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Noodle+ Lady Golf Balls
Click to enlarge
Noodle + Lady Golf Balls
The Noodle+ Lady is a two-piece ball created specifically to appeal to women and to perform better for women. On the inside is the soft and fast Live-Action Core that's engineered to compress easily at moderate swing speeds and to spring off the clubface high and fast to promote increased distance. Outside is the Iothane 56 cover that also contributes to this ball's soft feel, while likewise delivering the durability and shear-resistance that today's golfers insist on.
Noodle+ Lady Golf Balls feature:
* Created specifically to appeal to women and perform better for women
* Live-Action Core compresses easily at moderate swing speeds to spring off the face fast
* Iothane 56 cover feels soft yet resists shearing, scuffing and cutting
*Highlights in the cover shine with a diamond-like sparkle


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As the death toll mounts and Japan continues to cope with the horrific devastation wrought by the recent earthquake and the resulting tsunami, the tragedy's economic impact is and should remain a decidedly secondary consideration for the Japanese and, for that matter, the entire international community. A consideration of how the catastrophe will impact the automotive industry, then, seems particularly meaningless and, relatively speaking, it is - so much so that this transportation reporter, who is partly of Japanese descent, debated whether to write one at all. Car companies, nevertheless, are crucial to Japan's economy and, indeed, they have become an ingrained part of Japan's culture. So perhaps there is some utility in considering how they have been impacted and what effect that may have on their customers here in the United States.
"I offer my prayers to all those who lost their lives ... as well as my sympathy to the survivors and their families," Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota, Japan's leading automaker, said in a statement. "[W]e will do our utmost toward the realization of recovery."
That realization of recovery will be a long road for Japan and may be as well for Mr. Toyoda's company and its automotive competitors. The quake understandably forced Toyota as well as other Japanese automakers to temporarily halt production. For Toyota alone, only a three-day shutdown meant foregoing the production of some 40,000 cars. As Christine Tierney of The Detroit News put it, "Japan's mighty auto industry is at a standstill".
As for the impact on American car-buyers, according to Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs, more than two-thirds of Japanese cars sold in the United States are built in the United States - including 79 percent of Hondas, 72 percent of Toyotas, and 65 percent of Nissans - which means those companies' dealers in the U.S. will be "sufficiently stocked to weather a temporary disruption of imported models".
Although the shortages of Japanese cars in North America are not likely to be drastic, Edmunds.com Chief Economist Lacey Plache predicts that there will be an impact on sticker prices.
"I think the most likely outcome is that we will see new car prices rise," says Plache. "[T]here will be shortages on the Japanese cars built in Japan and sold here, thus driving up prices for these cars and putting less pricing pressure on their non-Japan built competitors".
One automotive market segment where supply will likely dwindle is hybrids, whose popularity in the United States is predictably rising along with climbing gas prices. "Japanese hybrids and small cars, with few exceptions, are produced in Japanese plants," explains Jessica Caldwell, director of pricing and industry analysis at Edmunds.com.
Even as they reel from the disaster themselves, all of the major Japanese automakers are donating millions of dollars as well as resources like power generators and other equipment to help with the recovery.
"With life the number-one priority, we want to do all we can to contribute to the relief efforts," Mr. Toyoda said in his statement.

subset: commoncrawl


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Gelatin Shapes
To make sugar-free gelatin more appealing, I came up with this fun way to serve it. I found ice cube trays that are shaped like a variety of fruits at a local discount store. I spritz the trays with nonstick cooking spray. After mixing the gelatin with water according to package directions, I use a turkey baster to fill the trays. Then I place them in the refrigerator to set. The cute gelatin shapes slip right out of the trays and make a great snack or dessert. Anna Victoria R., Albuquerque, New Mexico
© 2017 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC


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Judy Spires is buzzing around the Acme in Paoli, looking like she owns the place. She doesn't, but who would deny her — a woman who started as a checkout girl and worked her way up to be president of the whole supermarket chain — the right to look so in charge? What she does not look like, with an expert blowout of her short blond hair and a trim frame that effortlessly carries a pale gray power suit, is a store employee. So shoppers seem slightly bemused by her ebullient shouts of "Thanks for shopping here!" and "How are you doing today?"
Spires spies a little boy arriving in a plastic fireman's hat. "The fireman's coming to visit the Acme! Yay!" she exclaims. Later, she oohs and aahs over a cute baby, asking his mom how old he is. You get the feeling Spires is on the campaign trail, and in a way, she is — stumping for Acme, mentally willing each customer to Shop here. Like my store. Come back soon, ya hear? The whole time, there's a grin on her face, almost as if she won't even consider the idea that customers might not shop here. Unfortunately for her, the chances are getting better and better that they very well may not.
In 1970, when Judy Spires began her grocery career at age 17 — her dad, an Acme bread-truck driver, helped her get a cashier job at a Westmont store near the family's South Jersey home — it seemed everyone was loyal to the Ack-uh-me, the beloved local chain with South Philly roots dating to 1891. "There were two places where you shopped," Spires recalls. "It was A&P or Acme, and Mom did the shopping one day a week and you bought a lot of stuff." Back then, Wegmans was still more than 20 years away from expanding beyond its upstate New York roots, and the word "supercenter" was just a twinkle in Sam Walton's eye.
Thirty years later, Acme still retains its long-held grip on the number-one supermarket spot in our region, but that dominance hasn't been enough to scare away competitors; it's just made them hungrier for Acme's customers. ShopRite, CVS, Walmart, Giant, Wegmans, Wawa, and even less direct threats like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market have joined the battle that by all accounts, including Spires's, is fierce. So even though the Acme store in Paoli is humming with shoppers on this Monday afternoon in June, and even though (or maybe because) she's smiling, I can't help but imagine that Judy Spires has serious rope burn on her hands, because I've seen the numbers.
THOSE NUMBERS ARE called market share, and Acme has — and has had — the biggest slice of it in the Philadelphia region for decades. What's worrisome is that its slice keeps getting skinnier.
In 1996, when most people were still shopping at traditional supermarket chains, those chains were getting 73 percent of the market share in this region, according to trade publication Food Trade News. With 28.4 percent of that, Acme was way out in front. Ten years later, traditional supermarkets' share had slipped dramatically, down to 58 percent. Shoppers had been seduced by Walmart's low-low-prices siren song. They were buying a gallon of milk on their way out of CVS. They picked up fresh fruit at Wawa during their regular morning coffee stop. Of that much-reduced 58 percent, Acme's market share was down to just over 15 percent.
In 2009, you can forget measuring traditional supermarkets by themselves. The numbers that really count now are the ones that look at all the stores where you can buy food, because that's how more of us are shopping — here and there, three or four times a week. At one end of the customer spectrum are relentless bargain-hunters; on the other are those with palates so picky, they're willing to buy their favorite cookies at one place and the best cut of beef at another. Today, Acme has just 13.6 percent of that market.
It's this downward slide that Judy Spires needs to stop. And for her, daughter of an Acme bread-truck driver, the first female president in Acme's century-plus history, it's more than just business.
"Somebody just gave me a recipe for these," Spires says, picking up a package of pork ribs in the Paoli store. "As a matter of fact, my hairdresser. Said they taste just like P.F. Chang's." Even when she's getting her hair cut, she's talking about food. She visits a different Acme store each week, unannounced, to see what her customers are experiencing. On vacations to France and Italy, she checks out the supermarkets. "I don't go to work. I go to life," she says, mantra-like. "This business gives me energy, and through that, I'm able to energize this business and keep us moving forward."
That mantra, that obvious passion for the business and for Acme, pretty much dictates that she rebuff any number that dares try to defeat her.
JUDY SPIRES WAS nervous on her first day of work at Acme. "I went to the store a very timid, shy, scared girl," Spires says. "And by the end of the day, I was checking out customers on my own and loving it." She worked there throughout college and loved it so much that though she majored in special education at La Salle, she decided not to look for a teaching job when she graduated. She pestered her store manager for an opportunity to make a career for herself there, and it paid off with a spot in the management training program. She still has the green interoffice memo that told her she was in. "There wasn't a single woman in management," Spires says, "but in my heart right then and there, I knew that one day I was going to be president of the company."
She would become the first female store manager in Acme's history, but when she tells her rise-to-the-top tale, the details are more about good old-fashioned work ethic than breaking glass ceilings. She worked night crew. Frozen food. Produce. She supervised several stores, then moved to the executive level, hitting the advertising, merchandising and human resources departments. When she was asked to develop a floral program, Spires says, she "didn't know the difference between a petunia and a rose." But her bosses didn't seem worried. "They said, 'You can learn the particulars very quickly. You have management skills.' And I learned that early on: Say yes to every opportunity."
"She worked hard and made the sacrifices that you need to make. There's no time limit in our business. It's very demanding from a schedule perspective," says Mark Tarzwell, who worked at Acme with Spires when she was the floral merchandiser. Today he deals with her from the supply angle, as president of food distributor Burris Logistics. "She'll drive a hard bargain, but she'll be fair, and she's always courteous when she's doing it."
Along the way, Spires did find time to marry her college sweetheart and have a son, who graduated from college this year and started a job at Campbell Soup. ("We all have the same passion," Spires says of her family. "The passion for food and feeding people.") Meanwhile, Acme ownership was being bounced around the country. American Stores, the owner for decades, moved its headquarters to Salt Lake City after a merger. Then they sold out to Albertsons in Boise, Idaho, which gave Spires her first shot at being president of a division — with a catch. She had to leave her hometown and Acme to take it. She moved to Colorado, and later Texas, to serve as president of Albertsons' divisions in those regions, but she and her husband kept their Shore house in Ocean City. Finally, three years ago, Supervalu bought Albertsons, and Judy Spires came home — her wish fulfilled.
By then, declining market share was a problem for the chain. But Spires has home-field advantage. She knows the Ack-uh-me, knows what it means to this region and its hundreds of little neighborhoods and towns and the people who live in them.
"There were five kids in my family, and we weren't by any means well-off," Spires explains. "So when we got stuff, it was special. And I remember whenever I would thank my dad for special things, he would say, 'Thank the Good Lord and thank Acme Markets.'"
"I HEAR A continuum through age groups of customers say 'I love my Acme,'" Spires tells me one morning in her spacious corner office at the company's Malvern headquarters. The building is in a nondescript office park; the look of the interior is dated, the lobby "design" of the variety that relies on obligatory OSHA posters for decoration. "I was talking to a customer yesterday" — yes, she takes calls from customers — "and he was not happy with the way something was handled. I got it taken care of, and his big thing was, 'I love that store. I don't want to not shop at that store.'"
Unfortunately for Acme, there are several reasons people are choosing not to shop at its stores. For one, the company's prices are perceived as too high. Competitors like ShopRite and Giant, which both gained market share this year, "are offering a stronger pricing program and creating a better overall value perception," says Jeff Metzger, publisher of Food Trade News. "Acme's not doing enough to defend its turf." Spires admitted as much when, during Acme's recent union negotiations (which ended with an 11th-hour contract-signing in July), she wrote a blunt letter to associates: "Our business is under attack by the competition now. If we don't change, our competitors will win. That's not good for you or our business."
The union squabble was big summer news in Philadelphia. There were threats of walkouts (union) and final offers (management). It was all very unsettling, particularly for the thousands of local Acme employees, but at the end of the day, when the customers have gone and the employees have clocked out, Spires answers to Acme's corporate parent, Supervalu. The Minnesota-based company is having troubles of its own, evidenced by a top-management shake-up and falling share prices. When it bought Acme three years ago, Supervalu was a successful wholesaler trying to expand its retail business, a transition that's been rocky. There might be some good news, though it's too soon to tell: In May, Supervalu replaced its CEO with Craig Herkert, who had a stint as Acme president in the late '90s and most recently was at (surprise!) Walmart.
Even one of Acme's traditional strengths — the fact that it has some of the most convenient locations in the region — is less of a boon these days. Not only is location not as important as it used to be; many Acme stores are (attention, South Philly shoppers) … well, let's just say headquarters isn't the only thing that could use a face-lift. Spires points out that Acme remodeled 20 stores this year, has plans to take on 22 more next year, and will eventually get to all 125 stores. But the market-share clock is ticking, and, says Metzger, "Remodelings are not new stores. ShopRite, Giant and Wegmans have opened and will open new stores."
Then there's the slip-sliding matter of just who is shopping at Acme and who's shopping elsewhere. To a generation raised on brand imaging, your supermarket says something about you. Just as Whole Foods conjures up a picture of a progressive, health-conscious person who's got a few extra dollars to burn, Walmart brings to mind someone looking for the best deal as if his very life depends on it. To many people, Acme conjures up an image of Grandma.
"Why wouldn't people think 'That's where my mother shopped' when it is where my mother used to shop?" says John Stanton, chair of the food marketing department at St. Joseph's University. "I'm sure there are people who shop there because their mothers shopped there. But more and more people are entering the marketplace, young households, and their mothers didn't shop there. What's [Acme's] focus? I'm not sure."
So Acme's not doing enough to lure the people looking for 14 different types of cave-aged gruyère — or the ones looking for half-price Kraft Singles? Not necessarily. The Paoli store has bright, modern signage and a produce section with overflowing baskets of fruit; this is the "new" Acme that corporate calls the "Premium Fresh and Healthy" model. On our tour, Spires points out the dozens of types of cheeses, a grain bar and an olive bar — "You can actually have a party out of this thing," she exclaims — sushi, and a new line of artisan pizza, just out of the oven.
"We just added a new Stockman & Dakota aged beef," Spires says, "because people want to have these fabulous steaks they have out at steakhouses, and now they can cook them at home with that same quality." She explains the store's "4 for 15" promotion, started in May, which helps customers quickly grab what they need to make a dinner for four for under $15. Acme even has its own organic line, dubbed Wild Harvest.
Still, just because you change doesn't mean people will know it. Sometimes the problem with being around for 119 years is that you've been around for 119 years. When I suggest to Spires that there are people out there who see Acme as old-fashioned, that her stores may not be competing with the big, shiny new stores like Wegmans, her back gets a little straighter, and her tone a bit more forceful.
"You know, big new shiny things come along," she says. "Well, I'm going to have big new shiny things come along, too. I have new stores in the works. I have remodels in the works. We are not doing what we did 119 years ago."
THE ANALYSTS ARE far from counting Acme — or Spires — out just yet. Even if they were, Spires probably wouldn't care. She'll keep focusing on feeding her customers, thank you very much.
"When I was little, they had a gentleman in the parking lot who wore a uniform, and he helped you put your bags in the car," Spires remembers. "And as a little girl, I thought he was the most important person in that store because everybody knew him by name; he was helping everybody. So my first exposure to this supermarket business is that what's important is people knowing you by name, talking to everybody, helping everybody."
Spires's life gives her an insider's perspective on the history of Acme, but that doesn't mean she's stuck in the past. She talks about retooling Acme's online shopping endeavor (they've switched from home delivery to in-store customer pickup), about sustainability (Acme opened the first LEED-certified supermarket in the region last year), and about a concept she tested while working in Texas years ago that allows customers to carry self-scan pricing guns with them through the store. "I can see us eventually being on the screen in your kitchen, where we keep automatic track of what you use," Spires says, her eyes shining a bit as she thinks about what's ahead.


