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NEW ORLEANS — Hearings in the NFL bounty probe of the Saints resumed with witness appearances by former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress, Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt and linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been appointed to oversee the hearings, which he has scheduled to conclude in New Orleans by Tuesday. There were also several days of witness appearances in Washington last week.
Tagliabue also has requested strict confidentiality by those involved. Childress and Vitt honored the request after their appearances.
As Childress left the downtown law office on Monday he said he had "nothing to add" after meeting with the former commissioner.
Vitt also didn't have much to say, though he spent about five hours at the hearing.
The Saints coach had said previously, including under oath in federal court last summer, that his players never took the field intending to injure an opponent. As he left, Vitt said that testimony "was reiterated."
Like other witnesses, Vitt said he could not discuss details of the hearing, but added that it was good to see the former commissioner, who he'd met before. Vitt said that they had friendly exchanges, even sharing some old stories.
Vitt then headed back to the Saints' suburban headquarters to catch up on how practice went.
Tagliabue has informed attorneys representing all parties that he hopes to rule on the appeals of Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith and two other players shortly after the hearings conclude.
Smith, suspended four games, and Vilma, suspended for the entire current season, have been allowed back on the field while their appeals are pending. It is unclear if they will be able to play against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Two former New Orleans players also were banned: Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita had his suspension reduced to one game, while free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove has not played in the NFL this season but faces a two-game suspension if he signs with a team.
The NFL has described Vilma and Smith as ringleaders — and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams as being in charge — of a performance pool designed to knock targeted opponents out of games from 2009 to 2011.
The league has sworn statements from Williams and former Saints assistant coach Mike Cerullo — who testified last week — saying Vilma offered $10,000 to anyone who knocked quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2010 NFC championship game.
Childress had informed the NFL after that game he'd heard from former player Jimmy Kennedy that the Saints had a bounty on Favre. Childress is currently the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator.
The NFL also has identified Kennedy as one of its witnesses, but Kennedy has said the league is lying about his statements. He added that the league irreparably damaged his reputation by its "shoddy, careless, shameful so-called investigation."
According to the NFL, Kennedy heard about the bounty from Hargrove, who has also denied knowledge of a bounty program.
Tagliabue has insisted that the contents of the appeals process remain private, and all of the hearings have been behind closed doors in private law offices.
Vilma offered a wave and a thumbs-up sign as he walked into the downtown New Orleans law office for Monday's proceedings. Vitt only joked to several reporters that he sees them "in his dreams" and that they should be at Saints' practice instead of the law office.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued the initial suspensions, which also included a full-season ban for Saints head coach Sean Payton.
Lawsuits brought by Vilma and the NFL Players Association to challenge Goodell's handling of the case, including his decision in October to appoint Tagliabue as the arbitrator for the appeals, are pending in federal court in New Orleans.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan gave the parties until Monday to answer questions about whether the NFL's collective bargaining agreement prevents a commissioner from handing out discipline for legal contact, and whether the CBA's passages about detrimental conduct are "ambiguous, hence unenforceable."
The NFLPA responded Monday afternoon, saying the labor agreement does not give the commissioner authority to punish players for legal hits. The union added that if Tagliabue interprets the agreement otherwise, the provisions pertaining to the commissioner's authority in the CBA would be unenforceable.
In its response to Berrigan's request, the NFL said players were not punished for on-field actions. The league said the players' suspensions resulted from meeting or locker room pledges, rewarding injury-causing hits and lying to NFL investigators about the incentive pool.
In March, the NFL announced that its investigation showed the Saints put together a bounty pool of up to $50,000 to reward game-ending injuries inflicted on opponents. "Knockouts" were worth $1,500 and "cart-offs" $1,000 — with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs, the league said.
According to the league, the pay-for-pain program was administered by Williams, with Payton's knowledge. At the time, Williams apologized for his role, saying: "It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it."
Later that month, Payton became the first head coach suspended by the league for any reason — banned for all of this season without pay — and Williams was suspended indefinitely.


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Surrender to musical evenings at Jaipur lit fest
Jaipur, Jan 8 (IANS) Evenings at the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festival will be audiovisual treat for music lovers as they will be treated to Africa's traditional nomadic melodies along with Rajasthani folk, Indie-pop and classical jazz.
"The Musical Stage", on the sidelines of the five-day literary event, will begin here Jan 17 and will be hosting musical wizards from around the globe.
Grammy Award winner Tinariwen — a band of Tuareg musicians from northern Mali in Africa, Rajasthani folk artists, composer-singer Karsh Kale, Indian electronic band Midival Punditz will bring evenings alive after a heavy day of literati debates and discussions.
The musical sidelight is scheduled for four days from Jan 17.
On the opening day, giving a glimpse of sophisticated rhythms of India, will be Jaipur Kawa Brass band who have given many international performances with their riotous trumpets, clarinets and loud, clattering drums.
Other performances include Rajasthani folk music and dance, Delhi-based band Ska Vengers, sarangi player Suhail and the Sufi gospel project.
The festival is also hosting two Nobel Prize winners, Amartya Sen and Harold Varmus, Order of the British Empire (OBE) awardee Mary Beard and teacher of classics at Cambridge University and Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri.
British writer Samantha Shannon, actor Irrfan Khan and boxer Mary Kom will also address sessions.
The Jaipur Literature Festival is an annual event, billed as the world's largest free literary festival. The first of these festivals began on a small scale as part of the Jaipur Heritage International Festival in 2006.

subset: commoncrawl


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The other day a smell permeated the house that was as comforting as slippers – the ones that are covered with wool then open up to a textured faux fur that tries to replicate the impossibly soft covering of a baby lamb. It was as fragrant as Lillies and so completely intoxicating I had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand.
I was poaching pears.
My nose was never more than six inches from the pot as I let the floral steam wash over my face like the most exhilarating spa treatment. My mind raced with ideas on how to use these pears daily during this chilled season where their presence is simply perfect.
As I dreamed I dipped a little glass in to steal some of the poaching liquid and determined that it makes a rather delightful mulled wine.
On this occasion the pears found themselves covered in a white blanket of white chocolate mascarpone mousse. They became close neighbors with lady fingers that also became intoxicated with a reduced version of the poaching liquid. Everyone was happily capped with whipped cream and white chocolate curls.
The next day my pears became fast friends with a ginger and cardamom panna cotta.
Don't you think for one minute that these pears need some fancy accompaniment to make them special enough for the Holidays. Oh no. They are, on their own, simply perfect. Serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream – oh and can you imagine what a creamy caramel would do for these spicy pears. Oh goodness.
White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears
from Bon Appetit, December 2007
This is a great holiday "wow" dessert that is actually better made the day ahead. Space out your prep. You can make the pears and reduction 2 days ahead and assemble everything else the day before. Let rest in the fridge. This will give all the incredible flavors a chance to hang out and get to know one another.
Spiced Pears:
1 750-ml bottle dry white wine
2 cups pear juice or pear nectar
1 1/4 cups sugar
12 whole green cardamom pods, crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet
4 1-inch-diameter rounds peeled fresh ginger (each about 1/8 inch thick)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
7 large firm but ripe Anjou pears (3 to 31/4 pounds), peeled (the original recipe called for 5 but I wanted more. Feel free to make even more pears – you won't be sorry)
White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:
7 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), finely chopped
1/3 cup poire Williams (clear pear brandy) – I used apple brandy and I heard no complaints
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 8- to 8.8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Trifle Assembly:
3 3-ounce packages soft ladyfingers, separated
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
White chocolate curls
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
For spiced pears:
Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.
Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.
For mousse:
Combine white chocolate, pear or apple brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. (You can also do this in the microwave for 30 sec. increments – be very careful not to overheat) Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.
Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
For trifle assembly:
Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.
Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.
Sift powdered sugar over trifle just before serving.


