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- Updated: 25 January 2016
Article Index
LAW MATTERS, by Richard Jirus
Things change. The RVA no longer presents legislative information, concentrating more on their business values. I now receive information from the National DOT, which reviews many different traveling aspects pertinent to the Airstream population and from the National Park System newsletters. This is the first of that information. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the airbags manufactured by Takata Mfg. Co. that have proven to have problems. Takata maintains the problems are related to manufacturing defects during the February 2007 period. Further investigation by NHTSA has determined the problem occurred during a longer period, affecting a larger number of vehicles from several different manufacturers. If you are concerned that your vehicle may be affected, use the NHTSA VIN lookup tool. Get the VIN number for your vehicle and go to www.safecar.gov, click on the VIN lookup button. If
your vehicle is on a recall list, contact your local dealer to arrange for repairs.
There is a new program sponsored by the government called BATIC (Build America Transportation Investment Center.) As I understand the program, it coordinates the best design features for bridges and roadways of the federal DOT with requirements of municipalities, state DOT's, and indicates how to obtain financing by either the federal government, state governments and even private investment partnerships. The design work includes bridge designs, road design and road safety. Road safety includes round-abouts and something called DDI, (displaced directional interchanges.) Pennsylvania will be using this program to replace 558 bridges in about three years.
Hawaii just completed a seminar for pre-cast highway replacement. Sections of roadways are pre-cast off site and
brought to the work area during off hours when traffic and commuting are less severe.
South Carolina has just been granted an emergency five million dollar relief fund to replace roads and bridges that were lost during the recent deluge of rain.
GRS-IBS is a new program that uses geosynthetic reinforced soil, new bridge abutment methods and an integrated
approach to replace single span bridges. The method does not require using joint technology or cast-in-place concrete.
The system expects to reduce bridge replacement costs of from 25% to 60%, and reduce the installation time. If you would like more details on this method, google GRS-IBS.
While some of this information does not affect you today, keeping current with the ideas that underlie our transportation and highway systems can help you understand what the future holds.
September 2014: Australia: Tourism authorities are working with city councils on the North Coast to develop a consistent strategy dealing with free overnight parking and free dump sites that threaten RV businesses. Increased RV travel does increase tourist spending but the free parking and
dumping hurts RV camping business. The city of Ballard and CMCA, (Campground and Motorhome Club of Australia,) have been working together to make the city of Ballard more RV friendly and develop RV businesses.
Canada: The Lapointe RV Centre in Springfield, Manitoba has closed its doors and is now in receivership. RV owners who use this facility to store their RV's are being notified to remove their units. The Canadian Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association and the Canadian Camping and RV council are lobbying the Parliament to address critical infrastructures in Canada's Provincial Parks. Among items they have identified are: advertise camping opportunities, equate campsite fees with those fees of independently owned campgrounds, sizing sites to accommodate larger RV's and providing electrical outlets more compatible with larger units.
United States: U.S. District Court Judge Terry Hatter has sided with hikers in a southern California National Forest dispute and said they do not need a regional pass if they do not use any of the facilities the National Forest provides. "The Forest Service is prohibited from charging a fee solely for parking." Congress has authorized a bill to continue funding the Highway Trust Fund. The plan, approved, as congress was leaving town for their August break, would continue funding through May of 2015.
Providing WiFi hot spots is an issue moving forward in National Parks according to a statement from John Jarvis, the NPS supervisor. Canada has already stated that WiFi is being installed in more than a dozen remote Provisional Parks.
A scam process has been uncovered in Missouri that is based in Nigeria. People are lured into making payments on RV's that are located many miles away from their home residence. When they travel to pick up the units, there is a fictitious address, or the RV business has been dissolved.
The Iowa raceway has partnered with Blue Ox towing to name their trackside campground the Blue Ox Campgrounds. California is also considering using non-profit and private organizations to sponsor their state run campgrounds. The purpose is to work more cooperatively with outside organizations, and to generate revenue.
Pennsylvania is wrestling with a plan proposed by the governor to lease state parks to gas development. The purpose is to generate new revenue. This is vigorously opposed by state environmental groups.
June 2014: With pressure mounting to avert a transportation funding crisis this summer, 2014, the administration is considering reversing a long standing tradition on interstate tolls. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has been quoted as saying that states would be allowed to consider tolls to pay for repairs needed for infrastructure repairs. It has been expressed that traditional funding can no longer meet the need.
Shorebreak Energy Developers has issued a press release stating they will provide and install solar panels in several California private RV parks and campgrounds. They will then sell the power generated back to the same parks at a discount rate of approximately 35% to 75%.
A draft report scheduled to be released in May 2014, is said to indicate that California parks are being dragged down by stagnant leadership, inadequate resources and a failure to meet the needs of young Latinos. The report itself is the result of close scrutiny since the revelation in 2012 that the parks department was closing parks when they had stock piled millions of dollars. The report itself will be an ongoing process throughout 2014.
A Nebraska bill providing an additional $43 million to work on a backlog of repairs and new installations for state parks is receiving favorable responses from the Nebraska legislature. Nebraska has eight state parks, 64 recreation areas and 11 state historical areas, and sees an
estimated 12 million visitors annually.
In Washington State, the senate has passed a bill that would allow advertising in state parks, and authorizes the state to seek assistance from and enter into agreements with private or public organizations interested in conservation and environmental maintenance of the park system. The bill gives the park commission the flexibility to partner with communities while providing a new source of much needed revenue. Also in Washington the Puyallup RV show will donate $1.00 from every discounted adult or senior ticket sold at the box office to Washington State Parks.
T.R. Arnold & Associates of Elkhart,IN announced they now are authorized to approve design, inspect and certify RV units headed to Canada. The accreditation contract with the Standards Council of Canada was signed recently in Canada.
State officials in Tennessee are in the early stages of determining the feasibility of private concessionaires taking over certain hospitality operations relating to Montgomery Bell State Park. This would include the Inn, restaurant and golf course. If workable, there are 11 other state parks with similar facilities.
The town of Shediac in New Brunswick, Canada has approved a by-law change that would allow a new 708 site RV park. The controversy includes rezoning some areas not now included within the town borders. There fore the project would also require the Province's approval. Other controversies of this park proposal must also be addressed.
Florida RV parks faced with problems are turning to Newby Management Company to run their park. The company now has 41 parks under its umbrella, yet owns none of the properties. A Newby spoke person said it is more than cutting the grass and collecting rents. We have to keep the residents happy, our investors happy, and our team members happy. The company has a policy of responding to complaints within 24 hours, and pushes park owners to keep properties attractive.
The ARC, American Recreation Coalition, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources on reauthorization of legislation allowing federal agencies to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees. ARC told congress that recreationists supported fees but were concerned about the lack of focus on improvements in recreation experiences following the enactment of the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.
April 2014 Last October's government shut down has caused some unusual problems. In the state of Virginia a federal judge will be hearing arguments between private operators of campgrounds located in U.S. Forest Service areas who claim it was an arbitrary and unnecessary decision to close those areas to camping. Because those campgrounds do not require federal money to operate they should have been allowed to stay open.
Two months ago it was reported that Iowa passed a law punishing RV owners that license and pay sales taxes through a LLC corporation set up in places like Montana and North Dakota. A Nebraska legislator has just introduced a similar bill, and the states of Massachusetts and California already have similar laws on the books.
The state of Idaho started a state passport pass system last year that residents could buy for $10.00 when they register their automobiles. The idea was to provide funds for differed maintenance for many state parks. Rising costs for basics like personnel, utilities and fuel used most of the new passport funding. The Idaho governor has had to increase funding requests in his annual budget to maintain state parks.
In New Hampshire legislation has been submitted to clarify taxation on RV's. The current laws allow taxing trailers that are permanently located on campgrounds as real property. This would include trailers "intended to remain stationary." The new legislature will correct this oversight.
A new ordinance in Odessa, Texas prohibits anyone in the city from parking their vehicles on unpaved ground or storing their units in driveways. This has created an opportunity for land owners to provide suitable storage for RV's, cars, or boats.
The people of Louisiana Parrish of Lafayette have received a reprieve on a new ordinance that bans the use of travel trailers as permanent homes in unincorporated areas. The legislation is considered too restrictive and will be re-worded. In Calcasieu Parrish a new re-zoning ordinance will be developed separately for RV parks. Currently mobile home parks and RV parks use the same zoning requirements.
In several areas of the country, Louisiana, and Mississippi today, housing shortages caused by industrial building booms have created the need for using RV trailers for temporary housing. Both of these states welcome the job opportunities but want to carefully manage the park requirements to avoid uncontrolled squalor.
The RVIA has successfully exempted the RV industry from a bill in New Jersey that would require all RV manufacturers to provide information so any mechanic could repair RV's. In some cases this could include proprietary information.
And just when you think all is sacred, an opinion by Eric Hammerling, the Connecticut head of Forest and Parks Association states "all state forest lands are not in perpetual preservation." Lands can be traded, sold or in other ways exchanged. Even if the swap is denied, the state legislature can pass a law voiding the original intent, and in fact every year some bill is introduced in Connecticut for that purpose.
I would venture an opinion to all Airstreamers who contemplate such a practice: DON'T DO IT. Two states have already passed laws to prosecute violators and several other states are considering similar laws. The financial penalties are severe.
A recent interview by a RV business reporter with Jonathan Jarvis, Service Director of the National Park Service, gave a synopsis of the sequestration effects on the park budgets. Each park, national memorial, or historical landmark is listed as a line item on the national budget. The sequestration requires a five percent reduction in costs. Each park entity must therefore reduce their operating, maintenance, service, or capital expenses by 5 %. Whatever the park superintendent must do to meet this requirement will be done by that person..
The Bipartisan Policy Center is hosting a discussion on the challenges facing the funding of America's national parks. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the National Park Hospitality Association (NPHA) will launch the dialog to identify non-appropriated funding strategies to support America's treasured national parks.
The outdoor industry sees healthy public support for federal recreation programs but worry about the effects of budget cuts. They plan to lobby congress to re-authorize the law allowing fees to be collected on federal recreation lands set to expire in 2014. They also want to increase the number of international visitors by introducing an international park pass. The third part of their plan is to use federal transportation to aid recreation. Finally the coalition hopes to build alliances with the Department of Defense to investigate whether military engineers could help with deferred maintenance on public lands.
The NPS has had their hands slapped recently when they published a ban on jet skies in certain areas without the proper study of the impacts of such activity. To prevent a second mistake, the NPS is planning to spend $400,000 for a study on Jet Ski impacts. A second independent study will review the impact of a bicycle race in a Colorado National Monument.
A recent mandate by the EPA might have an impact on fuel prices. An original law passed in 2005 requires quantities of renewable ethanol to be blended with gasoline. The law was revised in 2007 and the EPA has interpreted the new law to:
1. Include diesel fuel.
2. Increase volume of renewables in gasoline from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022.
3. Determine several new categories of fuel with separate volume requirements for each.
4. The life cycle of the new fuels must have less green house gasses than the fuel it is replacing.
The Texas Senate has passed a new budget that includes a 5.5 billion dollar increase in the state parks budget and avoids park closures. This bill must still be revised in a joint conference with both houses by May 27. It is the first increase for Texas parks since 2010.
Still in Texas, house bill 2152 prevents local utilities from applying administrative fees on RV parks. Another Senate bill 280 originally proposed campgrounds to pay for policing and trash control on the San Marcos River. TACO, (Texas Association of Campground Owners) successfully lobbied against both bills. In the case of the San Marcos River, TACO pointed out that most of the campers are winter Texans and seldom bring boats to use on the river.
Tennessee Parks now offer online state park reservations. The system is still in the trial phases and is being debugged.
Iowa has had an interesting problem. A five percent fee is charged when registering an RV purchased out of state. Some tax wise owners have discovered that if they register their RV out of state as a business property, they can avoid the 5 % fee. If you own a million dollar rig that can be as much as $50,000. The new law not only collects the fee, but adds a fine equal to 75 % the total of the fee and the owner may still be subject to criminal penalties.


