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China to offer global satellite navigation service by 2020
Beijing (XNA) Jan 01, 2017
China plans to form a BeiDou network consisting of 35 satellites for global navigation services by 2020, said a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Tuesday. The country plans to start providing basic services to countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018, said the document titled "China's Space Activities in 2016." China is to continuously enhance the service capacities of the BeiDou-2 in the next five years, according ... read more
China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office
China is planning to conduct the first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020, the country's State Council Information Office (SCIO) said Tuesday in a report. "China intends to execut ... more
A farmer's cows in western Austria will swap their traditional bells for GPS trackers after the owner of a holiday home complained that the noise was irritating his guests. ... more
Russia and China have achieved a significant progress in the synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems, Roscosmos head Igor Komarov said Monday. "We have achieved a considerable ... more
Leading defence electronics and aerospace firm Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. announced on Monday signing a contract to make navigation satellites for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ... more
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Spaceflight Industries Reveals its BlackSky Platform
Spaceflight Industries today announced the availability of its BlackSky global intelligence platform, as well as its Early Adopter Program (EAP) participants, and the diverse partner ecosystem fueli ... more
After 17 years, numerous setbacks and three times over budget, Europe's Galileo satnav system went live Thursday, promising to outperform rivals and guarantee regional self-reliance. ... more
After 17 years and numerous setbacks and budget boosts, Europe's Galileo satnav system is due to go live on Thursday with promises of better-than-ever location services. ... more
The U.S. Air Force approved Lockheed Martin's design to upgrade the current GPS satellite ground control system with new capabilities that will enable it to operate more powerful and accurate GPS II ... more
Seventeen years and more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion) later, Europe's Galileo satnav system is set to go live Thursday, promising to outperform US and Russian rivals while boosting regional self-reliance. ... more
US should be ready for war extending to outer space says USAF commander
A referenceable grid is associated with information that allows the location of all points in the grid to be determined in a coordinate reference system (CRS), but the location of the points is not ... more
Lockheed Martin has completed a major upgrade to modernize the current ground control system of the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation. The Commercial Off ... more
The hidden danger to wildlife posed by imported consumer goods - an espresso coffee in Beijing, a tofu salad in Chicago - can now be pinpointed and measured, researchers said Wednesday. Crunching huge amounts of data, they unveiled a global "threat map" detailing the impact on endangered species of exports to the United States, China, Japan and the European Union. To procure beans for ... more
A team of international scientists have found a way to make memory chips perform computing tasks, which is traditionally done by computer processors like those made by Intel and Qualcomm. This means data could now be processed in the same spot where it is stored, leading to much faster and thinner mobile devices and computers. This new computing circuit was developed by Nanyang Technologic ... more
A DARPA-backed small business effort broke boundaries for long-endurance flight this month by launching a uniquely designed, combustion-powered unmanned aircraft that stayed aloft for more than two days and two nights. The flight was terminated several days ahead of schedule because of incoming weather. But the craft-built by Vanilla Aircraft of Falls Church, Virginia-landed safely with mo ... more
Faraday Future, the secretive electric car startup with ambitions to overtake Tesla, unveiled its first production vehicle Tuesday, proclaiming it to be a "new species" for personal transportation. The company, backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting (YT Jia), announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it would begin taking reservations for deliveries in 2018 with a $5,000 deposit for ... more
China's manufacturing activity expanded at its quickest pace in nearly four years in December, an independent research firm said on Tuesday, in a sign of improving health for the world's second-largest economy. The private Caixin Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), an indicator of conditions at smaller manufacturers, beat expectations with a reading of 51.9 in December, up from 50.9 the previo ... more
New research suggests a native Missouri bee species is skewing the reproductive patterns of wildflower morphs - a variance of leaf or flower petal patterns - in cooler forests. Peter Bernhardt, a professor of biology at Saint Louis University, discovered a discrepancy among the morph ratios of birds foot violet flowers, Viola pedata, in different Missouri habitats. His research sugges ... more
NASA's TIMED mission - short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics - yielded a batch of new discoveries to end its 15th year in orbit. From a more precise categorization of the upper atmosphere's response to solar storms, to pinpointing the signatures of a fundamental behavior of carbon dioxide, TIMED's unique position and instruments, along with its decade-plus data r ... more
A few nanoscale adjustments may be all that is required to make graphene-nanotube junctions excel at transferring heat, according to Rice University scientists. The Rice lab of theoretical physicist Boris Yakobson found that putting a cone-like "chimney" between the graphene and nanotube all but eliminates a barrier that blocks heat from escaping. The research appears in the American Chemi ... more
An unmanned aerial vehicle created through on-demand 3D-printing technology has been flight tested by engineers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. The demonstration flight took place at Fort Benning, Ga., last month, the Army said, and was part of the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments program to showcase new technology. "We've created a process for converting soldier mi ... more
China's State Grid Corporation is set to build a $1.5-billion power line across Pakistan to enable the transmission of 4,000 megawatts of electricity from the country's north to south, the government said Friday. Pakistani and Chinese officials signed an investment agreement in Beijing on Thursday to build the country's first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) line, according to a governmen ... more
Tesla Motors announced Wednesday that it has begun mass production of energy-saving batteries that it vows will take electric cars mainstream. "Today at the Gigafactory, Tesla and Panasonic begin mass production of lithium-ion battery cells, which will be used in Tesla's energy storage products and Model 3," Tesla said on its website. Mass production of the batteries are a critical step ... more
Ingalls Shipbuilding is to build the U.S. Coast Guard's ninth Legend-class National Security Cutter, the company announced. Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, said construction of the vessel will take place under a $486 million fixed-price incentive contract. "With the experience and knowledge our shipbuilders bring to this program, I am confident ... more
Safran Electronics & Defense is to develop and manufacture new modular ASSM air-to-ground block 4 bomb kits under a contract from the French military procurement agency, DGA. The ASSM family of kits, used by France and other countries, give precision guidance to standard bombs and come in several versions, depending on the type of guidance: inertial GPS, inertial/GPS + infrared imaging, ... more
NASA's TIMED mission - short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics - yielded a batch of new discoveries to end its 15th year in orbit. From a more precise categorization of the upper atmosphere's response to solar storms, to pinpointing the signatures of a fundamental behavior of carbon dioxide, TIMED's unique position and instruments, along with its decade-plus data r ... more
Lockheed Martin has been selected to design, build and operate the spacecraft for NASA's Lucy mission. One of NASA's two new Discovery Program missions, Lucy will perform the first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojan asteroids orbiting the sun in tandem with the gas giant. The Lucy spacecraft will launch in 2021 to study six of these exciting worlds. The mission is led by Principal Invest ... more
South Korea is committed to deploying an advanced US missile defense system this year despite opposition from China, a minister said Wednesday, even as opposition lawmakers headed to Beijing with a different message. Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests - prompting s ... more
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Paul S. Amos, who co-founded Aflac with his brothers and helped build it into the largest seller of supplemental insurance, died July 2 in Columbus, Ga. He was 88.
A spokesman for Columbus-based Aflac confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause. Mr. Amos was chairman emeritus, and still visited the insurer daily after retiring in 2001.
Along with his brothers William and John, Paul Amos started American Family Life Insurance Co. in 1955. The company soon introduced a policy designed to cover expenses for people with cancer, marketing it to groups of employees at their firms. In 1964, the name was changed to American Family Life Assurance Co. It was shortened to Aflac in 1989.
Aflac, now led by Paul's son, chief executive Daniel P. Amos, 62, entered Japan in the 1970s. The country accounts for about three-quarters of the firm's business. Aflac has more than 50 million policyholders worldwide and $121 billion in assets.
Paul Shelby Amos was born in Enterprise, Ala., on April 24, 1926, and was the youngest of three boys. His father, the town postmaster, sold insurance on weekends and served one term in the state legislature.
At Aflac — where he was known as Mr. Paul — Mr. Amos managed sales in Alabama and West Florida, and later oversaw marketing, according to the company's statement. He later took on the titles of president and chairman.
The insurer is known for its use of a talking white duck in advertisements. The bird's first commercial aired in the United States in 2000 and in Japan in 2003. The insurer changed its logo to include the duck two years later.
Paul Amos was the last survivor among the three co-founders, the company said. In addition to his son, survivors include his wife, Jean Roberts Amos; Paul S. Amos II, his grandson and Aflac's president; a granddaughter; and four great-grandchildren.