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North Korea's launch this week of a long-range rocket may have sparked an outcry across much of the globe but the anxieties it has provoked could mean more business for Lockheed Martin Corp, the world's largest arms maker.
Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, makes a wider range of missile shields that have been successfully tested than "anybody else on this planet," Robert Stevens, the company's chief executive, told Reuters on Thursday.
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"Everywhere we go around the globe, with every leader in every nation that we participate with, this proliferation of missile technology ... it's on everybody's mind," he said in a joint interview with Marillyn Hewson, his designated successor.
"And we have, I would argue, the most mature portfolio of missile defense capabilities," Stevens said, projecting that foreign arms sales would help offset flattening U.S. military spending in coming years.
Stevens cited programs including Patriot, Aegis, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Medium Extended Air Defense System, plus communications and command-control systems that can link them in a layered defense. He said this has "high levels of interest internationally."
North Korea on Wednesday rattled the United States, its Asian neighbors and many other countries by putting a satellite in orbit for the first time, a step widely seen as advancing its ballistic missile program in defiance of U.N. resolutions.
Stevens, who hands over the CEO job next month to Lockheed President and Chief Operating Officer Hewson, said the company was poised to benefit from a rebalancing of U.S. forces toward the Pacific announced by President Barack Obama a year ago, after a decade of land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed expects this so-called "pivot" to Asia to rely largely on air, naval and space assets, more than on ground forces, dovetailing with Lockheed's top product lines, he said.
These include satellites as well as systems used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, situational awareness, naval and air power, and missile defense.
U.S. competitors in these markets typically include Boeing Co , Northrop Grumman Corp , Raytheon Co and the U.S. unit of BAE Systems .
Lockheed shares fell about 2 percent, or $1.82, to $89.99 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, swept up in broader investor concerns about potential U.S. tax increases and budget cuts that could take effect next month.
The commander of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Samuel Locklear, told a forum hosted by the Asia Society in Washington last week that he aimed to boost the ability of U.S. forces to operate and communicate with regional partners.
"The cornerstone of our rebalance effort will be to modernize and strengthen our five Pacific treaty alliances, and that work has begun in earnest," he said. The pacts are with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.
Stevens welcomed U.S. plans to engage "more assertively in international security partnerships" such as those described by Locklear.
"This is a virtuous cycle that is good for them (U.S. partners) and good for us," he said. "And that's a policy dimension that Marillyn and I want to work on to advance in discussions as we look forward."
The Asia-Pacific region has been shaken by China's increased assertiveness of its claims to disputed island groups in the South China and East China seas. The region is the world's most militarized, with seven of the 10 largest standing militaries.
Hewson will take over on January 1 as CEO of Lockheed, which posted 2011 sales of $46.5 billion and a backlog of $80.7 billion.
She said the company was on its way to boosting its international sales to 20 percent of its total in a "few years" from about 17 percent now.
Sales of the company's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's costliest arms program, will play a big role. International sales growth for now is driven mainly by missile defense systems, C-130J transport aircraft and F-16 multi role fighters, said Jennifer Whitlow, a company spokeswoman.
Stevens said he expected conversations about the future of the F-16 production line to continue for "over a decade" because of continuing demand for the planes. Lockheed is currently building F-16s for Egypt, Oman and Iraq - enough to continue the production line until January 2016, Joseph LaMarca, another spokesperson, said by email.
Stevens said the performance of the F-35, now in early production, was improving steadily across the board.
Lockheed is co-developing the F-35 with eight international partners - Britain, Norway, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia and Italy.
The program generated 13 percent of Lockheed's annual revenue last year. It is due to reach 20 percent when full production starts, perhaps in about 2017, Stevens said.
(Reporting By Jim Wolf; Editing by Ros Krasny and Steve Orlofsky)


text: A beatiful Ravelle Elite in Black Cherry is featured in the October edition of the prestigious Vogue China magazine, as part of the many red items celebrating this issue. Vogue China became the sixteenth edition of Vogue when its first issue was released for September 2005; its debut had been in the works for over two years. The magazine's first cover featured Australian model Gemma Ward alongside Chinese models Du Juan, Wang Wenqin, Tong Chenjie, Liu Dan, and Ni Mingxi. The magazine's first printing of 300,000 copies sold out, requiring a second printing. Current circulation is 20 million copies!


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text:
Out of the Woodwork: A Dovetail a Day
The 30-day workout program that promises you tight tails and no split ends.
By Christopher Schwarz
Page: 104
From the February 2007 issue #160
Buy this issue now
I was on our local swim team as a child, and I was an embarrassment to my pool, my parents and mammals in general. Perhaps the coach kept me around to make the youngest swimmers (Team Minnow) feel better about their dog-paddling. Or perhaps my artless splashing lulled competing teams into complacency before a swim meet.
From the February 2007 issue #160
Buy this issue now
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text:
Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
The U.S. government shutdown may be over, but J. Marshall Shepherd, president of the American Meteorological Society, says American science has suffered a lasting blow. He says the shutdown has delayed potentially life-saving research, weakened our international credibility, and signaled to youth that government science may not be a wise career option.


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With pay levels and reputation under attack, investment banks are changing tack to lure graduates, dumping brash presentations with get-rich-quick appeal in favor of earnest pitches about responsibility, diversity and building a career.
"Previously there would have been a mass-marketing approach, and we would have found it very easy and been very attractive to students," said Chris Jackson, head of graduate recruitment at Royal Bank of Scotland .
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"The important thing we are trying to get across is that this is a career now. This is not a kind of short-term option that may have been perceived in the past."
With Britain's central bank saying recently that it hoped bankers' pay would eventually fall to a level closer to that of doctors or lawyers, recruiters from the big investment banks are having to reshape their message.
"Students know compensation is down at the banks, and they know the lifestyle, and it's rigorous," said Sunshine Singer, senior associate director of career management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.
"The trade-off is not worth it as much as it used to be if they are going to be working that much and not be compensated for it. This is a different generation."
A few years ago, the emphasis was on the money.
As a young Oxford undergraduate, Joseph O'Keeffe was schmoozed with caviar, wine and the promise of the good life.
"The initial recruiting phase is very much like selling you a lifestyle, and it's like you want to be this person who shops at Selfridges and wears Armani suits and Hermes ties," he said.
"Just like everything in high British society, it's all very understated and implied, but it's like blatantly obvious."
Sick of working up to 100 hours a week and being yelled and cursed at by senior colleagues, the 23-year old quit this year.
"You are the bottom of the pile," he said.
Since the financial crisis, investment banks have lost some of their shine for the cream of the college crop.
At Harvard Business School, only 7 percent of the Class of 2012 went into investment banking, down from 10 percent in 2010. At the Wharton School of Business, the number has fallen from 25 percent to 16.6 percent.
Part of it is a squeeze on places; Goldman Sachs shut its flagship two-year analyst training program earlier this year. But graduates themselves are being drawn to other sectors such as technology and private equity.
"Partly it's that investment banks themselves are not as aggressively seeking MBAs as they were back in the good old days," said Ray Soifer, a former banking analyst and Harvard Business School alumnus, who tracks where graduates take jobs.
"But investment banking in many respects just doesn't look as attractive as a career."
That said, it remains the most lucrative graduate job in Britain, with average starter salaries of 45,000 pounds, and applications for investment banking posts this year still managed a slight rise - 0.8 percent, according to High Fliers Research, an organization that tracks graduate recruitment.
But with graduate unemployment rising to nearly one in five, and compared with other financial services jobs, standing still represents a relative decline.
Retail banking jobs, with average starter salaries of around 30,000 pounds, climbed by nearly a third, and accountancy applications rose 16 percent, according to High Fliers.
"For investment banking, we've seen more interest this year from European countries, and the number of UK applicants has gone down slightly," said Dee Clarke, recruitment manager at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) .
"I think it might be more due to the fact that investment banking as an actual business has perhaps not had as much activity and has not been in the press in terms of volumes of deals."
When it comes to scandal, however, investment banking has been grabbing the headlines, as in the trial of former UBS trader Kweku Adoboli, who was jailed for seven years for fraudulently running up losses of $2.3 billion.
In the summer of 2002, Adoboli did a 10-week summer internship at UBS that went so well the bank offered him a job and made him an ambassador on the Nottingham campus.
Back then, investment banking carried a lot of bragging rights in college bars.
Four years into a crisis partly fuelled by high finance's ill-advised property gambles, and the language has changed.
"Ermm, reckless, maybe? No, risky. Risk-taker," are the impressions that Russell Jones, an 18-year old history undergrad at Cambridge University, has of investment bankers.
Jones was one of hundreds of students attending a career day at the university.
Along with blue-chip UK companies including L'Or��al , BP and Centrica , big banking brands such as Citi , Goldman Sachs , Barclays and Morgan Stanley laid out their stalls with jars of sweets, free leather card-holders, smiling representatives and inspiring slogans.
But Citi's ���Unleash your potential here' and Morgan Stanley's ���You have talents' left Jones unmoved. He is more interested in opportunities in the public sector, which saw a 12 percent increase in applications this year, despite paying half as much as graduates starting in investment banking, according to High Fliers.
In its presentations, Royal Bank of Scotland, which was saved from collapse by a 45 billion pound state bailout in 2008, talks about what it is doing to turn itself around.
There is also a big drive to attract female graduates in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Women are seen as more risk-averse and better team players.
"We've had a particular focus over the last couple of years on gender diversity because of some of the challenges that banking has faced," said RBS's Jackson.
Lucy Wark, a student of politics and international studies at Cambridge University, can see the merits of banking.
"If you'd talked to me a year ago, I'd have had a lot less of a nuanced view. I would say it is high paid, I would say it is high stress ... but at the same time, I think banking is important and necessary in an economic system," said the 20-year old Australian.
O'Keeffe, meanwhile, has no plans to return to investment banking. His heart is set on medical school.
Currently working as a healthcare assistant, he jokes about leaving the heating off to save money.
"I worked in finance and I realized at the end of the day, if you don't ... get out of bed in the morning to do something that you enjoy, what's the point of life?" he said.
(Writing by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Will Waterman)


