text:
[Page 407]
Sholem Menashe had a special method of teaching. His explanations were interspersed with words from the Midrash and interpretations. It all seemed like one complete explanation. The great scholars of Torah also liked to attend his Rashi lessons. After the Sabbath prayers the congregants would come to Sholem Menashe and wish him a good Shabbos. He would respond with a shining face, his face especially radiating towards the small children accompanying their parents.
On Yom Kippur he would lead the closing prayers at the lectern. In his old age, his voice was severely weakened and the congregants had difficulty in hearing his prayers. The gabbeys wanted to give him the chance to be heard, but to save his strength but no one dared tell him that.
On the day of his death, the city was steeped in sorrow. Many cried as they followed his coffin. Masses of men, women and children accompanied him to his eternal resting-place in the cemetery, a long distance from the city. Piercing sobs were heard during the burial of this most holy and unique man. He was a symbol of the love of the Torah and a symbol of the love of Israel.
[Page 409]
His entire life was occupied with answering questions about the laws of Kashrut, especially in the period before Passover, which was the peak time for asking questions. Every Passover Eve, masses of Jews would invade his home because the period between Purim and Passover was like a long day, with a great deal to be done before Passover.
In those days, Rabbi Itzaleh was busy all day long at the building of the rabbinical court. Men and women came to ask questions about the customs and rules of baking Matzos, and the koshering of utensils, the selling of the chametz, etc, etc. In the week before Passover, the rabbinical court supplied extra teachers to answer the questions, as Itzaleh could not manage the amount by himself. But the main burden still fell on him as he was the definitive authority on the subject and everyone wanted his blessing for the High Holidays. Itzaleh was accustomed to wish everyone a kosher Passover. Besides his blessing, he would also answer their questions to assure them that they would have a kosher Passover.
When the elderly man would return to his home on Passover Eve, there was still a great deal of activity there one would jostle the other in order to see him first. Rabbi Itzaleh would bless those present for the holidays and ask them to be seated. He would take off his coat and put on his white robe, and this is what he was accustomed to do. He would go from one to the next, from seat to seat, from the first to the last. Everyone he approached would stand up and ask their question. Rabbi Itzaleh would judge with a wonderful skill, and after a pause his voice would be heard kosher', kosher, wait, perhaps we'll be able to make it kosher, one has to think it over. Kosher. Ay ay ay, my children, what have you done? This cannot be kosher.
The members of his family who had been invited to his table for the Seder were sitting next door in the dining room waiting impatiently for the old man to arrive. From time to time his daughter, the widow Sheine, would open the door and look in to see if there were many questioners left. Only when they had all left would she open the wide door to the dining room. His eyes were full of joy, his face shone he had only found two non-kosher instances. His eyes would wander over all those seated at his table, he would take a golden cup and make Kiddush. His voice carried through the stillness of the night He who chose us over all other nations and elevated us .
Rabbi Itzaleh was a great Mitnaged at the time there were not many Chassidim in Brest, their righteous men had not yet settled there. In the neighbouring townships on the other side of the Bug River, there were many Chassidim and Rebbes. The nearest township was Biale Podlaska, and there lived the Bialer Rebbe.
Reb Hersh Ber was a very learned man and a manufacturer of military uniforms. His second wife, Sloveh, was a granddaughter of the judge Rabbi Itzaleh. They were a very pious couple, who gave much to charity and donations to the poor, and prayed a great deal. However, they were not granted to have a son.
Once, Hersh-Ber was travelling to Warsaw as was the custom, the travellers would interrupt their trip with a stay in the inn at Biale. It was the month of Cheshvan and there were heavy rains in the streets. The inn was packed with Jews who sat at long tables and ate. The noise was great and they drank toasts and shook hands on business deals.
As the renowned Brest merchant Reb Hersh - Ber sat at a table, another man from Brest sat down next to him and opened a package with a blessing for the traveller. He took out a copper tin containing smoked fish and almond cakes. At a corner of this table there was a discussion about the Biale rebbe. The man from Brest told of his visit to the righteous man, and spoke of his power with enthusiasm. At that moment, the thought flashed through the mind of Hersh- Ber that perhaps he should go go to see the rebbe, at the end of the day, he decided that there was no sin in going to say hello, and perhaps getting his blessing . by the end of the prayer after meals, his doubts had vanished.
Hersh-Ber did not tell anyone about his trip to the Biale rebbe. Over the next few months he kept this secret and only on the eve of passover when Sloveh told him her own secret did he tell of his visit to the Rebbe and that the Rebbe had said to him: Travel well and in good health and with the help of God your wife will have a son.
On he second cay of Passover, Sloveh took her daughters to visit her grandfather's home, as she always did. Entering as usual she presented the children to receive their blessing. Afterwards Sloveh sat quietly and asked her grandfather with a lowered head:what sort of blessing are you giving me today? The old man turned and looked at his granddaughter and said: with the will of God, my granddaughter, you will have a peaceful birth. Sloveh stood up and saw that her grandfather's eyes were open, a sign that he had finished his blessing. She could not control herself anymore and appealed to him: dear grandfather, finish your blessing with the birth of a son, and God will say Amen. The judge penetrated her with his eyes and said, You silly fool, do you believe that a person can change an original deed? A daughter is also accepted by the Lord Almighty; because this is an addition to Jewish life.
At this she told him about the promise made by the Biale rebbe. At the door of his house she heard her grandfather's voice: tell your Hirsh-Ber that from my point of view there is no avoiding that he should go in peace every week to Biale and there visit the Biale rebbe's table every Sabbath.
Some months later Sloveh gave birth to a boy. The rejoicing was great, but the child suddenly fell ill, his temperature rose, and one night his soul left him. The judge went to visit his granddaughter in the mourning period to console her. Less than a year had passed before Rabbi Itzaleh Dayan died.
[Page 413]
Since that time many years had passed and Reb Getzel avoided coming to the New Prayer house. Over time a serious conflict had developed between the congregants, several of who supported the head Shammes (beadle), Moshe Chaim, who wished to lead the prayers over the High Holydays. Other congregants supported bringing a cantor, Chazan Oberman from Drochi, who was accompanied by a four-man choir. The conflict worsened until the side for the cantor won.
That Sabbath Shuva, Elyakim Getzel was invited to give a sermon in the synagogue. He began with an example about a cantor and said thus:
In a town there were two merchants that had quarreled, one had strongly offended the other, and an enmity developed between them that lasted a long time. The offended man thought that he who had offended him would come and apologize to him in the month of Elul, but it was already Rosh Hashana, then the eve of Yom Kippur, and nothing had happened. It was some time later at the final banquet, as the Jew put on his robe and blessed his grandchildren and got ready to go to the synagogue that the other showed up at his home with several youths and conducted them in song Rabbi Joseph Chaim! Rabbi Joseph Chaim! Chaim! Chaim! Let us forgive each other!
The offended one replied sorrowfully an entire year has passed and you did not come to apologize; now you come to make fun of me! Get out immediately!
The lesson is this my friends: the Creator of the universe stands and waits a whole year that you should apologize and reconcile with him, comes the month of Elul and nobody comes and the synagogue is empty. Rosh Hashanah comes and the synagogue is full of people but their prayers are without devotion and holy fervor. Yom Kippur for Kol Nidre they put in a cantor with a choir and he begins with a song For everyone, and the choir echo his words, in all the prayers for forgiveness they just repeat what he sings. So I say to you my fellow Jews, that one should simply ask for forgiveness with a broken heart: Forgive us God, repent with us, console us, and help us against our enemies.
As soon as Reb Elyakim Getzel had finished his sermon, one Reb Yankeleh got up to the pulpit and begun thus:
I'll give you another example my friend, there once was a powerful king who reigned over tens of nations. He had an only son who did not go in the correct direction. They tried to influence him with good words but to no avail. They debated over what to do with him one minister suggested that he be exiled from his father's house in exile there was hope that he would change. The king like this advice and ordered that his heir be sent to a distant land. The minister promised to look after him. However, he mistreated the prince, so the son sent a letter to his father asking for mercy: father save me! The minister did not allow this letter to be delivered and wrote a letter instead saying that the king's son does not remember his father at all. The son complained bitterly, what sort of father is this who exiles him and does not reply to his letters? The king's first born complained about his father who would not answer him in front of ambassadors. The statesman replied - this is impossible; perhaps your letters have not reached him. He advised him to send a letter to his father with silly chitchat and water color drawings and between the lines write several times father save me! The minister would probably allow such a letter to be sent to the king. The king would surely understand that matters were not what they seemed from this letter.
The minister read this silly letter and thought that one could send such idiocies to the king. The king was offended after reading this letter and called his advisors, who said to check this letter thoroughly it's not what it seems. They called experts who deciphered father save me. The king was pleased and immediately ordered his son brought back to him. He also punished the minister who persecuted his son.
The moral of the story is this, my friends. The beloved son Ephraim is a sinner, and because we have sinned we have been exiled from our land into the Diaspora. The Creator thought that the Children of Israel would reply to Him. The gentiles, on the other hand, believe that they have the right to persecute Jews because there will be no one to save them. The Jews cry father have mercy on us, but the angels do not deliver this message to the Holy throne. The Creator is angry that His children have forgotten Him and deserted Him. The angels hear the Jews cry in indistinct and incomprehensible words but between the silly songs the words are melted together into a cry for help, and the Almighty recognizes that the Jews are appealing to the Creator of the Universe on His holy throne for help, and in that moment He has compassion for them and forgives them.
[Page 415]
He was a giant of Torah, and a very wealthy man. He was the grandson of Rabbi Tzvi-Hirsh Freiluker, whose children were great scholars, and exactly like him, they did not earn their living from theTorah. They were occupied in business and trade - they conducted their business abroad in foreign lands such as Austria and Germany and were very wealthy. He originated from the family of the author Tosephet Yom Tov a tradition of the family was to celebrate Adar according to the book Megilat Avah all his days he studied the Torah and researched the Talmud and Kabbalah. Reb Hirsh the Researcher they would call him. His surname Barlas - was from the initials Ben Reb Leib Sofer (The son of rabbi Sofer). His daughter married Rabbi Avraham Moshe Grosleit, the son of Rabbi Pinchas Michael Grosleit, the author of 'Leket Hakotzrim', and 'Divrei Pinchas' (Warsaw 1860), and who was the Rabbi of Antopol near Brest, and a famous ethicist in the whole region. The two families, Barlas and Grosleit, took a great part in the economic development of the city, and owned large stores and buildings in the center of the new city. After the death of Rabbi Jacob Meier Padua, they wanted to elect Tzvi-Hirsh as rabbi, but he declined. He promised to bring them a rabbi that was worthy of the position. He went to Lemberg (Lwow), and thanks to his business connections with local rabbis and learned men; he influenced Rabbi Tzvi-Hirsh Orenstein to accept the rabbinical seat in Brest. Rabbi Tzvi-Hirsh Orenstein arrived in 1861 to take up this position.
Rabbi Tzvi-Hirsh Orenstein was the author of the book 'Or Ha Tzvi (published in Lublin in 1875). The contents were the words of the Torah and teachings, with examples and solutions and also showed his wonderful erudition and knowledge of philosophical literature from the middle Ages. The book was printed in 500 copies that were sent free of charge to libraries and synagogues and to the great rabbis of that generation. In his testament the author requested that the book should be reprinted in fifty years time.
Rabbi A.L.Feinstein who was his peer and friend, mentions in his book Ir Tehila the subject of the tombstone on the grave of Reb Tzvi -Hirsh Barlas - a man who was a Great in Torah, a friend of the Sages. Through his efforts the wisdom of the Torah and its teachings were preserved for eternity in the book Or HaTzvi
[Page 417]
Translated by Dr. Samuel Chani and Jenni Buch I think that not many of the Brest residents knew this particular person, who for decades bent over his scrunched up pieces of paper and wrote his treatise on the interpretation of the Sabbath. I remember his figure from my childhood, and his glowing face, dreamy eyes, and soft hands that stroked my head.
I was rarely privileged to be in his presence in my home he was spoken of with the greatest respect. When my father would mention Reb Benjamin's name, his face would light up. For thirty years his older brother Benjamin wrote his book Helkat Benjamin (Benjamin's Portion), a commentary on the Sabbath. Where did the title come from? Because he said that this is my entire portion of the world's effort.
For 30 years he did not look at the outside world. He had a wife and children, but they were outside the realm of his vision. My father and his brothers financially supported his household. My father was an expert in the construction of railway tracks he wandered with his family all over Greater Russia the steppes and remote settlements. He would set up temporary buildings and houses for the specialist workers, such as the engineers, tradesmen and the priest and one Jewish family. My grandfather would tell me about Brest with tears in his eyes, about the synagogue of Israel Wolf, the city parks, the King's Garden. According to his description, it seemed to me that it was the most beautiful park in the world.
Arriving in Brest after W.W.1, I found a neglected garden and Israel Wolf's synagogue was no more than a wooden shack. I understood that in grandfather's eyes, longing for his hometown, they seemed thus. My father, who had always lived amongst gentiles, considered his brother Benjamin as the light of his life. On one of his visits to Brest, he built a synagogue in the vicinity of my uncle's home, so that he could sit and study in peace and be immersed in the Torah.
My uncle would not accept the position of rabbi, as he did not want to make a living from the Torah. His whole life was dedicated to writing this book, for which he had received permission from Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. When he finished the book, my father traveled for three days from Orenburg to Brest for the celebration. He helped edit the book and prepare it for publication.
Once, after much pleading, my uncle agreed to see the emissaries who had come to see him about becoming the Rabbi of their shtetl. By the way, they requested to see his wife the Rebbetzen, who was short and no beauty. She did not find favor with the emissaries, who did not take kindly to her. My uncle told my father of this event with great amazement: did you know that the Rebbetzin is not good looking? . He himself did not know of this his whole life.
[Page 419]
Translated by Dr. Samuel Chani and Jenni Buch
|Rabbi Simcha Zelig
the Dayan
My father was born in Novogrodek in 1864. In 1874 he came with his parents to Brest. He was influenced by the orthodoxy and interpretations of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Diskin, and from time to time would study Torah with him; in 1878 he was accepted to study by the head of the Beth Din, (Rabbinical Court) Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik, who was the new Rabbi of Brest. When Yoshe Ber arrived in Brest, they brought my father to him for an examination. At this time his son Chaim was the head of the Yeshiva in Volozhyn. He commented to his father:father, why do you test his learning (erudition), better to see how he studies the page. From that day onwards there existed a special friendship between them Rabbi Chaim would not make a move without my father's opinion in Torah and all other matters. As so it was his entire life.
In 1882 my father studied new interpretations of the Torah with Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik who was already then a famous scholar, although Brest was a famous city, full of renowned scholars and pupils. To achieve fame as a Great of Torah was no easy feat. After my father's marriage he settled in Volozhyn, which was a very famous community in the Jewish world. Amongst the hundreds of youths there were many who were prodigies and geniuses in Torah (Gaons). At that time my father was 20 years old and already known as an expert in the laws of our forefathers (the book Chidushei Rabbi Chaim Halevi) mentioned my father's innovations.
In Volozhyn at that time there were two Heads of Yeshiva: The Natzav Rabbi Naphtali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, and Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. Each had his own system of teaching. The method of the first was to know the subject with all the reasonings from the Great scholars with wonderful expertise - this he also demanded from his students.
Rabbi Chaim's method was to analyze the subject for himself and to immerse himself in the originals and analyze the matter, especially the Ram Bam (Maimonides)
Most of the students were those who favored one method or the other, my father belonged to the select few that studied both methods.
When the ruling powers closed the yeshiva in 1892 and expelled Rabbi Berlin, my father was also dismissed. Rabbi Chaim proposed to my father that he come with him to Brest. Less than a year had passed and Yoshe Ber had passed away. Rabbi Chaim immediately asked my father to join him in Brest, to be the head of the Yeshiva in the Synagogue School, and to become the Head of the Rabbinical Court (Beth Din).
From that time on, he was the Head Dayan (rabbinical judge) of Brisk D'Lita and the surrounding district, and people came to him from all the surrounding towns with questions about the laws and customs.
His greatness was not only in his expertise with questions and answers, but also in knowing the laws and their original sources in the Talmud and the laws of our Forefathers. He was clear and precise about the laws as stated in Maimonides (Ram Bam), as he was about the rulings of the Sages of the last generations from Lithuania and Russia. Aside from the customs that he knew from books, he would investigate and research issues with the elders of the city, such Rabbi Scholem Menashe who had great influence with the leaders of the city, and over common folk.
His radical approach to Halacha (the legislative part of Rabbinical laws) understandably caused differing opinions and controversy. There were communities that elected preachers and officials that genuinely wanted to be in the Rabbinate, and there were some communities that elected rabbis through recommendations and connections, interestingly - amongst these were some rigorous adherents to Halacha. They caused great suffering with their rulings on deserted wives and poor people. My father recognized this when the question of a deserted wife came to his attention he made great efforts to find a rabbinical exemption for her.
He would personally explain the laws to everyone, whether to the fanatical Zionists or to the leftist circles when the Russians occupied Brest, Yasha the Tailor was made Commissar of the Slaughter House. At the first meeting of the Tanners it was unanimously agreed to follow any suggestion my father made. When many refugees fled across the Bug River into Brest, there were rabbis and schochets amongst them. My father organized accommodation for them in the slaughterhouse, which was controlled by the leftist workers.
By the way, the majority of learned men of his time would turn to my father with their questions, and everybody in the city honored him. He would not allow anyone to serve him. He would not don the Rabbi's hat and would not sit in front of the Holy Ark, as was the custom of the other rabbis. He did not expect others to defer to him and made it a point to be with his people. His room had no doors - that was a symbol that his house was open to all. The lowliest and the most miserable of people would spill their hearts out to him. He was loved by the people of our city the community leaders unanimously wanted to elect him as Rabbi of Brest after the death of Rabbi Chaim in 1918 but my father refused.
From 1894 he was the Head of the Beth Din in Brest until the bitter day in 1942 when the treacherous Nazis liquidated the city and it's residents. He was one of the first to perish in the Honor of God, in the city in which he lived most of his life. He spread the Torah to many and showed the way to his people.
[Page 421]
|Rabbi Avraham Yitchak
Halevi Bleiweiss
Avraham Yitzchak Halevi was the Head of the Beth Din in Brest for twenty-five years. Born in Warsaw in1868, he was the son of Raabi Tzvi Bleiweiss. At 18, he came to Brest. Already then he was renowned as an astute expert of rabbinical law, and of the Tanach. In 1894 he was nominated as Head of the Beth Din in Brest and for 25 years he adjudicated on Halachic law for the people of Brest. Not only did he carry the burden of the Torah, but also the burden of public office - he was selected to head all the delegations to the government. In the times of the pogroms he was oblivious to his own safety in preventing disaster.
Together with Zev Dov Begin and Rabbi Klepfish, Rabbi Bleiweiss stole into the fortress in the dark of night and rescued some Jews from hanging.
He was a goodlooking Jew, who carried himself with erect posture and commanded much respect. He wrote books and in his large library there were many old books and rare documents, which he wanted to donate to the National Library at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem.
He was a great man in Torah and great in his actions. He understood the younger generation and it's attraction to Zionism. In one of his letters to his relatives in Israel he wrote: It is said we will give speeches and learn, thanks to the efforts of the labor of their own hands, which those that went to broaden and develop our settlements in our holy land have achieved.
He died in 1936.
[Page 423]
|Rabbi Eliezer Lipa Klepfish
He was born in 1880 in Warsaw. His father, Rabbi Shmaryahu Klepfish, was the brother of the famous Chief Rabbi of Warsaw, Rabbi Zangwel Klepfish. Eliezer Lipa settled in Brest after W.W.1. He was a member of the Rabbinate there, and for a time he was the Military Rabbi.
After W.W.1 the life of the city was not normalized - the warring powers changed hands several times and the people lived under great stress and fear. Rabbi Klepfish, together with the secretary of the kehilla, Zev Dov Begin and Rabbi Bleiweiss made great efforts to help and save their fellow Jews. During the time of hostilities they risked their own lives and went to the fortress in the middle of the night and rescued the three Meyer brothers (who had been charged with espionage) and were about to be executed.
His wife, the Rebbetzen Yente Klepfish, was a longstanding member of the administration board of the orphanage and she would assist children to leave the walls of the orphanage and find work when they were older. Later, in the Brest Ghetto, although she was old and sick and broken, she organized help for the poor and sick and founded a soup kitchen for them. She secretly baked matzos for them before Passover.
Rabbi Eliezer Lipa died in August 1942 and was buried in the Jewish tradition next to his friend, Rabbi Avraham Bleiweiss.
His wife, the Rebbetzen, hid in the bunkers during the Nazi liquidation of the Ghetto, where she was found and murdered by some Ukrainian murderers.
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text:
$100,000 Up For Grabs in Toyota Texas Bass Classic ShareLunker Club Tournament
Sept. 11, 2012
Media Contact: Lenny Francoeur, Tournament Director, (479) 715-610, icle__media__contact">Media Contact: Lenny Francoeur, Tournament Director, (479) 715-610, email@example.com; Mallory Beck, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, (919) 531-0400, email@example.com
Participants Will Compete for $100,000 prize at Lake Conroe
Note: This item is more than seven years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
ATHENS—The Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) is proud to welcome back the ShareLunker Club Tournament (SCT) on Lake Conroe, Oct. 1–21, 2012. Once again, members will have the opportunity to compete for $100,000, and this year, participants will also be competing against the world's top anglers.
To participate in the tournament, anglers will need to first register and become a SCT member, and then fish on Lake Conroe between Oct. 1 – 21, 2012 (the "Tournament Period"). A $100 fee is required to become a member and only pre-registered members will be eligible for the $100,000 prize. The member who catches the largest Toyota ShareLunker from Lake Conroe during the Tournament Period will win a cash prize of $100,000. A portion of the program proceeds will benefit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's youth outreach programs.
Anglers must call in their catch to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's ShareLunker hotline, (903) 681-0550, or leave a phone number with area code on the program pager, (888) 784-0600.
A new component has been added to this year's tournament, adding more competition to the field of anglers. Professionals fishing in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, Sept. 28-30, 2012, will be able to participate in the ShareLunker Club Tournament (during TTBC official rounds only). In order to be eligible, they will also need to pay the $100 fee to become an SCT member.
"The ShareLunker Club Tournament is a great way for anglers of all skill levels to reel in a fish (and payday) of a lifetime!" said Toyota Texas Bass Classic Tournament Director Lenny Francoeur. "We know there are $100,000 fish swimming around in Lake Conroe, and someone's life could change in just one cast. It's going to be an exciting tournament."
A Toyota ShareLunker, as defined by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is a legally caught (in Texas waters) largemouth bass that weighs over 13.00 pounds and is accepted into Toyota ShareLunker Program. The contest will be limited to the first 1,000 anglers signed up, and anyone who signs up after Sept. 29 will be subject to a 48-hour grace period before they are eligible to participate. Visit toyotatexasbassclassic.com to download a registration form and submit the membership fee. Additionally, interested anglers can sign up at Stow-A-Way Marina & RV Park, located on Lake Conroe at 13988 Calvary Rd, Willis, TX 77318.
The ShareLunker Club Tournament is the perfect way to cap off the Toyota Texas Bass Classic and continue the excitement from the event, which will be held on Lake Conroe, Sept. 28-30. The Toyota Texas Bass Classic will feature 50 of the best professional anglers in the world along with three days of concerts and expos, with the anglers battling it out to claim the title of the world's best.
The 2012 SCT will kick off the annual Toyota ShareLunker Program across the state of Texas. The Toyota ShareLunker Program runs Oct. 1 through April 30 with the mission of promoting the catch-and-release of large fish and selectively breeding trophy largemouth bass.
The Toyota Texas Bass Classic tournament functions are operated by the Professional Anglers Association with technical assistance and support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Inland Fisheries Division. Title sponsor for the event is Toyota. Other sponsors include: Ricoh, ATX Wheels, Coca-Cola, TXU and U.S. Reel. Corporate partnership opportunities are available for 2012. For additional information, visit toyotatexasbassclassic.com.
Limited quantities of free tickets are available this year to the three-day outdoor music festival and professional bass fishing world championship. Fans can obtain free tickets online now at toyotatexasbassclassic.com, while supplies last. Tickets are available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday individually. Fans can also pick up TTBC tickets at any Toyota dealership or Academy Sports + Outdoors location in the greater Houston area. Walk-up tickets the day of the event will require a donation towards the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and all days are subject to sell-out.
The daily tickets are valid for admission into the festival grounds for angler weigh-ins and the concert on that particular day. All activities, including concerts, weigh-ins, Reliant Outdoor Adventures Area and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Expo will take place at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center's festival grounds in Conroe. Concert headliners include Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan and Jake Owen.
On the Net:
- Website: http://toyotatexasbassclassic.com/
- Sharelunker: http://tpwd.texas.gov/sharelunker/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/ToyotaTexasBassClassic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TxBassClassic

