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The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has cleared the $11 billion merger of American Airlines and US Airways to form the world's largest airline, but it did so only after both agreed to surrender enough slots for discount carriers to operate dozens more flights at seven major airports.
Attorney General Eric Holder and his antitrust chief touted the settlement as possibly game changing after a sweeping round of consolidation that concentrated control of the nation's commercial airline industry.
Under the agreement, detailed in a proposed settlement that still requires the approval of a federal judge in Washington, the airlines must divest gates and slots to low-cost carriers at airports in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and, most of all, at Reagan National Airport outside the nation's capital.
The new airline would divest slots for 52 roundtrip flights by low-cost carriers at Reagan. American and US Airways would operate 44 fewer flights from that airport than their current joint total of 290. New York's LaGuardia Airport could host 17 more daily flights by discount carriers.
As part of the agreement, the airlines will maintain a hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina for at least three years. They also will maintain their hubs in New York at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Philadelphia and at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the same length of time.
In the newly combined airline, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where it would be headquartered, would be the busiest hub, followed by Charlotte Douglas.
Striking a deal with the Justice Department was expected to be the final hurdle for the US Airways-American merger. Shareholders have approved the deal, and a federal bankruptcy court judge overseeing American's Chapter 11 case earlier signed off on the plan.
The settlement is likely to climax a tumultuous period in which several of the nation's biggest airlines, beset by overcapacity and soaring jet fuel prices, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Assuming the latest deal is approved, six of the largest airlines will have since merged to create three mega carriers – the new American, Delta and United.
Despite that concentration of pricing power, Holder said in a statement that the settlement "has the potential to shift the landscape of the airline industry."
"By guaranteeing a bigger foothold for low-cost carriers at key U.S. airports, this settlement ensures airline passengers will see more competition on nonstop and connecting routes throughout the country," he said.
Bill Baer, chief of the department's Antitrust Division, called the settlement "groundbreaking" and predicted that it would "dramatically enhance the ability of (discount carriers) to compete system-wide."
"This settlement will disrupt the cozy relationships among the incumbent legacy carriers, increase access to key congested airports and provide consumers with more choices and more competitive airfares on flights all across the country," he said.
Baer said that low-cost carriers that acquire the slots and gates can compete not just on direct flights, but also on connecting flights nationwide.
"How do we know this?" he asked. "Because, in the past, providing even modest competitive opportunities for the (low-cost carriers) has made a real difference. A few years ago, when JetBlue started service from Reagan National, prices to Boston dropped 30 percent and consumers saved $50 million per year. And those savings came from just 16 slots, or eight round trips a day."
The Justice Department, six state attorneys general and the District of Columbia sued in August to block US Airways' acquisition of American, leading to negotiations over what divestments might satisfy the concerns of antitrust regulators.
American's parent, Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., and Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways Group Inc., hailed the agreement.
"With a renewed spirit, we are about to create the world's leading airline that will offer … a comprehensive global network and service by the best people in the business," said Tom Horton, AMR's chief executive, who will serve as chairman of the combined company.
Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways who will serve as CEO of the new airline, expressed gratitude to employees "who throughout this process continued to believe in a better future as one airline and who voiced their support passionately and consistently."
Under the settlement, American and US Airways said, the new airline must surrender:
– Enough slots to operate 52 daily flights at Reagan National, though 13 of those "slot pairs" are already leased to lower-cost carriers JetBlue and Southwest.
– Slots to operate 17 daily flights at New York's LaGuardia Airport, reducing the approximate 175 daily flights on American's and US Airway's current schedules by a dozen daily flights.
– Two gates and related support facilities at each of Boston's Logan International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles International Airport and Miami International Airport.
In a joint notice to their employees, the airlines' management said that the merger still will produce more than $1 billion in annual net synergies by 2015, as they estimated in announcing their merger plans in February.
The newly released slots at Reagan and LaGuardia would be sold under procedures approved by the Justice Department. JetBlue would be given the right to purchase slots that it leases for eight daily roundtrip flights at Reagan, and Southwest Airlines would have first dibs on slots that it leases for five daily flights at LaGuardia.
American, along with its American Eagle and AmericanConnection subsidiaries, serves 260 airports in more than 50 countries with 3,300 daily flights, and also has united with other airlines to form Oneworld Alliance, reaching 900 destinations with more than 10,000 daily flights.
US Airways operates more than 3,100 flights per day and serves 198 communities worldwide.
Ely Portillo of the Charlotte Observer contributed.


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Thanks to Penguin, I have a copy of City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte for one of you to win! I really enjoyed this quirky book, and I think you will,too! To enter, just fill out the widget below. Earn extra entries by following.
About the book:
Cosmically fast-paced and wildly imaginative, this debut novel is a perfect potion of magic and suspense
Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it's whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven's manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved," she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-com paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year.
Didn't win? You can purchase a copy from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the links below.

subset: commoncrawl


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Eva Mendes & Ryan Gosling: Going Green at the Airport!
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling pack up and get ready to fly out of LAX Airport on Saturday (June 2) in Los Angeles.
The 38-year-old actress rocked a pair of green pants, while her 31-year-old beau went with a more causal look.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Ryan Gosling
Both Ryan and Eva were spotted out on Friday – Ryan helped a buddy move his classic bicycle; Eva enjoyed a solo stroll.
10+ pictures inside of Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling getting ready to fly out of LAX…


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The Next Level: Tips for Making Better Versions of 15 Favorite Dishes
Want to make the ultimate granola? The cheesecake your friends can't stop raving about? This year we shared a ton of tips for making better versions of 15 favorite foods to help you take your cooking to the next level. From coffee to quiche, we've gathered what you need to master the daily basics and some special occasion treats.
• 1 How To Make Better Granola: 5 Helpful Tips
• 2 Make Better Quiche: 3 Easy Tips
• 3 The Perfect Cheesecake: 5 Tips and Tricks
• 4 The Secrets to Making a Spectacular Cup of Coffee: The Best Barista Reveals All!
• 5 5 Tips for Making Better Sandwich Bread
• 6 Make Better Latkes: 3 Indispensable Tips
• 7 3 Tips to Help You Make Perfect Oatmeal
• 8 Baking Tip: The Secret to Taller, Flakier and More Stately Scones
• 9 How To Make Better Guacamole: Tips From Two Food Writers
• 10 Jim Lahey's Tips for Perfect Grilled Pizza
• 11 How To Make Better Pesto
• 12 Bored With Lunch? 3 Tips for Making World-Class Sandwiches
• 13 Make Meaner Chili: 10 Flavor-Boosting Add-Ins For Incredible Chili
• 14 Why Constant Flipping Is the Key to Perfectly Grilled Meat: And Other Tips!
• 15 5 Tips That Will Help You Make a Perfect Soufflé Every Time
Welcome to The Kitchn's Best of 2012 roundup! From December 17 through January 1 we are rounding up some of our favorite (and your favorite) posts from the past year.
(Images: See linked posts for full image credits)


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Northern Pass clears power grid hurdleBy DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
January 01. 2014 8:22PM
The Northern Pass hydroelectric project cleared a regulatory hurdle on the last day of the year, as the independent system operator of the New England power grid determined that the project would not cause any adverse effect on grid reliability or operations.
Any new, large power project has to apply to ISO-NE to ensure that it can connect to the grid once it goes live, without disrupting or otherwise impeding the network that manages power supply in the six-state region.
"Northern Pass had to prove to ISO that it could interconnect without causing any problems for ISO or other participants," said Mike Skelton, a spokesman for Northern Pass Transmission and its parent company, Northeast Utilities.
"We are pleased with ISO New England's findings on this issue, as it's the culmination of years of hard work by our project team," he said. "We look forward to continuing this progress as the federal and state permitting processes continue in 2014."
The ISO notification was received by Northeast Utilities on Dec. 31, in a letter from Stephen J. Rourke, vice president for system planning at ISO. Rourke noted that the New England Power Pool Reliability Committee, set up to advise ISO on such matters, did not vote in support of the determination.
"The NEPOOL Reliability Committee is separate from ISO. It's made up of market participants, and it gives an advisory opinion," said Skelton. "They reviewed this issue and the vote to approve was 55 percent in favor, but in order to have a final approval of that committee you need two-thirds. There were some participants on the committee, some power generators and others, who did not vote in favor for a variety of reasons, but ultimately that's an advisory opinion, and this letter represents ISO's final determination."
Ultimate authority to approve the plan rested with the ISO System Planning Department, led by Rourke.
The approval comes with certain conditions, including a limit of no more than 1,200 megawatts of imports into the United States from Quebec, which is what Northern Pass has planned all along. The project is also prohibited from exporting power from New England to Quebec.
The ISO ruling anticipates an in-service date for Northern Pass of June 2017.
Energy Environment Politics Technology Social issues Outdoors