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Bally Total Fitness has completed the transaction to sell the assets of 171 clubs to LA Fitness, the companies announced today. The deal affects several major markets in the United States.
The completion of the sale comes 12 days after Fitness International LLC, an affiliate of LA Fitness International LLC, Irvine, CA, announced it had agreed to acquire the assets from Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp., Chicago.
Paul Norris, principal, LA Fitness, released the following statement to Club Industry today regarding the acquisition: "Our objective in general is to make this transition as easy as possible for both the members and the employees. We will be servicing all of the membership agreements that we acquired from Bally. The majority of clubs we acquired will remain open, but we will be closing some of the clubs before the end of the year. If we close a facility, we will transfer those members' agreements to a nearby facility, either an acquired Bally or an LA Fitness. We plan to add new equipment to many of the clubs, and we also have plans to remodel, expand or relocate a number of the clubs to larger and newer facilities."
Norris added: "After the closing of our asset purchase, the employees at the clubs we purchased will no longer be employed by Bally, but we hope that they will apply for positions with us. We will do our best to find a spot for every qualified Bally employee who wants to be part of our team."
The price of the sale is $153 million. Bally will maintain about 800,000 members in its 100 remaining clubs, according to Larry Larsen, a spokesperson for Bally. Larsen adds that the company will be debt-free after the closing of the acquisition.
"We will have significant cash on hand from the proceeds of the transaction that will allow us to have the financial flexibility to explore additional opportunities going forward," Larsen says.
LA Fitness targeted some of the bigger markets in the country in its acquisition, adding approximately 40 clubs in the Los Angeles area as well as 27 clubs in the Chicago area, 13 in the Philadelphia area and 12 clubs each in the Miami and Washington, DC, areas. Those figures are based on an examination of the locations of clubs on Bally's website before the deal was finalized.
Other metropolitan areas in which Bally clubs will change over to LA Fitness include Detroit (11), Portland, OR (10), Seattle-Tacoma (seven), Atlanta (six), New York (five), Minneapolis-St. Paul (five), Pittsburgh (three), Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL (three), Orlando, FL (two), Phoenix (two) and Dallas (two).
All told, Bally will no longer operate clubs in the following states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, plus the District of Columbia. The states in which some Bally clubs are transferring to LA Fitness are New Jersey (Deptford, East Brunswick, Echelon, Maple Shade and Union City), New York (Copiague, Lake Grove and Levittown), Texas (Meadow Creek and Red Bird) and Virginia (Falls Church, Landmark, Pentagon Square and Prince William Crossing).
Bally will continue to have more than 20 clubs in the New York area as well as 10 in Houston, nine in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area and seven in Denver, according to locations listed on the Bally website prior to the deal. Other cities that will still have multiple Bally clubs include Cleveland (seven), Boston (five), Dallas-Fort Worth (five), San Antonio (four) and Milwaukee (four).
"You will have a more focused portfolio," Larsen says. "We will have 100 clubs across the country, but it will be more focused in key markets where we have critical mass."
Stephen Tharrett, president of Club Industry Consulting, Highland Village, TX, says the Bally clubs are a good fit for LA Fitness.
"Bally is in parts of the country where they're not, or they're in parts of the country where LA Fitness may not have as many clubs," Tharrett says. "It makes sense strategically from two perspectives: They're serving a similar demographic, [and] they're operating a similar business model, so it makes sense."
LA Fitness, which listed 360 clubs at the end of last year, has built 18 clubs this year, 11 of which were replacement clubs, bringing its net total to 367 clubs. With the close of this transaction, LA Fitness has 538 clubs.
Rick Caro, president of Management Vision Inc., New York, says LA Fitness may have pre-negotiated deals with landlords to close some of the newly purchased clubs.
"If LA Fitness had a club in a market and Bally was in the same market, they may choose to move the Bally membership over into an existing LA Fitness club and have worked out a deal with a landlord to close the previous Bally club," Caro says. "In many cases, the ideal formula for any buying situation is to maximize the return, and if the return includes closing a club and moving over that existing membership as best you can to a pre-existing club and making the existing club even stronger, that may be part of the formula for success."
Tharrett estimates that LA Fitness will close 30 to 40 of the acquired clubs. He speculates that private equity firms played a key role in the acquisition and that LA Fitness could eventually launch an initial public offering (IPO). LA Fitness did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment about this speculation.
In addition to its executive management team, LA Fitness is owned by three main investment companies: Seidler Equity Partners, Marina del Ray, CA; CIVC Partners, Chicago; and Madison Dearborn Partners, Chicago. Seidler Partners has been with LA Fitness since 1998, and CIVC Partners joined the company in the early 2000s. In 2007, Madison Dearborn acquired a 20 percent stake in LA Fitness for a reported $600 million.
Tharrett says Madison Dearborn may be looking to get a return on its investment as it approaches the end of a five-year window, which is the approximate length of time for a private equity firm's investment.
"In order for them to get that type of return, they've got to have growth," Tharrett says. "LA Fitness has gone through mostly organic growth. It's had very little acquisition activity. They've pretty much tapped out on organic growth. There's not too many places where they can build new.
"I think they're trying to probably position themselves at some point for an IPO because that's what those [private equity] guys see as the best way to get their money back. They had to do a major acquisition. They didn't have a choice."
Tharrett also says the challenge for LA Fitness will be to rebrand the Bally clubs. Caro says LA Fitness will have employees at the newly acquired clubs to answer questions from former Bally members about transferring their memberships.
"If there's anything that's good for this industry, it's the extent to which LA Fitness is trying to take care of the customers and trying to meet all of the proper communication with third parties," Caro says. "Bally has had a host of different membership concepts over the years, so there may be a lot of people who have questions. They're rebranding as we speak, so it's got to move very quickly."


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E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Guys, my E-MR1 chops something awful and I want to make sure that I've got all of my bases covered to try to alleviate the problem. This is a relatively new marker and it chops in single-shot, burst or full-auto modes. Doesn't matter. I know the hopper is problem #1 so I've got a Ricochet AK on order, which should make it better as I've tried someone elses on the gun and it feeds noticeably better, but it still runs out of ammo and or chops even in single shot mode. I've tried numerous brands of paint, all perform relatively the same in terms of chops. I'm also about to order an all metal feedneck for it, like a Trinity or Maddog. Seems like the plastic elbow has too many steps molded in it which is causing some the trouble as well.
Last but not least, I'm running C02 on a remote.
Anything else I need to knock out while I'm at it? I've got a big scenario game coming up this weekend and I'd like to get through more than one hopper without multiple chops.
Sorry for the convoluted post, it's too early on a Monday.
Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Welcome to the boards! It seems like you've done your research... Kudos to you!
So long as the remote lined tank is vertical, it should work great. Are your chops primarily in the breech/feedneck area, or the barrel?
If it's in the breech/feedneck, definitely the hopper. If it's in the barrel, that's a bad ball/barrel. Also try decreasing your ROF to ~8bps and see if that helps. If you have a gravity feed (shake 'n bake), decrease it to 4bps.
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Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
lol, appreciate the kudos. I'm a troubleshooter by nature, plus my real passion is firearms and handloading, so I have to screw with this kind of thing all the time.
The chops are all in the breech. None in the barrel. The barrel is a 14" J&J (not that it matters). Sadly, even in single fire mode I was able to starve the gun with the AK hopper. All I can figure is that it has to be all of the "bumps" molded into the feedneck. Since the Ricochet is already on it's way, I'll go ahead and order the feedneck in the next few minutes. Oh, and tank on the remote IS vertical. No snow.
Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
The bumps in the feedneck will have a miniscule affect on the feed rate of an agitated (Ricochet, Revvy, eVLution, etc) or force-feeding (Halo, Magna, VLocity, etc) hopper. It's a good investment because they aren't made of cheap plastic, but the ridges are a moot point.
www.sundragonpb.com has MR feednecks if I recall correctly. Reputable company and an awesome owner.
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Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
you could also look into a acs bolt, I would have sugested a little better hopper though. if your outshooting the ak already you should have went with something a little faster and probably force fed.
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Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Check your detents... May be that the detent has been sheared and you've got a double feed.
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Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Detent was perfect. I screwed it up on Sunday, but prior to that, like new... because it was new. I've got a 5-pack on order with the feedneck.
Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
Well the hopper came in yesterday, and the feedneck and detents today. Got it all put together and hooked up the remote and as soon as I started to open the valve on the remote the quick disconnect starts hissing. Apparently the last time I disconnected it on Sunday (and I remember) there was too much pressure in the line and when I was able to finally get the hose to disconnect, when they came apart the seal blew out of the fitting. Now the QD doesn't seal. So I'll have to call around to a couple of places in town tomorrow and see who's got a 1/8" quick disconnect for a high pressure line. Does it ever end?
The good news is I went ahead and put the tank directly on the gun then set up a little test range in the garage shooting into a padded 5 gallon bucket. Burned through 100 rounds, most of it on 3 shot burst mode. Tat-tat-tat... every time. No problems. The only thing I did have a problem with is that occasionally the gun is still running out of paint and will de-cock. However! It didn't chop a single ball, which is a marked improvement over what it's been doing recently.
With any luck I'll find the right fitting tomorrow and get the remote repaired and good to go. I certainly hope so because the big scenario game I've been prepping for starts first thing Sat AM.
Re: E-MR1 chops (bad) - covering my bases
That's due to lack of back-pressure. It's fine.
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If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
Not a member yet? join BYC here & then introduce yourself in our community forum here.
What is the breed of that rooster???
Discussion in 'What Breed Or Gender is This?' started by ChickadeeMona, Apr 16, 2008.


