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Kaid Benfield
Kaid Benfield is the director of the Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, co-founder of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, and co-founder of Smart Growth America.
If you like your civic works massive and very, very expensive, this report may be for you. KPMG, a global network of financial firms collectively producing $22 billion in revenues last year, just published Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition, "a showcase of one hundred urban infrastructure projects that embody the spirit of innovation."
The examples selected by an independent panel of judges range across all the continents except Antarctica, and are grouped according to ten broad categories: education, health care, "global connectivity," "new and extended cities," mobility, regeneration, water, energy, recycling and waste management, and communications.
According to the company's website, KPMG's global infrastructure practice employs "more than 3,000 professionals operating in 146 countries." While the process of selecting projects to highlight was carefully separated from KPMG's own activities, the firm's leaders and activities are showcased in articles sprinkled throughout the report.
What's in the report
Many of the selected projects are aimed at least in part at sustainability, especially when sustainability might be furthered by something massive and very, very expensive. Did I mention that? And it is very much an insider's point of view: while the judges' panel comprises people of substantial accomplishment, they are almost all from the world of entities that build, sponsor, or finance large public works projects. This is not to say that some don't have significant environmental knowledge or carry laudable environmental values, by the way. Some clearly do. I just point out that the report's point of view is different than one might get from an environmental NGO.
The perspective is also very much international, and there is a significant emphasis on projects in developing countries where, the report states, "the urban population is expected to jump by more than 1.3 billion over the next two decades, with each new entrant seeking better employment opportunities and a higher quality of living that can only be delivered through efficient and effective urban infrastructure." There are also quite a few examples from North America and Europe, though.
In fact, I learned of the publication because a friend's firm, PB Placemaking, earned a selection for their impressive planning of the urbanist retrofit of the sprawling mess that is now Tysons Corner, Virginia. Outside of Washington, D.C., Tysons is getting four new Metro stations and a significant redesign based on transit-oriented development. While I have some concern, based in part on other major TODs around DC, that the vision for Tysons could devolve into a developers' dream of TODs-on-steroids, I have no doubt whatever that a transformation there must happen and that PB Placemaking has been an excellent choice to guide it.
Some of the other winning projects include a brand new university campus serving 40,000 students in Saudi Arabia; a new, 700-mile industrial corridor in India; a number of new eco-cities; and several very, very large tunnels of various kinds. I'll discuss some of these below.
But, first: what's missing. The Tysons makeover aside, none of my own favorite major infrastructure initiatives made the list, and that is both a disappointment and perhaps an indication of what industry leaders who are not in the world of nonprofit environmentalism think of when they think "infrastructure."
For example, the major commitment that the city of Philadelphia is making to use what one might call the "soft" techniques of "green infrastructure" – using rain gardens, permeable paving, green roofs and the like to manage rainwater and reduce sewer overflows – wasn't mentioned, and neither was any initiative of its type. This oversight is a shame, given the city's ambition, as reflected in the NRDC report Rooftops to Rivers II:
Over the next 25 years, Philadelphia is committed to deploying the most comprehensive urban network of green infrastructure in the United States. Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters plan, recently approved by state regulators, requires the retrofit of nearly 10,000 acres (at least one-third of the impervious area served by a combined sewer system) to manage runoff on-site; relies on green infrastructure for a majority of the required CSO reductions; calls for the investment of more public funds in green infrastructure (at least $1.67 billion) than in traditional gray approaches; and leverages substantial investments from the private sector, primarily through application of a one-inch retention standard for new development and redevelopment projects citywide.
Sure sounds like major leadership in infrastructure to me.
Likewise, I was disappointed not to see the Atlanta Beltline, in my opinion our country's most ambitious smart growth makeover, integrating a major system of parks, transit, economic development, workforce housing and revitalization along a 22-mile corridor, supported by a contemplated public investment of some $2.8 billion.
What we mean by "infrastructure"
The more I read the report, the more I came to see that the way that I think about infrastructure is (largely, though not entirely) different from the way the industry apparently thinks about it. For example, I consider the significant commitments to sustainable street design made by New York City, Charlotte and other American cities to be significant and comprehensive new approaches to infrastructure.
I consider the replacement of aging freeways with people-oriented boulevards to be a significant and praiseworthy new approach to infrastructure. Even the restoration and rebuilding of large city districts such as the South Bronx or Old North Saint Louis can be seen as infrastructure undertakings. So can the commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through comprehensive land use and transit investment in California metro regions pursuant to that state's planning law, SB 375. Ambitious transit initiatives in Denver and Los Angeles certainly are infrastructure commitments at their core.
Now, I have to concede that my career focus leads me to have much more familiarity with - and perhaps a bias in favor of - initiatives in the United States, and I am particularly inexpert when it comes to the developing world, where many winning projects are located. I also understand from the report that the nomination process for inclusion among the Infrastructure 100 was self-initiated: review by the panel of judges was limited to those projects nominated by their sponsors. But I personally would consider several of the initiatives I just mentioned to be more innovative, more transformational, and more consequential for sustainability than some of those from the US that did win selection by the judges.
Don't get me wrong: as I mentioned at the beginning, some of the winners are indeed impressive and meritorious. But, for the most part, the report highlights projects that employ complex new technology; that involve major engineering– huge tunnels, cables, bridges, facilities – and construction efforts; and that have been or will be executed under a single supervising authority. Approaches that will require incremental implementation by diffuse parties (Atlanta Beltline, Old North Saint Louis), rely significantly on policy (SB 375, New York and Charlotte street design), obviate rather than involve major engineering and construction (Philadelphia green infrastructure, deconstruction of urban freeways), or rely on important new application of old technology (Atlanta Beltline, Old North Saint Louis, South Bronx) don't show as well in the "Big and New" conversation.
This makes me wonder if the topic might be well served by a separate forum through which these perhaps softer, but no less important or transformational, approaches to infrastructure could be recognized.
The Winners
With all that said, here are some noteworthy projects that made the list:
Princess Nora Bint AbdulRahman University for Women (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). A significant new asset for Arab women, this huge campus houses 15 colleges (including five medical colleges) and will serve 40,000 students and 12,000 employees. Students can navigate around the campus, which covers three square miles, via a women-only light rail system. The entire facility, which took 75,000 workers two years to build, is LEED-certified, featuring 35,230 square meters of solar panels to feed solar energy into a district heating grid. Cost: US $17 billion.
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, featuring 700 miles of high speed rail and expressway to link nine new industrial zones and an astounding twenty-four new cities, at a cost of $US 90 billion. Yikes. The report notes that this will be the first time the country has built even one new city from scratch, and that "similar developments around the world have resulted in ghost towns with low occupancy." Also from the description: "the corridor will be constructed across arid, water-deficient and agriculture-dependent areas." Nonetheless, the project is "aiming to be completely green."
High-speed rail in California, which I have described here.
A number of new eco-cities. I find it hard to get enthused about these, but I may be jaded by the situation in the U.S., where building so-called "new towns" when we still have so much disinvested urban land in need of recovery borders on the unethical in my opinion. No matter where in the world new cities are built, though, I have a hard time signing on to the proposition that we can make everything hunky-dory if we just throw enough new technology at it. The report mentions Songdo, in Korea, for example, but not that it is being built entirely on landfill where coastal wetlands used to be. That said, Tianjin in China does appear to contain some good planning features, including a minimum of 12 square meters of green space per resident, at least 20 percent renewable energy, and a goal of 90 percent of trips via walking, public transit, and non-motorized transport.
More appealing examples of "new and extended cities" in the report include the Tysons Corner project, the Kronsberg district in Hannover, Germany, and the Detroit Works Project:
The project blends the expert analysis of urban planners, economists and architects with the expertise and ideas of Detroit stakeholders to create a strategic framework for the city that will be used to generate sustainable economic growth, better land use policies, thriving neighborhoods, a healthier environment, improved city systems and infrastructure, and increased civic capacity. The strategy focuses on attracting target clusters that bring new job opportunities for residents; zoning reforms that accommodate modern and innovative land uses; and a land use and infrastructure framework for making smarter, more efficient and sustainable investments that help to stabilize and grow neighborhoods and employment centers. The project also seeks to achieve immediate results in three specific pilot areas.
I was especially eager to see what the report might feature in the regeneration category, covering what we tend to call "revitalization" on this side of the pond. This is my single favorite subject when it comes to urban progress. Instead of featuring such initiatives as Old North Saint Louis, the Atlanta Beltline, or the South Bronx, though, the report's lead project in this section is the Oresund Regional Development, a system of tunnels, bridges, roads and railways joining the Danish Island of Zealand, home to Copenhagen, and the Skåne region of south-western Sweden, home
In the water category, I was hoping I might see the Philadelphia green infrastructure initiative. Instead, the highlighted project is a billion-dollar desalination plant in Singapore. Even with reverse osmosis technology, desalination remains an energy- and carbon-intensive process with the potential to destabilize marine ecosystems at several points in the process. A winner from London, the controversial Thames Tideway involves the construction of a mega-sewer, 30 kilometers long and positioned 70 meters under the river Thames. Actually, this is the sort of engineering- and construction-heavy "gray infrastructure" that Philadelphia is hoping to avoid with a greener approach to managing rainfall.
I was much more impressed with Cidade Inteligente Búzios, in Rio de Janeiro, highlighted in the energy category. Rather than consisting of a single strategy, this "smart city" project involves an array of approaches to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, including development of urban solar and micro wind farms; installation of smart meters and a new computerized smart grid; installation of LED lamps for street-lighting, powered by renewable energy sources; increased energy efficiency measures in public buildings; solar panels on rooftops across the city; variable, demand-sensitive consumer pricing for electricity; incentives for greener transportation; and a pilot program featuring electric cars and bikes. Bravo. Among other energy projects cited in the report are a biomass-fueled heat and power research project at the University of British Columbia, Chicago's urban solar plant and, notably, a small-scale project to create a community-owned solar collective in a distressed area of London.
Another project in Singapore, the US $2.6 billion Deep Tunnel Sewage System features another very, very big concrete pipe running 48 kilometers. This one ends at a massive water reclamation facility said to be capable of daily treating 176 million gallons, equivalent to 320 Olympic-sized swimming pools, of used water that is then discharged into the sea through deep-sea outfall pipes or channeled to a reclamation plant on the roof:
There it is further purified through advanced membrane technologies into NEWater, Singapore's own brand of reclaimed water. The new system works entirely by gravity, doing away with the need for pumping stations and eliminating the risk of overflows of used water. The project frees up land for other developments, and employs advanced technology that in some cases uses only a third of the present system's footprint.
Other projects cited in the waste management category include a number of waste-to-energy plants, including Vancouver's Energy Garden and Edinburgh's Zero Waste initiative, which "aims to separate all food waste collections from regular rubbish by 2013, followed by a ban on recyclable waste in landfills by 2015." That commendable project involves development of an anaerobic digestion facility to process 30,000 tons of waste per year.
Perhaps the most ambitious of all the winners, and certainly the most global, is the BRICS underwater communications cable, a fiber-optics line that will stretch for an astounding 21,000 miles, linking Russia, China, India, South Africa and Brazil with the United States:
In terms of routing, the cable will extend south from Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast through Shantou in China to Singapore. A spur will be built to Chennai, India as the main cable extends further south through Mauritius, on to Cape Town in South Africa, across the south Atlantic to Fortaleza in Brazil and then northward to Jacksonville in the US state of Florida. Extensions to other countries en route, such as Indonesia, will be possible. The cable will . . . interconnect with several other cables, including the soon-to-be- operational West African Cable System and SEACOM on the east African coast.
For details on all of the above, see Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition on KPMG's site. Incidentally, after reading all 100 pages of the report, I had to investigate: you'll be excited to know that the phrase "public private partnership" or its abbreviation "PPP" appears 84 times.
This post originally appeared on the NRDC's Switchboard blog.
What's a parent to do when all of the schools and daycares suddenly close? For some workers in some places, options are starting to emerge.
Will COVID-19 change how cities are designed? Michele Acuto of the Connected Cities Lab talks about density, urbanization and pandemic preparation.
Renters in apartments and houses share more than just germs with their roommates: Life under coronavirus lockdown means negotiating new social rules.
Some renters and homeowners are getting financial assistance during the economic disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. What about landlords?
Because of coronavirus, millions of tenants won't be able to write rent checks. But calls for a rent holiday often ignore the longer-term economic effects.