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No time to waste: Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle emphasizes getting the ball upcourt in 3 seconds or less
It's not some lava-mouth picante sauce, although it is something that can get pretty spicy on the basketball court.
Pace-21 is something that gets written on the Mavericks' pregame strategy board. Every player knows exactly what it means. Coach Rick Carlisle wants to get the ball across midcourt before the shot clock ticks down below 21 seconds.
Doesn't matter whether it's a missed shot, a made shot, a turnover or an inbounds play after a clock stoppage. Get the ball into the frontcourt in 3 seconds or less.
It doesn't happen every possession. But if you pay close attention, you'll see that the Mavericks aren't in the business of walking the basketball up the court on a regular basis. Get it and go.
Carlisle said recently that there is statistical data to back up the strategy of attacking on offense as quickly as possible.
"We want to play fast and aggressive, without playing frantic," he said. "That's when we throw the ball all over the place and hit the 'no smoking' sign. It's going to be tough to play well if that happens.
"These days, you have to play with pace. You can't just walk it up and survive. So we want to play with pace, but we want to be smart about how we do it."
There has been so much talk about the Mavericks' defensive problems in the season's infancy. But the fact that they are averaging more than 111 points per game is a clear indication that the offense is potent, and the quick-hitting scheme is a big reason.
If you race the basketball into the frontcourt, the defense has to work harder, longer. Defenders can slip, fall or not pay attention. It opens up so many options, especially for a team that has Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon speeding downcourt and Dirk Nowitzki trailing for what could be open jumpers as the secondary player on the fast break.
Through three games, the Mavericks have averaged 18.7 fast-break points, according to league statistics. That's a small sample size, but it is a substantial bump from the 16.2 points they averaged on fast breaks last season.
"Fast-break points are always the highest points per possession," Carlisle said. "In most cases, you're getting a rebound or a steal and you're scoring within 6 seconds. And that's the way the league tracks it. If you score within 6 seconds, it's considered a fast-break basket. That's always going to be the best way to get easy baskets and improve your points per possession."
The Mavericks want to get better defensively, and they had a solid effort on that end of the court Saturday against Memphis. But it's hard to envision them stifling opponents on a regular basis. If they could be somewhere in the middle of the pack defensively, it would be acceptable.
They figure to run up points, which will make them an entertaining team to watch. But wins and losses will determine whether their up-tempo offense can cover up some clear weaknesses on defense.
"We're going to have to keep working on it," Nowitzki said. "But I like the way our offense is going. We obviously rely on the pick-and-roll a lot when we get in the halfcourt, but when our guards get it and go, I think that's when we create easier opportunities for everybody."
Again, there is a shortage of evidence to say that the Mavericks are going to be one of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA this season.
But because of pace-21, it won't be for lack of trying if they aren't.
Follow Eddie Sefko on Twitter at @ESefko.