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Sample some of France's best known wines on this relaxing cruise down the Loire Valley
Relax and sample some of the Burgoyne's famous wine and cheese as you cruise down the scenic waterways of the Loire Valley. Known as the 'Garden of France' this region is celebrated for its wines and agriculture. As you guide the canal boat down the Loire River, you can take your time and choose your pace and stops however a must do are the towns of Pouilly Fume and Sancerre, famous for its Sauvignon Blanc grapes. With an expert local guide, specialised in the Upper Loire wines, you learn about the regions viticulture and why this part of France has been known for its wines since Roman times. When not cruising the river or canals you can cycle through the vineyards or visit the famers markets in the picturesque towns and villages along the way. At the end of each days cruising you can watch the sun go down from the sundeck while enjoying the mandatory glass or Sauv Blanc. This relaxed trip is the perfect way to sample the Burgundy region of France.
Visit one of Frances most famous wine making regions and discover what makes this region so fertile for growing grapes and the history of wine making in the region
Enjoy a full day touring local vineyards and chateaux's with an expert guide specialising in wines from the Upper Loire Valley (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Menetou Salon), learning all about the process of wine making before relishing a tasting of the locally made wines
Delight in a relaxing bike ride through the scenic countryside, visiting vineyards, cellar doors and local farmers markets, picking up delicacies to be enjoyed for the evening meal on the sundeck of your boat
Discover the history and importance of the Burgoyne region, from Roman times, through the middle ages to the early and late 20th century
The best way to enjoy your wine is to match it with the Loire's culinary delights, such Crottin de Chavignol, duck rillettes, or anguilles in a beurre blanc sauce
Although we don't ask travellers to complete a Physical Participation Form for this trip, we do ask that you read through the trip notes carefully to ensure that this trip is right for you. You'll need to feel comfortable with moving about the boat and leaving and re-boarding the vessel when you make landings, which can involve walking a gangplank. The cabins and communal areas of the boat are spread over two decks, and the steps between the decks are steep. Please keep this in mind when choosing this trip.
While on the water and exploring the surrounding countryside, you may be exposed to the sun for large parts of the day. It's important to use sun protection and drink plenty of water.
While the itinerary features visits to wineries, cellar doors and a cheese factory, the rest of the trip is designed to be flexible. The group will be in charge of setting the pace and deciding where to stop from a selection of quaint villages and historic towns. You'll even have the opportunity to steer the boat yourself, with your leader always at hand. A sense of humour and flexibility will ensure you have a fun, relaxing trip through this beautiful part of the world.
Although quite an important wine growing region in France, there is still a sense of calm around the many towns and villages you'll visit. This trip is meant for those who want a slower and relaxed pace. The boat will ease down the canal at walking pace, as this is the law, which offers an opportunity to really slow down and immerse yourself in the Burgoyne way of life.
We want you to have fun and enjoy this trip, but please show respect for your fellow travellers by not smoking on-board and try not to overindulge in too much of the local wines. Remember your fellow travellers and more importantly the Leader will need to rise early to prepare the day's activities so they may not appreciate being woken at 3am by a chorus of La vie en Rose.
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There are currently no scheduled departures on our Waterways of Burgundy- Decize - Chatillion sur Loire trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.
The minimum age on this trip is 15.
Please provide full passport details at time of booking including exact name as per passport, date of birth, nationality, issue and expiry dates as these are essential for booking services on this trip.
Dietary requirements are required at the time of booking so that any included meals can be properly catered for.
Please note that this trip starts and finishes at the riverboat base. If you have pre-booked any additional accommodation through us, you will need to make your own way to the joining point on day 1 and from the finish point on the final day. We do not provide transfers between hotels and the base. Please check the joining and finish point information in the trip notes for details.


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Family of Third District Veteran Receives Honor for Wartime Service
Rep. Justin Amash presented the Purple Heart Medal to the family of the late Private Martin J. Schuiling Wednesday at a ceremony at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building. Private Schuiling's son, Martin R. Schuiling, and grandson, Michael Warne, accepted the medal on behalf of the family.
Private Schuiling was an Army veteran of World War I. Schuiling sustained injuries while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces in France from February 18, 1918 to January 5, 1919. Schuiling participated in battle at Château-Thierry and Soissons.
While accepting the Purple Heart, Martin R. Schuiling, himself a World War II veteran, noted, "If you ever met my father, you never forgot him. He lived what he believed."
"Mr. Schuiling's courageous actions served the country he loved so deeply. It is an honor to present his family with this well-deserved award," said Amash.


