposure?
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text:
Gardai identify body of 'strangled' man found under mound of about 50 rocks as Adrian Folan
Investigating officers have identified the victim as 41-year-old Adrian Folan, who has been missing since Thursday night
Gardai believe that a man, whose body was found hidden under a pile of rocks in a quarry, was strangled.
This evening the body was formally identified as 41-year-old Adrian Folan.
The body has been removed from the scene and is at Limerick Regional Hospital where a post mortem is scheduled for this evening
Mr Folan had been missing since last Thursday night.
His body was discovered by early this morning in water at a quarry at the Cliffs of Moher, near Liscannor, Co Clare.
It was found under a mound of about 50 rocks.
Gardai have arrested a man for questioning. The suspect was well known to the victim and was detained today in Connemara.
A house in Carraroe, Co Galway, was sealed off for forensic examination.
The suspect, in his 40s, was taken to Mill Street station in Galway city for questioning.
Meanwhile, the body was removed this afternoon to the Mid Western regional hospital in Limerick where State pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy is to carry out a post mortem examination this evening to determine the cause of death.
However, gardai suspect that he died from strangulation.
A member of Mr Folan's family is on his way to the hospital to identify the body.
Adrian Folan, who is originally from Carraroe, was a student at the Institute of Technology in Athlone. He had been working on an end of year project with some classmates.
He was last seen in Athlone on Thursday night.
Gardai were alerted when Mr Folan failed to turn up at the college on Friday morning and concerns about his welfare grew throughout the weekend.
The search of the quarry was launched as a result of information gathered by gardai over the past 24 hours.
Gardai have appeal for witnesses to contact the Incident Room at Ennistymon Garda Station on 065-7072180, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Online Editors
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- Gardai believe missing Adrian Folan 'may have been murdered'
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text:
Twisted servos wire: Fact or Fiction?
Here's a question, and I'm looking for facts, not opinion!
Does it really matter if the servo wire is twisted or flat for the wings in our F3X planes, and the fuselages leading to the receiver?
Is a 72Mhz system more in need of this than a 2.4G system due to the longer Rx aerial??
It is much easier for me to deal with flat servo wires, especially in the fuse, than twisted. I've done it both ways, and haven't noticed any difference. Twisted is heavier and uses slightly more wire length, so is heavier.
Thanks for facts inputted here.
Twisting is one method of shielding used in signal wires. Coax, twinax, etc. are others. Though guys with a better understanding of antenna theory than myself could provide better explanations, I do believe for 72 MHz systems servo lead lengths at or near antenna length can lead to multipath interference. Wing servos in unlimited class sailplanes and other aircraft of similar size often exhibit signs of this most commonly when swamped by RF with the transmitter close by. Flaps chattering while hooking up for launch ring a bell? The shielding properties are frequency dependant and the methods used depend on the particular situation. I am an audio guy, not RF, so my experience is much more in line with servo pulses instead of modulation and carrier freq issues. All this same stuff applies to 2.4 transmission but the networking protocols tend to make up for and mask issues that we may have noticed in the analog environment.
Thanks for posting this. I was asking the same question this week. Got one response that said not necessary with 2.4. I would like to hear what others think as well.
Twisting the wires does nothing for the intended signals but it causes any signals that are common in both (or 3) wires to cancel eachother out. For example if you held a 72MHz TX close to a long wire run it would produce that signal in all 3 wires, adding noise to your power and ground while distorting the signal. Twisting completely eliminates that.
If you use a video TX, telemetry, voltage regulator, or anything else that produces RF noise twisting will help, but modern servos and receivers are pretty good at filtering that out anyway.
I twist my wires because it is lighter! I can save weight by properly sizing the power wires, using small signal wires, and choosing quality wire with tefzel or similar ultra-thin insulation. Flat wire is only available with yucky PVC insulation.
Hi, Vespa-
I understand what you mean, but really twisted wires of the same construction always weigh more since they are longer than flat; but I hear you... I've not gone to the lengths to save weight to use lighter gauge signal wire... I'm mostly just interested in the question about the twisted wire and the signal, and especially the difference between 72 megs and 2.4, and if it even is needed with 2.4Ghz....
There are 2 issues with FM that no longer affect us with 2.4. First, our long servo wires make great antennas for the MHz range and thus RF hitting your servo wires can efficiently come back to the RX and distort the ground, causing a slight distortion of the FM signal. Second, an analog protocol is inherently sensitive to such slight distortions since analog signals are nothing more than slight distortions themselves.
To upset a 2.4RX you would need servo wires about 1" long and RF noise so strong that it completely masks the clear digital signal. Essentially impossible. Plus, the modern RF units are far better isolated from ground noise anyway.
To upset a servo however, is much easier. The PWM signal is essentially analog in that it is very sensitive to slight distortions. Hold a servo wire near the antenna of a powerful transmitter and you will likely see the servo deflect or jitter. I have done this testing on dozens of servo makes/models and found that most are affected, digital or not.
Does a radar physicist qualify as a "mad scientist" ?
What you are looking at is an area of physics called "Magnetostatics" it's an extension of Gauss's Law, more specifically labeled the Bio-Savart Law. What it basically says (in lamen's terms) is that when you have a steady state current flowing through a wire you emit both an electric field and a magnetic field (your question is relative to the strength of the magnetic field). The magnetic field's direction goes as the "curl" of the current flow. Take your right hand wrap it as if you are holding a broom stick. Your thumb is the current flow and your fingers curl around the broom stick, that's the magnetic field. In this case the current flow is down the length of the wire. So the magnetic field is perpendicular to the current flow at all points. Maybe it's easier to think of a Peacock's feathers spanning out in all directions as you're looking at its butt. Now I am venturing into the realm of mad scientist. Anyways, the strength of the electric field is proportional to the power (current and voltage) pushed through the wire, and the electric field strength decreases as a 1/(r^2)the distance an object is placed from the wire. The magnetic field strength follows the electric field strength. Yes, the frequency (2.4GHz or 72MHz) of the system also comes into play, but I'll state my opinion of that below. What the heck does all this mean???
By twisting the servo wires you will disrupt the the nice pretty Peacock pattern of the magnetic field. The total magnetic field will no longer be perpendicular to the current. Think of the Peacock's feathers going every which-way. The magnetic field will span all three dimension in a highly non-uniform manner.
The higher the current and voltage in the system, the stronger the magnetic field.
The further away your receiver is from wires the weaker the magnetic field is.
A receiver with a good filter, or set of filters, the less likely you will encounter any glitches due to the magnetic field generated and if the filters are tuned correctly, the same applies to frequency concerns. You wouldn't use a filter tuned at 75MHz on a 72MHz system, and the same is true for 2.4GHz. However in that highly non-linear-magnetic-near-field that you just created, you could have secondary effects called "harmonics" and these could fall outside of the frequency regime that your receiver is filtering. The field strengths of harmonic waveforms typically have a very quick fall-off of around 13dB - that's a huge fall-off in power space, and that's a whole-nother discussion.
Having said all that, will your receiver with your battery and your servos be glitched or not be glitched by twisting or not twisting the wires? The answer to that question is left to an engineer to compute (I'm a theoretical physicist that works in the world of radars). But my gut felling is, the currents involved with our systems, the distances of where things are placed, and the receivers (I never buy cheap receivers) we put in our toy airplanes have sufficient filters to not worry about these things. I don't.
Last edited by atjurhs; Jan 31, 2011 at 05:55 PM.
This is what I got when going through the same thing a couple years ago.
The consensus is that it is a "best practice" to twist.
With our sailplanes I was twisting when using 72Mhz but only because it was considered "best practice" as I never did experience any issues when testing untwisted vs twisted in the sailplane environment. I've been running straight wires since going to 2.4 and never have had any issues.
On 72Mhz... it's probably still a good ideal to twist if you have speed controllers, motors, engines etc. in a crowded fuse or heli body.
In heli environment, using 72Mhz, sometimes we get glitches from various noise sources including static from the tail rotor belt. I don't know if twisting would have helped, but we ended up using ferrite rings on the ESC to help suppress noise.
When I switched to 2.4g, I never got a single glitch in the heli environment (I would say that's probably the toughest place for our RF electronics) and don't use ferrite rings anymore.
It's safe to say, if you are getting some kind of servo chattering while using a 2.4g system, twisting wires or not is not going to be the answer.
Target, at my current position (vocational school IT guy and electrical instructor) I have equipment to bench test up to 20 MHz. Probably far too low to provide any meaningful data, but a couple bright students and I will conduct a few experiments to see if we can spot any trends. I do know from my network cabling days that the 'twist' in twisted pair cabling is critical for both controling susceptibility to external noise, and preventing those computer cables from becoming unintended transmitter antennae. Sorry, but my current situation doesn't give me access to the big ticket test equipment I used for compliance testing then.
