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Night Line: Ohio University and DJ Cooper Deserve Your AttentionPosted by EJacoby on December 21st, 2011
Evan Jacoby is an RTC columnist. You can find him @evanjacoby on Twitter. Night Line will run on weeknights during the season, highlighting a major storyline development from that day's slate of games.
After another impressive road victory, it's time to get Ohio University on the national radar. The Bobcats of the MAC improved to 10-1 with Tuesday's night's impressive win over Northern Iowa, another one-loss team coming into tonight's game. Ohio entered the contest as six-point underdogs and left with a 17-point victory. They have now won road contests over Oakland, Marshall, and UNI, and they had a five-point lead at Louisville with under three minutes to play before poor execution down the stretch lead to a late loss. That near-upset remains the Bobcats' only loss of the season. Ohio has passed all of its major non-conference tests with flying colors, and they certainly look the part of an NCAA Tournament team. Barring a stunning loss in one of their next three home games against weaker opponents, star point guard D.J. Cooper and his team will head into MAC conference play as the league favorite and with a good resume worthy of at-large bid consideration.
Ohio is led by the junior guard Cooper who simply does it all. The 5'11", 165-pounder doesn't have the physical make-up of a high major player, but he's been as productive as any guard in the country. His playmaking skills on both ends of the floor have been remarkable. Cooper led the entire country in total steals as a freshman, not to mention finishing the season with a 13/5/6 APG average that season. As a sophomore, Cooper accumulated the second-most assists in the nation, dishing out 7.5 per game. He's back at the task this year, contributing across the board with 14.6 points, 6.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game. His one struggle is shooting the ball from deep, where he's made just 30% of his career three-point shots despite attempting over five per game. If he were ever to cut down on his volume of deep shots, then we'd be looking at an even more dangerous player.


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World's Fastest Amphibious "Land Speed" Vehicle. An Engineering Masterpiece!
Sea Lion Prototype (developed 2006-2012)
s/n SL001
Brushed Aluminum and Stainless Steel with Black
The recent global exposure of Sea Lion has been absolutely overwhelming! With nearly 1 million views on YouTube, News articles, interviews, and future film coverage, we could not be more impressed with the response from the automotive, boating, experimental vehicle, and media communities.
In addition to CNN's international coverage of the Sea Lion, we have recently secured an outstanding engine builder, a major TV network interested in filming a feature length documentary, and the support needed for a world record speed run. The future owner would inherit all of the available connections as well as a life time commitment for tech support. It is the current owner and builder's hope to provide the next owner with all the essentials required to break and maintain the world record for many years to come.
Since Sea Lion currently has an unknown potential, it bears an unknown appraised value. We understand the dilemma, and it is for this reason we have agreed to open the sales discussion to include all offers. Please feel free to express your ideas and proposals. We're committed to achieving a sale.
Sea Lion was built as an Amphibious World Speed Record Competition Vehicle. See the Sea Lion in action.
There are approximately 25 current contenders in the world with a variety of designs and capabilities. Each year, one builder proclaims their performance is superior to the rest, and they display their data through public announcements. The competition is unofficial, and participants enjoy the freedom of having a complete lack of rules. Various extreme designs are continually explored; each has measurable benefits as well as drawbacks.
For the most part, a GPS display with a YouTube recording is internationally accepted as "valid" for speed documentation. There has been talk of creating a corporate event, similar to Burning Man or Kinetic Sculpture Race, which records and awards the competitors with specific acknowledgements. This, however, may be more of a detriment than assistance. The addition of Rules and Requirements always diminish scientific achievement and exploration. And it just plain ruins all the fun!
If a neutral party is required to settle a performance dispute, "Guinness World Records" is available to record and bear witness to any new achievement. So at least at this time, there does not seem to be a need for any larger event organization. Guinness World Record
Sea Lion was designed using CAD software and spread sheet calculations, by M. Witt. The vehicle is primarily, TIG welded 5052 Aluminum constructed from CNC plasma burned shapes and other CNC milled components. It has an integrated monocoque welded uni-body center section. There are removable side pods, used for floatation and cargo, and removable fenders front and rear.
With few exceptions, there are no structural parts borrowed from other vehicles. The design is created from a clean sheet of paper, and was calculated to exceed previous speed records. When the project began, in 2006, the top water speed was 45 mph and the top land speed was 125 mph. Today, the land speed remains unchanged, but the water challenge has risen to 60 mph.
There is a wide spectrum of different vehicles competing. Some vehicles are very fast on land but slow on water and others are the reverse. Some of the more unusual designs use tank tracks and have had surprisingly fast results on both water and land with the propulsion being only the tracks. (No propeller)
Sea Lion currently holds the "LAND SPEED" world's record for an amphibious vehicle. And proposed design upgrades are likely to attain the "water speed" record as well. Designer is available, and committed, to reach the goal of both records. The transaxle is geared for speeds in the 180 mph range. The car has an extremely small frontal area and very aerodynamic shape. It has great potential to hold the land record for many years to come.
The water speed is currently limited by horse power, and it is up to the next owner, as to how extreme the next power plant should be. The current engine is a Mazda Rotary 13b (1974 –smog exempt). The engine should be upgraded to a 26B rotary engine (4 rotor unit), and the old engine saved for an SB100 registration, at some later date, if that becomes a goal for the owner….Ohio Engine builder, "Defined Autoworks" is ready to provide 500 hp 26b engine, "power matched" for the current jet pump.
From an investment point of view, the car will likely appreciate in value, as performance increases are made, and records are broken. The next stage of development should create a profitable return for the next owner.
Building Sea Lion has been an enjoyable exploration. I have provided the basic architecture for the car and resolved every conflicting interaction between Car and Boat. The next chapter of this project is to provide an ultimate engine and begin speed trials. There are many highly qualified Rotary Engine builders who have decades of experience making reliable high performance improvements. It is best to bring a specialist builder on board for the rest of this endeavor and bring the car up to its full potential.
I am willing to continue working with the buyer on all future modifications. I will remain available as a consultant, engineer, machinist and psychiatrist for whoever decides to venture further into the amphibious record books. The car comes with a number of accessories and earlier prototype parts. As a racing car, this Sea Lion is sold on a bill of sale only. All offers and/or trades considered.
Information Courtesy of:
M. Witt
The above vehicle information is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time it is posted to this website. Corrections or additional information is always appreciated. All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicles are subject to prior sale. All advertised to be true but not guaranteed. We assume no liability for errors or omissions.
Fantasy Junction • 510-653-7555 • 1145 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608

subset: commoncrawl


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A maritime icon slipped out of Baltimore for the final time Tuesday morning, without speeches or hoopla, brass bands or balloons.
Only a small band of well-wishers waved and took pictures as the Navy's 894-foot hospital ship Comfort left Pier 11 in Canton, its home for more than two decades, on its way to a new permanent berth in Norfolk, Va. The national anthem played on tinny speakers and tugboats slowly eased the Comfort into the harbor and pointed it toward the Key Bridge.
"It's a sad day," said Steve Cartwright, the pier manager, who threw off the gangway line, then walked away with his hands in his pockets and head down. "My dad had this job before me. He was here from Day 1 in 1987. He put the pier together for Comfort."
Despite a spirited defense by members of Maryland's congressional delegation, nothing could be done to reverse the cost-cutting decision made a year ago by top Navy officials.
The ship is steaming to the Atlantic Ocean for three days of sea trials to ensure that all its equipment is running properly before stocking provisions and taking on a 600-member medical team in Norfolk for a four-month humanitarian mission to Central and South America.
"Baltimore was a lot of fun," said Chief Engineer Joe Watts, a 33-year veteran of the Military Sealift Command, which operates the ship. "A lot of friendships were made in Baltimore, especially in the marine industry — the small vendors, the steel shop, the tugboat crews. We'll miss those."
The vendors feel the same way — even the ones from Virginia who made the trip to Baltimore over the years to service the Comfort and now will have the vessel in their backyard.
"Sad? Oh, yeah, that's why I'm here this morning," said Bill Slade of Atlantic Fabrication and Boiler Services of Portsmouth, Va. "The first day I stepped on the deck 20 years ago, I'd never seen anything like it. Comfort and its mission always made me proud and happy. I always treated it with respect."
Built as the oil tanker Rose City in 1976, the vessel was converted to a hospital ship and transferred to the Military Sealift Command in 1987. The Comfort is one of two hospital ships run by the command.
Baltimore beat four other finalists to become Comfort's home port behind tireless lobbying by then-Rep. Helen Delich Bentley, who viewed the ship as an economic engine and a symbol of a waterfront revival.
The ship brought 80 civilian and military jobs and generated $11.3 million for the local economy each year in salaries, taxes and purchases, according to Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger.
The move to Norfolk was strictly financial, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said during a congressional hearing last year.
Sealift Command officials said stationing the Comfort in Norfolk saves the 12 hours it takes to steam down the Chesapeake Bay, time that is crucial when responding to an emergency. The Navy estimates that docking the ship at Norfolk Naval Station will save about $2 million a year in berthing fees.
A memo from the chief of naval operations said the transfer "provides more robust Anti-Terrorism Force Protection, access to military facilities for the 58 military personnel permanently assigned, and reduced housing costs for the Navy."
But not everyone is buying the math.
"You bet it's stuck in my craw," said Bentley, former chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission. "The ship doesn't go out that often — what, once a year? — that the 12 hours matter. And it's costing a lot more than $2 million a year."
Bentley noted that in 2008, the Navy spent $5 million to renovate the Canton pier to ensure that it could be used for another 20 years. She said the Navy received $10 million to renovate the Norfolk berth.
Ruppersberger asked the Navy to conduct a cost analysis to justify the transfer and attempted to block funding for the move in an amendment to the defense budget.
"The Comfort has been a valuable source of pride, jobs and tax dollars for Maryland," Ruppersberger said. "I, along with the rest of the Maryland delegation, fought hard to keep it here in Baltimore, but ultimately the Navy felt this move would be better for their interests and bottom line."
The Comfort was deployed to Kuwait during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991 and to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The medical team treated victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. In 2011, it took part in a five-month humanitarian mission to Central and South America.
Its next mission, beginning in April, will be to the same region. When the Comfort returns in late August, it will be to a new home.
"We're going to have to find new restaurants, new friends," Watts said. "I can tell you one thing, though. We're not going to be able to replace those crab cakes."