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Health and Safety Podcast Transcript: May 28, 2014
Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast. I'm your host Jim Person. Coming up, learn about staying safe in and on the water and the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season forecast. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Although swimming is a physical activity that offers numerous health benefits, pools and other recreational water venues are also places where germs can be spread and injuries can happen. Recreational water illnesses – or RWIs – are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs/spas, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers or oceans. Here are a few steps you can take to prevent recreational water illnesses:
Don't swim when you have diarrhea.
Shower with soap before you start swimming.
Take a rinse shower before you get back into the water.
Take children on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes and be sure to check
diapers every 30-60 minutes.
Wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.
The Fairfax County Health Department also encourages you to learn about preventing recreational water injuries, such as drowning and slips, trips and falls that can occur in or around the water. Learn more at fairfaxcounty.gov/hd.
The sun, water and wind also can make for a great day to go cruising along a river, lake or bay in a boat. For many individuals and families this is a favorite summer pastime. It can be safe, as well as fun, if the fundamental rules of boating are understood and observed. The National Safety Council recommends the following tips for recreational boaters:
- Don't drink and boat. Boating while intoxicated is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. The "designated driver" system doesn't work in boating. Everyone is at risk because the boat's motion, coupled with alcohol, increases the chances of losing balance and falling overboard.
Everyone on the boat should wear a Coast Guard approved personal
flotation device – PFD – or life jacket. A PFD is the best protection
against drowning
Check the weather and water conditions before leaving the shore. If it
looks like storms are brewing or the water is very choppy, wait for
another day to go boating.
Limit the number of passengers in a small boat. Don't exceed the limit
allowed by the boat's capacity plate. Keep in mind the size and weight
of each person -- equal distribution of weight will limit the
possibility of capsizing.
Use the "one-third rule" in fuel management. Use one-third of
the fuel to go, one-third to get back, and keep one-third in
Always tell someone where you will be boating, when you will be back,
what your boat looks like and other identifying information.
Recreational boating is second only to highway transportation in the
number of fatalities that occur each year. Alcohol is involved in most of
these accidents. To ensure that you are following safe boating
procedures, sign-up for a boating safety course.
In its 2014 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a
near-normal or below-normal season. The outlook calls for a 50 percent
chance of a below-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal
season and only a 10 percent chance of an above-normal season. For the
six-month hurricane season, beginning June 1, NOAA predicts a 70 percent
likelihood of 8 to 13 named storms of which 3 to 6 could become
hurricanes, including 1 to 2 major hurricanes – category 3, 4 or 5. Learn
more about hurricanes and how to prepare at fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency.
Finally, be sure to subscribe to the emergency information blog at fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog.
That's it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Va., Government. Thanks for listening. Additional information about health and safety topics and emergency preparedness may be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov. And remember, if you have a police, fire or medical emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency needs, call 703-691-2131.


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Honors: ACC Academic Honor Roll (2016, 2017)
2016-17: Finished 11th in the 200 butterfly and earned an 18th-place showing in the 100 butterfly at the ACC Championships ... Won the 200 butterfly against fourth-ranked NC State (10/29) ... Finished second in the same event while also reaching the 100 butterfly 'A' final at the NC State GAC Invite ... Rounded out the season with NCAA provisional standards in the 100 and 200 butterfly ... Notched Duke's fastest 200 butterfly mark of the season with a 1:56.61 clocking at the GAC Invite.
2015-16: Invited to compete in the 100 and 200 butterfly at NCAAs for the second-straight year ... Earned a top-25 finish in the preliminaries of the 200 butterfly ... Broke her own school record in the 200 butterfly championship final at the ACC Championship ... Tapped the wall at 1:56.04 for fourth in the conference ... Also placed 12th at the 100-yard distance in a personal-best time of 53.41 ... Won the 200 butterfly five times during the regular season, including in the regular season finale against North Carolina (1/30) and at the Nike Cup Invitational ... Helped guide Duke's 200 medley relay to a win at South Carolina (1/8) ... Swept both butterfly events in the season opener against Pitt (10/3).
2014-15: NCAA qualifier as a freshman … Represented the Blue Devils in the 100 and 200 butterfly at the national meet … Broke the 200 butterfly program record with a 1:56.92 swim at the Bulldog Last Chance Meet (3/1) … Took ninth in the same event at the ACC Championship … Also scored for the Blue Devils in the consolation final of the 100 butterfly … Her 100 butterfly preliminary clocking of 53.97 ranked fifth on the program's all-time chart … Led off Duke's 800 freestyle relay that broke the program record at 7:17.43 … Her leadoff split of 1:49.24 was the fifth-fastest 200 freestyle time in school history … Edged a strong field to win the 200 butterfly at the Nike Cup Invitational, touching at 1:57.58 in the final … Was also fifth in the 100 butterfly at that meet … Swept the butterfly events twice during the regular season – in her collegiate debut against Pittsburgh (10/11) and against Harvard and South Carolina (1/10) … Won the 500 freestyle twice, including at Georgia Tech (1/17) … Set the 200 butterfly facility record at Old Dominion (11/8) … Advanced to the 200 butterfly consolation final at the 2014 AT&T Winter National Championships … Over the summer, finished sixth in the 200-meter butterfly championship final at the 2015 Pan American Games … Also won the 100-meter butterfly consolation final while swimming for Venezuela … Went on to represent Venezuela at the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Kazan, Russia, competing in the 100-meter butterfly preliminaries.
Prior to Duke: Competed in the 2010 Junior Worlds in Peru as a member of the Venezuelan National team, placing 16th in the 200 butterfly ... Also competed at 2014 South American Games, taking second in the same event ... 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, 2013 World Championship Trials and Summer and Winter Junior Nationals qualifier … Took third in the 200 butterfly at 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals ... Also qualified for 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships ... Four-year letterwinner for Maria Omana at Doral Senior High School in Doral, Fla. … Claimed district, regional and state titles in the 100 butterfly as a senior … District and regional champion in 100 butterfly and 200 IM as a junior … Four-year All-Dade Miami Herald athlete ... Member of the National Honor Society.
Personal: Born Isabella Mercedes Paez on Aug. 29, 1995 in Caracas, Venezuela … Daughter of Carlos Paez and Alexandra Cobo … Has one older brother, Eduardo.
Paez Career Bests:
|200 Free
|8th all-time at Duke
|500 Free
|100 Fly
|7th all-time at Duke
|200 Fly
|Duke record
At the NCAA Championships:
|32nd, 200 Fly (1:57.37)
49th, 100 Fly (53.62)
|25th, 200 Fly (1:56.75)
46th, 100 Fly (53.78
At the ACC Championships:
|7th, 800 Free Relay (7:17.43)
9th, 200 Fly (1:57.39)
16th, 100 Fly (54.17)
|4th, 200 Fly (1:56.04)
12th, 100 Fly (53.41)
|11th, 200 Fly (1:57.51)
18th, 100 Fly (53.47)


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Heaven Help Us: Kirk Cameron Blasts Stephen Hawking
Does Thunderdome offer a pre-Rapture discount rate? Because former "Growing Pains" pinup-turned-evangelical proselytizer Kirk Cameron is ready to square off against Stephen Hawking on the subject of the hereafter.
Seems the onetime comedic foil of Alan Thicke didn't take kindly to the world-renowned genius's recent comments to the London Guardian about heaven, which he called "a fairy story for people who are afraid of the dark."
Hawking, 69, who prefaced his remarks by pointing out that, because of Lou Gehrig's disease, he's "lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years," also put forth the notion that "tiny quantum fluctuations" in the early stages of the universe provided the genesis for the emergence of stars, galaxies and human life.
"Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing," explained the "Brief History of Time" physicist. "It is a matter of chance which we are in."
Nuh-uh, Cameron huffs to TMZ and E! News.
"To say anything negative about Stephen Hawking is like bullying a blind man. He has an unfair disadvantage, and that gives him a free pass on some of his absurd ideas," he says. "Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from non-life."
(Hmmm, we're not sure that's exactly what Hawking posits, but moving on …)
"Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came?" continues the erstwhile Mike Seaver, who doesn't mention whether he plans to provide evidence to back up his own belief system.
Alas, instead of simply agreeing to disagree on matters of faith (or -- and we're really sorry for this -- quantum leaps of faith), Cameron plunges forward by taking a swipe at John Lennon over the lyrics to "Imagine," a song that came out in -- wait for it -- 1971.
"[Hawking] says he knows there is no heaven. John Lennon wasn't sure. He said to pretend there's no heaven. That's easy if you try," quoth the Kirk. "Then he said he hoped that someday we would join him. Such wishful thinking reveals John and Stephen's religious beliefs, not good science."
And Cameron knows all about science. In 2009, he helped distribute free copies of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" to dozens of colleges, only these copies included a 50-page, creationist-centric introduction by fellow evangelical Ray Comfort.
Meanwhile, in addition to facing much ado about being and nothingness from Kirk, Hawking should expect some angry, existential emails from philosophy majors the world over after he pronounced their field obsolete.
"Almost all of us must sometimes wonder: Why are we here? Where do we come from? Traditionally, these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead," he said during a Google conference this week. "Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science."
But at least they have former sitcom stars to keep 'em company.


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It was a couple of hours into a day-long shoot. It was hot out, and to say that we were sweating would be putting it lightly. Being a pretty barebones shoot, we were passing the video camera around quite a bit. Many a sweaty eyeball was pressed up against that poor viewfinder. As I strained to look through the slippery sweat-covered eyecup, it occurred to me that this might not be all that sanitary.