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Regulations & Licensing Information
Aromatherapy is currently an unregulated and unlicensed field both for the practice of aromatherapy as well as the manufacture of aromatherapy products. As a whole the industry seeks to comply with current safety and standards of practice and to stay informed about potential impending regulations with regards to manufacturing aromatherapy based products. NAHA is devoted to bringing you up to date information on any impending legislation.
With regards to licensing: aromatherapy is an unlicensed profession in the United States. Many aromatherapy practitioners hold a license in another occupation, e.g. nursing, massage therapy, esthetics, naturopathy, acupuncture, etc. Because licensing tends to be profession driven rather then government driven (although this too may happen, e.g. licensing of reflexologists in the state of WA), it is highly unlikely that we will see a license for aromatherapy anytime soon.
The following resources are provided to keep you up to date on current policies.
General Resources
NAHA is a member of the American Herbal Products Association
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) (http://www.ahpa.org/) develops guidance policies to advance its mission to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products. These policies address a variety of labeling and manufacturing issues and reflect the consensus of AHPA's members and its board of trustees. Unlike AHPA's trade recommendations, compliance with AHPA's guidance policies is not a condition of membership. However, AHPA encourages its members and non-member companies to adopt each of these policies in the interest of establishing consistent and informed trade practices.
- Article on Labeling Aromatherapy Products for Retail Sale by NAHA Aromatherapy Journal regular contributor: Marie Gale
What to do if the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) contacts you.
Resources for Product Manufacturers
Does the FDA regulate cosmetic products (e.g. cremes, lotions, etc): learn more here!
Current Good Manufacturing Practices are voluntary but may, at some point in the future, become a requirement. Be Prepared!
Whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug under the law is determined by a product's intended use. Different laws and regulations apply to each type of product. Firms sometimes violate the law by marketing a cosmetic with a drug claim or by marketing a drug as if it were a cosmetic, without adhering to requirements for drugs. To learn more, please visit: Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?)
A FDA Guide to Good Manufacturing Practices
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Guidelines/Inspection Checklist
Labeling Requirements
The cosmetics marketed in the United States, whether they are manufactured here or are imported from abroad, must comply with the labeling requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling (FP&L) Act, and the regulations published by the Food and Drug Administration under the Authority of these two laws.
The FD&C Act was enacted by Congress to protect consumers from unsafe or deceptively labeled or packaged products by prohibiting the movement in interstate commerce of adulterated or misbranded food, drug devices and cosmetics.
Cosmetic Labeling Manual and the overview of labeling here by the FDA.
For Canada: Visit here.


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Spread over 750 islands and islets in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands are over 8,000 miles away from the rest of the UK. Despite this, there is a distinctly British feel to the islands. English is the spoken language, the currency is the Falkland Pound (pegged to the British pound which can also be used on the islands) and plug sockets are the three-pinned UK variety. There is a fish and chip shop in the capital – Stanley and other British favourites such as roast dinners can be found on pub and restaurant menus.
When it comes to wildlife, the similarities end however. In the summer months, penguins come ashore to breed on the islands. The Falkland Islands mark the most northerly range of king penguins. Hundreds of them come to breed each year, taking advantage of the sheltered beaches and grassy areas near the shore. The islands also support populations of orange-billed Gentoo penguins, aptly named rockhopper penguins, burrowing Magellanic penguins and a small number of Macaroni penguins.
As well as the penguins, the islands provide breeding habitat for other seabirds including southern giant petrels, imperial cormorants, black-browed albatross and storm petrels. There are also some local specialities such as the Falkland steamer duck, Striated Caracara, Falkland Thrush and Falkland pipit. The islands also support populations of southern sea lions, elephant seals and fur seals, all of which come ashore to breed.
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If you meet our eligibility criteria, please call NWIRP at the appropriate office during the times listed below and try to tell the receptionist what type of immigration issue you are calling about:
- Citizenship – ask for the Citizenship Unit
- Domestic Violence – ask for the Domestic Violence Unit
- Asylum – ask for the Asylum Unit
- Family-based immigration – ask for the Family Services Unit
- Children or juvenile – Learn more about President Obama's Deferred Action announcement for DREAMers in this community advisory. For all other juvenile inquiries, please ask for the Immigrant Child Advocacy Project (ICAP)
If the unit you are calling is not able to take your call, please leave a detailed message with your NAME and PHONE NUMBER as well as a BRIEF EXPLANATION of your immigration issue.
If you live in Western Washington or Seattle, please call our Western Washington Office:
(serving individuals in Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum & Whatcom counties)
Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM - 12:00PM and 1:00PM - 4:00PM
Phone: 206.587.4009
Toll Free: 800.445.5771
If you live in Eastern or Central Washington please start with the office that serves your county:
Granger Office
(serving individuals in Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Walla Walla Whitman & Yakima counties)
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30AM - 12:00PM and 1:00PM - 4:30PM
Phone: 509.854.2100
Toll Free: 888.756.3641
Wenatchee Office
(serving individuals in Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane & Stevens counties)
Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Phone: 509.570.0054
Toll Free: 866.271.2084
To reach the Wenatchee office please leave a detailed message with your NAME and PHONE NUMBER as well as a BRIEF EXPLANATION of your immigration issue.
If you are detained in the Northwest Detention Center please call:
Phone: 253.383.0519
Click here for NWIRP's mailing addresses.
- We do not accept walk-ins to our offices
- We do not accept collect calls
- If you are in danger from physical abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at
1-800-799 SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224


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NEW YORK (AP) — If director Tom Hooper, who won the best-director Academy Award in 2010 for "The King's Speech," is bothered by not getting a nomination this year for "Les Miserables," he's not letting on.
Instead, the British director says he's relishing the musical's many other accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe wins, nine BAFTA nominations and eight Oscar nods, including best picture, best actor for Hugh Jackman and best supporting actress for Anne Hathaway. (Hooper was also nominated for a Directors Guild award but lost to Ben Affleck for "Argo" over the weekend.)
Hooper directed the HBO miniseries "John Adams" and the TV drama "Longford." ''Les Miserables" is an adaptation of a Broadway musical based on Victor Hugo's novel.
In a recent interview, he talked about fame, this year's Academy Award nominations and who he'll be rooting for during the Feb. 24th ceremony.
AP: What are your thoughts on this year's Oscar nominations?
Hooper: I think it's important in awards season to just be incredibly grateful for any recognition that you've already got and to not expect anything beyond it. I was very fortunate two years ago with 'The King's Speech' and this year it's a year of extraordinarily wonderful and beautiful films. So it's a very special year. So I'm just pleased to be part of it.
AP: Besides 'Les Mis,' what's your pick for best film of 2012?
Hooper: I really loved the Woody Allen film 'To Rome With Love,' which hasn't had any nominations at all. But I think Woody Allen remains an extraordinary storyteller. ... I mean it's genius. Also, the way he just keeps working, it's a great model for me. I'd love to be at his age and still making a film a year.
AP: Of the directors in the Oscar race, who are you rooting for?
Hooper: I saw 'Life of Pi' recently and I thought that was an extraordinary directorial and technical accomplishment. The way Ang (Lee) uses 3-D, it feels like you're seeing the medium for the first time. ... The great thing about (awards season) is you take a beat to learn about filmmaking and see what other directors are doing. That's a great way of thinking about the art form once a year in a concentrated way.
AP: Are you getting recognized more on the street?
Hooper: The joy about being a director is that when your film comes out you possibly get stopped a little bit, but within three months you can go back to being completely anonymous. And then you wait for the next one to come out and you'll have a brief moment where people will recognize you. So it's kind of great because if you're a famous actor that process never stops.
AP: Is that one reason directing appealed to you?
Hooper: Yeah, I think I chose to be behind the camera because I didn't want that. I always wanted to be the person behind the scenes.
AP: What's next?
Hooper: Two years ago I managed to not reveal that I was thinking about 'Les Miserables' at all. So I'm going to do the same this time and not reveal anything.
Follow Nicole Evatt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NicoleEvatt