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Wet Season Aerial Roebuck PlainsAdd to Cart Add to Lightbox
Wet season rain clouds cast dramatic shadows over Roebuck Plains in the Kimberley wet season. Water from the plains drains into Roebuck Bay, bringing an inundation of fresh water.
- Filename
- _MG_6809.jpg
- Copyright
- © Annabelle Sandes | Kimberley Media 2010
- Image Size
- 5616x3672 / 13.6MB
Kimberley Western Australia Australia Kimberley Media stock photo image library coast Broome Roebuck Plains wet season water flowing draining rivers creeks aerial flight clouds shadows Roebuck Bay flooding cloudy reflections stock photo Kimberley Media nature photography wildlife photography nature environment Kimberley coast
- Contained in galleries
- Big Wet Season 2011, Roebuck Plains, Aerial Images


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Masterworks Chorale
Masterworks Chorale
The Masterworks Chorale is a regional chorus comprised of 40-60 University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College students and community members. This group performs standard works from the choral repertoire, including larger works such as Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass (Mass No. 11 in D Minor) and smaller collections of pieces, like traditional spirituals and musical theater compilations.
There is no audition required for the chorus, and all who love to sing are welcome. Rehearsals occur on Monday nights between 7:00 – 9:00 pm, and begin the first Monday of each semester. Two concerts are performed each year, often with instrumental accompaniment. Mary Billman serves as accompanist, with Dr. Sarin Williams as conductor.


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Reglazing a window pane
renovatedsm | October 2, 2013 | | No Comments
|Are you a Member yet? JOIN NOW to support the Des Moines Rehabbers Club!
About The Author
The Des Moines Rehabbers Club is a non-profit group dedicated to revitalization in Des Moines through renovation, preservation, and maintenance of historic buildings.
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Blackmon lifts Rockies to 11-inning win in LA
Single plates go-ahead run; Tulo, Dickerson homer to back Lyles' effort
LOS ANGELES -- They say black attracts heat. It just took a while for the Rockies' bats to heat up on Friday night.
Wearing black sleeveless jerseys for the first time in more than a season, the Rockies languished for much of the game before pushing across three runs in the 11th for a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in front of 44,866.
It was a throwback Friday for the Rockies (13-11), who broke out their black sleeveless jerseys for the first time since Sept. 25, 2012 -- a 10-5 home victory over the Cubs. Until the 11th, when the Rockies' three hits included Brandon Barnes' pinch-hit double and Charlie Blackmon's RBI single, the new/old duds had plenty of defense but little hitting.
But the three-run lead was just enough for closer LaTroy Hawkins, who gave up Adrian Gonzalez's two-run homer with no outs but secured his seventh save in as many chances. So, with a win in their pocket in the first game of a National League West road trip, maybe black is a lucky color.
"I'm going to take credit for that one, that's my idea," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "I've been pushing the black vest since I got the job, really. I think it's a good connection to our past. The run we had on '07 [when they wore black at almost every opportunity until the World Series, where they lost to the Red Sox], I think it's very important to stay connected to that stuff.
"I like the way they look, too. It took me a little over a year to get them back in the mix."
It takes more than fashion to build confidence. Winning tough games helps.
"Winning road games in the division, anytime we can do that, it's big time, especially starting a road trip," said lefty reliever Rex Brothers (2-2), who walked one in the 10th but otherwise controlled the Dodgers (13-11) to earn the decision.
The Rockies had just four hits, only one after the fourth, before Barnes' one-out double to right field in the 11th off reliever Jamey Wright (0-1).
"I saw a little two-seamer over the plate, and that was what I was looking for," said Barnes, who is 3-for-8 (.375) as a pinch-hitter this season.
Blackmon, who entered hitting .410 but had gone hitless in four previous at-bats, bounced a single off lefty reliever J.P. Howell through the middle to score Barnes.
Blackmon went to bed with a still otherworldly .398 average nearly a month into the season. He also improved his average against lefty pitching to .421 (8-for-19).
"He hits lefties well," Weiss said. "Other than the guys that are considered the wipeout left-handers, he gets the ABs."
Nolan Arenado singled to stretch his career-long hit streak to 14 games. Carlos Gonzalez had his fifth hitless at-bat to run his slump to 6-for-45 (.133), but his fielder's choice drove in another run. Justin Morneau would later add a bases-loaded RBI single.
In addition to the work of Brothers and Hawkins, the relief effort included a scoreless inning apiece from Adam Ottavino and Boone Logan. It all came in support of a strong seven innings from starter Jordan Lyles, who gave up two runs on six hits.
Troy Tulowitzki opened the second with a homer deep into the left-field bleachers off Dodgers starter Josh Beckett. It marked the third straight game with a homer for Tulowitzki, who has five in addition to 17 RBIs. Corey Dickerson added another run with his second homer of the second with two down in the inning.
Beckett would not give up another run in eight total innings, during which the Rockies managed two other hits -- both singles -- and struck out six times.
"He's a great pitcher, somebody I grew up watching, but I was looking to get a fastball over the plate and looking to the middle of the field," Dickerson said. "But, throughout the game, he was keeping people off balance."
Still, all Beckett could do was keep the game even. Lyles forced 11 groundouts, and he and a spectacular infield defense controlled the Dodgers.
Yasiel Puig homered on Lyles' first pitch to him with one out in the first. From there, Lyles yielded little. The only further scoring off him came as a result of the extreme speed of Dodgers leadoff man Dee Gordon.
Second baseman DJ LeMahieu knocked down Gordon's bouncer between first and second. Gordon alertly dashed for second and was there with a rare infield double before LeMahieu could recover and deliver a throw. Puig drove Gordon home with a single.
With two on and two out in the fourth, Tim Federowicz lined what looked to be a sure double, but third baseman Arenado took four choppy steps, dove and snared the ball behind the bag.
"The game turned on the play Nolan made," Lyles said. "It probably wouldn't have gone into extras had he not made that nice play."
Hanley Ramriez's second-inning leadoff double led to nothing, as Lyles fanned Gonzalez, forced a weak Matt Kemp lineout and a Carl Crawford grounder.
Juan Uribe singled to open the seventh. Federowicz tried to bunt him further, but catcher Wilin Rosario pounced on the ball and fired to second, where Tulowitzki made the double-play turn.


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TEMPERATURE Roundup
December 30th, 2012
November and December proved to be chilly months this year. Despite that, we saw a decent turn out with a total of 7 games:
An adventure game about staying alive in freezing, arctic conditions.
Firesweeper, by Benjamin Davis
Minesweeper meets a forest blaze. Guess the right location of the fire, or be doomed to watch it spread!
Alternate between Spring & Winter in this puzzle platformer.
Too Hot Too Cold, by Joseph Miller
Heat up or cool down your character to solve puzzles in this platformer.
Prolong your watery fate as the ice below you melts in this 1st Person Running game.
Temperature Gods, by Douglas Ianitsky
Stop the Ice God from freezing the planet in this RPG-style game.
Heating & Cooling, by DUNEBEAR
Catch hot or cold orbs to maintain the proper temperature in your apartment.
A path finding puzzle game. Use hot areas to increase the distance of your steps, while avoiding the cold areas.
Looking forward to seeing what 2013 brings – we're in talks with developer friends about a new competition, so keep an eye out – it should be a good one!
Hey, I submitted my game, Hot Plates, literally at the buzzer before midnight. Could you please add it to the list above? Thanks!
Very neat how people used the hot v. cold dynamic in these games! Fun stuff!


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WICHITA - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has listed 10 counties in central, southwest and northern Kansas as primary natural disaster areas because of the ongoing drought.
Kansas Agriculture Secretary Jackie McClaskey said in a news release Thursday that the designation gives farmers access to programs that can help them get through the dry conditions. She says it also highlights the importance of water to the state.
Counties listed are Barton, Ellsworth, Kiowa, Mitchell, Edwards, Jewell, Lincoln, Osborne, Smith and Russell. Some contiguous counties to them are also eligible for assistance.
The designation makes qualified farm operators in those areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from to apply for loans to cover part of their actual losses.