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Bart:Would you be kind enough to show the corresponding plots for the following ImageMagick methods (all with the default 3 lobes)?tensor Lanczos (-filter Lanczos -resize)EWA LanczosRadius (-filter LanczosRadius -distort resize)EWA LanczosSharpest (-filter lanczos -define filter:blur=0.88549061701764 -distort resize)With thanks.
Bart:Although the Robidoux filter, like all well-designed Elliptical Weighted Averaging methods, is isotropic when resizing and preserving the aspect ratio, it is applied to filter values laid out on a grid, which breaks the rotational symmetry. Do I understand correctly that the Robidoux noise power spectra plots were not the results of averaging in all directions, like you did for the Bicubic Smoother ones? I do understand that the difference may be small, but if possible I'd like to compare apples to apples.
Why not try out some of your concepts and see what works best for you? Doesn't have to be an extensive test, but what works for others in their workflow may not work as well for you.
No scaling after sharpening, right?
Quote from: hjulenissen on May 02, 2013, 04:48:22 pmNo scaling after sharpening, right?To which Schewe answered "correct".However, what about this comment from Schewe above: "The key is to upsample to above the final size/res you may need, apply sharpening and other tricks (like adding noise/grain) and only down sample to get to your final output PPI (360/720 Epson, 300/600 Canon & HP)."
As I understand Schewe's comments, one should upsample in even amounts (2x, 4x, etc.) to whatever it takes to get just larger than the final output size/res, sharpen and apply other final touches, and then downrez to the final output size/res without any additional sharpening or other final processing. Or have I misunderstood?
As far as I understand Jeff, he generally suggests to upsample if the output resolution is below 300 / 360 PPI, or to 600 / 720 if output resolution is above 300 / 360, and downsample if resolution is above 600 / 720 PPI.Personally, I would disagree about resampling after sharpening, because resampling in general reduces resolution and sharpening after resampling is usually beneficial.
If we're talking images being sent to some large output (or why size up?), I totally agree. Looking at synthetic images sharpened on-screen with differing methods is interesting. But most care what a print looks like after sizing and you have to make that print. I've tried different techniques and products but the final evaluation is an 8x11 print off my 3880 representing a small part of what would be a much bigger print. At this point, the several 3rd party products tested didn't provide anything other than much slower processing compared to using Lightroom or ACR for initial size and capture sharpening (which is more critical to the results than the actual upsizing processes, at least visibly on a print). Same with step interpolating.
While ImageMagick Robidoux filter might require a "round trip" with a tiff, I suspect it is quite easier than some of the methods suggested using bicubic.
I have not seen anything that substantiates any benefit of integer/even resampling factors. In fact, most resampling algorithms are totally scale agnostic and will treat any resampling exactly the same way, totally scale invariant. In theory, it would be possible to devise an algorithm that benefits a specific scaling factor slightly more than other factors, but it would be impracticable for general use.
...I believe that the image shows that when you define the output pixel grid to be a nice multiple of the input grid, you get an output that is periodic with a short period, for "aliased"/periodic input. When it is a less nice multiple, the output period (or the "sampling" of the filter kernel) is larger. This does not make it any less mathematically correct, but it can make for visible differences that might not be desired.I do not claim that this is a big visible problem for natural images. Usually, there will be some natural variation (e.g. variable distance/focus) that cause the pattern to be non-uniform anyways.
I dont know ... i was intrigued so I looked at it. With no real GUI I just couldnt bring myself into trying to figure out installation and the command line interface.
Personally, since I use Lightroom (and usually large captures) the only resampling I do is in the LR Print module and I apply output sharpening where LR upsamples 1st and then sharpens...As for the upsampling %'s, I've pretty much moved away from that (in part because of Bart's tests) and also since I don't do upsampling in Photoshop for the most part-although Photoshop CC's new "Preserve Details" option in Image Size is very interesting. If I were to need to do a massive upsample of a small original, I would prolly take a look at doing it in PS CC.
If one is printing 8 x 10 inch with a 36 MP image, downsizing is needed. In Photoshop, one can use Bicubic Sharper (perhaps with a pre-blur) for convenience, but is there a plug available which could do a better job. Or I could use ImageMagic with a separate command line step. What are others doing?
I asked Bart this question a month ago and below was his response ..http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=45038.msg712955#msg712955
That is interesting. Bart recommends regular bicubic, not bicubic sharper.
He also recommends Topaz detail for sharpening. I recently acquired the program on Bart's recommendation, but have not yet mastered its learning curve.
Does anyone know what downsizing algorithm would be used in LR?