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You can read Human Kinetics e-books on desktop, laptop, and various mobile devices, as long as you have authorized the device or e-reader app to read e-books protected by Adobe's digital rights management (DRM).
Formats available: PDF, ePUB
Students in professional school programs for personal training or
application-based undergraduate programs; reference for personal
trainers and those interested in fitness and training.
Tim Henriques has been with the National Personal Training
Institute (NPTI) since its inception and serves as the director of NPTI
Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Before working with NPTI he was a full-time
personal trainer, working with the companies One to One Fitness and
Fitness Image and Results before running his own business. He continues
to train clients and work with athletes outside of NPTI as well as write
and lecture on health and fitness.
Henriques has been competing in powerlifting for two decades and has
made several notable accomplishments in that sport. He was a collegiate
All-American powerlifter and set many state and national records. He set
the Virginia state record for the deadlift by lifting 700 pounds at a
body weight of 198 pounds. He set the national record for the strict
curl in 2013. He currently coaches a powerlifting team called Team
Force, who won the Federation Championships in 2011 and 2013. He has
also competed in arm wrestling and strongman competitions. He is
lifetime drug free.
Henriques earned his degree in kinesiology, along with minors in
coaching and psychology, from James Madison University. He was born and
raised in Fairfax County, Virginia, where he resides with his wife,
Christina; their boys Nathan, Ryan, and Collin; and their dog, Pongo.
About NPTI
The National Personal Training Institute (NPTI), founded in 2000, was
created to raise the standard in personal training education. NPTI
developed a comprehensive system to provide the education to ensure that
personal trainers were not only certified but also qualified. NPTI is an
actual school for personal trainers—students attend classes, listen to
lectures, complete homework, take tests, and participate in extensive
practical-based, hands-on workshops. Students are taught both the art
and science of personal training. NPTI currently has more than 30
campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Thousands of students
graduate from NPTI every year and go on to work in commercial fitness
settings, physical therapy centers, weight-loss clinics, personal
training studios, and collegiate athletic centers; many graduates go on
to operate their own personal training–based businesses as well.
"This is an excellent resource for individuals preparing for a career
in health and fitness. It provides the constructs for a classroom-based
approach to learning the principles of personal training, and may also
help prepare individuals for taking the national certification test."
Doody's Book Review (Jan 2015)
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Hosparus needs patient support volunteers in Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties and will offer a free training on Friday, Oct. 16 (lunch provided), from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its main Louisville campus, 3532 Ephraim McDowell Drive. To pre-register, call 502-814-5436 or email email@example.com by Monday, Oct. 12.
By Elisha Smith
Center for Rural Affairs
October is National Farm to School month. "Farm to School" refers to schools serving local, farm-fresh foods ranging from fruits and veggies to honey and meat.
The more local foods we serve our kids, the better. One-third of U.S. children are obese or overweight, and only 2 percent of children get the recommended serving of fruits and vegetable each day. Farm to School programs increase students' daily fruit and vegetable consumption significantly.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Industrial hemp will cover tens of thousands of acres and generate thousands of jobs in Kentucky in the near future, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer told hundreds of hemp growers, processors, and enthusiasts at the Hemp Industries Association Conference today in Lexington.
By TIM HENDRICK
Landmark News Service
The AT&T Foundation and the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative are teaming up to extend the economic benefits of the Maker Movement across Kentucky's I-71 corridor.
The Maker Space located at the iLEAD Academy will be the hub of the effort.
Numerous definitions can be found for the maker movement. The most generic defines it as an umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers.
PHILADELPHIA – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that $2.5 million in grants is now available for projects to educate new and underserved farmers about more than 20 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency programs that can provide financial, disaster or technical assistance to the agricultural community.
Landmark News Service
Melvin Greene and his family have spent years building their business at craft shows across Kentucky and surrounding states. Now the family hopes to see others gain exposure through a local festival that's expected to draw hundreds of visitors to Owen County.
Greene's family business, Greene's Country Crafts, began as a small shop behind his residence about 18 years ago.
By Sheldon S. Shafer
The Courier-Journal
It won't be long now. The opening of the new downtown Louisville bridge is only months away.
The new downtown bridge is scheduled to open to two-way traffic by January. Crews with Walsh Construction will then turn their attention to the Kennedy Bridge.
More than $22 million in improvements are planned. A new floor system will be built on top of the Kennedy's existing floor beams, adding decades of new life to the nearly 52-year old bridge.
By Traci Bruckner
Center for Rural Affairs
During the last farm bill debate we heard Congressional leaders say, farmers don't get a check, they get a bill for their crop insurance.
While that statement may be true, it's also true that crop insurance is heavily subsidized, providing unlimited premium subsidies to the nation's largest and wealthiest farms on every acre, every year, regardless of prices, production or farm profitability.
We created a mock "explanation of benefits" to demonstrate the largess.
By Bill Estep and Jack Brammer
Lexington Herald-Leader
Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis emerged from the Carter County jail Tuesday afternoon surrounded by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and her attorney, who vowed that Davis would continue her stand against same-sex marriage.
"She will not violate her conscience," said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation firm that represents Davis.
Copyright © 2018
The Trimble Banner is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Trimble County, KY and the surrounding area.


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Simple arithmetic plays a role in Ernest Bippert's quest to eliminate as many trips across his grain sorghum and cotton fields as possible. He figures he saves as much as $28,000 on 1,000 acres of grain sorghum and more than $35,000 on the same amount of cotton per year with conservation tillage.
But the benefits go beyond the numbers. Bippert, speaking at the recent Conservation Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference in Houston, lays out a laundry list of advantages he's found in reduced tillage systems. "It increases organic matter," Bippert said. "We're releasing less carbon, so we have more in the soil to build organic matter for future crops. "That organic matter helps trap soil moisture to improve water availability, too. The crop residue on the soil surface acts as tiny dams that slow runoff and increase infiltration."
He bolsters that effect with furrow dikes. "We average only 25 inches of rain a year (near Kingsville in Kleberg County, Texas) so we have to conserve as much as we can. And occasionally, we can have water and wind erosion problems. Conserving moisture is one of the main reasons I tried conservation tillage."
He said furrow dikes make a good fit with no-till planting. "We don't have to rebuild them as often because we don't cultivate. They will rock a cotton picker, however." Water actually moves into the soil profile better without tillage, he said. He tested the theory. Bippert used a V-rip implement on part of his acreage and left an adjacent section undisturbed.
"We saw water standing in the V-ripped section but not where we did not rip," he said. "With no-till, we leave old root channels and earthworm tunnels to move water into the soil. When we plow, the soil seals rapidly and holds moisture on the surface."
Bippert's farm operation, about 2,000 acres, includes both sandy and heavier clay soils. "The system works well in either," he said. "We believe we reduce soil erosion by 90 percent with conservation tillage. That depends on the amount of residue we leave on the soil surface. That residue also holds nutrients and pesticides in the field so we reduce potential for runoff by half."
The system benefits others as well. Bippert said reduced pesticide use and increased soil residue improve wildlife habitat. "And we're improving air quality by reducing wind erosion and keeping soil particles in the field. We're also reducing fuel emissions from tractors because we make far fewer trips across the fields." He figures he saves 3.5 gallons of fuel per acre, 3,500 gallons on a 1,000-acre farm.
Fewer trips also mean less labor and less wear on machinery. "We estimate that we save $5 per acre on machinery wear, that's another $5,000 saved on a 1000-acre farm."
Farmers interested in converting to conservation tillage or trying it out on limited acreage need a few tools to make it work, Bippert believes.
"No-till farmers need a soil compaction monitor to gauge how much good they're doing," he said. "These are relatively inexpensive and should be one of the first things they buy. "They'll also need some strip-till equipment, a Max Emerge planter, a spike-wheel fertilizer applicator, rolling basket attachments, hooded sprayers and a self-propelled hi-boy spray rig."
He uses an Orthman strip-till tool with a mold knife to break up compaction. "We till about eight to nine inches deep in the fall," he said.
He also uses a tool he built that pulls up a bed with minimal soil disturbance. He likes the hooded sprayer for problem grasses in grain sorghum. He uses gramoxone when the sorghum gets 12-inches to 15-inches tall. "We can lose a lot of production with just a few grass stalks every foot or so," he said.
With the hooded sprayers he puts the gramoxone underneath the grain sorghum canopy. "We might burn the lower leaves a little but I've seen no effect on yield." It beats cultivation, he said. "We save $5 per acre by not cultivating and I've noticed grain sorghum that's been cultivated go into a stress."
He recommends keeping spray pressure below 12 pounds with either Roundup or Gramoxone. "I like the hi-boy for over-the top applications for weed control and for pre-conditioning grain sorghum for harvest."
Bippert says yields with conservation tillage have been excellent. He says reduced tillage systems mark an evolution in his farming operation. "I have partnered with the Natural Resource Conservation Service for 15 years to improve operations on my farm," he said.
e-mail: [email protected]


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The fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States last year had the sharpest gains in almost four decades, with Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Volkswagen AG and Mazda Motor Corp. producing the most efficient fleets.
An annual report by the Environmental Protection Agency showed new cars and trucks had a 16 percent gain in fuel efficiency in the past five years, to 23.8 miles per gallon.
Preliminary data shows an average increase of 1.4 mpg in 2012 from the previous year, which in part was attributed to the drop in Japanese vehicle production after the March 2011 tsunami, the EPA said.
"We are making strides toward saving families money at the pump, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cleaning up the air we breathe," Gina McCarthy, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the EPA, said in a statement on the report.
Obama's administration hashed out an agreement with automakers to boost the average fuel efficiency of their vehicles in the next dozen years.
Automakers must double fuel economy of new vehicles by model year 2025 and lower their greenhouse-gas emissions by half. The first set of rules phases in through 2016.
The EPA report shows almost 25 percent of vehicles already in production can meet the 2016 model-year standards.
The bulk of the vehicles that comply are fueled with gasoline, although technologies including hybrids, electric and diesel also are represented, according to the EPA, which has tracked vehicle fuel efficiency since 1975.
"The industry is getting it," said Alan Baum, principal of Baum & Associates, an automotive consulting firm in West Bloomfield, Mich. "Obviously does it keep getting more difficult as the numbers go up? Of course it does, but there's so much going on that the ability to get there is intact."
According to the preliminary data, Honda's average miles per gallon was 26.4, followed by VW at 26.2 and Mazda with 25.9.
Fiat SpA's Chrysler Group had the lowest with an average 20.6 miles per gallon for its fleet.
Kia Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. weren't included in the list because of an ongoing investigation into their efficiency test data, according to the report.
The Korean automakers would rank at the top if they were included, according to EPA.
The low ranking of American-made vehicles "is a warning light on Detroit's dashboard," said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign, which supports higher fuel-economy standards.
In 2011, "because American car makers weren't doing their share, when natural disaster curtailed Japan's auto production, our overall fuel efficiency faltered."
The fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States last year had the sharpest gains in almost four decades, with Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Volkswagen AG and Mazda Motor Corp. producing the most efficient fleets.