Of course while I am typing, others have posted. Let me add, like the 'wizard' stated: There is no harmful effect that I can perceive, and a few possible benefits. As a caveat I will say that I have used flat ribbon cable in the past with analog servos with no problems, until one plane that loved to waggle the flaps. On a hunch, I lengthened the wires from the receiver to the wing plugs and tamed the problem. Hence my original post. Was it the added length, or just rearranging the routing? Can't say for sure.
Last edited by Gil Gauger; Jan 31, 2011 at 06:36 PM. Reason: Further musings
I know many people who feel very strongly that twisted wires are a must to avoid errant RF from creeping into your system. Personally I have never noticed an issue using flat ribbon in anything I've flown. (gliders, scale, giant scale power, etc.).
I do suggest to people that want to use twisted wires to make sure to balance the system by using left hand twist on one wing and right hand twist in the other wing. Failure to do this can lead to the coriolis effect causing an induced electromagneto field relationship that oscillates in a semi-harmonic fashion. As we all know, this is to be avoided whenever possible. Runs to the tail are center balanced for matched capacitance/reluctance variance and are therefore not an issue for most non-symbionic installations.
This video explains it far better than I can:
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text:
I miss @justbanANNAz who deactivated recently, although from what I've heard, I understand why she left.
I never got to fully appreciate @Missnowhere and @ihav2fart, because they were a little before my time, but I know people were upset when they deactivated.
Wasn't super familiar with @consultantisback, but I wonder why he deactivated as well.
Also, pretty sure @truexo has recently left too.
Anyways, do you miss any deactivated GaGers?
Most Helpful Girl
Yes, I was about to say... both MissNowhere and ihav2fart are back. They've been around for a while. :) @ifarted is a great guy, too. I don't think MissNowhere wants to be tagged, so I'll let that go.
I wish Anna all the best, though I'm not sure what happened there. Yes, Danny (TruExo) is gone. I think he wants to focus on school and other things in life. As far as other users that have left, I think I have everyone's contact information elsewhere, so I'm not too sad.42|20|1
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Thanks for MHO!
Welcome :)


text:
The $65,000 Bernie Dowd
Handicap for New Jersey-breds on Sunday drew a field of nine, including last
year's winner, Evenings End, and the 2009 winner At the Disco.
But a fresh face on the scene
– Law Legacy Stables' Uncle Otto – might be the horse of the hour in this
renewal of the one mile and 70-yard event.
A 3-year-old son of Roaring
Fever, Uncle Otto comes into the Dowd off a solid effort when second in the
Spend a Buck Stakes against open company. This will be his first try against older
horses, but he broke his maiden against state-breds here last year, and looks
like he's in a good spot to show off his youthful vigor.
"I think he's an improving
horse," said trainer Skip Einhorn. "I was happy with his performance in that
last race. I was hoping somebody would run with the leader (Rush Now) but that
didn't happen, and Uncle Otto hung in there the whole way.
"It took him a while to
figure things out last year – he's a May foal – but now I believe he's going to
get better and better," Einhorn said.
Uncle Otto was tried twice on
turf this winter in Florida and had no luck in either start.
"I don't think it was the
turf," Einhorn said. "He just had two really bad trips, got jammed up at the
top of the lane both times. We could
always try it again."
Monmouth Park will celebrate
Father's Day on Sunday in traditional fashion, with free grandstand admission
for Dads and Moms accompanied by a child, and drawings for tickets to sporting
Drawings will be held
throughout the afternoon for tickets to many local sports teams, including the
New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Lakewood BlueClaws.
Father's Day is always one of
the biggest days of the year at Monmouth, and the afternoon will feature Family
Fun Day activities and live music with Tim McLoone & The Shirleys.
There will also be 12 live
races, including the $65,000 Bernie Dowd Handicap for New Jersey-breds, and the
$65,000 Anderson Fowler Stakes for 3-year-olds.
800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X...
A season-high crowd of 27,039 flowed through the t...
Brian Drazin's Christiesborntorun has faced some s...
Rush Now took control out of the gate and never l...
Trainer Dale Romans has always described...
Always an end-of-year favorite, Churchill Downs' ...
Due to a forecast of extremely high winds througho...
We continue to slog our way through the post-Breed...
In 2017, trainer Todd Pletcher had three horses s...
Copyright © 2010 -
Horse Racing Labs, LLC


text:
Crude and gasoline inventories rose last week, the government said Wednesday.
Crude inventories rose by 800,000 barrels, or 0.2 percentage, to 339.9 million barrels, which is 9.6 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.
Analysts had expected a build of 900,000 barrels for the week ended Oct. 23, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.
Gasoline inventories rose by 1.7 million barrels, or 0.8 percent, to 208.6 million barrels. This is 7.8 percent above year-ago levels. Analysts expected a decline of 1 million barrels.
Demand for gasoline over the four weeks ended Oct. 23 was 1.9 percent higher than a year earlier, averaging nearly 9.1 million barrels a day.
At the same time, U.S. refineries ran at 81.8 percent of total capacity on average, a rise 0.7 percentage point from the prior week. Analysts expected capacity to build to 81.8 percent.
Inventories of distillate fuel, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.1 million barrels to 167.8 million barrels for the week ended Oct. 23. Analysts expected distillate stocks to drop by 1.1 million barrels.
Crude futures rose $1.34 to $78.21 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline futures jumped 3 percent, or 6.3 cents, to $2.0075.


text:
Type in where you want to go from and where you want to go to. You must put something in the From and To windows.
If you want to leave soon, you can leave the Time and Date areas as they are. You can change the date and time you want to leave, planning your journey between the dates in the Enter a date between... note. Enter a time using the 24 hour clock (09:00 is nine in the morning, 21:00 is nine in the evening). Normally you plan a journey to Leave after a certain time, but you can plan a journey that arrives by a certain time if you prefer - click so the dot is next to Arrive by.
Additional Options
If you click on this link, a new area of the screen will appear.
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It appears as though the big Apple v Samsung lawsuit has been slowing down. What started as a global frenzy has slowed to a few lawsuits in a few countries. While we're all happy to see these companies going back to what they're supposed to be doing, which is making awesome electronics, there is still some unfinished business abroad.
The latest news from the courtrooms is that there won't be an injuction on Galaxy tablets in the Netherlands. Dutch courts have ruled against Apple in favor of Samsung. So the Galaxy Tab 7.7, 8.9, and 10.1 will remain on shelves.
As per the norm, Apple had claimed that Samsung products looked too similar to Apple products. The resulting similarity supposedly cost Apple a boat load of money. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. As a result, Apple must pay Samsung's court fees, which total about 63,678 euros. According to Sammobile, if Apple tries to prevent tablets from being sold in stores, it could cost them up to 100,000 euroes per day.
Is this an important win for Samsung?
You bet it is. Any victory in a battle where a product can be prevented from being sold is a good victory. However, as Sammobile points out, this victory is especially important for Samsung. Samsung does a lot of business in the Netherlands, and that is where they ship their products to other countries. So an injunction in the Netherlands would've been a pretty big deal.
While the case is over, there is still that wonderful thing called the appeal process. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 injuction is being appealed by Apple. So this won't be the last we hear out of the Dutch courts concerning this lawsuit. When will Apple stop this nonsense? Probably never, but we'd like to hear your take on it in the comments.


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Nuclear power plant installing new simulator
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station deploys Orchid simulator as next step in training efforts.
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) has reached an agreement with L-3 Mapps to update the full scope simulator at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station with its Orchid family of simulation products. The project is already underway with the upgraded simulator delivered at the end of the year. Recently, L-3 Mapps completed a similar upgrade to the Fort Calhoun classroom simulator.
"The Fort Calhoun simulator refurbishment is one of L-3 Mapps' recent flagship projects and the largest U.S. nuclear power plant simulator replacement in over a decade," said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L-3 Mapps power systems and simulation division.
L-3's previous generation simulation software development and maintenance tools will be upgraded with elements from the company's Orchid product family, including the Simulator Executive, Configuration Manager, Instructor Station, Network Loader, Modeling Environment, and Graphic Editor. OPPD will supply the computer hardware, Windows operating systems, and other third-party software required for the upgrade. In addition to ensuring efficient communications with the existing simulator control room's input/output system, L-3 will provide a new interface to the emergency response facility data acquisition and display system already on site.
OPPD is one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the U.S., serving more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeastern Nebraska counties. The refurbished Fort Calhoun simulator, which was declared ready for training in 2006, services a single Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor unit at the facility located 19 miles north of Omaha, NB. A power uprate is planned in 2012 to boost the 484 MW plant's generating capacity by 75 to 80 MW.