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I have sold a property at 5271 GOLDSPRING PL in Sardis.
This gorgeous stunning home is located on a desired upscale street on Promontory with amazing Valley & Mtn views! This exceptional 3 bed, 3 bath home features master on the main with en suite & large walk in closet. All bedrooms have walkin closets. Vaulted ceiling in the kitchen, large windows thu-out, granite counter top, valor fireplace with remote in great room. Radiant & furnace heat, on demand hot water, air conditioned, tile & hardwood floors. Spacious loft above. 2 decks looks over beautiful manicured landscaped huge lot. Complete with a pergola & privacy.


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School's out for summer! And thanks to MOO, the leading online print service and gifting resource, parents at their wit's end won't need to fret about how to entertain their kids.
Here are a couple of great ideas to keep your young kiddo's sharp through the entire summer:
Flashy fun with memory cards – Flash cards are a very simple concept – all you need is some memorable photos of family members, and some MOO Postcards. You can put different images on the front of every card, so you can use a whole range of familiar pictures from your child's life, from their school teacher to their favorite toy to the playground near their home.
Learning game- Try and make your own version of the "Alphabet Game" by asking your kids to find items beginning with letters of the alphabet and photograph them holding up their items. You can make your own Alphabet Cards (with a little help from MOO) and turn learning the ABC's into a fun, family game.
We're also in the middle of Blog Conference Season. With EVO days away (EEK!!), and BlogHer in just a few short weeks, you need to make sure you have plenty of business cards with all of your contact info. I would highly recommend including a photo of yourself on your cards… It's a great way to be sure that all of the new friends you make remember you long after the conference is over!
At MOO there are lots of different styles and sizes from which to choose, so you can have cards made that reflect who you are and what you do.
My friends at MOO have given me a discount code to share with you! You can save 15% on your product total (excluding shipping) when you use F9XJBX. (Offer expires August 31, 2012)


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Police finally identified the alleged brains behind a string of Hollywood burglaries that netted watches, jewelry, clothes and cash from the homes of stars like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson and Orlando Bloom.
The real kicker here is that the suspect is a baby-faced 19-year-old girl named Rachel Lee, according to TMZ. Sources told People.com, Lee and her crew so coveted the celebrities' fame, she sought to literally steal the artifacts of their glamour.
When cops searched Lee's Las Vegas home, they found cash, valuables and pictures of a partially clothed woman (who is suspected to be Paris Hilton). They also found clothes linked to other celebrities, like a hat that supposedly belongs to Lindsay Lohan and jeans belonging to Rachel Bilson.
U.S. & World
Cops are investigating whether the crew is also behind the break-in at Kourtney Kardashian's home last weekend, People.com reported.
Five other members of the alleged ring were nabbed following an investigation into the Lohan burglary in August. Security camera footage from the break-in netted police their first suspect, Nick Prugo. His face was clearly visible in the film, according to cops.
When police apprehended Prugo, 18, they also seized his computer. Its hard drive proved to be a treasure trove, filled with maps detailing the locations of celebrity homes, Google searches for things such as "Lindsay Lohan Rolex" and "Paris Hilton Diamond Watch" and pictures of the other members of his burglary crew. Prugo is facing up to six years in prison.
Diana Tamayo, 19, Courtney Ames, 18, Alexis Neirs, 18, and Roy Lopez, 27, were then arrested in October in connection with the burglaries. Ames and Neirs were released after posing $50,000 bail.


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A mother and her two children who were found dead in a shallow creek in southern Indiana had recently moved from Washington state, police said Thursday.
New Albany police Maj. Keith Whitlow said in a statement the victims had been identified as 35-year-old Jamie Clutter, her 10-year-old son Brandon Clutter, and her 6-month-old daughter Katelyn Clutter.
Whitlow said the family moved in December to an apartment in New Albany, an Indiana city less than a mile north of Louisville, Ky.
The mother and children's bodies were found Wednesday. Floyd County Coroner Leslie Knable said autopsies were performed Thursday and she plans to release details concerning the deaths on Friday.
Police said further testing is needed to determine the exact cause of the deaths. Knable said there were no visible injuries.
Whitlow did not immediately respond to messages Thursday from The Associated Press, but he has said that investigators are treating the deaths as homicides despite the lack of any obvious signs of foul play. Investigators have not identified any suspects.
A person walking through Binford Park in New Albany spotted the bodies in Falling Run Creek on Wednesday evening, Whitlow said. The creek is 12 to 18 inches deep. Whitlow did not have an estimate of how long the bodies had been in the creek.
WHAS-TV reported no vehicles were found near the bodies.
It's been nine years since a body was found in Binford Park, located in the center of the city.
"We haven't had many ones like this, especially with children," Whitlow told the News and Tribune.