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Roia wrote:I was all certain about her building scaffolding to build the castle higher but now I'm thinking "trebuchet" instead. Which is awesome. I wonder how powerful her trebuchet will be? (The current worlds most powerful trebuchet throws a projectile at 13 kilograms (29 lb) a distance of 249 metres (817 ft) at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour (160 mph) (wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle#The_Warwick_trebuchet)
What will it use as ammo? What will it fire at?
Maybe there is a larger sand-castle that she can fire upon.
But I think I saw her pull a boat into the castle....

subset: commoncrawl


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An estimated 46,800 potholes are to be repaired across Lincolnshire, thanks to an extra 2.5 million worth of government funding.
The government has today, Monday November 28, awarded the county council £2.5m from its Pothole Fund for 2017/18. This is in addition to the £27.6m the county council is set to receive for general road maintenance next year.
Coun Richard Davies, Executive Member for Highways, said: "We know that good roads are a top priority for residents, which is why we not only invest heavily ourselves, but also lobby government for additional funding.
"I'm delighted that our efforts have resulted in this significant bonus for the county, which we'll be sure to put to good use.
"I promise you we'll do all we can to keep the county's roads in the best possible condition with the cash that's available.
"Getting the best out our roads will also help boost the Lincolnshire economy, so this is good news for everyone, not just motorists."
Which is the most potholed road in the area? Let us know on our Facebook page.


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What happens to a student blog when the blogger is no longer a student?
That's been my dilemma since graduating from UMA a couple months ago, and why there's been zero action in this space for so long. Back then I had a germ of an idea about how to continue the blog, but truthfully, once I was away from classes and away from campus, the idea sounded less compelling to me. Plus, I suddenly got busy in other directions.
Remember that "iron in the fire" that I hinted at? The one I didn't want to jinx by sharing any details or airing my hopes that things would go my way? Well, they went my way, people.
Within days of graduating, I started doing freelance copy-editing for the same company that took me on as an intern during my final semester. I'd had a hint that they might, maybe, possibly have an actual job become available in the unspecified future. If that happened, I wanted to be available. So I edited, and when I wasn't doing that, I worked in my garden or for my husband. And I waited.
And then it happened: an email inviting me to come in to talk about some ideas for part-time work in the office. And then a follow-up email from the owner with the subject line "Great interview." Interview? Gulp. It's probably good I didn't go in thinking about it that way. At any rate, a flurry of emails went back and forth as we worked out details and a job description.
So I'm relieved and proud to share the news that last week I started my NEW JOB at Maine Authors Publishing. This is a company that creates books for self-published authors and helps them to market them through their Authors Cooperative, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. My official position is Publicity and Cooperative Coordinator. Pretty snazzy, right?
So, four days a week I hop on the island version of public transportation—the ferry—and travel to my mainland job. From there, I literally walk across the street from the ferry terminal to Maine Authors Publishing, where I get to be surrounded by books and smart people all day. I can hardly believe my good fortune.
Especially when I consider the bigger picture. We English majors don't have an easy go of it, and you might remember I've had my doubts all along. One of my English teachers even teased me—on my graduation day, yet—about becoming degreed and unemployed.
Think about it: How many English majors find work directly related to their field? Of those, how many graduated from college at age 48? And of those, how many live on an island fifteen miles off the coast of a not-very-populated and largely rural state? Factor in a depressed national economy, and yeah, I'm feeling pretty darn lucky.


