text:
Scientists at Carnegie's Geophysical Laboratory are part of a team that has discovered a new form of carbon, which is capable of withstanding extreme pressure stresses that were previously observed only in diamond.
The experiment started with a form of carbon called glassy carbon, which was first synthesized in the 1950s, and was found to combine desirable properties of glasses and ceramics with those of graphite. The team created the new carbon allotrope by compressing glassy carbon to above 400,000 times normal atmospheric pressure.
This new carbon form was capable of withstanding 1.3 million times normal atmospheric pressure in one direction while confined under a pressure of 600,000 times atmospheric levels in other directions. No substance other than diamond has been observed to withstand this type of pressure stress, indicating that the new carbon allotrope must indeed be very strong.
However, unlike diamond and other crystalline forms of carbon, the structure of this new material is not organized in repeating atomic units. It is an amorphous material, meaning that its structure lacks the long-range order of crystals. This amorphous, superhard carbon allotrope would have a potential advantage over diamond if its hardness turns out to be isotropic—that is, having hardness that is equally strong in all directions. In contrast, diamond's hardness is highly dependent upon the direction in which the crystal is oriented.
"These findings open up possibilities for potential applications, including super hard anvils for high-pressure research and could lead to new classes of ultradense and strong materials," said Russell Hemley, director of Carnegie's Geophysical Laboratory.
Yu Lin, Li Zhang, Ho-kwang Mao, Paul Chow, Yuming Xiao, Maria Baldini, Jinfu Shu, and Wendy L. Mao. Amorphous diamond: A high-pressure superhard carbon allotrope. Physical Review Letters, 2011 (in press)
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks


text:
Georgia, Russia: Legal showdown at the International Court of Justice
On September 13, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will start examining a Georgian lawsuit against Russia over alleged ethnic cleansing.
Submitted on August 12, 2008, the final day in the Georgian-Russian conflict, Moscow stands accused of violating the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The lawsuit also calls on the court to persuade Russia to facilitate the return of Georgian refugees to the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
This paper's sources said that Russia plans to contest the court's jurisdiction and to note that Georgia failed to meet all the court's requirements before it submitted its case to the ICJ.
A source at the Georgian Ministry of Justice said the convention had been chosen to justify Tbilisi's grievances against Russia because article 22 stipulates that all violations be examined by the ICJ. Moreover, the defendant is unable to block the case's examination.
In September 2008, the court conducted initial public hearings on Georgia's lawsuit and ruled in Russia's favor.
Then Tbilisi requested that the ICJ persuade Moscow to withdraw its troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, facilitate the return of Georgian refugees, guarantee their property rights, facilitate the reintegration of Sukhumi and Tskhinvali and compensate Georgia.
In its October 15 ruling, the court declined to support Tbilisi's requests.
An ICJ source said Russia had submitted its objections to the Georgian lawsuit and contested the court's jurisdiction on December 1, 2009. These objections will become the subject of these current hearings in the Hague.
The Russian side will set out its stance first today during three-hour deliberations in line with the relevant procedures. The Georgian side will then have an opportunity to voice its objections tomorrow. The source said it would take the court between two weeks and several months to reach a verdict.
A source close to the hearings said, instead of engaging with, and arguing against Georgia's claims, Moscow decided first to call for the case to be dropped in line with formal criteria. That is why Russia is now contesting the court's jurisdiction.
Russian objections submitted to the ICJ suggest that the court should not examine the Georgian lawsuit because it has been artificially linked with the 1965 convention.
Moscow's main legal argument is that Georgia had not accused Russia of racial discrimination against its population before it submitted the lawsuit, the source added.
Although the UN, the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe and a mixed controlling commission for resolving the South Ossetian conflict had repeatedly examined "frozen" conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia before the 2008 war, Tbilisi did not voice any official complaints against Moscow.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Moldovans back Russia again
Russia may regain its lost influence in Moldova if it seizes the chance offered by upcoming parliamentary elections in the republic, according to Valery Klimenko, head of the Equality public movement in Moldova.
This suggestion is based on the failure of the constitutional referendum launched by the ruling westward-leaning alliance For European Democracy. In his view, Moldova is on the verge of making a U-turn.
This would not be the first time something similar has happened in Moldovan history: Mircea Snegur, the first president of independent Moldova, and the National Radicals who backed him, did everything possible to sever relations with Russia and align with Romania. His quarrel with Moscow went so far that he declared war on Russia. His aides had to rescue the situation by pleading inaccuracies in the translation from Moldovan to Russian.
The second president, Petru Lucinschi, tried to befriend Moscow, but simultaneously paved the way to greater westward orientation. He was the one who drafted an agreement, later signed by President Vladimir Voronin, on joining the World Trade Organization and developing relations with the European Union. Voronin, who succeeded Lucinschi, abruptly re-directed the country's foreign policy, turning it eastwards. True, this friendship with Russia was short-lived. In 2003 he quarreled with Moscow refusing to sign the "Kozak memorandum" that extended Russia's military presence in the area for another 20 years.
The acting president is trying to succeed where Snegur failed: Mihai Ghimpu is seeking to integrate Moldova into the EU and reunite with Romania. In so doing he is coordinating his moves with Romania's President Traian Basescu. But the September 5 referendum demonstrated that the population does not trust Ghimpu and his partners in the alliance: there was a voter turnout of only 29% and at the end of last week the Central Election Commission officially declared it invalid.
Valery Klimenko, the leader of the Equality movement, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that not only Russian-speaking citizens, but also members of the nation's titular ethnicity would favor parties whose manifestos emphasize closer ties with Russia. The explanation for this is that many Moldovans earn their livelihoods in Moscow and on the Russian market where they have traditionally sold everything they grow in Moldova's fields. A recent warning by the Russian environmental watchdog to suspend the import of Moldovan wine and fruit further pitted the population against the government.
Marian Lupu, Democratic Party leader, also backs a good relationship with Russia, according to Arkady Barbarosh, director of the Moldovan Institute for Public Policy. The analyst notes that a recent survey carried out by his institute demonstrated that if direct presidential elections were held today, Lupu would win a majority vote.
RBC Daily
Pawn shops lending money to be dealt with
The sums of money borrowed at pawn shops are comparable to bank loans, say financial experts at Russia's Central Bank. Representatives of the League of Pawn Shops say that this can be accounted for by the increasing activity of bogus pawn shops engaging in illegal cash-out transactions. Moscow's police confirm this is the case and have already initiated criminal proceedings against a large interregional chain of pawn shops which used to lend up to 2 billion rubles per month.
At the beginning of this year the Central Bank reported that the demand for services offered by pawn shops had surged against 2009's sharp fall in credit activity. "Thanks to certain peculiarities of pawned property and high interest rates, pawn shops managed to avoid any significant growth in risk and increase the amount of loans by 18% against 2008," the Central Bank's report said.
No reliable statistics on the total amount of loans taken out at pawn shops are available. Earlier this year, Dmitry Terentyev, general director of a pawn shop chain in St. Petersburg, estimated that people took out a total of between $120 million and $180 million in loans from pawn shops. Other estimates suggest that people borrowed 3.5 billion rubles at pawn shops in Moscow alone and about 20 billion rubles, or $650 million, across Russia. Still other estimates said that such loans totaled $1.2 billion.
"People often say that pawn shops loan a lot of money but this is not true, because these estimates include fake pawn shops engaging solely in money lending," Alexander Tomson, executive director of the non-profit organization the League of Pawn Shops, told RBC Daily. According to Tomson, such offices may well be registered as pawn shops but in fact have nothing to do with them. "They don't let ordinary customers in - there is usually a guard at the door who doesn't let anyone in. However, there are also pawn shops that engage simultaneously in official and illegal activities," Tomson added.
Pawn shops engage in money lending because they are easy to set up, the head of the pawn shop league explained. "It is both technically and economically easy to set up a pawn shop and it doesn't take much investment," Alexander Tomson said.
However, there has been a clear growth in the volume of loans made by pawn shops even putting illegal pawn shops aside. According to the League of Pawn Shops, there was an increase of over 20% in the volume of loans offered by Russian pawn shops in 2009 and 2010. The Central Bank estimates that there are about 5,000 pawn shops across Russia but their exact number is unknown because this sector lacks a single regulatory authority. Anton Krotin, chief lawyer at the Nalogovik legal company, believes that a supervisory authority needs to be established to regulate pawn shops and expose illegal activities like, for example, buying stolen goods.
Novaya Politika
Russian defense ministry may increase conscription age to 30
Last spring an original idea occurred to the Russian military: to increase the conscription age from 27 to 30 years. Vasily Smirnov, deputy chief of the General Staff, presented it in parliament in late April, adding that the spring conscription campaign would be extended until August.
Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov recently spoke again about extending the conscription age, which means the ministry is unlikely to give up the idea.
The main arguments include a difficult demographic situation (lack of conscripts due to a demographic gap of the early 1990s) and the need to create a more "grown-up" and "responsible" army. The reformers also cite the experience of some countries where the conscription age exceeds 30 years.
The idea does not appeal to most Russians, which is logical in a society where draft evasion by any legal or illegal method has become a fact of life accepted by the majority of society. A longer conscription age will mean a longer period when people will do their best to evade army service.
Official attempts to improve the image of the Russian army have so far been limited to slogans and appeals.
By the age of 30, many young men already have an established career and a family, which makes army service especially undesirable psychologically and socially. Accepting conscription means giving up your career by allowing others to take up your place, and leaving your family, for whose livelihood you are responsible, in the lurch.
Still, an increase in the conscription age would not have been so dramatic had the service conditions been better. A desire to sign up for military service is largely dampened by the daily news about the victims of hazing and the fact that quite a few conscripts leave the army psychologically unsound.
This hinders conscription even when young people view military service as a duty to society they would like to honor.
Legislation for Skolkovo innovation hub adopted
The State Duma, the Russian parliament's lower house, adopted in the second reading a package of bills on the Skolkovo high-tech hub in the Moscow Region, including amendment to the Tax Code that grants privileges for participants; the potential shortfall of the federal budget from these privileges has been estimated.
The Russian parliament on Friday adopted in the second reading a law on the Skolkovo innovation center, as well as amendments to other laws required for the creation of the Russian Silicon Valley. The plan is to hold the third reading on September 23.
The high-tech hub near Moscow is defined as a specially allocated area that will house companies engaged in research and development in five priority areas of the presidential modernization plan - energy efficiency, nuclear technology, space technology and telecommunication, computer and medical technology. The Skolkovo residents will enjoy tax and other privileges.
A managing company for the Skolkovo center will be appointed by a presidential decision and made responsible for creating and maintaining the preferential treatment regime. The managing company will own the land used by the project.
A fast and simplified procedure will be used for passing all planning and development documents for the area. Amendments have also been made to laws regulating hiring foreign professionals: Skolkovo resident companies will not have to apply for permits to do so. Moreover, foreign professionals invited to work for Skolkovo projects will not be included in the annual quota for foreign employees.
The Skolkovo package includes amendments to ten federal laws, as well as to the Urban Development and Tax Codes, exempting Skolkovo participants from the VAT for 10 years from their registration in the project.
The project participants will also enjoy discounted insurance rates, 14% to the Pension Fund, and zero to the Social Insurance Fund and the Compulsory Medical Insurance Funds (both federal and local).
As a result, the federal budget will have an annual shortfall of 400 million rubles (nearly $13 million), Yevgeny Fyodorov, head of the parliamentary committee on economic policy and entrepreneurship, told reporters.
RIA Novosti is not responsible for the content of outside sources.
MOSCOW, September 13 (RIA Novosti)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Smart Lipo Q&A
Legs + Smart Lipo
Can Smart Lipo Be Done in Same Areas Again?
I had Smart Lipo a year ago (inner/outer thighs, knees, flanks, lower abdomen). I wasn't content (one leg bigger) with the results. I went for... READ MORE
When Will Swelling Decrease After Smart Lipo Treatment?
I am considering Smart Lipo on inner and outer thighs like almost immediately but I am going to go to Aruba approximately 12 days from surgey. I am... READ MORE
How Tight Should I Wrap my Legs After Smart Lipo?
I recently had Smart Lipo on my inner/outer thighs and knee area about 4 days ago, and I am still very swollen. I'm going to get my compression... READ MORE
Smart Lipo Before Tummy Tuck? (photo)
I am contemplating Smartlipo on the back of my legs (thighs), hips, back, and arms before I have a full Tummy Tuck. I am about 5'5" and weigh about... READ MORE
Waiting Period for Smart Lipo Redo the Procedure?
How long is it advisable to wait after a small area of Smart Lipo (with suctioning) on the outer thighs (300 cc altogether taken) to redo the... READ MORE
DVT or Embolism Possible During Smart Lipo?
If you get Smart Lipo and you are awake during the procedure, is it still a big possibility to develop DVT or an embolism since technically, if you're... READ MORE
What if Smart Lipo Compression Garment Isn't Tight Enough?
I had Smart Lipo 3 days ago and ended up shrinking it when drying it. Only the elastic at the top shrunk and the doc said I could cut slits in the... READ MORE
I Am Having a Burning Sensation in my Legs and my Smart Lipo Was on my Hips and Abs?
I had a upper/lower abs and hips smart lipo 11 days ago and I am having so much burning in my shins when I am in a sitting position. Is this a common... READ MORE
How to Make Sure Markings Before Liposuction Are Accurate?
How can I be sure markings will be accurate to correct my situation? During my previous Smart Lipo MPX , the office girl literally just drew one... READ MORE
Becoming Thicker in Other Areas After Smartlipo
Hello, i recently got smartlipo about 5 months ago (inner/out thighs, banana, and flanks) I am young (22), and in great shape and count calories.... READ MORE
How Long Will the Results from Smart Lipo to Last for my Thighs?
How much cellulite will Smart Lipo improve for legs? READ MORE
No Bruising After SmartLipo, is This Normal?
I had SmartLipo on my lower legs (ankles/calves); I'm post surg day 2 and there is no bruising. After seeing pictures of other women who had the... READ MORE
Swelling in Legs After Smart Lipo on Upper and Lower Abdomen (Photo)
I have swelling in my right leg just below the panty line. It appeared suddenly and it is not pain. Just kind of feels like a HUGE blister.... READ MORE
Swelling in lower extremities after smart lipo. What can I do? (photos)
I'm 2 weeks post-op from smart lipo of abdomen & flanks. I've been drained 3 times because I'm retaining water instead of draining. This week my left... READ MORE
Compression Garment After SmartLipo; Can I Change the Garments?
I just got smart lipoprotein on my legs and I am wearing a compression garment. The dr said I can't take it off for a week. It is disgusting... READ MORE
Is Smartlipo a good choice for getting rid of my banana rolls or something else? (photos)
I am 33 and thin , I workout and eat well but I can get rid of my banana rolls . Especially the right leg which is bigger annoys me a lot . I have... READ MORE
How long after smart lipo and fat grafting to buttocks can I work out my arms and legs (no cardio)?
I would like to know how exercising affects healing after smart lipo and/or fat transfer. I would also like to know how long after the procedure I can... READ MORE
Is there hope for these bulges and dents to work themselves out or am I looking at corrective Smart Lipo? (photo)
I had smart lipo five weeks ago on my inner thighs. My legs look very disfigured. The area that was not done right above the knee is now much bigger... READ MORE
With SmartLipo Triplex, can I finally get legs I don't mind showing in public? (photos)
I'm almost 33 years old, 5'2", 123 pounds, and pretty active/healthy, although I've ALWAYS hated my big legs (from my "cankles" to my inner thighs). I... READ MORE
What is smart lipo?? I had a baby 2 months ago and my tummy is a bit loose and I have a lil bit of jiggles on arm & between legs
My weight is 174lbs n I'm 5"9 ft tall READ MORE