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Fraser Suites Dubai launches new conference centre
Fraser Suites Dubai officially launched its brand new meeting and event space to complement the existing business facilities of the property. Located on level 5 of the tower, the three stylish meeting venues spanning over 320 sqm all feature natural light and can comfortably accommodate 20 to 200 guests.
The flexible layouts are perfectly suited to small to medium sized events where privacy and attention to detail are of paramount importance.
The interior design promotes a high level of personal comfort and reflects an understated corporate aesthetic through the use of walnut feature walls, leather paneling, rich wool carpets and ergonomic furnishings.
The venue facilities include state-of-the-art climate controlled air conditioning, computer controlled lighting, fully integrated audio-visual systems, overhead LCD projectors and display screens, black-out curtains, moveable stage and dance floor, and wi-fi connectivity. Conference delegates will also have access to a same-level undercover parking.
Fraser Suites Dubai's highly skilled banqueting and catering team can create personalized gourmet menus to complement any event.
The official opening staged last night in the presence of meetings and event professionals, key corporate clients, business partners and the media, provided a perfect opportunity to showcase the new facilities and to learn about Frasers' global growth ambitions.
Mr. David Brown, General Manager of Fraser Suites Dubai, spoke of the new business opportunities that lay ahead. "Since opening Fraser Suites Dubai in 2010 we have seen increased demand for small to medium sized events from discerning clients who seek a high quality corporate meeting environment that offers a full range of event and catering services. We are confident that our stylish new facilities combined with our bespoke services will more than satisfy this demand".
Fraser Suites Dubai is a 5-star Deluxe Hotel Apartment occupying the upper 23 levels of the stunning 45 storey Sidra Tower. Each of the spacious light-filled one, two and three bedroom apartments and penthouses features open-plan living and dining spaces with parquet floors, fully fitted kitchen and laundry facilities, marble en-suite bathrooms and designer amenities. Lifestyle facilities include temperature controlled outdoor 25-metre swimming pool, children's wading pool, Kid's Club, tennis and squash court, gymnasium, yoga room, sauna and steam rooms.
Aqua Café serves a full buffet breakfast and offers all day dining featuring a range of international and regional cuisines. Fraser Suites Dubai is also home to the exclusive Awazen Spa, a relaxing sanctuary that specializes in holistic health and wellbeing treatments.
Residents of Fraser Suites Dubai enjoy 24 hour guest services, in-suite dining, personalized housekeeping services and complimentary shuttle connection to Media City, Internet City, Knowledge Village, and Mall of the Emirates.

subset: commoncrawl


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Beautiful women and guys from the Czechia, Europe and Beyond
Many of our models appear exclusively on our site.
Here's what you're missing out on!
This website contains age-restricted materials!
Agreement that you are over 18/21 years old
By clicking on the "Agree" button, and by entering this website you agree with conditions and certify under penalty of perjury that you are an adult.