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Lancaster City Council members got their first look at next fiscal year's proposed budget Tuesday night, which lowers property taxes slightly for city residents but increases fees on city services for some.
The budget also positions the city against a loss of revenue from Duracell's departure next year by banking a portion of the city's potential millage increase, withholding cost of living raises for city employees and cutting nearly a dozen jobs.
HEATH SPRINGS – Citing a 64 percent increase in cost, the town of Heath Springs will not renew its agreement with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office that supplies a deputy to the town for 40 hours a week.
To renew, the cost of the contract would have soared from $23,500 per year to $38,500 per year. The current contract expires June 30.
And for a small town with no property tax whose revenue comes from mostly water and sewer rates, the additional $15,000 cost was too much to absorb, said Mark Bridges, the town's major pro tem.
The Lancaster County Council unanimously passed its first reading of the new $81.1 million budget Monday night with a few minor tweaks reflecting a commitment to public works and public safety.
The fiscal 2017-18 budget is $2.1 million more than this year's, and property owners would see a slight rise in taxes.
Homeowners with a home valued at $100,000 and vehicles worth $30,000 would see property taxes rise $22.26, to a total of $485.42. Breaking that down, it's $15 more on the home and $7.26 on the vehicles.
The Lancaster County Council will review the proposed 2017-18 budget at its meeting Monday night.
The new budget includes a slightly higher property tax rate, a 2 percent salary increase for county workers and more money for cyber-security. It addresses public works and public safety in an effort to keep up with the county's growing population, which is nearing 90,000 people.
A mandatory recount on Friday affirmed Ralph Norman's photo-finish victory in this week's runoff with Tommy Pope for the GOP slot on the 5th District congressional ballot.
Norman will face Democrat Archie Parnell and three minor-party candidates in the June 20 special election to fill the seat vacated when Mick Mulvaney became White House budget director.
State law required Friday's recount because Norman's victory margin was 1 percent or less of the total votes cast.
Ralph Norman defeated Tommy Pope by the thinnest of margins in Tuesday's 5th Congressional District GOP runoff, but the race isn't over yet.
When the unofficial results were tallied, Norman was 203 votes ahead with a little more than 35,000 votes cast.
With all 11 counties reporting, Norman had 17,772 votes to Pope's 17,572.
COLUMBIA – The S.C. gas-tax increase looks like a done deal, even if Gov. Henry McMaster vetoes it later this week.
The S.C. House passed a compromise plan Tuesday that raises the state's gas tax by a total of 12 cents a gallon over six years and increases other driving fees to create long-term funding for road repairs across the state.
House Speaker Jay Lucas called the legislation the most significant infrastructure bill to pass the General Assembly in three decades.
NEWBERRY – The businessman who finished fourth in last week's seven-candidate 5th District Republican Party primary has endorsed fellow businessman Ralph Norman in the upcoming May 16 GOP runoff.
On Monday, Chad Connelly announced his support of Norman, who faces Tommy Pope in next week's runoff.
A former member of the S.C. House, Norman is a real estate developer from Rock Hill.
"They say nobody likes losing, but if you're gonna lose, you ought to lose to somebody who thinks like you," Connelly said.
Of the local issues facing Lancaster County Panhandle residents, none seem to stir passions quite like one in particular – incorporation.
With two such efforts in the works, one for Van Wyck, the other for Indian Land, and vocal opposition to the latter, District 7 Lancaster County Councilman Brian Carnes is sponsoring a forum on the issue May 9 at Transformation Church, 8978 Charlotte Highway.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the forum begins at 7 p.m. sharp.
Tuesday's GOP primary results in the 5th District congressional race couldn't have been much closer.
For top finishers Ralph Norman and Tommy Pope, it was a virtual stalemate. Each got 30 percent of the vote, with Pope ending up 118 votes ahead of Norman in the unofficial results to set up the May 16 runoff.
The key to victory is going to be a fast start, said Sandy McGarry, Lancaster Republican Party chairwoman.
Copyright © 2019
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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It proved to be a lucky break for Estonia that the Soviet Union took such pains to dampen any yearnings for freedom in the Baltic States. It meant that Estonian universities were not allowed to offer too many courses in philosophy and the social sciences. Philosophy is a dangerous thing among a patriotic people longing for the brief independence they lost.
What did the Soviets want Estonians to study instead? Computer science, cybernetics, artificial intelligence and information technology. Estonians did much of the software programming and development for the Soviet space program, not to mention the KGB. The Soviets placed one of their most important centers of AI research near the capital city of Tallinn.
Independence came anyway in 1991, of course, but by squelching any budding Tom Paines the Soviets unwittingly helped foster one of the more remarkable post-Soviet success stories. There are only 1.4 million Estonians in a country a little bigger than Holland. Half of it is covered in forest. But beneath the trees Estonia hums. With virtually no outmoded infrastructure to weigh them down, the resourceful Estonians have constructed a kind of e-republic that has already outpaced many of its new, much richer European neighbors.
Internet and mobile phone usage per capita, for instance, is higher in Estonia than it is in France. Over half of all Estonians now pay for their street parking spaces automatically, using their mobile phones. The same system flopped when Estonian Mobile Telephone's technology was marketed in Oslo, which is not exactly backward technologically. And Swedish companies often test ideas first in Estonia, since Estonians are known to have a heartier appetite for change than even the forward-thinking Swedes.
"People like to say, don't touch things that work," says Linnar Viik, who lectures at Tallinn Technical University. "But Estonians like to look behind the thing and wonder whether there's anything we can change about it. In Estonia you might say, if it works, you can break it."
Viik is considered one of the founding fathers of this little
e-republic on the Baltic. In the mid-1990s, when Estonia was still determining what it wanted to be when it grew up, Viik figured in Estonia's Tiger Leap program. Tiger Leap was designed to weave computer literacy and IT into the fabric of the new nation, rather than just promoting them as specialized skills for a technological elite. "It was a lucky coincidence for us that we got our independence at a time when the Net was the cheapest, easiest-to-learn data transfer protocol," says Viik. "Developed countries were still depreciating their huge investments in mainframes and couldn't adopt the new technologies as easily as we could."
You can feel Tiger Leap's broad reach as you connect to the Net while filling up at one of Statoil's Wi-Fi-equipped gas stations-just some of the hundreds of Wi-Fi hot spots and wired public Internet access points scattered around the country. According to the latest figures 52% of Estonians use the Net regularly.
The government runs its Thursday-morning cabinet meetings on computer, and it is close to doing away with paper altogether. Sessions that used to take most of a day now take half an hour as ministers politely tap out their comments instead of grandstanding. Next year the official record of government business will no longer be printed on paper, except for a single copy for the archives. It will exist solely on the Web. "If the Internet was reborn as a country, it would be Estonia," United Nations Development Program administrator Mark Malloch Brown has said.
Two years ago Estonia introduced an optional smart ID card that is making documents and money obsolete in a growing range of public and private transactions. An Estonian can use it instead of a passport to travel within the EU, to get on the bus and subway and to file taxes with a card reader attached to his computer (refunds in five days for the electronic filers, several months for the paper filers).
"I rarely sign pieces of paper anymore," says Sten Hansson, the information adviser to the Estonian state chancellery. Hansson is 31 now and has already served in government for ten years. Siim Raie, the 27-year-old director of Estonia's chamber of commerce, just took out a personal home loan without picking up a pen. But this is not just a demographic revolution. Hansson's
84-year-old grandfather just got his smart card.
The government was going to make the smart card mandatory, but the libertarian-minded Estonians always prefer choice to diktat. So far 620,000 out of 800,000 working-age Estonians have asked for one because it makes life easier. It doesn't appear to bother anyone that the chip is gradually ingesting every detail of an Estonian citizen's life. Next up: e-voting and e-police, which will put a driver's entire history of traffic violations on the card's chip.
When Estonia determined that its traditional customs process was keeping it from winning mobile phone assembly projects, it got an e-customs system that cut average processing time from several hours to about 20 seconds today. That proved key to snaring a 4,000-man assembly line from Finnish manufacturer Elcoteq, which might otherwise do that work in China. The Elcoteq plant is fully responsible for 25% of Estonia's manufacturing exports.
Estonia is often lumped together with two other new republics, Latvia and Lithuania, as the so-called Baltic tigers. All three joined the EU in May. All three have thrived since independence and stand in marked contrast to other former Soviet republics for their speed and agility in adapting to the hard realities of capitalism. GDP growth in all three countries is chugging along in the neighborhood of 6% a year, compared with under 2% in the rest of the EU.
Each of the Baltic republics differs markedly from its neighbors in culture and language, however. Estonia looks across the Gulf of Finland for its cultural and linguistic roots. Like the Finns, Estonians can be dour and tend toward an almost pathological industriousness (when they aren't singing, that is: There are 133,000 Estonian folk songs, one of the largest numbers in the world).
This is no Scandinavian welfare state. Top individual taxes in the $10 billion economy are 26% and heading down to 20%, and all reinvested profits are free of corporate income taxes. "To get your primary needs met, you have to do something," says Linnar Viik. "We are a very pragmatic society, which can be quite horrible sometimes. An Estonian might ask what is the efficiency factor of the new museum of modern art."
Old Tallinn stretches out below Hansson's chancellery office atop Toompea, the 9th-century fortified hill at the city's heart. Cobblestones slickened by mist lead down past austere Lutheran churches with stiff spires and squat lemon-colored mansions from Tallinn's prosperous trading past.
The town's medieval echoes have lately reached fresh waves of tourists-
2.7 million last year. This pillar of the old Hanseatic trading league is getting hip. The shops that line the town's fine squares do a brisk trade in hand-knitted sweaters and linen, and its traditional restaurants serve up a mean elk steak. Just as important to Tallinn's coffers are the Finns who hop a 90-minute ferry from Helsinki for bargain booze and affordable prostitutes-the unsurprising windfall from Estonia's low taxes and low wages.
Harder to see are the small workshops where a new generation of software designers is looking to turn Estonia into a kind of Silicon-Valley-with-herring. Within tech-savvy Scandinavia, however, the secret is already out. SEB, the huge Swedish bank, recently moved most of its code-programming operations to Estonia.
Sander Mägi is a typical Estonian go-getter. In 1996 he dropped out of college after his first year to take a programming job with a cable modem company that went bankrupt soon after. In 2000 he joined with Oliver Wihler, a Swiss programmer who had left his job in London for Tallinn's more agreeable lifestyle and shorter commute. "My friends were mystified-they thought I was going to the Balkans," jokes Wihler. The two founded Aqris Software, and introduced RefactorIT in 2002. Refactor basically works like a kind of spreadsheet for programs written in Java code, automatically remodeling an entire application to reflect changes in parts of its code. The benefit here is speed, saving the thousands of man-hours it would take to reprogram manually.
The biggest customer is Zed, a digital content supplier for mobile phones. Small sales have been made to Nokia, Philips and Fujitsu. Aqris has pretty much doubled every year, earning $1 million cumulatively. Last year it made over $400,000 on revenue of $1 million and won an award as Estonia's best technology developer.
"We're obviously not going to compete with India on
projects that require hundreds of developers," says Wihler, "nor are we necessarily going to do exactly what we're told to do."
The feisty subversive streak surfaced flamboyantly in the peer-to-peer networks Kazaa and Skype. Kazaa has driven the record industry crazy by letting pc users around the world join forces to share one another's recorded music, free. Skype offers free telephone calls over the Internet.
Under the hood of both products are peer-to-peer engines built in a three-man Estonian garage called Bluemoon, headed by 32-year-old Jaan Tallinn. Tallinn met Kazaa founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis when he was writing the software that pays for parking spaces via mobile telephone. All three were working at the time for Sweden's Tele2, a breeding ground for many of the region's entrepreneurs. The trick for Skype was developing a system that allowed each computer to index a wider network of computers than Kazaa does. A technology called Global Index did this, allowing Skype to handle traffic that passed 1.3 million simultaneous users last month. "These guys are the best software developers I have ever seen in my life," says Niklas Zennström. "They're very skillful at problem-solving."
Zennström and Tallinn are already training their peer-to-peer sights on new applications, though neither will say exactly what. It might well be banking, says Linnar Viik, who has seen prototypes of peer-to-peer payment systems, where the network itself manages the customer base, reducing transaction costs
to zero.
Estonia's problem now is how to inject enough capital and managerial know-how to bring its Baltic wonder boys to the world stage. "I can see tons of interesting products in Estonia today, but they've stopped their development at €2 million and ten people," says Allan Martinson.
Martinson recently resigned as chairman of MicroLink, which he had transformed from the Dell Computer of Estonia to a diversified IT services company. He has just launched Martinson Trigon Venture Capital. "It's a good time to be in VC in Estonia," he says, "but it remains to be seen whether Estonia can be a truly global player. It's not just about IT, it's about attitude."
Martinson is investing in a company called Oskando, which markets a GPS tracking system for car security. Oskando plans to develop a simple, cheap unit for use in, say, a child's lunch box. The trick is getting the price below $100, which Oskando thinks it can do. "We did some innovative stuff with solar cells,"
says Martinson. "Estonians are great at finding interesting
With their natural reserve Estonians aren't exactly the world's slickest self-promoters. Word of what's happening up on the Baltic is slowly starting to leak out, however, thanks, in large part, to the hype surrounding Kazaa and Skype. Steve Jurvetson of Silicon Valley VC firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson first did business in Estonia after falling in love with Kazaa. His firm negotiated the deal in December 2003 that made Draper Fisher the largest investor in Skype, and Jurvetson stuck around when he saw Tallinn's entrepreneurial beehive. It didn't hurt that both of Jurvetson's parents are Estonian, although he says that growing up he had little connection to the culture.
Jurvetson has invested in an Estonian company called Egeen, which has the exclusive rights to collect blood samples from Estonian hospital patients. It uses the patient information to conduct clinical studies for pharmaceutical clients all over the world. The Estonian kicker here is an IT database that links all patients throughout the country in real time. This lets Egeen easily and quickly assemble a sample group according to the exact criteria a client needs for a particular study.
"That's the key to why Egeen wins business competing globally with much larger companies," says Jurvetson. "After Skype, we saw tons of opportunities here to follow up. It's like the entire country has this eager, immigrant mentality. Except that in this case they immigrated back to their own country."