text:
The National Theatre springs a surprise
Theatre can be a fast response mechanism in the way that film can't. But who knew that the National had a play ready and waiting in the wings to announce a play about press intrusion and phone hacking, the moment that verdicts were announced in the Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson trials?
No sooner did the jury return (most of) their verdicts at lunchtime on Tuesday than an e-mail popped up from the National's head of press inviting press to an announcement by Nick Hytner and Richard Bean yesterday morning. And although I wasn't able to go myself, the press release that turned up soon after the press conference revealed a new play by Bean called Great Britain would open exactly six days later!
According to the press release, this "fast and furious new play is an anarchic satire about the press, the police and the political establishment. Billie Piper plays Paige Britain, ambitious young news editor of The Free Press, a tabloid newspaper locked in a never-ending battle for more readers."
According to Bean, quoted in The Guardian, "It is a grotesque satire which, of course, does draw on current events, but it is in no way docu-drama." The trial verdicts had no bearing on the play's content, but they had waited for them to be delivered before announcing the play for "better safe than sorry" reasons. ""We're not stupid people," said Bean. "Of course we've had lawyers read it and they thought it was very funny, which is what a writer needs really."
The National have now gone into over-drive to get it up and out there: we also immediately received press invitations to review it at its very first public performance on Monday. As The Stage reported yesterday: "The show will be rehearsed to an invited audience during this week, in place of previews."
Maybe I simply didn't have my ear close enough to the ground, but the biggest surprise for me is that this play remained a secret for so long. With all the leakage on social media and a large cast and creative team working at full tilt on it, you'd have thought that word would have got out that this play was at least in preparation. Bravo that they managed to keep a lid on it.
Of course the challenge is now to sell it at such short notice. I'm sure the press coverage of its sudden announcement will galvanise some box office action, but of course the even more important thing is that it's actually good. So a fast critical response is also essential. The biggest luck, though, is the press night diary is actually free of any other major openings on Monday. So they don't have to rain on anyone else's parade.
And talking of press nights, we also got a very late notification yesterday Hampstead Theatre has postponed its planned opening tonight of its premiere of Beth Steel's Wonderland to next Tuesday. We've been told that this follows " the time consuming installation of an extremely technically complicated set," and is "to ensure the safety of the cast." Except that the show is already in previews – so I assume (or at least hope) that they are performing it safely already.
The notification also came with an additional safety warning to the audience: "Please also note that due to the design of Wonderland, your seats may be located in an area with an iron grating floor. We therefore cannot accommodate any high heeled shoes in the auditorium, and request that you wear flat shoes." Interestingly, no such warning yet appears on the theatre's website.


text:
I just began drinking tea...Originally was looking for a Ice Tea Maker but came across a nice steeper and decided to go for it...I purchased some black and Jasmine Green Pearls tea.
So far I am enjoying it...
Howdy folks...
Please introduce yourself here to our membership
Oct 5th, '11, 20:14
Posts: 21655
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: Howdy folks...
Hi jrgnd and welcome to TeaChat. Enjoy your TeaJourney and share with us what is in your cup in TeaDay.
Re: Howdy folks...


text: I was doing a translation on an A2 practice sheet and the phrase: "Decorated trees and pretty candles could be seen in windows everywhere" was translated to "Geschmuectkte Baeume und huebsche Kerzen waren ueberall in den Fenstern zu sehen." I was wondering how waren...zu sehen can be translated so that konnten doesn't need to be used. My guess is that waren...zu sehen could be translated as "were to be seen". Is this a passive construction? And if so, why does it not use wurden instead of waren? Any insight would be much appreciated.