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In 1966, Paul Van Doren opened a small shop in Anahem, California, selling simple rubber and canvas shoes. On his first day he sold a dozen, which were made to order since there was no back stock yet. Within a few years, skateboarders the world over would be sporting the sticky-soled kicks and Vans would become something of a sub-culture status symbol. The story of this iconic American brand is celebrated in "Vans: Off the Wall: Stories of Sole from Vans Originals," out today. Like opening a time capsule, the glossy tome is packed with vivid photography and firsthand accounts from legends of sports and music, along with personal stories from Van Doren's son, Steve—a lifelong employee and the designer behind Spicoli's famous checkerboard slip-ons.
$25, at Amazon
The price of a pair of Vans in 1966.
What should I pack for my first business trip?
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text:
Law catches up with driver in '01 fatality
The moment Sebastian Barba saw immigration officials board his plane in November as it sat on the tarmac at a Panama airport, he knew a mistake he made on a Westbury street more than a decade before had caught up with him.
"I've always thought that someday it was going to come back," he said of the day he ran over and killed a Westbury woman -- on Feb. 6, 2001. "In life, you always pay."
It is 12 years this week since Barba's Cadillac struck 80-year-old Jean Renison in a crosswalk. In November he was arrested and charged with depraved indifference murder.
The Cadillac knocked Renison to the ground, both Barba and prosecutors say. Barba remembers stopping his Cadillac briefly before driving away. Prosecutors said the young stockbroker-in-training drove over Renison, crushing her skull and chest underneath his tires.
Barba then fled to Ecuador, where he has dual citizenship. Featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted" before he was caught by Interpol, he now faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison. He is due back in court Feb. 25.
Leaving scene 'mystifying'
Barba's decision to flee mystifies Renison's niece, who said she gets physically ill at the thought of how the retired schoolteacher and World War II intelligence officer died.
"Had he stopped the car, she wouldn't have been killed," said Maura Beede, of Yardley, Pa. "If I hit a dog, I would stop. I can't imagine hitting and killing a human being and then going on with my life as though nothing ever happened."
Beede said her aunt, who never married and had no children, was like a second mother to her. Renison was a schoolteacher and a librarian who exposed her nieces and nephews to things that their own parents were often too busy to spend time on: restaurants and museums in Manhattan and the world of books.
"Any time I think of what she must have experienced in her last moments, I just go nuts," Beede said.
Barba, now 35, says he will fight the charges against him and hopes somehow to resume his life with his wife, Denisse, and their three children, Camila, 8, Mathias, 7, and Sophia, 2, in the seaside town of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
But he also says that being captured and imprisoned is a "relief" after more than a decade spent looking over his shoulder.
"I feel a lot of remorse to this day," he said in a recent interview at the Nassau County Jail with his lawyer, Jonathan Marks, of Manhattan. "I don't think this is something I will ever be able to get out of my mind."
Prosecutors say Barba was taking a left onto Post Avenue from Maple Avenue about 10 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2001, when he hit Renison. She was crossing the street in the crosswalk to go to the hairdresser, her brother said at the time.
Barba was driving slowly, and Renison fell onto his hood and then slid off, landing on the street in front of his car, both he and prosecutors agree. Renison was almost surely still alive and would have recovered if Barba had stopped at that point, prosecutor Brendan Ahern said.
Instead, Barba stepped on the gas and drove his Cadillac over Renison's body as onlookers screamed at him to stop, Ahern and court documents say.
'I got scared'
Barba now says he knew he'd hit a person but had no idea how seriously Renison was hurt. In his panic, Barba said he drove away because he feared that if he had stayed, a mob could gather and hurt him.
"I was frozen. I got scared. I started to sweat. That's the moment I accelerated and left the scene," Barba said.
Five hours later he called Nassau police, gave his name and asked if the woman he hit had filed a report, court records show. He left before they showed up to take his report, prosecutors and court documents say.
Barba's brother, Joaquin Barba, said when his brother first got back to Ecuador, he spent about two months working on a family farm in a remote local area. He was depressed, Joaquin Barba says. He gained weight, grew a beard, lost interest in seeing friends, Joaquin Barba said.
Soon, though, Sebastian Barba was given the reins of a branch office of the family construction materials business, and he threw himself into work, Joaquin Barba said. Within a year Sebastian Barba wrote to Denisse, his then-girlfriend who was living in Florida, and asked her to move to Ecuador and marry him. She accepted.
"He barely knew what had happened," Denisse Barba said in an interview on a recent trip to visit her husband at the jail. "He was nervous and in shock. I was his girlfriend, but I couldn't tell him what to do."
In Guayaquil, Sebastian Barba was an involved father, taking his daughter to ballet, his son to soccer, caring for them alone for weeks when his wife had to come to America to care for a sick relative, Denisse Barba said.
Over time, she said, she was able to move past her worry about the accident. When she heard her husband had been featured on "America's Most Wanted," she did not use the computer to investigate, saying she could not face what had happened.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would go through this," Denisse Barba said.
Ahern said if Sebastian Barba had stayed in Ecuador, he might never have been caught, since the United States doesn't have an extradition treaty with that country. But when Interpol learned Barba was traveling between the Dominican Republic and Panama for business, two countries that do have cooperation agreements with the United States, they saw their chance. Panamanian police pulled him off the plane and brought him to an interview room, where they asked him if he'd been involved in an accident in 2001.
"I said, 'Yes, that's me,' " Barba said.