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Oct. 27, 2006
The only problem with winning a conference championship is the pressure to repeat the next season.
Such is the case for the Lipscomb Bisons and head coach Scott Sanderson. Last season the Bisons were 15-5 in the conference, tying to the Atlantic Sun regular season championship. They finished second to Belmont in the conference tournament, earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, the first postseason play for the Bisons.
Preseason polls have pegged the Bisons as a close second to Belmont for the conference title.
"In our three years in the league we have always finished higher than where we were picked," said Sanderson. "We have been picked second this year. All that is is just opinion. We are going to do everything in our power to try to win the league again."
The Bisons were the top defensive team in the conference last season. Sanderson thinks the team will be even better defensively, but he also wants to see a slight boost in scoring.
"We are going to be a good shooting team," said Sanderson. "We are going to be a better passing team. Last year we scored 72-to-73 points a game. I feel like we need to score six-to-10 more points a game, combined with our defense, teams will have trouble catching us.
"We should be much better defensively. And the last two years we have been the best defensive team in the league."
The Bisons were approximately 29 seconds away from the tournament title and their first NCAA berth. They lost 85-66 at the University of Texas-El Paso in the first round, but gained a great deal of confidence in the process.
"We have confidence," said Sanderson. "That is so important for players to go out and expect to win. They have to play with confidence and passion. At the same time we are not going to allow them to get too confident."
Sanderson expects his team to once again be strong at the guard positions, but is worried about the inside game.
"The majority of teams at this level have their strength at the guard positions," said Sanderson. "We also have great depth at the guard spots. "
Returning at point guard is senior Trey Williams, who led the team with 3.9 assists per game last season. Williams made an impact on the Bisons last season, but Sanderson is expecting even more this time around, including a more consistent shooting performance.
"Trey worked like crazy on his shooting during the off-season," said Sanderson. "He is shooting the ball much better. He is a very good decision-maker. He is a very tough on-the-ball defender. As good as he was last year, I think he will be even better this season."
Senior Brian Fisk, a preseason selection to repeat as a member of the All A-Sun Team, is back at the No. 2 guard along with his 16 points per game average, second on the team.
"Brian is one of our toughest competitors on both ends of the floor," said Sanderson. "He is our lock-down defender. He is going to guard the best player on the other team. He expends a lot of energy defensively, but offensively he has done a very good job for us as well."
Also in the backcourt will be junior LaKory Daniels, who came on strong in the A-Sun Tournament and earned a spot on the A-Sun All-Tournament Team.
"LaKory was another guy who burst onto the scene late in season," said Sanderson. "We hope he can pick up where he left off. He can really shoot the ball. We expect him to be a much better defender. He is very athletic. He understands what we are trying to do now. We expect him to have a solid year."
Newcomer Devon Seaford will also see time at the point guard spot. Seaford has demonstrated solid knowledge of the game and is also a threat to score from the perimeter.
"Devon is a point guard who can really shoot the basketball," said Sanderson. "This will be a good year for him to play behind Trey Williams and learn what a point guard does at the Division I level. He has played against top competition his entire life. We expect him to make a major contribution as a freshman."
Sophomore Michael Lusk performed well as a freshman last season. He averaged 4.6 points a game and 2.5 rebounds per game. He will be expected to show improvement in both areas, especially as a rebounder.
""Michael is a very good defender," said Sanderson. "He was our best player on the Canada trip. He is guy who had to get five or six rebounds a game for us. We look for him to be a more consistent and complete player."
A trio of walk-ons will provide depth at the guard spots with returning junior Will Mantlo welcoming senior JanAndre Williams, brother of Trey and a former manager for the team; and freshman Blake Giles.
""Blake is a tough-hard nosed kid," said Sanderson. "He is a very good defender. He competes at a high level.
"Will is a pretty good shooter. He understands what we are doing and why we do it. He is a smart player. He is a very vital part of our team.
"JanAndre is a very good shooter. He knows how to play. He is a great person to have on our team."
The Bisons will use a four-guard line-up this season, much like they did last year.
"We have size," said Sanderson. "We have strength. We have quickness. We have guys who can shoot the basketball. We have very good drivers. We have five or six guys who can play on a high level.
"Practices are competitive because they are fighting for playing time. That is going to bode well for us throughout the season."
The better junior forward Eddie Ard gets, the more he works to improve his game. He has been selected to repeat as a member of the All A-Sun Team this season and also is the preseason prediction by the league's coaches and media to be the A-Sun Player of the Year. Several other preseason magazines have also given him that honor. "He continues to improve because he knows he has areas where he needs to improve," said Sanderson. "He is hungry to be the best player he can be. I don't know if he is the best player in the league, but he is one of the best players in the league for sure. For the most part he has been pretty consistent."
Ard returns as the leading scorer for the Bisons, edging out Fisk with 16.2 points per game. He is the top returning rebounder with 5.4 per game, a number that will also have to increase this season if the Bisons are to accomplish their goals.
"As good as Eddie has been he has gone to another level," said Sanderson. "He has always been a talent with the ball. But he has learned to play without the ball. We have to make sure he maximizes his potential. He is always in here working on his game.
"Eddie has added a different element to his game each season. He has so much versatility. He is able to shoot the three-pointer consistently. He has always been a very good driver. He is becoming a very good free shooter."
Freshman Michael Teller will also get some time on the perimeter. He has no feat in throwing up a 3-pointer and his techniques solid, something expected from a player with an Indiana high school pedigree.
"Michael is an excellent shooter," said Sanderson. "His first game in Canada he knocked down five 3-pointers. He has a knack for getting open. He understands positioning. He can rebound the basketball. He also has to be a very good position defender."
Freshman Brandon Moore is also expected to get some playing time at the No. 3 or No. 4 spot.
"Brandon is a very athletic wing player," said Sanderson. "He can shoot the mid-range jump shot. The quicker he learns what we are doing and why we are doing it, the quicker he will be a help to us. Like Eddie Ard when he first game to us, Brandon has a huge upside."
Red-shirt freshman Israel Kirk has proven to be a strong defender, but is working to become more of an offensive threat.
"Israel is a very good rebounder. He can defend. His learning curve is also going to be important to him."
Center Shaun Durant averaged a team-leafing 7.2 rebounds a game last season and forward Cameron Robinson chipped in with 5.3 per game. They have both completed their eligibility leaving a huge gap on the boards.
"Most teams in this league don't have a proven post player on both ends of the floor," said Sanderson. "Losing both of those guys inside is kind of scary. We are not going to have a post player who is going to get 10 rebounds every game.
"We have to have somebody step up in the low post to reach the goals we have set for out team which are to win our league again and have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament."
Junior college transfer Jason Hopkins, 6-foot-7, sophomore Thomas Pfaff, 6-8, and sophomore Ryan Daniel, a 6-10 transfer from Auburn, are all being given a long look.
"Jason does some things offensively that we have not had in the past," said Sanderson. "He is a very, very good passer. He has nice moves in the low post. He can face you up and go by you. He can make the 10-to-12-foot jump shot. He has to be a good rebounder for us this year."
Pfaff also improved as the season progressed. He put in his best performance in the NIT game with UTEP with six points.
"Thomas is going to be one of our most improved players," said Sanderson. "He had a great summer. He got a lot stronger. The biggest thing is he got a lot more confidence. He played a lot in the UTEP game in the NIT and he played well. It was a tough, physical game which is what he likes.
"I think he is going to have a breakout year for us. He has a little bit better feel for what we are trying to do. We are excited about what we expect his contributions to be this year."
Daniel has to shake off two seasons of inactivity. He sat out his freshman season at Auburn and then had to sit out last season at Lipscomb after making the transfer.
"Ryan has a very good feel for the game, but he has to work on his conditioning," said Sanderson. "He understands how to play."
Rebounding becomes even more important to the Bisons as they make plans to play a more up-tempo style.
"We will play quicker in transition," said Sanderson. "The only problem playing faster is can we rebound. For the most part this year we are going to play four guards again. They are our veteran players and the strength of our team.
"Our point guards should get one rebound every eight minutes they are on the court. Our swing players should get one rebound every six minutes. Our big kids inside have to get one rebound every four minutes. If we play faster they should be able to reach those rebound quotas."
Sanderson is never shy about loading up the schedule and this year is no exception with visits to three Southeastern Conference teams _ South Carolina, Alabama and Vanderbilt on the schedule.
Adding to the challenge is trip to the University of Missouri and home-and-home contests with the University of Evansville.
"I try my best to schedule according to our team," said Sanderson. "Every year your team is different. This year with so many guys coming back I felt like it was very important to play a demanding schedule."
The games against Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Evansville are expected to pay dividends as the Bisons seek a return to postseason play this season.
"Even though we came close we didn't win against Kentucky, Tennessee or Auburn last year," said Sanderson. "But our players really enjoyed the atmosphere and I think it made a difference for us in the conference."