text:
Like it's nocturnal counterpart Vulpes captures the spirit of the night with haunting vocals over folk-noir textures. This spring, Vulpes releases the first volume to the ambitious Elemental Suites drawing influence from Cat Power, Tom Waits and Debussy.
Drawing characteristics from it's internationally recognized animal counterpart, Vulpes creates folk-noir tunes catered to the nocturnal. Over the years, fox obsessed Brooklyn project Vulpes has been lined with an impressive and evolving rotation of artists. Anchored by multi-instrumentalist and classically trained songwriter Tanya Lam, Vulpes has aligned and participated in a wide variety of performances around the US. This Spring Vulpes releases their debut recording - Reflets Dans LEAU - the first of four titles to be released from the ambitious Elemental Suites collection.
Reflets Dans LEAU is a four song EP that explores the juxtaposition between classical and au courant arrangements to decorate sea shanties and chansons written under the influence of Paris in the 30's. Through each song, Lam's bourbon soaked croon is entwined with lush string arrangements and computer blips. The majority of the tracks were remotely recorded in the intimate setting of each participating musicians home, edited by Lam and mixed by Jonathan Smith of the Can't Tells.
Having conquered in noteworthy stages in New York such as Glasslands Gallery, The Standard Hotel, Cameo Gallery, Webster Hall and completed multiple residencies at both the Ace Hotel and the Time Out New York Lounge, Vulpes looks to curate a handful of singular events that will celebrate a variety of environment, arts and friends. Performing parts arranged by Kate Hannington - Brooklyn resident and composer, the Arnica Quartet joins Lam on stage for the first time. Deriving influence from the ghostly imagery of sailors lost at sea and the mysteries revealed in reflections, Vulpes' Reflets Dans LEAU displays a grand exploration of the human emotion under the moon's influence.
Sailor's Delight
Written By: Tanya Lam
The hum of the city runs through me
Discording warding off the shadows
Reminding me to look ahead
To the red sky in morning.
Pictures waves of light lining up in the sky
Or a gridlock of lines in harmony
Reminding me to look ahead
To the red sky in the morning.
Sailors take warning
A storm is brewing by
Thunder and ocean waves
Will I survive this night?
The smoke that I breathe leave me at peace
Forgetting the settings around
Reminding me to look ahead
To the red sky in the morning.
Everything will be okay.
copyright 2012
Captains Remorse
Written By: Tanya Lam
I hear a giant breaking
Surrendering to the sea
This ship I am forsaking
This end is not for me.
They say you should go down with the ship
They say it's the noble way
But while you're going down with nothing
I'll be bowing out with grace.
Oh captain you go down screaming
Yelling orders to the sky
And your sailors they're all a-drinking
All your whiskey and your rye.
For this is not my journey
I'm a stowaway for the shore
And I for one am young and uncertain
But for this accord I am sure.
For you who face your end I salute you
It's not a choice for the faint of heart
It's not my time to stay a-floating
For dear life on the remnants of a bar
copyright 2012
Written By: Tanya Lam
le saut de poisson par le bateau
mon coeur fait le même
garde moi près de toi
pour un nuit étoiles
half of the moon looks to us
envious for we are one
but bella luna don't dispair
your love will reappear
though your heart may break
and your glow may fade away
seek comfort from the heavens
for the moon will be full again
darling the look on your face
unearths the end of the story
the moon will fade and in it's place
the emptiness of morning
as daylight is closing on us
wipe the dew from your eyes
no regrets except for the end
of this perfect, stellar night.
copyright 2012
Fox Song
Written By: Tanya Lam
Don't you use that mouth on me
With your lack of sensitivity
It chills me to the bone
To know that you're so cold.
Don't you talk like that to me
You throw out words so easily
With your wooden heart
It tears me apart.
You say I lie like the devil
And I'm sly like a fox
But I never meant for things to end up like this
You're no better
Matter of fact you're worse
I never thought that I would love to hurt this much.
I swear you love to touch and tease me
Can't you see me waiting patiently
On my hands and knees
Begging baby please, don't leave.
Don't you dig at my misery
Say you'd love to turn your back on me
Cause you know
You know I love you so.
I see you wearing me down
I see you tearing me down
And I know you
Love to hurt me too.
Reflets Dans LEAU
Live Album: A Fine Time For V89
Set List
Brother Could You Spare A Dime (cover)
Captains Remorse
Femme Fatale
Fox Song
Freak Show
Good Company
Guilty With Pleasure
Little Child
Playing With Fire
Red Moon
Sailors Delight
Song For the Children
The Great Escape
The Vulstead Act


text:
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dozens of hot-air balloons will be in the sky over the Saratoga Fair Grounds, taking part in the annual balloon and craft festival.
Activities and entertainment will be available throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, though the free floating balloon rides launch at scheduled times.
The event goes until 8 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday. There will be 125 artists and artisans who have skills creating pottery jewelry, and more. Those joining the event are also invited to the specialty food and beverage tent.
Kids are $15 and adults are $20.
You can find out more about the festival by clicking here.


text:
On this page :
Future Gatherings
The theme of the 2017 Gathering is "Ripples start where spirit moves." It will be at Niagara University, right on the U.S.A.-Canadian border in Niagara Falls, New York. It is about 30 miles from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and about 50 miles east of Hamilton, Ontario. The dates are July 2-8, 2017.
The 2018 Gathering will be in Toledo, Ohio. The dates are July 1-7, 2018.
Explore joining the 2018 Gathering Committee.
Recent Gatherings
Recordings from the 2016 Gathering
Recordings from the 2015 Gathering
Recordings from 2014
2014 was the the first year that we attempted to livestream evening events at Gathering. As befits an experiment, quality is variable.
Opening, Evening Plenaries, and Concert
Morning Bible Half Hour Audio Recordings
Recordings from 2012
Monday Plenary Talk by Erik Cleven : The Spirit of Mediation: Conflict Transformation in Divided Societies
2012 Bible Half Hour Archives
Couldn't make the 2012 daily Bible Half-Hour? Listen to them here. Peterson Toscano shares stories from the Bible - some familiar and some less so - in a way you've likely not experienced before. Stream them directly, or download them to have for later listening:


text:
Professor of Experimental Myology
Hanns Lochmüller
Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/igm/staff/profile/hanns.lochmuller
Professor Hanns Lochmüller trained as a neurologist in Munich (Germany) and Montreal (Canada). He was appointed chair of experimental myology in the neuromuscular research group at the Institute of Genetic Medicine of Newcastle University in 2007.
Hanns is current chair of the Interdisciplinary Scientific Committee of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) and former chair of the Executive Committee of the TREAT-NMD Alliance. He is co-founder and former coordinator of the German muscular dystrophy network (MD-NET), and former scientific coordinator of EuroBioBank, a European network of biobanks for rare disorders. His research interests are focused on the molecular genetics of the inherited myopathies and neuromuscular junction disorders and the study of animal models of these disorders as a means to understand their pathophysiology as well as to develop means to monitor disease progression and therapeutic interventions. His group's ongoing work in these areas in cell and animal models of muscular dystrophy is concentrating on gene transfer, pharmacological interventions and cell therapy.
Within RD-Connect's sister project Neuromics, Hanns is disease coordinator for the congenital myasthenic syndromes, and in this and several other exome sequencing projects is responsible for gene discovery and work on disease modifying factors influencing severity of phenotype.
Hanns is coordinator of the RD-Connect project.


text: What do you use? I haven't ever found anything spectacular. I tend to just use like Covergirl and it's meh. Rubs off halfway through the day and doesn't always blend in with my skin well. I used to use benefit and it was ok. I really liked makeup forever but it is freaking expensive and it ran out fast. Been contemplating buying ti again because I'm sick of looking like crap. Anything good/decent coverage but not breaking the bank? My skin is very pale and splotchy and I need good coverage.