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Below is an amended complaint filed by billionaire Thomas Kaplan against his nephew and former business partner Guma Aguiar, the millionaire who went missing at sea on June 19.
We've reported about the lawsuit filed by Guma's wife, Jamie, challenging the couple's $500,000 prenup. And we've reported about the legal wrangling between the wife and Guma's mother, Ellen Aguiar, over his estate.
But all of that pales in comparison to the lawsuit below. This was the lawsuit that seriously threatened to take his entire fortune that at one point stood at over $200 million and sent Guma, who was admittedly bipolar, over the edge on several occasions. It's also a well-written complaint that provides an authorititative account of just how Guma made his fortune.
1. This is an action against Guma Aguiar, the former chief executive officer
("CEO") of Leor. Aguiar, the nephew of Leor's founder and chairman, Thomas Kaplan ("Kaplan"), received distributions of over $200 million in connection with a Leor asset sale in 2007 (the "Leor Asset Sale"), notwithstanding that, both before and after the asset sale, unbeknownst to Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners, Aguiar was defrauding Leor, its predecessor entity (Portland Energy), and its members, through a pattern of wrongdoing and deceit that only now has begun to be revealed.
2. Despite being placed in a position of utmost responsibility and trust by Kaplan in a venture wholly new and unfamiliar to Aguiar, and despite being given a participatory interest in the success of that venture (pursuant to which he received over $200 million) which was originated, funded and structured by Kaplan, beginning before the Leor Asset Sale and while he
was Leor's CEO, Aguiar willfully and with malice violated his fiduciary duties to Portland Energy, Pardus LP, the Pardus LP Partners and Leor. Aguiar did so without Plaintiffs' knowledge or consent by, among other things, (i) directing that Leor and Portland Energy pay Aguiar's family members exorbitant salaries and bonuses for no services, (ii) directing that Leor
hire individuals to perform services for Aguiar (and not Leor, Portland Energy or Pardus) and that Leor pay those individuals salaries and bonuses, (iii) arranging unauthorized severance agreements containing provisions intended to be detrimental to Leor, and (iv) making unauthorized personal expenditures on Leor's credit cards and otherwise wrongfully converting
Leor's property and assets.
3. More recently, and despite his wrongdoing, Aguiar has asserted, falsely and for the first time, that he is entitled to a 50% partnership interest in Leor, when that claim is his own fabrication and by his conduct he is not entitled to any interest whatsoever.
4. Accordingly, by this action, Plaintiffs seek recovery of compensatory,
rescissionary and punitive damages, and declaratory relief.
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5. Plaintiff Leor is a limited liability company duly organized and existing under the laws of Delaware. All of Leor's direct and remote equity owners are residents of New York.
6. Plaintiff Pardus LLC is a limited liability company duly organized and existing under the laws of Delaware. All of Pardus LLC's direct and remote equity owners are residents of New York.
7. Plaintiff Pardus LP is a limited partnership duly organized and existing under the laws of Delaware. Its general partner is Pardus LLC, and its limited partners are the Trusts, whose trustee is William Natbony, a resident of New York.
8. Defendant Aguiar is a resident of Florida and the former chief executive officer of Leor.
9. Jurisdiction is appropriate pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1). The amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, exclusive of interest and costs.
10. Venue is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(a)(1) because Aguiar resides in Broward County, Florida, and the material events that gave rise to the actions occurred in Broward County, Florida.
The Origins of Leor
11. The history of Leor begins in 2001, long before it was formally organized in 2005, when Kaplan decided to bring Aguiar into the family business to provide Aguiar with employment by monitoring Kaplan family investments and acting in certain contexts as Kaplan's eyes and ears. The Kaplan family had made a significant investment in Cadence Resources
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Corporation ("Cadence"), a publicly traded oil and gas company. At the time, Cadence controlled numerous oil and gas leaseholds throughout the United States. The investment was managed and supervised by Tigris Financial Group Ltd. ("Tigris"), a management company wholly-owned by Kaplan. Despite the fact that Aguiar had no background in business, resources
exploration or production, or in the oil and gas industry (although Aguiar had most recently worked in the natural gas commodity trading pits in New York), Kaplan arranged for Aguiar to be elected to Cadence's board of directors.
12. In 2002, Kaplan had described to Aguiar his plans to duplicate Kaplan's previous successes, most notably in precious metals mining, by translating his template to the energy sector. Kaplan explained to Aguiar how he planned to start his own oil and gas company that would invest in grassroots oil and gas exploration based on Kaplan's conviction that certain
macroeconomic factors indicated that the price of oil and gas would increase dramatically as the world headed toward a period of "peak oil." Aguiar had asked whether mining would be the area in which he should focus, but that was not Kaplan's then-current passion. From Kaplan's perspective, energy was the "next big thing" – he was convinced that oil was going to $100 a
barrel (even though it was then trading at $20 barrel and analysts were forecasting lower prices). While on the Cadence board, Kaplan had started Aguiar on monitoring a portfolio of oil and gas investments owned by Kaplan family interests.
13. Based on his belief that the price of oil and gas would increase and that
technological breakthroughs would provide additional opportunities for exploration and production, Kaplan in 2003 formed Portland Energy Partners, L.P. and sent Aguiar to Houston to see what might look interesting from a prospective point-of-view. Portland Energy would employ grassroots exploration to identify oil and gas reserves that it could purchase and drill.
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Accordingly, Kaplan, through Tigris, arranged for Portland Energy to receive from Kaplan family interests the working capital it would need to acquire the oil and gas leaseholds, which ultimately amounted to approximately $25 million in funding. Portland Energy hired Aguiar as its only employee and he received the title of President. In his capacity as President of Portland
Energy, Aguiar remained fully accountable to Kaplan.
14. Kaplan instructed Aguiar to identify potential oil and gas leaseholds that the company could purchase and to report to Kaplan about each such property and the proposed prices and terms. To accomplish this, Aguiar spoke with Kaplan on a daily basis, during which he received instructions, discussed prospects, was tutored on the processes to be followed and the
dangers from competitors and others, and received approval for purchases. Portland Energy entered into its first commercial transaction in 2003, when it purchased oil and gas leaseholds in Northern Louisiana.
15. In continuing his search for appropriate leaseholds, Aguiar was offered an introduction to John Amoruso ("Amoruso"), a former president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Aguiar asked Kaplan whether it would be worthwhile to meet with Amoruso and Kaplan instructed Aguiar to travel to Houston to do so. At that meeting, Amoruso explained his theory on Deep Bossier drilling. Amoruso believed that large quantities of natural gas would be present in Deep Bossier sand because such sand is thick and exists only under high pressure, which is highly conducive to the development of natural gas deposits. This was precisely the type of conceptual exploration that Kaplan thrived on and that he previously had
described to Aguiar.
16. After Aguiar met with Amoruso and had described to Kaplan Amoruso's theory, Kaplan directed Aguiar to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Amoruso so that Kaplan could
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hear the Deep Bossier story in detail. That meeting took place in Tampa, Florida, after which Kaplan instructed Aguiar to focus on aggressively acquiring land with high concentrations of Deep Bossier sand in accordance with Amoruso's conceptual thesis and with the help of Amoruso and Amoruso's associates. Accordingly, throughout 2003 and part of 2004, Aguiar's activities were to be directed to working with Amoruso and his associates in identifying and purchasing on behalf of Portland Energy land and oil and gas leaseholds rich in Deep Bossier sand. Throughout this time period, Aguiar spoke with Kaplan on a daily basis and received
instructions from Kaplan on all Portland Energy activities.
17. By the middle of 2004, Portland Energy had approximately 30,000 contiguous acres of Deep Bossier sand under its control. This land would later be identified as the Amoruso field. The value of Portland Energy's land and leaseholds appreciated in value considerably during 2004. This rapid appreciation occurred, in part, because a third party drilled a very
productive gas well on land adjacent to Portland Energy's, which suggested that there could be large quantities of oil and gas reserves in the area.
18. EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. ("EnCana") contacted Portland Energy in May 2005 and sought to enter into an exploration agreement. The parties agreed to terms in June 2005, which required EnCana to complete nine wells on Portland Energy's land; in exchange, EnCana received a 30% working interest in Portland Energy's land and oil and gas leaseholds. This relationship proved highly profitable for both parties because many of the wells generated large quantities of gas and increased the value of Portland Energy's lease portfolio.
19. Shortly after the deal with EnCana was completed, Leor was organized and Portland Energy transferred certain of its assets to Leor. Kaplan became Leor's chairman of the board, and he arranged for his nephew, Aguiar, to be its chief executive officer. Tigris entered
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into a consulting agreement with Leor to provide business and financial advice with respect to the strategic business development and corporate finance activities of Leor.
20. Throughout 2006, Leor continued to acquire land rich in Deep Bossier sand and oil and gas leaseholds. Moreover, Leor negotiated a second transaction with EnCana in 2006. The agreement required EnCana to pay Leor approximately $243 million in return for an additional 20% interest in Leor's land and leaseholds. The result of this transaction was that
EnCana and Leor each held a 50% ownership interest in the Amoruso field.
Aguiar is Given an Interest in Pardus
21. For calendar years 2003 and 2004 and prior to the initial EnCana transaction and the organization of Leor, Portland Energy paid Aguiar a salary; however, until June of 2006, Aguiar had no equity or other interest or participation in Portland Energy, Leor or any other aspect of the venture. However, Kaplan had told Aguiar that he would receive an equity
participation in the venture if he applied himself fully, proved himself capable and trustworthy, fulfilled the role of chief executive officer of the venture, and the venture was a success. In addition, both Kaplan and William Natbony, Kaplan's attorney ("Natbony"), had explained to Aguiar that the Aguiar family was a contingent future beneficiary of the Kaplan family trusts that owned beneficial interests in the venture and that this structure had been adopted precisely for this reason. Aguiar, however, indicated that he would be more comfortable if the interest were his exclusively (rather than one for the benefit of the Aguiar family) and were vested and
documented in a legal agreement. Specifically, Aguiar asked that the promised 10% interest be legally documented, with the understanding that he would continue to satisfy Kaplan's requirements and his legal obligations, to which Kaplan agreed. That agreement (negotiated and drafted over a number of months by counsel for Aguiar and counsel for Kaplan) was formalized in 2006 by an amendment to the limited partnership agreement of Portland Energy, the ultimate parent entity of Leor, to add Aguiar as a limited partner. The Amended and Restated limited partnership agreement of Portland Energy was made effective as of June 1, 2006, and was
executed in November 2006. Accordingly, Aguiar assumed the role, as well as having already received the title, of CEO of Leor.
22. In January of 2007, Portland Energy's interest in Leor was transferred to a new partnership, Jaguar Energy L.P. ("Jaguar Energy"), and Aguiar and the other limited partners of Portland Energy became partners of a new limited partnership, Pardus Petroleum L.P., which was the direct and indirect owner of Jaguar Energy L.P., and thus the indirect majority owner
and controlling member of Leor. Portland Energy was subsequently dissolved. The limited partnership agreement of Pardus Petroleum L.P. (the "Pardus LPA") provided that Aguiar held the same interest in Pardus LP that he had owned in Portland Energy. Thus, Aguiar's economic interest in Leor was unaffected by this reorganization.
23. The agreement between Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners, on the one hand, and Kaplan's nephew, Aguiar, on the other, to grant Aguiar a participatory interest in Leor was based upon, and contingent upon, Kaplan's and the Pardus LP Partners' reliance on Aguiar's representations and corresponding legal obligations that he had honestly and diligently been employed by Portland Energy and Leor, that he had acted in their best interests and in the best interests of the Pardus LP Partners, and that he had acted as a fiduciary in pursuing the interests of Portland Energy and Leor in accordance with his daily conversations with Kaplan. That
agreement was also based upon, and contingent upon, Aguiar's legal obligation to serve the venture in a capable and trustworthy manner, both considering Aguiar's relationship of trust with his uncle, Kaplan, and his fiduciary duties of loyalty and honesty as president of Portland Energy
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and CEO of Leor. Unbeknownst to Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners, however, Aguiar was already engaging in a pattern of fraudulent and deceptive conduct that began well before Aguiar received his participatory interest and that extended to other dealings with Kaplan.
The Leor Asset Sale
24. In the Fall of 2007, Kaplan met directly with Randy Eresman, EnCana's chief executive officer, and negotiated the sale of Leor's assets for $2.55 billion (the "Leor Asset Sale"). The Leor Asset Sale documents (the "Leor Sale Documents") were negotiated and executed under the direction of Natbony, who was then and is currently the Chief Executive fficer of Tigris.
25. As a consequence of the Leor Asset Sale, the Leor board of directors' structure was eliminated in favor of a "managing member structure," and Natbony (as the Manager of Jaguar Energy LLC, the general partner of Jaguar Energy L.P., which is the managing member of Leor) became responsible for the oversight of the activities of Leor. Aguiar received a
proportionate distribution of his 10% interest in the Leor Asset Sale in late 2007. Previously, Aguiar also received a distribution under the Pardus LPA in respect of distributions of available cash made by Leor in July and August of 2006.
Aguiar Mismanages Leor for His Own Benefit
26. Because Leor sold all of its operating assets in the Leor Asset Sale, which closed at the end of November 2007, Leor's functions thereafter were limited to ensuring that it complied with the terms of the Leor Sale Documents and that its books and records (including its tax records) were brought up-to-date and maintained in proper order. Such functions required the services only of Leor's President, Kenton Holliday, its General Counsel, Garrett Smith ("Smith"), and its Chief Financial Officer, Theresa Hilliard ("Hilliard") (collectively, the
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"Remaining Authorized Employees"). Natbony and Aguiar therefore agreed that Aguiar would promptly engage in a significant employee headcount reduction to be completed by the end of 2007 (the "Downsizing"). During this time period (late November through mid-December 2007), Aguiar (as Leor's CEO) was responsible for executing the Downsizing and for
recommending the appropriate termination payments to be made to employees based on their prior service and performance. Thereafter, during 2008, Aguiar remained CEO and retained responsibility for, among other things, supervising the activities of the Remaining Authorized
Employees, ensuring that Leor complied with the terms of the Leor Sale Documents and that its books and records (including its tax records) were brought up-to-date and maintained in proper order, that its remaining assets were disposed of, and that potential liabilities of Leor were
minimized or eliminated. Aguiar failed to fulfill these obligations resulting, in part, in Natbony making inquiry and becoming aware of various then-existing and pre-existing misconduct, breaches of fiduciary duty, and other misdeeds by Aguiar, the discovery of which continues. The following items therefore are not exhaustive.
27. Aguiar in August 2007 had directed Leor to hire Aviad Shemesh ("Shemesh"). Shemesh was hired to act as Aguiar's personal bodyguard and to provide him with personal security services. Such employment was personal to Aguiar because there were never any threats made against Aguiar or any indication that he required personal security in connection
with the performance of his duties for Leor, and was not approved by or informed to Leor's board of directors, Kaplan or Natbony. Shemesh nevertheless received an annual salary from Leor of $87,500 plus a bonus of $100,000 in January 2008. Shemesh was fired by Aguiar "for cause" in June 2008 after having been on Leor's payroll for 11 months.
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28. Similarly, despite explicit instructions from Natbony, Aguiar maintained Leor's employment of Graydon Oliver ("Oliver") past the end of 2007 to perform personal services for Aguiar unrelated to Leor's operations. Although Aguiar retained Oliver on Leor's payroll for his personal benefit, Aguiar nevertheless directed Leor to pay Oliver a 2007 bonus plus a severance amount in December 2007 as if he had been terminated pursuant to the Downsizing. Upon discovery by Natbony of Oliver's continued employment in August 2008, Natbony directed Leor to terminate Oliver at the end of August 2008. Nevertheless, without Natbony's knowledge or
consent, Aguiar instructed Leor to make a payment to Oliver in an amount equal to what he would have been paid, at the rate previously determined by Aguiar, had he continued to be employed by Leor through November 30, 2008 – even though Oliver had been and continued to be performing services for Aguiar and not Leor.
29. Aguiar had arranged for Leor to hire his brother-in-law, Corey Drew ("Drew"), in June 2006. On information and belief, Drew ceased performing substantial services for Leor in November 2006 when he relocated to Israel. From and after November 2006, Hilliard, Leor's Chief Financial Officer, classified his compensation on Leor's books and records as "Israel"
because Leor had no office or operations in Israel and his services were for the benefit of Aguiar.
Drew continued to receive an annual salary from Leor of $50,000, received a 2006 bonus payment from Leor of $70,825, and received a severance payment from Leor in December 2007 of $1,429,175. Although Drew was not performing services for Leor, was terminated by Leor at the end of 2007, and worked under the supervision of Aguiar solely on personal Aguiar matters, he (like Aguiar himself and others whom Aguiar wrongfully placed on the Leor payroll) continued to charge non-Leor-related amounts on his Leor credit card throughout 2008.
30. In August 2008, Aguiar instructed Smith, Leor's General Counsel, to prepare a new form of severance agreement for the benefit of the three Remaining Authorized Employees that would be materially different from the pre-existing form that had been prepared by Natbony together with Smith some months earlier. Aguiar falsely indicated that the new form of
severance agreement had been approved by Kaplan and/or Natbony. The new form of severance agreement in fact had not been authorized, contained terms that were intentionally disadvantageous and punitive to the company (including by providing for significant financial penalties for failure to make payments by the deadline set forth in the agreements, even though
such a provision had never been requested by the Remaining Authorized Employees (or anyone else)), and were unnecessary and distracting to the operations of Leor.
31. On September 12, 2008, after learning of the unauthorized severance agreements, Natbony, as the Manager of Jaguar Energy LLC, the general partner of Jaguar Energy L.P., which is the managing member of Leor, relieved Aguiar of his corporate responsibilities pending Leor's investigation. Natbony repeatedly asked Aguiar to explain his understanding of the
circumstances leading to the unauthorized severance agreements, but he never responded.
Aguiar Misappropriates Leor's Property
32. Aguiar intentionally removed property from Leor's office and, despite requests from Leor, failed to return it or compensate Leor for its value.
33. Aguiar instructed Oliver to remove certain of Leor's office equipment in March 2008. The Leor equipment Oliver removed at Aguiar's direction included five nineteen-inch monitors; one fifteen-inch monitor; four keyboards; one mouse; four docking stations; five Dell laptop computers; and one fifty-inch plasma television. On information and belief, Aguiar
instructed Oliver to store this equipment in a storage unit under Oliver's control.
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34. Throughout 2008, Aguiar, in pursuing his personal interests, continued to be compensated by Leor for his services as CEO, even though his principal activities were completely unrelated to Leor. In addition, Aguiar throughout 2008 charged very substantial travel, entertainment and other non-Leor business and personal expenses to his Leor credit card
and, despite repeated requests by Hilliard that he reimburse the company, Aguiar has not done so. His credit card, as well of those of others in his employ, had to be terminated by the company in order to terminate the continuing charging of non-Leor expenses.
35. Based on Aguiar's conduct and his failure to respond or explain his conduct, Leor terminated Aguiar's employment for cause on December 12, 2008.
Aguiar's Most Recently Discovered Misconduct
36. Following Aguiar's termination, Kaplan and Natbony learned, for the first time, that Aguiar's recently revealed improprieties involving Leor were just part of a pattern of fraudulent and improper conduct dating back to at least 2004.
37. In 2004, while President of Portland Energy and without Kaplan's knowledge or approval, Aguiar began directing payments to family members who did little or no actual work for Portland Energy. Portland Energy operated out of Texas, while Aguiar's family members who received Portland Energy's funds were in Broward County, Florida and Israel.
38. Plaintiffs have only now discovered that, at Aguiar's direction, Portland Energy paid Aguiar's sister, Angelika Aguiar Drew ("Angelika") $1,200 in March 2004, $1,500 in April and May, 2004, $1,000 in June 2004, $1,500 in September 2004, $3,000 in November 2004,
$3,000 in December 2004, $6,000 in February 2005, $3,000 in April 2005, $6,000 in June 2005, $10,000 in August 2005, $4,000 in September 2005, $4,000 in October 2005, $4,000 in November 2005 and $4,000 in December 2005. Besides being directed by Aguiar and being
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noted as check entries on the Portland Energy books, these payments have no justification whatsoever and evidence a pattern, begun early, of fraud and misappropriation of Kaplan family assets to the personal benefit of Aguiar and his family members.
39. Following December 2005, Aguiar's sister, Angelika, continued to receive
payments until January 2008. Hilliard, who had become controller of Leor, asked the justification for the payments and was told by Aguiar that they were for administrative support for the Florida office of Portland Energy. Portland Energy, however, never had a "Florida office" other than the home office Aguiar used when he was working from his home.
40. In December 2006, Aguiar directed Hilliard to pay his sister, Angelika, a "bonus" of $100,000, which Portland Energy paid by check on or about December 21, 2006. That same month, Aguiar directed Hilliard to pay his wife, Jamie Black ("Black"), $100,000, purportedly as a "consulting fee." Black has no apparent credentials to provide consulting services relevant to
Portland Energy's or Leor's business, and performed no apparent services for this fee. Despite that, Portland Energy paid Black $100,000.00 by wire transfer on or about December 27, 2006.
41. None of the payments to Angelika or Black were revealed to Kaplan or to the Pardus LP Partners, none were authorized or would have been authorized, and none were of apparent benefit to Portland Energy or Leor. Rather, Aguiar was engaged in a campaign to extract as much cash as he could from Portland Energy, the parent company of Leor, and from its
beneficial owners, by directing cash to his family members and by committing other improprieties through Leor, during which period he was convincing Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners that he should have a participatory interest in Leor based on his purported loyalty, responsibility and familial relationship to Kaplan.
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42. Kaplan and Natbony have also recently discovered that, from at least 2005 through late 2007, Aguiar, in a blatant violation of his fiduciary duties, regularly charged personal expenses to Leor using his Leor American Express card and obtained reimbursement for personal expenses incurred on his other credit cards. While Hilliard attempted to separate Aguiar's business and personal charges so that Aguiar could be held responsible for the personal charges, Aguiar insisted on categorizing the expenses himself and reimbursed the company only for those expenses that he identified as non-business charges. Despite repeated requests, Aguiar refused to provide receipts for any of his credit card charges, thus making it difficult or
impossible for the company to determine whether any of the expenses had been properly charged to Leor. Aguiar even refused to reimburse the company for a number of charges that were clearly unrelated to Leor's business, including over $20,000 of clothing purchases made at a
luxury department store in November 2007, and charges made in Israel and Florida (where Leor has no operations) in the fourth quarter of 2008.
43. Over the same period that Aguiar was inappropriately charging Leor for personal expenses and concealing his actions from Kaplan and Natbony, Aguiar was engaged in a similar pattern of wrongdoing in his role as a director of the Lillian Jean Kaplan Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation founded and funded by Kaplan. Aguiar's actions in this regard are the subject of a pending action in Florida state court in Broward County. As that action alleges, Aguiar has come to believe that he is the messiah, and has diverted funds in part to support his messianic mission.
44. More recently Aguiar has also begun claiming, for the first time, that he was entitled to far more than the 10% interest in Leor documented in the Pardus LPA. Aguiar now apparently believes that he is entitled to 50% of the Leor proceeds. Plaintiffs, however, dispute
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Aguiar's claim, not only because Aguiar already has been paid more than the 10% profits interest he was to receive based on the Pardus LPA, but also because his pattern of dishonesty and willful and malicious breaches of fiduciary duty which were the predicate for the Pardus LPA mean that
Aguiar should not have received even those funds.
45. All conditions precedent to this action have occurred, been performed, or been waived.
Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate herein by reference paragraphs 1 through 45 above.
46. As President of Portland Energy and CEO of Leor and as a partner of Portland Energy and Pardus LP, as well as through the closeness of his relationship with his uncle, Kaplan, Aguiar owed fiduciary duties, including without limitation the duties of complete disclosure, trust, loyalty, and care.
47. Aguiar has breached his fiduciary duties by, inter alia, hiring, paying, and
directing personnel for his own benefit and no substantial benefit to Portland or Leor; creating compensation and severance packages for employees without the approval of Leor's board; converting Leor's property for his own benefit; and charging personal expenses to Leor.
48. Aguiar's breaches were committed with malice, willfully, and in reckless
disregard of the rights of his employer, Leor.
49. Had Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners known of Aguiar's breaches, they would never have granted Aguiar any participatory interest in the Leor Asset Sale.
50. As a direct and proximate result of Aguiar's breaches of fiduciary duty, Leor has suffered damages, including rescissionary damages.
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Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate herein by reference paragraphs 1 through 45 above.
51. Aguiar converted assets of Portland Energy and Leor to himself and for his benefit, all to the detriment of Leor.
52. Aguiar's acts of conversion were committed with malice, willfully, and in
reckless disregard of the rights of his employers, Portland Energy and Leor.
53. As a direct and proximate result of Aguiar's conversion of Portland Energy and Leor's assets, Leor, itself and as successor to Portland Energy, has suffered damages.
Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate by reference paragraphs 1 through 45 above.
54. As a material inducement to receiving his participatory interest in the Leor Asset Sale, Aguiar represented to Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners that he had served and would serve Portland Energy, Pardus and Leor with the utmost loyalty and good faith, and not misdirect or waste their assets (the "Representations").
55. When Aguiar made the Representations, he knew they were false.
56. Aguiar made the Representations to induce Kaplan's and the Pardus LP Partners' reliance.
57. Kaplan and the Pardus LP Partners relied on Aguiar's Representations, and but for that reliance on those Representations, would not have granted Aguiar his participatory interest.
58. As a result of Aguiar's fraudulent inducement, the Plaintiffs are entitled to rescission of Aguiar's participatory interest, or rescissionary damages.
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Plaintiffs reallege and incorporate hereby by reference paragraphs 1 through 45 above.
59. Since his termination, Aguiar has asserted that he is entitled to more than the 10% share he received from the Leor Asset Sale, though his share of the sale was fully documented and consummated over two years ago. Aguiar, in fact, now has indicated that he somehow is entitled to a 50% share.
60. Plaintiffs deny that Aguiar is entitled to 50% of the Leor Asset Sale, and because they have now learned of Aguiar's willful and malicious breaches of fiduciary duty, Plaintiffs deny that Aguiar is entitled to any of the proceeds of the Leor Asset Sale.
61. The dispute between Plaintiffs and Aguiar relating to their respective rights and obligations represents an actual controversy, is definite and concrete, affecting the parties' adverse legal interests with sufficient immediacy as to justify relief.
62. The dispute between Leor and Aguiar is not hypothetical, abstract, or academic.
63. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201 and chapter 86, Florida Statutes, Plaintiffs are entitled to declaratory relief from this Court, and further supplemental remedies to receive complete relief, to resolve their dispute with Aguiar.
Wherefore, Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court enter judgment for Plaintiffs and against Defendant Aguiar:
(1) awarding compensatory and punitive damages, and costs of suit;
(2) awarding rescission or rescissionary damages consisting of all funds Aguiar received through his participatory interest in Pardus LP;
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(3) declaring that Aguiar is not entitled to 50% of the Leor Asset Sale, and rather that, by his conduct, Aguiar is not entitled to any interest in Pardus LP, Leor, or the Leor Asset Sale; and
(4) granting such other, further relief as the Court deems just.
Dated this 20th day of January, 2009.
Respectfully submitted,
Attorneys for Plaintiffs
2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 9th Floor
Miami, Florida