Edited by Peter Welander, firstname.lastname@example.com
Visit the Control Engineering Process Control Channel.
Also read: The role of simulator technology in operator training programs.
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Annual Salary Survey
Before the calendar turned, 2016 already had the makings of a pivotal year for manufacturing, and for the world.
There were the big events for the year, including the United States as Partner Country at Hannover Messe in April and the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. There's also the matter of the U.S. presidential elections in November, which promise to shape policy in manufacturing for years to come.
But the year started with global economic turmoil, as a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing triggered a worldwide stock hiccup that sent values plummeting. The continued plunge in world oil prices has resulted in a slowdown in exploration and, by extension, the manufacture of exploration equipment.
Read more: 2015 Salary Survey


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AN American sports legend calls it quits, Rafa and Maria march on in Paris and more doping in cycling. Get your Sports Fix.
Basketball: Jason Kidd has retired from the NBA after 19 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers in American sport.
Point guard Kidd won an NBA title and two Olympic gold medals, is second on the career list in assists and steals, and was a 10-time All-Star. But he struggled badly in the playoffs for the Knicks shortly after turning 40 and decided to walk away with two years and more than $US6 million left on the deal he signed last summer.
His retirement comes two days after fellow 40-year-old Grant Hill, with whom Kidd shared Rookie of the Year honours in 1995, announced his retirement.
Cycling: Giro d'Italia stage winner Mauro Santambrogio has tested positive for EPO in a sample given on the opening day of the race last month.
Santambrogio joins his Vini Fantini teammate and fellow Italian Danilo Di Luca in failing doping tests involving the banned blood-boosting hormone in connection with the country's signature race.
The International Cycling Union has provisionally suspended the 28-year-old Santambrogio and asked the Italian cycling federation to prosecute a disciplinary case.
Santambrogio faces being stripped of his victory in the tough and mountainous stage 14 and his ninth-place finish overall.
The UCI said Santambrogio tested positive in a urine sample given on May 4, the first stage of the three-week race.
Tennis: Australia's Nick Kyrgios has crashed out in the second round of the French Open junior tournament.
The No.1 boys' seed, who reached the second round of the men's draw last week, was defeated by unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3.
It was the first singles loss for the world's top-ranked junior since September last year.
Today, he was followed out of the tournament by compatriot Bradley Mousley, beaten by British No.5 seed Kyle Edmund 6-1 5-7 6-3, leaving no Australians in the junior competitions.
The country's only girls' entrant, Bernard Tomic's younger sister Sara, lost in the opening round.
Tennis: Rafael Nadal celebrated his 27th birthday by advancing to the French Open quarterfinals when he beat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.
Nadal seeks to become first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam event. He won a record seventh French Open title last year and is 56-1 at Roland Garros.
Seeded No. 3, Nadal trailed early in each of his first three matches, but he was a front-runner against Nishikori, the first Japanese man to play in the fourth round at Roland Garros since 1938.
Since returning in February from a seven-month layoff because of a left knee injury, Nadal is 40-2.
Meanwhile, defending champion Maria Sharapova returned to the French Open quarterfinals by beating 17th-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States 6-4, 6-3.
Cricket: India's interim cricket boss has promised to clean up the country's national game and restore its ``good name'' amid a betting scandal that has engulfed the sport.
Speaking to his first news conference a day after the row forced Board Of Control For Cricket In India chief N. Srinivasan to stand down until a probe into the alleged illegal betting is over, Jagmohan Dalmiya said he would make every effort to remove the taint from the game so that ``the good name of cricket is retained''.
But Dalmiya, who is a former BCCI president, told reporters he didn't have ``any medicine that you get an instant result''.
``We don't have any such kind of a magic. We will try our best,'' the 73-year-old said.
His statements came as controversy continued to enmesh the BCCI with India's media flaying the body for ``shaming the nation'' after it allowed Srinivasan to avoid resigning over the betting scandal.
Soocer: Neymar has completed his move to Barcelona in a deal that unites the Brazil star with Lionel Messi.
Neymar signed a five-year contract with club president Sandro Rosell after choosing Barcelona over Real Madrid in an intense bidding war between the fierce Spanish rivals.
Formalities done, the 21-year-old striker jogged onto the Camp Nou pitch for the first time in his new Barcelona kit bearing the No. 11 and the name ``Neymar Jr'' on the back.
``I am very happy, very moved to be a Barcelona player and fulfill my dream,'' Neymar told the tens of thousands of fans who turned out to welcome him.
Originally published as No Kidding, it's all over


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The end of another NFL season and the beginning of a new calendar year is sure to bring change as unfilled goals and promises demand accountability. Continue Reading
Posted on 02 January 2012 by Thyrl Nelson
The end of another NFL season and the beginning of a new calendar year is sure to bring change as unfilled goals and promises demand accountability. Continue Reading
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Posted on 13 December 2011 by Drew Forrester
I decided to give it two full days before I brought the subject up here at "Two Days Later".
I've looked, listened, watched and still…nothing.
No one has brought it up.
Except for me.
And that either makes me completely off-base — or I'm simply the only one willing to point out that there's a big white elephant in the room and, accordingly, offer some evidence for what I saw this past Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts came to town.
I'll say it: I absolutely don't think the Colts wanted to win the game on Sunday in Baltimore. Yes, I'm saying what you think I'm saying. It looked to me like Indianapolis wasn't trying to win the game.
While most NFL followers consider the #1 pick in the college draft to be an albatross no team REALLY wants, it would seem the Colts are hell-bent on "earning" that distinction in time for the 2012 draft, otherwise known as the "Andrew Luck gets to learn from Peyton Manning for two years" jam session.
I understand this smacks at the entry-level qualification for a professional sports event to be considered a "professional sports event". In other words, for it to be a game that "counts", per-se, both teams have to be trying to win. That's the most minimal starting point for any competition — are YOU trying to beat ME? And vice versa. If so, we got ourselves a game.
I don't think the Colts were trying to win on Sunday. In case you haven't seen the standings recently, our friends in Indianapolis have a stranglehold on that #1 draft pick if they just keep losing.
I watched the game with my own two eyes from the comfy confines of M&T Bank Stadium. I watched carefully. The Indy skill-set players on offense — that means anyone, except the center, who has a chance to touch the ball — were absolutely invisible until about two minutes remained in the game. I observed them all. It was a mass-mail-in effort from every one of them on the offensive side of the ball. Wayne, Garcon, Collie, Clark, Addai, Brown…none of them put in a half day's work, let alone took a lunch hour. Dan Orlovsky was the sacrificial lamb who perhaps wasn't in on the joke, but he traded his legitimate effort for poor play. I think Orlovsky tried — he just wasn't any good.
But the guys who most affected the game from the standpoint of offense had ZERO impact in 58 minutes. Prior to their final series that generated 76 yards, the Colts had only 91 yards of TOTAL offense for the entire day. And I'm not sure how they produced that much, honestly.
Go around the league and start HONESTLY assessing all the teams and their skill-set players minus their quarterback. Just breeze through the rosters and look at wide receivers, tight ends and running backs. You'll be surprised how many of those teams have inferior skill-set players to those the Colts have. Jacksonville, St. Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Washington, Oakland…I've just rattled all five. Keep playing at home if you want.
Does no one else find it odd that a team loaded with high-efficiency offensive players is 0-13?
Is the NFL not interested in looking into the subject at all?
I'm being completely serious here — does the NFL not see 0-13 and 62-7 losses and 91 yards of total offense for 58 minutes and ask themselves, "Is something fishy going on in Indianapolis?"
If they're not at least ASKING that question, there's something fishy going on there, too.
I don't know what they'd find, if anything. I'm completely aware that intentionally losing a game or games — or at the very least, not TRYING to win — is extremely difficult to pull off, but I will take this opportunity (please see next page)
Posted on 11 December 2011 by Drew Forrester
In my ten seasons covering Ravens football for WNST, I've seen some pretty poor offensive performances from the visiting teams.
But I've never seen a more pitiful effort – the actual effort put forth – than the one turned in by the Indianapolis Colts offense on Sunday.
If the league isn't investigating the Colts, they're not paying any attention. Here's the laundry list as I saw it on Sunday as the Ravens waltzed past Indianapolis, 24-10.
Reggie Wayne — mailed it in
Pierre Garcon — half an effort
Austin Collie — not interested
Donald Brown — didn't break a sweat
Dan Orlovsky — made Kyle Boller look like a Hall of Famer
It was a junior varsity effort at best from the winless Colts, who clearly aren't REALLY trying to win football games. Whether or not that's an edict from the front office is something we'll never know, but watching them play in Baltimore revealed an ugly side of the game that you only see when no one on one side of the ball puts forth much effort.