text:
Dade City
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 37015 Orange Valley Lane, continues a course in Financial Peace at 6:30 p.m. Sundays. This 13-week course ends April 5. (352) 567-8424 or shephillslc.org.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), meets at the Scottish American Society Hall, 917 Louden Ave. in Dunedin, from 10 to 11 a.m. Sundays from October through May and the first and third Sunday from June through September. Call (727) 372-6382.
Community United Methodist Church, 3214 U.S. 19, contemporary service at 9:30 a.m., traditional service at 11 a.m. Sundays. (727) 937-3268 or cumcholiday.org.
First Baptist Church of Holiday, 4807 Mile Stretch Drive, offers a concert by the Dartts at 7 p.m. Tuesday. (727) 937-3041.
Holiday United Church of Christ, 4826 Bartelt Road, Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m., coffee fellowship at 10 a.m. A prayer shawl group meets from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays to knit, learn to knit or crotchet prayer shawls and chemo caps for the needy. Today there is a blueberry pancake breakfast from 7:45 to 11 a.m. Cost is $3. (727) 937-1520.
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 4843 Mile Stretch Road, Mass at 8 and 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. Saturday. Weekend Masses are at 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday. A Vietnamese Mass is at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Reconciliation is at 3 and 7 p.m. Thursday. Adoration vigils are at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. The Lady's Guild will have a baby shower to benefit SOLVE at noon Tuesday. Games, prizes and refreshments are planned. Donations of all types of baby items are needed, especially diapers. (727) 938-5215 or the church at (727) 938-1974.
Beacon Baptist Church, 13343 Fivay Road, presents "Bible Prophecy: Is Our Time the End Time?" at 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday and at 7 p.m. each night beginning Monday through Wednesday at the church. (727) 863-2149.
Word of Life Full Gospel Assembly, 12106 Parkwood St., will host the "Women of the Word Saturday Brunch" from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today. Jean Garland is the guest speaker. She and her husband Tim will celebrate the church's revival at 7 p.m. tonight and at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday. (727) 863-1230.
Grace Bible Church, 9403 Scot St., Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., worship at 10:50 a.m. Sundays. (727) 863-2747.
Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, 9525 Hudson Ave., 5 p.m. Saturday service, 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday services, Sunday school at 10:20 a.m. (727) 376-0919.
Lakeview Baptist Church, 11010 Tami Trail, Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., service at 10:45 a.m. Sundays. Bible study 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Food pantry open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays with free clothes available. A social worker is on site for advice on locating agencies for help. (727) 457-5154.
Nature Coast Family Fellowship, 14832 U.S. 19 N, offers Angel Food packages for sale from noon to 3 p.m. today and Monday, Wednesday and Feb. 14 and 16. Cash, money orders or food stamps are accepted. The delivery date is between 8 and 11 a.m. Feb. 28. In March the ministry will offer allergy free choices. (727) 721-4662 or (352) 650-7773.
St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 15801 U.S. 19, services at 8 and 10 a.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. Fridays. Sunday school and nursery are during the 10 a.m. Sunday service. The Rev. William Dopp will preach on "Finding the Faith Once Again" on Sunday as the church continues the celebration of the Epiphany. (727) 863-8560 or stmartinshudsonfl.org.
Lakewood Church of God, 12637 Pony Lane, services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays. Children's church is during the morning worship. Bible study is at 7 p.m. Wednesday and there is a club for teens. (727) 856-1770.
Immaculate Conception Old Roman Catholic Church, 8531 Bolton Ave., a traditional Catholic church, Mass at 9 a.m. daily. Mass is at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday monthly with healing prayers for cancer victims, survivors, family and friends. Some daily Masses are in Latin; Sunday Mass is in English. (727) 819-3788 for Mass schedule for Holy days of Obligation.
Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, 12321 Canton Ave., a contemporary Music and Majesty service at 6 p.m. Saturdays. Services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays. The youth will be involved in this Sunday's 11 a.m. service. Adult Bible class and Sunday school are at 9:45 a.m. Holy Communion will be served at all three services. Women's Bible study at 9 a.m. Monday and quilters' meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. (727) 863-6446 or hopelutheranchurch.freeservers.com.
St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 7922 State Road 52, traditional services at 8 and 11 a.m. Sundays, fellowship hour at 9 a.m. and noon. A contemporary service called Fusion is at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The annual rummage sale is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in the fellowship hall. The sale will include furniture, baked goods, snacks and a continental breakfast and lunch. (727) 863-5646.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 20735 Leonard Road, services at 8, 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays. (813) 949-7173 or holytrinitylutz.com.
Parbawatiya Buddhist Center, meeting at Tree Frog Yoga, 1920 Oak Grove Blvd., 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sundays. The class will present an introduction to meditation from the Kadampa Buddhist tradition, includes two guided meditations and a short talk, and is suitable for beginners. Donation is $9 or $5 for students/limited income. (727) 797-9770 or MeditationInTampaBay.org.
New Port Richey
St. Andrew's Orthodox Church, 4633 Glissade Drive, services at 10 a.m. Sundays. The liturgy is in English. Homemade pierogis are for sale most Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (727) 847-9900.
First Assembly of God, 6310 Trouble Creek Road, will start a series on Family Relationship beginning at 10:45 a.m. Feb. 15. At the end of the service, husbands and wives will be invited to renew their vows. (727) 849-4407.
Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, 8812 Old County Road 54, services at 8, 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. Sundays. Sunday school is at 10:20 a.m. (727) 376 0919.
Living Word Church, 5151 Rowan Road, service at 8:25 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays, blended service at 10:45 a.m. Children's church meets during both services with Sunday school for all ages at 9:35 a.m. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m. there are programs for children, teens, men and women. The Jacob Brothers of Dillsburg, Pa. will be in concert at 6 p.m. Feb. 15. (727) 845-8877 or livingwordnpr.com.
Under His Wings Fellowship, 5008 Grand Blvd., Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., pastries and coffee at 10:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m. Sundays. Youth's Pioneer Club is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Journey through the Bible (adult Bible study) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Men's Bible study group is at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday monthly. (727) 389-8898.
Iglesia de Dios, Ciudad Refugion, which meets at the River of Praise Church, 5320 Palmetto Road, Spanish services at 1:30 p.m. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays for Bible study and prayer. (813) 766-7826.
First Baptist Church of New Port Richey, 6800 Trouble Creek Road, services at 9 and 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m. Sundays, Sunday school at 9 a.m., children's worship and another Sunday school during the 10:30 a.m. service. A fellowship supper at 5 p.m. Wednesdays and activities for all ages from 5 to 8 p.m. (727) 849-4210 or fbcnpr.com.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4125 U.S. 19, Sunday service at 10:15 a.m. with Dr. Paul Richards as pastor. The Bell Choir meets at 1 p.m. Mondays, the Chancel Choir at 9 a.m. Wednesdays. (727) 849-4905.
Parbawatiya Buddhist Center, meeting at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4125 U.S. 19, a meditation evening with teacher Sasha Bartunek from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. Monday. The class: "Making Daily Life Meaningful - A Daily Practice," is an introduction to meditation from the Kadampa Buddhist tradition. Cost is $9 ($5 for students/limited income). (727) 797-9770 or go online to MeditationInTampaBay.org.
River of Praise Church, 5320 Palmetto Road, Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays, 7 p.m. Wednesdays with classes for all ages. (727) 849-2762 or online at riverofpraisechurch.com.
Covenant Christian Church, 6813 Indiana Ave., service at 10 a.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Pastor Bob Panariello's message this Sunday is "Spring or Spirit?" The church offers a variety of ministries and services during the week including Prayer Warriors from 7 to 8 p.m. and the Institute of Ministries at 7 p.m. Fridays. (727) 842-4566.
Family of Faith Church, meets at the Colonial Hills Civic Center, 3852 Prime Place, service at 10:45 a.m. Sundays, Bible study and Sunday school at 10 a.m. (727) 204-1881 or fofchurch.com.
Love is for Eternity Ministries, 7511 Little Road, Building C, has Christian recovery, growth and support groups weekly. There are groups for alcoholics, an Al-Anon group, Biblical 12-step groups for all addictions and a parents' support group. (727) 847-0222 or loveisforeternity.com.
Faith Lutheran Church, 5443 Sunset Road, service at 5 p.m. Saturday is contemporary, Sunday services at 8 and 11 a.m. traditional Lutheran. Fellowship from 9 to 10 a.m., Sunday school and Bible classes at 9:30 a.m. On Sunday, Pastor Robert Steinke will preach on "Going My Way?" (727) 849-4418.
First Church of the Nazarene, 5342 Avery Road, Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. (727) 849-3998.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 5326 Charles St., Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. Saturdays, services at 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Holy Eucharist and a healing service are at 10 a.m. Thursdays with a Bible study afterwards. There is a Bible study at 7 p.m. Thursdays. The Episcopal Church Women will have a card party and salad bar luncheon from noon to 3 p.m. Monday. Cost is $6 per person. Call (727) 849-4330 for reservations.
Calvary Chapel Worship Center, 6825 Trouble Creek Road, services at 8:10, 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. Sundays. The church offers a variety of midweek services for men, women, youth and children, plus Missionette Girls Club and Royal Rangers. (727) 376-7733 or ccwc.org.
Community Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 6533 Circle Blvd., service at 10 a.m. Sundays. Bible study at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday. The Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson, interim minister, will lead the service this Sunday and the choir will present an anthem sing. (727) 849-1943.
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 8320 Old County Road 54, will hold its annual parish mission at 7 p.m. nightly beginning Monday through Wednesday. Father James Kubicki, national director of the Apostleship of Prayer will present "The Eucharist: A Mystery to be Lived." (727) 372-8600.
Trinity Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs, 4651 Little Road, presents the third in a series of concerts at 3 p.m. Sunday with a performance by the Hudson Middle School Jazz Band. This band has earned straight superior ratings for the past 11 years and will perform standards like Count Basie, Glenn Miller, The Beatles, the Kingsmen and Bill Haley and the Comets. An offering will be collected with 50 percent going to the band. (727) 372-7203.
Iglesia Catolica del Rito Antioqueno (Ortodoxa Gnostica), 2008 Chesapeake Drive, Mass in Spanish at 1 p.m. Sundays. Exorcism, baptisms and marriages are performed on request. (813) 926-2800 or sarmarprofeta.org.
Spirit of Life Unitarian Universalists, 18412 Burrell Road, service at 11 a.m. Sundays with coffee discussion group at 10 a.m. Childcare and youth religious education classes at 10 a.m. (813) 792-1622 or spiritoflifeeuu.org.
Port Richey
Unity Truth Center, 5844 Pine Hill Road, offers a Life of Prayer course the second Sunday of each month through July 12. Classes are at noon. Cost is $10. The Handbook of Positive Prayer is the required text. Emotional Freedom Techniques Group Share is from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. The topic is "Dealing Head-On with Resistance." This technique uses a unique form of acupressure in helping members stimulate energy meridian points to balance and clear energy blocks. Jeanne Ranger will facilitate the workshop. (727) 848-7702.
St. James the Apostle Centrum, 8400 Monarch Drive, will host a luncheon card party at 11:30 a.m. Thursday presented by the Ladies Auxiliary Knights of Columbus. Lunch is at noon for $6. (727) 842-6239 or (727) 849-2464.
The Prayer House, 7935 Ranch Road, services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, Bible study at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. A Victorious Women's meeting and Men's Prayer study are 7 p.m. Thursdays. All denominations welcome. (727) 808-7887.
First Presbyterian Church of Port Richey, 7540 Ridge Road, service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. The church will present Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron at 12:45 p.m. Feb. 15. Materials relating to the movie and "The Love Dare" will be available to purchase. Admission is a donation to the SPCA such as dog or cat food, leashes, collars, towels or other pet-related items. (727) 849-1898.
King of Kings Lutheran Church, 10337 U.S. 19, praise service at 8:30 a.m. and a liturgical service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Sunday school for children and Adult Cafe at 9:30 a.m. Interim Pastor Jerry Straszheim also leads a Bible study at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Pastor Joy Waters, dean of the Gulf Coast conference will speak on Feb. 15. The church invites shut-ins and homebound members of the community, along with caregivers, to a Praise service at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 24 with a luncheon and entertainment by clowns afterward. This is free, however reservations are required by calling (727) 868-5744 by Feb. 17.
Congregation Beth Tefillah, a conservative house of worship that meets at the Jewish Community Center, 9841 Scenic Drive, offers Shabbat services at 8 p.m. Fridays, 9:30 a.m. Saturdays. Oneg Shabbat is after Friday services and Kiddish (light meal) after Saturday services. A Family Shabbat is the first Friday monthly. Sunday school lessons through bar/bat mitzvah age are at 9:30 a.m. and adult Hebrew lessons at 10 a.m. Sundays. Spiritual leader Al Goldberg teaches a rabbi's adult education class at 11 a.m. Mondays. (727) 847-3814.
Calvary Chapel Pasco, 6454 Ridge Road, contemporary worship and Bible teaching at 10:30 a.m. Sundays with children's services at the same time. Prayer at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. service Wednesdays. The pastor is the Rev. Bill Strayer. (727) 534-1626 or ccpasco.org.
Salvation Army the Corps and Worship Center, 7745 Ridge Road, Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., service at 11 a.m. Sundays. (727) 815-8539.
Shady Hills
Shady Hills United Methodist Church, 15925 Greenglen Lane, 10:30 a.m. service Sundays. (727) 856-2948.
Spring Hill
Temple Beth David, 13158 Antelope St., religious school classes for ages 4 to 16 from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays. Shabbat services at 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturdays. (352) 686-7034.
St. Petersburg
The Church of God of the Union Assembly, 4751 46th St. N, services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays. Bible study at 7 p.m. Wednesdays. (727) 525-6961.
Tarpon Springs
Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs, 230 Grand Blvd., service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Zen mediation at 10 a.m. Saturdays. The women of the church meet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday monthly to sew quilts for Ethiopian AIDS orphans. Materials and sewing machines provided. Masterworks of Sound and Sight will present the first concert of the 2009 season at 2 p.m. Feb. 15. The piano trio of Jeffrey Smick, Laura Smith and Olga Glick will perform music by Rachmaninoff, Bach, Kreisler and Beethoven. After the concert there will be a wine and cheese reception. (727) 937-4682 or uutarpon.org.
Congregation B'nai Emmunah, a Reform Jewish Synagogue, 3374 Keystone Road, Shabbat service at 8 p.m. Fridays with a member-hosted Oneg afterward. Rabbi Cyrus Arfa conducts services the first and third Fridays with additional services on the other Fridays. Religious school and Hebrew school from 9 to noon Sundays, and from 11 a.m. to noon on the first and third Sunday, the rabbi will conduct adult B'nai Mitzvah classes. On the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon the rabbi will hold Shabbat Torah services. Bring a bag lunch. (727) 938-9000.
Trilby United Methodist Church, 37504 Trilby Road, offers Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., Sunday service at 11:15 a.m. (352) 567-0081.
Chabad of West Pasco, Jewish Women's Study Circle at 7:30 p.m. every other Tuesday. Bi-weekly classes on the book of Tanya at 7 p.m. 3012 Starkey Blvd., New Port Richey. Call (727) 376-3366 for dates and location and to RSVP. (727) 376-3366 or ChabadWP.org.
Wesley Chapel
Grace Community Church, meets at Wiregrass High School, 2909 Mansfield Blvd., services at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays with upbeat music and multimedia elements. At 6 p.m. Sunday, a 6-week study for couples starts. It's called "Fireproof My Marriage." (813) 994-9363 or ExploreGrace.com.
Wesley Chapel Church of the Nazarene, 34106 S.R. 54, presents a concert with Canadian harpist Edward Klassen at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The pastor of the church is Paul Burdick. (813) 780-7600.
First Presbyterian Church, 5510 19th St., services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays, Sunday school for all ages at 9:45 a.m. Communion served the first Sunday monthly. Bible study 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 9:30 a.m. Thursdays. On Feb. 14 the choir will hold a ham dinner with glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and strawberry shortcake. Cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children ages 4 to 12. The Deacon's Food Pantry is at 10 a.m. the second Thursday monthly. Supper Club meets at area restaurants the second Saturday monthly. The Rev. John Caster is the pastor. (813) 782-7412 or firstpcz.org.
Zephyrhills Alliance Church, 6251 Fort King Road, is sponsoring the Alpha Course (simple answers to Christian questions) beginning Wednesday and running for 11 consecutive Wednesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. Sessions begin with dinner. Free, but registration is required. (813) 782-8865.
Please send religion story ideas and religion notes to Michelle Jones at firstname.lastname@example.com or fax to (813) 684-2457 or call (813) 685-2200. Correspondence can also be mailed to Michelle Jones at P.O. Box 558, Valrico FL 33595.