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text:
Bad Boy Bubby (US - BD)
Gabe also carries zero social skills, only without Bubby's disturbing excuses...
Frank, full-frontal nudity, metal regression, excrement, mother/son incest, animal abuse, suffocation, and more unwanted grotesqueries all slather themselves across the viewer's eyes in the first ten minutes of Rolf de Heer's Bad Boy Bubby, and things don't get any easier over the next 40 minutes. The problem here isn't the frequency of disturbing imagery, but its purpose. I'm fine with disturbing for disturbances sake of subversion and subtext ( Cannibal Holocaust), disturbing for the sake of brutal reality ( Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), or even disturbing just for disturbances' sake in some cases (Fulci's Zombie), but de Heer seems to be stuck somewhere between all of these. I believe he was looking for some kind of wretched reality as a means of subversion, but he ends up with sadly shallow and repetitive odd for odd's sake first act. It's only brutal in its lack of pace, and disregard for the comfort of kitty-cats.
Once Bubby gets out of his one room apartment de Heer musters some wonderfully haunting, dream-induced imagery, Nicolas Hope gets a chance to build a character beyond mimicking twitters, and an actual narrative arc begins to develop. De Heer's possible intent is apparent in the surprising sweetness of a man out of place and time. I'd assumed, based on his depressing Lynchian beginning that the director would take the Gaspar Noé route, but the latter two thirds of Bad Boy Bubby are more like Pee Wee's Big Adventure or The Brother From Another Planet on bad ether. The relative warmth to which Bubby is treated by the scary outdoors is strangely touching, and definitely out of expectations. I mean, things go wrong, of course, but cruelty isn't the first reaction most characters aim towards our protagonist (except prison rapists). The film's constant war between redemption and damnation, not to mention the dueling black comedy and stark melodrama, is likely what led to such high critical acclaim upon its initial release. I'm not fully buying into things, but with a bit of retooling for pace and focus Bad Boy Bubby may have been a minor masterpiece.
Bad Boy Bubby is a great big glob of disturbing realism, so it isn't a surprise that this 1080p presentation isn't an apex example of hi-def perfection. Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, the print is swimming in grain, and displays a few flickers of print damage. Other minor 'problems' include inconsistent focus (possibly intended, or even an accident while filming), slight warping of the image (again possibly intended, or even an accident while filming), and a general lack of sharp detail when compared to even some of Blue Undergrounds other titles. The first act is very dark, almost indiscernible at times, but once Bubby's released into the open there are oodles of naturalistic colours to give the transfer a reason to be presented in hi-def. Colours are relatively clean outside of the omnipresent grain, and mostly finely separated, though in a few cases warmer hues infiltrate the blacks, which are otherwise solid. There's not a lot of consistency to the print (likely due to the use of 32 different cinematographers), but at times it does look pretty great.
I received an email from Blue Underground before watching the Blu-ray warning me of an unnamed problem with the disc's sound. This problem was apparently fixed for the actual release. The stereo effects are all over the place, seemingly for no reason other than, as the pre-title card tells us, this was how it was intended. Apparently the placement has to do with Bubby's point of view (the filmmakers actually placed dual microphones on Nicholas Hope's head), but the effect unfortunately doesn't quite work (mostly because the camera work isn't as subjective). I'm assuming my message from Blue Underground refers to this, along with the odd echo effects and fluctuations in volume levels. If the final mix sounds similar to this review copy I'd vastly recommend the Dolby TrueHD track over the DTS-HD track, as the breadth is wider, the volume levels are higher, and the overall experience a little more nightmarish. Things definitely get better once Bubby leaves home and the sound design is given real purpose. The character's new exposure to music is a good source of aural wonder, and often set at almost deafening levels.
The extras begin with an interview with director Rolf de Heer, entitled 'Christ Kid, You're A Weirdo' (24:00, SD). De Heer chats about the several year evolution of the film, and his personal place in the film (he really has nothing in common with the character). His approach was not surprisingly intellectually based (a bit too much so if you ask me), and he points to some intriguing behind the scenes stories, such as the discovery of Nicholas Hope, the original plans to change aspect ratios, the use of 32 different cinematographers (one for each locations), and the use of binoral sound. The cat wasn't actually killed, by the way.
'Being Bubby' (14:00, SD) is a chat with Nicholas Hope, who runs us through his career, including his work on the short film Confessor Caressor (which was what brought the actor to de Heer's attention), gives us his take on the film and character, and tells us a bit about the film's effect on his career. Missing from both interviews is any mention of working with the mentally challenged actors towards the end of the film.
Next is the actual short film Confessor Caressor (19:30, SD), the semi-comedic, mockumentary story of a murderer/rapist looking for attention. There are obvious comparisons to be drawn between the short and films like Man Bites Dog and Behind the Mask. This short is set apart by its surreal nature, and a slightly more objective look at the subject overall. The highlight comes when the killer shows us what's inside his prized suitcase, which is mostly just a series of knives. The short appears to have been filmed on 16mm film, and has one very obnoxious bit of dirt that slides around in the left side of frame.
Things end with the original trailer.
It's too long, and meanders for quite a while, but once it finds its way Bad Boy Bubby is a warm and consistently surprising little weirdo flick. It seems that writer/director Rolf de Heer was making things up as he went along, but in a way this is an advantage and leads to a strange on screen evolution. I recommend seeking out a copy to other jaded film fans, and to fans of Garth Ennis' infamous comic series 'Preacher'. Bubby and Arseface have some definite similarities by the time the curtain falls..
Sorry I couldn't get any screencaps for this one. If anyone has some to share I'd be much obliged.
Review by Gabriel Powers
stevepulaski Member Join Date: June 2009 Location: Niger Posts: 741
Never heard of it.
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,713
Oh. My. God.
Worst Nightmare Senior Member Join Date: July 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 6,716
I want to meet a nun like that!
Ta for the review of this great Aussie movie Gabe
Ta for the review of this great Aussie movie Gabe
This product has not been rated
Disc Details
Release Date: 28th July 2009
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
Extras: Christ Kid, You're a Weirdo, Being Bubby, Confessor Caressor Short Film, Trailer
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Rolf De Heer
Cast: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Carmel Johnson
Genre: Comedy and Drama
Length: 114 minutes
7Review Guide
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text:
January 15. 2013 7:09PM
Online, Seacoast mothers rally after Portsmouth mom of infant twins dies
By GRETYL MACALASTER
Union Leader Correspondent
PORTSMOUTH - Communities of mothers are rallying around 3-month-old twin boys whose mother died early Sunday from complications related to a respiratory infection.
Corie Jabre, 30, of Portsmouth was already raising two sons when she gave birth to her twins, Liam Lancelot and Brian Charles, in October, committed to breastfeeding them both.
Her three sisters were amazed at Corie Jabre's dedication.
Now, they are amazed by the overwhelming support being offered by the local community, and online communities of mothers who learned about Jabre's death this week and the need for breast milk for her two infant sons.
The family has collected over 1,000 ounces in donated breast milk for the boys so far, who are not handling formula well.
Family friend Barbara Martinez has also set up a fundraising page through the website
to raise money for the family to pay funeral costs and to help the family buy everything the babies need, including diapers and clothes. As of Tuesday afternoon, donations had already reached over $10,000.
In addition to the twins, Jabre, a Portsmouth High School graduate and local beautician, left behind a 16-year-old son, Chance, and a 10-year-old son, Stefan. Jabre's parents have assumed responsibility of all four boys for the time being.
Jabre's sister, Logan Ringenburg lives in Chicago and came home when her sister became ill last week. Ringenburg is the mother of a 5-month-old daughter and a 3-year-old son and thought she would come home to help with the babies while her sister recovered.
All of Jabre's boys had been ill in the week leading up to her illness, and she remained dedicated to taking care of them before falling ill herself.
Jabre saw a doctor on Friday and received a prescription for a sinus infection, but did not get better. The next evening, she went into the hospital with difficulty breathing and doctors discovered she was suffering from pneumonia.
Around 3 a.m., the family was told to call a priest and to come say goodbye, Ringenburg said.
Memorial services for Jabre will be held this weekend.
As family and friends grieve, they are also doing their best to provide support, love and necessities to the four sons left behind.
Ringenburg said taking care of the boys is a good distraction for her parents from the grief of losing one of their four daughters.
"They have a lot of love to give, but not so much money," Ringenburg said.
Ringenburg said it was amazing to see how many mothers want to help support the babies by providing excess breast milk.
"Those wishing to help can visit
for more information.


text:
29 U.S. Code § 678 - Authorization of appropriations
prev | next
§ 678.
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter for each fiscal year such sums as the Congress shall deem necessary.
(Pub. L. 91–596, § 33, Dec. 29, 1970, 84 Stat. 1620.)
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text:
American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|PhysicsCentral|Physics
- American Physical Society Sites
- Publications
- Meetings & Events
- Programs
- Membership
- Policy & Advocacy
- Careers In Physics
- Newsroom
- About APS
- Become a Member
I was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and am now a sophomore at Rice University in Houston, Texas. I am double-majoring in Physics and Math and am involved in physics research at Rice. I will also be participating in a summer REU research program at the University of Chicago. I am a Native American and a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. I have always loved math and science. Because I loved playing with Legos so much as a kid, I grew up thinking I would become an engineer. However, after taking physics in high school for two years and for one year at Rice, I realized that the science behind the engineering is what I really loved. Physics allows me to satisfy my desire to understand the fundamentals of how the world around me works.


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Does Rihanna Have a Crush on Harry Styles of One Direction?
Sounds like Taylor Swift isn't the only famous femme who has the hots for One Direction singer Harry Styles. Rumor has it Rihanna also has a crush on the cutie!
Rihanna told the U.K.'s Daily Mirror (quotes via The Telegraph) that she's a big 1D fan, especially of the mop-topped Styles. "Harry, yeah. I watch their videos and I remember thinking, 'Wow, he's a star,'" Rihanna said. "He seems very sure. It seems, like, it's so natural to him." The paper reports that Styles' trademark curls are what drew RiRi to him.
The tab also claims that notorious ladies man Styles is more than happy to meet — and more — with the 'We Found Love' singer. "That is absolutely incredible," Styles reportedly said. "I'd love to hook up." Yeah, buddy, you and the rest of the men on the planet!
One thing we find a little fishy in the report: The Daily Mirror reported that One Direction and Rihanna were in the same Sydney, Australia hotel. While that part is perfectly plausible, the next part makes the guys in 1D sound a little creepy, so we're not sure we're buying it!
"The boys have been desperately trying to find her," a source claimed. "They've been trying to work out what room she's in from her Twitter pictures of her view." Uh, guys? You're One Direction. Couldn't you just ask?