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Glass Houses
by Rachel Caine
Published October 6, 2006 by NAL Jam
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.
For a complete review which may contain SPOILERS, please click 'Read More' below:


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Skip Hire Billericay from YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk
YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk is Billericay's number one skip hire firm. Working all over the UK, from Land's End to John O'Groats, we're able to provide fast, effective skip hire solutions to both businesses and individuals.
No matter what you need a skip for, our suppliers will provide you with one to suit. So whether you're planning a home clearance or building project, our skip hire experts will have just what you need. For a better idea of which skip to hire, take a look at our sizing guide.
Book your YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk skip by typing your postcode into the box above. We'll then get back to you with a no-obligation quote for delivering the skip you want to hire to your Billericay address. It couldn't be simpler! You can also give us a call on 0330 1130 700 to discuss your skip hire needs.


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As HiFi headphone listening evolves, so does its component base. Chic design has influenced many market heavyweights – even boutique audio companies have opted to create sexy. But whereas amps like the ALO Rx is a masterpiece of steam and industry, the Graham Slee Voyager is plastic and comparatively bulky. Thankfully, looks are deceiving. This amp really takes off, surpassing all of my expectations.
Update: Feel free to discuss about the Graham Slee Voyager in our forums


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Santoor Classes in Mumbai
All Is Well Dance AcademyGirgaonPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES2,000 (Per person/batch duration)
We Conduct Dance Classes,Ballet,Ballroom,Bollywood,Belly dancing,Hip Hop,Indian Classical,Latin America,Salsa Classes
Melanie Nazareths ClassesDadarPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES1,000 (Per person/batch duration)1enquiries 302views
We conduct all types of music classes in that Musical Instrument classes, Singing classes, keyboard, piano, light vocal, western vocal
Prakash Music ClassesMulund EastPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES1,000 (Per person/month)377views
All music Courses are variable here at the institute tabla,guitar,harmonium etc.
Chatterbuddies Classes.mumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES1,800 (Per person/month)372views
Acting Classes for Speech
Vyas Sangeet VidyalayamumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEESNot Disclosed316views
we conduct Music Classes
Strings & Beat Music ClassesmumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES800 (Per person/batch duration)284views
We conduct Music Classes, Drums, Flute, Guitar, Harmonium, Keyboard, Piano, Santoor, Singing, String Instruments, Tabla, Music, Classes, Academy, Tutions, Instruments, Strings & Beat Music, Classes, Instruments Classes, Bookmy, Book My Activity.
The Music LabmumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES2,000 (Per person/batch duration)281views
We Provide Music Classes
Music ClassesmumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES2,000 (Per person/month)260views
we conduct music classes (Guitar,Vocal,keyboard,Tabla,Harmonium,Flute). Special batches provided.Home tuition.
Awaj Music AcademymumbaiPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES3,000 (Per person/batch duration)257views
We Provide Music Classes
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We provided all music instruments Tabla,Violin,Drums,Guiter,Piano,Flute.Keyboard.
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We are Provide You Music And Dance Classes, Tabla, Santoor, Bollywood, Belly dancing, Hip Hop, Indian Classical, Salsa, Piano, Singing, Garba, VGAM Music And Dance Classes.
Tanjore School Of MusicChembur EastPhone VerifiedBATCH FEES1,000 (Per person/batch duration)200views
We Conduct Music Classes
Other Near By Locations


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sotts necesitaba un nuevo diseño de impreso o envases y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 68 diseños de 21 diseñadores freelance.
Natural Partners, Inc.
Incorporated in 1995, Natural Partners, Inc. ("NPI") has become one of the premiere one-stop shopping centers for medical professionals who wish to dispense nutraceuticals to improve patient health and support practice profitability. Natural Partners, Inc. markets and distributes a vast array of professional-only nutraceuticals to licensed Health Care Providers and carries more than 10,000 products from 80+ premier manufacturers. Natural Partners, Inc. has also become the leading Internet video advocate for our industry. Through programs on our Internet-based television studio, NPTV (http://www.naturalpartners.tv) we are able to bring reporting, investigation and discussion to our Clients about Wellness topics of great interest and relevance to their practice. Viewers can participate in each discussion through an integrated chat-room during the live episodes while the archived video clips can easily be passed on to colleagues and patients through email.
Medical Practitioners, including alternative complementary doctors (Ex. Naturopath Practitioners, Chiropractors, Nurse Practitioners) that dispense nutraceuticals in their office.
It is the "Year of the Heart" here at Natural Partners, Inc. Therefore some of the companies that will have products featured on the cover will be heart/cardiovascular related. We are not against having hearts on the cover (but we do not want it to look to "Valentines Day"). We have attached heart painting that can be used as inspiration if you would like to go that route. ****We also NEED to make sure that there are 30-40 product placements (see previous catalog covers attached). ***** The cover must include our company name and flower logo (also attached), and the phone number along with our 2 websites ( (888) 633-7620 * http://www.naturalpartners.com & http://www.naturalpartners.tv). We want our cover to be professional and slightly medical looking, but not boring. We love color and the fact that our previous covers are visually intriguing. BE CREATIVE!!!!
Additional requirements:
-300dpi Minimum
-Final Canvas Size of 8.75" x 11.25" (1/4 inch bleed included)
-Please allow a total of 1/2 inch or 0.5" safety region
-Final Cut Print Size of 8.5 x 11


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By Dhanya Skariachan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Target Corp, which is dealing with one of the largest ever payment-data breaches in U.S. retail history, said on Tuesday that some of the gift cards it sold over the holiday season were not activated properly.
"We are aware that some Target gift cards were not fully activated and apologize for the inconvenience," Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in an e-mail.
The third-largest U.S. retailer promised to honor the gift cards and said fewer than 0.1 percent of the cards sold during the busy season were affected.
Shoppers can bring the cards to the guest service desk at their local Target stores or call 1-800-544-2943 for assistance, Snyder added.
The news came less than two weeks after the company revealed that hackers had stolen data from up to 40 million credit and debit cards of shoppers who visited its stores during the first three weeks of the holiday season. Target's consumer perception scores dropped to their lowest level since 2007 after the breach, a survey showed.
(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)


