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A set of four octagonal shaped dress studs, gold plated and finished with exquisite Onyx stones. Would make a thoughtful addition to a gentleman's wardrobe to perfect the Black Tie look. Screw fitting for ease of use. To suit formal wear. Octagon dimension: 9mm wide.
Supplied gift wrapped in a Men's Gift Company presentation box.
Code: DS-5105
Mainland UK Delivery
Postage from £2.49 (Royal Mail 2nd Class)
Postage is calculated on the weight of your order
We aim to send your item out THE SAME DAY if you order Monday to Friday before 2pm but please allow 1-3 working days for your delivery. If you have requested an engraving please expect to receive your item within 3-5 days.
Guaranteed Next day Postage from £6.99 (order before 2pm Monday to Thursday)
Items are dispatched by Royal Mail Special Delivery - a signature will be required upon receipt of the goods.
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Goods can be sent overseas to countries with suitable secure postal services. Please allow up to 6-10 working days for delivery.Postage from £3.49 dependant on weight
The Rest of the World
Postage from £5.49 dependant on weight
Goods can be sent overseas to countries with suitable secure postal services. Please allow up to 8-12 working days for delivery.
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If you are not happy with your Men's Gift Company purchase simply notify us within 7 days and return it to us within 30 days for a full refund or exchange. Postage costs are not refunded unless we are fault in some way, in which case we will happily refund your expenses. Please ensure the item arrives unused and in the same condition in which you received it to ensure a full refund. For engraved items, we will not be able to offer a refund unless there is a fault with the product or with the engraving. Please retain your proof of delivery from the Post Office when sending items back to us in case they go astray. We advise that you take out postal insurance to cover the cost of the returned item as you are responsible for the cost and risk of loss or damage in transit.
Please return items to "MGC Returns, PO Box 102, 34 Fore Street, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 1BP, United Kingdom". Please note that items that we consider to have been mistreated or damaged through wear and tear cannot be replaced or credited.
Our guarantee to you
We are so confident of the quality of the gifts we sell that our products come with a 2 year guarantee. If for any reason you find a fault with your product then please return it to us with proof of purchase and we'll be happy to send you a replacement free of charge. In the unlikely event that we no longer stock the item, we will offer you a selection of alternatives.


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The Impossible Test Cheats :
This cheat for The Impossible Test [IPhone] has been posted at 13 Apr 2010 by xhuntercx and is called "Color Buttons". If cheat is usable don't forgot thumbs up xhuntercx and share this with your freinds. And most important we have 1 other cheats for The Impossible Test, look them as soon as possible!
Secret - Color Buttons
On the question were it asks you to touch the orange then the red and so forth, what you have to do is tap the words in the question.
The Impossible Test Cheats:
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subset: commoncrawl


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-CANCELLED: Emily to attend Famous Monsters Con in Oct with IT co-stars -Emily to feature in Pennywise: The Story of IT
– Ladies of Supernatural con roundup
– Calgary Horror Con June 11-12
– Ginger Snaps Q&A: Director John Fawcett and Emily Perkins in Calgary
– Ladies of Supernatural Convention
– Emily's Twitter Account 23/Oct/2014
Have an Emily picture or video that's not on this site? Maybe an interview? A bit of news perhaps? Whatever you have, if we don't have it, we want it. So contact us with a link to the content (and your name if it's something you created yourself) and we will post it ASAP.
The content found on this site is collected from all over the Internet. If you lay claim to any content found herein and wish for it to be removed, just contact us and we will remove it as quickly as we can.
"Emily Perkins World" is a fan site with no official connection to the actress Emily Perkins. This is a non-profit website and all materials on this site are for entertainment purposes only. No copyright is claimed on any media found on this site and no infringement is intended. All graphics and original content belong to their respective creators.
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Beat the heat with some crafting fun! Whether your summer is full of outdoor activities like fishing and camping, by the beach with your toes in the sand, or relaxing at home with your friends and family, each moment is worth documenting. Capture the essence of your summer days with our wide variety of summer scrapbook supplies, from stickers and embellishments, to dies and stamps - We have the supplies to help you create the best Summer scrapbook pages, gift tags, cards, and more. Browse below and get ready to display your summer memories in style!
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By Clark Corey
In the spring, the travel bug can become quite strong. Which got me thinking: A cold and wet spring in Montana surely means it's looking good up in the Canadian Rockies. With that in mind, we found ourselves cruising down the Trans-Canadian highway towards Lake Louise. I didn't take long to realize that a week wasn't nearly enough time to explore the expansive terrain.
Geographically, the Canadian Rockies are not far from Montana (a day's drive), but they are a whole different animal: huge vertical, scary steep terrain in every direction, and glaciers clinging to craggy summits. In other words, the sheer amount of seriously impressive peaks one can see from the road is 100 percent overwhelming!
While mid-winter snow in the Rockies can be a little thin, the conditions for steep riding become ideal in the spring. On our trip, fresh snow was sticking to the steepest chutes and faces, while the winds remained light. Some lines that were likely not ridable three weeks prior were suddenly "in". The Y couloir on Stanley Peak (Kootenay National Park) was an example of how quickly conditions can change. With a foot of new snow just four days prior, we found 1.5 feet of snow perfectly bonded to ice as the angle reached 50 degrees. Without that last storm, I'm not sure it would have been ridable!
Although we did battle our fair share of challenging weather, we did get to sneak in a few stellar lines, which made the quick foray up to the great north well worth it. Now armed with recon pictures, a good sense for the area, and a taste for some Canadian mountains, we will surely be back!


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MIAMI (AP) - Teddy Bridgewater passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score in the return to his home city, and No. 20 Louisville remained unbeaten by holding off Florida International 28-21 on Saturday night.
Senorise Perry rushed for 74 yards for the Cardinals (4-0), who trailed for the first time this season before controlling the second half and avenging last season's 24-17 loss to FIU.
Darian Mallary and Jake Medlock both rushed for touchdowns for the Panthers (1-3), whose losses have come against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA and now the Big East. FIU starts Sun Belt play next week at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Mallary and Medlock both left the game with injuries, and top FIU running back Kedrick Rhodes also missed the game with a right leg injury.


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Kendra Pe�a-Collazo, aka ZUMBA Lady, is the owner of Brickhouse Cardio Club, 2016 Spruce St., Leavenworth. She is a certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Military Fitness Specialist as well as ZUMBA instructor of specialties like Aqua Zumba and Zumbatomic (for kids).
Kendra Peña-Collazo, aka ZUMBA Lady, is the owner of Brickhouse Cardio Club, 2016 Spruce St., Leavenworth. She is a certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Military Fitness Specialist as well as ZUMBA instructor of specialties like Aqua Zumba and Zumbatomic (for kids). She also hold a Nutrition and Optimal Health Certification through Excelsior College.
1. Can you tell us about Brickhouse Cardio Club and how the franchise got started?
It started with a simple concept, that instead of traveling from place to place to take Zumba classes, to bring the classes into a facility built for Zumba that offered consistent classes at consistent times! That concept subsequently led to a studio which eventually led to franchising the concept and to a new studio here in Leavenworth. Brickhouse Leavenworth then expanded on the idea by adding other classes to focus on additional elements of fitness and giving members everything they need for total body wellness.
2. What is the biggest difference between Brickhouse and other exercise, health clubs and gyms?
Brickhouse provides a women-centered, supportive and comfortable atmosphere for our members. We provide consistent classes at consistent times in a studio built for group fitness. We really get to know and care about each member and we know when each of our members needs a hug, pat on the back or a kick in the pants to get motivated again. Our focus is on the success of our members in meeting their fitness goals. Not to mention that we have the best members. Members at Brickhouse love to motivate each other and give encouragement and this adds energy to each class. Our instructors and members are welcoming to new people that drop in for a class because we all understand that taking that first step into a fitness studio is sometimes the hardest and can be intimidating for some. You will be greeted with a smile because we are genuinely happy to see you.
3. Brickhouse has been named in the top 100 veteran friendly franchises by Franchise Business Review. Can you tell us about Brickhouse's commitment to helping veterans?
From a business perspective Brickhouse works very well to support Active Duty, Veterans and Spouses to pursue a sound business opportunity. There are a number of Brickhouse studios in close proximity of military installations all over the United States. With minimal upfront capital and financing anyone can start a new business.
Lots of businesses are hesitant to give franchising opportunities, loans and financial support to military families because they perceive military families to be "high risk" in terms of not paying off debt due to continuous relocating.
That is not the case with Brickhouse. By working with the military families they have awarded some of the best entrepreneurs the opportunity to truly give back to this great nation.
From a personal stand point, I am a military spouse and my goal was to not only create a space for my fellow military families to work out, I also wanted to create a space were I can give military spouses a job.
A large number of military spouses are only in Leavenworth for 10 months which makes it almost impossible for them to continue their fitness careers here. I work with spouses before they even arrive in Leavenworth so that when they get here we can hit the ground running so to speak. I have personally volunteered to provide alternative PT workouts for soldiers and offered our space for gatherings of military organizations and events. After years of working with the military in the fitness industry one issue that resonated with me was lack of child care. I made sure when we opened our studio we had a children's playroom to give parents the opportunity to work out knowing their child is safely playing in the next room. I will personally explore more opportunities to support my fellow military families in the future.
4. What types of workouts do you offer and could you give an example of a recommended workout for someone in their 20's and someone in their 60's or older?
I like to look at people as individuals. There are plenty of people that are 60 years young that are in much better shape than some people that are 20 years young and vise versa.
The key is to understand the individual's physical challenges and goals. All of the classes offered here at Brickhouse can be modified to fit every fitness level. We truly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their health and wellness goals in a stress free and supportive environment.
5. Brickhouse offers a specially designed, easy-on-the-joints floor for members with joint issues or pain from fitness routines on carpet or concrete floors. How does this help members increase strength and duration while working out with minimum wear and tear on joints?
Our flooring is fantastic. Concrete is an extremely hard surface which forces your body to absorb the impact causing a negative domino effect all the way up the spine that can exacerbate previous joint or spinal injuries. A lot of people will notice that their joints hurt after a long run on the sidewalk or a high impact outdoor workout in a parking lot.
Over a long period of time it can cause some serious damage to the joints. Carpet on the other hand will help to absorb some impact but impedes the movement of the foot causing torque on the joints which again could lead to injury. Our floors have padding which absorbs a lot of the impact. Most members comment on how much better they feel after working out on our flooring than at home or in other places.
Bonus question: Brickhouse is known for its sound system. How important is the right music and quality of sound in getting members motivated to give 100 percent to their workouts?
Music is essential to any type of fitness program especially dance fitness.
Having clear music can really add energy to the class boosting the output of the participants. When the sound isn't clear people will lose focus on the workout and they can't get "into the zone" because they are distracted by static, or dirty sound.
After years of teaching all over the world I would have to take a portable sound system with me from location to location. When I would instruct a class in a large commercial space with a small sound system people in the back couldn't "feel the music." In fact, they could barely hear it.
For the instructor it makes it difficult to cue the next move because participants couldn't hear music changes or the nuances of the song to put in their own style elements and have fun and get creative. We removed that entire issue here at Brickhouse.
No matter where you stand you can hear everything! We have also added a stage so that in our larger class everyone can see the instructor. This makes it much easier for my shy participants in the back to still be able to see the instructor in class and be in a place where they feel comfortable.
— Rimsie McConiga