The Colts somehow managed to score a touchdown in the game's final two minutes, long after the outcome was decided. The only story from the game was just that — a Colts touchdown on the final play meant the gamblers who took the Ravens minus-17 points wound up a loser. And that, my friends, is why they build large, gaudy, half-billion hotels and casinos in Las Vegas.
Prior to that final drive that netted them their only touchdown, the Indianapolis offense had managed to compile a grand total of 91 yards…for the entire game. Nope, not a typo. 91 yards in 57 minutes or so. They then put up 76 yards to move down the field and end the game with a last-second TD, but don't let that get in the way of the facts. The Colts offense didn't try on Sunday.
That the Ravens won the game 24-10 would give some indication that perhaps the game was close. It was only close until Dan Orlovsky rose from his downtown Baltimore hotel bed on Sunday morning and proclaimed himself fit to play. The Colts would have been far better off signing Gilligan to play quarterback for them on Sunday.
I understand Peyton Manning is really good. I've seen enough of him to know that the Colts are a vastly different team when #18 is behind center.
But he's not so good that the Colts can't win one game without him.
That said, it's hard enough to win in the league if your team IS trying…let alone when you pack it in and don't put forth an effort like the Indy offense did on Sunday.
Hopefully these last two weeks against Division III teams like Cleveland and Indianapolis won't slow the Ravens down next Sunday night in San Diego when they face a real team.
Someone else from WNST.net will cover the details of Sunday's win from the Ravens standpoint. Luke Jones will have some words of wisdom about the greatness of Terrell Suggs, who set a single-season sack record with his 11th, 12th and 13th sacks against the Colts. Nestor will have video footage from a joyous locker room.
I watched the game, like most of you, and just couldn't get over how inept the Colts were from start to finish, except for the final drive where they got the bit between their teeth and decided NOT to set the all-time franchise record for least yards gained in a game.
The league should be ashamed.
The Colts should be embarrassed.
And the fans who sat through it, particularly those who eschewed the early departure and stuck it out until the final whistle, should be applauded.
The game was over in the first quarter when the Ravens went up 10-0.
But the real story played itself out all day, where the Colts basically went through the motions on offense to ensure they'd fall to 0-13 in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
Even the old drunk Bob Irsay had to be shaking his head somewhere.
Posted on 11 December 2011 by Ryan Chell
Glenn's List
1. Maintain manageable 3rd down situations
2. Battle Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis without help
3. Improved linebacker coverage versus Dallas Clark
Ryan's List
1. Convert scoring opportunities into points
2. Don't let Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney wreck havoc in the backfield
3. Turn the safeties for the Colts and take shots down the field
Tune into the Nasty Purple Post-Game Show to see if these expectations come to light! WNST-We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports!
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Posted on 04 December 2011 by Drew Forrester
If ever a football game could induce writer's block, that one on Sunday in Cleveland sure did the trick to me.
I have no idea what to say about that game except this: How the hell did the Browns win four games so far this season?
Holy cow they stink.
I almost felt bad for the Ravens in the 3rd quarter when it was 10-0. There was no challenge, no real resistance from the Browns, and, predictably, a half-filled stadium with virtually no energy for the game or the home team.
I thought I was watching the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton. It was that bad.
The Ravens weren't bad, mind you. They ran more than Forrest Gump on Sunday, traumatizing the Browns front seven with smash-mouth football and a 204 yard day from Ray Rice that commenced with a 30-yard scamper on Baltimore's first offensive play of the game.
But the game itself was about as boring as Barry Manilow covering a bunch of Bob Dylan tunes.
Fortunately, unlike two other occasions when the Ravens went into sleep-walking mode against inferior opponents in Jacksonville and Seattle, Baltimore would not give in to the day's boredom. They plodded their way to a 10-0 lead and eventually stretched it to 24-3 before giving up a late touchdown pass from Colt McCoy to Evan Moore.
It wasn't even a cakewalk on Sunday.
It was easier than that.
And it should be that easy again next Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts and their 0-12 record come wobbling into Charm City for an expected thrashing at M&T Bank Stadium.
The schedule favors the Ravens now, as they finish the season with the Colts, Chargers, Browns and Bengals. Four wins and Baltimore secures home-field throughout the AFC playoffs. And when you secure home-field throughout, you're only two wins away from the Super Bowl.
Writer's block. That's what games like Sunday's affair in Cleveland produce.
I wanted to write about how great the Ravens running game was in the victory. Or how Baltimore managed to win despite two missed field goals and a costly Joe Flacco turnover near midfield.
But all I could keep thinking was this — "How the hell did Cleveland win four times this season?"
Posted on 24 November 2011 by Chris Pika
One of the more-hyped games of the 2011 schedule once it came out in April is tonight's Thanksgiving game in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium when the broithers Harbaugh meet as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Baltimore Ravens (8 pm ET; NFL Network).
The 9-1 49ers have a stranglehold on the NFC West and can clinch the division with a victory and either a loss or tie by Seattle on Sunday or a tie and a Seattle loss.
The 7-3 Ravens lead the AFC North, and are tied for the AFC's best record.
The combined 16-4 record (.800) of the two teams is tied for fourth-best between Thanksgiving Day combatants since 1970.
It will be Baltimore's John vs. San Francisco's Jim, and Jim, and according to NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who will help call the game with Brad Nessler, this matchup is one to watch:
When you combine the surprising success of San Francisco, along with Baltimore being pretty much where you expect them to be, we've got one of the best games of the season on Thursday night.
In a national teleconference to promote the game earlier this week, Jim mentioned how brotherly love goes out the window once competition is involved:
Leading up to this, John has talked freely and openly about football with me. Now, it's more talking in code. I'm being serious. I can see there are limitations to what he's telling me. I thought love had no boundaries, but now I see that it does.
— Jim Harbaugh, on football communication with John since the 2011 NFL schedule was announced
For John's part, it is a continuation of competition that has gone on since they were kids:
We were in the same room for 16 years, and we had to draw a tape line. If you stepped across, there was a fight. The last time we fought, I was 27. He was the quarterback for the Bears. He got up to 6-4, 230 pounds. I was 195, something like that. He takes us on vacation to Florida, we're on the beach, and we get into this wrestling match. It's getting a little aggressive and works its way over to the water. He gets a shot in; I get a shot in. I'm starting to think maybe I can hang with the big little brother. Next, he grabs me in a headlock, picks me up, and slams me into three feet of water. My head is on the sand underneath the water. Of course, he's not going to drown me, but I'm thinking maybe he's snapped. My dad's trying to pull him off, but he's too strong. I'm going to drown. Before I died, he pulled me up. He didn't do mouth-to-mouth; that would have been against the rules. I then realized I'm never going to fight my brother again. He's too big.
— John Harbaugh on his brother
The first-ever coaching matchup between two brothers in NFL history is a testament to their father, Jack, himself a former college head coach:
Their father gave them a gift; by making them and teaching them how to compete. If we can instill competition in our kids, that's all we want. We want them to go out in the world and compete.
— NFL Network's Marshall Faulk on the relationship between Jack Harbaugh and his sons, Jim and John
Baltimore is coming off a 31-24 victory over AFC North rival Cincinnati at home last Sunday:
STOUT VS. NFC: Dating back to the 2008 campaign, when head coach John Harbaugh took over in Baltimore, the Ravens have posted a 10-5 record (.667) vs. the NFC, good for the fourth-best mark among AFC teams against the "other conference" during that span.
AFC's BEST RECORDS VS. THE NFC
(since 2008)
1t. New England Patriots 12-2 .857
1t. Tennessee Titans 12-2 .857
3. Pittsburgh Steelers 10-4 .714
4. Baltimore Ravens 10-5 .667
San Francisco is working on an eight-game win streak, and beat NFC West rival Arizona 23-7 last Sunday at home:
WINNING WAYS: With the win last week vs. Arz. (11/20), head coach Jim Harbaugh became just the 3rd rookie head coach in franchise history to start his career with a 9-1 record.
THE COMEBACK TRAIL: Four, 4th quarter come-from-behind-win epitomizes the never quit attitude the 49ers embody this season. One player in particular can parallel his career to the theme, QBAlex Smith. Smith is now tied with NYG QB Eli Manning for the most comeback wins by an NFL QB this season.
Smith became just the second quarterback in franchise history to record 3, 4th qtr. comebacks on the road (QB Joe Montanta – 4 in 1989 and 3 in 1990).
For up-to-date Tweets on the NFL and the Ravens, please follow me on Twitter (@BlogAndTackle). For more national NFL stories, please visit my personal site at BlogAndTackle.net.