text:
Rentschler Field (map it)
615 Silver Lane
East Hartford, CT 06118
Year Opened: 2003
Capacity: 40,000
There are no tickets available at this time.
The University of Connecticut has played football since 1896, holding their home games at Memorial Stadium on the Storrs campus from 1953 to 2002. As a member of Division I-A, the 16,200-seat facility was adequate for their needs. Beginning in 2002, the Huskies moved up to college football�s top division, the FBS, and into a new state of the art off-campus facility the following season. UConn has quickly enjoyed success since their move into the FBS, playing in 5 bowl games and winning 2 conference championships in the Big East. The Huskies currently play in the American Athletic Conference, the new configuration of the Big East football conference.
Rentschler Field, located 21 miles west of the University of Connecticut campus, is located in East Hartford, Connecticut. The stadium was built on the site of a commercial airfield, also named Rentschler Field. The land where the stadium stands was donated to the state of Connecticut in 1999, and is rented out to the university for events. The stadium has also served as the home of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL), and as host to several US national soccer team friendlies.
The FANFARE scale is our metric device for rating each stadium experience. It covers the following:
Each area is rated from 0 to 5 stars with 5 being the best. The overall composite score is the "FANFARE Score".
As is the case with many new stadiums, a great deal of thought and effort was put into the concessions at Rentschler Field. There are 17 permanent concession stands circling the outer edge of the concourse. Each stand features different menu items, so search around a little before choosing. All the stadium basics can be found here, including hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, grilled chicken sandwiches, and flatbread pizza. Fans looking for healthier alternatives can find fresh salads, wraps, and soups at the Chef's Express stand. If southwestern style fare is your thing, head over to Tamales for tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and of course, tamales. Head on over to The Q Barbeque for ribs, chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches.
In addition, several food trucks are lined up along the northeast end zone which provide products from some of Hartford's local favorites. Texas Roadhouse also operates a concession stand in the end zone here. Variety of choice is certainly not an issue at Rentschler Field.
Rentschler Field's location off-campus means that alcohol can be served here. Your usual Budweiser and Bud Light can be found here, as well as more upscale beers such as Sam Adams, and offerings by local brewery Burnside Brewing Company.
The parking lots at Rentschler Field open a full four hours before kickoff, which gives many of the Husky faithful ample time to set up their tailgating gear. One thing that is evident as you wander through the many lots surrounding the stadium is that Hartford is the dividing line between New York and Boston. Here you will see equal amounts of Patriots/Red Sox and Jets/Yankees gear. These rivalries are all put aside in support of the Huskies several Saturdays in the fall.
The tailgating scene is a pleasant one, as there is just enough of a big-time college football feel here without the accompanying pressure of the bigger conferences. The fact that there is nothing to do in the immediate vicinity of the stadium makes fans focus their energy even more on the pregame tailgating, making for a fun and lively atmosphere.
During the game you get the standard college football experience, with lots of loud music and exhortations from the video scoreboard to cheer and make noise. The Husky band makes its presence known throughout the game, and there is solid representation from the student body. The crowd at Rentschler Field isn't one of the most rowdy you will ever find, but they don't sit on their hands, either. Special cheers include the spelling of "U-C-O-N-N" after Husky scores. This stadium can get really loud when the Huskies are rolling in a big game. The team's recent struggles have had an effect on the crowd's involvement in recent times.
There really isn't a whole lot in the immediate vicinity of Rentschler Field to write home about. There is a Cabela's Retail Store nearby for anyone looking for some hunting or fishing gear while at the game, but little else. The stadium is surrounded by parking lots, which makes for a nice tailgating scene, but Rentschler Field is hardly a destination area on its own.
Aside from a shopping center further down Silver Lane and a Margarita's restaurant just off I-84, there isn't much to do in East Hartford. Fans looking for a place to eat before or after the game will have to jump in their cars and head over the river into Hartford.
Rentshler Field's biggest drawback is it location, about a half hour's drive from the Storrs campus. Despite this distance, there is a solid representation from the student body, which fills up the southwest end zone even when the weather is less than perfect.
Another drawback often mentioned when discussing Rentschler Field is its small(ish) size. UConn fans regularly fill the 40,000 seat stadium to 85% capacity, and there have been seasons of over 90% capacity recently. Again, the team's recent struggles have affected attendance. It would seem that Rentschler Field is just about the right size for this program. Where it becomes a problem is when a big name school comes to town. For a recent game with Michigan in 2013, the school installed 2,500 temporary seats in the end zone to accommodate the larger crowd. The small footprint of Rentschler makes it difficult for UConn to attract marquee games.
During the game the fans, while not deafening with their cheers, are vocal during the big moments of the game. The student sections lead the cheers with the aforementioned "U-C-O-N-N" cheer, as well as "Stick it in, stick it in, stick it in" when the Huskies enter the red zone. There is also the obligatory "First Down" cheer throughout the game. The marching band adds to the overall experience with their constant play.
Rentschler Field is very easy to get to, located just off Interstate 84 across the river from downtown Hartford. The most direct route is to take exit 58 (Roberts St.), and follow the signs to Rentschler Field. You can't miss it once you get off the highway. In an effort to keep traffic moving on game day, lanes are marked with cones to funnel cars to the many lots surrounding the stadium. Traffic seems to move pretty smoothly for the most part, but be sure to arrive early, as long time visitors to Rentschler stake out the prime spots early. Many people told me about nightmarish traffic on weeknight games, as football traffic and rush hour combine, but on a Saturday afternoon, the local police and stadium staff have the routine down.
The many open grassy fields that surround Rentschler Field serve as parking lots on game day. Regulars stake out the prime spots closest to the stadium, and many of the lots are quite some distance from the field. On the plus side, if you park in the distant lots, you get to experience the entire tailgating scene as you venture closer to the game.
Once inside the stadium, you will notice a wide, open concourse that completely circles the field. Concession stands and bathrooms line the outer edge of the concourse, while several portable carts are located on the inner edge. The concourses are more than wide enough to handle traffic throughout the game, although it can get crowded at halftime. Likewise, there are more than enough bathrooms around the stadium to handle the crowd.
Rentschler Field is made up of two levels of seating, with the concourse located at the top of the lower level. Seating in both levels is made up primarily of metal bleachers without backs, with some individual blue seating with chair backs on both levels around midfield. The slope of the field is gradual, and all seats are angled towards the 50 yard line, which makes for excellent sightlines.
Tickets for UConn football games range from $60-$75 for individual seats and from $33-$38 for bleacher seating. With the great sightlines from virtually all the seats at Rentschler Field, the cheaper seats may be a better option.
Parking in the lots surrounding the stadium will cost you $15. Food prices are a bit on the high side, but not totally out of line with similar venues in the area. Overall, prices feel like they are a little bit higher than they should be, but considering that this is one of only three FBS teams in all of New England, it's not a bad deal. If you save a few dollars by carpooling to the game and tailgating outside the stadium, UConn football is very affordable.
The Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame is located at Rentschler Field, which honors the state's top athletes, coaches, and contributors. If you take a few minutes to look at some of the honorees, you may be surprised at the names you will find here.
It's hard not to be reminded that UConn is, first and foremost, a basketball school. Posters and schedules are handed out as you enter Rentschler Field, along with a nice program.
A final extra point is awarded for the dedication of the UConn student body and fanbase. Despite a day with weather dipping into the 30's with freezing rain and high winds during my most recent visit, Rentschler Field was filled to at least 75% capacity, and the student section was filled to the brim. For so many students to make the trek to Hartford from Storrs was impressive.
As UConn enters its second decade at the top level of collegiate football, its status continues to evolve. Presently, it competes at a level just a little below their more established brethren as the program continues to find its niche. This is no small feat at a basketball powerhouse such as UConn. Likewise, the gameday experience at Rentschler Field is going through similar growing pains. This is a fine facility with good support and a decent overall atmosphere. Still, it's not totally where it needs to be yet. In New England, where there are only three FBS teams in the entire six-state region, Rentschler Field is as close to the big time as you are going to get. Give Rentschler Field a look, you'll be glad you did.
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by sandy1 | Dec 16, 2014 06:33 PM
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The University of Connecticut's football program has a long history dating back to 1897, but the sport did not reach the big time until 2000. That is when UConn moved up to the Division I-A level (now known as FBS) and after starting as an independent, they became members of the Big East.
A major part of the move was the building of beautiful Rentschler Field, which opened in 2003. Instead of putting it on-campus in rural Storrs, the stadium was built about 20 miles to the West in East Hartford, just outside the State Capitol.
What's interesting about the venue is that it's built on an old airfield with the same name as the old Pratt & Whitney space closed in 1999 and the land was donated for the stadium. Rentschler is a really nice facility that has turned into a terrific home for the Huskies and their fans, as they continue to build on their remarkable early success in the Big East.
One of the quickest ways to kill a the college football atmosphere is to play at a stadium off-campus which severely limits the student crowd. This wasn't too much of a problem at Rentschler Field, but all of the students were drunk and a bit out of control. In fact, despite a very large number of security guards, they managed to reportedly break the arm of the Iowa State mascot the night I was there among other fights.
The stadium is ok, but not flashy in any way. Beer was available for a hefty price.
Getting into the parking area was real easy, one of the best ever. They even had emergency lanes in place so when I missed my lot they were able to cycle me back around to the media lot even though my parking pass was still at will call.
I enjoyed my visit, and you can read more about it and my press box experience sitting beside the Big East PR director as the Pitt/Syracuse to the ACC news was breaking at my website http://www.collegiatestadiums.com
Overall a good review by the original Stadium Journey reviewer.
I live in Westchester County so this is one of the closer trips for me (along with RU and Army) but wouldnt consider it too "high" on the list for those making destination trips east.
I went to three games at The Rent this season (Towson, Louisville & Rutgers). After the season opening loss to Towson, a lot of optimism was gone and it showed in attendance. With that said, the fans who did show up were passionate and loud most of the time.
Parking is $15 and most spots are only a 15 min walk from the Stadium so that's a major perk. There arent too many places around the stadium to visit so the action is mostly contained to the giant parking lot.
100 Trumbull St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 899-1350
350 Roberts St
East Hartford, CT 06108
(860) 289-7212
185 Asylum St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 522-2530
93 Asylum St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 549-3364
351 Farmington Ave
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 247-0998
600 Main St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 278-2670
77 Forest St
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 522-9259
333 Roberts St
East Hartford, CT 06108
(860) 289-4950
351 Pitkin St
East Hartford, CT 06108
(860) 282-2500
100 E River Dr
East Hartford, CT 06108
(860) 528-9703