text:
The Flyers announced that defenseman Chris Pronger will have foot surgery today and be sidelined for four to six weeks.
In that time frame, he would miss 11 to 17 games. He may be able to return in time for the All-Star Game on Jan. 30 in Raleigh, N.C.
Injured in Wednesday's 5-3 win in Montreal, Pronger, 36, will have surgery at 1 p.m. to repair a broken first metatarsal in his right foot, GM Paul Holmgren said. Steven Raikin will perform the surgery.
"He's a guy you don't want to be too long without, but these things are going to happen," said defenseman Sean O'Donnell, one of Pronger's closest friends. "We're going to need him in the spring and hopefully into June, so this may be a blessing in disguise to kind of give him some rest and let us pick up the slack for a little bit."
At today's practice, Andrej Meszaros was with Pronger's defensive partner, Matt Carle. The other pairings had O'Donnell with Oskars Bartulis, who has played just three games, and Braydon Coburn with Kimmo Timonen.
Bartulis has not played since Nov. 1.
Pronger seemed a cinch to make the all-star team, but he may not be ready for the contest. He is a six-time all-star.
The Flyers also announced that defenseman Matt Walker had successful hip surgery Thursday; he was placed on the LTIR list and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
Holmgren said the team had no plans to recall a defenseman, such as Danny Syvret, from the AHL Phantoms. The Flyers have enough cap space to recall a player, and they opened a roster spot by placing Pronger on the injured-reserve list.
While Bartulis will be added to the defense, the Flyers will also make changes on the PP. Mike Richards is expected to drop back to Pronger's point spot, and another forward will be added _ perhaps Nik Zherdev.
The Flyers host the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
* * * * *
For constant Flyers updates, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BroadStBull.
* * * * *
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text:
NEW YORK (AP) — After years of helping hand out Tony Awards to others, Neil Patrick Harris finally has one of his own.
The Emmy Award-winning "How I Met Your Mother" star won his first Tony on Sunday for playing a German male transsexual rock singer in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," a tale of obsession, glam rock and a botched sex-change operation.
He beat Ramin Karimloo from "Les Miserables," Andy Karl of "Rocky," and Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham, both from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder."
Harris, the onetime star of "Doogie Howser, M.D.," has featured previously in three Broadway productions: "Assassins," ''Proof" and as the exuberant master of ceremonies in "Cabaret." He also has appeared in the "Harold & Kumar" and "The Smurfs" movies.