subset: commoncrawl


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DOT has projected that peak-hour traffic in 2035 will see 46 percent of southbound bypass traffic exiting the roadway.
Mike Nadeau and Citizens for the Hampstead Bypass (C4HB) have long accused the North Carolina Department of Transportation of plucking figures out of thin air when it comes to defending its decision to install three ramps on the proposed bypass around Hampstead.
With an April 22 letter from Division Engineer Karen Fussell to David Williams, chairman of the Pender County Commissioners, Nadeau said he now has proof of the fabrication.
DOT has projected that peak-hour traffic in 2035 will see 46 percent of southbound bypass traffic exiting the roadway at the contested midtown interchange, a contention that C4HB has long questioned and for which Nadeau has asked, so far unsuccessfully, for the supporting studies.
"While I understand 46 percent may sound like a high percentage, it is not uncommon for there to be a fairly high percentage of traffic getting on and off of a bypass at the tie-in points," Fussell wrote. "In order to see how the Hampstead Bypass might compare with other bypasses, we looked at 2012 traffic counts for several bypasses around the State, and found that the percentage of traffic not following the bypass, but instead following the business route, can vary from a low of 23 percent to a high of 90 percent. Therefore, 46 percent of traffic remaining on existing U.S. 17 with the bypass is not unreasonable."
In other words, DOT calculations are something of an average, and that estimate fails to take into account any of Hampstead's defining characteristics, Nadeau said. For one, it is a bedroom community, not a community that will entice many travelers to exit.
"For a year, we have been asking to see in writing the analysis that yielded the excessive ramp volumes," he wrote to Williams. "And now, for the first time, we are presented an explanation of the key 46 percent statistics: It is 'between 23 percent and 90 percent.' That is not acceptable to us and should not be acceptable to anyone."
Not acceptable, Nadeau said, because DOT is dealing with taxpayer money, some $30 million of it associated with the midtown exit. "More unreasonable is the 35 percent figure for northbound traffic," Nadeau wrote Williams. "Of the 2,500 vehicles leaving New Han�over County via the bypass in the peak hour, about 1,000 are destined to end up on Highway 17 between Food Lion and the schools complex in the DOT model."
That bears almost no resemblance to the figures estimated by transportation planner Walter Kulash, whom C4HB hired to do an analysis. It defies common sense for anyone who knows the community, Nadeau said.
But the DOT's attitude is "'I wish you were an engineer so you could understand all this,'" Nadeau said of his meetings and correspondence with DOT officials. That's a dismissive attitude that was on graphic display, he said, when DOT officials addressed the commissioners during a meeting in early April.
"The board was not happy with the attitude Karen displayed, having to 'dumb it down' for all of us," Williams wrote in an email to Nadeau after that meeting. "I could have let it slide with the initial time, but after it was repeated over and over, it was an insult to everyone in the room. I'm taking it up with her superiors," he wrote.
At that meeting, DOT officials "never addressed the key issues," Nadeau said.
The next step is to continue to try to meet with DOT to discuss where, Nadeau insists, the agency's figures got off track. That is not as easy as it sounds. Heretofore, a 1,500-signature petition, including the names of elected officials representing Pender County, has not done the trick in getting such a meeting scheduled.
"We are now working with (N.C. Rep. Chris) Millis and (N.C. Sen. Bill) Rabon," Nadeau said. "They are trying to get us an audience in Raleigh during the short session."
Metro desk: 343-2389
On Twitter: @StarNewsOnline


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|Hillary and Chelsea at Haverford PA Oct 2016. Photograph by Barbara Kinney, HFA.
Guest post by aphra behn
Hello, Hillary-supporting community! It's great to be here with you today. This late edition of the HNV is brought to you by a needy beaglemix dog.
While Hillary focuses on debate prep, she has some great surrogates on the trail for her. Kaine will be in PA and NV today. Chelsea will be in Minnesota. Al Franken will be in California. And Bernie Sanders will be in Michigan. Speaking of Bernie, hecampaigned for Hillary in Wisconsin Wednesday:
Sanders spent a half-hour encouraging a crowd of about 1,200 to vote for Clinton and Feingold, after introductions from Feingold and environmental advocate Tia Nelson. He tied his argument to a long list of progressive causes including voting rights, raising the minimum wage, pay equity, health care access, college affordability, immigration reform and maintaining Social Security...."We have struggled too hard, too many people have died in these struggles, have gone to jail to say America is moving in the direction of a nondiscriminatory society, to go back to a candidate that has made bigotry the cornerstone of his campaign," Sanders said.
He will be in Michigan today, and New Hampshire and Maine Friday.
Abbie Phillip at the Washington Post has a fascinating piece about Clinton debate preparations:
Clinton and Kaine had a larger goal in mind than winning the debates themselves: to create a series of compelling sound bites that they planned to weaponize for the reminder of the campaign. They logged scores of hours of preparation. They recited laundry lists of Trump's faults. Their clear objective: to record him and his running mate embracing, denying or evading controversial positions that Trump has taken in recorded speeches.And that's exactly what the Clinton campaign did. Shortly after the debate Tuesday, the Clinton campaign tweeted out a glossy new site athillaryclinton.com/.... The site highlighted dozens of moments "mentioned at the debate," most of them by Kaine, with citations to back them up and the "share" button never too far away.
By Wednesday morning, a new video was blasted: a 90-second super-cut of Pence's denials. "At the VP debate, Mike Pence seemed to discover he was Donald Trump's running mate," the video said.
The cast of the hit show Empire endorsed Hillary Clinton yesterday. According to Daniel White at Time:
The minute-long spot finds the actors, all of whom are African-American, pondering the stakes of the 2016 election before offering Clinton their approval.The ad was directed by Empire creator Lee Daniels, who spoke highly of Clinton during a speech at July's Democratic National Convention, calling on young voters to turn out at the polls for the "most important election of our lifetime."
Daniels again urged voters to go out and vote in Wednesday's ad. "So many women and men died for us to have the right to vote," he said. "Every time we sit out, we dishonor their sacrifices."
It's a powerful ad. Have a look:
In a move of historic importance, The Atlantic magazine has also endorsed Clinton—only the 3rd endorsement in its history. There's a lot to read (I encourage you to check out the whole thing) but here are some highlights:
These concerns compel us, for the third time since the magazine's founding, to endorse a candidate for president. Hillary Rodham Clinton has more than earned, through her service to the country as first lady, as a senator from New York, and as secretary of state, the right to be taken seriously as a White House contender. She has flaws (some legitimately troubling, some exaggerated by her opponents), but she is among the most prepared candidates ever to seek the presidency. We are confident that she understands the role of the United States in the world; we have no doubt that she will apply herself assiduously to the problems confronting this country; and she has demonstrated an aptitude for analysis and hard work.Donald Trump, on the other hand, has no record of public service and no qualifications for public office. His affect is that of an infomercial huckster; he traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective; he is appallingly sexist; he is erratic, secretive, and xenophobic; he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers, and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded, a poor quality for someone seeking control of America's nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse; he is ignorant of, and indifferent to, the Constitution; he appears not to read.
In a more news-related story, The Alaska Daily News has a fascinating feature, written by Michelle Theriault Boots and Erica Martinson, about Hillary's summer job in Alaska, summer 1969:
In 1969, canneries sometimes put the young, seasonal workers up in primitive bunk houses, fed them and offered access to the occasional shower that never quite washed off the fishy smell. Often workers camped nearby. It wasn't uncommon for college kids to come up from the Lower 48 for the chance to make more than $60 a day. Some would work 12- to 16-hours shifts before heading back to school in the fall. Hillary Rodham has said on many occasions that she was one of those young seasonal workers.
There is a lot, a lot more, at the link.
Looking at Jewish voters, Jay Michaelson has the Orthodox case for Hillary Clinton:
There are, however, some prominent Orthodox supporters of the former secretary of state. For example, Jack Bendheim, former deputy chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, hosted a fundraiser for Clinton in April. And Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of the board of Agudath Israel of America, has publicly endorsed her.Few, however, have made the Orthodox case for Clinton stronger than New Jersey's Rabbi Menachem Genack. (Genack is CEO of the Orthodox Union's kosher division and teaches at Yeshiva University, but, like Bendheim and Werdiger, he expresses his political views only in his personal capacity.) Following up on his pro-Clinton op-ed in The Jewish Week, Genack says he's working with other Clinton supporters in Florida to "make the best case for Hillary" specifically to the Orthodox community.It's not only Clinton's personal concern for Israel that makes her the right choice, Genack says, but also her view of America's place in the world. "What Israel needs more than anything else is a strong America, respected in the world, that protects Israel's interests — an America engaged in the world. That's what Hillary represents," he said. "An isolationist America, which is what Trump advocates — hiding behind a wall, dismantling 70-year-old alliances like NATO — for the Jewish people, that, historically, leads to disaster, just like it did in the 1930s."
|Backstage in Portsmouth NH. Photograph by Barbara Kinney, HFA.
Melissa McEwan had some amazing comments about this picture. From Shakesville
I could write an entire essay about why I love this photo. This very candid photo of a woman doing her job in an unspecial room, surrounded by scattered water bottles and the cords to various electronic devices and notices crudely taped to a wall.This photo of a woman whose country has often been unfathomably cruel to her, doing her homework so that she can be prepared to be its leader, because she loves this country even when it doesn't love her back, while its flag pokes into the frame from the corner, a symbol of the history, culture, industry, future of a great and struggling nation, stoically petitioning her from its perch above a dirty carpet in a small room.
This photo of women's work.This photo of Hillary.
McEwan's essay sparked an outpouring of responses, which she wrote about over at ShareBlue:
Since it was published, this piece has remained the most highly trafficked at my personal site. Friends have alerted me they have seen it republished in full (with attribution) on social media. I have gotten a number of emails from strangers about it, telling me how much it resonated with them, including a missive from a Clinton volunteer who told me it was one of the most inspiring things he had read this election.I wondered what it was about this brief, visceral piece that had connected with so many people in such a meaningful way....It is remarkably rare to find someone writing about Clinton in a way that neither demeans her, nor tasks her with the colossal obligation to be unyieldingly inspiring. Putting someone on a pedestal, after all, can be just as dehumanizing as kicking them into the dirt.I do not need Clinton to be on a pedestal. I can see her just fine sitting on a folding chair.
Way back in March, I noted in an HNV the HRC endorsement by Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the iconic 70s tv show. She said about her endorsement:
"It feels so dangerous out there, and I am kind of tired of people promoting all of this divisiveness and fear. I think that's what kind of led to the Iraq war, was the fear quotient," Carter, who donned bullet-deflecting bracelets and a golden belt as Wonder Woman, said. "And I'm kind of done with that."
Well, Carter has been cast as the president of the United States in Season 2 of Supergirl, and she's looking to Clinton for character inspiration:
She may not have had a lasso of truth at her disposal, but Lynda Carter, television's Wonder Woman, is impressed with how Hillary Clinton fended off Donald Trump at Monday's presidential debate.Carter came to prominence in the 1970s, as the gold-tiara-wearing Wonder Woman on the popular television show. Since hanging up her star-spangled suit, Carter has remained active as a singer-songwriter, and with appearances in the likes of "Super Troopers" and "Law & Order." She's also booked a recurring role playing the president of the United States on "Supergirl." "I used Hillary to prepare," said Carter. "I saw the way she can be warm and funny and inviting and serious." Carter admits that comparing Clinton to Wonder Woman might be a stretch, but she hopes the Democratic presidential candidate will have a similar impact on young woman."Hillary is much more human than Wonder Woman," Carter said. "She has flaws, but we are all flawed and we learn from our mistakes. "I think she is a role model in the way she has paved the way for women," Carter added.
I don't know about you, but I love that Carter gets that Clinton is human, flawed — and still a hero.
(originally posted at Daily Kos)