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Despite the bitter cold that reigns here nine months of the year, the Timberway Forest has long been a source of prosperity for civilized folk who live nearby. Many trappers and hunters spend the better part of the year within its borders, stockpiling furs and meat to trade in the frontier towns to the south, where they spend their winters. Most feel that the value of these commodities makes braving the Timberway Forest worth the risk.
Recently, though, a small group of trappers and hunters has awakened a terrible new menace in the forest. Based in a remote hunter's abode called the Bluerock Lodge, they hunted the animals of the woods more out of a deep-seated desire to be cruel than a need to feed themselves. In particular, they focused their hateful attention on the local Timberway lion population. Timberway lions are rather small (more like leopards), but they are known for being lithe and wary. Still, the trappers had the advantage of intelligence and tools, and before long they had slaughtered the entire pride save for its leader. As the winter worsened and game grew ever more scarce, this last surviving lion began to starve. At that point, the darker forces of nature took notice, and the Timberway Forest gained a predator like no other.
Nearly seventy-five miles away from the edge of the Timberway forest, ly a prosperous town by the name of Kor. The harbor was a place where much trading took place in the summer, sometimes fortunes were made by merchants traveling from the south. But it was winter, and hardly any crew could withstand sailing the freezing seas for any amount of time, not to mention having to steer around icebergs and the like. This was the time of year when the harbor shuts down, and so does the town, really. Work is scarce, everyone who hadn't stock-piled enough supplies during the warmer times was forced to scavenge and hunt to survive.
But there were always people with money in town. Mercants, who made a fortune off of the populace with exotic goods, sometimes tended to stay for the winter here. Others included hunters that slaughtered the forest's creatures, furs fetched a hefty price in Kor; The pelts of the elusive Timberway Lion sometimes reached 50 gold pieces each! Yes, someone in town had money, that much was made evident by a piece of parchment nailed to the Village Message Board, offering a reward to have a certain item retrieved. The message is rather elusive, demanding that willing participants would meet the writer in the local tavern to learn what was wanted and who had it.
Hello everyone, I'm Kyprioth, and this is my first game on the Weave. I'm newer to Dm'ing as a whole, so this will be somewhat of a learning experience for me. But don't get the wrong idea, this is a serious adventure, play it as you would any other. I am expecting 4 people, no more or less. We will be starting at level 3, but if intrest allows, I may take this to level 7 or possibly even beyond.
Stat generation is 7m5d6v2 (Drop a set) or 38 pointbuy if you roll badly. Health is Maximum at first level, and rolled after that. Character Applications will be as follows:
Name: (Obvious)
Race: (See 'Sources Allowed')
Class: (See 'Sources Allowed')
Sheet: (As in the sheet function of this forum.)
Physical Description: (Pictures may also be used.)
Personality: (Basic description of your character's personality. Don't make it too lengthy.)
History: (History of your character. Make it as short or as long as you need it to be, but I don't want one sentence. I also do not expect more than a paragraph or so.)
Sources Allowed: I have most 3.5 books available to me, just make sure you tell me where it comes from. I reserve the right to disallow a class or race.
The Deadline will be this coming friday. However, I am having surgery on March 8th, so I may not have a lot of activity on that day or for a few days following that.


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LARGO — Translated from decimals to school-letter grades, Largo City Manager Norton "Mac" Craig's performance this year would be a well-rounded "B," almost with a plus.
Results were released this week for Craig's latest evaluation by his seven bosses — the mayor and commissioners — for his performance over the past year.
Faced with challenges like an ever-tighter budget and tough calls on directing the resulting budget cuts, most commissioners felt the city manager was more than up to snuff.
"Mac has assembled an excellent team of administrators … the city is on sound financial footing," wrote Mayor Patricia Gerard.
Commissioner Gigi Arntzen was more effusive in her review: "Largo is the wonderful place it is due to your leadership. Even under stressful financial situations, you and your staff have remained positive and focused on making Largo a great community," she wrote.
Despite receiving mostly "good" and "excellent" ratings in most of the evaluation categories such as "integrity," "leadership" and "administrative management," some commissioners raised concerns about other areas.
While still awarding Craig a "good" rating in a management category, Commissioner Robert Murray criticized the manager regarding the decision to look for a new vendor for the city's library cafe.
"There was a breakdown in communication between Mr. Craig and staff regarding the Bookmark Cafe complaints. The commission received this information in piecemeal fashion," Murray wrote.
Mary Gray Black, Craig's harshest critic on the commission, rated his ability to respond to commission direction as "needs improvement" because an agenda item she requested was left out earlier this year.
Craig took over in 2007 after former City Manager Steve Stanton was fired when he revealed plans to have a sex change operation.
Almost immediately following that turmoil, Largo, like most cities in the state, faced large budget cuts due to the foundering economy.
In a nod to the city's current financial constraints, Craig declined a 3 percent pay raise that was offered following his favorable review. He currently makes $164,272 in salary and benefits.
While Craig is among the oldest city employees at 73, he said while he is still performing well and happy, he will continue serving the city.
"One of these days, I'm going to have to move out of here," Craig said. "Right now, I'm happy where I'm at."
Dominick Tao can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (727) 580-2951.


text:
About two weeks ago we officially moved into our master bedroom. It was a very exciting night, despite sleeping on a mattress on the floor. See, our old IKEA Malm bedframe has a distinctly modern look, with it's dark wood, clean lines and low profile. Our tastes have greatly changed since moving out together 7 years ago(!). So, within a day of posting it for sale on Craigslist, we were without a bed frame! Hence the mattress on the floor thing. Nonetheless, I was ecstatic to just be in the room.
Now, I won't do before and afters just yet, as I want the full effect of having the space properly decorated before posting and it's looking quite stark at the moment.
Now I'm on a mission – to get this room decorated from top to bottom. That includes: artwork, drapes, new linens, bedside tables, a bedframe, box springs, and of course, the headboard.Headboards really set a room's style. In my mind, they're the most important piece in a bedroom.
When it comes to furniture and home decorating, I shop around like crazy. I can't help it. Coming from a family that always did-it-themselves, and being lucky enough to have a skilled husband, we always think "How can we make this better?", "How can we do this ourselves, for less?" Upholstery, however, is a bit of a different case. Doing a GREAT job on upholstery, especially with details such as tufting, requires a high level of skill. So, this time, I asked myself "How can I get the look I want, for less somewhere else?"
Begin, the hunt…
The Margaret bed, from The Cross in Yaletown, is my dream bed. Feminine, french inspired. I love the texture of the fabric and the hand carved, antiqued white wood. The Cross doesn't bother including the price of this piece on their website… so we can assume it's out of my financial reach at the moment.
A more subdued but equally luxurious option from The Cross – their Helena Bed frame. This is an Oly design, so again, we can assume it's expensive.
Pottery Barn also has some nice options with a similar style, but a bit more down-to-earth. I like the lines of this particular headboard. The nail heads are a nice detail, and they have plenty of fabric options. Pricing here is more reasonable – looking at about $900 for just the headboard.
Tufting, when done well, is so beautiful. The Lorraine Tufted headboard from Pottery Barn is really nice. I like the height this piece has. This is around $1,000.
Now's the part where we have to be realistic about our budget. We've seen the inspiration, and what it costs. So, here's what we're leaning towards. Lofty Living is a furniture and home decor store in the Lower Mainland that sells Van Gogh custom furniture pieces. A week or so ago, I noticed a post on their Facebook page that they are offering 20% off Van Gogh orders for the month of April. After a quick look around their website, I found that in addition to having some really nice headboard options, they also have hundreds of fabric choices. The price – we're looking at around $550 for a King Sized headboard, after the discount! Huge savings. We can choose the shape, tufting or no-tufting and whether or not we'd like nail heads.
In the end, we should have a similar look to the first Pottery Barn style, in a high-end linen fabric like our original inspiration from The Cross.
The hunt continues on the weekend, where we'll complete our research and make the final decision.