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Hitachi LG Data Storage (HLDS) recently released a new Super Multi DVD Rewriter, capable of writing DVD recordables at 20x and supporting the RAM 2 specifications (Ver 2.1) for 12x writing on DVD-RAM media. The GSA-H55L supports HP's Lightscribe disc labeling technology and introduces for the first time the SecurDisc technology, co-developed by LG and Nero. SecurDisc allows users to password protect their data stored on optical discs. More information about the technology is available in the following pages.
- Drive Features & Specification
SecurDisc™ Technology
- Password Protection
- Digital Signature
- Data Integrity Check
- Data Reliability
- Copy Protection (Supports PDF file only)
The retail package of the drive includes the LG GSA-H55N, and the LG DVD Writer Solution CD-ROM which includes:
The ATAPI drive comes with black front bezel, as well as with an extra ivony bexel to match with your PC set. The SecurDisc and the lightscribe logos indicate the supported technologies.
The GSA-H55N is based on the Panasonic MN103SC7GRT1 704U6F28 2
and Panasonic AN22117A 704P4002 chipsets, also found on the company's LG GSA-H22N model.
- Nero Info Tool
- DVD Info
Let's move to our usual CD/DVD reading and recording tests, as well as the writing quality tests of the LG drive, powered by DaTARIUS.


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Great line-up of expert speakers for my licensing class which starts tomorrow!
Licensing is a great source of primary or additional income for your product(s). Learn the basics about how to navigate the world of licensing in four weeks! And get the lowdown from people who live licensing!
My guest speakers this term will be:
David Kalow – An Intellectual Property attorney with fashion product experience
Arnold Burstein – A Licensing Agent who knows all the in's and out's of the licensing world and is the Chair of the NY Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society
Serena Godwin – Licensing Manager, Natori and (surprise guest speaker?)
Nathan Fleisig – An FIT faculty who specializes in licensing names and products
Outerstuff: Director of Licensee Global Social Compliance, and an FIT faculty member.
It's not too late to register!
CEO 035 (55A) Licensing
Thurs., April 25, May 2, 9, 16
She is the author of Lies Startups Tell Themselves to Avoid Marketing.


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I ran across this a while back and it's been on my 'to blog about' list for too long. Open networkers (LION's) are those that actively seek and accept networking connections on LinkedIn. It's a controversial strategy, both to LinkedIn itself and to those of us building networks, but it's definitely interesting.
This article from CIO Magazine talks about Steve Burda having more than 34,000 connections on LI. That's direct connections, not six layers down. That's a LOT of people, though no where near the kind of counts of followers that some of the celebs get on Twitter. Maybe that's good!
I'd call myself a relaxed networker. If you use SQL or read my blog, I'm happy to connect with you. We don't have to meet in person three times or become blood brothers, but I do want my network to be relevant. Everyone gets to decide for themselves and I think no wrong answers, just pick a strategy that fits you.
Imagine though, that you're out of work tomorrow. Which would you rather have, a network of 360or so (me, right now)m, or Steven Burda with 34k? Worth thinking about how you plan to use your network, and equally, how you plan to help your network. If you had to start looking for an employee tomorrow, better to tell 360 people or 34,000?
I'm not convinced yet that I should change to the open network strategy, but it's interesting, and worth thinking about.


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The battle over the future of a new financial watchdog office escalated Thursday with Senate Republicans blocking confirmation of the man President Barack Obama named to head the office and Obama countering by holding out the possibility of appointing the nominee when Congress is on recess.
Senate Republicans were near unanimous in voting to stop a former Ohio attorney general, Richard Cordray, from becoming director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency they said had too much power and too little accountability.
The vote had immediate consequences. Without a director, the agency designed to shield consumers from the excesses behind the 2008 financial crisis is unable to operate at full strength.
Republicans said that until the Obama administration agrees to changes at the agency, they will keep blocking the president's pick from taking charge.
Obama said immediately after the vote that there was no reason to deny Cordray the top spot. He did not rule out a recess appointment, whereby a president makes a temporary appointment to a government post when Congress is not in session. Under such a move, an appointee can serve until the close of the next session of Congress, which would be the end of 2012.
Republicans this year have been successful in stopping the White House from making such appointments.
Obama said his message to the Senate was: "We are not giving up on this. We're going to keep on going at it. We are not going to allow politics as usual on Capitol Hill to stand in the way" of American consumers being protected from unscrupulous financial operators.
Democrats framed the standoff in political terms, saying Republicans wanted to gut an agency created to look out for consumer interests.
"Cordray and consumer protection are being blocked simply because Republicans want to protect Wall Street," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
The vote to overcome the GOP filibuster was 53-45, seven short of the 60 needed to advance the nomination. One Republican, Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, joined Democrats in support of Cordray. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, voted "present."
While the agency officially began business in July, the deadlock limits what it can do. It can oversee existing bank regulations. But without a director, it cannot issue new rules dealing with entities beyond banks, such payday lenders, private student loan providers and mortgage servicers that have been the source of predatory lending practices.
Raj Date, a special adviser to the treasury secretary, said the bureau is "already hard at work, helping to fix broken consumer financial markets." But, he said, "we are only able to supervise banks, not any of the nonbank companies that were responsible for many of the most problematic products and practices leading up to the financial crisis."
The agency was a centerpiece of the financial overhaul bill signed into law last year.
Republicans largely opposed that legislation and have since sought to change some of its provisions. They dismissed Democratic claims that they were favoring Wall Street over Main Street in blocking the highly regarded Cordray, now serving as enforcement chief at the bureau.
There's no disagreement, said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., about the need to bolster consumer protection. "The only real point of contention is whether the new bureau of consumer financial protection will be accountable to the American people," said Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
Last May almost every Republican senator signed a letter to Obama saying they would oppose any bureau nominee until changes were made in its operation.
They're pushing to replace the director with a bipartisan board. They want to subject the bureau, now under the Federal Reserve's jurisdiction, to the congressional appropriations process. They favor giving more banking regulators authority to overrule agency decisions.
"The president knew about these concerns months ago, and he chose to dismiss them," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin, at a White House briefing Wednesday, disputed the argument that the agency lacks accountability. He said it must consult with other bank regulators before issuing rules, has to assess the effect of its rules on small businesses and can have its rules overturned by the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
Responding to GOP demands that Congress control the agency's purse strings, Wolin said no federal bank regulators have congressionally appropriated dollars. "The reason for that is we want to make sure that our bank regulators are free of political influence," he said.
Already this year, one committee in the GOP-led House has voted to slice $200 million from the White House request for the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has a major enforcement role. The House has voted to hold the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees derivatives, to $171 million, less than two-thirds of what Obama sought.
Cordray, a five-time "Jeopardy" champion, was nominated to be the agency's first director in July. Obama bypassed Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard University law professor and consumer advocate who was instrumental in conceiving and setting up the agency.
Warren drew sharp opposition from Republicans who considered her too much of an activist. She is running for a Senate seat against Brown, the only Republican to support Cordray.


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Is this your business? Click here to claim and manage the details.
US Healthworks
Erie, PA 16505
Hours of operation
- not available
About US Healthworks
US Healthworks is an occupation medicine clinic in Erie, PA located at 3010 W Lake Rd.. The hours of operation for this clinic are not known, however most walk-in clinics are open daily and for extended hours. US Healthworks is part of the larger US Healthworks network of occupational health clinics with a total of 154 locations, 0 of which are within 20 miles of Erie, in cities including .
Occupational health clinics like US Healthworks primarily serve as partners to local employers assisting their employees with routine physicals, immunizations and drug screens, as well as non-emergent treatment of workplace injuries and illnesses. Some occ med clinics, as they are casually referred to, may see regular walk-in patients, but most strictly serve partner employers on a contract basis. If you need more general urgent care, the following are the closest centers to this clinic:
- St Vincent Urgent Care West (0.9 mi)
- UPMC Urgent Care - Erie West (1.3 mi)
- MedExpress Urgent Care - Millcreek Township (3.6 mi)
If you are suffering from a true medical emergency, go to the emergency room in Erie, PA or call 911 immediately.
Learn more about US Healthworks
Map and Directions
Get Directions
Ratings and Reviews
Is this your business? Click here to claim and manage the details.