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Guitars not Guns, Peachtree City, GA, USA
My son joined GNG beginning his freshman year in highschool. His school did not offer a music program and a friend told us about GNG. He joined as an advanced student and couldn't be more happier. He's practicing more, even starting to try his hand at writing music. The volunteers are incredible. Their learning styles and encouragement keep the kids interested and wanting to learn more. They try their best to accommodate their schedule to the kids school schedules. Their positive attitudes lend to the possibilities of our children becoming future volunteers.
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through the boys&girls club
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
definitely advocate for more volunteers, some kind of outreach. They're a great group and need all the help they can get so that other student benefit from their talents and generosity.


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Alison Lester
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Alison Lester is the well-known creator of many popular and award-winning children's books, many of which reflect her own country childhood. The Snow Pony was shortlisted for both YABBA and KOALA awards, reflecting its popularity with young readers of horse stories. The Quicksand Pony was shortlisted for the National Children's Award, Festival Awards for Literature in 1998, and in 1999 was the winner of the WA Young Readers Book Awards. Her picture book Are We There Yet? was the winner of the 2005 CBC Book of the Year - Picture Book award.Alison Lester was Australia's Children's Laureate in 2012 and 2013.
ea. vol: illus. by author. unpaged. Viking. 1989. BD $3.50. LC number unavailable. PreS-- While Lester's soft-edged pastel illustrations sometimes have a whimsical (and often naughty) quality when depicting children at play, they are not strong enough to save the series' bland texts. ``Baby is happy,/ Baby is sad,/Baby is good,/ Baby is bad'' is just a sample of the inane verse found in these four toddler titles. All of the illustrations are double-page spreads done in muted colors; each spread is bordered by very small drawings that relate back to the main picture, but most of the objects in these petite drawings are too small for or will be unfamiliar to toddlers. This series represents the kind of books that adults often pick up and say, ``How sweet,'' and then find themselves searching for a less boring alternative. --Louise M. Zuckerman, formerly at San Francisco Public Library
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A big chunk of the Internet went down today.
Access to popular websites Amazon, Ebay, Netflix, Reddit, Spotify, and Twitter were cut today following two waves of hacker attacks against one of the world's largest Internet traffic companies.
In a message posted on their website, Internet Performance Management company Dyn acknowledged a distributed denial of service attack (DDos) happening twice between 7:10 and again 9:30am eastern time.
"Starting at 11:10 UTC (7 a.m. EDT) on October 21th-Friday 2016 we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Some customers may experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation during this time. Updates will be posted as information becomes available."
We are continuing to mitigate a DDoS against our Managed DNS network. For more information visit our status page.
— Dyn (@Dyn) October 21, 2016
It is currently unclear who is behind the attack but the US Department of Homeland Security says is monitoring the situation. We will post updates here as they become available.


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A major international conference here Monday will seek a way forward for Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO combat troops in 2014 but the boycott of two crucial players has dampened hopes of success.
The one-day gathering brings around 100 national delegations and aid organisations to the former German capital Bonn, 10 years after another meeting here put an interim Afghan government in place after the Taliban's ouster.
"We will not forget Afghanistan after 2014," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said at a dinner on the eve of the conference with guests including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"Our engagement will last. But it will be different, it will focus more on reconstruction and development."
Other high-profile participants will include US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi.
There are currently around 140,000 international troops in Afghanistan and all NATO-led combat forces are due to leave by the end of 2014, when Kabul will assume responsibility for the country's security.
However Pakistan and the Taliban -- two sides seen as pivotal to any end to the bloody strife in Afghanistan -- have both bowed out of Bonn.
Rage over an air strike late last month by NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers led Islamabad to snub the gathering.
US President Barack Obama called Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday to express his regrets over the "tragic loss", saying the casualties were not intentional, but Islamabad remained unmoved.
Germany calls Pakistan's pull-out a "setback" for the meticulously planned conference. But organisers say they are confident Islamabad will also see itself as committed to the principles laid out in the meeting's final declarations.
Meanwhile the Taliban, leaders of the country's brutal, decade-long insurgency, have also stayed away, saying the meeting will "further ensnare Afghanistan into the flames of occupation".
National reconciliation, along with the transition to Afghan sovereignty and international engagement after 2014, had originally topped the conference's agenda.
But such hopes soured after tentative contacts collapsed and the September assassination of Karzai's peace envoy, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, which was blamed on the Taliban, derailed any prospects of progress.
Karzai, who is chairing the conference, accused Pakistan in a German interview of undermining overtures to the Taliban.
"Up until now, they have sadly refused to back efforts for negotiations with the Taliban," he told Monday's issue of news weekly Der Spiegel, as he called on the West to commit to helping Afghanistan for another decade.
Officials from the primary delegations spent much of the weekend thrashing out the conference's written conclusions, which are expected to map out "mutual binding commitments" by Afghanistan and the international community after 2014.
Sources said they would neither include specific aid nor troop pledges but rather outline what role the country's allies can play as it seeks to steer toward stability.
Germany has already said it will leave some forces in the country to help train Afghan troops.
Diplomats say Western countries will in particular seek to allay Kabul's fears that a looming global recession will distract them from the enormous challenges facing the strife-wracked nation and prompt a rush for the exit.
Suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices and other attacks already kill hundreds of civilians every year, and many Afghans worry that security will worsen after 2014, or even that civil war could reignite.
Twenty-year-old Shamim Assir from Logar, south of Kabul, told AFP last week he was ready to turn his back on his country.
"The security situation is worsening day after day, there is no work for us, we cannot even roam around freely, there is no future," he said.


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4 Reviews
As protective as it is cute.
Salomon made the Women's Hime Mid Winter Boot protective so you can wear it throughout winter. ClimaDry waterproofing includes fully taped seams to ensure dry times on snowy sidewalks, and split suede leather gives the upper extra protection. Warm wool lines the Hime's interior for improved insulation as well as a little après style. The non-marking ContaGrip sole utilizes a hard rubber compound to give it a good grip on ice, and the gusseted tongue keeps snow, dirt, and debris out of the boot. Salomon also added a layer of injected EVA for stability and a layer of molded EVA for cushion.
- ClimaDry waterproofing
- Split suede leather upper
- Wool rib, furry lining
- Gusseted tongue
- Dual-EVA midsole
- Non-marking ContaGrip sole
- Item #SAL003F
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Great gift
Bought these as a gift for a friend. She loves them and says they are super warm and go with all out fits!!
Love them
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
- Fit: True to size
I have used this boot in deep snow, I was worried about getting wet since the top fabric is not exactly waterproof but I put waterproof on them to be sure and have gone on many hikes. Used for work. And my feet are never ever cold! They are light weight, warm, and durable. Exactly what I was looking for.
Good Winter Boots
- Familiarity: I gave it as a gift but have feedback to share
- Fit: True to size
I purchased these in the Black/Asphalt/Pewter colorway for my wife as a Christmas gift. Even though she has other nice winter boots, I've noticed that she wears these more than any others. They look great with almost anything. And, more importantly, the traction keeps her upright, even on the bulletproof ice that coats the north-facing walkways in front of our house. Her only complaint is that the tongue isn't stitched to the boot, so wind and snow can blow in between the upper and tongue if the boots aren't laced up super tightly.
I'd buy these again.
My new favorite boots
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
- Fit: True to size
- Size Bought: 6
- Height: 5'
I've been wearing these boots for the last few weeks in the snow, and love them! They are warm, traction is good, and they are comfy. Snow boots are often clunky, heavy and hard to walk in. These boots are light weight and great for walking. They are higher than my hiking boots, so work better in deeper snow. I've gotten many compliments on how cute they are, which is a bonus.
Are these true to size?