text:
The industry continues to rapidly innovate, continuously introducing devices with new CPUs, graphics processors (GPUs), operating systems and browsers. We are excited by this progress and the new opportunities it provides for end users to enjoy increasingly rich experiences enabled by Flash Player and AIR on their favorite devices, including PCs, tablets, smartphones and TVs. Our work with more than 70 leading partners through the Open Screen Project has delivered Flash Player and/or AIR for Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS, iOS, Google TV, and Samsung SmartTVs and Smart Blu-ray players, complementing our long-standing support for major desktop platforms.
With the new Creative Suite 5.5, including Flash Builder 4.5, millions of developers and designers are able to accelerate and simplify development of rich applications for the web and top mobile devices including Android smartphones and tablets, the BlackBerry PlayBook and all versions of the iPhone and iPad. We anticipate that we will certify Flash Player on more than 40 smartphones and 50 tablets for release this year, bringing Flash Player smartphone installations to more than 130 million by year's end. More than 200 million devices will support AIR applications by this same time.
We continue to work closely with our silicon, OS and browser partners to provide users with regular performance and feature enhancements that build on the latest device hardware and software updates across this vast array of devices. This cooperation is critical, as Flash Player and AIR deliver rich web experiences and mobile applications, including HD video and immersive gaming, through a reliance on each layer of the complex and evolving technology "stacks" that embody modern devices. As these stacks deliver new optimizations and support new capabilities, we will take advantage of them in ways that deliver value to both end users and content developers.
Today we are releasing Flash Player 10.2 for Android Honeycomb devices, available for download from Android Market. This final release will take advantage of Google's enhancements in Android 3.1*, including hardware accelerated playback of 720p high-definition video referenced in our earlier blog post. Users of Android 3.0.1 will not experience these improvements until their devices receive the update to Android 3.1*. In addition, this Flash Player 10.2 release includes a security update addressing the Flash Player vulnerability announced on April 15th for all versions of Android.
Our plan moving forward is to continue delivering improvements in performance, quality, security and/or new features with each new release of Flash Player and AIR in accordance with our regular development schedule. Devices and software updates from our partners which introduce new technologies are being developed on varied schedules that are different from our own. Flash Player and/or AIR may not be optimized or supported on some of these devices until a subsequent release. We will continue to provide developers with access to pre-release features through early access programs on Adobe Labs so that they can test their content and provide us with feedback prior to final release.
*Blog post UPDATED on May 10, 2011 to reflect Adobe Flash Player 10.2 support for Android 3.1, announced at Google I/O.