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Australia is facing a period of slower income growth, and the Treasury warns that we need more reform to boost productivity growth.
But not all productivity growth will do.
As Bill Carmichael, a former chairman of the Industries Assistance Commission, explains, the economic strength that flowed from the 1980s and 1990s reforms did not come from producing the same things more efficiently (what economists call productive efficiency). Rather, it developed because we moved away from the things we did less well to those we do better (allocative efficiency).
The distinction is important: the Soviet Union could lift its productivity and produce more alarm clocks that didn't ring, shoes that wouldn't fit, and toilets that couldn't flush, but its economy and its citizens were no better off as a result.
In Australia, as tariffs came down and markets were deregulated in the 1980s and 1990s, the forces of competition led to a reallocation of our resources to activities more suited to the economic environment of a small, resource-rich, high-income and relatively remote economy.
Australian industries became more specialised in activities based on our natural resource wealth and our highly educated workforce. Activities that could only exist behind the protection of tariffs and subsidies moved overseas to the new low-wage manufacturing centres of Asia.
Productivity rose, but primarily as the result of the specialisation, competition and innovation. Carmichael characterises productivity as "simply an ex-post measure that yields quite limited insights about the direction future policy should take".
Of course the Treasury discussion, published as part of the budget papers, recognises the importance of allocative efficiency, and the Abbott government's actions suggest that it does too.
An important theme of Abbott's fiscal consolidation program is for the federal government to specialise in what it does best, and allow the states more room to exploit their comparative advantage in delivering services to the public.
The co-payment for general practitioner treatment under Medicare is intended to introduce some important new price signals to the provision of medical services.
Very basic reforms
The government's primary objective may be cost control. But, if the GP co-payment works as it is intended to, the effect will be to reduce the medical resources tied up with very-low-value consultations. The effect should be that GPs' time is used more productively, whether or not that shows up as an increase in productivity.
While the government struggles to win Parliament's support for that basic very Medicare reform, the challenge in confronting the forces of slower income growth is a little less clearly defined.
Most of the big, obvious economic reforms are behind us. Governments have cut tariffs, decentralised wage fixing, privatised government monopolies, and scraped away layers of anti-competitive regulation.
Undoubtedly the Treasury is right when it says there is significant scope for structural reforms to improve the productive potential of the Australian economy. But now it is less about unblocking the mighty rivers of economic activity and more about the myriad of streams and rivulets.
As the Treasury says, it is about fostering "a mindset and culture that rewards individuals' and firms' hard work and initiative". But how?
We need highly competitive product markets that demand innovation in products, production and marketing as the daily fee for survival. We need a highly skilled workforce that can embrace new technologies. And we need an environment in which the innovative hatchlings of manufacturing and the services sector can survive and grow.
It is about getting the big policy settings right: the competition policy, the education and training policies. It is about saying no to the pleas for subsidies and protection, not for lack of sympathy for those in trouble, but because the community cannot afford to excuse people from the rigours of competition and creative destruction.
It is also rationalising red tape, and corralling the states, as the Hawke and Keating governments once did, into pro-competitive reform.
The Australian Financial Review