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Fossil Men's Wyatt Top Zip Work Bag - Brown
Crafted with a smooth and supple leather, the Wyatt work bag means business. Its tech-friendly design makes it a trusty essential for men on the move, holding laptops up to 15".
- Fossil bags
- For men
- Style: Wyatt Top Zip Work Bag
- Colour: Brown
- Two-way zipper closure
- Dual grab handle
- Adjustable webbing shoulder strap
- Oxidised brass hardware
- Pockets/compartments:
- 2 x external front slip pockets
- 1 x external rear magnetic button pocket
- 1 x internal 15" laptop compartment
- 1 x internal zipper pocket
- 2 x internal slip pockets
- 1 x internal card holder
- 3 x internal pen holders
- Smooth leather finish
- Debossed Fossil tag
- Dust bag included
- Materials:
- Exterior: 100% leather
- Lining: 100% cotton
- Drop length (approx. cm):
- Grab handle: 15
- Shoulder strap: 64
- Dimensions (approx. cm): 29 (H) x 41.5 (W) x 12 (D)
- Please note: Measurements taken from sample and are approximate. Bag width is inclusive of side gusset while empty and may vary slightly dependent on contents. Depth taken from base of bag.
- 12 Month MANUFACTURER WARRANTY
A Bit About The Brand / More Info
Fossil is a brand that's all about accessible cool. Designed with an authentic vintage feel, mixed with a playful and creative touch that makes them especially sought after, they're perfect for individuals looking to impress and to stylise their look.


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(Posted 05th November 2016)
Information has emerged that Kenya Airways's Chairman of the Board, Mr. Michael Joseph, has gone on record that Group Managing Director and CEO Mr. Mbuvi Ngunze is going nowhere anytime soon.
Under Ngunze's leadership was 'Operation Pride' developed and is being progressively implemented, which rightsized many areas of Kenya Airways' operations, including fleet and staffing.
Kenya's rabid unions are largely perceived as militants in the service of either local political masters or else serve as a fifth column and they will no doubt be under shock that their demands of having Mr. Mbuvi Ngunze sacked have fallen on deaf ears.
Michael Joseph was quoted to have said in Nairobi yesterday: 'He is crucial to me and I told the pilots as much. He is in the middle of renegotiating with our financiers to get better terms in order to get out of the hole we are in. He is critical in that process since he knows and understands these people'.
Pilots, skilled technicians no doubt, are not trained economists nor has KALPA shown much competence in the past given their demands and broad opinion in Kenya is that they better fly their planes and not meddle in affairs they understand little of.
Individuals met at the recently concluded Magical Kenya Travel Expo, several of whom were affected by a wild cat strike which defied court orders and government directives, in fact have been in touch since then, uniformly saying that such would not happen in Ethiopia or Rwanda and that Kenya needs to clip the wings of her unions or else be held hostage by a group of misguided individuals who are just steps away from being described as economic saboteurs.
Meanwhile has this correspondent flown on a number of Kenya Airways flights again in recent weeks and been able to sample the inflight service in business class, the services of ground staff and at the airline's Pride Lounge in Nairobi, all of which affirm that Kenya Airways remains the Pride of Africa and that their services, when not troubled by wildcat strikes, remain second to none in Africa.


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According to Pew Research, large majorities of Americans see libraries as part of the educational ecosystem and as resources for promoting digital and information literacy, yet many libraries are struggling under insufficient budgets. Overall, library budgets are expected to increase slightly by 1.5%, but that barely covers the increase in prices. And in some communities, like academia, libraries are reported to receive shrinking shares of the overall budget. Yet in spite of statistics, some librarians are finding creative ways to get the most out of their library's budget. Here are 8 ways to stretch your library's budget and get more for your community:
1. Take existing programs and repurpose them. This works especially in situations where you have leftover materials that you can re-use, like craft supplies. If, for example, your library runs a photography program, you could adapt it for different demographics such as a senior, adult, or children's program, or you could create a new program on creating picture books using photographs or combining it with a Photoshop class.
2. Leverage each program to make sure you optimize usage. If you're offering a program on robotics, consider combining it with basic coding and offering portions of the program via new technology like tablets or eBooks. This will improve usage of new technology and get patrons to consider taking more than one program, while also getting the most out of your library's budget.
3. Pull resources from the community itself. In a smaller public library this may mean partnering with local shops to create makerspaces, or asking parents to take initiative to learn and teach programs to children. At Darien, Connecticut's public library, one parent-child team decided to learn Java and teach it to other children at the same time. In academic libraries, consider partnering with departments to host art show or exhibit entries to an engineering challenge.
4. Rent your resources to the community. Public libraries might rent a tech lab to a local school or to homeschoolers, or rent a multi-purpose room to seniors. Community colleges can rent out makerspaces to the public, to clubs, or special interest groups.
5. Get People in the Community to Advocate for You. "Often, librarians are using faculty as advocates for needed resources. If a specific faculty member wants the library to get a specific product or resource and there is no money, they will have the faculty go to the department head and advocate for it," says Anthony Marrocolla, Digital Resources Librarian at McGraw-Hill Education.
Local public libraries may have "Friends of the Library" or other community groups who can help advocate for new shelves, resources, or other sources of funds. Parent groups such as PTOs as well as parents of homeschooled children often recognize and support programs for children and will help fundraise or advocate for funds.
6. Pool resources with other libraries or other budgets within your library. Combining funds with another local library might make it possible to afford mobile makerspaces, an inflatable planetarium, or other resources that can be transferred easily. At Darien, Connecticut's, public library, Claire Moore, Head of Children and Teen services, partnered with the adult division to offer more robust programs. By combining intergenerational programs, she is able to stretch her budget and offer technology she might not be able to afford on her budget alone.
7. Use a Patron-Driven Acquisitions Model. Ellyssa Kroski, Director of Information Technology at New York Law Institute, found a way to offer members a large eBook collection of 89,000 titles valued at nearly $14 million dollars without any up-front costs. "We did this by opting for a patron-driven acquisitions pricing model in which we don't incur any charges for the eBooks that we offer (and have cataloged in our OPAC) until someone checks them out," says Kroski. "Even then, we have measures in place to 'rent' the eBooks three times to really make sure they're popular before auto-purchasing them on the fourth checkout." This type of library service is available to all libraries and is seamless and instant, so patrons can read and access a large collection of eBooks wherever they are, instantly and without hassle – all without putting a strain on your library's budget.
8. Get a grant, special project, gift, or endowment. Anthony Marrocolla says in academic libraries, "these are often allocated to library departments with a focus on buying materials in those subject areas. Often the librarians for the 'school of medicine' would write a grant explaining what they would use the money on if awarded." Grants can be for more than just books or resources, though. Consider whether your library might be eligible to receive funds for the upkeep of historic buildings, preserve older books, or offer programs for special interest groups. Many libraries in New York City, for example, received grants to rebuild after significant damage from Hurricane Sandy.
If you'd like more tips for working within your library's budget, please download our white paper The Librarian of the Future.
Tags: academic library, library budget, makerspaces, libary makerspaces, eBooks, community library


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- I have always wanted to learn knitting and crocheting. I have checked
Tangled Web for times and cost. However, I am looking for something
free of charge. Has the group met at Starbucks ever? Also what is the
difference between knitting and crocheting? Thanks and I look foward
to meeting with the brickyardknitters.
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Infant Stimulation
The Cullen Family Infant Stimulation program helps babies who are often at risk of developmental delays such as premature infants, babies who are victims of accidents or abuse, and infants with congenital anomalies and/or chronic illnesses, reach their developmental milestones during their stay in St. Mary's state-of-the-art Nursery unit.
Each child is treated using play, feeding, and massage therapy to engage and develop all of their senses. Using a series of multi-sensory activities that help children learn and develop, activities often include: development of an infant's sense of touch, sound, sight and smell.
The use of toys and age-appropriate objects stimulate the senses and encourage developmental milestones. Caregivers provide social interaction on a daily basis to encourage the development of eye contact, social smiles and vocalizations. The Therapeutic Activity staff work closely with each baby's Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech professionals to provide a treatment plan that will further these goals.
Contact us:
St. Mary's Inpatient Nursery/Cullen Infant Stimulation program
Admissions: 718-281-8773


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- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
- Meal can be requested on the spot
Best offer
323.57 € / person / night, no meal
Description of the accommodation:
Rooms, services Spend some remarkable days in London and enjoy the hospitality of The Arch London! Guests looking for accommodation in London are welcome to book 82 nicely furnished rooms at the hotel. In case you'd like to have a meal or a drink on the spot, you will be provided freshly prepared dishes in the restaurant every day. The bar can be an ideal place for a meeting or a pleasant evening talk. In the safe you may secure your valuables. In case you'd bring your laptop along, you may go online via wireless Internet connection (WiFi) available at the hotel. If you wish to learn more about the exact scope of services provided by The Arch London (including any available for an extra fee), you will find them on the information sheet below.
Payment Depending on the selected date, room and price, you may need to provide credit card guarantee or advance bank card payment to finalize your reservation.
Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in to your room is 15:00, the latest time to check out of your room is 12:00. You will be able to speak with the personnel in English.
The Arch London rooms Rooms
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Accommodation services
Free WiFi in shared places
Pet friendly, Bar, Elevator, Safe deposit box
Own restaurant
Desk in the room, Mini-bar, Tea/coffee-maker