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Posted on 28 October 2011 by Thyrl Nelson
This is not an inducement to gamble, in fact it should serve as quite the opposite. It is my attempt at picking all of the games (before injury reports are official) each week. The picks are broken into 3 categories, 5 picks that I love, 5 that I like and the rest.
I would encourage anyone looking for a little extra interest in Sunday's game to try the MobTown $15.70 prop card. It's free it's easy and cash and bragging rights are on the line.
All lines taken from sportsbook.com.
Loves (100 pts for a win and -110 for a loss)
week 7: 2-3 (-130 pts) season: 13-12 (-20 pts)
Saints -14 @ Rams
Lions -3 @ Broncos
Steelers +3 vs. Patriots
Browns +9 @ 49ers
Chiefs +4 vs. Chargers
Likes (50 pts for a win and -55 for a loss)
week 7: 2-2-1 (-10 pts) season: 10-12-1 (-160 pts)
Panthers -3.5 vs. Vikings
Dolphins +9.5 @ Giants
Bills -6 vs. Redskins
Bengals -3 @ Seahawks
Cowboys +3.5 @ Eagles
Feeling Lucky? (20 pts for a win and -22 for a loss)
Week 7: 1-2(-24 pts) season 9-10-2 (-40 pts)
Titans -9 vs. Colts
Jaguars +9.5 @ Texans
Ravens -12.5 vs. Cardinals
Last week Total: 5-7-1 (-164 pts) Season Total: 32-34-3 (-220 pts)
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Posted on 20 October 2011 by Thyrl Nelson
This is not an inducement to gamble, in fact it should serve as quite the opposite. It is my attempt at picking all of the games (before injury reports are official) each week. The picks are broken into 3 categories, 5 picks that I love, 5 that I like and the rest.
I would encourage anyone looking for a little extra interest in Sunday's game to try the MobTown $15.70 prop card. It's free it's easy and cash and bragging rights are on the line.
All lines taken from sportsbook.com.
Loves (100 pts for a win and -110 for a loss)
week 4: 4-1 (290 pts) season: 11-9 (110 pts)
Chargers -2 @ Jets
Texans +3 @ Titans
Steelers -3.5 @ Cardinals
Packers -9 @. Vikings
Ravens -7.5 @ Jaguars
Likes (50 pts for a win and -55 for a loss)
week 4: 3-2 (40 pts) season: 8-10 (-150 pts)
Redskins +2.5 @ Panthers
Browns -3 vs. Seahawks
Broncos +1.5 @ Dolphins
Raiders -4.5 vs. Chiefs
Saints -14 vs. Colts
Feeling Lucky? (20 pts for a win and -22 for a loss)
Week 4: 1-1-1 (-2 pts) season 8-8-2 (-16 pts)
Buccaneers +1 vs. Bears (in London)
Lions -3.5 vs. Falcons
Cowboys -12.5 vs. Rams
Last week Total: 8-4-1 (328 pts) Season Total: 27-27-2 (-56 pts)
Comments Off on Week 7: Locks, Lumps & Luck (or Lack Thereof)
Posted on 26 September 2011 by Thyrl Nelson
I have long held to the belief that any college player that we're talking about as the likely #1 pick in the draft at this time of year or around whom we're building a "sweepstakes" usually sees that esteem (and his draft status) drop substantially before we actually get to the draft. That said, very smart people are saying that Stanford's Andrew Luck not only has all of the tools necessary to be a successful NFL QB, but also that he'll be a top-10 NFL signal caller on the day that he is chosen.
With that in mind, here's who could/should be feeling Luck"y" 3 weeks in to this NFL season.
Colts – (0-3) – It would seem like perfect synergy if the Colts, sans Manning, found their way somehow to the top pick in the draft and the chance to transition from one elite quarterback era to another. Certainly the chance to study for a season or two at the foot of a talent like Manning could give Luck a chance at an Aaron Rodgers-like level of preparation before actually being called on to play significant time. Surely too, Manning would rather the Colts spend a top pick on a player that could help him to win now, in the time that he has left. It'll be interesting to see if Manning rushes back late season and piles up a couple of wins for the Colts as "Luck Insurance". You can bet that the Colts are coming to grips with Manning's eminent decline even if Manning himself is not, and a talent like Luck would be tough to pass on.
Dolphins – (0-3) – Compared to the potential Colts' situation described above, and given the recent success of young NFL signal callers, Miami might be a more appealing situation for Luck himself. Taking his talents to South Beach would surely give Luck the chance to play sooner rather than later and would be a nice "booby prize" for Dolphins fans reduced at present to pining for Kyle Orton. The interesting part here is that although head coach Tony Sparano could certainly use a talent like Luck to jumpstart that offense, since Sparano himself is already squarely on the hot seat it seems unlikely he'd be around to enjoy the fruits of Luck's labor if the Dolphins finish with the type of record that lands them a shot at Luck.
Vikings – (0-3) – The Vikings are off to a rough start under McNabb and look to be getting old in a hurry. While the team spent highly to bring in Christian Ponder this off-season it's unlikely he'd be enough to compel them away from Luck if given a chance. Before long it may be Ponder who gets his shot and therefore gives the Vikings a better shot at positioning themselves for Luck as a result. It looks like the Vikings may be in need of a serious overhaul on both sides of the ball, and Luck would make a pretty nice cornerstone on which to begin.
Seahawks – (1-2) – Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll in the same division already projects to be a contentious situation. The Niners, given Harbaugh's familiarity with Luck and their own QB situation with Alex Smith would seem to be the ideal landing spot for the toast of the draft. San Francisco's 2-1 record so far though looks to be a severe roadblock to such a reunion. The Seahawks meanwhile may be the worst team in football (yesterday's win notwithstanding) and are by no means married to current QB Tavaris Jackson. The chance to beat Harbaugh for the next decade or more with a QB of his own making might be too much for Carroll and the Seahawks to resist.
Broncos – (1-2) – Hey why not? The Broncos already have 2 first round QBs on their roster and neither is doing enough to win the job away from delightfully mediocre former 4th round pick Kyle Orton. The Broncos look like a team that will play their way out of this conversation as the season progresses, but you never know…Tim Tebow may still get his chance yet and might keep the Broncos "in the hunt" as a result.
Comments Off on Who's Feeling Lucky?
Posted on 19 September 2011 by Thyrl Nelson
5 On The Rise
#1 – Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox this weekend to close the gap in the AL Wild Card to 2 games with 10 games to go for each side. Whether the Sox can manage to hold off the Rays or not, they're in trouble as injuries have taken another mighty toll on Boston this season. Still, after leading Tampa by 9 games as late as September 3rd, there will be no legitimate excuses for the Sox if they should somehow complete one of the worst late season collapses in modern baseball history.
If the Rays somehow find their way in, it'll be to the chagrin of not just the Sox but of all of the AL teams who do make the playoffs too as the Rays formidable starting pitching has managed to keep them afloat as the bullpen and lineup have spent most of the year learning on the fly. Although it's a small sample size, the Rays 11-4 record in their last 15 games suggests that they're peaking at the right time.
Forecast: The schedule suggests that Boston is still in a pretty good place. Six of their 10 remaining games are on the road, but 3 of those and 7 overall of the last 10 are against Baltimore, against whom the Sox are 8-3 on the year. Their other 4 games are against the Yankees, who the Sox have owned to the tune of 11-4 so far this season. Tampa on the other hand has 6 of 10 games remaining at home and 7 of their remaining 10 against the Yankees, against whom they're 5-6 on the season. Their other 3 games are against the Blue Jays, against whom they're 10-5 so far.
With a magic number of 7 and 10 of their remaining 11 games against the Rays and Red Sox, the Yankees aren't yet out of the woods either, igniting essentially 2 pennant races in the AL East when Yanks and Sox both appeared to be foregone conclusions just a couple of weeks ago.
#2 – The Atlantic Coast Conference – ACC fans have been waiting anxiously in the dark as the most recent round of Super-Conference manifest destinies began taking shape again. As all of the moves have seemingly been football driven, fans of the basketball first ACC sat hopefully expecting the conference to do it's best to keep their 12-member alliance intact and maintain the status quo. Now it seems that the ACC may be on the fast track to becoming the nation's first super conference as over the weekend news of the intents of both Syracuse and Pitt to join the ACC ranks began to spread.
At the very least, the 2 new members provide the conference with an insurance policy should the SEC come calling officially for Clemson and Florida State, but with UConn already rumored to be poised to follow, it seems but a mere formality that the ACC will add one more player to the mix and become an official Super-Conference with a giant TV network to follow. West Virginia, or on an outside shot South Carolina might be the best bets at #16.
Lost in the euphoria, but no less important this weekend, Miami upset #17 Ohio State, Clemson upset #21 Auburn and Maryland showed well (in the box score at least) against #18 West Virginia.