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Today was boobie day on the blagosphere. Girls showing their boobies. Boys showing their boobies. Women mad at the lack of boobies. Men thinking their smart and insightful for saying there is a shortage of boobies.
Booby 1-- My mother is very, very, very pro-breast-feeding. She is a breast-feeding evangelist. If anyone within a 50 mile radius of our home is pregnant, you can guarantee my mother will knocking on their door with breast-feeding 'literature' (hey, at least she doesnt do it at 8 am on a Sunday...). That anyone would be anti-breast feeding while still being pro-boobie (just as long as there is a wet T-shirt over them) is something I cannot comprehend.
Booby 2-- Hitchens has already upped that bet. Your move, PZ :P
Booby 3-- As Zuka knows, I live in a bubble world. Never had any problems with professors, bosses, mentors, discriminating against me because of my gender. I know some of my colleagues have gone through bullshit just because they have boobies, but Im a lucky bastard, and 'gender' is not something I have to think about on a normal day. I carry that bubble with me onto the internet. Maybe this is a side-effect of hanging out on David Bowie fan forums for too long, but with screen names and artistic avatars-- who the hell knows who is what gender on the internet. 'The Internet' is a genderless world to me. For all we know, 'Orac' is really a woman. And I bet a strong majority of you would think I was a dude if I never posted a pic!
I really dont think Carl Zimmer consciously left women out of his three, nor do I think I was PZs token chick. I hope their decisions were genderless, and based on their favorites.
Readers, if you are feeling embarrassed about your knowledge of women in science, there is always 'Women in Science' :)
Booby 4--
After almost writing a nice article on a real topic-- how to herd cats (I mean atheists), Berlinerblau's article degenerates into one of the most offensive articles Ive read in weeks:
The number of men who gravitate to atheism and agnosticism, specifically white men, is wont to leave one slack-jawed.I GET IT FR*MERS. IM A MAN. I GET IT. Holy crap! Do you people think before you write words?? What the hell is the matter with Fr*mers?? Everything they write is offensive, and theyre supposed to be the experts? I mean is this article a joke? His list of 'kinds of atheists':
- Big Science Secularists
- Refugees
- Church-State Lifers
- The Philosopher Kings
- The Lone Rangers
- Gay
- The Lunatic Fringe
Edited 10.00 pm to add--
BOOBIE 5-- According to The Factician, Denyse over at Uncommon Descent is even showing her boobies off today!
Anyone who thinks that the fact that girls are not as good as boys in math means that girls do not rule is obviously not in contact with many girls.HAHAHA! Its a FACT girls suck at math, but girls RAWK! LOL! Big D is just jealous that Winnie can publish a theorem, and Little D cant.