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Email marketing is a great way to bring your business to your customers and to bring your customers to your business. E-mail marketing can be relatively inexpensive compared and reaches a much larger audience that ordinary mail. This article can help you understand what marketing via email can do for you and how to use it to your advantage.
When following up to your customers via email, you could try following up with some kind of reminder. For example, you could add a "visit today" button onto your ad. In addition, the closing of the postscript could inform your customers to make sure they do not disregard the CTO.
When sending a email as part of your marketing campaign, do not use a casual font. You want customers to take your product or business seriously, and they probably will not do that with an uncommon font. Pick out a font that is well known, such as Times Roman Numeral, Arial or Verdana.
If you buy a list of emails to send to, check and make sure it is up to date. Sometimes lists for sail might match your target demographics but be woefully out of date. The number of addresses now defunct can be as high as 25% of the overall list.
Treat each reader like a relationship. Ask in the first email for permission to send more. In the second email, tell them what discounts, products and services they can expect in future emails. In the third email and after, follow through with the content you promised to provide them with.
Send your opt-ins a link that they must click on to confirm their subscription to your email list. This way, you ensure that it is something that they want to do, and it will protect you from getting complaints about spam. Let your opt-ins know in your pitch that they will need to click on a link.
Even though you may be tempted, do not fix email addresses that appear misspelled or mistyped. Given the sensitive nature of email, it is important that you do not tinker with what a person typed while opting in. If your attempts to reach a particular address continually bounce, remove it from your database and move on.
Try following up with a product review when sending a follow-up email to your clients. You could insert a link onto your email that informs them to enroll by clicking on this link. The ending P.S. on the message could urge them to take advantage of this opportunity that you are providing them.
Branding is a concept that you must incorporate into even your e-mail marketing messages. For that reason, you should take the time to design a template that allows you to incorporate your company logo, colors and any special fonts also featured on your site or other marketing materials. Doing so can help your readers to recognize your company instantly.
When people opt-in to your marketing via email list, you need to let them know what to expect up front. Tell subscribers how often they can expect to hear from you and what types of communications you will be sending them. If they are expecting the volume of mail you will be sending, they are less likely to get frustrated and unsubscribe.
Try following up to your clients with a FAQ section. Include a link onto your email that says to click here to view the frequently asked questions in order for them to have a better understanding of your company. The concluding postscript could inform them to make sure they see you in action.
On the subscription form in your email, tell your potential subscribers what types of content you will send and how often they can expect it. Inform them about the typical content of your emails and the number of emails that they can expect to receive per week. That way, your subscribers will be well aware of the content they will receive, and the frequency.
When following up with customers, try following up with a sale schedule. Include a link in order for them to view this schedule. The end of the email could inform them that they can get all the specifics on this sale schedule by clicking on the link that was provided to them.
One way to keep your email readers engaged is to ask them questions. These should not be rhetorical questions, either. Provide a feedback channel they can use to send you answers. You could ask for direct replies via email, or send your readers to your social networking pages. However you arrange it, asking for two-way communication is a great way to cultivate loyalty in your subscribers.
To have a subscriber list you can trust, make sure that pre checked boxes are not enabled on your opt-in page. Readers do not want to start getting your emails accidentally. You do not want that either, because you only want to market to those that are actually interested in what you offer.
Let people confirm they want to join your mailing list. This makes it easier for someone else to double check how much they want email from you. Although it asks more of your customer up front, it is one way to help prevent complaints against your business for spamming.
Create an unsubscribe link that works immediately. If a customer unsubscribes from your list, that should be the last mailing they receive from you. In today's computerized world, there's no excuse for unscriptions not to be immediate. Customers who continue to receive mailings after they unsubscribe are likely to treat those emails as spam, and respond accordingly.
When following up with clients, you might want to consider sending a follow-up email to them that provides a rebate offer. Try attaching a comment onto your email that tells them to call right now. The end of this email can claim to take a position on this offer immediately.
It has been proven time and time again that marketing with email is a great way to bring your business to your customers who will bring your customers to your business. The information and tips in this article can advise you on how to create and launch the most effective email promoting campaign for your business. Go to self hosted email marketing and learn more today.


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Seasons, which are so essential to the fashion world's ebb and flow, can be frustrating when they refuse to wrap themselves up in time for the prescribed wardrobe trends of their successor. I'm ready for bare legs and fresh pedicures, and losing my enthusiasm for thick tights and sweater dresses, discounted though they may be.
The exciting news is that as the sales wind down, new merchandise begins flooding into the boutiques (two favorites to watch: Souchi and Le Train Bleu), and up on NE Alberta, 10 stores are conspiring to snap you out of your doldrums with an event called The Sugar Shuffle.
Similar to the Alberta crowd's pre-holiday Fashion by Flashlight event, the Sugar Shuffle will feature complimentary sweets and drinks at each participating location up and down the strip, as well as sales and other specials. Relative newcomer to the area Garnish boutique, which features the clothing of local designer Erica Lurie, will also be hosting live music from local duo Mouse Knuckles. Other participants are Spank Hair Salon (1433 NE Alberta), Mabel & Zora (1468 NE Alberta), Donna & Toots (1631 NE Alberta), Poppy & Ivy (1703 NE Alberta—another newcomer featuring vintage and vintage-inspired home décor), Digs (1829-B NE Alberta), Ciao Vito (2203 NE Alberta), ped X shoe shangri-la (2230 NE Alberta), Ella's Boutique (2529 NE Alberta), and Frock (2940 NE Alberta). (Thurs Feb 8, 6-9 pm)
In the Mississippi hood, the closing sale for Duchess (909 N Beech) is in its last phase: everything is at least 40 percent off, with many items marked down to as much as 50 percent off, plus vintage fabric and yard on the cheap—February 11 is the last day to take advantage.
More cheerful news: Rock meets rocks at a runway show for Kicklet Kreations, the work of Portland jewelry designer Andrea Dreyer, who favors big, floral pieces in bright colors that anticipate spring and summer. The event also features music from Stalking Jane. (Mon Feb 12, Ash St Saloon, 9:30 pm, $5) In other rock-meets-fashion news, the fourth annual Doomtown fashion show comes around again in a city that's got its hot rocker gear way, way down. (Fri, Feb 9, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $7-10).
More fun: Watch three contestants race naked through the store at the Red Light's Naked Shopping Spree, piling on as many articles of clothing as possible in three minutes—the winner with the most gear on gets to keep it. Those on the sidelines can enjoy live music from Role One, plus door prizes. (Sat Feb 10, Red Light, 3590 SE Hawthorne, 7 pm)
Pile it on: email@example.com


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Holly Heart begs for his dick as he pounds her holes hard
Duration: 1min 21sec Views: 17 936 Submitted: 3 years ago Submitted by:
Description: Keiran Lee and Holly Heart have a dead heater on their hands and now their shivering in a cold living room. Keiran drifts off into a daydream and is taken back to a time when there was a roaring fireplace and an oiled up mom on his cock bouncing like a beast.
Channel: Brazzers Network
Pornstars: Holly Heart