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A range of original full cast audio dramas. Music from this range can be found in the "soundtrack and music CD" section
Please note:Big Finish do not give specific release dates for their products only the month due. All release dates given in this section are therefore approximate.
This category is also available as a Standing Order
Starring Sylvester McCoy
"When the river is gone, ships shall sail in the sky, monsters bring fire from the heavens. All will fall into a grey and endless sea, and Doomsday has come."Florence, the sixteenth century. No one thought to pay much attention to the prophecies of the so-called seer Michel de Nostradame, otherwise known as Nostradamus. Until the canals of Venice dried. Until the soothsayer's sayings started coming true…Because Master Nostradamus is right, in all respects. The end of the world is nigh. The ships are coming. The monsters are coming. The fire is coming. There's only one thing he didn't see coming, in fact: the sudden apparition of a certain strange Doctor, in his even stranger TARDIS. Today, the Earth dies screaming. And all the Doctor can do is watch.
Starring Sylvester McCoy with Timothy West
aquaphobia n. An abnormal fear of water, or drowning.blattodephobia n. The morbid fear of cockroaches.catoptrophobia n. Fear of mirrors, or seeing one's own reflection.There's a whole ABC of horrors at Bluefire House – as four young people, drawn together to this tumbledown hotel at the edge of nowhere, are about to discover. But whatever the ancient and foul thing that has emerged from the wilderness to drag them here, speaking of it will only strengthen it.The Doctor alone knows what lurks at the heart of Bluefire House. But the monster of his childhood dreams is coming. The Mi'en Kalarash is coming…Just this once, the Doctor's afraid.
By Marc Platt
Roll up! Roll up! To the great Viennese Exposition, where showman Stahlbaum will show you his most wonderful creation, the Silver Turk – a mechanical marvel that will not only play for you the fortepiano, the spinet and the flute, it will play you at the gaming table too!But when the Doctor brings his new travelling companion Mary Shelley to nineteenth-century Vienna, he soon identifies the incredible Turk as one of his deadliest enemies – a part-machine Cyberman.And that's not even the worst of the horrors at large in the city…
Paul McGann (The Doctor), Julie Cox (Mary Shelley), Simon Rouse (Master John Kincaid), Andrew Havill (Aleister Portillon/Squire Claude Portillon), Serena Evans (Agnes Bates), Lisa Kay (Beatrix), Alix Wilton Regan (Finicia), Kevin Trainor (Lucern/Cornet Swallow) SYNOPSIS:
Paul McGann (The Doctor), Julie Cox (Mary Shelley), David Harewood (President Vallan), Carolyn Pickles (Lady Meera), Eva Pope (Nia Brusk), Mitch Benn (Commander Raynar/Karnex), Joanna Christie (Sherla/Baden/Tox), Trevor Cooper (Captain Maddox/Stennan/Sentries) SYNOPSIS: The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Mary Shelley to the continent of Zelonia, on the frontier world Draxine – where, many moons ago, the twin citystates of Garrak and Stronghaven bore testament to mankind's colonial spirit.That was before the sinister death cult of Garrak's President Harmon took hold – and Garrak annihilated itself, utterly, in an apocalyptic explosion. Before the bones of Garrak's dead came back to life, and its skeletal citizens began marching, marching, marching on Stronghaven itself.But what do they want, this army of death? And can anything stop them? In search of answers, the Doctor and Mary must journey into the dead heart of a dead city to face a terrifying adversary, whose ambitions transcend the stuff of life itself.
CAST: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Terry Molloy (Davros), Ashley Kumar (Jared), Jonathan Owen (Napoleon Bonaparte), Rhys Jennings (Captain Pascal), Granville Saxton (Duke of Wellington), Robert Portal (Marshal Ney), Christian Patterson (Captain Dickson), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks) SYNOPSIS: It's been a year since Philippa 'Flip' Jackson found herself transported by Tube train to battle robot mosquitoes on a bizarre alien planet in the company of a Time Lord known only as 'the Doctor'.Lightning never strikes twice, they say. Only now there's a flying saucer whooshing over the top of the night bus taking her home. Inside: the Doctor, with another extraterrestrial menace on his tail – the Daleks, and their twisted creator Davros!But while Flip and the fugitive Doctor struggle to beat back the Daleks' incursion into 21st century London, Davros's real plan is taking shape nearly 200 years in the past, on the other side of the English Channel. At the battle of Waterloo...
CAST: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Julian Wadham (Augustus Scullop), Yasmin Bannerman (Dr Helen Shepherd), Hywel Morgan (Nick Kenton/Jack Laser), Martin Hutson (Matthew Howland/Lord Krarn), Tilly Gaunt (Olivia Sayle/Jancey), Kim Wall (Chimbly/Head Warmonger), Henry Devas (Junior/Warmonger) SYNOPSIS: Business is bad for intergalactic media mogul Augustus Scullop, whose Trans-Gal empire is on the rocks. But, having retreated to his own private planet, Transmission, Scullop is about to gamble his fortune on a new show, made with an entirely new technology. And the name of that show… is Laser. Back in the real world, far from the realms of small screen sc-fi fantasies about monsters and aliens, the Doctor is interested only in watching Test Match cricket… but finds himself drawn into Scullop's world when his new travelling companion, Flip, is snatched from inside the TARDIS. So, while the Doctor uncovers the terrible secret of Trans-Gal's new tech, Flip battles to survive in a barren wilderness ruled over by the indestructible Lord Krarn and his pig-like servants, the Warmongers. And the name of that wilderness… is 'Stevenage'.
CAST: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Tim Bentinck (Rohert Buchman), Jenny Funnell (Veronica Buchman), Tessa Nicholson (Toasty Buchman), Rikki Lawton (Iron), Dan Starkey (Sheer Jawn), Helen Goldwyn (Dare), Glynn Sweet (Paul Dessay) SYNOPSIS: The year is 16127. Four decades have passed since the colonists of Nerva Beacon returned to repopulate the once-devastated planet Earth – and the chosen few are finding the business of survival tough. Far beyond the sterile safety of sanitised Nerva City, transmat scientist Roger Buchman has brought his family to an island surrounded by what they once called Loch Lomond, hoping to re-establish the colony he was forced to abandon many years before.But something else resides in the Loch. A pestilent alien infestation that the Doctor, beaming in from Nerva City, remembers only too well from his time aboard the Beacon…The Wirrn are back. And they're hungry.
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Cherie Lunghi (Lady Adela), Sam Dastor (Professor Narayan), Vincent Ebrahim (Shardul Khan), Neil Stacy (Major Haggard), Vineeta Rishi (Dawon), Gwilym Lee (Djahn/Lord Edgar), Trevor Cooper (Colonel Creighton/Kimball)
Tiger, tiger, burning brightIn the forests of the nightCalcutta, 1926. The Doctor and his companions join an expedition to locate the fabled emerald tiger – a legendary marvel shrouded in myth and mystery. They must journey to an unexplored lost world filled with wonder and wickedness.But at the centre of this terra incognita, something is stirring. Something with emerald eyes, diamond-sharp claws and a heart of darkness.
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Mark Strickson (Vislor Turlough), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Rebecca Front (Patricia Walton), John Cummins (Anton Falcao), Ellie Burrow (Chica St Jude), Zoe Lister (Violet Silvaner), Ben Porter (Major Nash), Simon Blake (Manny), Philip Pope (Jovians) SYNOPSIS: Eight slash Q Panenka, a craggy comet with a 13km circumference, has an elliptical orbit that takes it between Earth and Jupiter. Which, in the year 2329, makes it a cheap means of space freight – the second class postal service of the solar system.But when the TARDIS lands on Panenka, the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa discover a community falling apart at the seams – plagued by thefts, and mysterious disappearances among the 'piggybackers' who eke out a desperate existence on the comet.While Tegan and Nyssa suit up for a dangerous excursion into the comet's Unstable Zone, the Doctor and Turlough find themselves pawns in a game that could lead to tragedy for both Earth and Jupiter alike…
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Mark Strickson (Vislor Turlough), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Angus Wright (Magnus Greel), Rupert Frazer (Dr Sa Yy Findecker), Felicity Duncan (Ingrid Bjarnsdottir), Daniel Weyman (Ragan Crezzen), Daisy Ashford (Sasha Dialfa), John Banks (Eugene Duplessis/Chops) SYNOPSIS: Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'…
Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hex), Ian Hogg (Albert), Elizabeth Bennett (Peggy), Peter Egan (Moloch/Announcer) SYNOPSIS: If an attack with nuclear weapons is expected, you will hear the air attack warning. If you are not at home, but can get there within two minutes, do so. If you are in the open, take cover in the nearest building. If you cannot reach a building, lie flat on the ground and cover your head and your hands.Arriving in the North of England in the late 1980s, Ace and Hex seek refuge at the home of Albert and Peggy Marsden... in the last few hours before the outbreak of World War Three.Meanwhile, the Doctor is missing. Will there be anyone left for him to rescue, when the bombs begin to fall?