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In 2009 Indonesia consolidated its reputation as Southeast Asia's most democratic country. Simultaneous elections were held in April for the national, provincial, and district legislatures, and those were followed by direct presidential elections in July. The elections were largely peaceful and, in the opinion of most observers, reasonably fair, despite some administrative bungles by the Election Commission.
In the general elections the Democrat Party (PD) of Pres. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (commonly known as SBY) dominated with 21% of the vote. The PD's two major rivals, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, and the Golkar Party of Vice Pres. Jusuf Kalla, each garnered 14%. In their worst-ever election result, Indonesia's Islamic parties together gathered just 29% of the vote, down from the roughly 37% that the parties had received in both the 1999 and 2004 elections. The only Islamic party to improve on its performance in previous elections was the Prosperous Justice Party, which earned 7.8%. Two new political parties, Gerindra and Hanura, led respectively by prominent former generals Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto, returned vote totals of less than 5%, despite expensive advertising and voter-mobilization campaigns. Only nine of the 38 parties contesting the general elections cleared the 2.5% threshold required for holding seats in the 560-member national parliament.
The presidential elections were concluded in one round after SBY and his vice presidential running mate, Boediono, won 61% of the vote, inflicting a crushing defeat on Megawati and her running mate, Prabowo, who tallied 27%, and the team of Kalla and Wiranto, who managed only 12%. The election results represented a major political turnaround for SBY. After trailing Megawati in opinion surveys in mid-2008, the president was able to regain the ascendancy, and polls from early 2009 consistently showed him to be by far the most popular and trusted politician in Indonesia. SBY's revival was due in large measure to voter approval of his government's economic policies, which were credited with offsetting the worst effects of the global financial crisis. Indeed, Indonesia had one of the strongest-performing economies in the region, with an annual growth rate of 4.2% that ranked behind only China and India. Robust domestic consumer demand and high export commodity prices were chief drivers of Indonesia's economic expansion. What proved particularly popular with voters was a range of direct government payments to lower-income families to compensate for the effects of rising prices. The commencement of these payments coincided with the rally in the president's support.
Corruption continued to command public and media attention during 2009. Numerous high-level officials were convicted and jailed for graft, including Aulia Pohan, the father-in-law of SBY's son and a deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, the country's central bank. The most sensational case of all, however, was a scandal that surrounded the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). In May KPK chairman Antasari Azhar was arrested and charged with graft and with having ordered the murder of an executive at one of Indonesia's state-owned enterprises. Prosecutors allege that Antasari wanted the executive killed because he had threatened to expose Antasari's affair with the executive's wife and his protection of high-level officials involved in corruption. Antasari went to trial in October. His case rendered great harm to the standing of the KPK, previously Indonesia's most respected institution, according to opinion surveys. The commission suffered further damage to its reputation after another two of its five commissioners were forced to stand down after becoming the focus of corruption investigations. The KPK's critics used these events to argue for a reduction in the commission's powers.
On July 17 Indonesia experienced its first terrorist attack in almost four years when two suicide bombers struck the luxury JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, killing 9 people and injuring 50 others. Responsibility for the bombing was claimed by Noordin Top, a former member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization. Two weeks later police raided a house on the outskirts of Jakarta and discovered a large car bomb possibly intended for an attack against SBY. A string of arrests followed, culminating in the shooting of Noordin and several of his top associates at their hideout in Central Java. Noordin's death was a heavy blow for violent jihadism in Indonesia; he had been a key figure in all of the major terrorist bombings in the country since 2003.
In late September and early October, several earthquakes struck western Indonesia, causing devastation and heavy loss of life in the Padang region of West Sumatra. The confirmed death toll exceeded 600, with estimates that more than 1,000 people may have perished. The collapse of many public buildings prompted calls for tighter construction standards, particularly given that scientists were warning of more severe quakes over the next two decades.
|Quick Facts
|1,860,360 sq km (718,289 sq mi)
|(2009 est.): 229,965,000
|Head of state and government:
|President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono