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Hitomi Workshop!!
Yesterday, during a nasty wind storm, I took the Bainbridge Island ferry and headed across the water for a workshop in Kent. The wholesale floral distributor, DWF, hosted a workshop presented by HITOMI!!! She is world renown for her unique, creative floral work. The picture on the right is a very stylized version of bridal bouquet. It isn't for everyone, but it is unique and exquisitely beautiful in it's simplicity. Hitomi presents her ideas and expects florists to take it from there and expand the idea into more and more ideas. She is a phenomenon of energy.
The second photo is also a bridal bouquet, but one for very few people. The idea behind it is this. Choose a plant you like, remove the dirt from around the root ball. Build the bridal bouquet at the top of the plant. After the wedding, the newly married couple can plant the plant and grow it as their marriage grows! A true wedding keepsake!!
In this third picture you are viewing the design from the top. It is quite unusual but gives the table an open, airy quality quite different from the heavy arrangements we are all used to at receptions dinners. One can easily see through to the other side and still enjoy the flowers. These lilies are very expensive, but other flowers can be used just as well.
It is extremely important to keep fresh flowers on hand at all times. Florists need to be aware of the shelf life of their flowers, and replace them with fresh stock in a timely manner.
When new stock comes in it should be rehydrated immediately. A species could have been out of water anywhere from one day to one week! Those stem cells need to be reopened by giving them a fresh cut and placed in a solution that will open the cells and kill bacteria.
After the cells have had a chance to reopen (the cells of a rose close within 5 seconds of being in the air!!), the flowers should be placed in fertilizer and then into a cooler. These steps help the flowers last a lot longer.
After an arrangement has been made it should be sprayed with a solution that helps the flowers retain their moisture. This solution allows the flowers to continue breathing, but they won't loose as much water through transpiration.
Ask your florist if their shop follows these procedures. The industry has done a lot of research concerning this and we should all be following these standards. After all, you, the client, pay a lot of money for an arrangement and it should last as long as possible. There is no excuse for the recipient to receive flowers that die with in a day!!
Home Grown Flowers
All summer long flowers are gloriously growing in our gardens (). Whether they are growing in containers on an apartment/condo deck or on 10 acres, their presence makes us happy! Best of all is cutting them and bringing them into our homes. But there is one problem. The lasting quality.
What can be done about the flowers that immediately begin to droop an hour after being put into the appropriate water container? First off, take a deep breath. In today's world, most people are so stressed that the following scenario is the usual.
You are sipping your morning cup of joe or tea, looking out your kitchen window and suddenly realize how beautiful the flowers are in the back yard. For 10 seconds you enjoy them. Then the buzzer sounds behind you and you dash madly about the kitchen getting breakfast ready for the family. At one point, as you are setting the table, a niggling thought hits you: gosh, it would be nice to have some of those flowers on the table this morning.
You make a point to go out into the garden after the dishes are done to pick flowers. You cut them, filling your hand with a stunning bouquet. You only have 10 minutes before you have to dash off somewhere so you run into the house, pour water in your vase, stick the flowers in and run off for the day.
When you come home, you go in the kitchen and the first thing you see are the flowers on the table, all drooping. After all that hurry, trying to make things pretty, and now you have to throw them out! #*%@&*#
Well, there is the problem. Now for the solution. The cells in the flower stems close almost immediately after being cut. Rose cells close within 5 seconds! Once they close, that's it. No water is going to go up those stems. The flowers will droop and die. What to do? Bring your flowers inside. Fill your container with water, add fertilizer. Then recut the stems of your flowers and quickly put them in the water.
For woody stems do not crush them. Why? Well, what do you think? You just crushed all the cells. How can they possibly take up water????? Instead, take a small knife, whittle off the top layer of bark, give the stem a fresh cut, and put it in water. Perfect! You are good to go. And so are your flowers!!
P.S. This is the website you find out how to take care of your garden better.
It was an incredible Mothers' Day!!!!!
Many, many thanks to all of you who called Pipper's Flowers and placed order for flowers for your moms. Each arrangement was individually done, but, surprisingly, most people wanted garden designs! Here are a few of the ones we sent out.
Mothers' Day is almost here!!!
Most people, when they think about this holiday, think: "Oh, I need to order flowers for Mom," and let it go at that. It's taken me a long time, but I finally started to think, really think, about what it means to be a mom. It is a huge responsibility. Probably the biggest responsibility a woman will ever have if she decides to carry that baby to term. You hold the building of that life in your hands for many years. You will be forming that personality, how that child thinks, acts and feels about all of life. If you are a mom, you are building a culture, history. It all starts with you. And you deserve to be respected and helped in this endeaver by everyone, because all of us are involved. It starts with the child! And mom.
A Christmas Gift that keeps on giving!
I deliver flowers to a lot of elderly people, many of whom live alone, have health problems or can't afford much. When they open their door and see the flowers, the expression on their faces is priceless. they are so happy! Someone thought about them! Someone wanted to make their day a little brighter.
If you are one of the grown children of one of these folks or have a special relative or friend, here's an idea for a Christmas present that keeps on giving for as long as you want. Send a bouquet once a month or twice a month or (heaven forbid!) every week! You will make a lonely, elderly person very, very, happy!
Give me a call at 206) 780-4242 and let's talk about it!
Christmas is coming!!!!
It's hard to believe Christmas is almost here. TV advertisers are already out there with Christmas promotions. So I'm joining in! On my website under "Special Occasions" and "Events" is a partial price list for foundation building things like wreaths, garlands, pine cones, etc. There is so much available to decorate with for any holiday occasion using any color scheme. Just give Pipper a call (206-780-4242). We can work with any budget, do it yourself or have Pipper do it for you. It's time to put all the negative energy aside and think HAPPY THOUGHTS!!!
COLOR!!!! what do you see?
When you think the color PURPLE, what color do you see? It seems to be the color a number of brides are choosing this year and next. But there is a wee bit of a problem here. When a bride chooses a color for her wedding, she tends to use words like periwinkle or peach or taupe or… well, you get the idea. These adjectives just don't do the job. Mostly because every person sees a different color when they hear one of these words.
When I meet with a bride I pull out the color wheel, either physically or verbally or both! Take the word purple. Do you see a blue purple or a red purple? Have I lost you yet? Take a look at the roses pictured here. The roses on the left are red purple. The rose on the right is a blue purple. There is a huge difference here.
One bride I worked with was adamant about using only the blue purple. It is not hard to come up with flowers in this color spectrum – until you start looking for roses. Especially deep purple roses. For all intents and purposes, there are no deep purple roses on the wholesale market. What did we do? The bride opted for a deep purple floral spray. It worked!!
Another bride went with the red purple. No problems here. Thank goodness!! So rethink how you talk about color, ladies. Use color terms rather than adjectives that describe objects, not colors.
Periwinkle? Do you mean light blue or dark blue?
Peach? Uh, a pink orange or a red orange? Pastel or full color?
Mint? Dark green or light green?
You get the idea. Make sure when you consult with your florist/party planner you bring color examples with you. A great way to go is to go to the hardware store and pick up paint samples in the exact colors you like. It will work magic for you! Good luck!
Summer time and the living is easy…
Happy Summer everyone! As long as it doesn't get too hot I'm a happy camper. When flowers come in from the wholesalers the first thing that happens is that they are rehydrated. They sit in this solution for several hours. In hot weather the roses start to pop. Thank goodness deliveries usually come in the early morning! Then into fertilizer they go and into the cooler. Whew!
This year has been the best ever, many thanks to all of you! The best part of being a florist is delivering to the client and seeing their faces when they answer the door. Seeing that big smile says it all. When you order flowers you are making many people happy! The longer the flowers last, the longer there are happy people. Ripples in a pond…
Keep in mind that many florists accept vases that have been pre-used. I do. They get washed, sterilized, and used again. An environmentally sound idea. I also check around in antique stores for vases. I refuse to pay over a certain amount because I don't want to pass the cost on to the consumer. But some of these vases are priceless when flowers are placed in them.
And don't forget, many of our growers are certified organic! Yes, the industry is really trying to make our world a better place in as many ways as we can think of.
Order now for Mothers' Day!!!!
Your mother is probably one of the most important people in your life. She knows you better than anyone else, and, she's known you longer than anyone else has. There have been many times you've wished she wasn't your mom, but, face it, she probably has felt the same way about you. What it all comes down to is FAMILY! And mom is the head of the family no matter what dad thinks! So show her how much you love and respect her.
Send her flowers designed especially for her. Does she prefer a traditional lifestyle or is she more contemporary, living with contemporary furnishings? Does she love to garden? Does she love to travel? What are her hobbies, her profession? We can create an arrangement to suit her personality!
Additionally, at Pipper's Flowers, our message cards are the usual size message card, but they are 100% rag watercolor paper with an accompanying envelope. Pipper does a small water color on one side which can be cut out and placed in one of those wonderfully small frames as a keepsake.
Keep in mind, the Bon Bon here on Bainbridge is a wonderful candy store with the best home made fudge and imported chocolates, including truffles hand made by local confectioners. You can't go wrong by including a small box of chocolates for Mom!!!
Place your order as soon as possible, before the last minute rush! If you have something special in mind you would like us to do for your mom, just let us know. We are here to serve you and make your mother's day extra special!
Order your Valentine NOW!!!
Valentine's Day is almost here. For florists it's especially fun because we can be so creative. Suppliers have all kinds of hard goods that can be incorporated with flowers to really make a statement. Gone are the traditional arrangements of roses and baby's breath. You can do so much more!! And still keep the cost down. Granted, something like the heart in the picture below costs a little more, but WOW! It's much more fun to get. And will last a long time if the roses have been properly rehydrated, fertilized and cooled by the florist. When you call your florist try to be specific. Do you want a contemporary design, traditional, exotic, garden style… Think outside the box! And yes, florists are very busy and may not have time to do something special. But it never hurts to try. Just be prepared to spend a little more…
BRIDES! 2014 is here….
And it should be an exciting year. Especially since this is the year of your wedding. Are you beginning to feel the pressure from all the decisions that need to be made? The key to reducing this anxiety is: be organized. Ask for help and advice. Remember, in the end, it is YOUR day, YOUR wedding. This special day will only happen once.
TRENDS: colors: pink (from very very pale – blush – into more intense fuchsia, orchid, plum), black and white color blocking and prints
dresses: off the shoulder necklines, cap sleeves, illusion neckline, plunging back
hair: up
accessories: gold (in gowns as well, delicate beading
make up: soft browns, soft metallic, berry, bronze (everything natural) and berry lips
late night food: miniature versions of your favorite foods, huge dessert bar, expresso bar
chandeliers made of mason jars! and wooden farm tables
Save money by celebrating on Friday. Be bold, bright colors, larger than life. Remember, you need to decide on a budget! When you meet with any professional, whether its the caterer, cake baker, or florist they need to know what you can afford in order to guide you on the right path to achieve your dream and still be what you can afford.
BOTTOM LINE: Do what YOU want. If you like hot yellow, then go with it! If you're into cowboy boots, wear them. If you don't want to serve alcohol, don't. It is YOUR special day. DO IT YOUR WAY!!!
Almost Christmas!!!!
Before you know it, you will be decorating for Christmas! How do you like the photo shown here? The beauty of this design is it's longevity. Almost everything here is artificial. Can you believe that? Even up close it doesn't come across as "artificial"! The greenery is fresh Douglas fir and the poofs of white are carnations. Carnations? You don't like carnations???? The wonderful thing about carns is their longevity. The form itself is very old rose like. Using a carn you get more bang for your buck! The rest is artificial. There are white poinsettias that sparkle, two kinds of red berry, and a branch of heavy crystals which work in beautifully. The vase is a plain glass vase covered in red ribbon with lines of crystals adhering to the surface. It really is stunning when seen up close. Everyone who has seen it gasps and goes "Wow!" That's the response you're looking for!
A design NOT to buy!
It is imperative for any creative person to keep abreast of what the rest of the world is doing. One thing people seem to be enamored with at the moment is the fad using only one kind of flower in an arrangement. A vase of long stemmed calla lilies all leaning heavily off to the side of a tall vase. A container jammed full of roses. You get the idea. But it is a boring idea. You see one you've seen them all. It takes no sense of design, no expertise to do this. Anyone can stick a mass of flowers of one kind in a vase. I know this line of thinking is anathema to some, but I won't apologize. If a client is going to spend hard earned money to have a professional florist make an arrangement for him or her, it should be worth it!
Any art school, including floral schools, teach basic design principles. Many scoff at this saying, "Oh I don't need to know this. I just want to be free to be creative!" This attitude is why so many young artists never make it in this world. The reason the masters are still with us today is because they "mastered" the basic design principles. Picaso is the premier example of this.
What are these principles? There are many. To name a few: line, texture, color, balance. The list goes on and on. When a professional is asked to do a design for a client these principles should be so firmly imbedded in their minds that when they start a design they can be creative. Very creative, if allowed to do so by the client.
So what is the point of all this besides a wake up call for professionals? You, as the client, should know you are getting your money's worth. It doesn't make any difference whether you are spending $20 or $2000 for flowers. You should be given the best based on the knowledge of your designer. So don't hesitate to ask questions when you call to place an order. Tell the designer what style you want to send to the recipient, what colors you would like. Ask the designer if they are comfortable being creative or will they do a standard design shown by wire service catalogues. Ask questions and you may be lucky enough to get what you paid for!
The picture included here shows a simple design, but a very pleasing one. What style is it? A combination of Ikebana, contemporary and garden. Yes. It can be done. Just ask.
Have a wonderful summer!!!
Good morning! It has been awhile since I posted on this blog. I always check the Facebook pages, but this post is more informative. The picture on the left is a design I did for a small event. It is so much fun to do weddings and events. The arrangements can be bigger but not necessarily more creative! Some of the smallest designs can be the most artful. We have had a wonderful summer. The temperatures have been mild with some overcast. Weddings have gone very well.
Many people are doing their own flowers for special events (like weddings). I am always happy to see how beautifully arranged many of these flowers are done. The only problem I see is the longevity of the flowers. Most retailers (like grocery stores or places like Costco or Wallmart) don't have the expertise to handle flowers properly. When you buy from these sources you should realize the flowers haven't been rehydrated. What does this mean? It means that the cells in the stems have closed or are clogged with debris and bacteria. Therefore, the flowers will only last a few days. When you buy from these sources, always give your flower stems a fresh cut about an inch to 3 inches above the previous cut. Then immediately put them in water. If you can get your hands on rehydrating solution, use it now. Remember, cells close quickly. Rose cells close within 5 seconds!!!
That's just for starters. After rehydration, I always place the flowers in clean water with fertilizer. If at all possible, they are placed in the cooler. This helps slow down the growth process (yes, the flowers are still growing! Tulips will grow up to 6 more inches!!!). After arranging flowers I always spray the designs with a solution that helps them retain their moisture.
Another thing to remember concerns the use of Oasis. I use it quite a bit. The recipient of the flowers should be aware that there isn't much room for water. Don't allow Oasis to dry out. It will not reabsorb water once it dries. I tell my people check the container by hooking a finger over the edge. Bring that water line up! Pour water with the fertilizer in the packets you get right into the center of the arrangement. Your flowers should last at the very least for a week. Mine usually last close to 3 weeks. You pay a lot for fresh flowers. They should last!
Happy Summer!!! Pipper
Be happy!
Be happy! We are constantly barraged with negative news from all fronts. Whether you read the newspapers, news magazines, watch the news on TV, TV commentators, the internet, or any other source, you can be dragged down by it all. Everyone will tell you, "Focus on the positive!" Easier said then done.
How can you challenge this? Start with anything close to you, where you sit, at home or at work. Place a favorite object near you. Move the furniture around. Pick up all the MESS. Cleaning up your environment can be a lot of work, but by the time you finish, stand back and take a look. It was worth the effort! Spray an air deodorizer. Add a bud vase with a flower that makes you smile. A bud vase doesn't cost an arm and a leg!
Throw out all the things you never use. Take it to the dump. If it's in good condition and clean, take it to the Salvation Army. But get rid of all the superfluous STUFF! Clean out the refrigerator. Change your sheets. Put on clean socks! Wash your hair. Shave. Put a little something in your pocket that only you know is there. Are you getting the idea yet?
I know there are those of you who think it's cool to wear your pants down around your knees, allow your beard to grow out to stubbs, wear clothing that looks like its been in a dumpster for several months. Believe me, if you clean yourself up, clean up your immediate environment, you will suddenly look at the world from a far different perspective! (P.S. Girls get rug burn from all that stubble. THAT'S not cool!!)
And don't forget the flowers. You can't help but smile if you see a colorful bouquet. In Seattle we have Pike Place Market. The f lower vendors there are fabulous. You can buy a wonderful, stunningly beautiful bouquet for under $10!!! If you can afford to support your local florist, that would be super! Retail florists have been closing their doors at an incredible rate. It's a huge loss to everyone.
We all have sad, depressing things that have happened to us. In my life, I find I'm very fortunate to be able to give flowers to so many people. When I deliver flowers to someone, their smile is all I need to make my day. If things are slow, as they have been lately, I'm even more lucky to have my two grandchildren who live nearby. I see them just about every day. One is 5, the other is 2 1/2 years old. They never fail to make me smile and make my whole day brighter.
Find what makes your heart sing. It doesn't have to cost a thing. But do the things that make you truly happy. And don't forget the FLOWERS!!