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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Pilgrim's Rest
28 comments:
- Diane said...
What a fabulous place. So interesting. You look very "Out of Africa". xx
- 9:26 pm
- Bovey Belle said...
What a superb holiday you had - so many wonderful places to visit and that store just as it might have been in the 30s and 40s - amazing.
- 9:46 pm
- Hollace said...
I love the way you combine photos, history, literature and a good trek in your posts, whether in England or Africa. So many interesting details of history and custom...
It seems like you were in Africa not too long ago--the pull of the grandkids?
- 10:12 pm
- John said...
'Wheelbarrow' Patterson is certainly a splendid name. I wonder if he got it from the habit of saying the word 'wheelbarrow' for any long, complicated words which he couldn't pronounce. One of my uncles used to do this and he told me that he did it once while reading in church and nobody noticed. His wife said he did no such thing - "There you are," he said "you weren't listening either!"
- 10:23 pm
- Jane said...
So intersting - I quite enjoy having you as my occasional tour guide lol! Love the general store amd I could see myself happily snooping through it. Sobering to think of the many short lives and tragic ends represented in that graveyard.
- 10:43 pm
- Dartford Warbler said...
What a fascinating and atmospheric place to visit.
The 1940s bedroom looks very much like my Granny`s bedroom as I remember it in the 1950s/60s.
- 11:03 pm
- Lynda (Granny K) said...
Fascinating post Rowan! I love the general store, reminds me of the co-op when I was a girl.
- 11:06 pm
- Piecefulafternoon said...
What a fabulous journey - and thank you for the wonderful tour. I learned so much!
- 11:12 pm
- Mary said...
What an interesting place to visit. I only saw the Drakensburg Mtns. from far away - our guide pointed them out on a game drive one morning.
Love the photo of you with Lucy - great hat!
That store would be interesting to sort through - lots of old treasures I'm certain!
Hugs - Mary
- 2:02 am
- Wanda..... said...
I agree you relay such wonderful pieces of history, full of rich detail that make it so interesting to read, Rowan. Plus the lovely photos of wherever you are!
- 3:02 am
- Rowan said...
John - 'Wheelbarrow' Patterson was a gold prospector and got his name because, having received a hefty kick from his donkey, he decided from that point that he would transport all his possessions in a wheelbarrow. He apparently pushed it all the way from the Cape up to Sabie a distance of very nearly 1000 miles! I should have made that part of the post really but it was already getting a bit long:)
- 11:01 am
- Kadeeae said...
Absolutely fascinating post!
Lovely to read, and the photos too. Are you certain you weren't some travel writer in the past, because your writing brings each place alive and makes me want to go too! :)
- 2:12 pm
- Granny Sue said...
Fascinating, Rowan. The graves tell a story, one of a hard place to live and of people willing to try it anyway. The east-west/north-south orientation of the graves is interesting too--I wonder if that is a tradition in other places?
- 2:42 pm
- Mac n' Janet said...
Fascinating post, South Africa is one of those places I've always wanted to visit, so I'm really enjoying your pictures and commentary.
Old gold mining towns are fascinating, I'm from California and can remember visiting some of the old mining towns there.
- 3:29 pm
- Pomona said...
What an amazing place to visit - I should think you had the most wonderful trip.
Pomona x
- 4:34 pm
- Thimbleanna said...
Wow, that's so interesting! I'll bet you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for all the info -- I'll remember that trick about burying the theif in a different direction!
- 4:02 am
- Janet said...
Fascinating! It makes me think of the Gold Rush area here in California. The general store looks like a place I could spend hours just looking at things. And interesting little tidbit about the thief being buried north to south. I've never heard of that.
- 8:17 pm
- Lucy said...
From your photo alone, I would never have realised the Post Office is as old as it is.
Interesting to see a department store without departments!
Large living areas are essential, I reckon. It's sad modern houses don't have proper room in them.
The last photo of the cemetery shows it as stark and beautiful.
What a trip!
- 11:38 pm
Helo Rowan,
I enjoyed your interesting post very much.
Imagine how it must have felt to be the first one to discover gold like Alec "wheelbarow" Patterson and then trying to keep it a secret. It's a wonderful name, I think I'll adopt it as I am always pushing a wheelbarrow either mucking out or gardening!
The old post office is an attractive building and looks so tranquil now but I would like to go back and be a fly on the wall in it's lively gold rush days.
It's funny you should mention Jock in your post as I nearly put Greyfriars Bobby in my post about Edinburgh, it seems special dogs are remembered all over the world.
Thank you for a fantastic tour of Pilgrim's Rest.
- 1:32 pm
- Gracie said...
What a wonderful place. Glad you found it and thanks for sharing it with us. Waiting for more to come.
- 2:33 pm
- laoi gaul~williams said...
oh rowan what a fantastic post~i enjoyed reading it and examining the photos! thank you so much :)
- 2:59 pm
Those pictures are wonderful. I love all the old rooms.
The burial place is very beautiful. The details on the stones are great.
By the way, I love your hat, looks great on you.
Have a fantastic weekend.
- 2:39 pm
- George said...
A fascinating and informative post, Rowan, one that heightens my desire to go to South Africa. Thanks for sharing this with us.
- 12:14 am
- Morning's Minion said...
You wear that hat very well--A gift I don't have, but admire in others.
I enjoy museums which seem to freeze time--as if the occupants of a house or village have just stepped outside for a bit.
- 3:34 am
- Comfrey Cottages said...
What an interesting spot! thank you for sharing all the pictures:) You look lovely in the hat:) xxxx
- 3:35 pm
Loved seeing the photos and reading about your visit.
Enjoyed seeing your photo!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Back Porch!
- 11:23 am
- FireLight said...
Rowan, I truly feel that I have just been on this tour with you!
I echo so many others when I say your work here is the best anywhere in the blogosphere! The names--the store--Jock the dog--the cemetery!! Love the details you share with us! Thank you!
- 2:28 pm
- Carolyn said...
Hi Rowen,
That must have been such a lovely trip=so many interesting things to see!
The general store would be fun to snoop around in and the wild life and waterfalls are lovely to see also.
Thank you for all your sweet comments on my blog.
Take care,
- 12:48 am


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Vanessa Hudgens: I Want an Oscar & Kids in the Future!
Vanessa Hudgens looks glamorous on the cover of Marie Claire's October 2013 issue, on newsstands September 17.
Here is what the 24-year-old Frozen Ground actress had to share with the mag:
On not caring what others think: "I am so comfortable with myself – honing in on what I love and what makes me powerful. Things I've been doing lately, I'm super-proud of. So I don't really care if someone doesn't like it, because I love it."
On being spotted at Coachella indulging in a substance she insisted was white chocolate and not cocaine: "I couldn't do anything but laugh. It's amazing how people like to create something out of absolutely nothing. I am human like everyone else. I am aware that there are people who look up to me. When mistakes are made, they aren't intentional, and I constantly push myself to be a better person."
On what she wants in the future: "A vintage mustang, kids, and an Oscar."
On her family's struggle while she pursued acting: "Money was a big thing. My parents drove me up to L.A., which cost a lot because of gas, and took out loans so that we could move from location to location to be close to L.A. The family definitely struggled. They were very supportive of me. They gave up a lot so that I could get to where I am."
For more from Vanessa, visit MarieClaire.com!


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Measuring the Ocean's Breath: Automated Measurements of Atmospheric Dimethylsulfide (DMS) at Tudor Hill, Bermuda
John Dacey, Biology
OCCI Funded Project: 2010
AbstractGiven the long-standing implication of DMS in the dynamics of aerosols over the world's oceans, there is a distinct need for high-frequency, long-term measurements of this gas in the marine atmosphere. The seminal data describing seasonal aqueous DMS dynamics is centered at Bermuda, making it the perfect place to establish a complementary atmospheric time-series. There is also an established and on-going array of atmospheric measurements including aerosol collection at Tudor Hill on Bermuda, managed by BIOS and supported by NSF. The missing link in aerosol formation between oceanic DMS and its atmospheric oxidation products is the measurement of DMS itself. A system measuring atmospheric DMS at Bermuda would provide a breadth of complementary data unmatched anywhere in the world.
I propose to deploy a fully-automated and calibrated DMS measurement system at Tudor Head. The system will be modeled after a prototype system I have deployed at the NOAA Observatory in Barrow AK. The system will be monitored using a web server on the system's PC, and modifications to protocols and diagnostics will be run by sending commands to the PC by SFTP. Raw data and processed data will be retrieved SFTP. The system will make measurements several times an hour and will include calibrations using standards prepared automatically on-site to span the range of concentrations observed. The system will generate calibrated data at a higher frequency and for a longer time than any previous DMS measurements, allowing unmatched analysis of its dynamics with respect to short and long term changes in ocean biogeochemistry and its effects on aerosols.


