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languorous autodidact ✦
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The MobileRead Literary Book Club September 2011 Discussion: Unbroken
It is now time to discuss our September selection, Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Certainly this so far has been a controversial pick for the literary book club. As of yet there have been no volunteers to lead the discussion but anyone may do so or contribute with discussion-leading posts at any time.
Any of you may post your thoughts whenever you like and everyone is free to join in the discussion. Let us begin!
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When I began Unbroken I was rather disappointed with the first section. Probably the strong point of Laura Hillenbrand's style is her ability to marshall carefully researched factual material into a coherent pattern. In that first part dealing with Louis Zamperini's disturbed childhood, I feel that she missed an opportunity to develop the deeper effects of those years on the adult who became so astonishingly heroic in later life. A couple examples spring to mind. When Louis prays on the ocean, he mentions that it is only the second time it has happened in his life; the first was when his mother became ill. This love for his mother is not really developed to any extent in the opening section. In the same part of the book he has a heightened spiritual experience. The roots of this spirituality must have been there when he was young but Hillenbrand never really attempts to approach that area. All she ever says is that this kind of destructive delinquency made him "tough" and the solution was found when his brother got him to run. IMO, that sounds too simplistic. Perhaps she should have explored the causes of changes in his character more than she did. I accept that she does give a great deal of material about that time in Zamperini's life--I just think that she could have analysed it more carefully and more seriously.
Once past the opening section, the book improves enormously both in style and substance. The simple--almost pedestrian quality of the prose is more effective here than in the first section as it allows the events to make a direct impact. The vivid and precise factual detail brings the entire epoch to life. Other individuals associated with Louis fill out the texture, elaborate the themes and we find ourselves involved in a powerful dramatisation of the capability of humans to rise above adversity--much of which is caused by the fallibility of human nature itself. While warfare, by its very nature, tends to polarise values, cultures, and nationalities--in this book not all Americans are portrayed as perfect and heroic and not all Japanese are villainous. The spiritual development of Zamperini is one which encompassed the whole person and despite the cauldron of physical and emotional suffering he goes through, he asserts and validates his humanity. It is this intrinsic humanity which always remains unbroken and from which we can all take heart.
Last edited by fantasyfan; 09-19-2011 at 08:34 AM.
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I commented in the nomination thread, so I'll just repeat myself in this one...
I liked the book, but don't think it should have been included in the literature book club. It was a great, fascinating story, but the writing didn't do much for me. It would have been a great book for the other book club.
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I did not read this book for several reasons. I have a question about one of them. I read that he had a spiritual awakening and interacted with Billy Graham which I interpreted as pages about him being a born again fundamentalist. I get enough of this with certain family members so I passed on the book.
My question is does he have a spiritual awakening or is he born again? And if he is born again is it a big part of the book or ignorable?
I can ignore a moderate amount of religion in a book. Is this a book where I can tune the religion out?
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The subject of Louie Zamperini's religious transformation does not come up until chapter 38 of the book. There are 39 chapters. The following excerpt from a Voice of America article explains more:
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Thanks, That sounds doable. I might give the book a channce.
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I think Louie's story is very interesting. And we learned a lot about what life was like for a lot of the POW's of the Japanese. We thought the German's were bad. The Japanese were a lot worse.
Louie was an honorable man in the face of what he went through. He did endure a lot of hardship, but he never gave up or gave in.
The religious aspect is not really all that much and it's not something that's in your face. It's a part of Louie's life. But there is nothing there to turn anyone off (IMHO).
For those who did not read this because you thought it wasn't literature, you are dead wrong. Literature is not about fancy words or prose. It's about telling the story in a way that grips the reader and keeps the reader reading more. It's telling the story so that you get a lot out of it. Unbroken definitely is literature. Some of the books that are called literature may have fancy writing and good prose, but if the story is not interesting, it's not really literature.
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The first part was critical to set the stage on why Louie responded to the POW experience so differently than others did. It was also important to understand his family and how they reacted to the news that he was missing. That must have been a horrific experience not to know whether your loved one was missing or dead, living in this state of limbo. I was emotionally affected by the discussion of the mothers of the missing men who were on the Green Hornet's last flight. I especially reacted to the scene where Louie's mother finds out that he is really alive.
I did not know that Japan broadcast radio shows featuring Allied POW's. If you would like to learn more, then here is a link to an interesting Wikipedia article on this topic.
Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 10-02-2011 at 01:46 PM. Reason: Fixed typos
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I finished reading this a few days ago.
Overall, I was disappointed with Hillenbrand's writing style. She obviously spent a lot of time on research and fact-checking, but then sometimes veered into sentimentality and guessing what people were thinking/feeling/doing as if it were fact, which irked me for a non-fiction account.
I could give many specific examples or irksome details she used but for now I'll suffice with one - Louie's family being "certain" he was still alive during all that time. She wrote it as if this were unique to families of missing people, and she hit us over the head with it over and over and over. Every time the story cut back to his family, she mentioned it again. And what about the other Green Hornet families? They were probably all certain that their family members were alive too, though they would have all been wrong. And besides that, I got the feeling that his family must have had doubts that he was dead - and Hillenbrand even alluded once or twice to his family possibly wondering if he may be dead, and then in the next sentence would assert that they were all positive he was alive!
Also as became clear by POW section, the story was certainly R-rated and with shades of grey, and I'm glad she didn't shy away from necessary information or details of camp life, but in other sections she seemed to not be able to help herself by lapsing into this black-and-white PG-rated storytelling mode that I can't help but wonder if the PG-mode was the way she wrote the entirety of "Seabiscuit".
She also had a strange habit of inserting "big" words into the text here and there, but I have to wonder if she knew what they all meant because some were incongruous in context - it was as if she originally had used simpler words and then used a thesaurus to choose more complex words without checking to make sure that the more complex words' meanings fit as well.
I also didn't like the title of the book. I thought it was presumptive similar to her writing style sometimes. Louie certainly seemed broken by the end of the POW camp experience and seemed about to die, and he definitely seemed broken back home with his wife before his spiritual revelation. I just think the title takes away from an ordinary man enduring all these ordeals and, again, puts everything into more of a black-and-white sort of light. I understand the pressure to come up with a catchy and simple title for mass-market consumption but I would've rathered a more subtle title given the entire story.
All in all I thought Hillenbrand seemed to be at odds with her own style somewhat, striving at times for something more but other times settling for something less.
The story itself however is certainly amazing and worthy of a book.
I thought the most compelling part by far was the time at sea on the lifeboat. There are millions of POWs to tell stories but there are only a few plane wreck survivors who survived in the ocean over a month to tell stories. I also have an interest in ocean wrecks and survivors and that sort of thing, so that entire section was very interesting to me, in fact I loved reading that part. To read about the differences in how they handled their situation between the three of them and how their level of optimism essentially determined their fate was incredible. It almost reads as fiction which makes it more incredible that it was true.
I also never knew sharks were that aggressive to lifeboats.
Did anyone else die a little when they just barely didn't make it to that island and those houses? They were so close to land and some sort of safety, and then just to get whisked up by the Japanese at the very last minute was terrible. It does make one wonder though - if the Japanese hadn't seen them, would they perhaps have died in those houses either by starving, disease or some other Japanese finding them and killing them first? In a way being captured could've saved their lives.
As for the POW experience - it was interesting to me learning a little history about the Japanese. I've never been a fan of reading or learning about war so hadn't known much about the Japanese and WWII except for the basics everyone knows.
I was shocked at the way they treated their POWs and shocked reading about their their cultural views on the world at the time. No wonder it is something the Japanese do not like to talk about. These POW camps were barely one step above concentration camps in their treatment of prisoners.
It also angered me at the end when the POW memorial they put up in that small Japanese town had a dual memorial to their guards who (for the most part) abused them and lived through it and went back to normal Japanese life afterwards. I don't think you will ever see a dual memorial to Nazi guards beside a concentration camp memorial so that struck me as very distasteful.
In the end Louie's story is very fascinating - from being part of an outcast immigrant family to being a rebellious teen to being an Olympic runner to having his dreams cut short and having to join the army for WWII to surviving a plane crash to surviving sharks and enemy plane fire and starvation and the open ocean for over a month to then surviving abusive POW camps in Japan for years to being hand-picked because of his Olympic fame for even harsher treatment as a POW (even though his Olympic fame probably saved his and another man's life when they were first captured) to surviving all that and living into his nineties and still being alive today (!).
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I like airplanes so while researching the Japanese Zero I came across this military training video starring Ronald Reagan. The link to the list of Allied propaganda films from WW2 is interesting too.
There are great photos of the B24 aircraft at this google link. Also you can find loads of videos of the B24 and B29 on YouTube.
I especially liked the image of the B24's on the assembly line at Willow Run, where in full production they could produce one B24 per hour. That's an unbelievable, amazing rate to assemble 1,225,000 parts! Here is a YouTube video produced by the Ford Motor Company about Willow Run and the manufacture of the B24.
Links like these make me think of the effort that everyone (including those at home and not on the fighting front-lines) put into the war effort. There are several airfields around my area that were used for training pilots during the war. Not just American pilots but also British and Chinese. I drive past one of these airfields everyday. Now it sits empty and there are carcasses of modern aircraft resting there that you can see from the road. The discussion in the book about Louie's training experiences made me think about how these airfields near me must have been used. I was shocked by the statistic that nearly 15,000 personnel died stateside during the war due to aircraft accidents most likely never seeing any combat (reference page 81 of the EPUB version). Because of the climate of the Southwest, they still do much training here today. In fact, Prince Harry just arrived in the US this week to train for several weeks on helicopters in the middle-of-nowhere Arizona.
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Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 10-08-2011 at 02:20 PM.
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I had a problem with the bit about the chocolate in the life raft. The story changed after the two men on the raft with Louis were dead.
There was sense that here weren't many POWs at the camp. There were 750 men there.
Focusing on one man eliminated the horror of what took place in Japanese POW camps.
It wasn't a good book in my opinion. The writer didn't know enough about WWII in the Pacific Theater to write this story.
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It seems that too much time has passed since the electric guitar has been aptly rediscovered by a recent artist who is willing to immerse themselves in the task of mastering the instrument. Though a great tool for novice musicians to bang out their latest four-chord masterpiece, most opt out of discovering its true potential. Not to mention, pop radio has all but literally driven guitar-laden music into virtual obscurity, making the search for a seasoned and proficient musician even more challenging.
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Bonamassa's appearance Friday evening at Detroit's Fox Theater was all-encompassing. Having never witnessed him live and not knowing what to expect, it was inspiring to see this gifted artist, in the prime of his career, have such a polished and unique performance. Initially noted, was the 5000-seater venue filled to capacity. With the Motor City having welcomed Joe in the past, it was plain to see that those in attendance were there to experience something that contemporary radio has long but forgotten – "blues-powered rock 'n' roll".
Having picked up his first guitar at four years old after watching a VHS copy of Cream's Farewell Concert at Royal Albert Hall, his shows seem to pay homage to those who inspired him. Though promoting his now tenth studio release "Driving Towards the Daylight", roughly half of Bonamassa's set list featured incredible covers from blues legends. An acoustic version of Paul Rogers' "Seagull" opened the night followed by the Charles Mingus classic "Jelly Roll" and Tom Waits "Jockey Full of Bourbon". Welcoming Detroit's own Jim McCarty on stage, the two traded licks while performing Bobby Blue Bland's energetic "Further on Up the Road" and Jeff Beck's tasty "Blues Deluxe".
Throughout the night his hefty collection of Gibson guitars served to express the true feeling that Joe put into each note he played. And if you weren't floored by his incredible tone and blistering solos, you could not have walked away from this show unaware of his equally impressive voice. Like any seasoned blues vocalist, Bonamassa revealed the rasp, inflection and emotion behind not only his lyrics, but as well in his versions of classic covers. In most cases, his interpretation vocally, seemed to rival that of the original. With a distinct timbre and inflection in his voice, he will no doubt be hailed as one of the great blues guitar/vocalists of this century.
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For the entire decade-plus of my blogging career, Republicans in Minnesota keep anticipating that they can turn the state red, or at least purple, in national elections. In the entirety of that period, the GOP routinely falls short. The high-water mark was probably the 2004 national election in which George Bush got within four points of John Kerry in the one state that never voted for Ronald Reagan, or perhaps the 2010 election in which the GOP took control of both chambers of the state legislature — while losing every statewide race at the same time. Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney by eight points in 2012, though, as Democrats took control of the legislature once again.
Republican pollsters started hinting earlier that incumbents Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton could find themselves in serious trouble in 2014, though, thanks to the drag from Obama and ObamaCare. A new KSTP/ Survey USA independent poll shows they may well be right:
According to our KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, Obama's approval rating is just 36 percent in Minnesota, with 54 percent disapproving and 10 percent not sure. That's down from a 55 percent approval rating in Sept. 2009.
The news is a little better for the two Democratic incumbents, however:
By comparison, Dayton and Franken have higher approval ratings, but both are below the key 50 percent threshold often seen as key to a strong re-election bid.
Dayton's approval rating among Minnesotans is 49 percent, with 40 percent disapproving and 12 percent not sure. He has the support of 76 percent of Democrats, 44 percent if independents and 27 percent of Republicans.
Franken's approval rating near the end of his first term in the U.S. Senate is 46 percent. Another 42 percent disapprove and 13 percent are not sure. Franken has approval of 72 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Republicans. His most worrisome numbers might be his 46 percent disapproval among independents versus 41 percent who approve.
The big drag for Democrats will be the perception of MNSure and ObamaCare. This survey took place in the first week of April, as the White House took its "victory lap" over their claim to have exceeded their open-enrollment goal of 7 million insured through the exchanges. Minnesotans are highly unimpressed with those claims of success. Approval of the MNSure state exchange is a dismal 31/44, but it's even worse for ObamaCare in general — 33/54. With a D/R/I of 33/26/35, it's pretty clear that the Democrats are barely holding their base on ObamaCare.
Still, it will take a solid effort from Republicans to ensure that the party can hold these incumbents accountable for their actions on ObamaCare. The state party has had lots of organizational issues over the last few years, and hasn't won a statewide office since 2006, when Tim Pawlenty barely won re-election in a three-way race — and the GOP lost all of the other statewide races on that ballot. The endorsement/primary process in Minnesota practically guarantees disunity and infighting (also true of Democrats, but they will run incumbents and avoid that problem).
If it was far too soon for Obama to take a victory lap in ObamaCare, it's still too soon to assume that its failure will seriously threaten the two incumbents the GOP would most like to retire here in Minnesota. It does, however, offer some enticing hope for Republicans to get involved and restore some organizational strength to the state party.