text:
Solitary : The Solitary Tales Series, Book 1. / Travis Thrasher.
Electronic resources
View other formats and editions
Record details
- ISBN: 9781434702524 (electronic bk)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource.
- Publisher: [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2011.
Content descriptions
|Summary, etc.:
| The first book in the Solitary Tales suspense series will remind you what it means to believe in what you cannot see.
|Reproduction Note:
| Electronic reproduction. Colorado Springs : David C. Cook, 2011. Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 362 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
Search for related items by subject
|Young Adult Fiction.
|Electronic books.


text:
GraphicRiver Medical Health Plan Flyer Template 3532498
Photoshop \ Print Template \ Flyers \ Corporate
Health \ Medical \ Myfonts \ Healthcare \ Optima \ Template \ Colors \ Muellerhoff
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8.5×11 Flyer
5 Alternate Colors
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Optima: http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/optima/
Georgia (System Font)
Avenir: http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/avenir/
Herr Von Muellerhoff: http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/herr-von-muellerhoff/
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Modern Gospel Concert Flyer Template ; Jane Political Business Card Template 2; Political Business Card Template 8; Political Business Card Template 7; Vote: Political Business Card Template; Political Business Card Template 6; Political Business Card Template 5.
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text:
National Association for Music Education Develops Music Advocacy CampaignApr 21, 2014
The National Association for Music Education has recently developed a music advocacy campaign called Broader Minded, in the hopes that people will learn to think beyond the bubbles. The campaign acknowledges the positive effects that music education has on academics, but they also highlight the many intrinsic benefits of music education, including the study of music for its own sake and the deep foundation of character music education lays.
The (NAME) emphasizes the positive effects music has on education and encourages their fans to send in their personal experiences so that others can benefit from them and see just how important music is.
For more information visit their website: http://broaderminded.com/
READ: National Association for Music Education Develops Music Advocacy Campaign


text:
The Gravity Harps use the Earth's gravity to create music. Gravity sets the rhythms and stores the energy. Robotic technologies provide initial energy and synchronization.
They were used on Björk's Biophilia album and in the live shows on tour around the world.
The Gravity Harps are the product of a collaboration between Björk and me. Björk had a vision for a musical version of The Foucault Pendulum. She had a harp-like timbre in mind. And she'd already written a beautiful, floating song for it, with an unusual scale and freely drifting time signatures.
As I prototyped harps and other physical parts, I worked on how to play the drifting time signatures with one big pendulum. I turned the puzzle around and around like a Rubik's Cube. But the physics of pendulums was working against me. Near the tops of their swings, the pendulums' kinetic energy is almost completely gone, having been temporarily converted into gravitational potential energy. Too slow and too weak to reliably play strings.
But the challenges did all get solved. Here is a bit of the evolution of the Gravity Harps.
Design 1: The Marinas
This original concept was named after Mihaeko Schroedinger, whose help was indispensable.
Design 2: The Celestial Sinusoid
The song is called Solstice, so I wrapped the line of pendulums into a circle, to create patterns that echo celestial cycles.
The Wooden Prototype
CAD Drawings for full scale version
Design 3: The Gravity Ring
But Björk wanted each pendulum to play only one note, so that the patterns of motion echoed the patterns of the song. An instrument shaped like a song! I liked it.
I wrote this simulator to figure out how to do it. Click the image below to open it.
Prototype harps made from fiberglass, spruce and aluminum.
Design 4: The Gravity Harps
The final design which met all of the new criteria was the Gravity Harps. Four pendulums with circular harps on the bottom which can be turned to play different strings as they swing.
Our second prototype harp was made of fiberglass, walnut, spruce and all the epoxy we could find. This is the harp Bjork used on the new album. Here is Mihaeko putting the strings on for the first time.
And here is it under computer control:
Our third prototype harp was made of walnut, spruce and a custom composite of epoxy and veneer.
Here is the final version in Manchester
Special thanks to (chronologically):
Mihaeko Schroedinger
Karl Biewald
Doug Ruuska
James Patten
Ryan Wistort


text:
Egyptian authorities have said the 83-year-old former strongman is healthy enough to travel to Cairo, where security has been beefed up in wake of the much-awaited trial.
The trial will include Mubarak's sons, Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of his assistants.
"Mubarak can travel to stand trial in Cairo and the Cabinet would coordinate with the Health and Interior ministries to transport him," Egyptian Health Minister Amr Helmy was quoted as saying by ''Al-Masry Al-Youm'' newspaper.
The Health Ministry will ensure that a medical team and healthcare are provided for Mubarak during the trip, but the Interior Ministry is responsible for other necessary procedures, Helmy said.
Mubarak, who ruled with an iron fist for nearly three decades, is under arrest in a hospital in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh since April, where he receives treatment for a heart condition.
Helmy said Mubarak's health condition had changed little recently and he suffers from depression and maintains a low appetite.
According to news reports, more than 1,000 security personnel will be deployed around the Cairo Police Academy, where the trial is set to take place, and efforts have been made to ensure spectators in the court don't get close enough to the defendants' case to avoid any agitation.
Besides the killing of protesters during the nationwide revolt in February, Mubarak has been charged with involvement in corruption and abuse of power. If found guilty of the murder charge, he could be executed.
The trial will be televised live on state TV.