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Completing the Circle: The Craft of Circular Plot Structure
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Maple Grove, Minnesota
After exploring a variety of circle plot story books, students identify, explore and apply the elements of circle plot structures to their own stories. "Reading like writers," students will explore the ways that stories are structured; then, "writing like writers," students explore organizational structures in their own writing. Students first examine the attributes of circular shapes and brainstorm things with a circular pattern, such as seasons. After exploring how Cynthia Rylant's Long Night Moon might be a circular story, students listen to a circle story read aloud. Students discuss why the story is called a circular story and make connections to Rylant's book. They then read several more examples and, using circle plot diagrams as their tools, students write their own circular plot stories. Finally, students share their work with peers, revise their work using a checklist for self-evaluation, and compare their self-evaluation to teacher assessment.
Interactive Circle Plot Diagram: Students use this online tool to label and describe the events in a story with a circular plot.
"Writers notice, listen, observe, and think like writers all the time," and this kind of writerly practice is what we need to have our students do according to Lisa Cleaveland and Katie Wood Ray, in About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers (159). In their model of writing workshop, Cleaveland and Ray ask students, "Did you stand on an author's shoulders to write this? If so, whose?" (173). As they answer, students recognize the crafting techniques of the writers who inspire and influence their own work. In this lesson, students explore the craft of authors who have written books that use the circle-plot technique, and then use these books as framing texts that allow them to "apprentice themselves to writers whose work they admire" (172).
This connection between reading works of others and writing their own texts is important for all writers. As Katie Wood Ray reminds us in her Wondrous Words, "None of the other steps [in workshop writing] are worth the effort if they don't end with writers being able to take the crafting techniques back to their own writing when they need them" (126). Every minilesson should end with students envisioning a new possibility for their work, by "stand[ing] on an author's shoulders."
Further Reading
Cleaveland, Lisa and Ray, Katie Wood. 2004. About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ray, Katie Wood. 1999. Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Egawa, Kathy. 2003. "Writing in the Early Grades, K-2." Web. Urbana, IL: NCTE. http://www1.ncte.org/prog/writing/research/113328.htm.


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Estate Planning Issues Involving Pets
Estate Planning Issues Involving Pets
Legally, pets are classified as property. But to their owners they often mean more than the couch or the desk—they are best friends, companions, and family (sometimes the owners' only friends, companions, or family). When a person begins the estate planning process and classifies property and beneficiaries, the pets must be addressed as well.
If your clients own pets—and odds are they do—you are almost certainly going to address this situation eventually. Americans are very concerned about providing continuing care for their dearly loved pets. Sadly, a considerable number of domestic pets are unwittingly condemned to imprisonment and a life without love because their owners did not know—and were not well advised—to make arrangements for them.
Only legally enforceable documents can guarantee a pet's secure future. Because of reasons as diverse as allergies, conflict with other pets, and exclusion of pets from rental apartments, the informal vows and promises made by friends and family to care for your clients' pets often fail.
The idea of legally enforceable documents that ensure companion animals' continuing care is relatively new. The mainstream press often makes a mockery of transitioning pets from owners to pet guardians; they focus only on the large funds left for the pets' care and ignore the fact that the remainder beneficiaries are often animal charities. Leona Helmsley, a "notorious" celebrity who left millions of dollars for the care of her dog, Trouble, raised the world's awareness to the possibility of estate planning for pets. Sadly, she was ill-advised, and none of the instructions she left in her will were followed.
This article is a guide to the basic elements of, and what you should include in, estate planning documents to ensure that your clients' wishes regarding their pets are actually carried out.
Three Legal Documents for Pet Protection
There are three documents to consider when planning the estates of pet owners. The will is valid after death, and its purpose is to distribute property. The free-standing, traditional pet trust enlists a trustee who distributes funds and ensures that the person caring for a pet follows the owner's instructions. The pet protection agreement is the layperson's pet trust—an affordable, fill-in-the-blank, legally enforceable document.
Wills. The belief that pets can be adequately protected if they are mentioned in a will is a myth. Consider the following pitfalls of a will:
- Instructions in a will are written in invisible ink; that is, instructions in a will are not enforceable. Wills disburse property: Jane gets the house and cat. Wills cannot enforce demands that every year Jane paint the house she now owns. Nor must Jane care for the cat.
- Wills are not enacted immediately. There will be a waiting period before the will is read and the property changes hands. Ask yourself who owns and cares for the pet before the will is probated? Where will the pet be held during this waiting period? And if legal disputes arise, the final settlement of property can be prolonged even further.
- Wills do not allow disbursement over a pet's lifetime. In a will, the owner cannot distribute funds over time, which can be achieved with a free-standing traditional pet trust or pet protection agreement.
- Changes to the will are in the court's discretion. Who do you want deciding the fate of your clients' pets: your client or a judge?
- Wills make no provisions for incapacity. A will cannot address the possibility that the pet may need to be cared for during the owner's lifetime.
- Pet provisions in a will may be "honorary." Forty states and the District of Columbia recognize statutory pet trusts; in these jurisdictions, pet owners who include a simple directive in their will (e.g., "I leave my dog Soupbone and $5,000 for his care to my friend Jane") can be assured that the funds and pet will remain together. In the ten states without statutory pet trusts, however, these provisions are "honorary." The person who receives the funds decides whether or not to use them for the pet's care. There is nothing to prohibit the "trustee" from dumping the pet at the pound and using the money to go to Paris.
The presence of these pitfalls does not mean that wills should never include a provision for pets. Rather, it means that such a provision should be supplemented by a pet trust and/or pet protection agreement.
Pet trusts. Unlike a simple directive in a will, a pet trust provides a host of additional protections and advantages:
- Pet trusts are valid during the pet owner's life and after his death.
- Pet trusts can help preempt problems with substantial and involved estates. Pet trusts are particularly useful if the client expects a contest to the estate—for example, if the amount left for the pet's care is enough that someone will contest the client's capacity, or if there is a litigious family member whom the pet owner believes may dispute the final documents.
- Pet trusts and pet protection agreements control the disbursement of funds.
- Pet trusts allow for an investment trustee. A trust protector (separate from the pet guardian or trustee) can be appointed to invest funds with a view toward growth of the principal and future use on behalf of the pet, heirs, and charitable recipients.