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CONYERS, Ga. (AP) — Four children, including an infant, died in a late-night house fire outside Atlanta even as rescuers tried to save them and a fifth child was thrown to safety by his mother, authorities said Wednesday.
The 6-year-old who survived was tossed from a second-floor window as the fire burned Tuesday in a duplex in Conyers, east of Atlanta.
"It saved his life," said Glenn Allen, a spokesman for Georgia's fire commissioner. The thrown child injured his shoulder in the fall.
In all, seven people were in the home: a grandmother, the mother and the five children, Allen said. Allen said the ages of the children who died were 8 months, 3, 5, and 7. Later Wednesday, Rockdale County spokeswoman Tonya Parker said the ages were 7 months, 3, 7, and 9.
The mother was in serious condition at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with second- and third-degree burns on her back and arms, Allen said.
Neighbor Lamonta Stroud, 18, said he ran to the duplex, smashing windows and pleading with the children to come to a bathroom and escape.
"I just started hitting windows, breaking windows, breaking windows, screaming, 'Come to the bathroom, come to the bathroom, I can get you all out. Come to the bathroom, I can get you all out,'" Stroud recalled. "All I heard was stuff cracking and falling and just fire — so much was going on."
He said a little girl was at a window but would not jump, possibly because she was scared.
"There really wasn't that much I could do," Stroud recalled in a soft voice. "I tried."
The surviving child is being treated at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, the Rockdale County Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement.
The children were in one unit of a two-story duplex in the town about 25 miles east of Atlanta. The other unit of the duplex was vacant, Allen said.
Officers arrived on the scene quickly after the fire was reported about 11 p.m. and tried unsuccessfully to put it out with hand-held fire extinguishers, Conyers Police Chief Gene Wilson told WXIA-TV.
By the time firefighters arrive, the home was fully engulfed by flames, said Dan Morgan, chief of Rockdale County Fire and Rescue.
"They had flames coming out at least two windows, one on the back side, and they entered the home, went upstairs and extinguished the fire while another crew retrieved the children and brought them out to try to revive them," Morgan was quoted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying.
There was no indication as to what caused the blaze, Allen said before daybreak Wednesday. Officials said the fire appeared to have started in a bathroom and hallway on the second floor of the home.
The statement from Rockdale County said officials weren't yet certain whether the home had working smoke detectors.
In response to the incident, Rockdale County fire officials will canvass the neighborhood next week for community outreach focused on fire safety, Parker said.
In the statement, Rockdale County CEO and Chairman Richard Oden said, "We will wrap our arms around this family to ensure comfort during this time of tremendous loss." The Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home in Conyers has offered to handle funeral arrangements for the family at no cost, Parker said.
Early Wednesday morning in Kentucky, one adult and four children were killed in a fire in a rural area in the eastern part of the state. Pike County Coroner Russell Roberts said he could not give the ages of those killed.
In Conyers, Stroud said he knew the family well, and one of the girls who died was his sister's best friend.
"All the kids out here are like a family," he said. "And it hurts us all when we see something like this happen. ... It's like my little brothers and sisters are gone now."
Associated Press writers Jeff Martin and Phillip Lucas in Atlanta contributed to this report.


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- Pot Luck -
Tav and I will be bringing her traditional red salsa but adding a verde along with a delicious ceviche! And lest we not forget the homemade refried beans....Bring on Disc Golf Day! Anyone else planning delicacies you would like to share with our gentle readers? My plate will be washed down with a nice Sol or Pacifico myself....perhaps a Modelo?
Awww yisss. Kelly is super cool+cute. I hope they have their super-secret Ethos IPA for samples again. Cinco de Drinko, if you will!
Excitement builds!


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BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Colin Montgomerie said he looked forward to the fun when he joined the Champions Tour.
He was clearly enjoying himself Saturday in the Senior PGA Championship when he made a winding, 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 3-under 68 and a one-stroke lead.
"Bloody great," he said about the birdie putt that took the sting out of a bogey at the 17th hole.
"It was going a bit quick. Thank God the hole got in the way. It was downhill, down grain, but it held its line and went in. It was a joyous occasion in the Montgomerie camp."
Trying to win his first senior major after failing to capture one of golf's four biggest events on the regular tours, the 51-year-old Scot took a 7-under 206 total into the final round at Harbor Shores.
Bernhard Langer, the 56-year-old German star who has won twice this season on the Champions Tour, was a stroke back after a 69 that included a double bogey from a buried lie in a huge sand bunker on the seventh. He will play alongside Montgomerie for the fourth consecutive round Sunday.
Marco Dawson, Bart Bryant and Kiyoshi Murota were tied for third at 5 under. Dawson had a 64, the best round of the tournament. Bryant and Murota shot 70.
Montgomerie, who said he has nothing to prove to anybody or himself in golf, is trying to win an official event for the first time on U.S. soil. He does have victories in the country in the 1998 Andersen Consulting World Championship and 2000 Skins Game.
"So I came here to enjoy one's self," he said. "I would like to win wherever that might be. It would be great to try and win in America. I always felt to win in America is a very difficult thing to do, on an away patch, on golf courses that are usually suited to the American style of play."
Langer, a two-time Masters champion, has 20 victories on the 50-and-over — including majors at the 2010 U.S. Senior Open and Senior British Open. He's looking forward to playing with Montgomerie again, and has a plan.
"I still need to play very aggressive, smart aggressive as I call it, and take my chances because Colin is playing very solid golf and there's a whole bunch of other guys," he said. "If any of them post a 6 or 7 under in front of us, then we have our work cut out to just stay in touch."
Tom Watson, among the six-way tie for first through 36 holes, had a 72 to drop four shots behind.
Dawson made the biggest move of the day with nine birdies. He said the bounces went his way on the tricky Jack Nicklaus-designed greens.
"You're going to get some luck and you're going to get some bad luck," he said. "You just have to be patient on the greens."
John Cook, who last week in the Regions Tradition lost the lead on a double-hit confirmed later by video, birdied three of the final four holes for a 68 to join Watson, Jay Haas (70), David Frost (69) and Gary Hallberg (70) at 3 under.
Cook said another good round will be needed to make up ground on Montgomerie and Langer.
"Those guys have won a lot of tournaments, so it's not like somebody's up there that shouldn't be there," he said. "You've got to keep them in sight and kind of pick your spots."
Kenny Perry, who won the Regions Tradition for his third Champions Tour major title in less than a year, was five strokes back at 2 under after a 66. Two years ago at Harbor Shores in the 2012 Senior PGA, he set a championship and course record with a final-round 62.
"I think what I'm going to need to do is shoot another 62," Perry said. "At least I've got a shot. At least I shot a number today to put me in some kind of position. If I shoot one of those miracle rounds tomorrow, I can do it."


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|Board Email:
|Board Phone:
|(803) 896-4770
|Doris Cubitt, CPA
|Assistant Administrator:
|Susanna Sharpe, CPA
|Board Staff:
|Chelsea Buchanan
|Board Staff:
|Johnnie Rose
|Board Staff:
|Courtney Wise
|Advice Counsel:
|Mary League   **
|110 Centerview Dr, Columbia SC
**The Office of Advice Counsel is responsible for
providing legal advice to all Boards, Commissions
and Panels. These attorneys do not provide legal
advice to parties outside LLR.
Section 40-2-35 of the South Carolina Law provides:
(A) The board shall grant a license to practice as a certified public accountant to persons who make application and demonstrate:
(1) at least one hundred fifty semester hours of college education, including a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, with the total educational program including an accounting concentration or equivalent; and
(2) a passing score on a standardized test of accounting knowledge, skills, and abilities approved by the board and comparable to the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination prepared by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and
(3) a passing score on an examination in professional ethics as approved by the board and an affidavit by the candidate acknowledging that he or she has read the statute and regulations governing the practice of accountancy in South Carolina and subscribes both to the spirit and letter of the statute and regulations and agrees to observe them faithfully in the performance of his or her professional work; and
(4) appropriate experience, which may include:
(a) at least one year of accounting experience satisfactory to the board in public, governmental, or private employment under the direct supervision and review of a certified public accountant or public accountant licensed to practice accounting in some state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia; or
(b) at least five years' experience teaching accounting in a college or university recognized by the board; or
(c) any combination of experience determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to the foregoing; and
(5) evidence of good moral character, which means lack of a history of dishonest or felonious acts.
(B) To meet the educational requirement as part of the one hundred fifty semester hours of education, the applicant must demonstrate successful completion of:
(1) at least thirty-six semester hours of accounting in courses that are applicable to a baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral degree and which cover financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, and auditing, of which at least twenty-four semester hours must be taught at the junior level or above; and
(2) at least thirty-six semester hours of business courses that are applicable to a baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral degree and which may include macro and micro economics, finance, business law, management, computer science, marketing, and accounting hours not counted in item (1).
(C) The board shall accept a transcript from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or another regional accrediting association having the equivalent standards or an independent senior college in South Carolina certified by the State Department of Education for teacher training, and accounting and business programs accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or any other accrediting agency having equivalent standards. Official transcripts signed by the college or university registrar and bearing the college or university seal must be submitted to demonstrate education and degree requirements. Photocopies of transcripts must not be accepted.
Regulation 1-01 provides:
(A) Completed application for licensure shall be submitted on forms provided by the Board. All fees must accompany the application.
(B) In order for an application to be considered, it must be complete, and all questions must be answered.
(C) The Board shall accept any college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and any other accrediting association having the equivalent standards or any independent senior college in South Carolina certified by the State Department of Education for teaching training.
(D) Until the licensee candidate has completed twenty four (24) semester hours of acceptable accounting education as described in 40-2-35(D)(3)(a), the candidate cannot earn qualifying experience for licensure.
Effective November 1, 2006 the required Ethics course is "Professional Ethics: The AICPA's Comprehensive Course" with a passing grade of 90 or above. Anyone requesting licensure by examination must complete the course and have AICPA send a copy of the grade report to us. If you are applying for licensure by reciprocity and your original license was issued less than four years ago, you must take the ethics course.
If your original license was issued four or more years ago, you do not have to take the ethics course.
After the experience has been approved the applicant will be asked to complete either a Licensing Application After Examination form or a Certificate Application form which must be returned together with a check or money for a total of $100 ($20 for the Certificate and $80 for License Fee).