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RBC.com | Français | | Contact Us
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About RBC > Media Newsroom > Speeches > "Banking on Change"
Barbara G. Stymiest
Chief Operating Officer
RBC Financial Group
The Economic Club of Toronto
June 20, 2006
Toronto, Ontario
Thanks very much for that kind introduction, Mark, and good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
More than a couple of decades ago, back in 1983, a British rock musician by the name of Gordon Sumner --- whom you might recognize more immediately as Sting --- joined other band members on a little stage down on Queen Street West at the Horseshoe Tavern and broke out in a song that was to become the year's most popular.
Every Breath You Take propelled "The Police" into stardom and "Sting" into a position among Rock Royalty that still endures today.
There were about 18 people at the Horseshoe to witness the one-night-only event and there were probably just two or three who recognized that something significant was happening.
Needless to say the internet chat rooms had yet to be built.
Pictures allowed that night were captured on film.
And no one was able to call anyone and implore them to come on down to the Club in a real big hurry because the Horseshoe had only two payphones and one of them was always broken.
Ladies and gentlemen, as much as everything changes it seems true that everything stays the same.
1983 was the same year in which the US invaded Grenada.
And it was the same year that terrorists using explosives killed 237 US Marines in Beirut.
It was the same year that a Harvard Business School "guru" by the name of Theodore Levitt proposed in his book The Marketing Imagination an outrageous notion: the real purpose of a business is not making profits but creating and keeping customers.
And it was the same year, almost in reply to Levitt, that a schedule "A" bank known then as the Toronto-Dominion Bank decided to offer a discount brokerage service to the public. It was called TD Green Line.
Now he has lent his name to a number of noteworthy causes but I doubt that Mr. Sumner would offer himself up as a proof point of any business theory and the related adages that inevitably follow it into the market.
Still, if you were among those 18 who listened to the Police that night nearly a quarter of a century ago you would have been watching a man who today is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
After breaking out on his own, he has released more than 20 albums that have sold something greater than 15 million copies in the US alone. He has appeared on television. He has had an acting role in 18 motion pictures.
He has appeared as himself in more than 130 films or television programs. He has performed his music either directly on or behind the scenes in 30 other films. He has produced one film himself, that very recently. And he has written an autobiography.
If you are searching for something to wear that bears his name let me refer you to Sting.com. There you can purchase anything from clothing of every description to wall art to accessories, including downloads for the cellular phone you didn't own in 1983.
Sting has reached out to his market in every way possible. He has simply done what Theodore Levitt suggested a successful entrepreneur must do.
He has focused not on profit but on ensuring that he is reaching his customer in every conceivable way possible, attempting to extend his reach and refresh the relationship at every turn.
The fact that he has endured and that nearly every one of you in this room is familiar with his name, suggests to me that he has proved the theory. The money speaks for itself.
Levitt simply asks business builders to recognize the obvious: without customers in sufficient and steady numbers there is no business and without business, there is no profit.
It all sounds rather axiomatic. At least it certainly did in 1983.
What's changed?
Well as much as I might suggest, as I did earlier, that change always exists in a world that largely stays the same, I think there are some trends that have developed over the last 10 years and are here to stay; that promise an essentially new and I think lasting construct within the marketplace.
And I am not talking about the kinds of trends that the "cool-hunters" of the last decade from the fashion industry searched for in the back streets of Brooklyn or Berlin.
These people might have been useful in their brief moment in fashion history but knowing and caring about trends in popular culture is increasingly nothing more than table stakes: every retail business leader needs to connect with today keeping an eye on tomorrow.
In fact, if anything killed the cool-hunters off I think I agree with Grant McCracken, the self-described ethnographer and tireless blogger, who recently placed the blame on pop culture alone.
Quite simply an easy knowledge of consumer trends became infinitely more available toward the close of the 1990s.
Magazines, television, music, the Internet ---- all these points of reference (all of them the important touch points of Sting's distribution network) began to paint a new face on an increasingly fast-paced, complicated society. And corporations of every shape and size were starting to pay attention.
As McCracken put it earlier this month, "Increasingly, even the corporation had a clue."
In the madhouse that has become our lives the difficult challenge is often described by the gap that exists between the point of view of the seller and that of the buyer.
It might be narrowed with great marketing and a good product, competitively priced but truly meeting expectations in a lasting way requires an understanding, not simply of the buyer's needs, but of the changing circumstances that influence any determination of what those needs are.
I suggested a short time ago in Montreal that understanding the banking client of today meant understanding the influence of three pressing challenges I believe really have an impact on buying decisions.
Challenges of too little time, not enough trust and way too much choice combine, in my view, to really make an informed buying decision more difficult.
I still think that these pressures and concerns seriously influence buyers. What I hadn't reflected upon at the time is who those buyers have become.
In his book Treasure Hunt, Michael Silverstein explores a new universe, one that has apparently unfolded before our very eyes without a great deal of rapid response from retailers, even as many today admit to being caught scrambling.
As the "cool hunters" wandered the streets through the 1990s searching for the next great trend, the demand they were working to satisfy remained quite compartmentalized with the rich at one end and the poor at the other and a rapidly growing middle class jammed uncomfortably in between.
The rich were buying expensive things and the poor were buying cheap things and the middle class….well the middle class was buying everything else.
It is a spending spree that was predicted more than 10 years ago by Canadians David Foote and Daniel Stoffman. You might remember their book, Boom, Bust and Echo.
In it they concluded that money, which passed from grandparents to grandchildren, from people born before 1940 to people born after 1967, would be of an amount sufficient to give a truly measurable boost to the economy in the first two decades of the new century: this decade and the next.
They predicted that consumer spending would increase in the face of decisions to have fewer children and of ambitions to spend more on cars, houses, cottages and the other apparent necessities of life.
Silverstein captures this phenomenon but takes it further in his thinking. He argues that there has been a sort of quiet revolution over the last several years that has seen the middle class break out of their confinement into a new buying paradigm, one that has them "trading up and trading down" at the same time.
So sales at the top end of the market, the luxury items that middle class consumers have historically said they couldn't afford, have taken off driven by the middle class "trading up".
And sales at the bottom end of the market have grown enormously as well largely because of the same middle class "trading down" in search of a deal or bargain that will partially offset the cost of the luxuries they have chosen to buy. Just look at the success of Walmart and Costco.
What's happened to retail in the middle, the mid-market?
Considering these trends, the Economist magazine recently suggested that at least some of the woes of General Motors, an archetypal mid-market manufacturer, stem from the fact that between 1994 and 2004 the market segment choosing to trade up to luxury vehicles grew by eight percentage points.
The segment that chose to "trade down" into a more inexpensive vehicle grew by four points.
The mid-market? That shrunk by twelve.
Much of the momentum within this new dynamic is coming from women. If you didn't see it in the Globe a few weeks ago let me recall for you the conclusions reached in an article written by Heather Scofield and Tavia Grant: women are making the economy "go around".
58 percent of all women of working age in Canada now have jobs. In the United States women are responsible for 100 percent of the growth in real household income between 1970 and 2004. 48 percent of stock market investors are women. In developed markets around the world, women control or influence more than 75 percent of discretionary spending.
In the April 12th edition of the Economist magazine it is suggested that "…women are more likely to provide sound advice on investing their parents' nest egg: surveys show that women consistently achieve higher financial returns than men do."
I think retail is changing. And banking has to change with it.
Canadians tend not to look at banks this way but really, we are in the retail business. We exist and operate on the ground floor like nearly every other retail operation reaching out to our category of the "shopping public" just like any of the stores you might be familiar with around town.
Architecture and design combine with signage to move the retail customer through the bank more easily in search of the determined necessities. As Paco Underhill points out in his book Why We Shop, banks actually sell things - "…every service a bank performs or financial instrument it offers produces a fee."
If we have advantages many other retailers don't these probably connect to automation and to the Internet, two increasingly popular options that provide greater access to our products and services in a new century.
But we can't move up or down the value chain quite as freely as other retailers in an effort to meet the new trends in the marketplace that I have spoken about. Despite images anyone might hold of our retail bank much of our business is positioned squarely in the mid-market as any close examination of the demographics makes clear.
Very wealthy Canadians tend to search out unique arrangements that capture investment management and advice within private banking. And low-income Canadians may avoid banks entirely.
So really it is the financial service needs of the new middle class, and the expectations that attach to them, that have evolved in ways that are enormously important to us in our effort to create and keep customers.
Perhaps the most compelling of these is the increasingly obvious desire to simplify a congested lifestyle with the help of a single financial services provider.
This entails a consolidation of accounts, investment portfolios and debt - essentially trying to meet new needs inside the same client relationship. You know….trying to keep the client you have created.
And it involves other service and product options that Foote and Stoffman identified more than a decade ago as being areas of obvious growth for those in the financial services industry.
One of these is insurance.
They suggested that an older population is likely to acquire a lot of things that will need to be insured.
And an older population would likely produce large numbers of travelers who would be interested in travel insurance.
At the same time they predicted that a lot of younger people buying new things like cottages and cars would be looking for insurance to protect those investments.
It appears clear that insurance buyers are changing in the face of new and more immediate needs, needs that I remain convinced attach to the three issues I raised earlier; no time, no trust and too much choice.
Last week the federal Minister of Finance released a White Paper outlining the details of a recent review of banking rules and regulations.
It was noticeably mute in response to the stated desire of Canadian banks anxious to offer a full range of insurance as part of the basket of products available through our branch network.
Nothing was said about our selling of insurance in other ways, however. RBC Insurance provides a wide variety of protection products to millions of Canadians and many more millions of North Americans.
We are pleased with our progress in an area of expansion that remains comparatively new. And the response from the public is encouraging.
So let me for a moment return to where I began by suggesting to you that the more things change the more they stay the same.
Because I remember when the Toronto-Dominion Bank introduced TD Green Line in the spring of 1983. At the time, they took unsolicited orders for stocks and relayed them to brokerage firms through a relatively advanced information system.
The Bank Act had been revised in 1980 preceded by a White Paper in 1976, which was anything but mute in its definition of a bank's power to "deal" in securities. "The power of banks to underwrite corporate securities or to act as agent in the private placement of corporate securities will be withdrawn."
In April of 1983 the Toronto Dominion Bank jumped on the deregulation of brokerage commission rates and offered a discount brokerage service to the public. They wanted to reach Canadians who wanted to invest in the market but in a less expensive way.
The industry went berserk.
The Toronto Dominion Bank was hauled before the Ontario Securities Commission where to the great angst of everyone with a vested interest in brokerage in Canada, the Commission eventually ruled in favour of the bank and confirmed the deregulation of brokerage commission rates.
TD Green Line was in business.
A year later, then Royal Bank Chairman Rowland Frazee really put the cat among the pigeons when he suggested in a speech to the Canadian Tax Foundation not simply that banks should be able to underwrite securities. No, he went further and argued that the traditional separation of functions in the Canadian financial system were coming apart with or without government policy changes.
Now everyone went berserk.
Fears that the investment dealer industry would disappear were shared with any audience who might listen. The rhetoric was shrill. The facts conveniently assembled.
Research studies were commissioned that produced unequivocal findings: investors didn't want their brokerages and their banks to be connected in any way.
But slowly the hysteria cooled down. In February of 1986 OSC Chairman Stanley Beck told the Empire Club that allowing the six major banks and five major insurance companies to compete in the financial markets, "…would be to the great advantage of Canadian capital markets, Canadian issuers and Canadian investors."
Seven months later, then Finance Minister Michael Wilson traveled by helicopter and dropped from the sky onto the front lawn of Chateau Montebello in Quebec to have a little Sunday lunch with the chief executive officers of the six big banks.
By the serving of coffee they had agreed in principle that the banks could go ahead and increase their access to the securities industry in Canada either through acquisition or by creating their own internal facility.
The rest is history as they say. The securities industry in Canada has not collapsed. In fact it has never been more robust. There are 206 investment dealers in Canada and nearly 52 percent of Canadians are investing in our equities markets.
So I think you will understand why amidst the current debate I am feeling a little déjà vu. Most Canadians understand that the insurance industry has contracted with Great West Life swallowing both London Life and Canada Life, Sun Life acquiring Clarica and Manulife ending up with Maritime Life through its acquisition of John Hancock. The big six have become three.
In everything that's been said or written lately, I believe that most thinking Canadians are shaking their heads trying to understand how it can possibly be that restricting new participants into a marketplace that has seen enormous consolidation over the last few years will somehow improve consumer freedom and choice.
I don't think you need a high school diploma to recognize the weakness in this argument. Less choice doesn't mysteriously improve choice.
In a recent op-ed piece in the National Post Advocis Chairman Gary McLeod states without qualification that Canadians have said "they neither need nor want bank growth into an area in which they already feel well served."
The thrust of Gary's argument is that the insurance consumer shouldn't be confused with more choice even though that consumer might be looking for more choice. The status quo may be caught in the past but it is our past and isn't it great to be Canadian.
Gosh this kind of thing sounds vaguely familiar to me. It will to anyone who was in Toronto around 1986.
But never mind. My question to Gary is which Canadians is he talking about?
Certainly not the 5 million Canadians who continue to buy a wide range of insurance products from banks in our country. They do it over the telephone, over the Internet or in any one of the increasing number of retail outlets that have been built for the purpose.
So the rhetoric has been high and often distant from the facts.
In April a fellow wrote a letter to the editor of the Globe taking exception to my comments in Montreal. I said that it was bizarre that an individual couldn't buy insurance at a branch of our bank or be referred to our insurance professionals but could certainly make that purchase at a grocery store.
This gentleman rebuked me in his letter saying, "nobody can purchase insurance at a grocery store." My point was simply that there is no regulatory prohibition against grocery stores selling a full range of insurance products unlike for banks, and today Loblaw's promotes insurance through brochures and advertising in its stores and then provides a toll free number.
We are not discouraged that the Minister of Finance has decided to remain mute on the entire subject on selling or advertising our insurance products through our branch network.
We are confident this time will come and until it does we will stay the course.
We believe Canadians are searching for alternatives that meet their needs. We believe we offer an alternative, one that is entirely free of any of the baseless claims made about our ambitions.
The consumer of the 21st century is changing and those of us in financial services must change to meet the expectations that increasingly become so very different from years ago.
No one will buy insurance from RBC Insurance if they believe that they are well served by their present supplier.
Why would they? Like everything else, selling insurance is all about creating and keeping a client. So if the traditional sellers are concerned about the new sellers maybe they should reflect on the new consumer in the market.
And when they pass our retail outlets in malls and street corners across Canada or when they see or hear our advertising for RBC Insurance, perhaps they will recall TD Green Line, the discount brokerage that changed the face of the securities industry in Canada….forever.
Every Breath You Take was one of the songs on the Police's Synchronicity album. It was named one of the 50 best albums of the decade. Synchronicity was a name drawn from Arthur Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence.
Another song on the album was called, Walking In Your Footsteps. The band also performed it that night in 1983 at the Horseshoe Tavern.
The last verse goes something like this…
"Fifty million years ago,
They walked upon the planet so,
They live in a museum,
It's the only place you'll see 'em."
Thank you very much for your attention.