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DETROIT - Rowdiness, cursing and blood are put aside for one night every year when the WWE holds their annual Hall
of Fame ceremony. Saturday night's event at the Fox Theatre allowed for legends to thank the fans for the
fans to show their appreciation back.
"I am a wrestling fan," Jim Ross said during his acceptance speech. "I am the first fan to be inducted in the Hall of Fame." Ross let the fans know he was representing each of them by being inducted this year.
The WWE has a problem each year. So many people are being worthy of being inducted, but balance needs to be taken into account. True WWE legends come first, making room for enduring WWE wrestlers, Mr. Fuji and the Wild Samoans. The Hall is now a place for all legends to be honored, even if they had little impact inside a WWE ring. Nick Bockwinkel and The Sheik were deservingly honored for their status in the world of wrestling. The Hall of Fame is not just for wrestlers, as was the case for the induction of announcer Jim Ross. Some make a name not only in the WWE but all over the world like Dusty Rhodes and Jerry Lawler.
And then there is an area the WWE tries tread carefully with. The wrestling business has been hit with many deaths over the past 15 years, many of whom came prematurely due to drugs and suicide. Rick Rude, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, Road Warrior Hawk and Bam Bam Bigelow are all deserving to be inducted. But the WWE wants to be careful as to not draw attention to the problem by inducting more than one a year. Unfortunately, the trend is continuous and at that pace, a backlog of names will pile up as the years go by.
Curt Hennig, who died of acute cocaine intoxication in 2003, received an applause and appreciation from the crowd as large as anyone's. Fans remember what he did in the ring and not how his life ended.
Nick Bockwinkel was the night's first inductee, and was introduced by his longtime manager Bobby Heenan. Heenan's comedy is always a show stealer, and this year was no exception.
"Nick is one of the nicest guys I know," Heenan said about Bockwinkel. "He is a great athlete and performer. He knows 33 ways to mail a letter but none will get the letter to your house."
Heenan suggested that Bockwinkel would not have made it in the NBA or NFL because he "wasn't a deadbeat dad, he didn't beat his wife and doesn't drink or carry a gun."
Bockwinkel thanked his wife of 35 years and his children in his speech, but he remembered the man who got him into the business, his father Warren. "His success through training me allowed me to be champion. Thank you dad."
Two of the oddest characters visually to ever step into a ring were the Wild Samoans, Sika and Afa.
Matt Anoa'i and Samu Fatu', sons of Sika and Afa respectively, inducted their fathers. Afa took the time to thank their uncle Peter Maivia and Maivia's son Rocky Johnson for training them during his acceptance speech.
"We owe it to the fans," Afa said. "We traveled and worked for very little sometimes to make our business better and pave the way for the wrestlers of today."
Friends Sabu and Rob Van Dam inducted The Sheik, who Bobby Heenan called earlier in the night "the greatest heel ever in the business."
Rob Van Dam, who was trained by The Sheik, said The Sheik was "hardcore before any of us heard hardcore."
Van Dam wanted to share some stories about his training with The Sheik, but said if he did, "The Sheik may come bite my nose off."
Ed Farhat, the real life Sheik, was known as a successful territorial promoters in wrestling. He ran the Detroit-based Big Time Wrestling from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Drawing monthly shows at Detroit's famed Cobo Hall, everyone
from the Funks to Dusty Rhodes came through his territory. His wife Joyce accepted the award for her late husband, who died in 2003.
"He was despised," Joyce told the crowd the sold-out crowd of 4,500. "But he did not care. He loved what he did, and he did it well."
Gene Okerlund was happy to see him inducted. "I recommended his name to the WWE," Okerlund told SLAM! Wrestling. "Ed Farhat was a legend in the ring and his memory in Detroit is still here."
Miami Vice was the highest-rated drama during the mid-1980s, and the WWE capitalized by taping segments parodying the show. Fuji Vice would become a cult hit with fans when it aired on WWE's TNT show. Don Muraco and Mr. Fuji, who stared in the parodies, were reunited at the Hall of Fame.
Mr. Fuji, who's real name is Harry Fujiwara, went through three phrases in his career. He was a wrestler, a derby wearing manager and finally a bald Kimono wearing manager who would yell "Banzai" when his wrestler, Yokozuna, would crush opponents. His wrestling career was crowned by five WWE Tag Team titles with partners Prof. Toru Tanaka and Mr. Saito.
"Fuji was the biggest ribber (joker)," Muraco said. "And he would appreciate his work, telling the victims he would investigate who pulled the rib."
The man who used to carry a cane to the ring as a prop to hit opponents with, now needed a cane to walk to the podium. Fuji, frail, looked like a former shell of himself. He was noticeably smaller and slower in his movements.
Jim Ross, a longtime announcer in wrestling, was introduced by Steve Austin, one of Ross' closest friends. "No disrespect to Gordon Solie, but Jim Ross is not only the best announcer ever in wrestling but also one of the greatest announcers in any profession."
Ross was brought onstage with a standing chant of his initials "JR, JR." Ross tried to start his speech but was interrupted by a second standing ovation.
"I was a fan. I wanted to be a wrestler, but genetics didn't work out," Ross said. "Plus, you don't want to see me in tights."
He shared a story about starting his career as a referee. He would make $40 a night, which was good money for a referee during the 1970s, but he wanted to make more. "I figured out I could drive the wrestlers to the shows and charge each man two cents per mile. And I could save money by sleeping on their hotel floors."
Wrestlemania IX was the first WWE announcing job for Ross, a night he probably will want to forget as he wore a toga to commemorate the event taking place as Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas. He promised the crowd "that toga was burnt long ago."
"I want to thank Lance Russell who showed my art on local Memphis wrestling and got my foot in the door," Jerry Lawler said about his first choice to induct him, the legendary Memphis announcer. Those within the WWE recommended William Shatner, who worked an angle in 1995 with Lawler on an episode of Monday Night Raw.
The WWE is probably wishing they went with Lawler's first choice of Russell. Shatner was given a script to read from on sheets of paper. Shatner, obviously unprepared, read directly from the sheets, rarely looking up. The speech came off as very insincere, and the crowd let him know it with large boos and chants of their displeasure.
"I had a conversation with the other legends in the back," Lawler said. "It wasn't about wrestling, though, but Viagra."
Lawler started wrestling in 1970 and still wrestles on occasion till this day. He thanked those he had the opportunity to wrestle from Lou Thesz and Danny Hodge through Steve Austin and The Rock.
Curt Hennig, known as Mr. Perfect during his WWE days, received maybe the biggest and definitely the most emotional ovation when introduced. After Wade Boggs, baseball Hall of Famer and friend of the late Hennig, introduced Hennig's father, Larry "The Axe", mother, wife and four children to the podium, Heenan and Bockwinkel wiped tears from their faces. The two worked closely with Hennig during his career, Hennig as a manager and Bockwinkel as an opponent on many occasions.
Hennig's oldest son, Joe, wore his father's old suit jacket with "Mr. Perfect" sparkled across the back. "He was what he said he was," Curt's wife, Leonice, told the crowd, "absolutely perfect."
The ceremony was capped off by the induction of three-time NWA World Champion, Dusty Rhodes. He was the son of a plumber, a phrase he also seemed to work into a promo. Dustin and Cody, the sons of Dusty, inducted their father.
"We are happy to do something special," Dustin said in the introduction.
"He was also a great father," Cody said. "If there was a Hall of Fame for fathers, he'd be in that one too."
Rhodes gave the crowd a workout by asking for standing ovations for Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Triple H, Arn Anderson and Ric Flair, who were all in attendance. When Rhodes called Flair "the greatest in-ring performer," Flair appeared on screen in tears, visually thanking Rhodes for the comment.
"If you are young and want to make in this business," Rhodes said, "get a tape of Ricky Steamboat."
Rhodes closed his speech by asking Anderson and Flair if Race and himself could be part of the Four Horsemen.
Flair approved by showing four fingers to the crowd, a longtime sign of the Horsemen.