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HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's highest court on Friday ordered President Robert Mugabe to hold elections by the end of July, chiding the longtime leader for what it said was a "violation of his duties" in not proclaiming a date for the vote earlier.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku said the election date should be linked to the automatic dissolution of Zimbabwe's parliament on June 29 at the end of its current five-year term.
A new constitution overwhelmingly accepted in a March 16 referendum requires amendments to electoral laws and voting procedures that lawyers' groups say need about two months to complete.
Veritas, an independent legal research group, said Friday that the court's July date is impractical.
A lawsuit was brought to the court on May 24 to force Mugabe to call early polls. The private court application claimed the country could not be run without the existence of the parliament, rendering the government illegal.
But Veritas said the constitution allows for the executive arm and government ministries to continue operating without a sitting parliament for up to four months after the legislature dissolves on June 29.
Judge Chidyausiku, sitting alongside eight senior judges in the Constitutional Court, said their ruling ordered elections to be held by July 31. He described Mugabe's failure to announce the election date as "a violation of his duties."
Two judges dissented.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader in a shaky coalition with Mugabe after violent and disputed elections in 2008, wants a vote that would end their power-sharing agreement to be held in September at the earliest.
Tsvangirai said in a statement Friday that the court had no power to set an election date and the judges had "overstepped their mandate."
Zimbabweans still expect electoral and wider reforms along with an intensive voter registration campaign "that would not have anyone unnecessarily disenfranchised" in the upcoming elections, he said.
The judgment was not available later Friday for legal experts to comment. But they did say an appeal cannot be made on the Constitutional Court's ruling and only parliament can pass a law to overturn it.
Mugabe's fractious ZANU-PF party has repeatedly called for early polls to endorse Mugabe, 89, for another five-year presidential term. Mugabe led the nation to independence from colonial rule in 1980.
The new constitution limits the presidential office to two five-year terms but is not retroactive, allowing Mugabe if re-elected to serve up to age 99.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to host the U.N. World Tourism Organization summit in mid-August. An estimated 2,000 foreign delegates are expected to attend and a bitterly contested poll shortly before would likely raise concerns among organizers.
Previous elections since 2000 have been marred by violence, political intimidation and allegations of vote-rigging.
Veritas said disobeying a constitutional court ruling could lead to contempt of court proceedings. But contempt charges in the past against at least two of Mugabe's senior ministers were ignored and no further action was taken.


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Do you use your smartphone to carry out your social media marketing while you're away from your desk?
Are you looking for apps to make you more productive?
Finding apps to help us perform our day-to-day tasks has become more important than ever.
In this post, I'll give you 26 tips, an A-Z guide for using smartphone apps to boost your efficiency, no matter where you are.
#1: Access and Review Analytics
The convenience of accessing analytics wherever you are makes it easy to keep up with data-driven projects in real time.
The analytics apps I suggest show your important key performance indicators (KPIs), how users are finding your website, visitor paths and so much more.


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10 team standard scoring with the addition of Quality Starts
i feel like i could package a few players to upgrade somewhere what would you do ? if anything what would you do ?
C- Wilin Rosario Col, Salvador Perez KC
1B- Joey Votto Cin, David Ortiz Bos
2B-Chase Utly Phi
SS- Hanley Ramirez LAD(DL) , Asdrubal Cabrera Cle, Jean Segura Mil, Andrelton Simmons ATL (im gonna drop simmons for either Wade Davis or Qunitina CWS
3B- Evan Longoria TB , Will Middlebrooks Bos
OF- Giancarlo Stanton Mia, Jay Bruce Cin Hunter Pence SF
SP - Zack Greinke LAD, Yovani Gallardo MIL, Mat Latos Cin, Matt Moore TB, Julio Teheran, A.J. griffin OAK,
RP- Chris Perez CLE , Greg Holland KC, Bobby Parnell NYM, Andrew Baily BOS
im going to drop simmons for a starting pitcher but do you think i should try and package some players to upgrade at one position? such as dealing Cabrera and middlebrooks for an upgrade in the OF ? .... or a SP alsoo Brandon Moss is a free agent should i add him even tho i think i have enough power and rbi


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PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland-based advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy decided to make a political statement in Pioneer Courthouse Square – with some baloney sandwiches.
The company brought a gold-and-black food cart to the downtown gathering spot, decorated to resemble Trump Tower.
"There's a new food truck in town," Wieden+Kennedy tweeted Friday afternoon. "It's specialty: BS."
Sandwiches included the "Middle-Class Hero," the "Border-Security Hero" and the "Tell-it-like-it-is Hero." Sandwiches - all of which were a piece of baloney on white bread - came wrapped in gold paper with a statement about the Republican presidential candidate.
"At Wieden+Kennedy, we pride ourselves on being a place where we can be our true selves regardless of our beliefs and backgrounds. That applies to political affiliation," a spokesperson for the company said. "As a creative company, we strive to make work that is culturally relevant and lives in many places. This metaphor is intended to be a light-hearted and theatrical creative expression of Trump's candidacy."
The company was promoting the truck with the hashtag #trumpservesbs.
A long line of people lined up for free sandwiches Friday afternoon. If you missed it, the cart will also be open Saturday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
There are no plans for a similar Hillary Clinton-themed stunt, a spokesperson said.
There is a new food truck in town. Its specialty: BS #TrumpServesBS
A video posted by Wieden+Kennedy (@wiedenkennedy) on


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Welcome to West Atlantic newsroom. Here you will find West Atlantic news and press releases, as well as contact information to our media spokespeople.
West Atlantic Interim Report Q3, 2017 Published
West Atlantic AB (publ) Financial interim report for the period January – September 2017, for the Group and Parent Company.
Financial Interim Report Q3, 2017 English
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West Atlantic discloses the information contained in this interim report pursuant to the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instrument Trading Act.
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Real Help for Real Homeschoolers
On this page:
Relevant & Useful | Encouraging & Inspiring | Practical & Long-Lasting | Not Just for Mom!
Here at Home School Enrichment, we believe homeschooling is the best lifestyle a Christian family can have. And, we want you to experience that joy and fulfillment throughout your entire homeschool journey! Keep reading for just a few topics we've covered to help keep the joy in your homeschool!
Relevant and Useful
Most of our authors are homeschool parents themselves, so you know you're getting tried-and-true ideas that work in the real world of homeschooling. Here are just a few of the topics we've covered in past issues:
Encouraging and Inspiring
Homeschooling can be tough sometimes, so we all need regular doses of encouragement and inspiration to keep our focus clear. That's why each issue of Home School Enrichment is filled with uplifting articles and Biblical advice to keep our perspective what it ought to be, to help you keep going strong, all year long!
I love the encouragement that I have received from each issue. I feel that it really hits the heart of home school issues and helps me feel more confident in the path that we have chosen for our family.
Practical and Long-Lasting
Home School Enrichment Magazine isn't a magazine you'll read once and then throw away. We hear from readers all the time who keep their issues handy for years, so they can refer back to the practical, real-life teaching ideas and encouragement. Each issue of HSE is a long-lasting resource that you'll keep coming back to again and again!
Just wanted to let you know that your magazine is in my humble opinion the best homeschool resource out there. I have just been going through back issues of all my homeschool magazines, searching for things to aid my teaching this year. I have found three times as much useful stuff in yours than in any other...
Not Just for Mom!
We want each issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine to have something for every member of your family! So while Mom may be the first one to go through each issue when it arrives, Dad and the kids will probably also wind up with it somewhere along the line! Your kids especially will love the special articles we include just for them, like History and Heritage and Inventions That Changed the World. And lots of Dads get a real kick out of helping with the hands-on projects included in each issue!
I enjoyed [the magazine] - and noticed that my husband picked it up & was reading it & commenting on the articles too!
Thanks for the great magazine! The whole family looks forward to its arrival.
Money-back Guarantee
We're confident Home School Enrichment Magazine will encourage and help you in your homeschool. But if for any reason you're not satisfied, just call us at 1-800-558-9523 and let us know - we'll refund your money for all unmailed issues, no muss, no fuss. But since beginning publication in January of 2003, we could count the number of refunds we've given on one hand, proving that Home School Enrichment Magazine really is useful to real homeschoolers!
How to Subscribe
We've tried to make it really easy to subscribe to Home School Enrichment Magazine. So, there are three easy ways to order:
- Online: Just click here!
- By phone: Call us toll-free at 800-558-9523
- By mail: Mail-in order form coming soon!