Forecast: So far so good it seems. Again, at the very least the ACC will be able to maintain 12 members should a couple succumb to the temptations of the SEC or some other budding Super-Conference and will be able to continue staging their own conference title games in football. At best, the ACC could win the race to 16 and become the first of likely many Super-Conferences. Keep in mind though that the most recent versions of ACC expansion didn't exactly bring about the anticipated results or football credibility that seemed all but foregone at the time.
#3 – Cam Newton – The controversial Heisman trophy / National Championship winning quarterback turned controversial first round (first overall) draft pick of the Panthers unleashed his second straight 400+ yard passing performance en route to his second straight loss to begin his NFL career. Clearly he'd rather be winning and shining, but for now, he's shining enough to have us all impressed, shocked and mesmerized. Shredding the suspect Cardinals defense in week 1 was impressive enough, that he was able to do it to the defending World Champs while keeping them against the ropes for most of the game after they had spent a week dissecting his tape is flat out amazing. If the youngster keeps playing like that, the wins will surely follow…as will more accolades.
Forecast: He'll get a chance at the Jags next week and might be able to muster that elusive first win. After that, the schedule gets kind of hairy for a while. He'll continue to sling it you can bet, and will learn some tough lessons along the way. The funniest thing may be that sooner or later teams will have to adjust to his ability to sling it all over the field, and when they do, Cam will get his chance to showcase the wheels that gained him so much notoriety last season at Auburn. It's an unbelievable start to an NFL career, begging the simple question what will the kid do next?
#4 – Detroit Lions – The Lions picked up their second straight win to begin the season on Sunday and in so doing justified the faith of tons of pre-season prognosticators who thought the Lions to be on the rise. The interesting part of the Lions ascendance however is that so far it least it hasn't been based on the brick wall that will be Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh when the rookie Fairley eventually gets onto the field; instead the Lions have been getting it done on offense with Matthew Stafford playing the part of polished veteran and Jahvid Best rebounding nicely from an injury plagued 2010.
Forecast: The Lions will have their work cut out for them in a contentious NFC North, and health has to be their biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball. When exactly the Lions official window might open is debatable, but for now they're at least knocking on the door.
#5 – Robert Griffin III – He entered the season as a lightly regarded Heisman candidate from a lightly regarded Baylor program flying largely under the radar. He emerged from a week 1 shootout with TCU (on the back of 359 yards passing and 5 TD) as RG3 and at the forefront of the Heisman conversation. After a 15-day hiatus Griffin and the Bears returned to action on Sunday and RG3 backed up his performance with a 20 for 22 night for a modest 265 yards and 3 TD, while adding 78 yards on the ground for good measure.
Forecast: The Bears will be looking at the Big-12 portion of their schedule soon enough affording Griffin plenty of chances in the national spotlight. And while the Bears may not be able to hold their own against top notch foes (TCU would beg to differ) Griffin might, and the need to keep his foot on the gas could lead to some seriously gaudy numbers along the way.
5 On The Slide
#1 – Professional Boxing – The fact that Floyd "Money" Mayweather was fighting "Vicious" Victor Ortiz on Saturday night (for an outrageous pay-per-view price tag of $69.99) should be in and of itself another proverbial "black eye" for boxing. This is after all the 147 pound division, touted by most as boxing's best, yet the best match-up they could muster on that night for the best boxer of his generation was a hard punching young southpaw just 2 years removed from quitting in the ring against a middling Marcos Maidana. That Floyd Mayweather has not yet fought Manny Pacquiao is an embarrassment to the sport of boxing and to the otherwise cleaned out by Mayweather 147-pound division. The action that took place in the ring…well that was kind of embarrassing too.
History will remember Floyd winning by a cheap shot, but that's more likely as a result of our feelings about Floyd as a despicable human being than as a result of what actually happened in the ring on Saturday night. For 2 of the 3 full rounds Floyd landed easily and won decisively. In the middle round, Ortiz showed enough heart and offense to compel some to see it his way, but 2 of the 3 judges at ringside scored that one for Mayweather too. In the 4th Ortiz got aggressive, bullied Mayweather into a corner and then inexplicably charged him like a crazed bull with the crown of his head landing square in Mayweather's face. That would be the fight's only illegal shot, but not it's last controversial one.
Immediately after butting Mayweather, as referee Joe Cortez attempted to step in and separate the fighters, Ortiz began apologizing to Mayweather. Ortiz hugged Mayweather and even kissed him on the cheek before being led to the center of the ring by Cortez to make the point deduction official. When the fighters got back together Ortiz again hugged Mayweather. Mayweather didn't appear to reciprocate the hug and stood there arms out waiting to resume the action, which he did as soon as Ortiz backed away, landing a quick left followed by a crushing right that left Ortiz on the ground and unable to beat the count.
We'll remember Mayweather's cheap shot although his was legal, and forget too that he was dominating Ortiz in a way that suggested he'd end it sooner rather than later and that Mayweather may have been rightly enraged at Ortiz' illegal and intentional head butt. What we won't remember is a great fight or one that was worth the buy as neither was the case on Saturday.
Forecast: Mayweather will spend another year or so flaunting and burning (literally) the $25 million plus he made from this farce while we all wait anxiously for him to step in front of Pacquiao and into the beating that so many have been waiting to see him get. Mayweather will get paid again, likely beat Pacquiao too and continue to be a general A-hole. And we'll keep giving him money.
#2 – Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens backed up their impressive week one domination over the Pittsburgh Steelers by being beaten in all three phases of the game by the Tennessee Titans and are now left to reevaluate their estimations of their own greatness.
Throughout the Harbaugh era these Ravens have been far too professional to overlook opponents, even when those opponents don't seem to have much of a realistic chance at winning against them. Or maybe, as we look back at games like Carolina and Buffalo in 2010, perhaps Sunday was the first time that the Ravens paid the price for taking a second division caliber team lightly. Regardless, on Sunday the Ravens had their proverbial lunches eaten by the Titans and then were charged with cleaning up the scraps when their bully nemeses were through.
The Ravens will surely have to pick up those scraps quickly and put them to use against St. Louis as for now at least, the loss served to bring the Steelers back into a tie for the division lead (albeit only week 2). There are plenty of wins to be had on the Ravens schedule; the question may simply be whether the team is professional enough to go about collecting them.
Forecast: This should serve as the wake up call that a team as professional as these Ravens have been shouldn't have needed in the first place. They'll get St. Louis coming off of a short week before returning home for a slugfest with the Jets. The Steelers meanwhile get the Manning-less Colts next week.
#3 – Arian Foster – Last year's improbable rushing champ started this season without the fullback who had cleared holes for him to run through last season and with company in the backfield in Ben Tate who the Texans envisioned as the starter before losing him to injury last year. He continued his trek by injuring his hamstring, calling fantasy owners concerned about his health for their own reasons sick, tweeted images of his MRI and proclaimed himself ready for week 1. He wasn't.
Ben Tate though was, possibly compelling Foster to rush back to action this week against the Dolphins, where he rushed for 33 yards on 10 carries before re-aggravating the hamstring and coming out of the game for good. Ben Tate in the meantime has gone over the century mark on the ground in each of the Texans first 2 games and will likely remain a big part of the mix with or without Foster.
Forecast: The smart thing would seem to be to rest Foster until his hamstring issues are clearly behind him. More likely though, Foster, gamer that he is, will continue trying to rush himself back and struggle with the injury all season. Either way, Ben Tate seems to be a viable part of the running game for the foreseeable future and for now a better option than Foster.
#4 – Chiefs, Seahawks and Colts – The Manning-less Colts looked terrible again, this time at home against the Cleveland Browns. The already injury riddled Chiefs suffered another embarrassing defeat and in the process may have been hit with their worst injury so far, apparently losing Jamaal Charles for the season with an ACL injury. And the Seahawks although mostly healthy look like they may be the worst team in football without Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback.
All three playoff teams from 2010 are off to 0-2 starts and looking like long shots to get back there.
Forecast: Count all three squarely in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.
#5 – The NBA Season – With each passing day, the likelihood of seeing an entire NBA season or any part of a season at all get bleaker and bleaker. The more concerning part, for the league and its fans, should probably be that no one really seems to care very much. Unlike the NFL lockout, which had us spinning and clamoring for updates daily, everyone seems resigned to the expectation that here simply won't be an NBA this year. Folks were missing football despite the fact that we never actually missed any football at all. Judging by the attention or lack thereof to the NBA's labor issues, basketball…we'll see you when we see you.
Forecast: This isn't getting better anytime soon. Check back in February.
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BOSTON, Mass. (WIAT) – The FBI has released an update on the condition of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings that killed 3 and injnured at least 140 people on April 15th.
According to the release Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in serious condition.