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Evil characters need sweet rides, too. These are ten of the most evil cars ever to hit the silver screen. And I could use at least six of them as daily drivers...
10.) Cruella De Vil's car from 101 Dalmatians
A crazy woman driver in a fire-breathing hot rod. Scary, not just for puppies.
Suggested By: Brian, The Life of
9.) Lumbergh's Porsche from Office Space
If you could just go ahead and make sure this car made the list, that would be terrific.
Suggested By: TheCraigy
8.) Zao's Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day
Hoon of the Day goes to Mr. Zao and his weapons-equipped Jaaaag.
Suggested By: Bullitt417 can comment again!
7.) Bill's DeTomaso Mangusta from Kill Bill 2
Bill was a real son of a bitch, but how can you hate a man who drives a DeTomaso Mangusta?
Suggested By: Muggster
6.) The baddies' Charger from Bullitt
Steve McQueen's Mustang Fastback needed a worthy opponent. A black 1968 Charger R/T is certainly fits.
Suggested By: Arch Duke Maxyenko, a Dyslexic
5.) The Pinguin's Rubber Ducky from Batman Returns
kis_ev puts it the best:
Burton>Schumacher. It takes a dark mind to turn a benevolent rubber ducky into a rocket launching Penguin-mobile.
Suggested By: EL_ULY
4.) Any baddy's ride from Road Warrior
I have to agree with GotWake:
Obvious answer is, any baddy car from the Road Warrior. Any time you can strap a couple of people to the front of your ride and drive at insane speeds, and it has nitrous (or whatever they used in the wastelands of the Outback).
Suggested By: GotWake
3.) The truck from Duel
You thought Dreadnought was bad? This truck is way more evil...
Suggested By: Demon-Xanth
2.) Christine
This Plymouth Fury is furious indeed.
Suggested By: Automatch- the Avanthusiast and My X-type is too a real Jaguar
1.) Stuntman Mike's Nova from Death Proof
Designed to kill. Civics.
Suggested By: Arch Duke Maxyenko, a Dyslexic
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: TriStar Pictures


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Personal Democracy Forum is a month away, and as a member of the Idealist community, you qualify for a $100 discount off the registration cost.
What is PdF? Personal Democracy Forum (PdF) is "the world's leading conference exploring and analyzing technology's impact on polit
ics and government." It takes place June 6-7 in New York City.
This year's theme is Agents of Change. Say the organizers:
We'll be shifting focus from technology itself to what people do with these new tools; how key actors like organizers, political
leaders, volunteers, and followers interact; and how these players are learning from and adapting to the new environment they are themselves helping create and shape.
Learn more and register at www.Personaldemocracy.com/Conference.
Who can I see there? Speakers this year will include:
- Sami Ben Gharbia, Tunisian exile blogger-journalist-activist
- Vivek Kundra, White House Chief Information Officer
- Jenny Beth Martin, national co-coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots
- Andy Carvin, NPR social media guru
- Susan Morgan, director of the Global Network Initiative
- Nathan Freitas, longtime longtime coder, the Guardian Project
- …and many more.
And how do I snag that discount?
Simply enter the code IDEALIST2011 when you register, and you'll be charged $100 less than the stated price.


text:
More than a dozen others face charges
By Steven Dubois
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Romanian princess accused of participating in a cockfighting ring in rural Oregon is scheduled to plead guilty next month, court documents show.
Authorities say Irina Walker and her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, staged at least 10 cockfighting derbies between April 2012 and April 2013 at their ranch in Irrigon — 175 miles east of Portland. Blades were attached to the birds' legs, spectators were charged admission, and food and drink were sold, the indictment said. The fights allegedly brought in as much as $2,000 a day.
The Walkers were charged with unlawful animal fighting, conspiracy to violate the animal welfare act and operating an illegal gambling business. Both have change of plea hearings scheduled for July 16 in Portland.
Federal prosecutor Stephen Peifer confirmed that Irina Walker is scheduled to plead guilty, but declined comment when asked the terms of any plea agreement. Walker's lawyer, Per Ramfjord, was out of the office Thursday and didn't return a message.
Irina Walker is the third daughter of former Romanian King Michael I. Michael, now 92, was forced to abdicate by the communists in 1947.
Walker's daughter, Angelica Kreuger, told the AP last year that her mother moved to the U.S. from Switzerland in the early 1980s with her former husband.
Kreuger said her mother never lived a lavish lifestyle. She rode horses, gardened, studied the Bible and raised two children while living in southwest Oregon. She later divorced her husband and married a man who had been a family friend and neighbor — former Coos County sheriff's deputy John Walker. The couple moved to eastern Oregon.
More than a dozen other people were charged in connection with the cockfighting business. Some pleaded guilty in a companion case from Washington state and had their District of Oregon charges dismissed, court records show.
One co-defendant, Apolinar Munoz-Gutierrez, also known as Polo, was scheduled to plead guilty in Portland Thursday afternoon to animal fighting and being an alien in possession of a firearm, Peifer said.


text:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An eventual bid for Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) by founder Richard Schulze could come in under his initially proposed $8 billion range and will likely not occur before December, sources familiar with the matter said, in a new twist to the months-long saga at the struggling electronics retailer.
The former chairman has done most of his due diligence on Best Buy and has formed a business plan to turn around the world's largest consumer electronics chain, with his efforts now focused on lining up financing for a deal, the sources said.
At least three private equity firms - Apollo Global Management LLC (APO.N), TPG Capital LP and Leonard Green & Partners LP - are considering joining Schulze in the bid, the sources said. Cerberus Capital Management LP, which was among the buyout firms that weighed joining the bidding group, is no longer working on the deal, one of the four sources said.
The sources declined to be identified because the information is not public.
The Richfield, Minnesota-based company has been grappling with tough competition from online retailers and the aftermath of a boardroom drama that led to Schulze's departure and the ouster of his onetime protege.
Schulze said in August he could acquire Best Buy for $24 to $26 per share, valuing the deal between $8.16 billion and $8.84 billion and, if debt is included, as much as $10.9 billion.
But Best Buy's shares have since fallen more than 20 percent to trade just above $15. The stock was up 1.6 percent at $15.50 on Friday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.
While a final decision on the offer price has not been made, the drop in shares has raised the likelihood that Schulze's bid could be below $24 per share, the sources said.
Schulze is expected to take a 30-day extension to mid-December for submitting a final proposal to Best Buy's board, they said.
The founder's efforts to clinch equity and debt commitments for what could be one of the largest leveraged buyouts of the year were delayed by superstorm Sandy which disrupted operations at several major Wall Street banks.
An extension will also give Schulze and the buyout firms a chance to see how Best Buy is performing in the crucial Christmas holiday season, the sources said.
There are no guarantees, however, that Schulze will ultimately be able to secure financing for the proposed buyout. Schulze has said he plans to fund any deal through a combination of private equity and debt financing, as well as the reinvestment of some of his own equity in the company.
Best Buy and Apollo declined to comment. The other private equity firms could not be reached for comment.
Best Buy has seen its fortunes falter over the years, as consumers increasingly use its big box stores as showrooms for products they end up buying online at Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and other websites. To add to its troubles, the company forced out Schulze's protege, Brian Dunn, as CEO earlier this year amid allegations the executive was having an inappropriate relationship with a female employee.
That scandal also led to the ouster of Schulze, who founded the company in 1966, from the board, and to Best Buy hiring turnaround expert Hubert Joly as its CEO to come up with its own restructuring plan.
Joly will have more of a chance to distance the company from its founder next week, when he unveils more details of his own turnaround plan to Best Buy investors in New York.
Barclays analyst Alan Rifkin expects Joly to reinforce the retailer's commitment to its brick-and-mortar stores and talk about his plans to win shoppers from online and discount rivals with better service and a wider product assortment, both in stores and online. Rifkin, however, does not expect Joly to announce any significant store closures next week.
"I don't think they have gotten their arms around the entire real estate portfolio just yet. We do think they need to rationalize their domestic square footage," said Rifkin.
Analysts also think Best Buy needs to do something soon to address consumer perceptions that its prices are higher than those of online giant Amazon's.
"Mr. Joly needs to balance cost cuts which can prop up earnings. But by the same token, he needs to outline investments and initiatives that will make the stores and the brand compelling to the American consumer," said Bradley Thomas, an analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets. "The challenge will be finding that right balance."
Best Buy, which has now posted declines in same-store sales in eight of the last nine quarters, has said it planned to match online prices on some items this holiday season.
One analyst has said that Best Buy's declining fortunes could make a buyout more attractive for some investors.
"We are starting to believe that current shareholders may be more receptive to Schulze's previously disclosed offer of $24-$26 per share than we previously believed," Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy said late last month.
Reporting by Soyoung Kim, Olivia Oran and Dhanya Skariachan; editing by Paritosh Bansal, Edwina Gibbs and Matthew Lewis


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Are Grey 21" Wheels Only For Signature Cars?
Are Grey 21" Wheels Only For Signature Cars?
My car is not a signature, and the grey wheels were an option. I don't see why they wouldn't offer them on any Model S.
They are only an option to come on the car if you get the performance model, I think.
However, they also sell them via the Tesla Store online. So if you get the 19" wheels it appears you could then buy the grey 21" wheels after your car arrives, although I haven not heard personally from anyone who has donee this to confirm it.
I tried the designer, and Ceilidh is correct. They are an option on performance models.
Ceilidh is right. TM will only deliver perf cars with gray 21's. You can however purchase them from the online store. $3,500 for just the gray wheels or $5,200 for the wheels & tires.
You can order the rims and then just go by the tires yourself afterward.


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Nov 12, 2015 – Foreign Workers – Provincial Nominees or Permanent Residence Applicants
In many cases, applicants for permanent residence to Canada would need to wait for the authorities to finalise their permanent residence application assessments. However, they would still be able to apply for work permits while they wait for the authorities to complete finalising their permanent residence application assessments.
Provincial Nominees or Permanent Residence Applicants
IP 4 – Processing Live-in Caregivers in Canada
The Introduction
This chapter describes the procedures that officers in Canada use for processing the following applications under the purview of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP):
- Applications for the renewal of work permits (same employer)
- Applications for new work permits (for new employers or in case the employer moves to a new province or territory)
- Applications for study permits and,
- Applications for permanent residence
In some cases, officers would need to refer to OP 14 – Processing Applicants for the Live-in Caregiver Program chapter. This chapter specifically relates to the procedures that officers use for:
- Overseas processing initial work permit applications under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) and,
- Overseas processing of applications for permanent residence from live-in caregivers' family members living outside Canada
The Program Objectives
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) was responsible for establishing the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). They did so to meet a labour market shortage of live-in caregivers in Canada. At the same time, they aimed at providing certain individuals the avenue to work and eventually apply for permanent residence from within Canada.
The Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) enables qualified temporary workers to come to Canada for providing the following services:
- In-home child care
- Senior home support care or,
- Care of the disabled
The Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) enables applicants to apply for permanent residence from within Canada after they have worked full-time as live-in caregivers for:
- At least 24 months or,
- A total of 3,900 hours in a minimum of 22 months within the four years immediately following their entry into Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)
The Act and Regulations
Officers would need to refer to the tables given below for finding references concerning the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
For Information Concerning…
Refer to…
The authorisation for the application for permanent residence in Canada
The definition of a live-in caregiver
The medical examination requirements for live-in caregivers in Canada
The live-in caregiver class
The requirements for work permit
The application for permanent residence in Canada
The requirements for family members
The applicable times for conformity
The requirements for studying without a work permit for short-term courses
The application in Canada for a work permit
The application in Canada for a study permit
Similarly, officers would need to refer to the following forms concerning the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
The Form Title
Form Number
The In-Canada Application for Permanent Resident Status
The Document Checklist – Live-in Caregiver
The Live-in Caregiver – Employer Declaration of the Hours Worked
The Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada
- Officers would need to note that with respect to R115, not all requirements prescribed by the authorities in sections 112 to 114.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) would apply to each situation or point in time.
The Instruments and Delegations
Section 6 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) authorise the Minister to designated officers to carry out specific powers, in addition to delegating authorities. In addition, the section also specifies those ministerial authorities that the Minister cannot delegate. These authorities would typically relate to security certificates or national interest.
Under the provisions specified in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has delegated powers. Moreover, the Minister has also designated the officers authorised for carrying out any purpose of any provisions that are legislative or regulatory. Officers could refer to these in the instrument IL3 – Designation of Officers and Delegation of Authority.
The Departmental Policy:
- LCP Departmental Policy
- Live-in Caregiver Program Issuance or Renewal of Work Permits in Canada
- Live-in Caregiver Program Mandatory Employment Contract
- Live-in Caregiver Program Validation of a Job Offer
- Live-in caregivers : Parallel Processing of Family Members
Related Articles:
- Live-in Caregivers : Issuance & Renewal of Work & Study Permits
- Processing Live-in Caregiver Applications for Permanent Residence
- Process for Assessing the Eligibility for Becoming a Member of the Live-in Caregiver Class
- Acceptable Evidence of Full-Time Employment As a Live-in Caregiver
- Granting the Approval in Principle for Eligible Applicants
- Refusing Applicants Determined Not to Be Members of the Live-in Caregiver Class for Ineligible Applicants
- Inserts that Officers Would Need to Use in the Refusal Letter
- Applications from Eligible Live-in Caregivers in Quebec
- Medical Examinations for Live-in Caregiver Program
- Live-in caregivers – Processing of Family Members
- LCP : Ineligible Family Members
- Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) Refund
- Process for Finalising Approved Cases
- Documentation Standards in the Field Operations Support System (FOSS)
- Processing Applicants for the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)
- Fact Sheet on the Employment Standards Legislation
- Contact Information for Provincial and Territorial Employment Standards
- Live-in Caregivers Counselling Fact Sheet


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Questlove (Ahmir Thompson) discusses is latest book, "Creative Quest".
About Questlove:
Drummer, DJ, producer, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and bandleader of The Roots - Questlove, is the unmistakable heartbeat of Philadelphia's most influential hip-hop group. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. Beyond that, this 4-time GRAMMY Award winning musician's indisputable reputation has landed him musical directing positions with everyone from D'Angelo to Eminem to Jay-Z. Questlove has also released two books including the New York Times bestseller Mo' Meta Blues and Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation. One of his latest endeavors includes scoring Chris Rock's film, Top Five, and also working as the music supervisor. He also recently produced the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton, alongside Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter. He will also serve as the Executive Music Producer and Composer on the A&E Mini Series "Roots."