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Approximate Measurements
Artwork Panel: 45cm x 69cm ≈ 17¾" x 27¼"
Silk/Brocade: 54.2cm x 124.3cm ≈ 21¼" x 49"
Width at Wooden Knobs: 63.2cm ≈ 24¾"Information about caring for your wall scroll
Close up view of the artwork mounted to this silk brocade wall scroll
This artwork features two curious kittens in a basket.
This cute Chinese kittens wall scroll is titled "Fresh and New" or simply "Freshness".
This is one of a handful of kittens and butterfly paintings that I picked up on a trip to Jinan, in Shandong Province (about five hours by train from my home in Beijing).
After several taxi rides to the wrong place, I find an underground art market in Jinan, full of artists' galleries and studios. There are probably 100 artists in the place, many of them busy at work, painting and creating.
I look at all of their work, and spend several days looking through many paintings.
As I take my time walking around, these paintings really catch my eye. They are higher quality that most and the attention to detail is excellent. I look through all of them and buy what I feel are the best of the bunch. I also know that this style will be very popular, and perhaps I will finally please the dozens of women who have emailed me looking for cats or kittens done in traditional watercolor.
The artist's name is (Wang Xia).
She learned to paint from her uncle at a very young age. She perfected her traditional Chinese painting techniques after several years of study and practice. But she felt a calling to do more contemporary art. Torn between the two styles, she combined traditional techniques with contemporary themes.
This has really paid off for her...
Through the years, she has received several awards at national art competitions in China.
One of her "Cats and Butterflies" paintings received an award for excellence at the 1995 International Competition for Arts held in Tokyo, Japan.
Her works were also collected and put on display at the "Famous Artists Exhibition" in honor of the 45th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
This painting has a lot of detail, from whiskers, to the fur. All is done in a time-consuming effort with a very fine brush. It is not a style of painting that can be done quickly, and rather takes several hours to complete one painting.
This item was listed or modified
Apr 28th, 2013
Gary's random little things about China:
If you are from my generation, you may remember the video game called "Frogger". It involved crossing a busy road while narrowly dodging cars and truck, often both in front of and behind you at the same time.
Well you can play real live Frogger every time you cross the street in China. It is perfectly normal to cross a four or six-lane road, one lane at a time. You stand motionless on the white, dashed line between lanes as cars and trucks whiz by you on both sides with only inches to spare. When the next lane is clear, you advance (there is no retreat in this game, that could get you killed, since drivers in China would never expect that).
If you did this in America, drivers would come to a screeching halt and think you were crazy (they might even tell you so, using colorful words and hand gestures). It is simply a different culture, or rather a different way of doing things in modern Chinese culture.
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Heard Around the West
For sheer excitement, read the current issue of boatman's quarterly review, published "more or less quarterly" by that elite group, Grand Canyon River Guides. A special 25-page section revisits the dangerous spring of 1983, when an unusually snowy winter was followed by a May snowstorm and suddenly warming temperatures. Roaring like a freight train, snowmelt filled every tributary and barreled toward the Colorado River. For the Bureau of Reclamation, the urgent question was whether Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Ariz., could release enough water downstream before water flowed over the dam. The turbulent water had already damaged one spillway - floodwater digging down 11 feet to bedrock - but a temporary fix seemed to be working: Hastily erected plywood panels held back Lake Powell. But below the dam, a new river had been born, one that boatmen and kayakers had never experienced. They expected the Colorado to run at 6,000 to 12,000 cubic feet per second; now it had begun to boil at 72,000 cfs, 93,000 cfs and maybe even 100,000 cfs.
It was early May when Jeff Aronson decided to check out Glen Canyon Dam before taking passengers out. The dam shuddered, though its spillways were silent, he recalled, "after chunks of rock the size of apartment buildings were observed flying out." Some 45,000 cfs were being released by the dam, he said, while "the water, already at the dam's brim, continues to rise inches daily in a lake nearly 200 miles long." Nonetheless, Aronson launched in June and hadn't gone far when a chopper appeared overhead. From it fell a Ziploc baggie, weighted with river sand and tied with a red ribbon. The warning from Park Ranger Kim Crumbo read: "Glen Canyon Dam released 65,000 cfs this A.M. Should reach you in about seven hours. Camp high, stay safe. Love, the Park Service."
With no choice, Aronson continued, but stopped to scout the always-dangerous Crystal Rapids. There was, he saw, only one way through a boat-eating hole. He and his fellow boatmen were scared, and their clients knew it: "They can't read rapids, but they can read us." Everyone watched as a boat from another company slid inexorably into the gigantic hole: "I hadn't expected two-inch webbing to sound like that when it snapped. Artillery explosions. The boat disappears, tubes flailing wildly. Entirely gone. … Lifejackets appear a hundred yards downstream, thankfully containing heads." Aronson reports that his boat made it through safely, with everyone still aboard. Later, he got the bad news about the other boat: "Some broken bones. One dead. Older gentleman. Swam 10 miles."
Scott Thybony tells an equally harrowing story about Georgie White, who carried 30 passengers in a makeshift barge of three rafts hitched together. "Like a hot dog in a bun," the massive raft usually could power through any water, but the Colorado River a quarter-century ago was a different beast. The raft hit a hole and people began to pop out of it - "not only were they catapulted out - they were also catapulted through the boat between the pontoons. It was just crazy." Somehow, everybody survived, though some were hypothermic and others throwing up, and a few were crying and convinced their families were dead. The magazine, boatman's quarterly review, is based in Flagstaff, Ariz., and can be reached by e-mail: [email protected]
A cute little car is coming to America from Europe, where it's been around for a decade. Portland has already bought three. Manufacturer Mercedes calls it the "Smart fortwo" since it's a good fit for two people. The Smart car gets 45 miles to the gallon and is just over 5 feet wide and only 8.8 feet long - 7 feet shorter than a Ford Explorer. Thanks to its "Lilliputian size," says Governing magazine, a Smart car can take up only half a parking space by nosing into a curb. This poses a knotty dilemma for city officials: Should they charge Smart car drivers the same parking fee as a pickup?
Over the years, reporter Scott McMillion of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle has been collecting quotes from the always-quotable Ted Turner, the multi-state bison-rancher and former media-mogul. Here's Turner on illegal immigration: "It's kind of unfortunate that the United States is building a Berlin Wall across our border with Mexico. Remember, Reagan said: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.' And by God, they did tear it down, too. I don't like walls between countries."
On bison and women: "Every time I've brought new ones (bison) into a pasture, they've broke the fences down just to see what was on the other side. Once they saw it was not as good on the other side, they stayed around. It's like, if you take good care of your wife, she won't leave you."
And on global warming: "People like to live close to the ocean, but they don't want to live under it."
Betsy Marston is editor of Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News in Paonia, Colorado. Tips of Western oddities are always appreciated and often shared in the column, Heard around the West.