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A now-bankrupt company was able to win $20 million from the state through the help of former Gov. Charlie Crist and other state leaders, according to a newly released investigative report.
TALLAHASSEE — A now-bankrupt company was able to win $20 million from the state through the help of former Gov. Charlie Crist and other state leaders, according to a newly released investigative report.
The final report issued Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott's chief inspector general concludes that no law was broken even though it appears that the normal process was sidestepped. Still the 130-page report contains plenty of finger-pointing, directing blame at Crist, a top official in the Crist administration, a former state legislator from Tampa and even Florida State University.
Scott last year ordered an investigation into the decision to award money to help bring Digital Domain Media Group to Port. St. Lucie. The company — known for its work on the film "Titanic" — last year closed the facility and shed about 280 workers.
The report shows that the state's economic development arm questioned the deal and would only sign off on a smaller amount than the company eventually received.
Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel also reported that it's possible a similar arrangement could still occur under current laws and rules if the governor and Legislature want it.
"This Inspector General report shows two things - first, our current economic project vetting process is in place for a reason, and second, that process was clearly circumvented by the previous administration for the Digital Domain deal," Scott said in a statement about the report. "We must ensure Florida has the tools needed to compete for economic investment, but we must also ensure that competitive process includes protocols to safeguard taxpayer dollars by focusing on a return on investment."
Crist, who was elected as a Republican but recently became a Democrat, has signaled that he may seek to unseat Scott, a Republican, in 2014.
Crist didn't immediately answer a phone message seeking comment Wednesday.
The failure of the Digital Domain deal has prompted legislators to remain skeptical about going along with Scott's push to increase the amount of money available for economic incentives.
The report details how Digital Domain reached out to Florida officials about help in locating a facility in the state. Enterprise Florida — the agency charged with recruiting businesses — questioned the financial statements of the company and whether the deal should go forward.
But Digital Domain was able to secure the $20 million with the help of Crist, former Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa and the GOP-controlled Legislature. State lawmakers placed a provision in the state budget that enabled Crist to award money to Digital Domain even though the company was not mentioned by name.
After the budget was passed, Crist wrote legislative leaders in May 2009 to say he planned to give money to the company.
Ambler was later appointed to the Digital Domain board and newspaper reports stated his son went to work for the company.
State auditors were unable to interview Crist.
But an attorney representing Ambler said his client defended the process and said that Ambler was not promised any personal benefit in exchange for helping Digital Domain.
Meanwhile, Ambler's attorney laid some of the blame on FSU. A March 25 letter from Stanley Wakshlag stated that FSU asked Amber for help getting funding for Digital Domain.
FSU President Eric Barron said he has not seen the final inspector general report and could not comment.
Dale Brill, a top official in the Crist administration, was also listed by some as the author of the provision that legislators used to steer money to Digital Domain. Brill, in his own response to auditors, denied this. Brill also said that he did not recommend against the deal because if he had done so, he would have been fired.
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NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New York Rangers insist they are focused much more on their drive toward the playoffs than ending the New Jersey Devils' post-season hopes.
With a thorough 4-1 victory Sunday, the Broadway Blueshirts took care of both.
Ryan Callahan scored a goal in the opening minute and another in the third period, and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves as the Rangers eliminated the Devils from the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Callahan provided the lead 34 seconds in, Derek Stepan added a goal in the first period, and Taylor Pyatt snapped a long drought in the second for the eighth-place Rangers, who are inching closer to a playoff berth.
"It's always nice to beat them," said Brad Richards, who had two assists. "It was a big win for us. They're out now, but that's not why we were playing. We were playing because we need to stay alive. Now we're down to nine teams, so the odds are better."
Of the teams behind the Rangers, only Winnipeg can catch them. New York is even in points with seventh-place Ottawa, but the Senators have four games remaining—one more than the Rangers. Winnipeg is three points behind with three games left.
New York has won three straight and is 8-2-1 in its last 11. The Rangers aren't looking too far ahead. After a trip to Florida and Carolina, they will wrap up their season at home Saturday against the Devils.
"We're playing our best hockey we've played all year," Callahan said. "Now is the time to do that. We've been playing playoff-style hockey the last couple of games. These are must-wins for us. It gives us a dress rehearsal for the playoffs."
Callahan made it 4-0 at 5:13 of the third with a power-play goal, flipping a shot over sprawled-out goalie Martin Brodeur, who tried to poke away the puck. Brodeur heard derisive chants of "Mar-ty, Mar-ty" throughout and finished with 18 saves.
"It's difficult to take," Brodeur said of the elimination. "We've competed real hard all year."
Lundqvist was solid in his 12th straight start, allowing only Andrei Loktionov's goal with 6:30 remaining. The Rangers had more space between games recently. The extra rest has helped Lundqvist stay sharp.
He told coach John Tortorella he won't ever ask out of the lineup.
"It's like the playoffs have been going on for a couple of weeks," Lundqvist said. "It's fun to be out there. I don't want to sit on the bench."
The Devils won't get a chance to defend their conference title. New Jersey had won two straight—including 6-2 on Saturday against Florida—following a 10-game skid (0-6-4).
"We pride ourselves on being there every year," forward Stephen Gionta said. "Unfortunately, we're not. It definitely hurts. The organization prides itself on winning and being in the playoffs every year. Anything less is a disappointment."
Madison Square Garden fans serenaded the Devils with chants of "Season's over" as time ticked down in the third.
"It hasn't sunk in," said Devils coach Pete DeBoer, who was ejected in the closing seconds for unsportsmanlike conduct. "You don't want to think about it until it's actually a reality. No other word but disappointment."
The Devils had already been called for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, one that cost them a power-play goal, before DeBoer was ushered out.
"A little frustration on my part," he said. "Two of our players were given unsportsmanlike conducts in an elimination game. The sensitivity of some of the officials is beyond me."
With a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, the Rangers had all but sealed New Jersey's fate. New York is 85-0-6 when leading after two periods, dating to Feb. 4, 2010.
The Rangers came out quickly, seemingly motivated to put the Devils away early. New Jersey knocked out New York in last year's conference finals.
New York connected right away, scoring while Brodeur was looking the opposite way from where the puck was. Carl Hagelin worked to get free from defenders behind the net, and flung the puck in front to Callahan, who was near the left post.
While Brodeur had his head turned away from him, trying to find the puck he thought was behind the net, Callahan nudged it forward off of Brodeur's skate and into the net for his 13th goal.
"They were waiting for us. We played yesterday," Brodeur said. "They were able to score the first goal, and that made a big difference in the momentum."
NOTES: Pyatt played in his 800th NHL game. … Rangers C Brian Boyle missed his third straight game because of a right leg injury. … Volchenkov returned after serving a four-game suspension for elbowing.


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Sports Art Prints
Doing business in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Master artist Michael Olive is the sole proprietor of the Packer Art Store. Michael Olive is a professional schooled in charcoal, pencil and pastel drawing media as well as oil painting and watercolor. He is an equally skilled Graphic artist and a talented book cover designer. Michael Olive has been providing clients with outstanding Art, Book Covers, Murals, Business Brochures and Fine Art Services since 1997.


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LONDON (AP) — Royal officials say Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, the Duke of Kent, has suffered a mild stroke.
Buckingham Palace says the 77-year-old Duke of Kent — also known as Prince Edward — fell ill early Monday and was admitted to the hospital for assessment.
The palace said Thursday that he was diagnosed as having suffered a "mild stroke."
It would not go into further details, but said the Duke of Kent's official engagements would be postponed or canceled "for the foreseeable future."
The Duke of Kent's father was Prince George, the younger brother of King George VI and King Edward VIII. His mother, Princess Marine, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece.


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Chemical Safety Overview
Chemical safety is important to protect your health and well being whether you use chemicals in a industrial setting, in an artistic setting, at home, or in a laboratory. To safeguard your health, you must ensure that your exposure to chemicals is below appropriate levels. You must also ensure that you are adequately protected from accidental spills.


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David Freedlander's analysis of Rubio and immigration gets something very wrong:
Rubio is widely considered to be among the party's top-tier contenders in 2016, but this wasn't necessarily a fight he needed to be involved in. Not only does the effort contain the chance of angering hardcore primary voters, but Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles, would be able to get Hispanic voters and those pushing for a more moderating voice on immigration within the party merely by his presence [bold mine-DL].
This last part is untrue, but this sort of thinking helps explain why Rubio is doing what he's doing right now and why so many Republican and movement conservative leaders are indulging him. There is a widely-shared assumption among many leading Republicans that supporting immigration liberalization will improve their political fortunes with Hispanic voters. There is also a common assumption shared by many of the same people that putting a Rubio or a Cruz on the national ticket would do the same thing. The first is based on a misunderstanding of why most Hispanic voters vote for Democratic candidates, and the second is informed by an even more superficial understanding of how to appeal to Hispanic voters.
According to this flawed thinking, if Rubio promotes immigration liberalization the benefits to the GOP will be even greater than either one of these alone. The small problem is that neither of those assumptions has any grounding in reality. The GOP would hasten its long-term demise by backing a Bush-era immigration proposal, and putting a relatively conservative Cuban-American on its presidential ticket isn't going to do them any good in the short term. But many leading Republicans don't understand either of these things, so they are content to let Rubio take the lead on the issue in the vain hope that this will help them recover in the coming elections.
The other aspect of this subject that deserves a little more discussion is the intra-party politics of immigration. Freedlander quotes Mark Krikorian, who thinks that Rubio has doomed any future presidential hopes he may have. Krikorian says:
Rubio has tried to neutralize [the anger on the right] because of the credibility he has with Tea Party folks, but once real measures are put down in black and white you are going to see the bloggers and talk-show hosts on the right become less and less polite. Rubio's stock among conservatives is going to start going down over the next six months, and I think he has pretty much doomed his chances for 2016.
I think this is half-right. Rank-and-file conservatives have not significantly changed their views on immigration and immigration policy in the last five years. Most are just as strongly opposed to Bush-era amnesty now as they were then, and some may be even more strongly opposed now than before. Conservative opposition to immigration legislation will not be significantly less than it was last time. It's very likely that Rubio will not have the support of "very conservative" voters in the future if he chooses to run for president, and that becomes even more likely if an immigration bill passes with Rubio's support. If no bill passes, or Rubio ends up as an opponent of the final product, the picture gets more complicated.
That said, conservative opposition to amnesty doesn't automatically mean that Rubio can't become the nominee. His support for it is one of the reasons why he shouldn't be the nominee, but that's a different question. However, as both George W. Bush and John McCain showed, it is still possible to be a well-known advocate of amnesty and win the nomination anyway. That's another reason why Rubio taking less of a political risk than it seems. His natural base of support in the Republican primary electorate doesn't include Tea Party activists and "very conservative" voters, but it does include the same people that made Romney and McCain presidential nominees.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has apparently had all the Pentagon farewells he can take.
The defense chief is working from his California home, awaiting the expected Senate vote on the nomination of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to take over the Pentagon job.
The Senate will vote on Tuesday on whether to move ahead on the nomination, according to a senior Senate Democratic leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions were private. If Hagel hits the threshold vote as expected, the question is whether Republicans will allow an immediate vote on confirmation or demand that the Senate use the maximum 30 hours of debate before an up-or-down vote.
Pentagon spokesman George Little says Panetta will be tuning in to the C-SPAN Senate channel in the next few days, hoping that Hagel is confirmed. Panetta has been eager to retire to his walnut farm in Carmel for weeks, and already was feted at two farewell ceremonies. But his plans have been repeatedly blocked by delays as senators battle over Hagel's nomination.
The Senate dispute meant Panetta had to attend a NATO meeting in Brussels last week that he expected Hagel would attend.
Associated Press writer Donna Cassata contributed to this report.