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Bottom Shelf Beer: Rheingold Lager
Will Gordon drinks his way through the bottom shelf of the liquor store...so you don't have to.
Complacency is a very dangerous state of mind, which is why I just put Grape-Nuts in my leftover black bean soup. It's not February anymore, people: We can no longer be content to merely make it through breakfast without tears or blood or whiskey. These March days are here to be seized in a hopeful and high-fiber way.
A few days ago I would have considered myself lucky just to have the leftover soup, but I'm trying to break free of the holding pattern of February survivalism by making the most out of every soup and Nut. I urge you all to do the same. It's high time we make something of ourselves and our breakfasts around here. Don't just settle for any old bullshit that was good enough last month.
We all go through certain periods where the most realistic goal is simply to hang in there, but March 2012 is not going to be one of those times, kittens. We need to model ourselves on the more ambitious motivational posters, the ones with mountains and dragons and pole vaulters and the like. If in February we paid the rent, in March we're going to pay the rent and the gas bill. If in February we wore pants every time we went out in public, in March those pants are going to have zippers. If in February we watched college basketball with passive interest, in March we're going to watch it with active interest.
The NCAA men's basketball tournament is my favorite sporting event, and this year it's going to double as my favorite get-less-broke-quick scheme. I'm going to bet everything I have—currently several dozen dollars and at least as many half-empty Bottom Shelf schnapps samples—on Syracuse University to win. I'm actually rooting for them to lose the last couple games of the regular season so I can get more favorable odds in the tournament. If everything goes according to plan (and it pretty much always does), I should have a bank account in the mid triple figures come this time in April. Beer's on me!
I went to Syracuse several thousand years ago. I liked it, because college is a likeable thing when your parents are paying for it and you're studying communications. Not a ton of stress involved, which leaves plenty of time to care about the basketball team. This year's Orange are the best I've seen, and they're fun to watch too. They're all so tall and fast and jumpy, and one of them is named Fab! But before staking my financial future on teenage strangers who nominally represent my alma mater, I had to make sure I was being rational and not just acting out of nostalgia.
Some of my favorite young-adult memories involve playing and watching basketball in the great gray north of Central New York, and as much as I value those memories, I find nostalgia to be one of the few forces as potentially dangerous as complacency. You let yourself get too caught up in glorifying the past and pretty soon you're voting for a bigot or eating a Filet O Fish.
A lot of beer marketing is based on nostalgia. The most egregious example is Trader Joe's Simpler Times lager. I know this is the Cambridge in me talking, but every time I see Simpler Times on the shelf it strikes me as vaguely racist. This is horribly unfair to the good Trader, but my internal monologue always jumps to "Oh, right, you mean those bygone times when we kept the Japanese in internment camps? Or back a little further, in the truly good old days before we let women vote?"
But for all my vigilance, I am also susceptible to nostalgia-based beer marketing. My greatest disappointment on the Bottom Shelf was the realization that I don't like Schlitz nearly as much as I'd always thought. I spent 10 years claiming Schlitz was my favorite cheap beer, and the recipe did change recently so maybe I was telling the truth for eight of those 10 years, but it's just as likely that I desperately wanted to identify with something with such a cool name.
Among retro brews currently attempting comebacks, I regard Schlitz as a notable failure and Narragansett as a resounding success. Next up is Rheingold Lager.
Rheingold is an old-time New York City beer currently brewed in Pennsylvania. It was introduced in 1883 and in the middle of the last century it captured a third of the New York beer market. Then it went away in the 1970s for the same reason other beers of its kind did: It couldn't compete with the national brands. It's come and gone in fits and starts since being brought out of retirement in 1998, and we all want to like it, because who doesn't want to prefer a classic regional lager to Budweiser?
Bad news, forward-lookers: The Rheiny (let's assume its adherents call it Rheiny) I picked up last week in the Boston suburbs has a cool name, a cool label, a cool back story, and a terrible flavor. It smells like sweet musty corn, and the flavor is so sweet as to be almost fruity. Rheingold is one of the least hoppy beers I can remember tasting, and the nicest thing I can say about it is that the lack of balance makes it distinct. This doesn't taste like "just another crappy macro-lager," but in my opinion it tastes worse.
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text:
VANCOUVER — It was a Moonlight Graham moment, a minute that will last a lifetime for Jordan Sigalet.
Archie (Moonlight) Graham was a baseball player, made famous by W.P Kinsella's book Shoeless Joe and the film Field of Dreams, whose entire major league career comprised a half-inning appearance for the New York Giants in 1905.
"You know, we just don't realize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening," Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, said in the movie. "Back then I thought, well, there'll be other days. I didn't realize that that was the only day."
Archie Graham never got to bat. Jordan Sigalet never got to make a save.
But the goaltender from Cloverdale knew exactly the magnitude of his moment when he played the final 43 seconds of the Boston Bruins' 6-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 7, 2006.
It was a triumph for Sigalet, who three years earlier had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while playing for Bowling Green University and told by doctors he would have to give up hockey.
A seventh-round draft pick of the Bruins in 2001, Sigalet spent four years in professional hockey. But that night against Tampa was Sigalet's only game in the National Hockey League.
"With 43 seconds left I looked up and (starting goalie) Andrew Raycroft was kind of hunched over at the bench due to an ankle sprain," Sigalet recalled Friday. "Right away, I put my mask on and hopped over the boards. I didn't see a shot. But to be out there on the ice in an NHL game after being told that I would never play again was a dream come true.
"I read somewhere that I have the shortest NHL career in terms of minutes played. But I would have been happy just being on the bench in the NHL and practising with an NHL club. To step out on the ice in a game really was a dream come true."
Graham's impact was made as a doctor, not a baseball player, who devoted his life to the people of Chisholm, Minn. Sigalet is only 31, so it's too soon to say what his greatest contribution to society will be.
It may be as a coach. He is in his second American Hockey League season with the Abbotsford Heat, instructing the Calgary Flames' minor-league goalies.
But maybe Sigalet's mark will be made as an advocate, educating people about MS and serving as an example or inspiration to others who have the disease that can ravage the nervous system.
Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding revealed this week he has MS. He and Sigalet exchanged text messages on Thursday and planned to speak Friday.
"It's a really courageous thing he did," Sigalet said. "It only took him a month to go public with it. It took me six or nine months — I can't remember off the top of my head — because I was worried how people would perceive it. It's tough, but this is a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He can talk about it and talk to other people who are going through what he's going through on a daily basis.
"Just by (communicating with) him and reading the articles about him, he's got the right attitude and support from the organization, his teammates and his family. Attitude is one of the biggest things. Sometimes you get that why-me attitude and just feel sorry for yourself and since everyone else feels bad for you, you can't really pick yourself up and keep going. I think Josh will, for sure."
Sigalet spent three seasons with the Bruins' farm team in Providence before ending his playing career with a winter in Europe. He is grateful the Bruins judged him on performance and not by his disease, which Sigalet insists did not lead to his retirement.
"There were a lot of doubters," he said. "MS can affect your balance, your vision. You think about goaltending, those things are very important. Catching the disease early and getting on medication right away (helped). I think the stigma was the hardest part. You hear MS and Google it, and you always see the worst things. It's different with everybody. Josh could have the one little episode that he had and never have another attack the rest of his life."
Sigalet said there are good and bad days with the disease "but everyone has bad days whether you have MS or not and you just try to get through them."
In Providence, sponsors donated money to MS research for each save Sigalet made. He and his family have staged dinners in Burnaby to raise awareness and funds to fight the disease. His MS diagnosis during his junior year at college came after Sigalet experienced numbness in his right foot.
Besides working for the Heat, Sigalet is a partner in Pro-Formance Goalie Schools in Metro Vancouver.
"Ever since I was diagnosed, I wanted to make something good out of the situation," he said. "Hockey is a great tool to use to raise awareness about the disease and also raise some money.
"Some people have an attack and just get progressively worse and worse. But you can only look at each day and be thankful for the health you have now. For me, I always thought it could be worse. When the doctor walked into my hospital room that day and the first words out of his mouth were 'things don't look good,' I expected to hear I had cancer or a brain tumour. So to hear MS was almost a relief. It could have been something a lot worse, and I've kind of let that motivate me.
"MS affected my career and my life in a lot of ways. But a lot of those ways have been positive; I know that sounds funny. It has made me a stronger person."
And grateful for those 43 seconds in the NHL and everything else he has achieved so far.
On Twitter: Twitter.com/imacvansun