text:
Launched in 2011, Leading Ladies Africa, is an organization that is passionate about women. We are at the forefront of ensuring African women achieve their set goals and dreams in life. We are a non-discriminatory, irreligious, non-tribal organization and all we are primarily concerned with, is the well rounded development of women. Yes indeed! We want women to thrive, excel and succeed!
From the beginning of time, African women have pushed the envelope; being at the forefront of change and innovation. They have challenged the status, created value, and become life-long sources of inspiration and influence. To put it simply, from the days of warrior Queens like Amina of Zazzau, Ann Nzinga of Angola, and Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana, and even to those of African descent like Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parkes, African women have been making things happen.
At Leading Ladies Africa we are all about African women making things happen. We are all about encouraging women to fulfil their goals, to achieve their dreams and to live their lives passionately.
Thank you for visiting our website. If you have any comments or feedback, please contact us through the form below. We undertake to respond to all enquiries made through our online form not later than 24 hours from time of receipt.


text:
i didn't spend too long at the uprising yesterday because i was capital exhausted from the day before. i did purchase another set of cards from 100 flowers
and a sew dorky donut
to compliment the cupcake of his that i own before heading back to the casa.
there was a great turnout for day two of the event. it's wonderful that the uprising can draw such huge crowds! so kudos to the organizers and vendors and bring on year three! 'cause next year, i'll be in line early enough for a grab bag.
er, probably not. but it's nice to have lofty goals occasionally.
anyway, have i mentioned that food is awesome?
it is. a had a craving for bamboo garden yesterday and leff and i joined him. between the three of us, we obliterated orders of almond chicken, beef with broccoli and sweet and sour chicken. it was, in fact, so obliterated that i couldn't bear to take a photo of the remains. so i brought you this picture of soy sauce instead.
see how much i love you? i love you *so* much that i didn't even bother to get the "s" in soy. you should *totally* break up with me for that.
after lunch was coffee which we enjoyed at twice told tales. (why don't they have a website?) the triple t, as i've decided to call the bookstore just this minute, has three resident cats.
an aside, if you will. i'll bet you didn't know that a has amazing cat powers. it's incredible! the guy only has to walk into a room and any cat in the building will come running just to hang out with him.
it happened when we walked down the street! (cats were climbing down rock walls!) it happened at the triple t (seriously, the orange loner cat? it let a pet him! *awe!*) and it happened at our apt! (the elusive fujiko has been known to come out of hiding when he's around. and peel and clouseau were both depressed yesterday when he left.)
it really is amazing.
ok, fine, enough about cats. the twice told tales (triple t is just too retarded to keep saying) guy let me take a photo of their tsunami evacutation sign.
i can sense how thrilled you are. but, come on, you must admit that it's a nice graphic. it doesn't really do much to ease any sort of anxiety i might have about tsunamis (which, granted, isn't too great in the first place. color me complacent.) but it is a nice graphic.
anyway, not much in store for today. i see many rabbit drawings in my future.
Monday, December 04, 2006
urban craft uprising--day two, bamboo garden, a and his amazing cat powers, twice told tales
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text:
A Will to Win
The design was John Thompson III's, but the play actually began and ended in Jeff Green's mind. As the end of his season neared, maybe the end of his Georgetown career, the junior Hoyas forward decided something: He would not leave the floor without taking the last shot. If he had to power his own frame through mounds of muscle to get that basketball up on the rim, that's how it would go down.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to try to win the game," he said. "If that's having the ball in my hands or making another play to get my teammate open. Hopefully, I'm one of those top players that can make those plays in games."
Thompson, sitting next to his best player on the dais, leaned in. "His coach feels that way," he said.
Spin toward the rim. Split the double team. And remember to use the glass.
It was the most basic, fundamental, last-second execution imaginable in a big game. And yet here was the irony about Green's absolutely riveting short bank shot that sent the Hilltop into a state of hysteria. It came off a broken play. That's right. The kids with higher hoop IQs than any Ivy League school were out of options and almost out of time when Green emerged from a mass of Vanderbilt jerseys with 2.5 seconds to play and backpacked the Hoyas to within one game of the Final Four.
"A fumble play, a bumble play I had to make," he said. "I got lucky, and it went in."
With 14.4 seconds left in a great college basketball game, Thompson went to the Princeton playbook in his mind and came up with a play that already had fooled Vanderbilt once. There would be a pass into the high post, followed by a precision backdoor cut by Patrick Ewing Jr. Earlier in the game, the play had worked to perfection, except Ewing caught a wet spot and slipped and lost the ball out of bounds.
This time, Green decided not to gamble. He eyed the clock, put the ball on the floor and improvised. He fumbled the ball for a minute, spun toward the rim, somehow contorted his body through the lane and his arms emerged from a sea of black uniforms. A high-arcing shot fell cleanly through the net after touching the backboard.
This was about Green's finish, but it was also about one of the great, resilient moments in the program's recent history. Georgetown was, well, getting out Georgetown-ed in the first half. The Vanderbilt kids were more poised on offense, using their dribble penetration to create easier shots than the Hoyas for most of the first 20 minutes. They were playing in-your-grill defense, too, pushing Roy Hibbert off the blocks and rendering him ineffective in the lane.
Shan Foster, a junior wingman who apparently declares himself open once he leaves the team bus, had this loosey-goosey feel to his game that just became contagious among his teammates. They were whizzing the ball around the perimeter, taking three-pointers whenever they felt the urge and just frustrating the Hoyas on the defensive end.
Every possession felt like a monstrous struggle to get a good shot. After a couple of bad calls against them, they grew frustrated and seemed on the verge of really combusting. Down 13 in the first half and 32-24 at halftime, if ever Georgetown had an opening to panic and throw its tournament life out the window, Vandy was the team to make the Hoyas do so.
But, in hoop vernacular, they played through. Through the calls. Through the misses. Through their own sloppy play on both ends. Jonathan Wallace and DaJuan Summers began coolly dropping in three-point rainbows every time the Commodores threatened to pull away. They began closing out on Vanderbilt's shooters. Most of all, they began playing together amid the noise and the prospect of their season fading away.
Foster is a wonderful player, but as more hands got in his face he began to miss. He ended up taking five more shots than any of his teammates and in the end Vanderbilt just did not have the balance and depth of Georgetown. The Commodores also did not have Green and the final, frantic, fabulous play that featured a mob scene on the floor afterward.
There were cries that Green had not reestablished his pivot foot, and therefore traveled. But basketball minds much wiser than us surmised you can't make a call like that to end a taut thriller.
And, besides, Rich Chvotkin's hotel room is reserved until Sunday. It would not be right to make him check out early.
Chvotkin, the team's play-by-play announcer 1,000-plus games running, kept yelling courtside after Green's basket, raising his hands, going berserk. Sitting next to his son, Evan, last night, the man's body was shaking at the end.
"HOYAS WIN! HOYAS WIN! HOYAS WIN!" he kept shouting so that every soul in the arena could hear him. He finally took off his headset and started shouting "YES! YES! YES!" This was not a Marv Albert, pause-for-effect Yes! Chvotkin was raising his hands to the heavens as if at a revival. It reminded me of a Thai journalist at the 1996 Olympics, whose body shook as he screamed for his countryman, a featherweight boxer. The Thai journalist finally explained to the security guard who wanted to throw him out why he could not be objective. If his man lost, he had to leave America and return to Thailand. Similarly, Rich Chvotkin did not want to go home.
Jeff Green did not want to go home. Georgetown had no thought of going home. They took the next step in the great, Thompson rebuild -- a rung higher on the ladder than last year. The region final. Off a broken, Princeton play. The irony was so delicious.
Green was the kid who cut his braids to conform to his coach's ideal of a program, a player who could have averaged 25 points or more at most schools but who sacrificed some of his individual gifts to become part of a stronger, better team. Any fear that a system such as Georgetown's would curtail his development proved false. He became the Big East player of the year and a cinch first-round NBA draft pick.
And at the exact moment that his discipline was needed most, he disciplined himself to become the player that brought him to Georgetown. The kid who refused to let anyone else decide the game, his season or his career.
Spin toward the rim. Split the double team. And remember to use the glass. Just like his coach drew it up.