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Manchester police investigate shooting
June 12. 2014 12:11AM
Police said one person was shot Wednesday night in the vicinity of an apartment building at the corner of Maple and Amherst streets.
Sgt. Stacy Howe said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. The injuries are not life-threatening, he said.
John Mannion, who lives in an apartment building on Maple Street, said he heard the gunshot.
"I was playing video games, and I heard what sounded like a firecracker going off," he said. "Just one pop and that was it."


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On staff since April 1983
Children's Title: Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories
Academic Title: Professor, Pediatrics
Research Center: Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Thomas K. Jones, MD, is director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Seattle Children's Hospital and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He earned his MD at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed his pediatrics residency at the University of Washington and his pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Colorado and the Denver Children's Hospital. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
Jones' work has focused on congenital interventional cardiac catheterization, and he has been co-investigator on virtually every multicenter clinical trial in the United States evaluating devices and procedures developed for this patient population. He has served on numerous national committees and task forces promoting guidelines and practice standards for patients with congenital heart disease. Jones collaborates with emerging technology companies developing and testing new products designed to treat these conditions.
I saw Thomas Jones from the age of 6 to 19. Jones took AMAZING care of me. Since moving, I've had trouble finding a cardiologist who comes close to Jones. The care I received was top notch and he was beyond personable. He taught my fiancé about my condition and put him at ease about it during an informal visit. He set the bar high for future cardiologists. Seriously, Jones is the best in his field and will give you the best care.
This is a great man. Not only did he save my life numerous times. He was also very good with kids. I looked forward to seeing him for my check ups. He is a great man with a big heart that genuinely cares about his patients and it shows through.
Even after he moved to research he kept tabs on me.
Thank you for being there Dr. Jones.
Dr. Jones has been my daughter, Sadie Fisher's surgeon for 18 years and countless cardiac caths including balloon angioplasties and stent placements. I highly recommend his knowledge and expertise. He also has a wonderfully calm demeaner that puts us at ease when Sadie has to go in for her procedures. I am grateful for his care and glad to know he will still be able to take care of her as she moves into adulthood.
Our son Ryan saw Dr. Jones in 1999. He was born with a coractation and had his first surgey in NY state just weeks after he was born. Months later, we were stationed at Whidbey Island and Ryan had his first follow up with Dr. Jones in Seattle. It was discovered at that time that the repair did not work and needed a cardiac catheritization. Dr. Jones and his team were so compassionate and caring towards us. The procedure was a success and our son is a healthy,happy and soon to be teenager. He has no restrictions and only has to vist the pediatric cardiologist every two years. We too, are Dr. Jones' fans. We thank God everyday for his knowledge and talents.
Robyn & David Klose
Wake Forest, North Carolina
My daughter, Mary-Ruth, began seeing Dr. Jones in 1983, probably one of his first patients. To this day, shes now thirty thanks to him, we thank God for his knowledge, wisdom, proffesionalism, and incredible bedside manner. He was an accidental find of the century. Only now, as she is jerked around by adult providers do I truly appreciate Dr. Jones compassion and his incredible ability to communicate with a very frightend family. He is the best and thank you for being there for us. I gladly add my name to his very long list of fans. Michele Brennan
Pediatric CardiologyPediatricsAdult Congenital Heart Disease
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle
Pediatric Cardiology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder
Pediatric and congenital interventional cardiology
Primary Office
Seattle Children's
RC.2.820 - Cardiology Administration
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Additional Offices
Seattle Children's
RC.2.820 - Cardiology-Heart Ctr
4800 Sand Point Way NE
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Dot Dash; it's the name of a great song by Wire (listen to the song against a montage of Star Trek clips here) and it's also the name of this hat by Junk De Luxe from Asos (£35).
A satisfyingly handknit look hat it mixes demure grey with an earthy brick red and has a jaunty little bobble on the top. Forget pseudo-sporty or military looks this beanie will keep you warm and magically instill a boyish urge to start kicking leaves in the park. Miles better than pretending you're on manoeuvres or in Chamonix.


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Half Price Books now open for business in Algonquin
A new bookstore now is open in the former Borders Books location along the Randall Road corridor in the Algonquin Commons Shopping Center.
Half Price Books opened last month inside half of the vacant Borders Books location. The store, 2226 S. Randall Road, sells new books at a discounted price as well as used books. It is located next to Family Christian Store, which filled the other half of the former Borders location.
The Algonquin location is the eighth Half Price Books location in the Chicago area, and the first along the Randall Road corridor and in the Fox Valley.
The folks at Half Price Books say they wanted to expand their stores to this area, hoping to serve even more customers. It is their 117th store in the United States.
"We liked the area, and the center. Algonquin Commons was great in that it needed a bookstore and we thought it would be a great fit," said Emily Bruce, public relations manager for Half Price Books.
In addition to books, the store also sells CDs, magazines, comics, records, cassettes, videos, DVDs and collectible items.
The store is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
For details, call (847) 458-2669.
What's your interpretation? Gibby's Wine Bar and Market is giving customers a chance to be creative in hopes of winning a piece of artwork.
Each month through its Art by the Glass program, Gibby's features a different local artist's artwork in their business as a way to support artists and art lovers in the community. There usually are between 20 and 40 pieces on display each month.
This month, Batavia artist Kristin Behmer's show "Imagined Landscape" will be on display and for sale. Customers will have a chance to win one of Behmer's original works of art as part of Gibby's new Curator's Choice Contest.
Behmer donated a piece of work that is open to interpretation by the public. People are asked to submit their own personal interpretation of the piece by the end of the month. The best story or interpretation of her painting will win the piece.
"This is a great way for the public to be more engaged with the exhibit each month and to encourage them to really interact with the art," said Mary McHugh, Art by the Glass program coordinator.
"We will be doing something like this each month, asking the audience to participate in the show in some way by writing down or submitting their own interpretation about a specific artwork, then giving the original artwork away as a prize."
Next month, Gibby's will feature photographer Lisa Vargo, who will donate a piece for their Photo Caption Contest. The person with the best caption will win the artwork.
"What a great way to acquire original art," McHugh said. "Who knows, we may inspire a collection."
Gibby's is at 1772 S. Randall, Suite 220, Geneva. For information, call (630) 208-6424.
• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com or (847) 894-5036.
- This article filed under:
- Business
- News
- Small Business
- Algonquin
- Carpentersville
- Geneva
- Lake in the Hills
- Williams, Amy
- Literature