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Malone necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 30 diseños de 11 diseñadores freelance.
Our political online game and economic simulation needs a completely new layout. It should become clearly arranged and look more professional and modern. To compose a good layout for a mix of politics, economy and a game is very difficult but it should stimulate you ;)
We heard from many people, that they did not register, because the site is quite confusing, too many informations, etc. Additionally, it should look simply better and give the players a more comfortable Look-and-Feel. So the mass of information should be reduced, and the layout transfered into modern age, as the game plays from 1990 to about 2050.
- unobtrusively monumental (the player rules a state)
- noble and clean, but also inviting and a bit playful (well, it's a game, but a quite serious and educative game)
- 1024 width fixed and centered like now
- mainly bright colours, but can also contain contrasts with dark colours
- politically neutral (not red or brown for example, as those colours are associated with political tendencies)
- maybe you should google for other political games and economical simulations
- the main thing is: a good idea!
- all the statistics on the left and right site can be negledted
- a second layout for a state view like here: http://www.ars-regendi.com/state/8851/show.html - regard that there is a personal menu and a menu for the state
- a template, with which we can construct the other sites
- note: if you win the contest, we will need bit by bit further graphics, like icons for example
- the game will be expanded next year to a complete geopolitical simulation, maybe you consider that too
- search engine friendlyness: "Economic simulation and political online game" has to stand at the top!
- no dashed lines or boxes - I dislike them
- consider the time when the game plays: from 1990 to about 2050


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Filed under: affect, Affect Theory, Detachment theory, Encounters, Love, Mood, non-sovereignty, optimism, Ordinariness, pedagogy, psychoanalysis, Theory of this Blog, writing | Tags: adults, affect, children, Lydia_Davis, memory, psychoanalysis, things, writing
1. The Test
There's a can of blueberries at the back of the shelf amid dust and flour mites or whatever it is that gets into the rice, like an old writing file where you made a deposit in the darkness of a late style. As though berries too syrupy even for ice cream and the cheesecakes your mother never got to make were just waiting around for you to be found, like that child in the game. Continue reading
Filed under: affect, Affect Theory, Mood, psychoanalysis, sexuality, supervalent_thought, writing | Tags: affect, emotion, Glee, mood, Sedgwick, theory, Tomkins, writing
These are our questions for the MLA roundtable. Section one takes up genealogies of affect theory; section two takes up the problem of affect in the historical present; section three takes up a variety of concerns about queer theory, sexuality, racialization, specific cases and archives, and modes of orientation that are in proximity to whatever we might call affect but in different idioms. You can download them here. mla roundtable 2011
745. Affecting Affect Theory is scheduled to take place at 1:45+3:00 p.m. on 08-JAN-12 in 615, WSCC; Washington State Convention Center, 800 Convention Place (Pike St. and 8th Ave.)
Affect Theory Roundtable Questions, MLA 2012
Authors: Lauren Berlant, Ann Cvetkovich, Jonathan Flatley, Neville Hoad, Heather Love, José E. Muñoz, Tavia Nyong'o
I. Genealogies of Affect Theory
1. How do we think about the different trajectories of affect theory now, especially as the Deleuzian/Massumian project/idiom has become so important to its critical circulation? How do we think the proximity of public feelings, minor affects, psychoanalysis, Sedgwickian syncretism (Buddhism, Tomkins, Klein), and affective labor's version of affect-as-immateriality in relation to the Spinozan tradition? How to keep the event of affect open to maintaining the multiplicity of traditions, trajectories, tendencies, and critical tactics? Is spanning all traditions important to ways we think about addressing future problems?
2. Affect vs/alongside mood, feeling, emotion etc. What are the stakes of synthesizing these different ways of talking to our about states of the sensorium?
3. Cavell (a great affect theorist who is not often included in the genealogies of affect theory) says that professional philosophy has been emancipated from an obligation to be therapeutic, but that it should be haunted by that very emancipation. What about the critical work we do: what about questions of theory and utility, of reparativity, of failure?
4. In response to thoughts about genealogies and the increasing institutionalization of Deleuzian affect studies, I would like to take the chance to think in some detail about genealogies for public feelings/feel tank type affect studies. The Cavell thing got me thinking about other possibly overlooked figures. Continue reading


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….well, "pumpkin display" may be a little far fetched as I just plonked them on a table! I hang my head in shame in front of all the fabulous bloggers out there who have actually created displays. I will simply call this Phase One….
I've always wanted to have a go at growing pumpkins but, unfortunately, this year there wasn't enough room, time or knowledge! There hasn't been very much sunshine either so I'll put these on my gardening wishlist for next year and ask for more sunbeams.
I have an oak cabinet in the Garden Room that is used for storing gift bags, wrapping paper and ribbons – obviously everything that is needed in the event of an emergency:-)
I'm not sure how these will be carved yet but just having them around has made me happier. The honour of carving goes to my long suffering husband who thinks that pumpkin innards are the design of the devil. I usually draw the spooky face and he spends an hour patirntly carving (and retching)… true love comes in many forms! And if it all goes horribly wrong it will be soup again for tea 🙂
For some proper pumpkin inspiration head over to Gardening Nirvana where Alys has some fun ideas and is on official countdown to Halloween x


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Perry expert says back pain doomed his campaign
So what happened? How could a long-serving Texas governor with visions of the White House in his eyes fail so ignominiously? How did it all go wrong for Rick Perry?
Those are the questions Jay Root of the Texas Tribune seeks to answer in his aptly named e-book "Oops: A Diary of the Campaign Trail."
Root, who has covered Perry for years makes clear there's no simple answer to explain what James Carville described as the worst presidential campaign in American history, but there's one explanation that comes close: sleeplessness.
In Root's view, Perry's back surgery in early 2011 was much more serious than his campaign people let on, and the candidate was in constant pain on the campaign trail. (Perry refused to take painkillers.) The pain exacerbated a lifelong sleep problem, which left him almost dead on his feet during the 24/7 demands of a presidential campaign.
"The chronic lack of adequate rest seemed to get worse and worse as the schedule of events multiplied and the travel wore down," Root writes.
Even if Perry had slept like a baby for eight hours a night, the multitudinous gaffes, the infighting and feuding at the top and the candidate's woeful ill-preparedness would have been enough to doom the campaign. The "oops" moment from Rochester, Mich., perhaps the most memorable mistake in campaign history, was merely the coup de grace.
In present-tense diary fashion, Root chronicles the ill-fated presidential quest from the heady early days with Perry atop the polls and raising more money than Mitt Romney to the sad, chaotic end. "Dude, no matter how bad you've heard it was, it was 10 times worse," a senior campaign aide told Root toward the end.
"Oops" captures the craziness of it all in close-up detail. All campaigns are, in fact, crazy - for the candidate, for the handlers and staff, for dogged reporters like Root chasing the story from New Hampshire to South Carolina to Iowa to Florida and points in between. Rick Perry's quest was no "Making of a President," but as Root chronicles, it's one for the history books nonetheless.