text:
Melfort Pier & Harbour Holiday Cottages near Oban, Scotland
Holiday Cottage Details
£ 95.00 - £ 245.00 per night
Sleeps: 6
4 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
Pet & Dog Friendly Pets Welcome
Wheelchair Friendly Accessible
Family Friendly Family Friendly
Melfort Pier & Harbour Holiday Cottages near Oban Family friendly Luxury Pet/Dog Friendly Holiday Cottage in Kilmelford nr Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Situated on the shores of Loch Melfort, we offer 10 delightful self catering lochside houses which offer the ultimate in comfortable living and spectacular views. 1 - 3 bedroomed houses, sleeping 2- 6 people. Ensuite bathrooms. Pets welcome
Lochside Houses near Oban, Argyll
Our self contained houses surround our private harbour. All the houses have a garden, or balcony, from which you can enjoy the antics in the bay on the long summer evenings with breathtaking views over the hills and loch.
Loch Melfort is one of the most beautiful sea loch in Scotland, here is where the Highlands come down to the sea.
We offer 10 self catering lochside houses. Each house is different in layout and varies in size to sleep 2-6 persons. In all houses each bedroom has its own en suite bathroom.
each with sauna, spa bath, log fire, with a free basket of fire wood. At least 2 TV's per house, gourmet kitchen.
Free 24 hours of Wifi, One arrival your beds are made, and the towels are ready for use.
There is toilet paper/ cleaning materials/ hairdryers/ iron/ iron board/ CD / DVD/ I pod holders/ radio/alarm clock.
Free fishing from our Pier & the use of our row boat, weather permitted.
MID-week special, stay for three nights, and more you will incur a free night !!
Pets Welcome ( 2 per house)
Rabbits, turtles, birds, dogs and cats.... at Melfort Pier and Harbour we welcome all your pets.
Disabled Friendly
Some of our houses are on one floor with ramps, parking for easy access, and all the required facilities in the bathroom.
Leisure activities abound including watersports and the area is second to none for wildlife and walking. There are panoramic views to Jura, Mull and Colonsay.
Please contact the owner to check availability.
Unfortunately this property does not have an online availability calendar. Please contact the owner directly by filling the contact form.
Facilities and Features
- Bathroom:
Bath, Ensuite Bathrooms, Power Shower
- Communications:
Broadband Internet, Mobile Network Coverage, Wifi
- Disabled:
Ground Floor Bathroom, Ground Floor Bedroom, Ground Floor WC
- Entertainment:
Board Games, Book Library, CD \ Music, DVD Player, Freeview, iPod Docking Station, Satellite, TV, Video, Video\DVD Library
- Exercise:
Jacuzzi / Hot Tub, Sauna
- Heat:
Open Fire, Underfloor Heating, Wood Burning Stove
- Kitchen:
Cooker, Dishwasher, Fridge, Fridge/Freezer, Grill, Microwave, Oven, Toaster
- Laundry:
Ironing Board \ Iron, Serviced By Cleaner, Tumble Dryer, Washing Machine
- Outside Area:
Childrens Play Area, Enclosed Garden, Outside Seating, Patio \ Outside Dining Area, Private Garden, Private Parking
- Price Included:
Electricity and Fuel, Fuel For Fires, Linen, Towels
- Rooms:
Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room
- Special:
Cots Available, Extra Beds Available, Highchairs Available
- Standard:
Luxury, Very Good
- Suitable For:
Disabled, Eco-Friendly, Elderly, Families, Large Groups, Romantic getaways, Short Breaks, Special Occasions, Wedding Venue
Room Details:
Sleeps: 6
2 En-Suite Double Rooms
1 En-Suite Single Room
1 En-Suite Twin Room
3 Bathrooms
Pet & Dog Friendly Pets Welcome
Wheelchair Friendly Accessible
Suitable for Families Family Friendly
Large Group Friendly Large Groups Welcome
Eco Friendly Eco Friendly
Features and Memberships:
Location Details and Things to Do
About Kilmelford nr Oban and Argyll and ButeLocated on A816 18 miles north of Lochgilphead or 16 miles south of Oban - 1½ miles off main road. Well sign posted.
- Nearest Bus Stop:
- 1.5 miles. in Kilmelfortd
- Nearest Train Station:
- 18 miles in Oban
- Nearest Motorway:
- 91 miles in Glasgow.
- Nearest Airport:
- 105 miles in Glasgow
- Nearest Ferry:
- 18 miles in Oban
Location Details:
- Kilmelford nr Oban
- Argyll and Bute
- Scotland
- UK and Ireland
This Holiday Cottage in Argyll and Bute is in or close to:
- Ayrshire and Isle of Arran
- Central Scotland
- Coast of Scotland
- Glasgow and The Clyde Valley
- Inner and Outer Hebrides
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
- North West Highlands
- Perthshire
- Skye and Lochalsh
- South West Scotland
- The Islands of Scotland
- West Highlands
This Holiday Cottage in Kilmelford nr Oban, Scotland:
- has many local attractions and things to do
- ideal for Adventure Holidays
- has equestrian and horse riding available nearby
- has fishing available on site or nearby
- has Golf courses nearby
- has sailing and other watersports available nearby
- is in a good location for cycling and mountain biking
- is in a good location for walking and climbing
- a car is advised
- is in a rural location
- is in a village location
- is near a beach
- has access to a swimming pool
- has great local bird and wildlife
- is close to mountains and hills
- is on the Whisky trail
Recommended Things to Do
Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary Oban
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Arisaig Wildlife Cruises North West Coast Scotland
The Highlands, Scotland
Dragon's Tooth Golf Course near Ballachulish The Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
SeaXplore Fast Boat Coastal Wildlife Tours The Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
Segway Tours near Fort William Scottish Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
The Highlands, Scotland
Kilmartin House Museum
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Benmore Botanic Gardens
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Inveraray Jail
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Sea Freedom Kayak
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
MacGillivray's Coffee and Gift Shop
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Discovery Cruises
The Highlands, Scotland
Fingals Cave
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Inveraray Castle
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Oban Distillery Visitor Centre
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Rothesay Castle
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Taynuilt Fishing Club Boat Hire
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
The Ardnamurchan Natural History Centre
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
The Puffer Tearoom Bar and Restaurant
The Highlands, Scotland
Easdale Island Folk Museum
The Highlands, Scotland
world stone skimming championships
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Vertical Descents Canyoning Centre in the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
Bridge of Orchy Hotel Restaurant near Glencoe and Rannoch Moor
The Highlands, Scotland
Shiel Buses Ltd Bus and Coach Hire Services The Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
Scotland Taxis for Fort William Glencoe and Kinlochleven
The Highlands, Scotland
Sea Life Loch Lomond Aquarium
West Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Rockhopper Sea Kayaking in the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
Sammys Fish and Chip Shop Fort William
The Highlands, Scotland
Photography Courses in the Scottish Highlands
Perth and Kinross, Scotland
The Green Gallery in Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire, Scotland
The Cross Keys Restaurant in Kippen
Stirlingshire, Scotland
Deanston Distillery near Doune Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire, Scotland
The Gargunnock Inn Pub and Restaurant Rural Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire, Scotland
Stirling Health Food Store
Stirlingshire, Scotland
Skyak Adventures on the Isle of Skye
The Highlands, Scotland
Misty Isle Boat Trips on the Isle of Skye
The Highlands, Scotland
Coruisk House Restaurant Isle of Skye
The Highlands, Scotland
Seaprobe Atlantis Wildlife Cruises Kyle of Lochalsh
The Highlands, Scotland
Misty Isle Tours Isle of Skye and the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands, Scotland
Spindrift Boat Trips on the Isle of Skye
The Highlands, Scotland
Scotland Golf and Scenic Tours
Edinburgh Region, Scotland
Glenshee Ski and Snowboarding Centre Scottish Highlands
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Craignish Cruises
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
rowan motor homes
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Inversnaid and Rob Roy's cave
Stirlingshire, Scotland
Port Bannatyne Golf Club Isle of Bute
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
The Famous Russian Tavern
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
The Waterfront Bistro
Argyll and Bute, Scotland


text:
Have Relationship Questions? Ask a Counselor for Answers ASAP
I want know how to be friends with a list of Japanese models one will do and date them kind of this question is for Penerope in the dating section?
Hi Mike yeah i remember Happy New Year to you hope your Christmas and New Year was good.
Thank you very much for your help it's useful but i wanted to speak to P or Penelope the dating expert who knows Japanese models or her name is ***** ***** entertainment expert she knows more about Japanese models.
I think we should cancel this question and I would like a refund please since i asked a similar question after this one thank you very much Mike and sorry your not getting paid.