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A MUM has removed her daughter from Ringwood School after objecting to her being taught in isolation because of her pink-tipped hair.
Leah Halford from Poulner has temporarily removed her daughter Billie, 13, branding the move "bullying".
But headteacher Chris Edwards says the school has "very clear rules" on appearance and the "vast majority" of parents make sure their children abide by them.
The Year 8 pupil was pulled out of class on Friday morning by her head of year as a result of her new dip dye hair style.
Mrs Halford said: "I've made the decision to pull her out of the school until it's gone.
"It's not affecting her learning having pink hair but they've told me her absence will now be put down as unauthorised.
"I think it's bullying – they are saying their pupils can't have individuality.
"The dye is one of those wash out ones, so we are of course going to keep washing it, but it will take a few weeks."
Isolation consists of the pupil being put in a room alone, restricting them from mixing with any other pupils.
Mrs Halford added: "She is a model pupil aside from this – there have been no problems with behaviour or learning.
"Other girls go in with a full face of make-up or their skirts hitched up to their thighs.
"They're allowed to have mobile phones on them.
"I just don't understand why this is such an offence.
"I just don't see how this could possibly affect her, or anyone else's, learning.
"She's lucky this isn't a particularly important year, otherwise implementing this kind of punishment for something so menial would have far greater consequences.
"I'm going to get a private tutor so she can keep up with her lessons."
Mrs Edwards said: "At Ringwood School we have very clear rules with regard to appearance and uniform which parents agree to when send their child to the school.
"Our rules state that hair should be traditionally styled – extremes of fashion eg shaved hair, beads, braids, unnatural tints, dyes and highlights are not acceptable in school.
"If a student arrives at school with inappropriate uniform or appearance arrangements are made to continue with learning in isolation while contact is made with parents to arrange to resolve the problem.
"I am very grateful to the vast majority of our parents who are very supportive of the high standards we expect from all of our young people."


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The Shocker!!!! True Story!!!!
Yesterday, I spent my day off of work running around, getting overdue errands finished before the weekend.
The ONE errand I overlooked was my 5 item grocery list. I noticed this as I arrived home after 6pm & decided that those 5 items could wait until tomorrow. "Mom's Body Wash" having been at the top of the list, since my teenager managed to STEAL mine out of my bathroom & use the rest of it. :/
I suppose I could be grateful that after using it, she had the respect to write it on the list hanging on the fridge, no?
Having been a SAHM for the past 4 years & unexpectedly falling into a FT job 3 weeks ago, my night time showers seem to be the ONLY relaxing part of my day that I look forward to now.
So, I slip into the hot shower, fully prepared to be disturbed by 3 children at LEAST 15 times, but still managing to absorb my mind with thoughts of peace & pure bliss.....
I shampoo my hair, condition it, & even take a few extra minutes to let the pulse action shower head beat down on my neck & shoulders.... The abrasive massage was glorious in ways unmentionable....
Of course, as expected, I begin to hear loud noises coming from upstairs. The silence NEVER lasts long in my house with 1 teen, an 8yo boy who loves to wrestle, & a 4yo toddler who explores her teen sister's bedroom at any chance given & almost ALWAYS manages to paint SOMETHING with nail polish or make up. :/
So, I grab DH's body wash & without thought, use what would be approximately a HANDFUL size on a washcloth.... As always, I start in my general regions & work my way towards my girly parts.....
The menthol smell awoke my sinuses with a quickness & the refreshing "ice cold" sensation felt oh-so wonderful on my back & chest.....
HOWEVER, the VERY SECOND that this body soap (likely created by the devil himself) touched my nether regions, I practically fell over in indescribably horrible, unrelenting PAIN! Some twisted ass mother fucker in a science lab one day thought to themselves: "I have a brilliant idea! People have a hard time waking up in the morning before work. I shall invent an evil-lava-like soap that will SHOCK these sleepy people into awakeness!".
And then, he put that shit on the market & let out an evil laugh!! O.o
For real. I shit you NOT, my jibblets, doo-dads, & goodies felt like they had been smothered in fucking ICY HOT!!!!! I let out a "yelp", as DH slowly rolls himself off of the couch & finds his way into the bathroom.....
Through the clear shower curtain, he witnesses his wife making fast (frantic) panting noises, as I rips the shower head from the wall & spray DIRECTLY onto my no-no places, praying desperately that the burning stops!!!!
He says: "Dang! Sorry for interrupting. Try to be more quiet, the kids are still awake." -_-
Really, dude? :/
Still reeling from pain, my lips won't allow me to speak, so I allow the dumbass to leave me alone in the bathroom, where CLEARLY I am NOT enjoying the feeling of my vagina being chemically removed from my body.....
It took approximately 8 hours for my nether regions to stop pulsating & tingling from the unexpected chemical peal I had put them through. -_-
To make matters worse, a few hours after my shower (jibblets still burning) I climb into bed with DH, who suggestively raises his eyebrows & requests that in the future, we should shower TOGETHER! O.o
So much for my relaxing afternoon showers alone, eh? :/
Moral of the story: I don't care if you are completely OUT of body wash & you smell like a garbage truck smothered in body oder & used ass, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT EVER USE "AXE SHOCK".
Though, there are a few GOOD uses I can think of for this devil-syrup! I'm convinced that this stuff is capable of removing paint from walls, hair from animals, stains from fabric, & in VERY DESPERATE MOMENTS, this shit will remove warts & quite possibly could burn off ANY STD that you may be suffering from.
Hell, they could probably make a shit load of money using this stuff to fuel a rocket ship to the moon! O.o
^ all of these uses are acceptable.
Just, for the love of your sensitive little muffin shop, DO NOT use this shit to wash your body!!!! O.o
You're welcome!
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Replies (1-10):
by Platinum Member on Mar. 23, 2013 at 11:48 AM
7 moms liked this
I'm sorry that happened to you but I laughed reading it.
by Bigby Wolf on Mar. 23, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Bahahaha you should have thrown the bottle at your husband
by Jimbobsmistress on Mar. 23, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Lmao. That would suck but thanks for the morning entertainment!
by Gold Member on Mar. 23, 2013 at 11:52 AM
Lol! My nether regions cringe at the thought
by Platinum Member on Mar. 23, 2013 at 11:53 AM
2 moms liked this
So hard to type while laughing....
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Douglas J. Moo (b. 1950) is a Christian theologian and is Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He was previously Blanchard Professor of New Testament from 2000–2011 and previously taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for over 20 years. Moo received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (1980).
He has published several theological works and commentaries on the Bible; notable among them are An Introduction to the New Testament (with D. A. Carson and Leon Morris), A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (NICNT), and Colossians and Philemon (PNTC). He is currently writing commentaries on Galatians and Hebrews.
- Nature in the New Creation: New Testament Eschatology and the Environment (MP3)
- Moo on Colossians (4 lectures)
N. T. Wright on Moo
"Moo is in a different category again. Doug Moo, I would say, is a much greater Pauline scholar than either of the two I just mentioned [D. A. Carson and John Piper]. One of the things I really respect about Doug Moo is that he is constantly grappling with the text. Where he hears the text saying something which is not what his tradition would have said, he will go with the text. I won't always agree with his exegesis, but there is a relentless scholarly honesty about him which I really tip my hat off to." [1]
Selected publications
- The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 2008.
- Romans. NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan, 2000.
- The Letter of James. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 2000.
- 2 Peter, Jude. NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan, 1996.
- A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans, 1996.
- Introduction to the New Testament. Zondervan, 1991 (with D.A. Carson and Leon Morris).
- The Epistle of James. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 1985; reprint IVP Academic, 2009.
- The Old Testament in the Gospel Passion Narratives. Sheffield, 1983; reprint Wipf & Stock, 2008.
- "The Case for the Post-tribulation Rapture Position," in The Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational?, Richard R. Reiter, et.al. Zondervan, 1984; reprinted in Three Views on the Rapture. Zondervan, 1996; 2008.
- Wright on His Critics, Trevin Wax interviews N. T. Wright
External links
- Faculty Bio from Wheaton
- Moo's bio (PDF)
- Moo's personal website
- Where are we on justification by faith?, an interview with Moo by Josh Moody
- Interview with Douglas Moo on the 2011 NIV