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dealerships found
Page 1 of 1
The table above lists all the franchised dealers located in Shifnal, Shropshire. Alternatively, at the top of the page you will find a Shifnal map illustrating the location of each dealership.
Our Shifnal dealership data is reviewed and updated continuously however, should you spot any incorrect information, please contact us and we will amend our Shifnal dealership records.
If you would like to view other franchised dealerships within Shropshire or wish to see dealers located in towns near Shifnal then please click on the county page breadcrumb at the top of this page.


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May 14, 2009
Release # 09-220
Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 236-5683
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Folding Toy Beach Chair for Stuffed Animals
Units: About 260,000 chairs in the United States and 9,700 in Canada
Importer: Build-A-Bear Workshop®, of St. Louis, Mo.
Hazard: This toy chair legs can bruise, pinch or cut fingers if caught while folding.
Incidents/Injuries: There have been eight injuries reported.
Description: This recall involves a wood frame, canvas seat, toy beach chair for stuffed animals. Some styles include an attached pillow. The toy chairs are blue (style #'s 002281, 004463, 009907, 011565, 102281, 109907, 111565), red (style #'s 007391, 011566, 107391, 111566), fuchsia/white stripe (style #'s 013226, 113226), Orange/white stripe (style #'s 013227, 113227).
Sold by: Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide and online at www.buildabear.com from March 2001 through October 2008 for about $8 in the US and from March 2003 through October 2008 in for about $10 in Canada.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Return the toy beach chair to any Build-A-Bear Workshop store to receive an $8 USD/$10 CDN store coupon. If it is not possible to return the toy chair to a store, you can contact the company for alternate instructions on receiving a refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact the Build-A-Bear Workshop toll-free at (866) 236-5683 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT, Saturday 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT, or visit the company's Web site at www.buildabear.com (PDF)
Note: Health Canada's press release can be seen at http://220.127.116.11/PR/recall-retrait-e.jsp?re_id=748
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800


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AndroGel Lawsuits Filed for Stroke and Heart Attack - Attorneys Handling Testosterone Lawsuits Offer No-Cost, No-Obligation AndroGel Case Review
Information about AndroGel Lawsuits from Lawyers Handling Testosterone Lawsuits Nationwide
Men taking testosterone replacement drugs face a two- and three-fold risk for heart attack and stroke, recent research has revealed. Federally-approved only for men facing genuine medical problems stemming from low testosterone serum levels known as hypogonadism, testosterone replacement therapies are widely used in the U.S. and around the world for a variety of maladies. Endocrinologists and researchers highlight the lack of evidence supporting the benefits of testosterone therapy, syaing heart attack and stroke risks outweigh the drug's potential benefits.
In fact, the use of testosterone boosting drugs has tripled in the U.S. since 2001. AbbVie, the maker of AndroGel, and other companies that sell similar testosterone products, have rebranded hypogonadism as "Low T", launching aggressive disease awareness campaigns that encourage men to self-diagnose. Marketing websites for AndroGel and other testosterone products imply the drug can be used to improve mood, increase libido, and boost energy, while skimming over the cardiovascular risks associated with taking testosterone. Many experts have suggested that marketing for testosterone replacement therapies such as AndroGel has outpaced research on the medical implications of the product. Testosterone products are now the subject of warnings from the FDA and Consumer Reports based on AndroGel heart attack and stroke risks.
Testosterone products have become some of the most popular prescription drugs in the world and have yielded billions in profits to drug companies. Three million prescriptions were written for AndroGel alone during 2012. Total sales of testosterone boosting drugs exceeded $2 billion in 2012, and are projected to reach $5 billion by 2017.
If you or a loved one experienced a stroke or heart attack while taking AndroGel or another similar product, testosterone lawyers believe you may have grounds to file a testosterone lawsuit for damages, harm, or loss suffered as a result of a heart attack or stroke. The makers of AndroGel and other testosterone drugs were aware of the risks of cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke, yet have continued to market their products widely. Each AndroGel lawsuit that is filed will serve to increase AbbVie's accountability to consumers for the safety of its product. The AndroGel Testosterone Lawsuit Center serves as a public resource on heart attack risks and stroke risks, including information on testosterone FDA warnings, how to choose an AndroGel lawyer, and how to file a testosterone lawsuit.