The FBI also states the information is being released at the request of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where Tsarnaev is being treated.
Tsarnaev was found wounded inside a boat in Watertown, Mass on April 19th, after fleeing from law enforcement during a shoot out which prompted a near 24 hour manhunt.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a second suspect in the bombings and brother of Dzhokhar, was killed.


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[JURIST] The United States Supreme Court [official website] handed down two decisions Monday. In Branch v. Smith [decision syllabus], the Court ruled in a complicated split decision that a federal court can redraw electoral boundaries when state redistricting procedures fail, and that federal judges correctly blocked a Mississippi state court redistricting plan that had favored Democrats. Justice Scalia wrote the Opinion [text], with a Concurrence by Justice Kennedy [concurrence text], a Concurrence by Justice Stevens [concurrence text], and Justice O'Connor and Justice Thomas [concurrence text] concurring in part and dissenting in part.
In Archer v. Warner [decision syllabus], the Court held that a debt for money promised in a settlement agreement accompanied by the release of underlying tort claims can amount to a debt for money obtained by fraud, not dischargeable in bankruptcy under 11 U.S.C. s. 523(a)(2)(A). Justice Breyer wrote the Opinion [text], with a Dissent [text] by Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Stevens.


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Labour and the Tories rejoined the battle for economic credibility today as the chancellor, Alistair Darling, published a dossier that claimed to show a £34bn funding gap in the Conservatives' spending plans.
The Tories denounced the figures as "lies" and "junk" within an hour of their publication, underlining the bitterness of the debate between the parties months before the general election.
The hostilities began after Darling published a 148-page dossier saying the £34bn gap meant the Tories had accounted for only a quarter or so of the funding they would need to deliver on pre-election pledges.
In what he described as the most forensic scrutiny of the opposition's pledges so far, Darling said the Tories were trying to fight the election "on a nod and a wink", saying that the £45bn worth of Tory spending commitments were only backed up by £11bn to pay for them – at a time when the Tories were also pledging £21bn a year in tax cuts and £13.3bn in reversing tax increases.
"These are not long-forgotten promises from another time. All have been confirmed in the last two years. Most have been repeated in the last few months," Darling told a press conference at Labour's HQ in central London. "You can't fight an election on a nod and a wink, sometimes claiming you are committed to these promises, and when challenged claiming you are not. It's now for them to say when and how they'll be paid for, or come clean and withdraw them."
In a sign of the government's own difficulties, the chancellor refused to rule out a VAT rise under Labour – a move that Brown has recently blocked – and suggested that if re-elected the government might have to keep the 50p top rate of tax for the course of the next parliament.
David Cameron was the first to attack Darling's speech, saying it had taken him only 11 seconds to find 11 mistakes and calling the publication "a dodgy dossier full of lies" and "complete junk".
In particular the Tories said Darling's calculations included:
• £4.9bn to allow married couples to transfer their tax allowances, which Cameron has said is not his policy.
• £2.4bn as the cost of abolishing the 50p tax rate when the Conservatives had been clear, to the fury of their own right-wing, that they would not necessarily reverse the measure.
• £3.6bn as the price for reversing the restrictions on pensions tax relief for higher earners, which the Tories have also not been able to say they will reverse.
The Tories said a claim by the government that they would spend £5.2bn abolishing stamp duty on shares had, in fact, never been Conservative party policy.
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said: "The credibility of Labour lies about Conservatives has collapsed … the dossier includes commitments we have never made, wild exaggerations of our costed policies, and, in some cases, admissions that some changes would actually be cheaper than we have budgeted for. Labour must be deeply regretting their decision to go negative on a day when the Conservatives have been so positive."
The dossier represents a change of ambition in conception and execution for Labour's attack documents. Despite the slew of rebuttals from the Tories, Labour believe they have been "generous" in omitting the more vague Tory pledges and that the exercise shows, five months away from an election, how much of the Tory offer to the electorate is "insubstantial".
The strategy behind the Labour attack is potentially risky – attacking the opposition for spending plans when the government has spent the last year arguing that spending is the best way to lift the economy out of recession.
In questions after his speech, as well as giving ground on the possibility of a VAT rise and the lifetime of the 50% top rate of tax, the chancellor was also unable to pledge that any government department would be exempt from spending cuts should Labour win the next election. He also refused to deny that Labour's spending plans had implied 17% cuts in non-protected departments.
This was in contrast to the prime minister, who used his first TV interview of the new year to suggest deep public spending cuts were unnecessary to plug the deficit, and to say that recent revenue-raising tax rises – meant to pay for health and education commitments announced in November – would instead go towards paying down the public debt.


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Prenatal Yoga: 6:30-8 p.m., Full Bloom Center, 220 N. Milledge Ave.; learn postures and breathing practices that support and prepare your body for birth; $14; (706) 353-3373 or www.fullbloomparent.com.
Domestic Violence Support Group: 6:30-8 p.m., call for location; meets the first and third Monday of the month in Madison County; dinner for participants and children at 6 p.m.; childcare is provided; for more information call Project Safe's hot line at (706) 543-3331 or (706) 613-3357, ext. 771.
Toddler Storytime: 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. today and Wednesday, Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St.; for children ages 18 months to 5 years old; www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us or (706) 613-3650.
Junior Cupcake Designer Program: 4 p.m., Rocksprings Community Center, 291 Henderson Extension; for ages 11-15; a new program that draws its inspiration from the Food Network's show "Cupcake Wars"; participants will design the winning gourmet cupcake with their own flair; kitchen supplies provided; future dates are Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2; $2 per session; (706) 613-3603 or www.athensclarkecounty.com.
Athens Area Newcomers Club: 9:30 a.m., Central Presbyterian Church, 380 Alps Road; program led by Melissa Rackley and Gini Williams from the Georgia Museum of Art who will tell the story of the events that have made the newly reconfigured art gallery such a treasure; open to the public; www.newcomers-club-athens-ga.org.
Baby and Me: 10:30 a.m., Commerce Public Library, 1344 S. Broad St., Commerce; (706) 335-5946 or www.commercega.org.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes Fusion Kickoff: 6 p.m., North Oconee High School, 1081 Rocky Branch Road, Bogart; free T-shirts for the first 300 students; The Paul Taylor Smith band will play and there will be a guest speaker; youth groups, teammates, friends and community members welcome; free; email email@example.com.
September 11 Memorial Ceremony: 6:30 p.m., 9/11 Memorial Garden and Trail, 320 Morton Farm Lane; a memorial ceremony to honor those killed on September 11, 2001; ceremony will have a patriotic focus, rather than political or religious, and will last about 30 minutes; attendees are encouraged to arrive early or stay after the program to walk the Memorial Trail; a choral group will lead the crowd in patriotic song, and there will be a reading of the names of each of the victims; (706) 546-0451 or email email@example.com.
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DUNEDIN, FLA. - Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been busy scouting high school and college players throughout Florida the past few weeks but, obviously, he's also been staying in close contact with the major-league club as much as possible. As the team heads into the final three weeks of training camp, Anthopoulos sat down to talk about a variety of questions the club still has to answer.
What follows is a snapshot of training camp to this point, in Anthopoulos's own words.
The second base competition
"The more you watch Ryan Goins, you realize how good he is defensively. The bat, that's something we're going to watch. He has room to do less offensively because the defence is so elite. I don't use that word lightly. I really think he's elite and has a chance to win a Gold Glove there.


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Author Archive: admin
Spain & Portugal Launch Online Travel Guide Offering Travel Deals
The tourist offices of Portugal and Spain have announced the launch of Portugal? Spain? Both. Designed to promote tourism, this new online guide to the Iberian Peninsula serves as a tool to educate consumers interested in traveling to both destinations, along with the most competitive travels deals. Continue Reading
Top 5 Tourist Mistakes in Malaga
Given the fact that Malaga has a beautiful weather, sunny beaches, and plenty of narrow streets it should be a highlight in your bucket list this year! Spending a relaxing and fun filled holiday in this city is the goal that most of the tourists have then arrive in this place. Continue Reading
Gran Canaria Vacation Guide
Gran Canaria is well known as an island, where every person can find his way to spend vacation. We are offering an online Gran Canaria Guide, for all tastes, regardless if you prefer active holidays or simply want to relax on the beach. Continue Reading
Where to Look to Find Those Great Last-Minute Trips
During tough economic times, people give up going on vacation to save money. They do not want to risk losing a job or dipping into their savings to pay for the vacation. However, if you are willing to travel at the last minute you can save money on a vacation for your family. Continue Reading
Welcome to Cheap Holidays in Spain
The crystal clear waters, golden sands and sunshine make Spain a year round holiday destination. Whether you're looking for the hustle and bustle of the Costa del Sol or the calm serenity and beauty of the Costa de Almeria you'll find what you're looking for on the Spanish Costas.