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|MLB Career Stats
|Inland Empire
|21st in NL
|15th in NL
|7th in NL
|17th in NL
|18th in NL
|19th in NL
|6th in NL
|11th in NL
|8th in NL
|22nd in NL
|October 29, 2014
|RHP James McDonald elected free agency.
|March 30, 2014
|Chicago Cubs placed RHP James McDonald on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to February 13, 2014. Right shoulder inflammation
|February 13, 2014
|Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP James McDonald.
|September 13, 2013
|RHP James McDonald elected free agency.
|September 12, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent James McDonald outright to Indianapolis Indians.
|September 7, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates designated James McDonald for assignment.
|September 4, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to Indianapolis Indians.
|September 1, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to Bradenton Marauders.
|August 19, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to GCL Pirates.
|July 12, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates transferred RHP James McDonald from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Discomfort in right shoulder.
|June 6, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to Indianapolis Indians.
|May 27, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to Altoona Curve.
|May 7, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates placed RHP James McDonald on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 1, 2013. Discomfort in right shoulder.
|August 2, 2010
|Pittsburgh Pirates activated RHP James McDonald.
|July 31, 2010
|Pittsburgh Pirates Traded RHP Octavio Dotel to Los Angeles Dodgers; Los Angeles Dodgers Traded RHP James McDonald to Pittsburgh Pirates and Chattanooga Lookouts Traded LF Andrew Lambo to Altoona Curve.
|July 19, 2010
|Los Angeles Dodgers recalled James McDonald from Albuquerque Isotopes.
|June 28, 2010
|James McDonald roster status changed by Albuquerque Isotopes.
|June 22, 2010
|Albuquerque Isotopes sent RHP James McDonald on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers.
|May 27, 2010
|Albuquerque Isotopes placed RHP James McDonald on the 7-day disabled list. strained right hamstring
|April 29, 2010
|Albuquerque Isotopes activated RHP James McDonald from the 7-day disabled list.
|April 19, 2010
|Albuquerque Isotopes placed RHP James McDonald on the 7-day disabled list. broken fingernail on right hand
|March 20, 2010
|Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP James McDonald to Albuquerque Isotopes.
|October 26, 2009
|James McDonald roster status changed by Los Angeles Dodgers.
|October 7, 2009
|Los Angeles Dodgers reassigned RHP James McDonald to the minor leagues.
|June 20, 2009
|Los Angeles Dodgers recalled RHP James McDonald from Albuquerque Isotopes.
|May 15, 2009
|Los Angeles Dodgers optioned James McDonald to Albuquerque Isotopes.
James, who has pitched in all or part of six major league seasons with the Dodgers (2008-10) and Pirates (2010-13), signed a one-year major league deal with Chicago in February ... he is a non-roster invitee to major league Spring Training... Is 32-30 with a 4.20 ERA (239 ER/512.1 IP) in 131 career minor league games, including 82 starts ... has pitched primarily out of the starting rotation since August of 2010 after he was acquired by Pittsburgh from the Dodgers with outfielder Andrew Lambo for pitcher Octavio Dotel... Is 28-26 with a 4.32 ERA (218 ER/454.0 IP) in 82 career starts ... is 4-4 with a 3.24 ERA (21 ER/58.1 IP) in 49 relief appearances, with 48 of those outings coming with the Dodgers from 2008-10... Made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2008, and made two appearances in the NLCS vs. the Phillies ... spun 5.1 scoreless innings... Named the Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 2007 and 2008... Earned mid-season California League All-Star honors in 2007 ... was named a Southern League mid-season All-Star in 2008... Began his pro career in 2003 as a pitcher before playing in the outfield for the majority of the next two seasons, including all of 2004 with the Rookie League GCL Dodgers... Selected by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2002 draft... Is a 2002 graduate of Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High School, the same school that produced Chase Utley and Tony Gwynn ... also played briefly for Golden West College in 2003 before signing with the Dodgers... His father, James, played tight end in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams ... is a first cousin of Cubs outfielder Darnell McDonald.2013
In his final season with the Pirates, James missed a majority of the season with a right shoulder strain, making just six starts before landing on the shelf, May 2 ... made 10 rehab outings (nine starts) with four clubs, but would remain on the D.L. through the end of the season... Opened the season with Pittsburgh and was 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA (19 ER/29.2 IP) in six starts before landing on the disabled list ... walked 20 and struck out 25 in his six outings... Combined to go 1-4 with a 6.55 ERA (24 ER/33.0 IP) in 10 minor league rehab games (nine starts), spanning two stretches: May 27-June 21 with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis and August 19-September 1 with the Rookie League GCL Pirates and Single-A Bradenton... Walked 15 and struck out 20 in his rehab assignments ... surrendered four home runs... Was reinstated from the D.L. and designated for assignment, September 7 ... outrighted, September 12, and filed for free agency the next day.2012 Established career highs in wins and strikeouts...Posted the identical amount of innings pitched and earned runs from a year ago...Ranked second on the pitching staff in starts and strikeouts...Tied for second in wins and innings pitched...Went 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA and a .199 batting average against in 14 starts at PNC Park...Posted a 7-1 record and a 2.12 ERA (59.1ip/14er) in nine starts against the five N.L. playoff teams, including a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA (13.0ip) in two starts against St. Louis...Went 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA (110.0ip/29er) in 17 games prior to the All-Star break and 3-5 with a 7.52 ERA (61.0ip/51er) in 13 games after the break...Struck out 10 batters while winning his first game on 4/30 at Atlanta (fifth start)...Struck out as a pinch hitter during 12- inning game on 5/13 vs. Houston...Took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and struck out a career-high 11 batters in 5-3 win at Washington on 5/17...His 1.54 ERA during the month of May was the second-lowest in the National League behind San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong (1.51)...Had the second-lowest ERA in the N.L. (2.04) when he took the mound for his 12th start on 6/9 vs. Kansas City...Tossed first Major League complete game on 6/21 vs. Minnesota...Became the only Pittsburgh starter since 1900 to allow three or fewer runs in each of his first 14 starts of a season; streak was snapped when he gave up four runs in an 11-7 victory on 6/27 at Philadelphia...Served as a pinch runner on 7/3 vs. Houston...Struck out 10 batters and did not walk a batter in 7.0ip while winning his ninth game on 7/7 vs. San Francisco; first Bucco pitcher since Doug Drabek on 4/22/88 vs. the Cubs to win a game with 10-or-more strikeouts and no walks at home...Won four straight starts from 6/21 to 7/7 and won eight of his nine decisions from 5/17 thru 7/18...Had a 7-1 lead after four innings on 8/10 vs. San Diego, but received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 9-8 loss that night (4.1ip/7er)...Tossed 6.0 scoreless frames and gave up just two hits while winning his 11th game on 8/17 at St. Louis...Singled as a pinch hitter and scored a run in the 17th innings during Pittsburgh's 19-inning win at St. Louis on 8/19...Suffered loss at San Diego on 8/22...Won final game on 8/28 vs. St. Louis after allowing just two hits and striking out six batters in 7.0 scoreless innings...Went 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA (12.0ip/14er) in his last three starts...Made final appearance in relief and failed to retire a batter while giving up three runs on 9/21 at Houston; his first relief appearance with Pittsburgh and his first since 7/29/10 with Los Angeles (had made 71 straight starts)...The Pirates were shut out in each of his first three losses and scored a total of eight runs in his eight losses overall...Posted a 6.83 ERA (29.0ip/22er) and gave up 20 walks and nine home runs while pitching in the 1st inning...Went 7-for-49 (.143) with an RBI, six sacrifice bunts and eight runs scored as a batter; went 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter. 2011 Led Pirates in starts and strikeouts while spending first full season as a starting pitcher...His 142 K's were the most by a Pittsburgh righthander since Ian Snell led the team with 177 in 2007...Went 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA (93.0ip/22er) in 16 starts at PNC Park...Left six of his starts with a lead only to have the bullpen suffer a blown save...Did not pitch in an official spring training game after leaving his start on 3/11 due to soreness in his left side...Made his regular season debut in the fifth game and received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 3-2 loss at St. Louis on 4/5 (4.2ip/2er)...Gave up four runs to the Rockies in the 1st inning on 4/9, but left the game with a 5-4 lead and two outs in the 7th before Mike Crotta surrendered three walks and a hit while Colorado scored twice to pull out the 6-5 victory...Suffered first loss on 4/16 at Cincinnati (4.1ip/7r/6er)...Gave up eight runs in 3.0ip and lost second decision on 4/21 at Florida...Pitched 6.0 scoreless innings while winning first game on 4/27 vs. San Francisco...Was also victorious in next start on 5/2 at San Diego (6.0ip/2er)...Tossed 6.0 scoreless frames and left game on 5/8 vs. Houston with a 2-0 lead, but received a no-decision in 5-4 Bucco victory...Posted a 2.86 ERA in six starts during the month of May...Tied career high with five walks issued on 6/5 vs. Philadelphia...Won career-high four straight decisions from 6/11 thru 7/25...Produced a 12.2 scoreless innings streak from 7/19- 30...Struck out career-high nine batters while winning a 3-1 decision at Atlanta on 7/25...Went 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA in August, but left three other games with a lead...Won final game on 9/5 vs. Houston...Went 0-2 with a 7.10 ERA (12.2ip/10er) in his last three starts... Went 5-for-55 (.091) with a double, three RBI and five sacrifice bunts at the plate...Tallied his first career RBI with a three-run double off Chicago's Rodrigo Lopez on 8/4. 2010 Began season with Albuquerque (Dodgers' AAA)...Allowed one run in 5.0 innings and received a no-decision on Opening Day at Oklahoma City; the Isotopes won 6-3 in 13 innings...Left his start on 4/18 after 1.0 inning and was placed on the disabled list the next day with a broken finger nail on his right hand...Earned first win of the season in first game off disabled list with 5.0 scoreless innings on 4/29 vs. Round Rock...Was charged with only loss after allowing three runs in 5.0 innings on 5/4 at Memphis...Allowed seven runs in 5.2ip, but came away with a no-decision in 12-11 loss at Salt Lake...Went 5-0 in final seven Triple-A starts...Worked 5.0 scoreless innings and earned the win on 5/26 vs. Reno...Was placed on the disabled list the next day with a right hamstring strain...Began a rehab assignment with the Arizona League Dodgers on 6/22...Allowed one earned run in a combined 5.2 innings over two starts on rehab...Was reinstated from the disabled list on 7/1...Allowed a combined five earned runs in 17.0 innings in final three starts with Albuquerque...Was recalled by the Dodgers on 7/19...Made lone start with Los Angeles that night vs. San Francisco and suffered the loss (5.0ip/9h/4r/4er)...Made final three appearances in relief for the Dodgers before being acquired by Pittsburgh on 7/31...Made first start with Pirates on 8/5 vs. Colorado and struck out career-high eight batters while pitching 6.0 scoreless frames in 5-1 victory...Suffered loss in his next start on 8/11 at San Diego (4.2ip/4er) before winning a 7-1 decision vs. Florida on 8/16 (7.0ip/1er)...Walked career-high five batters in a 5-1 loss vs. New York (NL) on 8/21...Lost three straight starts from 8/21 thru 9/1...Tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a 5-0, combined shutout vs. Atlanta on 9/7...Pitched a career-high 8.0 innings, but received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 1-0 loss in 10 innings at New York (NL) on 9/13...Tossed 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings between 9/1-18 - the longest such streak by a Bucco pitcher since Zach Duke in 2005 (22.0ip)...Went 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA (30.0ip/6er) in his last five starts and posted a 2.31 ERA (35.0ip/9er) in six starts after giving up six runs on 8/27 at Milwaukee...Went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 15 combined games (12 starts) with the Dodgers and Pirates...Went 1-for-20 at the plate with Pittsburgh and 1-for-21 overall...Doubled off Arizona's Barry Enright for first Major League hit on 9/18 at PNC Park; snapped an 0-for-26 start to his batting career. 2009 Earned a spot on his first Major League roster and spent nearly the entire season with the Dodgers, going 5-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 45 games (four starts)...Made his first big league start on April 10 at Arizona, but lasted just 2.1 innings after giving up five runs...Picked up his first Major League win on April 25 at Colorado after getting the start and tossing 5.0 innings at Coors Field...Dodger reliever Ramon Troncoso earned his first save that day, making the duo the first set of Dodger pitchers to accomplish this feat since April 8, 2005, when Steve Schmoll picked up his first career victory and Yhency Brazoban rescued his first contest...(Source: Elias)...Was in the starting rotation for the month of April and made four starts, going 1-1 with an 8.78 ERA (13 ER/13.1 IP) in those games...Permanently moved to the bullpen after April and flourished, going 4-4 with a 2.72 ERA (15 ER/49.2 IP) in 41 games...Was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 14 and was recalled on June 19...while with the Isotopes, went 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA (11 ER/30.1 IP) over six starts...struck out 40 and walked just 14...Had a 2.78 ERA in 22 games at home as opposed to a 5.28 mark on the road in 23 games...On the year, the opposition hit .254 against him...left-handers batted just .213...did not allow a home run to a left-handed batter all season over 94 at-bats...Batters were just 4-for-22 (.182) against him with runners in scoring position and two out...Worked a season-high 3.0 innings out of the bullpen on Sept. 15 vs. Pittsburgh...pitched a scoreless 10th, 11th and 12th frame and the Dodgers won it in the 13th 2008 Won the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award for the second year in a row, going 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA in a combined 27 games (26 starts) with Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A Las Vegas...Was promoted to Los Angeles as a September call-up for his Major League debut, and tossed 6.0 scoreless innings over four appearances...Went 5-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 22 starts with Jacksonville, and was a mid-season Southern League All-Star...was promoted to Las Vegas on August 4, and went 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in five games (four starts) there...allowed three runs or less in 22 of his 26 starts overall...His 3.19 ERA with Jacksonville ranked second in the Southern League, and his 113 strikeouts ranked ninth...struck out 141 batters in 141.0 innings overall with Jacksonville and Las Vegas...struck out 10 in both of his first two Triple-A starts...Was voted as having the best changeup in the SL in Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" survey of league managers and coaches...Earned SL Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of May 5-11, when he went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA (2 ER/13.0 IP) in two starts... went 2-1 with a 3.82 ERA (14 ER/33.0 IP) in six starts in May to share Jacksonville's Dodger Pride Award for the month with right-hander Jesus Castillo...also posted stellar numbers in June, going 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA (7 ER/35.0 IP) in six starts...Tossed a scoreless fourth inning for the South All-Stars in the SL All-Star Game...struck out two, and allowed a hit and a walk...Had entered the 2008 season as the club's No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America...Was placed on the Dodgers' Division Series roster...also made the NLCS roster, and tossed 5.1 scoreless innings in two appearances against the Phillies...struck out five in 3.1 innings in Game 2 on October 10 2007 Made 16 appearances (15 starts) for Single-A Inland Empire before being promoted to Double-A Jacksonville...was 6-7 with a 3.95 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 82.0 innings for Inland Empire...excelled at Jacksonville, going 7-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 10 starts...named the Dodger Minor League Pitcher of the Year...had a combined record of 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched between Double-A and Single-A...named the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in May...went 4-0 with a 1.84 ERA (6 ER/29.1 IP) in five starts...led all Dodger minor leaguers with 35 strikeouts while walking only six batters...held opposing hitters to a .184 batting average...put together back-to-back outstanding starts on May 11 and May 16, going 7.0 scoreless inings and allowing just three hits in both contests...On May 27, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Rancho Cucamonga before yielding a leadoff single...struck out 11 batters, which had been his career high at the time...retired the first 14 batters he faced in the contest...struck out a career-high 13 batters in only 5.1 innings pitched on June 24 vs. San Jose...named the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in July...finished the month 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA (7 ER/25.2 IP) in five games for Double-A Jacksonville and Single-A Inland Empire...won four consecutive starts from July 29-Aug. 14...was 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER/23 IP) and 38 strikeouts. 2006 Spent entire season with Single-A Columbus...Was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher-of-the-Week for the week of 8/28 to 9/4...Ended the season without allowing a run in his last 20.0 innings. 2005 Began season as an outfielder with Rookie Level Ogden...Went 19-for-83 (.229) with three doubles, one triple, eight RBI and 12 runs scored in 28 games...Made first pitching appearance on 8/28 and allowed two runs in 2.0 innings of relief...Was scored upon twice in his four appearances as a pitcher. 2004 Hit .224 (28-for-125) with two doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored in 46 games as an outfielder with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers...Went 22-for-70 (.314 average) in a combined 28 games during the first two months of the season before hitting .109 (6-for-55) in 18 games in August. 2003 Made professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers...Started and suffered the loss (3.0ip/3r) in professional debut on 6/26 vs. the GCL Braves (game two).