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Chris Meserve Represents The Evergeen State College at Annual Leadership Conference
Chris Meserve is attending the annual Leadership Conference of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities this week. Chris is a member of the Board of Governors of The Evergreen State College Foundation. The meeting is behind held at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
January 24, 2016


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SAN LEANDRO — San Leandro Police Officer Louie Brandt has raised more than $20,000 this year for 340 bicycles and helmets that he will give away to low-income children later this month.
Brandt, a patrol officer for more than 15 years, spends all year raising money from local businesses, community members and through a springtime spaghetti feed, which raised about $10,000 this year, said police spokesman Lt. Randall Brandt, who is not related to Louie Brandt.
"This is an amazing program for a great cause. Louie is very busy like all of us, but he still finds time to raise funds for these local children," said Capt. Edward Tracey. "Daily, we hear of how bad the economy is, but citizens and local businesses continue to show their generosity and donate to this great cause."
Bikes and helmets will be distributed at 11 a.m. Dec. 21 to children ages 3 to 11 at the Davis Street Family Resource Center at 3081 Teagarden St. Last week, center staff drew raffle tickets for families that were registered for their annual holiday program, now in its 21st year. Police, fire crews and communtiy volunteers will distribute the bikes to the winners of the drawing as well as holiday food baskets and new toys to 1,000 families. All have already been selected.
Last year, Louie Brandt raised more than $17,000 for the program and gave away about 280 bicycles.
Reach Kristin J. Bender at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/kjbender.


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Utley Take Power On The Road
Chase Utley is on a long ball roll. His two homers last night were huge in a huge must-win game for us.
As everyone knows–or should know–he's homered in four straight games, a total of five long balls.
The club record is five consecutive games shared by Dick Allen, May 27-28, 30-June, 1969; Mike Schmidt, July 6-10, 1976 and Bobby Abreu, May 8-12, 2005. The major league record is eight games in a row.
Chase's home run streak has vaulted him into the National League lead. Last second baseman to lead the NL in homers? Ryne Sandberg, 40, 1990. It is only April so we shouldn't get carried away on that front.
Utley takes his power show on the road as the Phillies open a two-game series in Denver's Coors Field tonight. Among his 17 hits in that park are four home runs.
Tough Trip
Yes, major league players travel on charter planes, stay in first-class hotels and get to see the county. Well, this trip is a dandy–seven games against three different teams.
Frank Coppenbarger is the Director, Team Travel and Clubhouse Services. He issues an itinerary before every trip.
A Delta charter was scheduled to depart Philly at 1:00 a.m. (EDT) following last night's ESPN telecast. The cost of the Delta charter for the four-hour flight: $63,750. A total of 49 persons were on the manifest.
Game equipment amounts to 5,000 pounds. Personal luggage for the traveling party, 3,500 pounds.
Two buses and two trucks are scheduled on arrivals. The buses transport the traveling party to the hotel. One truck takes the game equipment to the ballpark and the other, carries the luggage to the hotel.
Estimated arrival at the Denver airport was 3 a.m. (MDT). Add another 40-45 minutes for the bus ride to the hotel which means the players got there room keys around 3:45 a.m. (MDT). Their luggage probably arrived 30-45 minutes later. Most of the time, everyone goes to bed as soon as possible and has the luggage delivered to the room when they get awake, rather than wait.
Kyle Kendrick, tonight's starting pitcher, flew to Denver earlier on Sunday so that he could get a good night's rest, a common practice in baseball.
The players unpack today, play tonight, pack tomorrow morning, leave for Milwaukee after tomorrow's night game, unpack on Wednesday but pack again Thursday morning for an afternoon game with the Brewers that day and then head for Pittsburgh post-game. They unpack on Friday and pack again Sunday morning for a flight home that evening.
Coppenbarger's itinerary also includes the following notes:
**On arrival in Denver (move watches back 2 hours).
**On arrival in Milwaukee (move watches ahead 1 hour).
**On arrival in Pittsburgh (move watches ahead 1 hour).
Sleeping, eating and daily routines require adjustments this week, a week of three different time zones.


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Former Bunnell Elementary teacher's aide Daniel Biles was sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing child pornography.
A former Bunnell Elementary teacher's aide was sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing child pornography.
Daniel Biles was also sentenced Thursday to five years sex-offender probation. Circuit Judge J. David Walsh also designated Biles a sex offender.
Biles was charged in April with six counts of possession of sexual performance of a child and then re-arrested during an arraignment in June and charged with an additional 14 counts of possession of child pornography.
The Flagler County School Board fired Biles, who earned $14.87 per hour, in September. Biles was suspended with pay after the first set of charges in April.
His contract ended in June, and he was not rehired. However, "nobody ever reported, nobody ever observed" any illegal activities on school property, School Board attorney Kristy Gavin said in an earlier interview.
Biles was hired by the district as a child care worker in 1991. As a teacher's aide, he worked with students in the exceptional-student-education program, which includes students with a range of physical and mental disabilities.


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Certainly. I'm running FireFox v15.0. Here's a screenshot of an attempt to edit my post above:[img]
uhh tapatalk support. very nice but could it be tapatalk needs some time for updating his list? because i can't find the qhimm forum :/
Tapatalk stuff is being added to the HTML before the Doctype (presumably the intercept message for mobile users). This _seems_ to be triggering a known bug with user agent stylesheets, such that the default text size for table content is being applied to the homepage.I cannot fix this without access to the server.
Lately I can't reach the forum often and it seems like it's struggling to keep up with even slow traffic. It didn't start til recently so can't be related to tapatalk can it? I get timed out a lot, and very rarely do my posts go through normally, they do get posted, but the transfer to the new post is timing out almost every time after sending one through. Anyone else had this going on?
Page created in 0.039 seconds with 19 queries.


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Conference 101 Programs
(as of 2/22/08)
Conference 101
Track: Non-Track, Friday, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
New to the Annual Conference, or ALA? Get a fun and informative introduction to the Annual Conference and Anaheim. Learn to navigate the exhibits, decipher the conference program, how ALA really works, and ways for you to get involved. NMRT provides tips from the pros and an orientation, which is full of information.
Track: Non-Track, Friday, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
What is the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)? How does this ALA division help you? Learn more in a basic orientation, which will include an overview of the division and its activities. New members and those considering membership will learn more about the benefits, and established members are welcome to attend this great networking opportunity.
LITA 101: Open House
Track: Non-Track, Friday, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
LITA 101: Open House is a great opportunity for current and prospective members to talk with LITA leaders and learn how to make connections and become more involved in LITA activities. Representatives from LITA Committees, the Board of Directors, and Interest Groups will be present to answer your questions at this informal session. Stop by anytime during the program time to learn more about LITA! Speakers: Mark Beatty, LITA President; Lorre Smith, Membership Development Committee; Holly Yu, Interest Group Chair; Scott Muir, Committee Chair
RUSA 101: Introduction to Our Division
Track: Non-Track, Friday, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
ALSC 101: Making Connections
Track: Non-Track, Friday, 4:00 pm-6:00 pm
Are you a new member of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)? Or, is this your first national conference as a children's librarian? The ALSC 101: Making Connections program is the place for you! We'll provide information that will help you get the most from your time at Annual Conference, and your membership in ALSC. Meet other new members, ALSC officers, and learn how to become involved in the division at this informal session.
PLA 101: ALA Annual
Conference Tips for First Time Attendees
Track: Career Paths & Professional Development, Saturday, 8:00 am-9:00 am
This is a how-to session for first time ALA Annual Conference attendees who are PLA members or work in public libraries. Speakers: Michelle Bayuk, Marketing Director, The Children's Book Council (N.Y.); Claudia Sumler, Senior Administrator, Harford County (Md.) Public Library
ACRL 101 & Membership Meeting
Track: Career Paths & Professional Development, Saturday, 8:00 am-10:00 am
ACRL leaders will provide information on how academic/research librarians can navigate the ALA Annual Conference as a firsttime attendee. The first 30 minutes will be a membership meeting, followed by the orientation program.