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The end was tragic, but alas, all-too fitting. Back home in the Bay Area on Saturday, I vowed to catch Cal-Oregon State on television — the final game, I was certain, of the Jeff Tedford era in Berkeley.
But by the time I found a restaurant with the Pac-12 network — and one not overflowing with UFC fanatics — it was all over.


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Sony HDC-1700 1080/50i Studio Camera with 16bit A/D SMPTE 3G Fibre Interface
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The HDC-1700 dual-format HD system camera is equipped with sophisticated three-chip 2/3-inch Power HAD FX CCD image sensors and the latest 16-bit A/D converter to provide superior picture quality. The HDC-1700 supports HD and SD signal formats including 1080/50i, 1080/59.94i, 720/50p, and 720/59.94p. 1080PsF frame rates (24p, 25p, 30p) are available as an optional software update(HZC-PSF20).
Full compatibility with HDC-2500 and HDC-1500 cameras systems
For increased flexibility, there is full compatibility with HDC-2500 and HDC-1500 cameras and accessories, and HDCU-1000/1500 and HDCU-2000/2500 CCUs, allowing the HDC-1700 to be integrated into a wide variety of workflows. The HDC-1700 is a truly cost-effective camera that also delivers genuine user-friendliness.


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First you have the GUM Crayola Timer Light Toothbrush that teaches children to brush for the dentist recommended two minutes with its fun, flashing lights.
Then you have the GUM Star Wars Lightsaber Toothbrush with it's unique molded lightsaber design that is available in three character designs including Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Darth Vader.
What better way to encourage kids to want to brush their teeth than with toothbrushes that light up or that feature their favorite characters like Dinosaur Train and safari friends.
GUM Toothbrushes are not just for kids either! They also offer a variety of adult toothbrushes including manual, specialty, travel, and electric toothbrushes.
What's great about stuffing stockings with GUM Toothbrushes is that you know it's something that they will actually use, plus they're affordable too. So while it's fun to put candy and toys in stockings, why not also add a toothbrush and maybe even some toothpaste to instill those healthy dental habits.


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Phillips gets confirmation hearing with Senate panelMar 20, 2013 The Associated Press
CHEYENNE -- Both of Wyoming's U.S. Senators spoke highly of state Attorney General Greg Phillips' qualifications to serve as a federal appeals court judge at a confirmation hearing Tuesday.
President Barack Obama has nominated Phillips for a seat on the 10th U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver. Phillips, a Democrat, has been Wyoming's attorney general since March 2011.
Republican Wyoming Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso of Wyoming told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Phillips has the necessary legal experience and the proper temperament for the job.
The committee will vote in coming weeks whether to recommend Phillips' confirmation by the full U.S. Senate.
Phillips previously served as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cheyenne and also worked as a lawyer for the state and in private practice in Cheyenne.


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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Washington, DC, United States, 2006/11/08 - Federally funded center to help minority businesses secure Gulf Coast contracts.
Reaffirming its commitment to Louisiana, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) National Director Ronald Langston will inaugurate a new minority business center in New Orleans on Tuesday, November 14, 2006. Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin L. "Kip" Holden and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will join Langston for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The Louisiana Minority Business Opportunity Center will help minority businesses in the Gulf region successfully compete for contracts as part of the federal, state and local efforts to rebuild the Region.
When and Where:
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Grand Opening/Open House (open to the press)
New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
Training Center and Suite 1010
1515 Poydras, New Orleans, LA 70112
Press Conference
The Old State Capitol
(House of Representatives Chamber)
100 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Ronald N. Langston, National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce
Melvin L. Kip Holden, Mayor of the City of Baton Rouge
C. Ray Nagin, Mayor of the City of New Orleans
E. Frederick Preis, Jr., Chair, Board of Directors of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
Loretta Poree, Director of the Louisiana Minority Business Opportunity Center
The events are a part of the Rebuilding the Gulf Initiative established by the U.S. Department of Commerce following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. To date, MBDA has assisted over 340 displaced minority firms to prepare and submit applications for disaster relief, emergency loans and insurance claims; reconstructed business plans and other key business documents; assisted approximately 1,127 minority firms with the identification of procurement opportunities; conducted education and outreach activities reaching more than 4,000 MBEs; and vetted over 1,181 firms as viable minority firms with capacity to participate in the rebuilding of New Orleans.
Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. MBDA (mbda.gov) is the only federal agency created specifically to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses in this Nation. The Agency actively promotes the strategic growth and competitiveness of minority business enterprises by offering management and technical assistance and access to contracting and financing opportunities through a network of forty local business centers throughout the United States.
Agency / Source: Minority Business Development Agency
Availability: All Regions (Including Int'l)
Traffic Booster: [/] Quick PRZOOM - Press & Newswire Visibility Checker
Distribution / Indexing: [+]


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Tag: Programming
Free Write #60: Programming
by Nojh on Feb.20, 2013, under Articles, Free Write, Writing
Welcome to Free Writing! Quick fiction written for entertainment purposes. This week we have another piece of flash fiction. We're continuing the story from the last few weeks. So if you haven't read the others, click here to see them all. Enjoy!
By Nojh Livic
For what seemed like almost a yottacycle, all three begins stood motionless, although Prime's internal chronometer registered it as only a millicycle. Then the soldier's expression began to change, Paul began to move, and Prime waited.
"What is that?" the solider asked. Prime was unable to read the new human's expression because Paul had moved to stand between the two of them, shielding it from view. The tone was similar to Paul's initial reaction, which translated into surprise but there were other unidentified qualities which could be some type of aggression. Still Prime opted to wait it out. Paul was taking action.
"Err what? What is what?" Paul stammered, swiveling his head around as if he were looking around the entire laboratory, except he did not look behind him. The solider side-stepped and came into view. His expression did not seem aggressive, relatively compared to some of the video from the computer Prime had processed. Still prime remained motionless.
The solider started to raise the tray then stopped, set it down on the nearby bench, and then pointed. "That. That is totally contraband, isn't it?" Paul was at a loss for words and Prime wasn't familiar with the word contraband. It began mapping escape avenues including using the computer or Paul as potential coverage in order to hide and reconfigure. However before Prime could decide on route to take, or Paul could respond, the solider continued. "It's totally the hot toy this season isn't it? I think I saw it on commercials. Man I'd kill to get my kid one of those. Where'd you find it?"
Toy was a word Prime was familiar with. It was an object used to derive amusement. Which meant the solider was now assuming it was native to the planet, one of their pieces of equipment they manufactured to provide amusement. Not knowing exactly how a toy was supposed to behave, Prime decided remaining motionless was the optimal camouflage for the moment. (continue reading…)


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Usually readership peaks on a Monday. but today TMI had over 13,000 unique visitors and over 21,000 page impressions. There's plenty of comics that would call that a bad day, but it's the highest readership numbers for TMI yet.
Thank you, Everyone! New and old readers alike.
Update 4/17/09 09:40 PDT – 13.4 thousand unique viewer and 21.9 thousand page views. Did I get a write up somewhere?