text:
HOLOGRAM - HOLY LAND - ENGINEERING THE APOCALYPSE (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)
Apocalypse Now
How a hologram, a blimp, and a massively multiplayer game could bring peace to the Holy Land.
Illustration by Kenn Brown
Let there be light: The site is the sky above the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The project includes a laser-projected temple. The goal: to summon the Messiah.
By Joshua Davis
Yitzhaq Hayutman holds the key to peace on Earth - it's on a floppy disk in his pants pocket. With his full white beard, bald pate, and well-pressed khakis, the 61-year-old Israeli cybernetics expert and tech investor looks like Moses done over for a Banana Republic ad. Right now, he's showing me how he wants to position an airborne hologram over the Dome of the Rock, a gold-capped shrine that's one of the most holy sites in Islam. "The blimp will go there," Hayutman says pointing into the blue. "And eventually the Messiah will come."
Hayutman is excited by the prospect - perhaps too excited. Twenty yards away, two flak-jacketed Israeli police officers finger their machine guns while four plainclothes members of the Islamic Trust - the Muslim force that protects Islam's holy sites - move cautiously toward us. Violence has a habit of erupting here on the Temple Mount, the world's most explosive plot of land.
For 1,500 years, Jews, Christians, and Muslims have fought for control of this 35-acre plateau in the heart of Jerusalem. The dispute remains one of the main obstacles to peace in the Middle East. Jewish teachings say that a temple must be built here - many say on the exact spot where the Dome now stands - in order to induce the arrival of the Messiah and the coming of peace on Earth. Fundamentalist Christians interpret this to mean the Second Coming of Christ and actively encourage Jewish building efforts. Muslims categorically oppose any encroachment on their holy site, from which they believe Mohammed ascended to heaven to receive the Koran.
All sides acknowledge that tensions on the hill have the potential to start a war, but Hayutman believes he has found a way to resolve the intractable conflict. "What most people see is that if the Muslims are here, surely there is no temple," Hayutman says. "They do not understand that technology has given us the tools to realize the prophecy right now."
He has two big ideas, two ways to engineer the apocalypse. The first: a hovering holographic temple. Hayutman wants to set up an array of high-powered, water-cooled lasers and fire them into a transparent cube suspended beneath a blimp. The ephemeral, flickering image, he says, would fulfill an ancient, widely revered Jewish prophecy that the temple will descend from the heavens as a manifestation of light. Hayutman hopes to finance the project with some of the proceeds from a $20 million patent-infringement suit he and his partners have filed against Palm.
The rest of that money would be poured into Hayutman's second idea for jump-starting the end-times: a virtual temple within a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The goal is for thousands of people to join in its construction on the Web. Hayutman even wants to display progress reports in the floating hologram as a kind of apocalyptic scoreboard.
Complete thread:
- HOLOGRAM - HOLY LAND - ENGINEERING THE APOCALYPSE - Theresa, 2004-04-01, 03:13 (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)


text:
Speeding up fonts for the web
Custom fonts for the web are a bit of a pain. Browsers support different kinds of font formats, they can be relatively heavy and the rendering can vary between operating systems.
Luckily, Google Web Fonts have come along and helped out, providing free and open-source fonts that is easy to implement on any website and should work across browsers. Typekit also provides fonts for the web, although not free.
We were having trouble getting the touch-version of VG's front page to render correctly on Android – the reason behind this is the use of the "Times New Roman"-font. While Android does have a serif-font (Droid Serif), its metrics are not equal to that of Times New Roman, which results in text breaking at different points compared to the original font we use.
To fix this, we use the free Liberation Serif font, which is metric-compatible with Times New Roman. We did encounter a couple of issues though. Firstly, we have to insert the CSS that loads the fonts only for Android-devices. Since the front page is cached by Varnish, we can't do a server-side conditional include, so we have to do it through Javascript. Obviously, this is not too hard, you simply check for the presence of "Android" in the user-agent string.
The problems start with the size of the font: the TTF-fonts needed for regular and bold ends up weighing a total of 281 kb. This is a lot, especially when downloading the font over a slow connection, which is often the case when using a mobile phone. Gzip'ing the fonts brings the total down to 181 kb. Including the fonts in a manner that works on all Android devices is fairly straight forward:
@font-face { font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Liberation serif; src: url("css/LiberationSerif.ttf"); } @font-face { font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; font-family: Liberation serif; src: url("css/LiberationSerif-Bold.ttf"); } .someClass { font-family: "Liberation serif", "Times New Roman", serif; }
The custom font loading introduced a new problem, however: While the fonts are being loaded, all the text using the font is invisible. While this might be acceptable for a couple of headers, it is not acceptable for the entire front page, especially when the download might take 20 seconds on a slow connection. We tried preloading the fonts through Javascript and hooking up an onload-event which would switch the font-family, but none of the preload-methods seemed to work.
It occured to us that if we could embed the actual font data inside the stylesheet, we would be certain that the font is actually loaded before the rule defining the font-family for the text is actually parsed by the browser. So, base64-encode the fonts, put them inline:
@font-face { font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Liberation serif; src: url(data:font/truetype;base64,<data>) format('truetype'); } .someClass { font-family: 'Liberation serif', 'Times New Roman', serif; }
Voila! A side-effect is being able to serve both fonts in the same file, which cuts down on the number of server requests.
To further reduce the file size, we reduced the number of glyphs in the font – this cut the size of each font in half. The end size for the stylesheet containing the two fonts and the actual font-family declaration ended up at 73KB, gzipped – a significant improvement from the original 281KB.


text:
There is an in-ad coupon at your local HyVee this week for $3 off of any Mio, Crystal Light or Capri Sun. There were some new coupons for Mio and Capri-Sun today which make this deal even sweeter!
Mio Water Enhancer, $3.49
$3/3 Mio Water Enhancers in-ad coupon
$1/2 Mio Water Enhancers printable
Get $2 Catalina with purchase
Final Price: Net of $4.47/3 or $1.49 each after netting coupons and Catalina
(Thanks Jennifer)
Capri-Sun Juice, $2.28
$3/3 Capri-Sun in-ad coupon
$1/2 Capri-Sun printable coupon
Final Price: 3/$2.84 or $0.95 each


text:
I'm doing some tests with date-time related fields to design my web application. I was already dissatisfied with Postgresql handling of timezones concepts (issue already discussed here - not entirely PG's fault, rather a SQL thing) and I vehemently reject the idea of a global server-side timezone configuration having any infuence on my DB layer, so I am planning to use always plain TIMESTAMP data tipe (with no TIMEZONE). What I want is that a TIMESTAMP field to be conceptually equivalent to a plain {YEAR,MONTH,DAY HH,MM,SS}, data-tuple, i.e. a "local time". To clarifiy, for me "local time" = "timezone unkown". Which is is NOT the same as assuming some default (OS or database) timezone. It might very well happen that I store in a -say- ALARM_TIME two datetimes that correspond to users that have different ("local") timezones. So, I want '2011-05-31 10:00:00' in this field to mean 10.00 AM in some UNKNOWN timezone (that of a particular user). In this scenario, I assumed the natural convention is: store just a UTC time, using a TIMESTAMP. I believe that's the idea of a plain TIMESTAMP. However, I'm not sure if I can get a totally timezone-indepent behaviour: CREATE TABLE t1 ( ts timestamp without time zone); db=# insert into t1 values('1970-01-01 00:00:00'); INSERT 0 1 db=# select ts,extract(epoch from ts) from t1; ts | date_part ---------------------+----------- 1970-01-01 00:00:00 | 21600 I was dismayed to see this, I assumed that my insert has stored a unix timestamp = 0. It seems not? But on the other side, if I modify the server timezone what gets changed is the epoch calculation! asdas=# SET TIMEZONE TO 'XXX11'; SET asdas=# select ts,extract(epoch from ts) from t1; ts | date_part ---------------------+----------- 1970-01-01 00:00:00 | 39600 Why? What is happening here? -- Hernán J. González http://hjg.com.ar/
Next: From: Emi Lu Date: 2011-05-31 16:51:35 Subject: "postgresql-9.0-801.jdbc4.jar" always cause "org.postgresql.util.PSQLException: Cannot commit when autoCommit is enabled" Exception Previous: From: Raymond O'Donnell Date: 2011-05-31 16:19:54 Subject: Re: troubles with initdb


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The Tigers and Giants each made a significant investment on Friday. Each deal was monumental, and each was necessary.
The Tigers signed Justin Verlander to a five-year contract extension that will take him through the 2019 season. The right-hander reportedly will earn $180 million over the next seven seasons, and a $22 million vesting option for the 2020 season could bring the total value of the deal to $202 million.
Hours later, the Giants inked their franchise cornerstone, Buster Posey, to an eight-year extension that will take him through the 2021 season. The catcher reportedly will earn $167 million over the next nine seasons, and a $22 million option for the 2022 season could bring the total value of the deal to $189 million.
That's a whole lot of cheddar. And when it comes to such enormous contracts, teams inherently run the risk of setting themselves up to fail. In other words, they're taking a leap of faith based on calculated risk.
Considering some of the costly failures we've seen in the past, each deal seems dangerous. Signing a pitcher to a monster contract borders insanity based on recent history, and throwing an excessive amount of cash at a catcher who has already had ankle surgery also seems like a rather foolish investment on the surface. Given the value of each player right now, though, both teams were wise to pull the trigger, as delaying a deal would only create an unnecessary headache when free agency began to rear its head.
Verlander is hands-down the best pitcher in baseball, and thus he deserved to be paid as such. There are a few others who might make a push to stake claim to that honor in a given year — including Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw — but Verlander's consistency, durability and overall dominance is unmatched. Plus, his impact on the Tigers is obvious.
Sure, there are concerns. Verlander has logged over 1,500 innings in his eight-year career, including more than 200 in six straight seasons, and he's a pitcher whose bread and butter is his ability to overpower hitters. That's something some skeptics might look at as a sign that Verlander will be unable to keep up his current pace.
Verlander is entering just his age 30 season, though, and there haven't been any signs of regression in terms of his fastball velocity. Having him under control for the next seven seasons seems like an ideal scenario, even if Verlander isn't quite the same pitcher come Year 6 or Year 7. By that point, the Tigers will likely have gotten plenty of mileage out of the hard-throwing righty, and therefore the deal will have already been worthwhile.
It's reasonable to think Verlander will continue to be dominant for another five years or so, which in turn should help make the Tigers contenders in each of those seasons. The additional money the Tigers will make during that span as a result of the success, and the high-profile players they could potentially lure to Detroit, means Verlander doesn't have to be a $28 million pitcher in 2018 or 2019 for the deal to be worth it.
Posey, on the other hand, comes with even more risk. While many pitchers have failed to live up to their contracts, catchers earning such hefty paydays is a relatively new concept. One could say the case of Joe Mauer, who is in the midst of transitioning to first base (where his value will become a lot lower), should serve as a cautionary tale, there's no denying the success that Posey has had in his young big league career. Two World Series rings and a batting title is enough to earn you respect and financial security, so the Giants were wise to lock up what they consider to be their franchise cornerstone.
Will Posey lose some of his value if he's eventually forced to go the Mauer route and transition to first base? Absolutely. But with Posey being only 26, it's safe to assume those days won't be arriving any time soon — perhaps not until the very end of the deal.
So yes, both the Tigers and the Giants rolled the dice on Friday, but they took a risk on guys who have gotten it done for them in the past. Teams should never pay solely for past performance, and instead should take a forward-looking approach when it comes to all investments. But even looking through that lens, it's easy to see why these two teams made the decisions that they did.
Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball right now. Posey is the best catcher in baseball right now. If you're lucky enough to have those guys, you not only make sure they don't go anywhere, but you also make sure they don't even have a chance to consider leaving.
Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.
Buster Posey photo (right) via Facebook/Buster Posey
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