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Published statements from both the church and the government in El Salvador are raising hopes that the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Oscar Romero may occasion an official announcement of his beatification.
San Salvador Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas told a press conference Feb. 7 that the bishops of El Salvador had written to Rome to ask that Romero be canonized "as soon as possible." Escobar cautioned that he had received no official word from the Vatican, but said the bishops would like to be able to give everyone the good news that Romero was declared "Blessed" on the anniversary day. Romero was assassinated while saying Mass on March 24, 1980.
Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, who represents the political wing of the leftist rebels in El Salvador's 1980-92 civil war, said when he was elected in March 2009 that he sought the "kind of government envisioned by Monseñor Romero," including a commitment to the "option for the poor," a phrase found in church documents and in liberation theology, which holds that the Gospel rejects the historic disequilibrium between privilege and wealth of the few and the vast poverty of the majority in many Latin American countries.
In a Jan. 17, 2010, statement, Funes formally apologized for the government's role in human rights abuses during the civil war. Last November, he acknowledged official complicity in the 1989 murders of six priests, their housekeeper and her daughter on the campus of the Jesuits' Central American University in San Salvador. Funes is widely expected to mark the Romero anniversary with a similar admission of government involvement in Romero's death, clearing away any concerns that canonization might create a breach between the Vatican and the Salvadoran state.
Romero's canonization could strengthen both Funes' political and economic reforms and the church's call for a process of truth and reconciliation, stalled by a general amnesty for war crimes that was built into the 1993 peace accords. Romero's canonization would also help the church counter the wave of conversions of Latin America's historically Catholic population to Pentecostal movements.
The cause for sainthood seemed on track in 2005 with formal verification from the Vatican that Romero's writings contained no doctrinal errors and with strong support from Pope John Paul II, who had personally added Romero's name to a list of slain church workers during a ceremony in Rome in May 2000 for contemporary martyrs.
But John Paul's death in 2005 and the election of Pope Benedict XVI seemed to slow the process over charges by some in the hierarchy that Romero is too closely tied to liberation theology's emphasis on social transformation and church involvement in politics. While Benedict praised Romero in 2007 as a "great witness for the faith and a man of great Christian virtue who worked for peace," he also permitted an aggressive probe of the writings of Jesuit Fr. Jon Sobrino, El Salvador's most prominent liberation theologian and a key advisor to Romero in the final years of his life. Sobrino, a tireless promoter of Romero as an embodiment of the "church of the poor," said in August 2009 that he feared Romero's canonization would be delayed for political reasons and that his legacy would be watered down over time.
What happens -- or does not happen -- during the upcoming ceremonies in San Salvador will be closely watched for signs that the road to sainthood is either open or being extended. Romero, controversial in death as in life and already revered throughout the world, is likely to continue to influence the direction of both church and state in the Americas.
[Patrick Marrin, editor of Celebration, NCR's sister publication, will be in El Salvador to cover the Romero anniversary.]


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Yamaha Clavinova CLP-645DW
- Keyboard type: NWX (Natural Wood X) with action point and synthetic Ivory surface
- Keys: 88
- Sound generation: CFX Sampling
- Piano Effects: Binaural and Key-Off Sampling, Smooth Release, Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM)
- Polyphony: 256
- Effects: Reverb, Chorus, Brilliance, Master Effect, IAC (Intelligent Acoustic Control) und Optimiser
- Modes: Dual, split and four hands mode
- Metronome: Yes
- Sequencer: 250 songs, 16 tracks
- MP3/WAV Player/Recorder: Wave Player and Recorder
- Connections: 2 x Phones, Aux in, Aux out, MIDI (in/out/thru), USB to Host, USB to Device
- Memory: USB Flash drive
- USB / MIDI: USB to Host, USB to Device, MIDI (in/out)
- Power (watts rms): 2x (25 W + 25 W)
- Display: LCD with 128 x 64 Pixels
- Colour / Finish: dark Walnut
- Finish: satined
- Weight: 60,0 kg
- Key Cover: Yes
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 1461 x 927 x 459 mm
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Including: Power cable, user manual
Yamaha Clavinova CLP-645DW · Digital Piano
The Digital Pianos from the Yamaha Clavinova CLP series bring perfect piano sound to your home, studio or at your venue. Its Advanced Wave Memory tone generation used to produce each note of multiple samples of a real grand piano and the Graded Hammer Effect gives each key a natural resistance that increases from the upper to the lower keys. The Graded Hammer and Natural Wood keyboard with damper sensor provide a grand piano behavior that is virtually indistinguishable from that of the original instrument. A great sounding piano.
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text:
1WeddingSource necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 34 diseños de 11 diseñadores freelance.
Wedding Planning Website looking for site redesign. Currently our design is very confusing to our end user " The Bride" planning her special day. We are looking to be her complete source for all her wedding planning needs.
Looking for a complete reskin of our website. Currently brides come to the site and dont know where to go or what to click. They seem overwhelmed and confused. The focus of our homepage should be to get the bride to provide her wedding date, and email address while showing her the benefits of becoming a member of 1WeddingSource. Benefits include Free Wedding Website, Bridal Planning Tools, Local Wedding Resources, Discounts and Savings, Photos and Video's, & Bridal Checklists. Our second goal is to get the bride to shop for wedding service providers such as DJ's, Photographers, etc..in her particular city or zip code. We want this site to be VERY clean similiar to weddingwire.com and theknot.com.
- Critical to highlight bargains/values related to wedding purchases (vacations, clothing, jewelry etc) upfront - check out our competitor's website "theknot" - its impressive, eye catching, easy to navigate, with a wedding shop on the top right hand side of the page and a resort finder below it, supported by real life / high quality pictures etc etc
- Future expandability to accommodate European, Latin, Asian sites
- Main Navigation to include Home, Plan My Wedding, Shopping, Gossip, Local Resources, Video, Blog, Articles and Advice. Similar to TheKnot.com
- Looking for a new LOGO...something easily applied to business cards, print, t-shirts, a Billion Dollar Brand Image.
- Emphasis on getting a bride to enter her wedding date, and email address. If she does not have a wedding date picked out, have an option that reads "Date not set yet".
- We really like the look of WeddingWire.com. Clean, simple, and directs the Bride to opt-in and become a member. Must show benefits of becoming a member....Its Free to sign up and plan your entire wedding here.
- Our local wedding vendors pay our bills by advertising on our site. Therefor, we must also emphasize the importance of selecting a city, zip and category to get our brides to start shopping for local wedding professionals that advertise with us. Similar to WeddingWire.com
- Must design the site with the two large Banners on Top and Side Right.
- We like the white, with Pastel <Easter> Colors...Pale Greens, Pinks, Light Blues, Purples
- We LOVE cartoons.
- Top small navigation to say Log In, Join Now, Are You a Vendor?
- Too Cluttered
- Too Confusing