text: The raucous alternative rock foursome the Prom Kings features Chris Carney (vocals), Joey Hollearn (guitar), Mauricio Brandao (bass), and Luke Pickerill. The Los Angeles-based band has toured with the likes of Papa Roach, Sum 41, Unwritten Law, and 3 Doors Down since forming in 2001. Their catchy funk-pop blend caught the attention of SoCal local imprint Three Kings within months, and the Prom Kings began working on their debut album. Their first single, "Alone," was issued in spring 2005, and a studio full-length album followed in late-summer. ~ MacKenzie Wilson


text:
Browsing by Author "Ørsnes, Bjarne"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Mikkelsen, Line; Hardt, Daniel; Ørsnes, Bjarne (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Overt VP anaphors like do so, do it and do the same can host a following PP (Culicover & Jackendoff (2005:285–6), Huddleston & Pullum (2002:1533), Miller (2011:5–6), Sobin (2008:150, 155–157)): (1) The House is set to take up the final version of the funding bill tomorrow. The Senate will do the same on Thursday. [COCA] (2) You have jilted two previous fiances and I expect you would do the same to me. [COCA] Using (1) to fix terminology, the ANAPHOR is do the same, the ANTECEDENT is take up the final version of the funding bill, the ORPHAN is on Tuesday, and the CORRELATE is tomorrow. Examples like (2) are of particular interest because the correlate (two previous fiances) is inside the antecedent and, consequently, the orphan and the antecedent must interact to produce the interpretation of the clause containing the anaphor. In order to arrive at the interpretation 'you would jilt me', the me of the orphan must take the place of two previous fiances inside the antecedent VP. A superficially similar situation arises with remnants of ellipsis, including pseudogapping (3), sluicing (4), and fragment answers (5). In each case, the interpretation of the ellipsis clause combines part of the antecedent with all or part of the remnant. (3) I wouldn't say that to my mother, but I would to you. (4) I know he gave the dresser away, but I don't know to who. (5) Q: Who did he give the dresser to? A: To me. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8469
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One of the biggest mysteries of the 2012 race for the White House was the notion that President Barack Obama had offered little clue about what he would do in a second term, especially on voters' No. 1 concern: the economy.
In fact, he provided plenty of detail on his website, in printed materials and during the debates with Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Nor was this campaign the first time the president had laid out his long-term vision for rebuilding the economy.
In April 2009, only 12 weeks after taking office, Mr. Obama delivered a speech at Georgetown University in which he spelled out his "larger vision of America's future-a future where sustained economic growth creates good jobs and rising incomes (and) where prosperity is fueled not by excessive debt, reckless speculation, and fleeing profit, but is instead built by skilled, productive workers (and) by sound investments that will spread opportunity at home."
The "new foundation" he aimed to build would have five pillars: new rules for Wall Street; new investments in education, renewable energy and technology, and in health care; and a return to fiscal discipline-including entitlement reform-once the economy recovered fully from the Great Recession.
The president's achievements so far on these goals are arguable-and he acknowledged in the 2009 speech that "we will not finish (this new foundation) in one year; we will not finish it in many"-but his focus has been remarkably steady.
Exit polls on Election Day showed that most voters believed Mr. Obama understood their concerns and deserved more time to pull the economy out of the hole dug before he took office. They also voiced support for his approach to dealing with daunting fiscal issues.
Yet the narrow margin of the popular vote also sent a warning: The election is no sweeping mandate.
Post-election, what most Americans truly want seems strikingly obvious: a willingness by both Republicans and Democrats to compromise-to find common ground on the economy, taxes and spending, and other critical issues facing the country.
Since the Rochester region is a microcosm of the nation, with its congressional representation split in two, there's no better place to start demonstrating the ability to work together, which voters rightfully expect.
11/9/12 (c) 2012 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: UFDC Home myUFDC Home | Help | RSS Franklin chronicle ALL ISSUES CITATION SEARCH THUMBNAILS MAP IT! PAGE IMAGE ZOOMABLE Full Citation STANDARD VIEW MARC VIEW Permanent Link: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00089928/00295 Material Information Title: Franklin chronicle Physical Description: Newspaper Language: English Publisher: Russell Roberts Publication Date: October 27, 2006 Copyright Date: 2006 Subjects Spatial Coverage: United States -- Florida -- Franklin -- Apalachicola Coordinates: 29.725278 x -84.9925 ( Place of Publication ) Record Information Source Institution: Florida State University Holding Location: Florida State University Rights Management: All rights reserved by the source institution and holding location. System ID: UF00089928:00295 Contact Us | Permissions | Preferences | Technical Aspects | Statistics | Internal | Privacy Policy © 2004 - 2011 University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries.All rights reserved. Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Disclaimer Statement Last updated May 24, 2011 - Version 2.9.11 - mvs


text:
Bill Curry necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 56 diseños de 17 diseñadores freelance.
Listening.to is a fun little personal project I'm working on to help independent (unsigned) and local musicians promote their music/merch/shows online without the hassles of a record label.
Listening.to will be a one-stop shop for all-things music. Users will be able to publish their music, learn an instrument, download tabs/sheet music, find new music, etc. The main focus of the site is to help musicians distribute their music/merch online without the need of a record label, and to connect listeners to independent music that they'll like.
Here are some words to help inspire creativity that could be incorporated in the logo:
song bird, musical notes, music theory, sheet music, tabs, piano keys
Please let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything I can do to help you! Thanks in advance!
- Simple but effective
- A design with the whole URL (listening.to)
- Important: Looks good in two-tones (ONLY two colors, no gradients), but there can be a multi-colored version too... but all submissions should include a two-toned version. Here's an example of what I mean, where the background is one color and the logo is one color.
- Needs to be in vector format, either a .ai or a .svg
- Keep the color scheme somewhat dark, but not boring. There can be subtle and/or tasteful use of vibrant colors
- I'm not a big fan of graphics hanging off to the side of text, though at times it can be fitting. Ideally though, I'd like the graphic to be incorporated within the type face. For example: in this one, how the house fits in perfectly with the text
- Important: The whole URL should be the same font size and case (the '.to' portion should not be smaller than 'listening'). The URLs will read like sentences, so one part is not less important the the other. For instance, 'listening.to/Daft+Punk'
- I tend to like simple, solid color illustrations rather than drop shadows and gradients
- The logo must be horizontal (landscape), but there can be a vertical (portrait) style one too.
- Taglines
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
We hereby invite you to our event called Phone Bank @ Segamat. Details as follow :- Click EVENT DETAILS to find out more about the event and join. Please also save our number +6019-2765200 as a contact in your phone. Thank you.
Phone Bank @ Segamat, 2017-06-18 @ 09:30AM
Jun 14, 2017 | Events


text:
1. Every new user has to introduce her/himself. Here you can do it:
Thereby the moderators will know that your registration is not a spam registration.
Every user will be deleted after 2 weeks if the introduction is missing.
Signature Rules
Signatures may contain a link to your website, and/or personal site(s) that maybe of use to other members - no blatant advertising!