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Terrible news: Dmitri Hvorostovsky has brain tumour
June 24, 2015 by norman lebrecht
The great Russian baritone has just issued the following statement on his website:
It is with great regret that Dmitri must cancel all performances from now until the end of August. He has recently been suffering from serious health issues, and a brain tumor has just been diagnosed. Although his voice and vocal condition are normal, his sense of balance has been severely affected. Dmitri will begin treatment this week and remains very optimistic for the future.
We wish Dmitri a full recovery.
Winner of the 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World, Dmitri has gone on to sing at all major opera houses. In Russia he commands the highest fees of any recitalist, while steering clear of paying homage to the Putin regime. Dmitri, 52, is one of the most popular singers among his colleagues.
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Comments (38)
I pray for his recovery.
Terrible news! I wish him a speedy recovery.
He is in prayer. I hope they can eradicate the tumour so he can continue sharing his beautiful voice–a blessing to humanity.
Sad news,but let's have hope.
Whoa! That's awful news. I hope he can be treated and returned to full and robust health…..
Дорогой Дмитрий! Желаю Вам Здоровья и большой Удачи!!!
Awful News! I hope his treatment returns him successfully to robust health…….
Дорогой Дмитрий! Желаю Здоровья и большой Удачи!!!
All the best to him and strength to his beautiful family.
I am so sorry!! Get well soon! ???????
Wish him a strength/stamina and certainly a good luck to fight against this…
The man has great courage. Let's all give him the same. One of the best singers and colleagues. Nothing but hope for you….
Это предложение не имеет смысла – мне интересно, еслиавтор этого блога заметят , или он просто беспечно положить его до конца.
Durak ti, Kuriokhin
My best wishes for a successful treatment and a speedy recovery!
It's very sad. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
I wish Dmitri good luck and hope for his return to the stage.
Get well!
I cross my fingers for a good issue.It is too sad. I am in Wien and we are lucky to listen him very often.The women are crazy about him at the end of an opera., in the street…!!! A great singer.
Sending prayers and best wishes
We admire you greatly
Trish McCaffrey and Mark Schnaible
One of the greatest singers, I pray for his speedy recovery.
My thoughts and prayers are with you Dmitri
Good luck Get well fast..
What awful news to wake up to … I will certainly keep him and his family in my prayers and wish him the very best. He has brought such joy with his voice.
I will pray for you and your speedy recovery.
Courage, Dima..best wishes for a successful treatment and strong recovery.
Дорогой Дмитрий!
Желаем Вам успешного лечения и скорейшего выздоровления! Сил и упорства Вам а Вашей семье. Все будет хорошо!!!! Вы в наших молитвах.
Dear Mr. Hvorostovsky, I hope for you a gentle and speedy recovery. I look forward to your return to full health, full voice, and your commanding return to the operatic stage.
Since hearing, just two days ago about Mr. Hvorostovsky's illness I have had a very heavy heart. Today I went to YouTube to hear him sing and heard him talk with Bing and Dennis in a recorded interview. That revealed such depths of warmth, understanding and reflection on the human condition, on his family of origin and how his upbringing as an Eastern European, particularly a Russian, has shaped his spirit, mood. He became so much more wonderful to me beyond what comes across in his singing. A lively and deep man. I turned to the Internet to find out the latest on his condition like I'm sure many of his admirers who are not part of the world of music, and I like so many others dearly hope his treatment restores his health so that he can perform again, Verdi or pop and be to his wife and children all that he wants to be.
Dear Dmitri, please make sure that your medical protocol will include an alternative treatment as well. This is really important for a good recovery. God bless you.
You are the best singer, wishes to speedy recovery. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family.
You and your family are in our prayers. We wish you DAH a full recovery.
Гари, гари моя звезда…
Я молюсь за него.
We owe you many many moments of emotion and happiness
and are convinced that you will overcome and recover to be
with all those who love you for many years to come.
Our hearts are with you.
Carol and Arti
You are always in our thoughts. We all need to hear and see you fit and well again.
Lots of love to you and Florence from Anna (up north)
Rezo por su recuperación. Soy una admiradora de su voz desde la Patagonia Chilena
Helen was right – You must use alternative/natural medicine to stop the tumor's return. Your lifestyle must change as necessary to support health – Severe limitation of alcohol consumption, keep your cell phone away from your head and body, be sure to get enough sunshine and maintain peace of mind. SB, MD, is a Polish-American physician in Houston, Texas, who has had great success with glioblastomas treated alternatively (redacted). There are numerous German alternative cancer clinics. It is important to seek this help even if the tumor has been obliterated by chemo or radiation. You are loved by many – And many want to see you live a long healthy life and sing forever!
You are always in our thoughts. You are loved by many.Love Marcela
20 years ago you gave me the greatest pleasure, with a recital in Brisbane Australia
Although the concert hall was not full, everyone knew that your future was to
be wonderful. May this illness clear and you continue to enjoy life, and give us all so much joy.
Любимый певец-поэт,обративший на себя внимание в самом начале карьеры той самой широтой русской души,глубоким духовным наполнением.Уже тогда
вдохновлял этими качествами сильнее лучших певцов мира.Вдохновляет и внутренней силой и красотой жизни личной. Долгой счастливой жизни!!!
"Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge." (Psalm 16:1) My prayers are with you and your family. Love in Christ, Lulu


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Life and Religion
|Celebrating 50 years of desegregation in Charlotte
|How black and whites came together to make history
|Published Wednesday, May 15, 2013
|Charlotte civil rights activist Dr. Reginald Hawkins (foreground) and Charlotte Mayor Stan Brookshire helped usher in desegregation of the city's restaurants in 1963.
Looking around Charlotte, it�s hard to imagine that just 50 years ago, it was unheard of for black and white patrons to sit and dine together out in public.
�It is just amazing to walk down the street or sit in a restaurant pretty much anywhere in the city and see everybody�s eating there,� said historian Tom Hanchett of the Levine Museum of the New South. �I�m 57, so I�m old enough to remember when the grown ups said that it would never happen. They said the world would end if it happened, but it didn�t.�
Charlotte was thrust into the national spotlight in May 1963 when Chamber of Commerce members, led by Mayor Stan Brookshire, voluntarily joined with African-American leaders to go two-by-two and desegregate the city�s restaurants.
A local dentist, Dr. Reginald Hawkins, triggered the action. A well-known civil rights activist, Hawkins was instrumental in the desegregation of Charlotte�s airport, the YMCA and Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Carolinas Medical Center).
On May 20, 1963 he was on a mission to desegregate the city�s restaurants. Hawkins marched from Johnson C. Smith University to the old Mecklenburg County Courthouse on East Trade Street, where he declared: �We shall not be pacified with gradualism; we shall not be satisfied with tokenism. We want freedom, and we want it now.�
Although it had been nearly a decade since the Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling and three years since the sit-in movements successfully desegregated lunch counters, upscale restaurants and hotels in the city remained segregated. And cities all over the South were facing massive resistance to the push for desegregation.
Just weeks before Hawkins� march, Birmingham Police Chief Bull Connor turned police dogs and fire hoses on young students who were peacefully protesting for Civil Rights.
�It was a ugly set of photographs and video that showed up on front pages and televisions around the world,� Hanchett said. �It made the South look awful, and Stan Brookshire said he didn�t want that to be Charlotte.�
Time for change
Brookshire began meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders. While some restaurant owners were open to the idea of desegregation, they expressed concerns about losing clientele. They worried that if they were first to embrace it, their patrons may take their business to establishments that remained segregated.
Then a young restaurateur by the name of James �Slug� Claiborne came up with an idea. Claiborne proposed that if all the restaurants were desegregated at the same time, business owners would not have to worry about their customers going elsewhere because everyone would be on the same page.
The plan was implemented with the help of the Community Relations Office, which is still around. From May 29�31, black and white business and civic leaders paired up and dined at restaurants all over the city.
�By the end of May 1963, Charlotte was on its way to really desegregating,� said Hanchett. �It made national headlines.�
Meanwhile, Congress was taking note of what was happening in Charlotte as it debated the passage of a civil rights bill.
�It made folks in Washington and elsewhere a little more confident that if they passed what became the 1964 Civil Rights Act that required desegregation, that it could happen decently, and it could happen successfully,� Hanchett said.
Hanchett describes the desegregation of restaurants in Charlotte as �a time when history gives us hope that we can work together and change the world.�
�I think people often get hardened, thinking that things can�t change or haven�t changed,� he said. �This is a really good example that you don�t have to wait for society to change. You can take matters into your own hands and make the world a better place.�
From sit-ins to eat-ins
Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Charlotte Chamber and other partnering agencies and organizations are commemorating 50 years of desegregation in Charlotte restaurants with a series of events this month.
Events kicked off May 8 with a panel discussion hosted by the Charlotte Chamber at the Belk Action Center. The next Sit-ins to Eat-ins History Makers panel discussion will be held 2:30 p.m. on May 19 at First United Presbyterian Church, located at 201 E. 7th St.
Panelists include attorney Reginald Hawkins Abdullah Salim Jr., who marched alongside his father as a teen in 1963, experienced the bombing of his family�s home, became the first black youth to integrate Charlotte�s YMCA and helped launch the Black Student Movement at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Jack Claiborne, who covered civil rights in the 1960s for The Charlotte Observer; Evan Faulkenbury, author of a UNC-Charlotte master�s thesis on Hawkins� civil rights activities; and Patricia A. Albritton, board chair of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Office are also on the panel.
In addition to panelists offering perspectives on the desegregation of Charlotte�s leading restaurants, the discussion will also include questions and remembrances from the audience.
Throughout the month of May, Mecklenburg Ministries is encouraging churches, temples, mosques and other faith organizations to draw upon the history of Charlotte�s desegregation in sermons and other communications.
Below is a list of other planned events around Charlotte to mark the anniversary. For more information, contact the Levine Museum of the New South at (704) 577-5103.
May 20, 10:30 a.m.
March from Johnson C. Smith University to County Courthouse - A re-enactment of the march held on May 20, 1963, led by Dr. Reginald Hawkins demanding desegregation.
May 20, 11:30 a.m.
Mecklenburg Declaration Commemoration - An Uptown celebration including cannons, reading of declaration and a celebration of Mecklenburg County�s 250th anniversary.
May 20, 7:30 p.m.
The May 20th Society eighth annual Speaker Series - Panel featuring Pulitzer Prize author Isabel Wilkerson, Warmth of Other Suns, who will connect her research on 20th century African American history with the Charlotte 1963 history. Lecture in McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square.
May 29
�Eat-in� event - Event will mark the historic desegregation, featuring some of today�s civic leaders. It will kick off two days in which Charlotteans are urged to invite someone of a different race to lunch. Coordinated by Mecklenburg Ministries based on �Friday Friends.�
May 30, 5:30�7:30 p.m.
�From Sit-ins to Eat-ins� Community Festival - Hosted by Mecklenburg Ministries� �Friday Friends� at Levine Museum, music and munchies will set the mood on 1963. Participants in the 2013 Eat-in reflect on history, share lessons learned and suggest
|Not Dr. Hawkins per say, the speakers. My correction.
|Posted on May 20, 2013
|A celebration really! Why would you all be celebrating being able to go over an play with Massa's children when we all should have played together in the beginning. And are we really better off by being able to play with Massa's children? Fact our history in what is now called The United States of America did not start with SLAVERY and Segregation. John Hanson the REAL FIRST "BLACK PRESIDENT" was not a SLAVE and did not come from SLAVERY" He was a Moor so was the six other presidents that followed. That's some of our true history here in America and Charlotte is included and if Dr.Hawkins don't touch on that then he's cheating the people of Charlotte out of the real HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN IN AMERICA. Peace
|Posted on May 20, 2013
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Ryan Estate Jewelry is located in Orlando, Florida, has over 31 years of experience in the Jewelry Business. We have long been on eBay since January 1998 but just recently open an eBay Store.
Thank you for stopping by and we hope we can fulfill your Estate Jewelry needs.
Please check out our newly listed items!!