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A Literary Approach to Genesis
For some time now, I've been teaching through the book of Genesis in my Sunday School class. About the time I got to the Abraham cycle, one of our developers finished a new commentary on Genesis by Bruce Waltke, and it was submitted to me for final checks. This fortuitous timing led me to begin using the pre-release module in my Sunday School preparation.
Like many of you, my main method of using commentaries in Accordance is to view them in a parallel pane together with the Biblical text. When I first opened Waltke on Genesis in a parallel pane, I was rather surprised at the brevity of the verse-by-verse commentary.
Looking at the screenshot above, you can see that the comments, while helpful, are more what you would expect from a good study Bible than a commentary that devotes more than 600 pages to a single book of the Bible. That's because Waltke's verse-by-verse exposition of Genesis was originally written for the New Geneva Study Bible. In spite of this (ahem!) genesis, Waltke on Genesis is far more than just a set of repackaged study Bible notes.
Rather than opening this commentary as a parallel pane, I'd recommend opening this commentary in its own zone so you can access its Table of Contents. The simplest way to do this is to select a verse of Genesis and then amplify to Waltke-Genesis by selecting it from the Reference Tools submenu of the Amplify menu. That will open the commentary right to the verse and automatically tie the commentary to the Bible text so that the two will scroll in parallel (just like a parallel pane). When we look at the Contents pane of the commentary, we'll begin to see its strength:
As you can see, the verse-by-verse exposition is just a small part of this commentary. The bulk of the commentary developed from Dr. Waltke's classroom lectures on Genesis, in which he divided the text of Genesis into 12 "books" (based on its well-known toledoth structure) which are further subdivided into "acts" and "scenes." This attempt to "model a literary approach to Genesis" is designed to help readers "discover its rich literary treasures".
If you look again at the screenshot above, you'll see that Genesis 18:18 is part of "Book 6, Act 2, Scene 3". The "Exegetical Notes" on this scene are preceded by a "Literary Analysis" of the scene as a whole. They are also followed by a series of "Theological Reflections" on the scene. Thus, the brief exegetical notes are only a small part of the commentary on this verse. The Literary Analysis of the scene explains the literary structure and narrative techniques used by the author to communicate meaning. The Theological Reflections then develop various applications of that meaning, which is very helpful for busy pastors and Sunday School teachers who need to distill these narrative episodes into communicable lessons.
Of course, this one "scene" is interwoven with other scenes in the "act" and other acts in the "book". Waltke does a masterful job of demonstrating the literary and theological connections among all these narrative episodes. Of course, this approach can admittedly make it hard to feel like you've done your due diligence simply by reading the commentary on the current "scene". Because I began using this commentary when I was already a good third of the way through Genesis, I find myself feeling like I may be missing things by not exploring Waltke's literary analysis of those passages I've already covered. Still, I look at that discomfort as a good thing. After all, shouldn't every commentary encourage you to explore the wider context of your passage?
Even before I picked up Waltke's commentary on Genesis, I marveled at the literary artistry of the first book of the Bible, and I found myself wishing I had a deeper understanding of the literary techniques utilized by the author. Waltke's "literary approach" to Genesis offered the very help I was looking for. If you're reading or teaching through Genesis, I think you'll find it helpful too. Just be sure to explore all the sections of commentary rather than stopping with the admittedly brief exegetical notes.


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Group exercise has gotten more sophisticated in recent years. Machines typically used for solo activity — from cycles and treadmills, selectorized equipment to ellipticals — have found their way into group settings. Subsequently, members who normally work out on their own are now tempted into joining exercise classes, getting better results (and thus staying with the club longer) in the process.
While not replacing traditional classes, equipment-based group exercise adds variety to many a club's programming schedule. "[Group exercise] has gone from its infancy," says Fred Kronk, regional director of health and fitness for the Gold Coast Multiplex in Chicago. "The industry has kind of developed in its programming where we can use anything in the programming…. It's the creative process."
Gold Coast offers group cycling, circuit training and treading classes, as well as triathlon training programs incorporating treadmills, bikes and a pool. But it wasn't always that way.
"We used to think we could not use these large pieces [for group exercise] because of their size, but now we're saying, 'Why not?'" Kronk says.
Other clubs are asking themselves that very same question — especially as the population ages. With older adults making up an increasingly large percentage of the membership base, clubs may turn to machine-based programming as a friendlier exercise option.
"I think…Step aerobics and a lot of the big '80s type of classes are not as big because they've been found to promote injury, and machines are very safe," explains Jeff Garber of Pennsylvania's Hatfield Athletic Club.
Not only are equipment-based classes safe, they are effective. Exercising on machines in a group setting may have advantages over using the same machines during a solitary workout.
"People are finding that they aren't working as hard on their own," says Annette Lang, Reebok University master trainer, and national consulting director for the Esquerre Fitness Group International (EFGI), a fitness consulting company out of Deerfield Beach, Fla. "If you have an instructor, they're going to make you try something different…. It's great for those days that you don't feel motivated."
But what's the motivation for the move to machines? After all, group exercise can be effective without equipment. "From an industry standpoint, equipment manufacturers obviously want to tap into group fitness because that's a market they've never had before…," explains Garber. "It's another niche. From a club standpoint, it's variety, it's something new." Which equals a win-win-win situation for all parties involved — equipment manufacturers, clubs and members.
Still, investing in equipment for group exercise can be expensive. Fortunately, clubs with a limited budget can use existing equipment for group fitness. They can also re-examine how they look at group fitness, suggests Nike contract athlete Jay Blahnik, owner of the Californian consulting firm Body Dynamics.
"A usual group exercise class is 60 minutes long," he explains. "What about 15 minutes?"
In other words, instead of buying a dozen machines for an hour-long program, purchase four pieces (a smaller investment), and then run four, 15-minute classes back-to-back during prime-time hours. The shorter program not only saves you money, it opens group exercise up to people who may not have the time for a 60-minute class (or who feel too intimidated).
"If you rethink how to program [the class], then they may consider it," Blahnik says.
In addition to thinking about programming, clubs should think about the machine itself. Newer pieces that serve only one function may turn out to be fads, and you don't want to dedicate a fleet of machines to an exercise program with the shelf life of a Chia pet.
If you're uncertain of the investment, consider how instructors will be able to interact with the equipment and members. It helps if the machines permit instructors to show off their creativity and charisma, keys to any successful exercise class.
"You can have everything, but if you don't have the creativity, then it's not a good investment," says Garber.
Versatile Investment
It also helps if the machines are versatile. "It's important to have a machine that does more than one thing," advises Betty Schindler, co-owner of the Body Rock in Houston.
Schindler's club recently invested in equipment for a strength-training class. To get the most from the machines, she put them in a group exercise room where personal trainers use the equipment to take a small class through the program. Since the machines allow for a variety of exercises, members can get a complete workout in a quick session.
By combining the strength machines with personal trainers, Schindler has been able to charge additional fees for the class, thus offsetting the cost of the program investment. Generally speaking, clubs can charge fees for equipment-based programs if the classes require specialized training or are part of a specialized curriculum.
"If it's just an initial investment and the equipment can be used throughout the club…, I would not charge for that," Kronk says.
"I've seen clubs experience both success and failure" by charging fees for equipment-based classes, adds Blahnik. "If a club traditionally doesn't charge, then you shouldn't charge."
If you do want to charge for a class, then launch it as a program with a beginning, end, and a set of goals, Blahnik advises. For example, use the equipment in an eight-week program designed for members who want to lose weight.
Charging for the class may justify the expense of the equipment, but even free machine-based programs can be worth the cost. Specifically, machines may help to introduce more timid members to group exercise precisely because of their simplicity.
"[Equipment-based classes] require a low skill to participate," Blahnik explains. "The No. 1 reason people go to gyms is for the socialization, but traditional group exercise classes can be intimidating."
While many complicated aerobic routines require a degree of coordination that would stump Mikhail Baryshnikov, equipment-based classes are more intuitive. After all, everyone knows how to ride a bike or walk.
"A tremendous amount of people who go to gyms gravitate towards treadmills, towards bikes," Blahnik points out.
Why? Because a bike or treadmill is simple. "If you don't know how to use it, no one knows," Blahnik says.
Simplicity isn't the only advantage that equipment brings to group exercise. Machines such as treadmills and bikes allow a member to go at her own pace without looking out of place.
Since equipment-based classes can appeal to people who already use the same equipment on their own, then it makes sense to market these programs to lone exercisers. Just make sure you don't alienate them first.
Due to space constrictions, equipment-based classes are often held out on the main exercise floor, which can have its drawbacks. Consider the following: Steve is a veteran club member. Every work day, he goes to the gym during his lunch break and hops on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Then, one day, he heads over to the cardio deck and a group exercise class is monopolizing the treadmills.
Steamed because he can't get in his workout, Steve complains to the manager, who informs him that the treadmills are now reserved for a new class taking place from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays. Steve must make a choice: join the class, come to the club at a less convenient time, or quit and join another club. If you own Steve's club, you're hoping he won't opt for the latter.
To take the third option off of Steve's list, get him to consider the first. The same strategy applies to all members.
To encourage members to join the class, you first need to let them know when the equipment-based classes are scheduled. Secondly, don't reserve the equipment. If a member is on a bike, treadmill, etc., don't kick her off when the class starts.
"I don't like the idea of reserving treadmills," Kronk says. "I would never tell them to move.
"There's a way of saying it," he adds "'There's a class going on here; you're welcome to join in.'"
If the person declines, then politely offer to show her how to do a similar exercise on equipment that isn't required for the class. For example, if a member is using the curl machine needed for the circuit-training class, your personal trainer could show her how to target the biceps with dumbbells, thus freeing up the machine for class use, says Garber.
This, however, should be the last resort. In the end, you'll want to try to recruit members for the class.
"You don't want to displace them, you want to market to them," says Blahnik.
"Instead of trying to create new programs for the same group exercise people, talk to the people [who exercise alone] but are using the equipment."
Too often, clubs look at class participants and solo exercisers as two distinct populations, but they don't need to be. "Have a mission behind the class and go seek out those people," says Blahnik.
You won't have to look far. If you are planning on offering a group circuit-training program at 12:15 on a Monday in the club's weight room, go to that area on a Monday at 12:15 and recruit members. Most people are creatures of habit and tend to fit in their workout at the same time periods every week.
"Look who's there and talk to them," Blahnik advises.
"If you're going to use equipment that's currently being occupied, then you need to tailor those classes to those people who are currently [on the machines]," he continues.
Plug the Programs
Whatever method you choose to promote the program, make the marketing proactive. Hatfield Athletic Club pushes the programs over its loudspeakers, and personal trainers plug the classes during initial consultations with new members. In fact, the club targets all members.
"We market [the programs] by consulting our members," Garber says. "Are they getting results every three to four weeks? If not, we invite them to the class."
Clubs that hold the classes on the main exercise floor may find that the programs promote themselves. Having equipment-based classes out in the open can be quite positive for the club and its members. People who would never go to a group exercise class can see a program for themselves. Even if they don't join in, the class is all around them, building a feeling of camaraderie, explains Kronk.
"It's great advertising!" Blahnik says. "It creates energy and gives something for people to watch."
Cheap and Easy
Equipment-based programming on a budget
Industry experts list these as their favorite inexpensive group exercise props:
- Dumbbells/handweights
- Jump ropes
- Therabands
- Tubing
- Medicine, stability, Swiss and beach balls
- Towels (to aid in stretching)
- Stability boards
- Slide boards
- Mini-trampolines
- Weighted bars (e.g., Body Bars)
- The outdoors (use your imagination)
Equipped to Succeed
What's your opinion about equipment-based group exercise? Tell us all about it! Drop us a line at: Letters to the Editor, Club Industry, One Plymouth Meeting, Suite 501, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. E-mail: [email protected]. Fax: (610) 238-0992.