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Friday August 23, 2019; 05:52 pm EDT
Zombies and ghosts and mermen. Oh my!
When five attractive college co-eds spend the weekend at a creepy isolated cabin in the woods, it's no surprise they're marked for death. We've seen this movie, and it always ends the same way: Someone gets high, someone flashes her breasts and almost everyone dies.
Such is the world of slasher filmmaking. Fans love it just the way it is.
It's a formula so common that many movies have poked fun at its absurdity while still getting mileage from gory scares — think the Scream series. With The Cabin in the Woods, first-time director Drew Goddard further dissects the slasher premise without giving up the typical scares and gore we've come to expect.
In this fresh take, the coeds find the cabin not by blind providence but by the orchestration of shirt-sleeved office drones who work 9-to-5 days killing hapless attractive young people. Hadley (Bradley Whitford: Have a Little Faith) and Sitterson (Richard Jenkins: The Rum Diary) pull the strings.
From fog cues to releasing monsters to organizing an office pool on what will kill whom first, it's nice work if you can get it.
While Hadley and Sitterson go about the daily grind, the comely archetypes have no clue as to the pain they're in for. Cute couple Curt (Chris Hemsworth: Thor) and Jules (Anna Hutchinson: Wild Boys) are the resident jock and sexy girl who set up their sad good-girl friend Dana (Kristen Connolly: Certainty) with pal Holden (Jesse Williams: Grey's Anatomy). Their stoner pal tags along since there is always one of those.
When the weekend goes creepy, the group not only has to avoid the horrors of the spooky forest but must also outmaneuver Hadley and Sitterson, whose job performance relies on carnage.
To tell any more would spoil the fun.
The real joy in The Cabin in the Woods is its script. Writers Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Goddard gleefully deconstruct the slasher genre and infuse it with wry wit. By adding some intelligence to the typical boobs-and-blood fare, the duo has done the impossible: Made an intelligent, multi-layered movie about kids getting massacred in the woods. The victims are likeable, the office crew is hilarious and the gore is bloody good.
The only downside is that the office antics are far more interesting than the horrors faced by the cabin crew. That's not surprising: The audience has to be familiar with the slasher storyline to get the joke, so these characters and their problems are old hat. Set against funny, interesting new characters, it's little wonder that the cabin dwellers seem a bit stale. Pitting veteran actors like Whitford and Jenkins against cannon fodder makes the competition less fair.
The film suffers only slightly from this unevenness. Cabin is still one of the smarter takes on the horror genre. It kept the audience at my screening laughing and gasping through each twist and stab.
A cabin in the woods may be a familiar location for horror audiences, but The Cabin in the Woods holds surprising humor and thrills for anyone who buys a ticket.


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Today Nvidia has released a new and updated 3D Vision driver in the form of full CD including the GeForce GPU driver v257.21 and 3D Vision driver v257.21 WHQL versions, not betas as well as making available both drivers separately. The good thing about the full driver CD version 1.29 is that it includes both drivers for the 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, so you can use it to install 3D Vision on multiple machines with a single download. The new driver adds support for 3D Vision Streaming which will support upcoming 3D Vision enabled streaming video, including actually taking advantage of 3D content streaming like it was demonstrated during Computex with Microsoft's Silverlight technology. There is also support for GPU accelerated Blu-ray 3D playback when using compatible Blu-ray 3D player software from companies such as CyberLink and Arcsoft (already available in the last beta driver). Also there is support for GeForce GTX 480, GeForce GTX 470, and GeForce GTX 465 as well introduced in the last beta release as well as the support for the new 3D Vision-Ready LCDs: ASUS VG236H, LG W2363D 120 Hz, LG W2363DB 120 Hz (the LG is becoming available already in some countries and the Asus should start appearing probably next month).
The new release 257 driver also comes with new 3D Vision profiles for the following games: Alice in Wonderland, FIFA Online (2010), iRacing Demo, Heaven Benchmark, Mafia II, Lost Planet 2, Sam & Max – Beyond Time and Space, Settlers VII, Split Second, StarCraft II, Stone Giant and Toy Story 3 (most of which already introduced in the 257.15 beta already).
And here is the list of the updated 3D Vision game profiles:
– Battlefield Bad Company 2 – updated in-game compatibility message
– BioShock 2 – updated in-game compatibility message
– Metro 2033: The Last Refuge – updated in-game compatibility message
– Napoleon Total War – updated in-game compatibility message
– Order of War – the game is now rated Excellent
– Stone Giant – the game is now rated 3D Vision-Ready
– To download the new GeForce 3D Vision Driver v1.29 WHQL Full CD…


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I have been unable to figure out how to create an external link to Whitaker's Words.exe program for Latin on my local hard drive. Would someone be able to give me the syntax or the settings to type into the External Link Manager to create such an entry? I would like to be able to right-click on a word in the Vulgate and have Words.exe open to that word.
Thanks so much.


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Your browser does not support iframes.
Lancaster County employees have a "new boss" today. It's Brooklyn Springs Elementary School first-grader Nathan Gibson.
Nathan will spend the day with Lancaster County Administrator Steve Willis, after winning the grand prize in "The Veteran in Your Life" essay contest. Nathan, a student in Rena Cunningham's class, chose to write about his "big brother," U.S. Army medic Dwayne "Big Mac" Mackey.
When the annual July Fourth celebrations roll around this summer, a central figure will be missing.
Harold Williams, who played the part of "Uncle Sam" in the Charlesboro and Heath Springs parades, died earlier this month.
"Uncle Sam" is a common national personification of the U.S. government, which was originally used during the War of 1812. The figure is depicted as a stern, elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard. Typically, he is dressed in clothing that features elements of the U.S. flag.
Bill Ardrey's work and dedication have been deservedly rewarded. Ardrey, commissioner for the Lancaster Soil and Water Conservation District, was honored earlier this year as the S.C. Association of Conservation District's 2010 Outstanding Commissioner of the Year.
Conservation districts are asked annually to nominate a commissioner for supporting the local-state federation conservation partnership in their county and for promoting conservation within the county.
Surely we all know whom we celebrate today. But just in case you've somehow missed it – it's Mother's Day.
It's a day set aside to honor and pay tribute to the one who brought us into the world and tried to keep us on the right track. She's known as mommy, mom, mother and mama. You may have even given her a nickname.
She deserves all the recognition she can get. She's always been there for you. She's been your confidant, protector and mentor.
He appeared invincible. The ruthless mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 Americans eluded capture for almost 10 years. But that changed on May 1, 2011, when U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan.
On Sunday, shouts of joys and cheer rang out across the nation as President Barack Obama made the late-night announcement. But social media actually upstaged President Obama as Twitter sent out the first death notices.
Gen. Larry Platt and Cotton Cole share similar views on a much-controversial fashion statement: they don't like baggy pants.
Platt became an instant celebrity when he performed "Pants on the ground," for "American Idol" judges last year. Cole, a Lancaster County council member, wants council to create a countywide ban on baggy pants.
The beginning lyrics of Platt's song goes, "Pants on the ground, Pants on the ground, Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground."
Administrators, teachers and students at three county high schools have every reason to be proud these days.
The S.C. Department of Education recently awarded Palmetto Awards to a trio of Lancaster County high schools.
The awards, which have been presented for 10 years, honor schools that attain high levels on their report card's absolute performance and growth ratings and substantial progress in closing the achievement gap between groups of students.
Easter is really about hope – hope for ourselves, each other and the future. That pretty much sums up what Easter means to Christians worldwide.
The parallel between Easter and hope is obvious. For followers of Jesus Christ, it was a hopeless period when their tortured leader drew his last breath on a crude cross and his body placed in a tomb. Some hid in fear as they mourned his death. There must have been doubt. Was Jesus' message real? What's next?
Prom season is upon us, with one prom already over and three more to go in the next few weeks.
Buford High School held its Phantom's Masquerade-themed prom April 2 at the University of South Carolina at Lancaster's Bradley Arts and Science Building.
On April 30, Indian Land and Lancaster high schools will hold their proms. Indian Land's Arabian Nights-themed event will be at the South Charlotte Banquet Center. Lancaster's Moonlight Oasis-themed event will be at York Tech's Baxter Hood Center.
They play different roles, but their devious goal is the same. Scammers are on the rise in Lancaster County.
They often prey on senior citizens, but they will also pursue others, who at the moment might be unaware of their scumbag plot.
In recent local incidents, scam artists have posed as charitable organizations, law enforcement officials, loan officers and sweepstakes companies.
Their goal is to steal your money, but don't be a victim. Be vigilant of their underhanded game.
Copyright © 2019
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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Simple, honest and very possibly great, "Oslo, August 31" spans a day, an evening and an early morning in the life of a recovering drug addict. Right there most of you reading this review will think: No, thanks. Life's difficult enough. But some films, the best films, transcend the obviously grueling and the emotionally exploitative in their pursuit of a steady, humane cinematic gaze and an experience that lingers. This is one of those films, now in its commercial Chicago debut at the Siskel Film Center.
It's the sophomore feature from director and co-writer Joachim Trier, born in Copenhagen but raised in Norway. (He identifies himself as Norwegian.) His full-length feature debut, "Reprise," was a much more elaborately embroidered affair (I loved it), about two young aspiring novelists, their promise, petty rivalry, deeper friendship and restless race toward the future. "Oslo, August 31" is quite a different achievement, calmer and darker. But it's no less absorbing in its storytelling.
Anders, played by Anders Danielsen Lie, is 34 but looks a decade younger. Built like a whippet, he comes from a comfortably well-off upper middle class background. His promise is obvious, as is his watchful intelligence. But he is struggling in rehab, outside Oslo, at the film's start. Ten months clean and sober, he's granted a leave and a visit to Oslo, for a job interview at a magazine, and for an increasingly rich and troubling journey down memory lane.
The city holds a thousand memories for Anders, as it does for everyone, from anyplace. A blur of home-movie-style footage, the film's prologue, which like just about everything else here seems spontaneous and perfect, accompanies the voices of various Oslo residents recalling what the city meant to them growing up. "Everyone smoked back then," says one. Another recalls "how my bed didn't fit into the flat."
Anders drops in on old friends, old lovers and, toward the end, a nighttime party offering a variety of temptations. There's a good deal of talk in "Oslo, August 31" about the way youthful promise and boundless freedom has a way of phasing into domestic routines. Anders isn't sure what to make of his friends' situations; his own gives him enough to work through. Trier, somewhat akin to the style of the Dardenne brothers ("The Kid with a Bike"), has the assurance and tact of an observant documentary filmmaker. Yet as strikingly as any film I know, "Oslo, August 31" shows you what it's like to be an addict and fighting for equilibrium, all the time, without screw-tightening "Lost Weekend" melodrama.
The beauty of the picture, which Trier set in late August because of the late-summer "emotional melancholy," as he calls it, lies in its empathy. There's a shrewd voiceover monologue from Anders at one point, musing about his parents, his childhood, his past. "They respected my privacy," he says. "Maybe too much. They taught me religion is a weakness. I don't know if I agree. They never taught me to cook or build a relationship — but they seemed happy. They never told me how friendship dissolves...unless you're (really) strangers, friends in name only."
No MPAA rating (some language and drug use)
Running time: 1:36; in Norwegian with English subtitles.
Plays: Friday-Thursday at the Siskel Film Center.