- Pet trusts and pet protection agreements allow provisions for incapacity. Pet trusts and pet protection agreements can ensure that the owner and pets will remain together in the event that your client moves to a nursing home or other long-term care facility. Studies have shown that seniors and those with health issues receive increasing benefits from their pets—lower blood pressure, increased exercise and circulation, reduced anxiety and stress, boosted mental acuity, enhanced opportunities for social interaction, and decreased loneliness. The New York Times has reported that nursing home residents live longer when a pet is present. With a pet trust or pet protection agreement, owners may even leave a portion of the funds remaining after the pet's death to the facilities that kept the owner and pet together.
Pet protection agreements. The pet protection agreement is a laypersons' document that I created to establish continuing care for companion animals when owners are unable to care for them. It is a unique product that affords pet owners the opportunity to easily dictate care for all their pets—without the need for large legal bills.
Although most pet owners want to make arrangements for their pets' care, too many people do not want to go to a lawyer's office, nor do they have the time or the funds to do so. Sitting with a lawyer and discussing that the pet loves the beach (but doesn't like Uncle Joe) is important but very time-consuming, and therefore potentially expensive.
As a result of these financial concerns among pet owners, I ended up doing a lot of pro bonowork to ensure that pets' needs for continuing care did not go unmet. This experience led me to create a unique document that incorporated the best qualities of a will, a pet trust, and a contract. The pet protection agreement—a quick, effective, and affordable way for the layperson to guarantee the well-being of all pets for the rest of the pets' lives—was born.
The pet protection agreement can be completed with or without a lawyer's help. Any trusted advisor (such as an accountant, trustee, insurance representative, investment advisor, lawyer, or paralegal) can help a client complete this document. Like the pet trust, the pet protection agreement is valid during the owner's lifetime as well as after the pet owner's death. Unlike a pet trust, however, a pet protection agreement cannot ensure that owner and pets will remain together in a long-term care facility.
Elements of Estate Planning Documents for People with Pets
Regardless of which estate planning document you choose, you must address the following issues when considering how to provide for your clients' pets.
Pet owner. I look forward to the day when all advisors will ask clients, "Do you have any pets?" It is important to establish who the owner is, especially because pets are legally classified as property. As a matter of law, the courts protect children in divorce or separation; because animals do not have that same protection, we frequently see partners in domestic violence and divorce cases using the pet to cause the other partner pain.
The experience of victims of Hurricane Katrina provides yet another example of the need to pre-determine ownership. Displaced owners often unwillingly left pets behind; when they returned to retrieve them, they found that the pets had been adopted out in the absence of ownership and emergency contact information. For this reason, copies of all pet trusts and pet protection agreements should be distributed to everyone who signed them, as well as those who are only mentioned in them (such as groomers, veterinarians, and walkers).
Pet guardian. The pet guardian can be a person or an organization. The pet guardian will keep the pets, generally in the guardian's home, and must carry out the pet owner's instructions. If a pet organization assumes this role, the document should include directions about adoption.
Ideally, there should always be a successor pet guardian selected to ensure care if the pet guardian is unwilling or unable to assume care for the surviving pet. Ultimately, the concern is that the pet will always be cared for. In case the pet outlives or otherwise does not have a pet guardian, a shelter, sanctuary, or breed rescue of "last resort" should be named. Usually, shelters and sanctuaries require a fee, and this must be factored into the consideration of how much money to leave.
Funding. If you were leaving your children to a family member, would you expect Uncle Joe to say that he would not take your child unless you left him the farm? Well, look at estate planning for pets the same way. Funding is optional in both pet trusts and pet protection agreements.
Although funding is optional, it is recommended. Funds can be a fixed amount or a percentage of an insurance policy, bank account, 401(k), or even a portion of the sale of a home.
Many factors should be considered when deciding how much to leave for a pet's care, not the least of which is the fact that pets are more expensive as they age. Some things to consider are: How many pets are included? What type of pets are they? How long are they expected to live? Does the pet guardian need funds to keep the pets in the manner to which they are accustomed? Is the pet guardian going to be compensated from the remaining funds after the pets pass, or should the pet guardian receive monthly or yearly compensation?
Another consideration is emergency funds. I had a client who left her pets to her sister in North Carolina. Trouble was, the client lived in Connecticut, and when the client passed away the sister did not have the funds to fly up and retrieve the pets. I had to lend her the money until we could access the bank account. That's when I learned that it's a good idea to consider leaving a small bank account in the joint names of the pet owner and pet guardian. It also tests the pet guardian's trustworthiness while it's still possible to change the document.
The same person or organization named as the pet guardian can also be in charge of the funds, but appointing a different person or organization to each role creates a system of checks and balances and further protects the pets. In a pet trust, the person who manages the funds is called the trustee; in a pet protection agreement, that person is the distributive representative. Always consider alternatives in case the first choice is unavailable. In the pet trust, it is the trustee who passes the pet to the pet guardian, who then acts as the new owner.
Remainder beneficiaries. Most people incorrectly believe that all of the funds must be spent on the pet. This is not true. As a matter of fact, it is vitally important to direct the distribution of all funds remaining in the documents so that the court doesn't get involved in doing this. The majority of pet owners leave the remaining funds after the pets' death to animal charities and family. It is important that the remainder is left in percentages as opposed to whole numbers; you never know what the final number may be.
Pet's detailed description. Identifying the pet in detail is critically important to prevent a pet guardian from replacing the original pet in order to illegally extend trust distributions or benefits.
Instructions for care. Instructions regarding the pet's care should be as detailed as instructions that a parent might provide when leaving a baby in a sitter's care for an extended period. Detailed instructions help ease the transition between pet owner and pet guardian. However, the instructions should allow the pet guardian to exercise some discretion when facing new circumstances.
Keeping pets together. If the pet owner wants to keep together certain pets because they were raised together or have otherwise bonded, make sure to include this instruction in the document; it will not happen automatically. The ability to keep pets together can have a significant impact on the choice of pet guardians .
Including all present and future pets. All pets owned by the pet owner, including those the pet owner does not yet have at the time the documents are written, should be included. It saves the effort of having to formally amend or create a new document every time a pet dies or a new one comes into the family. Including the term "all my pets" accomplishes this.
No one likes to see a pet consigned to a place not of the owner's choice, and no one wants the court to decide a pet's fate when its owner is no longer able to care for it. As painful as it is to think of leaving beloved pets behind, there is no greater sense of security for pet owners than knowing that all their companion animals are provided for. You will be doing your clients a great service when you help them secure their pets' futures.