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Today I wanted to share some easy and kid-friendly ways to decorate Easter Eggs.
Our very favorite, go-to method for decorating easter eggs
with food coloring is this technique with food coloring, vinegar, and a kitchen colander.
The colander keeps little fingers clean and keeps splashing and spills to a minimum!
All of these eggs were dyed with the colander technique last year.
We also add some sprinkles of kitchen salt to get a dappled watercolor effect.
You can also use shaving cream and liquid watercolors using
the same technique we highlighted here marbling notecards and paper.
You can make Poured Paint Easter Eggs by setting an egg in a plastic lid
and pouring acrylic craft paint over the egg (on a paper plate)
Let it dry before you pick it up!
You can also use school glue or a glue gun and glitter to make "fancy glitter eggs"
It's fun (and EASY) to just draw on plastic eggs with permanent markers too!
Alissa Burke has BEAUTIFUL eggs on her BEAUTIFUL blog that she decorated with Sharpies.
Go check her out, I'm in love with ALL of her creative ideas.
She's full of beauty and talent and makes the world a more beautiful place to live in!
More kid-friendly ways to decorate eggs include:
- Stickers
- Bleeding Tissue Paper
- Office Labels (Circle stickers)
- Do-A-Dot Markers
- Draw With Permanent Markers
- Paint with Watercolors or Craft Paint
- Wrap in Washi Tape or Colored Masking Tape
- Use Glitter Glue or Glitter and Elmer's Glue
- Draw With Oil Pastels
Your imagination is your only limit!
If you don't want to use real eggs,
you can use papier mache eggs or wooden eggs from the craft store.
We bought some a few years ago for the girls to decorate.
They mod-podged ours with paper napkins and tissue paper.
Another kid-friendly NO EGG option is to paint pine cones like we did here.
Happy Decorating!
Pink and Green Mama MaryLea
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Follow Me on Pinterest.
Follow Me on Instagram.


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A grand jury declines to indict a trooper involved in the crash.
A Wayne County grand jury has decided not to indict a state trooper whose cruiser crashed into another vehicle, killing a 30-year-old woman and breaking her 7-year-old son's leg Oct. 14.
The grand jury Friday cleared Eric Kristansen of criminal wrongdoing. He was responding to a call to assist a Wayne County sheriffs deputy who had stopped a vehicle in Sodus believed involved in a home invasion robbery.
Authorities say the trooper's lights and siren were activated and Shonda Skinner turned her car onto Route 104 ahead of him.
District Attorney Rick Healy says the question was whether the trooper was traveling too fast at the time of the crash.
Daily Messenger


text:
Doosan's GC40S-5 forklift
Doosan's new 9,000 lb capacity cushion tire lift truck
Common Applications: Manufacturing, Distribution, Recycling, Steel, and Aluminum.
Highly efficient and reliable forklifts with productivity enhanced features.
Field Proven Endurance Tested…To Give You the Best Forklift Value on the Market
That's what Doosan has put into the design, development, and production of the GC40S-5 to provide customers with optimized operator comfort and safety, proven and durable components, high powered and fuel efficient LPG engine for high performance including low emissions and minimal vibration, enhanced maintenance and serviceability, virtually maintenance-free oil cooled disc brakes, 2 speed auto-shift transmission, lift and tilt locking hydraulic control valve, OSS (operator sensing system), and a variety of operator friendly features.
Operator Comfort and Driver Efficiency is One of Doosan's Top Priorities
Doosan forklifts are designed to keep your operation and operators running at peak efficiency. Enhanced comfort features ensures operators do not experience fatigue or strain during everyday operation. Designed to be simple, and easily adjusted,this operator compartment will make your driver feel right at home.
Minimized Maintenance, Easy Serviceability.
Doosan's Goal is to Make Your Material Handling Organization as Efficient and Reliable as Possible, by Minimizing Down Time to Reduce Overall Maintenance Cost.


text:
SKU:13059Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:Poser, DAZ StudioInstall Types:
SKU:13059Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:Poser, DAZ StudioInstall Types:
- Daz Connect
- Install Manager
- Manual Install
- Daz Connect
- Install Manager
- Manual Install
This product is in these bundles
This is an unusual tropical cave. Its top layer fell through and now the opening lets in light, water and vegetation. Natural hill at the bottom is ennobled by stones. Apparently it happened a very long ago, all around is overgrown with grass, liana fall from the top and through that it is possible climb down.
This pack can use itself without additions. But if you want to show the cave entrance you can use Tropical Quest, the scene with rock and waterfall.
In addition to the standard materials this pack also contains shader materials, light settings and camera setups. Promo images was made in DAZ Studio 3, using the standard features.
Updated: There are now medium and high resolution versions.
Add-ons for this product.
What's Included and Features
- Tropical Cave: (.PP2 and .OBJ)
- Tropical Cave Pre-Load Construction
- Cave
- Grass
- GrassUp
- Liana 1
- Liana 2
- Liana 3
- Liana 4
- Plants
- PlantsUp
- Rocks
- Tree
- DAZ Studio Light Preset (.DSB)
- Poser Light Preset (.LT2)
- 10 DAZ Studio Cameras Preset (.DSB)
- Poser Camera Preset (.CM2)
- Textures:
- 14 Texture, Bump and Alpha Maps (2048 x 2048)
- 3 Texture, Bump and Alpha Maps (2375 x 4096)
- 3 Texture, Bump and Alpha Maps (3500 x 3500)
- 2 Texture, Bump Maps (4096 x 4096)
- Poser MAT Poses (.PZ2)
- DAZ Studio Advanced Material Presets (.DSA)
- Tropical Cave: (.PP2 and .OBJ)


text:
Author Topic: cant log into assist (Read 10590 times)
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Play for free!Download Now
Recent Topics [Unread]
Shoutbox9 in game, 19 online
25 players thats AWESOME!!!!
danas navece krenite sa hospital igrom i ja upadam
Al zas ne igrate hospital ili urban ko prije,bridge crossing i ta sranja,ovaj pipeline aj da je sf nego obicni
otvorite server hospy pa ce se napuniti...
to su budale jebo ih pipeline u shupack
any ppls wanna play ua?
gdje su nasi igraci
jebo vas pipeline vas jebo uvjek to igraju
Welcome to website -=LGC=- Clan server. Come to you community and have fun anytime ! check you stat everyday and create account in website. AA2.5 assist.
never let AA 2.5 assist die. this is my favorite game, goodnight guyhs
they have made shooters post 2005 just fyi
this is actually so funny, and half the times its still just bridge, let it die in peace guys cmon
Dude big shout out to Mistake And Bomber's server as of late we all thank you. [Yes Alkos we love you XD] LGC BadBoy gang, Fallen-Ones Virus, DewmantOO Barnyard, 82nd All Day everyday, and -Rev Gaming [new and Upstart making a UK server to bring both continents 2 gether] any and all others that have helped us for a brief moment that provided some actual fun. You provided a place where people can actually have some type of fun in a not so fun world. For this, my hats off to you and someday I hope my new USA_ group will become a part of that. Be good and by all means be KOOL... Gotta mention my KOOL. Now stand post and Ranger file! =)
gg all again :) nice times !
I'm BAAAACCCCKKKK!
sometimes no server will and sometimes only certain ones work
I have a problem if the net knows what it's about. i can't uc on any server tell me something about ip address
@skimask IamOldGreg was my old user name
Germany is very good, but some sc00b leaked out of a condom and was born. Wonder whom that is?
Who is the n00b in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood. Who is the n00b in your neighborhood, the people that you meet each day!
Old Greg what was old user name before?
@Arian the install crashes right at the end.. its cool i will try to figure it out
What computer? Its pretty straight forward, what is the issue you are having?
can anyone help a noob install this
I'm back and ready to kick some ass. Old legends never die!
gg all again good times xD
( . )( . )
gg all was nice today !tomorrow same time same place
where did everybody go? :(