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New guidelines: Best ways to prevent a stroke in women
Pregnancy, birth control and certain migraines are the focus of the first guidelines from the American Heart Association for preventing stroke in women. They face certain risk factors uniquely or more frequently than men. (Feb. 6) AP
Women have some unique risk factors for stroke that should be recognized and treated.
Women may have many of the same risk factors for stroke as men – diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol – but they also can face separate issues such as high blood pressure during pregnancy, the use of birth control pills and other hormonal and lifestyle factors.
So for the first time, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association on Thursday released new stroke prevention guidelines specifically for women.
"The risk factors that are unique to women need to be recognized, and women can start decreasing their risk much earlier than they thought, even in the childbearing years," says neurologist Cheryl Bushnell, lead author of the scientific statement with the guidelines, published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts, the American Heart Association says. When that happens, part of the brain is no longer getting the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die. Strokes can affect language, memory and vision as well as cause paralysis and other health issues, the group says.
Having a stroke can be a "devastating, life-changing" event, and more women are affected by it than men because women live longer, Bushnell says.
More than half of the estimated 800,000 strokes each year occur in women. An estimated 6.8 million people in the USA are living after having a stroke, including 3.8 million women and 3 million men, she says. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death for men, and the third leading cause for women, she says.
So it's important to try to reduce the risk of having a stroke for women, she says. That includes monitoring and treating pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, blood pressure disorders during pregnancy that can cause major complications, including stroke during or after delivery, premature birth, and risk for stroke well after child-bearing. Pre-eclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and high protein levels in the urine, and when seizure also occurs, it's called eclampsia, the heart association says.
Other stroke risk factors that tend to be stronger or more common in women than men include high blood pressure, migraine with aura (a visual phenomenon such as flashing lights or loss of vision before the headache), atrial fibrillation (a quivering or irregular heartbeat), diabetes, depression and emotional stress, the heart association says.
STORY: How fish oil improves heart health
STORY: Former American Heart Association president tells her stroke story
The new guidelines outline women's stroke risks and offer advice on treating them:
• Women with a history of high blood pressure before pregnancy should be considered for low-dose aspirin and/or calcium supplement therapy to lower pre-eclampsia risks.
• Women who have pre-eclampsia have twice the risk of stroke and a four-times the risk of high blood pressure later in life. Pre-eclampsia should be recognized as a risk factor after pregnancy as well, and other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and obesity in these women should be treated early. Bushnell says women who have had pre-eclampsia should be proactive in alerting their doctors to that fact and start the conversation of stroke-risk assessment.
• Women should be screened for high blood pressure before taking birth control pills because the combination raises stroke risks.
• Pregnant women with moderately high blood pressure (150-159 mmHg/100-109 mmHg) may be considered for blood pressure medication. Expectant mothers with severe high blood pressure (160/110 mmHg or above) should be treated with medication during pregnancy.
• Women who have migraine headaches with aura should stop smoking to avoid higher stroke risks.
• Women over age 75 should be screened for atrial fibrillation risks due to its link to higher stroke risk.
When it comes to preventing obesity, the guidelines suggest women follow a healthy lifestyle consisting of regular physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption (less than one drink a day for non-pregnant women), abstention from cigarette smoking and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, olive oil and low in saturated fat.
About 30% of stroke patients have permanent disability after a stroke such as being unable to walk or speak, but many more have cognitive difficulties and other more subtle changes that keep them from doing what they did before, says Bushnell, an associate professor of neurology and director of the Stroke Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
"Most of my female patients are way more concerned about preventing strokes than preventing heart attacks because of the significant disability associated with strokes," says preventive cardiologist Gina Lundberg, a spokeswoman for the heart association and an assistant professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "Now for the first time we have these guidelines to instruct patients and physicians on preventing strokes. This should have real impact on the care of women."
The heart association and stroke association have a campaign called Together to End Stroke to raise awareness that stroke is largely beatable and treatable. It emphasizes the acronym F.A.S.T., which are ways to identify if a person is having a stroke:
• Face drooping. Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
• Arm weakness. Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• Speech difficulty. Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
• Time to call 911. If a person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.


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May 2, 2013
Contact: Bob Considine (609) 984-1795
Lawrence Ragonese (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
(13/P45) TRENTON – Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin today marked a significant milestone in the Christie Administration's work to remove debris from New Jersey's waterways by overseeing the demolition of a Mantoloking home that was swept virtually intact into Barnegat Bay by Superstorm Sandy's record storm surge.
The home, sitting in the water some 200 feet from the edge of the bay, is one of eight nearly intact homes that Sandy pushed into bays. Two other virtually intact Mantoloking homes were swept into Barnegat Bay, while one home in Monmouth County's Union Beach was pushed into Raritan Bay. Four others in Cumberland County's Lawrence Township were washed into Delaware Bay virtually intact.
"These homes, just like the Jet Star roller coaster swept off Casino Pier and sitting in the ocean off Seaside Heights, have become iconic images of just how powerful and devastating Sandy was – and how this historic storm changed so many lives," Commissioner Martin said during a news conference along the bay in Mantoloking. "The removal of these homes marks a symbolic benchmark in the progress we've made as New Jersey continues to recover and rebuild."
State contractors under the direction of the DEP have been focusing on removing debris from bays, channels, rivers, inlets and other coastal waters since the beginning of March, removing pieces of structures, docks, bulkheads, boats, and cars. Priority is being given to areas that pose a threat to public safety and the environment or impede navigation, with the goal of ensuring waterways are safe for boating and recreation.
"This unprecedented debris cleanup effort has been steady and successful, with 30,000 cubic yards of debris removed from our waters since March," Commissioner Martin said. "We have worked to ensure high quality work in a cost-effective and timely manner, while alleviating burdens on our municipal and county governments. While there is still much work to be done, we remain on track to remove much of the debris by the summer tourist season."
"Today, one of the unfortunate icons of Mantoloking and Superstorm Sandy is going to be dismantled," said Mantoloking Mayor George Nebel. "We cannot forget what happened to our community on Oct. 29. But with the support of the State and the Federal Government, I know that Mantoloking is well on its way to recovery as we embark on an ambitious plan to protect our community from future disaster."
While waterways are open for recreation, the Christie Administration urges the public to exercise caution and be aware of surroundings on the water while cleanup continues.
"The waterways in some areas may be very different than before Superstorm Sandy, and boaters need to adjust their speed accordingly for safety," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. "Always follow commonsense measures, such as wearing a life jacket, and abstaining from alcohol consumption while boating."
Following a four-month effort to remove more than 8 million cubic yards of debris from public rights of way in storm-ravaged communities across the state, the state hired contractors to remove debris from tidal rivers, bays and estuaries from three regions of the state. Agencies that have worked with DEP on this effort include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Transportation's Office of Maritime Resources, State Police Marine Services Bureau, and municipal police in affected areas.
The waterway debris removal project is a large and complex effort, employing boats, barges, cranes and other apparatus to remove debris. It also requires the use of remote sensing, sonar, and other measures to seek out hidden debris. Nearly 60 homes were washed into Barnegat Bay when Sandy slammed the coast Oct. 29. Most broke apart.
Underwater obstructions that cannot be removed immediately are being marked to enable boaters to safely navigate those locations. The DEP will work with the State Police's Marine Services Bureau, New Jersey Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard and municipalities to assess boating safety as cleanup progresses. Navigational and public safety announcements will be issued as needed.
Dredging will take place as needed, with a priority placed on areas where there is a blockage of storm sewer outfalls and shoals near marinas and other heavily traveled areas.
For general information on DEP Sandy recovery efforts and waterway debris removal updates, boating and recreation information, and information on debris removal contracts visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/special/hurricane-sandy/
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Recent studies show that 67% of global marketers rank search engine optimization (SEO) as their top channel for ROI.* SEO has long been ranked by marketers as the most effective demand generation and lead generation tactic.
But SEO best practices shift regularly. What may be a successful SEO tactic this week may be considered harmful the next. How can a marketer keep up with the changes?
We know one of your greatest marketing challenges is staying up to date with all the changes that happen in SEO every day. Marketing Mojo was originally founded as an SEO agency, and our roots remain in SEO today. Our staff stays abreast of current trends and changes and employs only legitimate SEO tactics. Our approach to SEO is holistic, engaging with all types of marketing channels including content and social media.
"Marketing Mojo really brings such a professionalism to what they're doing, but they're also so knowledgeable about the search space. Their core expertise is in search, and they were living and breathing it and always bringing us new ideas."
Clay Dunn
Online Community Manager, Share Our Strength
*Email Marketing Industry Census 2014, Econsultancy/Adestra