text:
Phocoena phocoena ssp. relicta
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Phocoena phocoena ssp. relicta Abel, 1905
|Parent Species:
Common Name(s):
Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) ssp. (Black Sea subpopulation)
|Taxonomic Notes:
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Endangered A1d+4cde ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
|Birkun Jr., A.A. & Frantzis, A.
|Brownell Jr., R.L. & Rojas-Bracho, L. (Cetacean Red List Authority)
The Black Sea Harbour Porpoise, P. p. relicta, qualifies for listing as Endangered (EN) based on criteria A1d and A4cde. The basis for inferences and suspicions leading to that assessment is summarised below.
The estimated generation time is 8-12 years (depending on population status), thus three generations for the Black Sea Harbour Porpoises (using the natural, or pre-disturbance, value of 12) would be 36 years, or 1972-2007.
There are no estimates of unexploited or present total population size, although the available information suggests that present population size is at least several thousands and possibly in the low tens of thousands.
The following information from the last three decades is relevant to the proposed classification. However, it is important to note that very high levels of direct and incidental mortality occurred for a long period before then (from the 1830s and throughout the 20th century) and this undoubtedly would have dramatically reduced the population prior to the 1970s (IWC 2004).
(1) Large directed takes occurred during the years 1976-1983 before the ban on small cetacean hunting was declared in Turkey in 1983. Within that period, the total number of harbour porpoises killed was at least 163,000-211,000. Illegal direct killing of unknown numbers continued in some parts of the Black Sea until 1991.
(2) Regionally extensive incidental mortality of porpoises in bottom-set gillnets is roughly estimated to have been in the thousands annually through the 1980s. The scale of this mortality almost certainly increased in the 1990s-2000s owing to the rapid expansion of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Black Sea.
(3) A major mass mortality event occurred in the Azov Sea in August 1982 as a result of an explosion at a gas-extraction platform. More than 2,000 porpoises were found on shore following this event.
(4) Two other mass mortality events occurred in 1989 and 1990, attributed to the combined effects of parasitic and bacterial infections. Although difficult to quantify, the mortality of porpoises is believed to have been in the thousands.
(5) Periodically (most recently in November 1993), natural mass mortality events occur as a result of ice entrapment in the Azov Sea. Although no direct estimates are available, these can result in the deaths of several tens or more animals.
(6) There has been general and ongoing degradation of the Black Sea environment (including harbour porpoise habitat) and biodiversity during the 1970s-2000s, with perhaps the most serious period in the late 1980s–early 1990s due to a combination of overfishing, water pollution, eutrophication, demersal fish die-offs caused by hypoxia and the population explosion of harmful alien species. This degradation almost certainly has resulted in a decline in the abundance and quality of Harbour Porpoise prey.
EN: A1d. A reduction in population size of 70% over the past 30 years (see note at end of paragraph) is inferred based on paragraphs (1) and (3) above, i.e. the directed takes and, to a lesser degree, the accident in 1982 (considered 'actual exploitation' in the context of IUCN Red List Criteria). These causes were clearly reversible and understood and they have ceased. Despite the absence of abundance estimates for the initial part of the 30-year period, the suspected decline of 70% is based on inferences from a crude extrapolation based on the annual removal levels in the Turkish fishery: a reduction of 70% implies that the population in 1976 must have been at least 233,000-302,000, whereas a reduction of 50% (threshold for Vulnerable) would require a population size of at least 326,000-422,000. The latter seems unrealistic given the duration and intensity of past exploitation. [Note: The numerical analyses were conducted at the Monaco workshop in 2006 and were based on an assumed generation time of 10 rather than 12 years, thus using a 30-year (1976-2006) rather than 36-year interval for three generations.]
EN: A4cde. A reduction in population size of 50% over a 30-year period that includes both the past and the future is inferred based on the above paragraphs except (1) and (3). During this period, although direct killing has ceased, the other known or suspected causes of decline (bycatch, habitat degradation, prey depletion, epizootics and adverse climatic circumstances) have not ceased.
|Previously published Red List assessments:
|Range Description:
The subspecies' range includes the Black Sea proper, Azov Sea, Kerch Strait (e.g., Tzalkin 1938), Marmara Sea, Bosphorus Strait (Öztürk and Öztürk 1997), northern Aegean Sea (Frantzis et al. 2001) and also, very likely, the Dardanelles Straits (Harun Guclusoy 2006, pers. comm. to Frantzis) connecting the Marmara and northern Aegean Seas (see Figure 1 in Supplementary Material). The Black Sea population is completely isolated from the nearest P. phocoena population in the northeastern Atlantic by a wide range hiatus in the Mediterranean Sea (Frantzis et al. 2001). Although there is no agreement on when it happened (Kleinenberg 1956, Frantzis et al. 2001), it is clear that Harbour Porpoises came to the Black Sea via the Mediterranean which, therefore, must have had its own population in the past.
The range of the Black Sea subspecies includes territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine in the Black Sea; internal waters of Ukraine in the Black Sea (including the Dnieper-and-Boug Liman and Karkinitsky Bay); internal waters of Russia and Ukraine in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait; internal waters of Turkey (TSS, including the Bosphorus Strait, Marmara Sea and, possibly, the Dardanelles); Greek territorial waters in the northern Aegean Sea (Thracian Sea, Kavala Gulf, Strymonikos Gulf, Agiou Orous Gulf, and Thermaikos Gulf); and possibly Turkish territorial waters of the northeastern Aegean Sea, at the exit of the Dardanelles Straits. Occasionally, Harbour Porpoises have been sighted in the Danube, Dnieper, Don and Kuban rivers, their estuaries, deltas and tributaries (e.g., in the Danube in 1984-1989 and 2003 or in the Ingulets, a confluent of the Dnieper, in 1999), and coastal freshwater, brackish and saline lakes and lagoons including the Yalpug and Sivash lakes, Berezansky and Grigorievsky lagoons, Tendrovsky, Yagorlytsky and Jarylgachsky bays, and the Gulf of Taganrog (Tzalkin 1940a, Geptner et al. 1976, Birkun 2006). All of these sites are situated in Ukraine and Russia, on the northern and northwestern coasts of the Black Sea and round the Azov Sea.
The population of P. p. relicta may consist of three or more subpopulations including those that spend much of the year in geographically and ecologically different areas, e.g. the Azov Sea, northwestern Black Sea and Sea of Marmara. The Bosporus Straits, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Straits serve as conduits between the Black and Aegean Seas. Water flow at the surface is into the Aegean, from the Black Sea (Poulos et al. 1997). If porpoises were to leave the Black Sea, the conditions in the northern Aegean Sea (as compared to other parts of the Mediterranean) would remain similar to those of the Black Sea. The period of greatest similarity would be February and March (Poulos et al. 1997) and five out of the nine records from the Aegean occurred from mid January to the end of March (three were in summer and one in October; all age classes have been found in the small available sample). Further work is needed to determine whether the animals found in the northern Aegean Sea represent a separate resident subpopulation.
[Definition: Territorial waters of all six Black Sea countries are defined as consisting of the 12-mile-wide submerged strip along the coast, and the offshore border of this strip constitutes the marine boundary for each country. In areas where the sea extends inland (gulfs, bays, etc.), the 12-mile rule does not apply. These water bodies constitute the so-called "internal (marine) waters" of the Black Sea countries.]
|Countries occurrence:
Native:Bulgaria; Georgia; Romania; Russian Federation; Turkey; Ukraine
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Mediterranean and Black Sea
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Total population size is unknown and therefore a synoptic region-wide survey is essential. Past Black Sea region-wide estimates based on strip transect surveys carried out in the USSR (1967-1974; Zemsky and Yablokov 1974) and Turkey (1987; Çelikkale et al. 1989) have been shown to be fundamentally flawed for a number of methodological and analytical reasons, making their use as indicators of absolute abundance unwarranted (e.g., IWC 1992, Buckland et al. 1992). Consideration needs to be given as to whether, despite the identified problems, any of the data from those earlier surveys can be used in comparisons with data from future well-designed surveys to infer population change. Other estimates also suffered from inadequacies of survey design, record keeping and statistical analysis. Nevertheless, it was generally recognized (e.g., Tzalkin 1940, Kleinenberg 1956, Geptner et al. 1976, Yaskin and Yukhov 1997) that during most of the 20th century, the abundance of Harbour Porpoises in the Black Sea was higher than that of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ponticus) and lower than that of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis ponticus).
Line transect surveys have been conducted recently to estimate Harbour Porpoise abundance in different parts of the range. In particular, aerial surveys were conducted in the Azov Sea, Kerch Strait (2001, 2002) and northeastern shelf area of the Black Sea (2002); vessel-based surveys were performed in the Kerch Strait, the entire 12-mile-wide zone of the Ukrainian and Russian Black Sea (2003), Georgian territorial sea (2005), and central part of the Black Sea between the Crimea peninsula, Ukraine, and Sinop province of Turkey (September–October 2005). Results of those surveys (see Table 1 in the Supplementary Material, see below) suggest that present total population size is at least several thousands and possibly in the low tens of thousands.
Population Trend
In the 20th century, the number of Black Sea Harbour Porpoises was dramatically reduced by massive direct killing for the cetacean-processing industry that continued until 1983 (e.g. Smith 1982, IWC 2004). The numbers of animals taken were not recorded accurately; much of the catch data was recorded as numbers of animals undifferentiated to species (all three Black Sea small cetacean species were targeted) and by wet weight aggregates (e.g. pounds or tons of dolphin/porpoise landed). However, it can be inferred that the population size of P. p. relicta was reduced due to the direct kills (totalling some hundreds of thousands) by the time the total ban on dolphin hunting was enforced in the Black Sea region (see section "Threats"). It is strongly suspected that during the subsequent period from 1983-2006, not only did the population not recover but it declined markedly, primarily due to large-scale mortality in bottom-set gillnets (Birkun 2002a). In addition, there are other ongoing threats including human-induced habitat degradation (see "Threats" below). These threats are poorly managed in most Black Sea countries and therefore further decline of the population seems likely. It is also important to consider the effect on population trends of the mass-mortality events mentioned elsewhere in this assessment (gas platform explosion in 1982, die-off from ice conditions in 1993 and the two events in 1989 and 1990 possibly related to parasitic and bacterial infections).
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
Harbour Porpoises inhabit mainly shallow waters (0–200 m deep) over the continental shelf around the entire perimeter of the Black Sea, although they also occur quite far offshore in deep water. For instance, in late September – early October 2005, sizeable groups were observed in the central Black Sea, beyond the shelf edge some 38–215 km from the nearest coast in waters 450–2,170 m deep (Krivokhizhin et al. 2006). During warm periods they occur in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait (Tzalkin 1940a; Kleinenberg 1956; Birkun et al. 2002) and in the Marmara Sea and Bosphorus (Öztürk and Öztürk 1997). Both of these small seas (as well as the northwestern Black Sea shelf zone) may represent geographically disjunct breeding-calving-feeding areas while the straits (Kerch and Bosphorus) connecting the seas serve as migration corridors.
Harbour Porpoises undertake annual migrations, leaving the Azov Sea (Tzalkin 1938) and northwestern Black Sea (Birkun 2006) before winter and returning in spring. Such movements also may occur between the Black Sea and Marmara Sea; in the latter (along with the Bosphorus) there are no records for January-March (Öztürk and Öztürk 1997). The primary wintering areas are in the southeastern Black Sea (Birkun et al. 2006) including southern Georgian territorial waters and (perhaps) eastern Turkish territorial waters. These are also the well-known wintering grounds of Black Sea and Azov Sea populations of the Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus ponticus) – a principal prey species for Harbour Porpoises during the cold season (Kleinenberg 1956). Most of the Black Sea porpoise population may congregate there every year. In January 2005 the density estimated for Georgian waters was 1.5 porpoises per km2 ( Birkun et al. 2006), i.e. 6–39 times higher than densities reported for any other Black/Azov Sea area surveyed in summer or autumn.
The mean group size varies from 1.4 to 7.7 in different areas (Birkun et al. 2002, 2003, 2004; Krivokhizhin et al. 2006) although during their seasonal migration, animals may remain for a few days at different sites (usually bays with abundant fish) forming dense aggregations of some hundreds of individuals, e.g. off the southern coast of Crimea in December-January 1994 (Laspi Bay), March 1995 (near Cape Meganom) and April 2005 (between Cape Aya and Cape Fiolent) (Birkun and Krivokhizhin unpublished data). Sometimes, early and rapid ice formation, arising immediately after an "Indian summer", can prevent animals leaving the Azov Sea and cause mass mortality due to ice entrapment (Kleinenberg 1956). The last recorded die-off of this kind occurred in November 1993 (Birkun and Krivokhizhin 1997); the number of animals could not be estimated. Black Sea harbour porpoises do not avoid waters with low salinity and high turbidity; they may occur in brackish bays and lagoons, and visit rivers and estuaries (all records occurring at warm times of the year).
The ecology of Black Sea Harbour Porpoises may be considered unusual. It reflects the high degree of geographical isolation of their habitat, relatively low water salinity, significant seasonal fluctuations of water temperature, and large amount of anoxic waters saturated with hydrogen sulphide, H2S, below 100-250 m. At least 14 fish species have been recorded in the stomach contents (Tzalkin 1940, Kleinenberg 1956, Tomilin 1957, Tonay and Öz 1999, Krivokhizhin et al. 2000, Birkun 2006), of which four are considered as the most important prey: Anchovy, Sprat (Sprattus sprattus phalaericus), Whiting (Merlangius merlangus euxinus) and gobies (Gobiidae)
|Freshwater; Marine
|Movement patterns:
|Full Migrant
|Major Threat(s):
Until 1983, unregulated hunting was the primary threat (IWC 1992, 2004). Very large numbers of harbour porpoises, as well as other cetaceans, were taken during the 20th century by all Black Sea countries for a variety of industrial uses (Kleinenberg 1956, Tomilin 1957). Although the total number killed is unknown, it may have been as many as four or five million for all species combined (e.g. see review in Smith 1982). It is widely accepted that all Black Sea cetacean populations, including Harbour Porpoises, were badly reduced by the directed fishery (IWC 1983, 1992, 2004). Catches of Harbour Porpoises were numerically fewer than those of Common Dolphins until 1964 when Harbour Porpoises became predominant (Danilevsky and Tyutyunnikov 1968, Smith 1982). Berkes (1977) reported that in Turkey, approximately 4,400 tons (4,400,000 kg) of cetaceans (all three species combined) were processed annually from 1971-73. He assumed an average weight per carcass of 50 kg (unspecified to species). Importantly, Berkes noted that shooting (the predominant method of dolphin killing in Turkey) could result in about half of the killed animals being lost due to sinking. If, following Berkes, one supposes that in the early 1970s the annual total of removals by the Turkish fishery amounted to 8,800,000 kg (including both processed and lost carcasses), or up to 176,000 animals of which 50% were Harbour Porpoises, this would imply at least 88,000 killed per year (of which 44,000 were landed). These very crude calculations suggest that Turkish catches of Harbour Porpoises in the early 1970s were at least as high as, and possibly much higher than, those estimated for 1976-1981 (34,000-44,000 per year according to IWC, 1983, assuming that harbour porpoises accounted for 80% of the total). At least since 1991, there has been no evidence of illegal directed takes although such takes had been reported before that time (IWC 1992).
At present, incidental mortality in fishing nets is the most serious threat (e.g., Birkun 2002a). Although all three Black Sea cetacean species are 'bycaught', the majority (95%) of recorded cetacean entanglements are of porpoises. Unfortunately, absolute numbers of removals cannot be estimated from the available data. However, there are indications that the annual level of Harbour Porpoise bycatch may be in the thousands. Almost all (99%) of the porpoises are caught in bottom-set gillnets for Turbot (Psetta maeotica), Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and sturgeon (Acipenser spp.). The peak occurs from April–June during the Turbot season in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait and throughout the shelf area of the Black Sea, including territorial waters of all six riparian countries. Almost all (99.9%) recorded bycatches are lethal (BLASDOL 1999). Illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing is widespread in the Black and Azov Seas and a significant proportion of the bycatch may occur in such operations.
An explosion at a gas-drilling platform in the Azov Sea in August 1982 resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 porpoises (Birkun 2002b).
Large-scale pelagic and small-scale coastal fisheries may affect Black Sea harbour porpoises indirectly by reducing their prey populations and degrading their habitat. Primarily, this relates to anchovies and sprats in the Black Sea and gobies in the Azov Sea. In particular, overfishing, eutrophication and the population explosion of an introduced predator, the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, led to a dramatic (8 to 12-fold) decline of sprat and anchovy abundance in the early 1990s (Prodanov et al. 1997). This reduced prey availability coincided with two mass mortality events (in 1989 and 1990) that, although they affected all three cetacean species, primarily affected porpoises (Birkun 2002c). Severe pulmonary nematodosis, caused by Halocercus spp. and complicated by bacterial super-infection, was recognized as a primary cause of the deaths, which were mainly of young animals. For other species, it has been hypothesised that malnutrition along with immuno-suppression associated with PCB contamination provokes or intensifies the effects of epizootics (e.g. Mediterranean Striped Dolphins; Aguilar and Borrell, 1994). Reported levels of DDTs and HCHs in Black Sea Harbour Porpoises are higher than those in conspecifics elsewhere in the world (Tanabe et al. 1997). Chemical pollution is thus also a potential threat, particularly in the context of epizootics.
Black Sea Harbour Porpoises are also affected in some years by ice entrapment in the Azov Sea (see section "Habitats and Ecology").
|Conservation Actions:
The Black Sea population of Harbour Porpoises has been listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals since 1996.
Commercial hunting of Black Sea cetaceans, including Harbour Porpoises, was banned in 1966 in the former USSR (present Georgia, Russia and Ukraine), Bulgaria and Romania, and in 1983 in Turkey. The riparian states assumed international obligations to protect Black Sea cetaceans as contracting parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne Convention), Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Bucharest Convention), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, Appendix II), and the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). The Harbour Porpoise, P. phocoena, is mentioned in Annex II of the EC Directive No.92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora. In 1996, the Ministers of Environment of Black Sea countries adopted cetacean conservation and research measures within the framework of the Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea (paragraph 62). The Harbour Porpoise is included as Data Deficient in the regional Black Sea Red Data Book (1999). However, in 2002 it was listed as Endangered in the Provisional List of Species of the Black Sea Importance, an annex to the Black Sea Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation Protocol of the Bucharest Convention.
On a national level, Black Sea cetaceans, including harbour porpoises, are protected by environmental laws, governmental decrees and national Red Data Book listings. The harbour porpoise is listed in the Red Data Books of Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine, which do not use the IUCN categories and criteria. In Russia and Ukraine, inscription in national Red Data Books means that the species should be monitored and managed by appropriate state/national programmes. Such a programme has existed in Ukraine since 1999 (the Delfin-programme adopted by the Ministry of Environment). Action plans for the conservation of Black Sea cetaceans were produced in Ukraine (2001) and Romania (2003) but they have no legal effect. In 2003-05 nine coastal protected areas were joined to form the Ukrainian National Network for Cetacean Conservation, an informal network consisting of 19 institutions (operational units) situated in 17 localities along the seaboard of Ukraine. Those protected areas are (from west to east): the Dunaisky [Danube] Biosphere Reserve, Chernomorsky (Black Sea) Biosphere Reserve, Swan Islands Branch of the Crimean Nature Reserve, Cape Martyan Nature Reserve, Karadag Nature Reserve, Opuk Nature Reserve, Kazantip Nature Reserve, Azov and Sivash National Park, and Meotida Landscape Park. The inventory of cetacean habitats has been completed and a common methodology for cetacean monitoring has been introduced in these protected areas. The ACCOBAMS Implementation Priorities for 2002-06 (Notarbartolo di Sciara 2002) envisage the development of a pilot conservation and management project in the well-defined area between Cape Sarych and Cape Khersones, southern Crimea (Ukraine).
|Birkun Jr., A.A. & Frantzis, A. 2008. Phocoena phocoena ssp. relicta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T17030A6737111. . Downloaded on 23 September 2018.
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The New York State Interest on Lawyer Account Fund ("IOLA") helps low income people in New York State obtain help with civil legal problems affecting their most basic needs, such as food, shelter, jobs and access to health care.
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Publisher: Del Rey
Author: Karen Traviss
Cover Artist: Jason Felix
Cover Price: $7.99
Media: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-345-47757-6 - 1st
Includes a 26-page preview of the upcoming Troy Denning novel, and conclusion to the Legacy of the Force series, Invincible.
During this savage civil war, all efforts to end Jacen Solo's tyranny of the Galactic Alliance have failed. Now with Jacen approaching the height of his dark powers, no one–not even the Solos and the Skywalkers–knows if anything can stop the Sith Lord before his plan to save the galaxy ends up destroying it.
Jacen Solo's shadow of influence has threatened many, especially those closest to him. Jaina Solo is determined to bring her brother in, but in order to track him down, she must first learn unfamiliar skills from a man she finds ruthless, repellent, and dangerous. Meanwhile, Ben Skywalker, still haunted by suspicions that Jacen killed his mother, Mara, decides he must know the truth, even if it costs him his life. And as Luke Skywalker contemplates once unthinkable strategies to dethrone his nephew, the hour of reckoning for those on both sides draws near. The galaxy becomes a battlefield where all must face their true nature and darkest secrets, and live–or die–with the consequences.
|Subsequent Printings