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According to the YouTube description, this is Jonathan Kimble, the senior who's spending this year as the Mountaineer, WVU's (human) mascot. The costume includes coonskin cap, buckskin jacket, and a usually-unloaded musket. It's black bear season and Kimble proved, at the expense of a bear driven into a tree, that the musket's not a prop.
Between the fight song, the hounds baying, the hollering as the bear falls, and the cry of "Let's go Mountaineers," I feel safe declaring this the most West Virginia video ever.
WVU beat Baylor in Morgantown this year. Now it's 2-0.


text:
Cisco UCS 5 Year Customer Celebration
Cisco celebrates 5 years of Unified Computing System (UCS) success as told through global customers and Cisco executives.
Cisco UCS Outperforms HP Blade Servers
Cisco UCS demonstrated lower latency than the HP BladeSystem c7000 with Virtual Connect for every test group and every packet size.
Cisco UCS Outperforms IBM Flex System Blades
Cisco UCS delivered better performance than IBM (faster virtual machine migration times) for every group size tested..
CISCO #1 in the Americas, Australia and Philippines
Based on X86 Blade Server MarketShare *
*Source: IDC Q1CY14 x86 Server Tracker; APJC SPG MI Analysis
- Cisco has highest industry growth in the total worldwide server market according to the IDC report, with 39% revenue growth on a cumulative four quarter basis ending in calendar Q1 of 2014.
- Cisco UCS® has attracted over 33,000 unique customers from 75% of all Fortune 500 companies, which is responsible for 45% year-over-year growth as of May 2014.
- Cisco UCS: A Tradition of World-Record-Setting Performance
- World-Record VMware VMmark Benchmarks
- World-Record Java-Based SPEC Benchmarks
- JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Day in the Life Benchmarks
- World-Record Oracle Benchmarks
- SAP Sales and Distribution Benchmarks
- Siebel CRM Benchmarks
- World-Record Transaction Processing Council (TPC) Benchmarks
- High-Performance Computing Benchmarks
- Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card Performance
- Healthcare Benchmarks
Since its introduction in 2009, Cisco Unified Computing System has established the following results on industry benchmarks. Records noted in the Comments column were accurate as of the benchmark publication date.
The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation: SPEC, SPECfp, SPECjAppServer, SPECjbb, SPECjEnterprise, SPECint, SPECompL, SPECompM
The comparative results described in this document are derived from the results available at the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation website on the dates specified in the table.
VMware VMmark is a product of VMware, Inc. The comparative results cited in this document were based on results posted on the VMware VMmark site as of the dates specified in the table.
- Microsoft SQL Server with Cisco UCS
- Microsoft Exchange with Cisco UCS
- Cisco UCS Power Requirements Testing
Microsoft SQL Server with Cisco UCS
March 2010
Principled Technologies: SQL Server Performance Comparison: Server Consolidation With Virtualization on Cisco UCS B200 and B250 Platforms For M1 and M2 Generations
December 2009
Principled Technologies: SQL Server Performance Comparison: Cisco UCS B250 M1 Extended Memory Blade Server vs. HP ProLiant BL495c G6 Server Blade and HP ProLiant BL460c G6 Server Blade
November 2009
Principled Technologies: SQL Server Performance Comparison: Cisco UCS B200 M1 Blade Server vs. HP ProLiant BL465c G6 Server Blade
November 2009
Principled Technologies: SQL Server Consolidation: Replacing Eight Legacy Servers With One Cisco UCS B200 M1 Blade Server
Microsoft Exchange with Cisco UCS
November 2009
Principled Technologies: Exchange performance comparison: Cisco UCS B200 M1 Blade Server vs. HP ProLiant BL465c G6 Server Blade
November 2009
Principled Technologies: Exchange Consolidation: Replacing Eight Legacy Servers With One Cisco UCS B200 M1 Blade Server
Cisco UCS Power Requirements Testing
March 2010
Principled Technologies: Cisco Blade Solution VS HP Blade Solution: Full Enclosure Power Testing
2012 Industry Awards and Recognition
Customers Rate Cisco UCS Highest
TheInfoPro surveyed IT professionals at large and midsize enterprises.See Results
CRN's Annual Report Card for 2012
Cisco ranks #1 in all midrange servers categories of CRN survey.Read More
Best of Tech Ed 2012 Award
Cisco UCS Manager awarded the Breakthrough Technology Award in Orlando at Tech Ed 2012.Read More
2011 Industry Awards and Recognition
Microsoft Windows IT Pro 2011 Community Choice
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series and Cisco UCS family received gold and bronze medal recognition.Read More
2011 Nemertes Research PilotHouse Award
Cisco wins the awards for Virtualization for Servers, Application Delivery Optimization, Data Center Firewalls, and Unified Communications.Read More
Microsoft Tech Ed 2011
Cisco UCS B250 M2 Extended Memory Blade Server was selected as Best of Show in the hardware category at Microsoft Tech Ed 2011Read More
2011 Citrix Ready Business Solution
Cisco won the 2011 Citrix Ready Business Solution of the Year with the Cisco Desktop Virtualization Solution with Citrix XenDesktop, the most cost-effective and scalable platform for desktop virtualization.Read More
2010 Industry Awards and Recognition
InfoWorld's 2010 Technology of the Year Awards: Unified Computing SystemRead More
2010 "CIO 100 Awards"
Won by Cisco Unified Computing System customers: Pitt Ohio, Taser, ExamWorks, King County, Monsanto, EMC, and NetApp.Learn more on the CIO site.
2010 VMWorld Award
Cisco Unified Computing System won in the "Hardware for Virtualization" categoryRead More
Cisco Unified Computing wins Market Challenger award for host servers for virtualization
In August 2010 Nemertes Research asked its pool of 2,004 total participants to rate their ten top host-server providers. Cisco´s win was built on solid scores in all categories, leading in both customer services and value.Learn More from Nemertes Research
2009 Industry Awards and Recognition
Unified Computing System wins eWeek 2009 "Enterprise IT Products of the Year"Read More
Cisco Innovation Recognized with Best of VMWorld 2009 GOLD Award: Hardware for Virtualization
SearchServerVirtualization.com received over 175 nominees for the eight categories, and Cisco's new Unified Computing System (UCS) wins with a combination of server, network and virtualization resources into a single integrated platform.Learn More on the VMWorld Site
Cisco Unified Computing System Wins "Best Data Center Innovation" Award
BladeSystems Insight is an executive summit for data center blade-server technologies, which took place April 2009 in Las Vegas before an audience of more than 150 hosted end-user executives; vendor sponsors; key industry analysts including Forrester and IDC; association leaders; and others. This award was based on voting from attending IT executives near the end of the event when attendees had taken the the opportunity to experience and evaluate the full range of companies, products, and presentations.
Cisco Unified Computing System Wins Best of INTEROP 2009 for Data Center & Storage
"It's clear that Cisco really examined the server virtualization challenge carefully when they designed the UCS. Everywhere you look, you can see how they focused on removing virtualization bottlenecks and enabling flexible device management at every level - plus they've left plenty of room for growth. That's why the UCS is our choice for the BOI Data Center and Storage Category winner for 2009." Steven Hill, InformationWeek
Intel, the Intel logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
|Cisco Unified Computing System with Intel® Xeon® processor
Delivering On The Promise of Virtualization
- Microsoft Environments and Applications
- Cisco and VMware: Integrated Management Solutions for the Virtualized Data Center
- Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp
Unified Data Center Awards
- Best of Microsoft Tech Ed Winners 2011, 2012, 2013
- Microsoft Windows IT Pro 2011 Community Choice Award
- Leader in the 2013 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Blade Servers
- #2 Blade Server Worldwide After Only 4 Years
Unified Data Center Fast Facts
- First to Integrate into Windows Server 2012 (Hyper-V Extensible Switch with Nexus 1000V)
- Best Oracle E-Business Suite Performance
- Best Optimized for Virtualized SAP Environments
Unified Data Center Benchmarks
- 94 World Record Performance Benchmarks
- 90% Less Deployment Time
- 50% Faster Disaster Recovery
- 30% Less Infrastructure Costs
- Deploy 2x IT Staffing Capacity with No Staff Increase
- 52% Reduction of Power and Cooling Costs
- Cisco UCS B260 M4 blade servers achieved the best 2-processor 2-tier SAP Sales and Distribution (SD) Benchmark performance
- Cisco UCS C460 M4 Rack Server set new world record SPECjbb®2013 MultiJVM 4-socket max-jOPS performance result
- Cisco UCS B260 M4 Blade Server claimed a new world-record SPECjbb®2013 MultiJVM 2-socket x86/64 max-jOPS performance result
Cisco UCS Blades Deploy