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Aberdeen 1 Celtic 1
Celtic's winning run came to an end with a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie against a well-organised Aberdeen.
Anthony Stokes looked to have put the Hoops on course for a 21st consecutive win in domestic competitions when he rounded Jason Brown and slotted the ball home from an acute angle after 28 minutes.
Celtic had not conceded in their previous six matches, but Aberdeen equalised when Gavin Rae's shot took a wicked deflection off Celtic debutant Andre Blackman and flew past Fraser Forster a minute before the break.
A spirited second-half display from Aberdeen helped them continue their own unbeaten run, which now stretches to 12 games.
Defenders Mikael Lustig and Blackman were both handed first starts for Celtic as the visitors made four changes with Kris Commons and Stokes also included in the starting XI.
Manager Neil Lennon had to do without the services of Ki Sung-yueng and Emilio Izaguirre, who had both failed to return in time from international duty, while Swedish defender Daniel Majstorovic was absent after suffering cruciate ligament damage.
The Dons made only one change from the team which drew 1-1 with St Mirren last weekend, with New Zealander Rory Fallon stepping in to replace Youl Mawene, who dropped to the bench.
Celtic had the first chance of a frantic opening period when Rory McArdle upended James Forrest on the edge of the area and Charlie Mulgrew, who earned his first Scotland cap against Slovenia in midweek, hit the woodwork with a well-struck free-kick.
The hosts carved out their first opening after 11 minutes when Rae found Fallon at the back post, but his header drifted wide as the flag went up for offside in any case.
The visitors opened the scoring after 28 minutes when Mulgrew, who was enjoying a rare outing in the centre of midfield, threaded the ball to Commons who in turn fed Stokes to round Brown before turning the ball home from an acute angle.
Aberdeen had Brown to thank 10 minutes later when he had to be alert to keep out Stokes' low free-kick after Blackman had been fouled on the edge of the box.
The Dons were desperately trying to find a route back into the game and the equaliser came a minute before the break when Scott Vernon fed Rae, whose left-foot shot took a wicked deflection off Blackman to leave Forster with no chance.
Aberdeen made a bright start to the second period when Ryan Jack played an inviting cross into the box for the unmarked Fallon, but the striker was unable to connect.
Tempers began to flare when Aberdeen opted not to give the visitors the ball back after Hooper had received treatment for a head knock, before Stokes was fortunate to avoid punishment for catching Jack with a late challenge.
Celtic made their first switch after 59 minutes when Blackman's first appearance came to a premature end and Victor Wanyama was introduced.
The home side should have taken the lead after four minutes later when Rae played in Mitch Megginson, but the youngster dragged his shot wide.
Celtic brought on Dylan McGeouch and Cha Du-ri for Lustig and Commons as they pushed for a second, while Aberdeen were forced to bring on Peter Pawlett after Fraser Fyvie limped off with an injury.
Dons goalkeeper Brown was equal to Stokes' drilled effort and easily held a Hooper header as Lennon's side looked to preserve their winning run.
But the Dons held firm in the closing stages to take a well-earned point and end Celtic's winning run which had stretched back to October.


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G'day Borist,borist wrote:Robbie, did you try to ride your S52 with only 2 back fins? I'm sure it would not be well balanced, but might be doable (riding more on the back foot). Plus very easy to try
I have a Sector 60, not 52.
I used to have a North 2010 race board which had larger rear fin with smaller front fins and this board was very back foot heavy and no where near as comfortable as the Sector. I think that the larger front fins is what makes the Sector so stable and comfortable and changing that would be a step in the wrong direction. I wouldn't mind loosing some of the upwind abilities but so long as the turning is better especially when used in small waves which is what I'm after.
I think I'll look into the windsurfing fins too, sounds like there might be some choice out there!
cheers for now,


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I probably get asked that question about 500 times a year. Every year. For the past 1.5 years. Yep, I'm still trading things. Just not really keeping a website about it. Trading things is fun, and maintaining a website about it was fun, but I figure I kinda peaked on the awesomeness level with that, so I just trade low pro these days. And yes, sometimes I trade things for money and sometimes I trade money for things. But usually I keep it real, do things the old fashioned way and put everything on my visa card.
I also get asked for advice on how to go about trading things. So today I'm happy to share some trading advice I've learned over the years. This advice is cultivated from personal experience, in the same vein as my experience of getting $4 and a microwave, which I wrote a nice little story about. Sure, some of the expenses associated with the advice may leave you in the red slightly, but that's all part of the game. The following trading strategies are all true, and have worked in the past, except one. Can you guess which?
How to get $75 worth of free drinks:
1. Go to Bangkok.
2. Buy a vintage Montreal Expos baseball jersey for 150 Thai Baht at the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
3. Put the jersey on.
4. Go to a bar on Boulevard Des Forges in Trois Rivieres, Quebec.
5. Order a drink.
6. When bartender offers you $50 for the jersey, say thanks, but no thanks.
7. When bartender offers you $80 for the jersey, take if off your back and place it on the bar.
8. Collect $80 from bartender.
9. Pocket the five dollars the jersey cost in the first place.
10. Place the remaining $75 dollars on the bar and collect $75 worth of drinks.
How to get a free Hot Wheels General Lee toy car and ten pieces of Dubble Bubble chewing gum:
1. Wait for the weekend.
2. Drive a Toyota to the flea market in Cloverdale B.C.
3. Find a table selling used CDs for $2 ea.
4. Buy five CDs for $10.
5. Find a table buying used CDs for $3 ea.
6. Sell five CDs for $15.
7. Walk over to the nice man selling the General Lee toy car and trade $4.50 for it.
8. Drive to gas station and buy ten pieces of delicious Dubble Bubble chewing gum.
9. Spend the remainder of the weekend playing with your General Lee toy car and laugh at Pud's latest exploits.
How to go rafting on the Bow river in Calgary for free:
1. Go to a big hardware/outdoors store, like perhaps the NW Calgary Canadian Tire location at 5404 Dalton Drive NW that has the following phone number: 403-288-1100
2. Purchase an inflatable boat and foot pump.
3. Drive a spare car to the city centre of Calgary, and leave it there.
4. Place the boat and pump in a 2001 Jeep TJ and drive upstream a ways.
5. Inflate boat with pump and toss it in the river.
6. Jump in boat before it floats away.
7. Enjoy an afternoon of river rafting.
8. Get out of river when you get to your spare car.
9. Deflate boat, put it and foot pump back in box and on the way to pick up 2001 Jeep TJ, return both for a full refund.
How to get a 1990 Burgundy Dodge Caravan:
1. Go to a convenience store on Commercial Drive in Vancouver.
2. Purchase a Mustache Match scratch and win lottery ticket for one dollar from cashier named Wally.
3. Scratch to reveal three handlebar mustaches, a $1000 prize.
4. Collect your winfall.
5. Buy 1000 Mustache Match scratch and win lottery tickets with the $1000 winfall.
6. Spend all day scratching the 1000 Mustache Match scratch and wins.
7. Return to convenience store to collect your winnings.
8. Realize your winnings are only $493 dollars.
9. Walk to the sidewalk with $493 dollars in your hand.
10. See 1990 Burgundy Dodge Caravan for sale on side of road for $450 dollars.
11. Call number on for sale sign.
12. Talk to Wally, person selling van, and realize he is the same Wally who was the cashier in the convenience store.
13. Offer Wally $493 for his van.
14. Drive home in your new van.
How get 2 sundaes and a dollar of store credit at WAL-MART:
1. Buy bicycle from garage sale for $10.
2. Go to WAL-MART and buy cable bike lock, on sale for $12.
3. Lock your bicycle to a metal fence in Montreal.
4. Cross your fingers and hope that if somebody steals your bike they have the courtesy to leave the clipped remains of the cable bike lock on the sidewalk.
5. Uncross fingers after that happens.
6. Wait a few days until the bike lock is no longer on sale and return, without a receipt, remains of the cable bike lock to WAL-MART, as it was a faulty product.
7. Get Wal-Mart store credit for $25
8. Go to in-sore McDonalds and buy 2 sundaes for $2
8. Enjoy sundaes and think of all the wonderful things you can purchase with your one dollar of WAL-MART store credit.
How to get a matching set of beige suits:
1. Walk along a sidewalk in Vancouver until you come to a low-hanging Billboard covered in actual bobblehead NHL hockey players.
2. Wait for lady passenger in a convertible to pull up to the light and say: "Hey, wanna grab me an Inginla?"
3. Grab her an Iginla.
4. Convince lady passenger in convertible to buy Iginla bobblehead for five dollars.
5. Drive to sale in gymnasium of nearby school and buy two plastic goalie masks for five dollars.
6. Take goalie masks to Sport Junkies and exchange them for twenty dollars.
collect ?``
7. Go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul charity thrift store at the corner of Main and 12th and purchase two beige suits for nineteen dollars and twenty five cents.
8. Tell the cashier to keep the change.
I think that's enough advice for now, but if you need any more trading strategies, please feel free to ask.
Your pal,