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STOCKTON - The fur flew at Stockton Arena on Saturday for a good cause.
STOCKTON - The fur flew at Stockton Arena on Saturday for a good cause.
Stockton Thunder player Harrison Reed scored early in the first period, signaling fans to throws thousands of stuffed toys on the ice at the eighth annual Teddy Bear Toss. All the toys were donated to the United Way of San Joaquin County, which distributes them to needy children.
The Thunder lost to the Utah Grizzlies 4-3 in front of a crowd of 8,026.
"It's just a wonderful event. It has an energy about it," said Andy Prokop, the president and chief executive officer of United Way of San Joaquin County. "There's an anticipation by the players, an anticipation by the volunteers ready to pick up the toys, and there's darn sure anticipation by the fans ready to throw those stuffed animals."
The charity event has distributed more than 29,000 stuffed toys in the first seven events, including 4,709 last year. The fans throw the stuffed toys when the home team scores its first goal, and Reed's goal five minutes, 14 seconds into the game sent a shower of various colors of bears, dogs, cats, horses and at least one penguin onto the playing surface.
"This is just great fun and for such a good cause," said season ticket holder Russ Hampton, who brought a large pink bunny. "I come every year and it's always special."
Some people didn't wait until Saturday to start donating stuffed animals. Prokop said more than a week ago a man pulled up to his office in a pickup filled with toys.
"He said he couldn't make it to the event, and there had to be 200 stuffed toys in the back of the truck," Prokop said.
"It was something else."
Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 or email@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/sportsblog.


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Hungry Spirit
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 101
Goodbye Bartz!
Well the time has come to say goodbye to Bartz and hello to our new home in Chronos, I wanted to make a final Bartz thread with some of the good memories you have from the server.
I've been in Bartz since prelude so that would make it 5 or 6 years I think, a lot of good friends who've come and gone and, a lot of god memories.
Last night a bunch of us went nostalgic and we started playing around in the Giran arena for one last time, it was chaos, but it was fun chaos!. Before that I had been with an alt to Cruma tower, went in to the first floor where I've found fast leveling for my lvl 40 tyrant but I wanted to explore. So I went up to the core entrance and also stayed a bit on the 2nd floor.
Without noticing it, I ended up at the room in 2nd floor where my old clan (my first clan ever) had once partied, it was a clan only party, spots would only open to party members and it was a long non stop party. We camped that room for 48 hours, I went into the party stayed for about 12 hours, went to bed and woke up to find the party still there.
Then I rejoined the party and stayed some 8 hours, my understanding is that the party broke up next day. This was back in C1, What are your memories of Bartz?
Hungry Spirit
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brazil
Posts: 143
Re: Goodbye Bartz!
I started here about 3 months ago
My char was a Hawk Eye, I as lvling with other 8 players. we all started here at the same time, as a party
The guy playing the Abyss Walker quit, so I decided to play as as a dagger
Ppl where about lv 40 and I was starting over from 1
My worst nightmare was from lv 36 to 40 lvling in Hardins Academy
About 0,20 exp per mob, in a place with very few mobs
(seven signs was in the no-subscribe week btw)
we had a fight when me and a friend were trying to make ppl wait for me while i reached their lvl's with the new char
Well acctualy i'm lv 76 Ghost Hunter
Bye bartz and see you all at Chronos
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