text:
Nokia Lumia 2520
Nokia's first tablet isn't a bad device by any means. It delivers impressive gaming performance, has built-in cellular support, an incredibly bright screen, and includes a suite of Nokia-only apps.
However, I couldn't figure out why the 2520 is so thick. The Microsoft Surface 2 has just as much girth, but earns its corpulence with a kickstand and a full USB port.
The Lumia 2520's screen also has a distracting yellow tint, and the $149 keyboard/cover accessory isn't nearly as comfortable to type on as Surface 2's Type Cover.
It's great that it comes with a full version of Microsoft Office -- as all Windows RT tablets do -- but because it's running RT, that also means it's incompatible with legacy Windows programs and lacks app support compared with Android and iOS.
At $499, the 2520 is about $50 more expensive -- for the off-contract version -- than the Surface 2, placing it squarely in the shadow of Microsoft's RT tablet.
Design If Nokia were going to make a tablet, based on its recent phone designs, the Lumia 2520 is almost exactly how I'd imagine it to look. The Verizon version we got for review has a striking red chassis and a thick jet-black bezel on the front. There's also an unmistakable plastic feel to its body, but it doesn't necessarily give off a cheap tablet vibe. The back is slightly sloped so that the edges of the tablet are a couple centimeters off your desk when laid down flat.
In light of recent tablet releases like the Apple iPad Air and Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, the Lumia 2520 feels a bit heavy. To be sure, it's not quite as heavy as the Microsoft Surface 2, but with the lack of a kickstand, I found myself holding the 2520 in my hands a lot more than I did the Surface 2. So its heft was probably more noticeable to me.
The Lumia is slightly thicker than the Surface 2, but the Surface 2, with its aforementioned kickstand and full-size USB port, earns its extra girth; the 2520 has no such trade-off. Additionally, its corners are pointy and when held they're a constant reminder that rounded corners are the way to go on tablets -- especially those of the heavier ilk.
With the 2520 held in landscape, you'll find the headphone jack and power adapter port along the left edge, a power button and volume rocker on the top-right edge, and a key-accessible slot for the microSD card and SIM card on the far left of the top edge. On the right edge sits the Micro-HDMI port and Micro-USB 3.0 port. The 2520 also includes NFC. Nokia also outfits the Lumia 2520 with dual cameras: a 2-megapixel front and a 6.7-megapixel back.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
The Power Keyboard If you're going to purchase the Lumia 2520, you should strongly consider buying Nokia's $149 keyboard/cover -- especially if you're planning to do lots of productivity tasks. Like Microsoft's Type Cover for the Surface 2, the Power Keyboard is a full laptop-style keyboard with all the keys and shortcuts you'd expect. However, since it's not as wide as the Type Cover, it doesn't feel as comfortable to type on.
It doesn't cramp up my hands like the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T's smaller keyboard does, but the experience isn't as pleasant as it is on the Surface 2. Also, the Power Keyboard's keys are small, hard, and lack backlighting. The polar opposite of the Type Cover. The keyboard does include two full USB ports in the back, an extra battery, and can fold up like a Trapper Keeper when you're on the move.
The keyboard is essential to the 2520's experience, so while I recommend it, I want to reiterate that it's not as good as Microsoft's Type Cover.
(Credit: Andrew Hoyle/CNET)
Software features The Nokia Lumia 2520 is one of only two Windows RT tablets released this year. The other is the Surface 2, which may explain why it's being so closely compared with Microsoft's tablet. In addition to its inclusion of Microsoft Office -- an advantage all Windows RT devices share -- the 2520 comes with a suite of Nokia apps, including its own camera app, Here Maps, Video Director, and Nokia Music.
Video Director allows you to very quickly and easily edit short video clips. You choose the video, select one of four different transition styles, and add intro and outro text. The app then spends a couple of seconds compiling the video before it starts playing.
(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET)
Don't expect anything on the level of iMovie, but it's an easy way to jazz up your pics and video a bit. Here Maps is Nokia's own map software with an emphasis on personalization and easily finding restaurants, entertainment, and shopping options in your area.
Nokia Music follows the model of pretty much every streaming-music service, including Xbox Music -- which is also included -- but goes one step further by allowing you to cache some songs for offline playback.
(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET)


text:
Minerals East Sheet
Contained within the 2nd Edition (1915) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the mineralogy and locations of mineral deposits for Eastern Canada. A line drawn across the map divides the large northern portion that has had little prospecting and the Southern, partly prospected areas. Many...
Natural Resources Canada
Resource Formats:


text:
So long Movember... as a salute to you, I made a shirt. It's really easy.
And it goes a little something like this.....
And it goes a little something like this.....
what you need: acrylic paint, a paintbrush, a white shirt (I thrifted mine for just a couple bucks at the local goodwill!), a cutting board, a cute quote about movember
what you do: take your white shirt, stick a cutting board in-between the front of the shirt and the back (so that the paint doesn't leak to the backside) and simply paint away! I free-handed everything since I was feeling too lazy to make a stencil. I started with an outline of a mustache and just started to roughly fill it in. Then I filled in my quote with different fonts and just had fun with it!
Let your paint dry, run it through the wash (and don't worry, acrylic paint is very very permanent!), and then mix + match it with your wardrobe!
So long Movember!
p.s. ♥ clara


text:
Rutgers Restricted Access
North American Women's Letters and Diaries (NAWLD) provides full text access to the personal writings of American women from all classes and walks of life, from colonial times to 1950. The collection includes approximately 150,000 pages of published letters and diaries, plus more than 7,000 pages of previously unpublished materials, drawn from 605 sources, including journal articles, pamphlets, newsletters, monographs, and conference proceedings. Represented are all age groups and life stages, all ethnicities, many geographical regions, the famous and the not so famous. It also contains biographical information on authors when available. This resource provides unique insights into the personal and public lives of women for more than three centuries.
NAWLD provides keyword, full-text searching. It can also be searched and browsed in fifty fields, many of which are not normally available in the other bibliographic databases. For example, students can search a "life events" index for references to childbirth, marriage, or first employment. The search engine is very intuitive and allows even novice users to construct complex and specific searches.
The product also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography of the sources in the database.
Extensive online help is available.
Dates covered
Colonial Times to 1950.
Updating frequency
Includes published and unpublished letters and diaries, journal articles, pamphlets, newsletters, monographs, and conference proceedings.
Type of coverage
Full text.
Print counterpart or
related resources
Producer/content provider
Alexander Street Press
Vendor/electronic presentation provider
Alexander Street Press
Core Subject(s)
Supplementary Subject(s)


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Three Poems from Here: Tom Raworth, 1973
Santa Maria del Tule (22.11.09): photo by Tom Raworth, 2009
we make matter light
nothing is the same
there is no explanation
Boom pow
A Mexican dishwasher, a Chinese bus driver.
Workers of the world unite.
Hello Tom
Along careful edges of concentric ripples, of poetry you drown . Words are very clever. Digressing with drunken dripping levity. Knitting inconveniently.
Its an ocean unending. At times. Its a basin's edge.
Wonderful poems. Haven't been keeping well for the past fortnight. So could not read you.
In case you happened not to pass by, on a belated valentine's celebration I could not forget the grey you had once talked of.
I re read Mnemonic too. It moved me to an emotion unknown.
I was much moved to be invited to your belated valentine's celebration, and (of course) honoured by the august company.
I do worry about you, just a bit. But I am certain all will come right for you, and before very much longer.
(Indeed too one might well do better to worry about oneself, just a bit.)


text:
Ten days ago the Team USA World Junior Hockey Team won their second championship in the last four years when they defeated Sweden 3-1 in the Gold Medal game of the 2013 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Russia.
The tournament featured 10 countries that assembled their greatest players under the age of 20 in a two week pool play and round robin styled event that began December 26, 2012 and concluded January 5, 2013. When it comes to hockey, Canada is almost always the heavy favorite to win the gold medal. This year, however, belonged to the Americans who avenged an earlier 2-1 loss in pool play by beating the Canadians 5-1 in the Semi-Finals. Canada would not even medal this year, losing to host Russia in the Bronze Medal game.
This achievement for the young American squad piqued my interest and made me wonder if local high school players like Midview's Austin Steindl, Manny Ceja and Brock Behler or Amherst's Steven Morris, Avon's Eric Novakovic and Elyria Catholic's Stephen Donat have aspirations to play at the next stage of their hockey life in either college or potentially at the Junior level as well. It also brought to mind the fact that every single one of those players could have been looking up to that whole U-20 team over the course of those two weeks and saying to themselves, I want to be just like them and play for my country someday.
As most of you are aware, hockey is Canada's National Pastime just like football or baseball is here in the United States. It is so popular that famous country music singer Paul Brandt wrote a song specifically for the World Junior Hockey Championships this year called "I Was There." Here is the link to the video for the song…enjoy!