text:
Excerpt from EoC #2
by, 07-19-2009 at 09:27 PM (3891 Views)
This is the death of the beloved Shaman "Scrat" who saves the parties life from the 3 20's I rolled in a row. (SERIOULS I ROLLED THREE!)
[Soft Serve] 8:07 pm: Scrat runs like hell across the slippery wooden deck, finds a spot where the
wood creaks, stops and says "did you hear that?" before falling through the deck 50ft to the lower
floor and getting impaled on sharp rocks that pierced through the boats hull when it crashed and got
stuck here in the first place.
[Cynic] 8:07 pm: charp)
[Cynic] 8:07 pm: (hahahah)
[Cynic] 8:07 pm: (pwn)
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:07 pm: (i lol at scrat....silly lizardfolk.....)
[Soft Serve] 8:07 pm: (I don't feel like NPC-ing)
[kantou] 8:08 pm: [lol]
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:08 pm: (anyway....)
[Soft Serve] 8:09 pm: (the cake is a lie)
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:09 pm: (NO!)
[Cynic] 8:09 pm: (your mom is a lie)
[Soft Serve] 8:09 pm: (ROFL)
[Soft Serve] 8:09 pm: (oh, and the computer is your friend)
[Cynic] 8:09 pm: i walk toward the boaty thing and avoid falling through
[Soft Serve] 8:09 pm: Alright...the wood holds up.
[kantou] 8:09 pm: follow
[Soft Serve] 8:09 pm: Until about halfway.
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: Then it hold sup super strong.
[kantou] 8:10 pm: lol
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: (hahah)
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: And you get attacked by archers.
Soft Serve starts rolling some dice: (1d20)
Soft Serve -> 1d20 (20)
Soft Serve starts rolling some dice: (1d20)
Soft Serve -> 1d20 (20)
Soft Serve starts rolling some dice: (1d20)
Soft Serve -> 1d20 (20)
[kantou] 8:10 pm: wtf
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: wtf
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: (OMFG!)\
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: wtf
[kantou] 8:10 pm: dude no lol
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:10 pm: (hax)
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: (HOLY ****ING DIVER!)
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: WHAT
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: THE
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: ****
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: (no seriousl!)
[kantou] 8:10 pm: rewrite that part
[kantou] 8:10 pm: lol
[Cynic] 8:10 pm: OMG
[kantou] 8:10 pm: make some eagle come down to take the hits
[Soft Serve] 8:10 pm: (Look at the underlines! You can't put underlines in here, those are legit
[kantou] 8:11 pm: legit rolls of doom
[Cynic] 8:11 pm: my head explodes out of pure amazement
[Soft Serve] 8:11 pm: (There is literally a 1/80,000 shance that will EVER happen)
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:11 pm: amazement and the arrows ****ing your face
Cynic starts rolling some dice: (1d20+3)
Cynic -> 1d20 (4)+ 3 (3) = 7
[Cynic] 8:11 pm: ...
[Soft Serve] 8:11 pm: (omfg I am so proud)
[kantou] 8:11 pm: ok i guess we need to roll
Soft Serve starts rolling some dice: (1d20)
Soft Serve -> 1d20 (11)
kantou starts rolling some dice: (1d20+
kantou -> 1d20 (9)+ 8 (8) = 17
[Soft Serve] 8:11 pm: (damn. I went for 4)
Thoraxx The Impaler starts rolling some dice: (1d20)
Thoraxx The Impaler -> 1d20 (11)
[Cynic] 8:11 pm: we all just died...yay!)
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:12 pm: YAY
[kantou] 8:12 pm: [have a eagle come down t otake our hits or something or the bridge moves and the
arrows miss lol
[Cynic] 8:12 pm: i call for air support and have a dragon rape them
[Cynic] 8:12 pm: =D
[Soft Serve] 8:12 pm: (hang on)
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:13 pm: I lay bleeding and twitching on the ground...
[kantou] 8:13 pm: air support
[Soft Serve] 8:13 pm: A giant octopus tentacle shoots out of the deck below you, which sends
Scrat's body into the air. Scrat says "Hey guys I'm Still alive!" before taking all three arrows to the
back of the head. The octopus then swims away because his mom called him home for dinner.
[Cynic] 8:14 pm: (lmao)
[Cynic] 8:14 pm: I pwn the face of the archers...
[Thoraxx The Impaler] 8:14 pm: (i knew we'd be okay if i prayed to Cthulu!)
The lesson here is when you pray to Cthulhu everything good happens.


text:
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text:
Economic History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century by Philip Alexander Bruce Volume II (1935), hardbound, 647 pp., good condition - $30.00
199 Years of Augusta's Library (Georgia), A Chronology by Berry Fleming (1949, University of Georgia Press, hardbound, 85 pp. - $9.00
The Army of the Potomac: A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton, Doubleday and Company (1953), hardbound, jacket, 438 pp. - $20.00
Antebellum Athens and Clarke County Georgia by Ernest Hynds, hardbound, jacket, 196 pp., University of Georgia Press (1974) - 18.00
If interested, please email here to see if book is still available.Send check to:
Jeannette Austin
P. O. Box 420911
Atlanta GA 30342


text: Thursday, April 12, 2012 Oklahoma Adds Wellness Services to Physical Therapy Practice Act Patients and consumers in Oklahoma have expanded options in fitness and wellness services, thanks to a new law that adds these services to the state's physical therapy practice act. Signed by Gov Mary Fallin on Monday, SB 1592 was sponsored by Sen Clark Jolley and Rep Gary Banz. Rep Sean Roberts, PT, MPT, was instrumental in the bill's success, which also was supported by the Patients First Coalition, a group of representatives from the 2 physician associations in the state.


text:
Cazenovia boys lacrosse beats Watertown to improve to 8-0
CAZENOVIA >> Cazenovia's boys lacrosse team has gotten off to a great start in 2013, opening its season with seven straight wins.
Frigid temperatures and a muddy field couldn't even slow the Lakers down Saturday as they beat Watertown 19-4 at the Sean Goggin Memorial Sports Complex to improve to 8-0.
"We practice on it every day," Cazenovia head coach Jim Longo. "This is Cazenovia. It's always windy, it's 10 degrees colder than everywhere else and we play on grass."
The Lakers were clearly more suited for the conditions. In fact, the only time the muddy field made an impact on Cazenovia was on its first scoring chance of the day. Twenty seconds into the game Kyle Brown tried to bounce a shot past Cyclones goalie Mike Gleason but the ball stopped in the mud just short of the goal line.
"It's definitely difficult," said Cazenovia's Ryan Cook about playing in the mud. "We practice on it so its turning into a home-field advantage instead of a disadvantage."
Two minutes later after Brown's shot Cazenovia broke through. Joe Colligan's steal set up Cook's first goal of the afternoon, coming off a Connor Cannizzaro assist. Cook added another goal after he fought off two Watertown players to scoop up a loose ball. His third goal came after Henry Mann grabbed a loose ball and put the Lakers up 3-0 with 5:59 to play in the first quarter.
Watertown got one back 27 seconds later when Noah Taylor found Eric Soderquist, who beat Trevor Cross to cut the Lakers lead to 3-1. The hosts retook a three-goal lead less than a minute later when Brown flipped a rebound off the ground past Gleason. Brown scored his second goal a few minutes later and Cook added his fourth to put Cazenovia up 6-1 with under two minutes to play in the first. The Cyclones' Kendall Vecchio scored to cut the lead to four but the Lakers answered with two goals in the closing minute of the first to take an 8-2 lead into the second period.
Watertown's Brad McKinney beat Cross 41 seconds into the second quarter to cut Cazenovia's lead to 8-3. It was as close as the Cyclones would get as the Lakers scored seven straight goals to close the half up 15-3. Cazenovia added four more in the third and Vecchio netted his second goal of the game for the fourth quarter's only score.
Cook finished with seven goals and four assists to lead the Cazenovia offense.
"My teammates kept finding me on the back side and I did my job to put the ball in the back of the net," said Cook.
The Lakers defense was again stout, allowing only eight shots on goal. Cross stopped half of them to earn the victory between the pipes.
Watertown 2 1 0 1 - 4
Cazenovia 8 7 4 0 - 19
Watertown (1-2, 2-5): Eric Soderquist 1-0, Noah Taylor 0-3, Kendall Vecchio 2-0, Brad McKinney 1-0. Saves: Mike Gleason 8.
Cazenovia (4-0, 8-0): Conor Race 4-0, Ryan Cook 7-4, Kyle Brown 2-1, Jake Falge 0-1, Brad Nardella 0-1, Connor Cannizzaro 3-2, Alex Sullivan 1-1, P.J. Brown 1-1, Henry Mann 1-2. Saves: Trevor Cross 4.