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Google: $880M impact on Colorado
Google generated $880 million of economic activity in Colorado in 2009 through its search and advertising tools and nonprofit donations, the company said in a report it released today.
The company says 35,400 advertisers, website publishers and other businesses in Colorado received $878 million in estimated profits from Google Search, AdWords and AdSense.
The study estimates that a publisher or advertiser receives $8 in profit for every dollar spent on Google's search and advertising tools.
Google says it donated $2.2 million to 100 nonprofits in Colorado last year.
Nationwide, the company had an economic impact of $54 billion, according to the report.
Here's a link to the Colorado portion.
As this blog post notes, Google has released this report amid growing concerns about the company's privacy policy and alleged anti-competitive behavior.


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GruntDoc has a great pic over at his place.
Helmets are mandatory where I live now, but every once in a while I go back to Chicago, and I see someone ride a motorcycle down the street sans helmet. It's always startling to me, and shocking that nobody else takes note of it. It's as if you were at a nice cocktail party and a naked man walked in, poured himself a drink, and left, without any of the other partygoers batting an eyelash. Of course, why would they? It's a perfectly common sight, to them. But I can't get over the "Hey, that dude's not wearing a helmet!" reaction. My friends all think I'm a rube, now.
I learned the value of a helmet firsthand a couple of years ago. I was skiing in icy conditions, in the late afternoon on a cloudy day. The light was really flat and I did not see the six-foot drop-off until I was well into mid-air. In fact, I never did see the drop-off, but I inferred its existence from the absence of snow under my skis. I was going pretty fast and hit hard on my back, with my head whiplashing back onto the hardpacked ice. Due to the helmet, I was merely stunned; I am convinced that I was in subdural territory had my skull been without protection. I've always been conscientious about wearing the brain-bucket; since that day I am downright fanatical. And since one of our ERs is right down the hill from the pass, every skier and boarded who comes in without one gets that lecture.
On that note, they picked up fifteen inches of snow last night and should be opening up soon. I can't wait!
13 December 2008
Worth 1000
GruntDoc has a great pic over at his place.
Posted by shadowfax at 6:35 PM
13 comments:
- Anonymous12/13/2008 6:55 PM
I have a close relationship with my helmet as well. Out skiing last year, I had just gone off a jump when someone cut across the hill below the jump. I'm not quite sure what happened, although the deep gash in my helmet gives me reason to suspect that his board and my head connected.ReplyDelete
In college, I used to ride my bike around the small city I was in, helmet-less... until one day I saw someone sans helmet get hit by a car.
Keep those snow-dances coming... I'm itchin' to hit the mountains!
Paragliding, skiing, mtn biking, motorcycling...I am one with my helmets and probably own about $2000 dollars worth of them...ReplyDelete
small price to pay to protect a brain I am currently investing $350,000 into with med school...
heading your way this upcoming weekend for 14 days of backcountry skiing in the cascades and southern BC...glad to see you guys are getting dumped on!
Sometimes I feel like my closet is half full of helmets (bicycle, motorcycle, snowboard, ice hockey...), but I wouldn't go out without one.ReplyDelete
I'm also from a helmet-optional state originally and it kind of freaks me out every time I go back, particularly in the winter when the helmetless riders are also increasing their risk of hypothermia. I'm sure the chilly-brain judgment skills + lack of protection works out pretty badly for some of them.
As a horse person, it amazes me how many people go sans helmet when they get on 1200+ pound beasts with minds of their own, sharp hooves, the ability to stop and turn on a dime, and a highly tuned predator avoidance instinct that can become blind panic.ReplyDelete
I count myself lucky that I have had fewer injuries per hour spent riding than the average horse person, but I have had my noggin bounced off a tree branch once and the ground several times, and I am glad that I have had protective high density foam to absorb some of the impact. No, helmets are not perfect and do not guarantee that you will not pay the ultimate price for choosing to participate in a risky sport, but they beat the alternative!
Despite all that, I am scared that I will hurt myself should I go skiing! I guess it's because I'm a complete klutz when I have to rely on my own two feet.
What really throws ME over the edge is this--people who cross the state line on their way to Bike Week, and take their helmets OFF as soon as they get into FL. Trust me, we don't have any special mojo, judging from the number of fatalities every year. When I was still working in the OR, it was truly staggering. Dumb.ReplyDelete
As a horse person, it amazes me how many people go sans helmet when they get on 1200+ pound beasts with minds of their own, sharp hooves, the ability to stop and turn on a dime, and a highly tuned predator avoidance instinct that can become blind panic.ReplyDelete
I haven't ridden in quite a few years, but never used to wear a helmet (except at a show or event) and was really fortunate never to have a head injury considering the kind of risks I took. I would definitely wear one now that I've stopped being immortal.
As far as donor cycle helmets go, they're mandated in our state, too, but a lot of people still go without. Makes me wonder how well the cops are enforcing this law.
it saddens me to think helmets are not required in so many states.ReplyDelete
i'll never forget seeing a guy on a motorcycle speeding up I-95 in Miami, wearing one of those fancy jackets with the spine protection. no helmet though.
i hate to say it, but i hope he's an organ donor.
- Anonymous12/14/2008 5:21 PM
I'd support state legislation requiring an opt-out rather than opt-in organ donor consent, for anyone that applies for a motorcycle license.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous12/14/2008 7:37 PM
Wasn't wearing one when I broke a few vertebrae in a skiing accident, but in that particular case it wasn't my head that needed protecting. Similar circumstances to yours, but when I hit the ground again after the drop I managed to land right on on a log.ReplyDelete
However, helmets have protected my noggin on multiple occasions while rock climbing and mountaineering, and I never climb without one.
- Anonymous12/14/2008 7:48 PM
I don't disagree that they are a net positive, but they can also lead to taking more risks than you might otherwise, and there are lots of things they wont protect you from...ReplyDelete
"they can also lead to taking more risks than you might otherwise."ReplyDelete
I just don't get this logic. Nevermind the fact that the simple act of not wearing the helmet is a bigger risk than any non-stuntman will ever take on a bike. It just defies common sense to claim that the presence of the helmet would lead to risk-taking; quite the opposite -- I suspect that riders who wear protection are probably more risk-averse.
I've gotten more concussions from a class room than from outdoor sports. I don't mean a bump on the head, I mean a 5 day headache concussion verified by a doctor. I drop something on the floor, lean over to pick it up, straighten up, then hit my head on those institutional tables. Ouch.ReplyDelete
You can't legislate safety any more than you can legislate morality.
There is a difference between "education" and "coercion" - it's called "responsibility".
In stead of treating everyone like children; treat adults like adults - let 'em make their choices and live with the consequences.
EVEN with helmets, motorcycles are far more "dangerous" than cars. If safety was your goal - why not ban motorcycles all together? Heck, force everyone to use mass-transit while we are at it so that we can avoid even the car casualty statistics on our roads....


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Download free and fun educational materials on the Concord grape and 100% grape juice.
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Get to know the polyphenol-powered Concord grape behind 100% grape juice's goodness.
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Uncover the science-backed facts on 100% fruit juice and its role as part of a healthy diet.
100% Fruit Juice: Portion Size 101
Learn to pour the perfect portion of 100% fruit juice to squeeze more fruit into the day.


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Playing their first game since winning their second straight MLS Cup title last November, the Houston Dynamo downed Australian club Sydney FC 3-0 in the semifinals of the preseason Pan-Pacific Championship at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. Native son Brian Ching, who received the loudest ovation of the night, set up two goals for Houston, including powerful strikes from Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski that sandwiched a near-post goal from Stuart Holden.
Sydney FC vs. Houston Dynamo
February 20, 2008 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu HI
2008 Pan-Pacific Championship -- Semifinals
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Dwayne De Rosario 1 (Brian Ching 1) 27
HOU -- Stuart Holden 1 (Dwayne De Rosario 1) 28
HOU -- Chris Wondolowski 1 (Brian Ching 2) 43
Sydney FC -- Clint Bolton (Ivan Neceski 46), Iain Fyfe, Ryan Walsh, Tony Popovic (Jacob Timpano 73), Brendan Renaud, Steve Corica (Adam Biddle 64), Alex Brosque, Terry McFlynn, Mark Robertson, Brendon Santalab (Patrick 73), Benjamin Vidaic (Nikolas Tsattlaios 64).
Substitutes Not Used: unavailable.
Houston Dynamo -- Pat Onstad, Richard Mulrooney, Patrick Ianni, Bobby Boswell, Wade Barrett, Stuart Holden (Erik Ustruck 84), Ricardo Clark (Mike Chabala 84), Dwayne De Rosario (Brad Davis 58), Corey Ashe, Brian Ching (Geoff Cameron 64), Chris Wondolowski.
Substitutes Not Used: unavailable.
Misconduct Summary:
SYD -- Brendon Santalab (caution) 49
SYD -- Ryan Walsh (caution) 60
HOU -- Patrick Ianni (caution) 77
Referee: Alex Prus (USA)
Attendance: 15,128
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial


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Features and Facts
Sleep Like an Egyptian
Made with 100% certified Egyptian cotton fibres accredited by the Egyptian Cotton Association. Egyptian cotton is grown exclusively in Egypt on the banks of the river Nile. The warm climate and rich soil are perfect for growing the high quality, long staple length cotton fibres we all love in our cotton bedsheets.
Precious Threads
These extra long and strong cotton fibres create a smoother, softer and more durable yarn and fabric for an excellent quality bedlinen that will give you many years of comfortable sleep and happy mornings. This fabric is made with a percale weave for a crisp feeling fabric.
True Story!
Would you believe that Egyptian Cotton cultivation began in an ornamental garden? It's true! A chap called Jumel spotted the beautiful cotton plants in a Cairo garden, and after looking at it a little more closely, realised that thanks to its long fibres it could be woven into a strong and fine cloth. Before long he began cultivating it along the banks of the Nile. Egypt (and our bedtimes) have never looked back.
*Star Pupil*
We rigorously test our bed linen to make sure it has what it takes to supercharge your sleep; we pay particular attention to colour fastness, longevity and washability.
Technical details
|Duvet Cover
|230 x 220cm
|100% Egyptian Cotton
The Look & Feel
Get Fresh!
This bedlinen feels crisp, cool and light thanks to the way the Egyptian cotton is woven into a 200 thread count percale weave.
Mix it up
Choose from a variety of soft colours to suit your decor. Perfect for complementing other bedding sets or for a bit of bedroom mix and match.
Classic Style
This bedlinen range is finished with a 5mm silky marrow stich cording on the duvet cover, pillow cases and flat sheets. The duvet cover and Oxford pillow cases have 5cm borders. The fitted sheets are elasticated around the full edge of the sheet for a perfect fit.
Signature Ties
The duvet covers are fastened with tie closures so you don't need to worry about ironing around fiddly buttons. Pillow cases have an envelope closure for a neat finish.
Duvet collection
We're keen on recycling everythig we can so we're happy to collect your old duvet and recycle it for you. We assure you it won't end up in a landfill.FIND OUT MORE
Sleep School
Want to know more about our products and how can they help boosting your energy?VISIT OUR SLEEP SCHOOL
Sleep Trial
Never stop exploring. With our sleep trial program you can test our products and make sure you get the best ot of your sleep.FIND OUT MORE
The science behind it
Egyptian cotton is grown exclusively in Egypt on the banks of the river Nile. The warm climate and rich soil are perfect for growing the high quality, long staple length cotton fibres we all love in our cotton bedsheets.
These extra long and strong cotton fibres create a smoother, softer and more durable fabric for an excellent quality bedlinen that will give you many years of comfortable sleep and happy mornings. The fabric in this bedlinen is woven into a sateen weave that feels silky smooth for light and soft bedlinen.
1Pull back the coversKeep things healthy by pulling back your duvet to air your bed whilst you're getting ready for the day. This helps excess moisture to evaporate so your bed stays fresher and cleaner.
2Wash regularlyKeep your bed clean and fresh by changing and washing your bedlinen regularly. Once a week should do the trick. You can wash this bedlinen at 40°C, although we'd recommend you wash it at 30°C for a greener way to stay clean.
3Hang to dryDo your bit for our planet and dry your bedlinen by hanging it to dry out of direct sunlight. It will dry best on an outside washing line. If time or space is tight, this bedlinen can also be tumble-dried. You'll have fewer creases to deal with if you remove your bedlinen from the drier while slightly damp and then hang it to air dry.
4Steaming hotThis lovely bedlinen needs a bit of steam for a pristine finish. Better still, iron this bedlinen while it's slightly damp to kick away those creases.
5Check your detergentAlways use the best detergent for the product you are washing. If you're washing white bedlinen we'd recommend powdered detergents. If you're washing coloured bedlinen, we'd recommend you use a washing gel/liquid or a detergent suitable for coloured fabrics.
6Avoid detergents and stain removers containing optical brightenersThey create an optical illusion that changes the appearance of the colour. It's not just detergents that can affect your bedlinen; some creams and facewashes contain chemicals that will bleach your bedlinen, such as benzoyl peroxide. Suncream and bronzers can also stain your bedsheets; having a shower before bed to remove skin products will help your bedlinen stay looking good for longer.


text: The crowd erupted as Buck Davidson entered the main arena today on dressage day one at the World Equestrian Games. So enthusiastically, in fact, that the announcer begged everyone to hold their enthusiasm for after his test. I caught a few quiet moments before Buck began his test as well as the test itself from our usual front row seats. I expect you may find yourself cheering by the end with the rest of the audience for the test that put Buck into 7th after this first day of dressage.


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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Ist Inning is a Killer for Santana...Again!
3 comments:
LoL Nice Joe.ReplyDelete
The obese woman is currently clearing her vocal chords alright. Part of me is like, ugh, get it over with.
And another part is : Hey, the year Bobby Thomson hit The Shot Heard Around The World the NY Giants were 13 and a half games out at one point!
But I am prepared for what the odds indicate.
Tuneage from the bloated babe.
At least every game left is another enjoyable page of your journal :)
Thanks Guys!ReplyDelete
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Capricorn Caves is the premier nature based attraction in Central Queensland. Here you can explore spectacular caves set in a limestone ridge and even spot little insectivorous bats in certain seasons. These magnificent caves are located north of Rockhampton and are winners of many major tourism and environment awards, they are also eco-tourism accredited.
The Cathedral Cave Tour is the most popular with its wheelchair access and amazing natural acoustics within the Cathedral Chamber. It's a popular venue for weddings and Underground Opera held in the Cave twice a year. In December, the natural phenomenon of Summer Solstice Light can be seen on the 11am tour.
For the adventurous, there are wild caving explorations or abseiling. The adrenaline charged caving tours involves underground exploration with the light of a cave helmet and are available on request. Try our new Fossil tour where you travel back in time to discover the fossils of ancient creatures and see life size reconstructions of giant prehistoric beasts .
After your tour, enjoy a bite to eat from the Kiosk or cool off with a swim in the pool. A visitor centre provides fascinating information about the local geology, bats and community history.
|Cost AUD
|Valid From
|$17.00 - $40.00
|Children prices, per person. Cathedral Caves Tour AUD17. Fossil Tour AUD20. Family Adventure Caving AUD40. Children aged 5 to 15. Must be accompanied by paying adults. Prices effective from 1 April 2019.
|Indicative Prices
|$35.00 - $90.00
|Adult prices, per person. Cathedral Caves Tour AUD35. Fossil Tour AUD40. Adventure Caving Tour AUD90. Prices effective from 1 April 2019.
|Opening Hours
|All year
|8am - 6pm
|8am - 6pm
|8am - 6pm
|8am - 6pm
|8am - 6pm
|8:30am - 6pm
|8:30am - 6pm
|24 December 2019
|8am - 12pm
|25 December 2019
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Indispensable for examination by the physician, nurse, and EMT, QuickMedical has a wide array of diagnostic penlights, both disposable and reusable. Many color choices in individual and multiple packages, along with pediatric options, are available.


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Do NOT post support questions in this thread. Any question not directly related to furthering the development of this hack will be summarily deleted.
There is a support thread in the Series 2 Support Forum located here
Other useful resources:
Download killhdinitrd-compatible kernels
monte-mips: a way to chain-load a custom kernel (after you use killhdinitrd to compromise the box)
Discussion thread on using killhdinitrd with monte
Why you probably don't need a killhdinitrd that supports your exact software version


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In another development, Sox free agent Mark Kotsay said on Jim Bowden's XM Radio show that the Sox are trying to acquire a left-handed hitter, such as free agents Adam Dunn or Aubrey Huff, or trade for Prince Fielder in addition to re-signing Konerko.
The Sox had discussions with Milwaukee involving Fielder, but those talks stopped prior to the July 31 trading deadline after the Brewers asked for Gordon Beckham.
Padilla @ ESPN says the Sox will likely get a chance to match any contract offer Konerko gets:
At the very least, the bond figures to afford the White Sox one last chance at matching any deal Konerko might have on the table from another team.
The situation is unique, although not unprecedented, because it will give the White Sox a bargaining chip that other clubs won't have. Call them naive, but because Konerko and Reinsdorf are so close, the club expects that whatever dollar amount it could be asked to match will not be an artificially inflated one.


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Move over, Miley Cyrus! Betty White can rock a wrecking ball too!
In a hilarious new promo for her prank show "Off Their Rockers" (new season premieres Wednesday), the 91-year-old comedy legend spoofs Cyrus' infamous "Wrecking Ball" music video by riding one herself.
"I was asked to help promote my show 'Off Their Rockers,' which is coming to Lifetime," White says in the 30-second commercial. "So I got some ideas from recent pop culture events that really got the kids talking."
U.S. & World
PICS: Stars sound off on Miley
The spot then shows White swinging across the screen atop a giant wrecking ball, just like Cyrus. Unlike the 20-year-old pop star however, White opts not to go naked and instead sports a white tracksuit.
"Can someone bring me a sledgehammer?" White says while holding on to the ball's chain. "How about a foam finger?" LOL!
White isn't the first celebrity to spoof Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" music video. Earlier this month, Hulk Hogan bared his bum while riding one for an ad for Hostamania, his new website hosting company.
PHOTOS: Miley's most naked pics
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