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Health: Background
Physicians and other health professionals are traditionally the largest source of federal campaign contributions in this sector, which contributed a record $260.4 million to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle. Aside from doctors' associations, pharmaceutical companies and HMOs are consistently generous givers. Certain industries within the sector, such as nurses, give more generously to Democrats, but on the whole Republicans traditionally have gained the most from contributions by health interests.
Democrats received 55 percent of health sector cash in the 2008 cycle and 51 percent in the 2010 cycle. However, in the 2012 cycle, contributions from the health sector favored Republicans once again.
The health sector will be most affected in upcoming years by the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a major restructuring of national health care policy that became law in 2010. The sector has been split on the law, with many doctors' associations opposing it while pharmaceutical companies backed it.
The health sector's lobbying efforts, have yet to match the more than $552 million it spent in 2009. In 2013, these interests spent more than $483 million on lobbying, more than $226 million of which came from the pharmaceutical industry. That industry includes the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, Eli Lilly, Amgen and Pfizer, each of which spent more than $8 million on lobbying in 2013. Other top lobbying spenders in the health sector include the American Hospital Association, which spent more than $19 million and the American Medical Association, which spent more than $18 million on lobbying in 2013.
-- Monica Vendituoli
Updated July 2014
Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.


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Peter Chen, new to America, found Winnie Liu on Skype as he searched for kindred souls living nearby in Los Angeles.
They texted. They met for a meal at a mall. They fell in love — and somehow 71/2 years slid by.
On Wednesday, 12/12/12, they wed at the bustling county clerk's office in Norwalk, where couple after couple came in to get hitched on the last date this century featuring the same number for the day, the month and the year.
"It's about time," Liu said as she straightened his bow tie. "It's too late," said Chen, by which he meant he shouldn't have taken so long to ask.
Anyway, they agreed that they'd chosen a most memorable day, an idea cribbed from friends who had tied the knot on 11/11/11.
He wore a tux. She wore an ethereal purple dress and sparkling silver pumps. They took turns carrying a shopping bag full of Godiva chocolate bars — specially labeled with their photo, names and the date. They gave bars to friends and strangers alike as they waited nervously for their 9 a.m. civil ceremony.
Inside the chapel, Liu cried as she stood beneath a pink and white arbor of faux flowers. Chen needed cajoling before he shook off his shyness, pursed his lips and gave his bride a quick public kiss.
Chen, 38, came to the United States in 2001. He is an engineer who helped design the 3-D cameras used for "Avatar" and "Titanic." Liu, 27, arrived in 2005 and works for a massive fashion trade show.
Some of their co-workers came to watch them marry Wednesday, but their families were absent. The Lius, who own an Asian fusion restaurant in the City of Industry, and the Chens, who are retired and split their time between Southern California and Taiwan, already had flown overseas to prepare elaborate wedding celebrations.
After the ceremony, in fact, the happy couple had to rush home to Culver City to pack. They were due to spend their wedding night on a flight to Taiwan, where Chen's family will throw a dinner for 30. Then they'll travel to China for the grand Liu family affair.
On Dec. 28 in Guangzhou, Liu said, she'll wear a white wedding dress, followed by a red dress and two evening gowns. A whole pig will be served at each table. Two hundred guests are invited.
Hundreds also came Wednesday to celebrate weddings in Norwalk. Many couples had booked their slots in September. Others jumped on board in the last few days, when the county clerk's office extended hours and opened extra chapels to meet demand.
It seemed fitting that Rosa Villa and Luis Flores, both 45, should get married on a singular date. The Long Beach pair, who met in high school and have been together for a decade, share a birthday: Sept. 14, 1967.
They finally decided this fall that it was time, and walked into the county clerk's office Thursday, 10/11/12, in jeans — planning to get it done fast and then go see a movie. But the day was all booked. And when family members discovered the foiled elopement, they insisted both on being present and in dress-up clothes.
Like Liu and Chen, Villa and Flores were married by John Pulice, 81, who asked them if they had any words they wanted to say to each other.
"Just I love you," said Flores, wearing a crisp black suit. "And I return the love right back," said Villa, dressed in white.
That was the real wedding moment, not the joking ones afterward when Flores declared that a piece of paper was nothing more than that and Villa zinged back: "Now I can say, `Pull the plug.'"
Pulice, a former school superintendent, has been marrying people as a volunteer officiant for the last 14 years. He's been married himself long enough to boast five children, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
On Wednesday, in his sky blue chapel, he presided at the wedding of Ariel Serrano, 38, and Maria Ignacio, 42, who have been together eight years.
They hated each other when they first met, working at an alarm company office in Van Nuys, Serrano said. He asked her to do something for him. She said it wasn't her job. They glared back and forth for years — and when she got transferred, he threw a pizza party to celebrate. Then she transferred back, the glaciers melted and time passed.
"Sorry it took so long. I love you," Serrano told Ignacio, to which Pulice replied that those words "cover a lot of territory."
"You know I've been married 61 years," he told the beaming newlyweds, "and we still say, `I love you' every day."
[View the story "12-12-12 at the L.A. County Clerk's office" on Storify]12-12-12 at the L.A. County Clerk's officeI do. I do. I do. I do. A lot of people, it seems, want to say those words on 12-12-12. I visit the Los Angeles County Clerk's office in Norwalk to see who shows up to tie the knot and get an anniversary date that's hard to forget.
Storified by LA Times City Beat ¿ Wed, Dec 12 2012 17:51:32
For my next City Beat, I head to the LA County Clerk's office in Norwalk to see who's saying "I do" on 12-12-12.LA Times City BeatWinnie Liu & Peter Chen will marry this morning. Then they fly to Taiwan & China for family parties: http://pic.twitter.com/j7iHZDfDLA Times City BeatWinnie ordered commemorative Godiva chocolate bars: http://pic.twitter.com/5P7M9rVsLA Times City BeatShe has 4 gowns to wear at the family event in China. In Norwalk, she's wearing sparkly shoes: http://pic.twitter.com/ulPR5VBHLA Times City BeatFree video of your 12-12-12 wedding In Norwalk today via several TV news crews: http://pic.twitter.com/IY3pxzo2LA Times City BeatThe sign on the door of one of the chapels in Norwalk. They are very busy on 12-12-12: http://pic.twitter.com/6CofB8qrLA Times City BeatWinnie and Peter are married on 12-12-12. Now time to pack for a very long flight to China: http://pic.twitter.com/8UEIEvg7LA Times City BeatRosa Villa and Luis Flores met in high school. They chose 12-12-12 because 10-11-12 was booked: http://pic.twitter.com/fWBTycSuLA Times City BeatSusan Brasch, a retired nurse, now marries couples in Norwalk. Some of what she likes to tell them: http://pic.twitter.com/ZsqR9Ih4LA Times City BeatBrasch married Jena & Michael Buckwalter at 12:05 on 12-12-12. They've been together 15 years: http://pic.twitter.com/3M4lSPuCLA Times City BeatAlma Orduno and Luis Ulloa were saying their vows in Brasch's chapel at 12:12 on 12-12-12: http://pic.twitter.com/2xEyRMssLA Times City BeatAlma says she gave Luis an ultimatum: marriage by 12-12-12 "or it is done." http://pic.twitter.com/IVStlYqHLA Times City Beat
Follow City Beat @latimescitybeat on Twitter or at Los Angeles Times City Beat on Facebook.


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BERLIN (AP) — A court has delivered another setback to Berlin's problem-plagued new airport, striking down a planned flight route for departing planes because it passes close to a small nuclear research reactor.
The Berlin administrative court ruled Wednesday evening that planners failed to assess sufficiently the possible risks of a plane crash or terrorist attack when drawing up the route over Berlin's Wannsee suburb. It acted on complaints from residents and local councils.
The legal battle over approach and takeoff routes comes on top of technical troubles at the new airport's terminal. Those have forced officials to delay its opening four times — most recently earlier this month.
The airport was originally scheduled to open in late 2011, but now appears unlikely to be in service before 2015.