Mediterranean beaches, sangria in the sun and paella by the plateful, Spain is a treasure chest of unforgettable experiences. From the breathtaking scenery of the Pyrenees to the beauty of Barcelona; whether you're looking for culture, skiing, adventure or a relaxing break – Spain has it all. Continue Reading
Málaga La Cala Resort Grand Deluxe
La Cala Resort -an exclusive residential complex located between the Sierra de Mijas range and the Mediterranean Sea- offers a golf complex with three eighteen-hole golf courses, a six-hole, par 3 course, a club house, a luxury five-star hotel, and a spa.
Marbella Villa Padierna Hotel
Everywhere in the world, the Ritz Carlton Hotels and Resorts are well-known for their luxury and magnificence, reflecting their 100 years' history and tradition. Here, at the Costa del Sol, they are represented by the Villa Padierna.
You may or may not have tried bungee jumping, sky diving, white water rafting and any number of imaginative ways to get from the sky to the ground, but if you are willing to try something radical, completely different from other adventure sports, then you've got to try Sphereing®! You will experience the hill rolling ride of your life! SphereMania is a brand new adventure activity that has hit the UK and at last has reached Marbella.
Museo De Málaga / Malaga Museum
Malaga Museum is one of the cultural institutions with the longest tradition in the capital of Malaga, with a history which dates back to the foundation of the Provincial Museums of Fine Arts in 1905 to which can be added Provincial Archaeology Museum in 1947 and united since 1973 as a more powerful institution in both its collections and presence in the province.
Ronda Del Escudero Restaurant
This restaurant in the delightful city of Ronda is situated by the Bullring, on the edge of the Tajo cliff, whose Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) links the Arab part of the city with the more modern district, one dating back to the Middle Ages, the other to the sixteenth century. The magnificent location affording spectacular views and the food turn the establishment into a must-visit.


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A Christian education delivers more than academic excellence; it nurtures and enriches the heart and soul of a child's character and instills lifelong values.
Foundations for Life
Academic Excellence
A rigorous academic curriculum and a culture that develops integrity of character in preparation for high school, college and beyond. Our teachers are licensed, and over 40% hold advanced degrees. West Hills graduates attend Portland's finest high schools.
Spiritual Growth & Development
Biblical integration that inspires students to live with an eternal purpose and meaning.
Inquiry-Based Learning
Connecting our students to each other and to the world through interaction technologies. Specialists guide our students through experiences in Computer Lab, Science Lab, Spanish, Music, Library and P.E.
Nurturing Community
Fostering lifelong relationships among students, parents, and staff. Parent involvement plays an integral role in our community. We are a family- we pray together, support one another, and celebrate what God is doing in our midst.


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'Once Upon a Time' Recap: Desperate Souls
S1E8: It's hard to follow a heart-breaking episode like Once Upon a Time's midseason finale in which Emma quickly fell for Graham and then lost him completely, but delving into Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold's back story is certainly one way to take the pressure off.
"The only thing I've got is my boy and they're going to take him away from me." –Rumplestiltskin
In the back story portion this episode, we find a small village under siege from a Duke's forces as a firey war rages on in the background. The soldiers are taking young children who they determine are of age so they may fight and when the soldiers meet resistance, they are assisted by a hooded man with dark magic. Rumple's son's birthday is nearing and he fears he'll lose the boy, so he and the young man try to escape but they only run into further troubles. They are met by the soldiers in the woods, where it is revealed that Rumple was a deserter at war and he lost everything as a result. The soldier humiliates Rumple and forces him to kiss his boot before storming off. Luckily (or eventually unluckily), a mysterious man offers to act as a benefactor and tells Rumple he needs to steal a mystical dagger from the Duke so he can control "the dark one."
Plagued by his inability to control anything, this option is fairly attractive, but his son plays devil's advocate, suggesting that it may be good for him to be brave and fight. Rumple shoots this down saying he's too young to fight and the boy asks if his mother is really dead or if she left Rumple out of shame for his cowardice. Rumple says she's dead and this seems to be enough to convince the boy to help his father burn down the Duke's tower and steal the dagger. When they're remarkably successful, Rumple takes the dagger into the woods and summons the dark one only to find he's the old man from the forest. He warns Rumple that his boy is of age and that the soldiers are probably heading to take him away at that very moment, but Rumple wants the power and kills the dark one, transferring his powers and the name on the controlling dagger to himself. He now has the power to wrest his son from the soldiers' clutches, but he does so at a price: after he slays the invading men, his son looks at him with terror. He's lost his father completely, though he's now safe from war.
Since Rumple is one of the more interesting characters on the show, I looked forward to his back story. The idea that he lost his humanity and control in order to save his son is an interesting one, but it also brings us to question him even more. Was he really a good man made evil, or was he being selfish all along? Did he really kill the dark one as a means of saving his son, or did he do it as a means of elevating himself from the scum who kisses soldiers' boots?
"Good loses, good always loses. Because good has to play fair." –Henry
Well, his real world interactions certainly point our spidey senses in one direction. Emma pays him a visit and picks up some of Graham's things reluctantly before Mr. Gold tells her that her two weeks as acting Sherriff make the title official. When she stops to see Henry, he tells her he's done with Operation Cobra because it's too dangerous, he knows the Mayor is responsible for Graham's demise. Plus, Regina squashes everything when she fires Emma as Sherriff and hires Sidney Glass from the newspaper.
Of course, that's just the set up. Mr. Gold offers to be Emma's benefactor to beat Regina's plan and he shows her that the town charter allows the Mayor to appoint a candidate for election. Emma informs Regina that she's running, It's obvious that Sidney is an idiot and a yes-man, because he can barely wrap his head around the concept that he'll be running against her. I just wish some of these characters were a little less like lost puppies sometimes.
Henry begs Emma not to get help from Mr. Gold because she already owes him one favor and he's convinced it will end badly, but when Sidney somehow gets ahold of the sealed record that shows Emma had Henry while she was in Juvenile Hall, she knows she'll need help to beat Regina. Emma's more concerned that it hurts Henry than that it could kill her campaign, so she confronts Regina about it, who says, "As for the legality, I did nothing wrong." This seems to be the theme of the episode: technical wrong versus actual wrong.
Just as Regina tells Emma about the impending debate with Sidney, there's an explosion and Regina is injured, requiring Emma's help to escape alive. Of course, Emma saves her and the Mayor is indignant. Emma is proud to show Henry that this is how good wins, as a crowd of townspeople volunteer to help her campaign. But still, things are amiss; Emma instantly figures out that Mr. Gold started the fire, and she says she doesn't want anything to do with him. He warns her that exposing him could cost her the election and disappoint Henry.
"If I'm not a hero and I can't win, then what part do I have in his life." -Emma
At the debate, Emma is convinced she'll lose, but that's partially because she's determined to tell the truth about the fire. She does and Regina thinks she's won, but it turns out the townspeople are taken with her honesty and her ability to stand up to Mr. Gold. Henry is in favor of Operation Cobra again and all seems right in the world, but this is Rumplestiltskin we're dealing with, so it's not over just yet.
Mr. Gold brings Graham's jacket to the Sherriff's office and tells Emma that he set this whole thing up because he knew she'd do the right thing and that the people of Storybrook would love her for it. I don't know if that's actually believable, but Mr. Gold could sell just about anything so it might as well be. Of course, even though she didn't want any of this, he's Rumple under everything, so he's still expecting her to pay him back now that she's the Sherriff. While this episode, itself, wasn't all that jarring or exciting, it seems to set in motion some serious conflict. While Emma was trying to free the police station from Regina's grip, it's now under Mr. Gold's and she's just garnered herself an extra enemy. And considering how much she loves to be defiant and do the right thing, we can bet that she'll do something to really anger him, and soon.
What did you think of last night's episode? Are you excited to see what Mr. Gold has in mind for those "favors" Emma owes him? Do you think we're on the road to exposing Regina? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@KelseaStahler).


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November 21st, 2013 by Brendan Dunne
Here's yet another reason to visit Sneaker Con this weekend in NYC. Kickasso customs has created this Nike LeBron 10 "Statue of Liberty NYC" pair to celebrate the event. The sneakers, 24 pairs in total, will be available exclusively at this weekend's Sneaker Con show. As you can see, they take full advantage of the NYC locale with a colorway inspired by the unique tint of Lady Liberty and a custom box representing that statue's French origin. Continue reading for a better look and swing by Sneaker Con this weekend to grab them for yourself.
12:00pm to 7:00pm
Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
Basketball City
299 South Street
New York, NY 10002
Filed under: Customs LeBron Upcoming Sneakers