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So Oct 1, 2013, came and went and we have a new healthcare law but no government. Such is life in the land of partisan politics and out-of-touch politicians.
By now, all of you know that the government has been shut down because the Republicans and Democrats in Washington have been unable to agree on a deal to fund the country. Much of that blame seems to land in the laps of House Republicans who insist that any budget deal include the defunding of Obamacare. The Democrats have insisted that is a non-starter.
How much impact the healthcare law will actually have on the country is anyone's guess. Depending on which side of the issue you fall will factor into your decision. The truth is nobody knows. But there are strong opinions, particularly in Washington, and that is why we have no budget deal.
In trucking, the impact of Obamacare will be vast, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. According to a new Transport Capital Partners survey, the number of carriers saying the law has had no effect on their business has dropped from 36% to 8% in the latest quarter. The survey said that in November 2011, 43% of carriers indicated they were likely to have employees contribute more toward health costs. Today, carriers are more likely to implement wellness programs (44%) and health savings plans (30%).
The big fear is that carriers will drop health insurance coverage altogether, forcing employees to the public exchanges that have been set up in each state. The survey found that the number of carriers that anticipate opting out of providing healthcare insurance all together by using independent contractors has grown from 13% two years ago to 24% this quarter.
As anticipated my many across all business segments, smaller businesses are more actively dropping coverage. In the TCP survey, smaller carriers reported they are more likely than larger carriers to consider dropping all coverage (30% vs. 10%). They are also more likely to reduce coverage (12% vs. 4%), and to have their employees contribute more (24% vs. 15%).
For larger carriers, this could be a boon to driver recruitment efforts.
"Smaller carriers are at a disadvantage to find and retain drivers if they cannot compete with the health packages offered by larger carriers," said Richard Mikes, TCP partner.
There is a great article in the New York Times today written by Eduardo Porter that delves into the idea that Republicans are not afraid of the healthcare law itself (afterall, many of the concepts in Obamacare have been around for years and were initially Republican ideas – see Romneycare in Massachusetts, which served as the basis for Obamacare), but rather fear that the working class will actually benefit from the law and abandon the Republican party.
It's interesting that both Republicans and Democrats have accused each other of holding the country "hostage." It's also somewhat ironic that despite the shutdown, ostensibly over Obamacare and nothing else – Obamacare launched on time yesterday across the country.
In the end, both parties are fighting over an issue that has been settled already. In case we forget, love it or hate it, since Obamacare passed Congress there has been a court challenge all the way up to the Supreme Court over it. There was also an election, which gave voters a chance to remove those responsible for the law from office, including Obama, and that did not happen. Oh, and the Republican-led House has held over 40 votes to defund the program and had no success to date in doing so. Now comes an approach of last resort – hold up funding for the government until we get our way.
The politicians on both sides of the aisle sound like a bunch of spoiled 3-year-olds that couldn't care less about critical services being shut down Americans losing paychecks due to government furloughs.
And this is just the beginning. Trucking may not feel an immediate impact from this government shutdown, but in just two weeks time the debt ceiling debate will rear its ugly head. If that isn't settled, the U.S. will default on its debt obligations and that will likely have a major impact on both the U.S. and global economies.
Following that is the debate over the highway bill, which expires next year. It took several years to sort out the past bill, which is only two years long. Expect another fight next year at this time and more short-term fixes rather than a complete overhaul of the system, which is vastly needed.
All of this political fighting has the real potential to do one thing that greatly affects trucking: spiral the economy back into recession, which will lower freight volumes and consequently profits, as a time when fleets are finally getting the wheels on solid ground.
If you don't believe me, ask yourself this: Is there anything that has happened in the past several weeks that would indicate our elected leaders have any interest in mind other than their own?


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Sackboy (or Sackgirl if you choose) is back in LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation Vita, a new, mobile adventure, filled with exploration and competition on the fairground planet of Carnivalia, where a mysterious Puppeteer is stealing all of the joy from the universe. Players must travel through a series of themed levels in a story-driven adventure packed with thrills, spills, and hilarity to foil the Puppeteer's evil plans and bring fun and laughter back to Carnivalia. Customize Sackboy and the world around him with unique touch and camera Create tools that let you play with more freedom. Then discover an endless amount of user-created levels and games created by the community, experiences that players can share online via the PlayStation Network.
Key Features:
- More Than 45 New Story Levels and Games To Play Across Six Themes: Premiere franchise brings Play, Create, Share to the PS Vita with a new LittleBigPlanet adventure for Sackboy that can be enjoyed on the go. Features a new story mode with a whole host of new characters, themes, levels, and games on the fairground planet of Carnivalia.
- News Ways To Play: Introducing new ways to interact with the world of LitleBigPlanet that allows players to aid Sackboy through his adventures by using the new touch (front & rear) and tilt features, as well as NEAR to find other players in your vicinity and challenge them to beat your score. Share the fun with new multiplayer modes, including pass'n'play, multi-touch, local same screen multiplayer versus, online multiplayer for up to four players, and more.
- News Ways to Create: Touch to Create and make any game you can imagine in a more natural and fun way using all the tools from LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, and some from LittleBigPlanet PSP and DLC packs. There are also new tools that are specific to PS Vita. Creators can manipulate multiple objects at once by using the lasso select feature and quickly pan and zoom the camera through the rear touch-screen. Using the front touch-screen, players can navigate Popit. Users
- New Tools: With the new Memorizer tool, players can build levels and games with custom save points that allow for continuation at a later stage without losing progress. Players can create level select menus where the next level is only unlocked if the previous level was completed. Therefore, certain mini-games can include artificial intelligence (AI) that remember if a level has been played before and then make changes based on that information so that mini-game can display a different section of the game every time a player restarts it—think RPGs complete with inventories that carry over from level to level, and much, much more!
- New Ways To Share: Access what promises to be endless levels and games online created by fans (like you) and enjoy new gaming experiences every day. With 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, players can browse, download, and publish levels and games and download created levels for offline play.
More articles about LittleBigPlanet


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Aamir Desire
Aamir Desire's Details
Aamir Desire's Likes
I am a caring guy that loves to have fun :). Family and romantic type...i know i am a dying species...he he, but still hoping to find someone the same as me
My Fantasies
I would like to try it out on the sand, at sunset on a deserted beach, with the sound of the waves smashing the rocks and me smashing ur ass :))
Additional Info
I like to take good care of my friends, and make sure everyone feels good and having a great time when i am around
Special Info
i'm all about action baby.so let's get down and dirty!
My Fetishes
Armpit, Domination, Legs, Muscle Worship, Rope Play, Teasing, Tickling
My Sex Toys
Role-Playing Scenarios
Boss / Secretary, Master / Slave, Student/Teacher
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Aamir Desire has setup a wish list at our authorized sex toystore. If you purchase an item from the wishlist it will be sent discreetly to Aamir Desire!
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The Chicago Department of Transportation next month will begin fixing sidewalks on 31st Street to make them accessible for CTA bus riders with disabilities, a spokesman said Friday.
CDOT will upgrade sidewalks and install ramps on 31st Street from Kedzie to Kostner Avenues in the Little Village area, city spokesman Bill McCaffrey said. The CTA last year approved experimental bus service on 31st Street between Kedzie and Cicero Avenues.
The CTA board voted in April to continue the experiment, an extension of the No. 35-31st/35th Street route, through October.
Some residents complained to the CTA about the sidewalks.
"The sidewalks at many of these bus stop loocations are in poor conditions or in some cases, nonexistent," McCaffrey said. "This is an industrial area. There are railroad right-of-ways."
The project, which will be done this summer, is slated to cost $226,000, McCaffrey said. The funds will come from Ald. Ricardo Munoz's (22nd) money intended for ward projects.
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