text:
Meliá Cozumel Golf All Inclusive
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Located on the beautiful white sand beach of Santa Pilar only 3 miles from downtown and the Airport, 6 miles away from Chankanaab Park, 5 miles from the archaeological ruins of San, Meliá Cozumel Golf is truly one of the most impressive all-inclusive hideaways in Mexico, featuring an array of amenities, facilities and unlimited amounts of fun. This beautiful beachfront resort is directly across the street from the island's premier golf course, Cozumel Country Club, featuring an 18-hole, par 72, championship golf course designed by the Nicklaus Design Group.
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Tagging Tutorial
What is tagging? Why is it important?
Tags allow information from around the community to be aggregated together. They are labels that can be added to forum posts or articles to tie pieces of content together to make relevant information easier to find.
Product Tags are unique identifiers for a specific product. These tags are used to tie together content that is relevant to specific items. This helps surface the most relevant discussion threads, articles, reviews, etc. to that item.
Site Tags are broader. For example, Category Tags are a particular type of Site Tag. If a thread or article discusses an entire category of gear, it is better to tag the content with the category, as opposed to having to tag it with EVERY tag for EVERY item in that category.
Other Site Tags refer to an interesting topic.
How is the tagging on this site different than other sites?
The difference between our tagging infrastructure and others you may be familiar with is that we restrict tagging to tags that exist in our system. By enforcing more rigidity in the tagging system, the hope is that we are much more effective at aggregating ALL content relevant to a given product or topic.
Add Tags To Forum Posts And Articles
- Navigate to the forum thread or article that you would like to tag. In the right hand column, you will see the "Add/Remove Tags" button in the "Tags" section.
- Click the "Add/Remove Tags" button.
- The Tag tool will appear. The default setting allows you to use the Autocomplete tool to find your desired tags. Simply start typing the topic you would like to tag the post or article with. Related tags will appear.
- You also have the option to browse Product Tags. Click the drop down menu to narrow down to a particular product. Then narrow down to a sub-category, select a manufacturer, and browse the available Product Tags.
- You also have the option to use the Tag Search. Start by clicking the "Tag Search" button.
- Enter your search term in the blank field and hit the "Search for Tags" button.
- Select tags from the list by clicking on them. They will appear in your Queue.
- When you are satisfied with your selection, click "Submit" Your tags will not be added until you click to save.
Remove Tags
- Navigate to the forum thread or article. In the right hand column, you will see the "Add/Remove Tags" button in the "Tags" section.
- Click the "Add/Remove Tags" button.
- The Tag tool will appear with the list of Current Tags. Click the X next to the tag you would like to remove.
- The forum thread or article will reload without the tag.
View Tag Pages
Each Product, Category, and Site Tag has a unique Tag Page. On the Tag Page, you will see all the forum threads and articles that have been tagged with that particular tag, as well as the content that is related to that tag.
To view a Product Tag page from a forum thread or article, simply click on the tag in the tag list. To view a Product Tag page from the Product Page, click the "More Related Forum Threads And Articles" button.
To view a Category Tag page from a forum thread or article, simply click on the tag in the tag list. To view a Category Tag page from the category itself, look at the right hand column of Related content (e.g. Threads and Articles related to the category). At the bottom of each Related content box, you will see a "More" button. That button will take you to the Tag page.
To view any other Site Tag page, click on the tag from the tag list or navigate to the tag from the Site Tag page
Subscribe To Tags
If you are interested in a particular topic, you might consider subscribing to a tag related to the topic. You will be alerted when something is tagged with that topic. These subscriptions work in the same way as a subscription to a Product or an article or a forum thread.
- Navigate to the tag page.
- At the top of the page, toward the right hand side, you will see the "Subscribe to this Tag" button.


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I don't know what to do. I launch Pocomail. The splash screen will show up, looks like the program is starting, but when the splash screen disappears nothing else is there, Pocomail won't start.
I don't know what to try. It was working fine before this.
I had the same problem several months ago, I could only fix it by reinstalling the program. I have tried reinstalling it this time but nothing changed...splash screen, then nothing. Any ideas? I did try a search but didn't see this problem.


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One connection that can change everything
In order to transmit the handlebar's maneuvers to the street as precise as possible you need a perfect chain of components. BÜGELHALTER completes Lightweight uncompromising vision of the ultimate racing cycle. Developed and tested under the most extreme conditions, this stem withstands even heaviest loads and thus improves safety significantly. Its layer structure is specifically designed for each individual size to keep weight at a minimum while providing maximum safety.
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Bolivia's North Yungas Road, more commonly known as 'El Camino de la Muerte' or 'The Road of Death', is said to be the most dangerous road in the world.
A bold claim? Possibly. But when you stop and consider the vast number of accidents occuring along this short stretch of road (at the time of writing, some reports suggest it claims the life of at least 1 unfortunate soul every other day) it certainly ain't Clapham High Street.
After reading Neil Woodburn's article on California's Second Best Stretch of Road, I couldn't help but compare it to other highways that aren't quite in the same league. The clear winner in this particular hall of shame – by a long chalk – must go to the perilous North Yungas Road in Bolivia.
This deadly 35 mile stretch between La Paz and Coroico – rightfully nicknamed El Camino de la Muerte, or The Road of Death – is estimated to claim the lives of 200-300 users every year. It's easy to see why this highway has been labled 'The World's Most Dangerous Road'.
And it's even easier to understand why tragedies along this particular Bolivian road are so frequent. The coalescence of 900 meter sheer drop-offs, wickedly tight hairpin bends, narrow gauges, and unsealed roads littered with debris from the hillside above simply compound its inherent treachery. And the rain and thick fog that can swiftly envelop the mountainside doesn't help much either.
"But what about guardrails?" I hear you holler. Guardrails…? No bastante, amigo.
But where there is danger, so shall you find thrill seekers. In recent years, Bolivia's road of death has seen a considerable increase in the amount of people that actually traverse it for fun.
Now, if you think the buses sound like suicide in a tin then I urge you to read no further.
The foolhardy, or otherwise charmed individual, can now risk meeting their maker along the road of death in another altogether more novel way. Gravity assisted Mountain Biking. Yep, I'm serious.
Adrenaline junkies can now sign up for this white knuckle extravaganza with one of several adventure companies operating within the area. Further information on this extreme downhill mountain biking can probably be Google up by typing "Bicycle", "Insane B*stard" and "Death wish".
As for me, I'd prefer to cross my fingers, stuff my backpack full of four leafed clovers and lucky rabbit's feet (lucky, of course, unless you happen to be that rabbit) and stick with the bus. Activities along the highway of death are clearly best left to those with nerves as robust as their travel insurance.
I do, however, reserve the right to change my mind. It's been reported that a new road, also connecting La Paz to Coroico, in almost finished. This latest development will no doubt come as welcome news to those that ply Bolivia's Road of Death, and, of course, to the growing number of daredevils that fancy their chances on this increasingly popular downhill racetrack.


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Experimenting with faces. From stuffed to needle-sculpted, to coloured. These heads are all the same colour fabric.
Different lights make them look like different colours. The original fabric colour is the one with the ears pinned on. It is a mottled, creamy colour, quality quilters cotton.
I am designing a new pattern and I think it will have to include a drawing lesson! Is this a bit much to put in a pattern? I worry that my patterns are too involved for the learner dollmaker, and yet, I recall how I needed more of a challenge when I learned most of the techniques of dollmaking, not realising I was leaning towards art.
I know these end up being works of art, but I do want those that need more to be able to take the next steps towards their own artistry, to have the opportunity to learn what else they can do, to develop their own talent.
Like all artists, writers and musicians, I do something every day, and I am most surprised what happens!


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Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, formally accepted a major reorganization plan on Thursday that would group the archdiocese's 288 parishes into about 135 clusters and assign each a team of priests, staff, and lay leaders.
O'Malley said the church in Boston and nationwide had reached a crossroads after years of declining Mass attendance and diminished participation in parish life. The impetus for the new plan is "a new evangelization," he said, reaching out to inactive Catholics and bringing them back to church.
"Parishes are at the heart of the new evangelization," he said. "They must be well-staffed and financially sound so as to be effective in their mission."
The challenges facing the archdiocese are dire: In 1970, 70 percent of Boston's baptized Catholics attended Mass weekly; today, fewer than 16 percent do. Almost a third of parishes are operating in the red, and the priest pool is rapidly aging and contracting. Many priests are already overseeing multiple churches.
The new plan is designed to help parishes make better use of scarce resources — but without closing churches, as the archdiocese did eight years ago in what became a spectacular public relations disaster.
Under the new plan, each parish would keep its name, assets, debts, property, and income. But each cluster, or "collaborative" — with anywhere from one to four parishes, but typically two or three — would have one staff, one parish council, and one finance council.
The plan's authors say the approach will inject new energy into parishes that are treading water and help priests and lay leaders develop new skills through extensive training, some of which will be provided by the Pennsylvania-based Catholic Leadership Institute.
"We have a very big task ahead of us," said Monsignor William Fay, who led the commission that drew up the reorganization plan. But, he said, "I am convinced it will work."
The plan will be phased in slowly, during a period of about five years; the first dozen or so collaboratives will be announced in January.
The magnitude of what archdiocesan officials are asking priests and parishes is hard to overstate. Congregations that hardly know each other will have to learn to work closely together. Church employees will have to learn new ways of collaborating. Priests, many of them in their 60s and older, will have to do their jobs differently.
Underscoring the complexity involved, the plan has been under construction for nearly two years but remains incomplete. The archdiocese said it was not yet prepared to announce how the churches would be grouped together.
Church officials said about 70 percent of the collaboratives are tentatively settled and that pastors will be informed about their parish's situation in the coming days. But officials could not say when they would make that information available to the wider public or when a full list would be available.
"If this process is going to be organic, and it's going to be cooperative, and it's going to be flexible, we can't just announce a list of what the collaboratives are going to be," said Bishop-elect Robert P. Deeley, vicar general of the archdiocese. "We have to work with the people involved in order to make sure the collaboratives are serving the parishes."
During the last two years, the commission of priests, staff, and lay leaders appointed by O'Malley struggled to determine which parishes would work well together, based on proximity, size, and other factors. The panel has refined the proposal in response to feedback from surveys, meetings, and informal conversations across the archdiocese.
The Rev. Anthony Medairos is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Carver, which was originally proposed to team up with three other parishes in Plymouth, but the collaborative seemed unworkable to him because the churches were too far apart geographically.
Priests from those parishes have since crafted alternative plans and submitted them for consideration, Medairos said.
"We've been part of the consulting process," said Medairos. "What gets decided, we just await. Time will tell."
Church leaders have said they believe the new approach has won the confidence of the vast majority of clergy and lay leaders. Two-thirds of the lay parish and finance council members polled by the archdiocese in a survey earlier this year said the new concept takes the church in the right direction.
But the results of that survey also suggested that many are not onboard. A substantial minority of lay leaders — almost 17 percent — said it would take the church in the wrong direction, and many registered concern about how priests would be assigned to collaboratives.
Anne Southwood, a member of Holy Family Parish in Duxbury and chair of the lay organization Voice of the Faithful's Boston Area Council, praised church officials for consulting widely with laypeople but expressed concern that it will shrink the number of parish and finance councils.
"I hate to think that laypeople . . . might feel dispossessed after years of volunteer effort," she said. "However I am hoping that the new evangelization effort will involve more laypeople."
Emily Sweeney of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Lisa Wangsness can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Revisiting "X Improves My Design"
I seem to have upset a few people. Let me clarify a few points about the last article I wrote:
- I don't think unit testing or test-driven development is a bad idea. I've done it for some time. I've argued for it. I've invited Mark Clark to speak at user groups to promote TDD. If this post is read as a hit piece on the idea of test-driven development, that's not how it was intended. I'm not the right person to write such a hit piece, because I think TDD is a good idea.
- Nothing in the article was intended to attack or insult Tim Ottinger. It was meant to point out something we all do, and that I think we need to be made aware of. I do it with functional programming and static typing. Others do it with OO design, or certain kinds of version control, or whatever. Tim wrote a good article, and I used it as a springboard to make a slightly related point. I do apologize to Tim if my comments were upsetting at all.
- I don't actually believe that doing test-driven development requires completely giving up private variables. I don't think it necessarily means adding Java EE style abstract factories for all classes in the program. I was pointing out, more than anything else, that we should just remain aware that these techniques have disadvantages.
The main thing to bring away is there there are very few techniques in programming that don't make some things hard or awkward. Denying that fact is dishonest, and does nothing to help the advocacy of a technique. Acknowledging it brings us back to real people balancing real and often conflicting concerns in the context of their various projects. This is the essence of software development, and it's directly opposed to the human tendency to pick a side and defend it against all comers.
I remain convinced that test-driven development will lead to some design compromises in other areas. I've seen it in my projects, and I think Tim's experience basically says the same thing. I still think it's best that we describe these compromises as what they are. It's important to resist silver-bullet-ism in a field that's already gone too far down that path.
2 CommentsLeave a Comment
Sadek Drobi / Oct 7 2007 5:42 am
Test Driven Development is not about design. It doesn't drive any better design, rather it is about testing.Gertrud Bjørnvig points out, It's not "test first" that's important: it's "test-while."
I wrote on http://sadekdrobi.com/2007/09/29/draft-design-driven-testing-using-tests-as-specifications-of-system%e2%80%99s-invariants-and-contracts-design/
about how testing can be helpful in my everyday programming.
Anyway, Its amazing how this "X Improves My Design" can apply evrywhere, even to waterfall design :) http://programming.reddit.com/info/2uv7q/comments/c2v2fn
Tim Ottinger / Jan 7 2008 3:05 pm
Now that this is long over, I wanted you to know that there is no upset on my part.
I've agonized over the whole "collateral effort" thing, and while I do believe that TDD is improving my design, I also recognize how bandwagon followers can swallow the bottle with the tonic. In this case, the "improves my design" specifically means that it makes it possible to isolate, test, and change specific bits. This is a kind of good.
Even slightly mis-characterized I'm unoffended. I wouldn't blog if that kind of thing worried me overmuch. Overall, I agree with warnings to avoid straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel. :-) Also, ham that I am, I enjoyed being quoted.
God bless!


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Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) told Wall Street and other bankers last week that "If I had my way, we wouldn't have the [CFPB] at all."
McConnell has been leading a group of 43 senators -- under Senate rules, a minority of 41 or more senators can block action -- who are demanding gutting changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding, authority, structure and independence as their price to confirm the CFPB's well-qualified director, Rich Cordray, to a full term.
Of course, no one has forgotten the spectacular financial collapse caused by Wall Street shenanigans and a lack of regulation. It shouldn't be that hard to recall; it happened just five years ago! The economy is still recovering. Even Senator McConnell and his Wall Street patrons haven't forgotten; they simply don't like Wall Street reform. They want a return to the old unregulated days when bankers could take risks without responsibility. The result? They destroyed the lives of millions of Americans who lost jobs or homes or retirement savings or all three.
That's why the American Bankers Association (last week's venue for McConnell), the Financial Services Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and many, many other powerful special interests continue to attack and delay every new public protection enacted in the 2010 Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
And while they are fighting the Volcker rule to limit risky betting by commercial banks using other peoples' money, opposing full restitution to the homeowners that they wrongly foreclosed on (while bouncing some of the checks they actually do send them) and even challenging the extremely modest SEC rule that would require them to disclose the ratio between the pay of their CEO and their median (meaning half make more, half make less) employee, their strongest opposition is reserved for the very idea of the CFPB. What's the CFPB? It's our first and only federal financial agency with just one job, protecting consumers, no matter where they buy their financial products.
What are some of the protections we wouldn't have at all, if Senator McConnell and Wall Street have their way and we didn't have a CFPB at all?
Protections consumers wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: Nearly half a billion dollars in refunds from big credit card companies Capital One, Discover and American Express -- all sued by the CFPB for unfair practices, including the marketing of supposedly-free useless credit card add-ons.
Protections veterans and servicemembers wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: A special team of advocates and investigators looking out for service members and veterans, and going after those who systematically target them with financial scams, illegally foreclose on them or hustle them into sleazy for-profit school contracts.
Protections consumers wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: The CFPB's complaint system and public database of consumer complaints. The CFPB's complaint system has been widely praised for delivering swift and serious results. In the early going, more than half of those using the system for credit-card complaints received monetary relief. The public database ensures a swift response to complaints (no company wants to be Number One on this list!) and enables academics and other researchers to probe the problems that plague financial markets and suggest priority solutions.
Protections senior citizens wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: An Office of Older Americans, helping them with investment choices and going after "clever scam artists or desperate family members targeting you because of your home equity or net worth."
Protections consumers wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: A federal regulator with the authority to supervise (or examine) payday lenders, mortgage companies and private student lenders of any size, and, so far, also larger credit bureaus and debt collectors, with larger student loan servicing firms next on the CFPB's radar. Being able to look inside the previously "black box" activities of these non-bank firms for possible future problems will help stop bad behavior and violations before they occur.
Protections students wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: First, all students wouldn't have "Know Before You Owe tools to help students understand and compare college costs and financial-aid offers. Second, students wouldn't have a place to go with complaints about private education loans or for-profit school scams.
Protections consumers at risk of lending discrimination wouldn't have at all, if we didn't have a CFPB at all: An Office of Fair Lending to "ensure that all Americans have fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory access to credit. ... [CFPB] will use every tool at our disposal to protect American consumers."
The list goes on and on. It continues from here with major new protections for homeowners against unfair mortgage practices and even includes protections for consumers sending funds to families overseas. Find more about the protections that the CFPB provides to make markets work for both consumers and fair-dealing firms here at the Americans for Financial Reform page Ten Reasons We Need The CFPB.
I encourage readers to take a look at the CFPB's latest Semi-Annual Report to Congress for more discussion of its accomplishments and ongoing investigations and projects. Director Cordray will present the report at an oversight hearing of the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday, 23 April at 10am. You should be able to watch the hearing live here.
After you read the report or watch the hearing, I think you will agree that what Senator McConnell and Wall Street want -- no CFPB at all -- doesn't serve the public interest, only special interests. It doesn't serve consumers at all.
Find out more about the CFPB for yourself. On Tuesday, April 23 at 10am EST, CFPB Director Cordray will testify at an oversight hearing of the Senate Banking Committee. You should be able to watch the hearing live here.