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Social Media for Family Historians, my first book, was published on Friday 22nd October 2010. It was launched at the Unlock The Past History and Genealogy Expo in Sydney.
It contains 76 pages in full colour to explain what social media is and why it is of use to family historians. It introduces more than 25 websites that can help family historians, and anyone with families, to communicate, share and collaborate with each other.
I think social media could have been designed specifically with family historians in mind. The networking that we do as researchers is made much easier by social media sites, and the interest that we have in distantly related family members is way beyond that of a normal person!
We can share our family trees, documents, photos and videos; use Skype to communicate across the world; and write a blog to share our discoveries with family members, and to allow others to find us.
Here is the Table of Contents:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. What is Social Media?
- The Internet
- Self-publishing
- Social media
- 3. Why use it?
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- 4. Communication
- Chat
- Mailing lists and Forums
- Social Networking
- Blogs
- Microblogging
- Virtual Worlds
- 5. Sharing
- Family Trees
- Photographs
- Videos
- Social Cataloguing
- 6. Collaboration
- Wikis
- Social Bookmarking
- Documents
- Questions and Answers
- 7. Dangers
- Risks
- Some simple rules
- 8. What are you waiting for?
- Appendix 1. How to get started with Facebook
- Sign up for Facebook
- Using Facebook
- Appendix 2. How to get started with blogging
- Find a host
- Create an account
- Name your blog
- Set Security
- Create your profile
- Select a design
- Start writing!
- More advanced blogging
The book is $19.50 plus postage. It will be available from Gould Genealogy any minute now, or directly from me. Email me if you are interested in purchasing a copy at carole (at) heritagegenealogy.com.au.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Bear resistant containers must be used all year. The regulations do not specify certain months, as it would be hard to not only to regulate, but also for the trash companies to switch out and store containers for a few months at a time.
Show All Answers
Certified bear resistant containers or dumpsters meet the "minimum structural design standards" published by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) in 1989 or has successfully passed the testing program and protocols recited in the Bear Resistant Products Testing Program (October 2005). LDR Section 5.1.3 also details the specifications for a Bear-Resistance Building, Enclosure or Fencing.
Local sanitation companies and property management companies have started replacing current trash containers with certified containers. Please contact your sanitation company or property management company to find out if they intend to replace your trash container. When purchasing your own container, visit the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee website and review the list of Certified Bear-Resistant Products.
No, this regulation does not apply to recycling bins at this time.
If you are not serviced by a local provider and take your garbage directly to the Transfer Station, trash may be stored in other containers as long it is stored in a bear resistant building at all times while on your property.
Owners may be attracting bears to residential neighborhoods, which may pose threats to human safety and pets. Teton County could seek abatement of these violations with possible fines up to $750 per day, per offense. However, the last thing anyone wants to see is a conflict resulting in someone getting hurt, property damage or a bear being removed from an area.
Should you have any problems with the lids latching, please do not ignore it, but contact your collection agency immediately. They have been repairing or replacing containers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lyrics Depot is your source of lyrics to Goodbye by Killah Priest. Please check back for more Killah Priest lyrics.
Goodbye Lyrics
Artist: Killah Priest
Album: Black August
[Intro: Killah Priest]
Uh.. Black August
Good Morning America
It's Killah Priest back at ya
I'm feelin' good tonight, uh-huh
Priesthood, Big U in the house, SoulStice
We gon' do this, stay focused
Yeah, I feel it, uh-huh
Yeah.. yeah, yo, yo
[Killah Priest]
The mouth and tongue of Malcolm
Tellin' my publicist, fuck this government
Go 'head and make my album, this is the judgment
Vacate the island, billions will start wildin'
The feelin' of violence will have trillions in silence
Or watchin' the news, Arabs against Jews
They bombin' the schools, political fools
Liberal move, is all confused, gun users
Instead of peace talk, fuck this world
I ride for Z. York, pass the heat off
I blast at Farahkhan to overthrow Babylon
Fuck this world, that's why we carry on
By the Email Fidel, tell him meet me on the D.L.
No longer a free world, think of shank or Verra'
This be the days of terror.. SoulStice
Oh shit, amazin' grace, how sweet the sound
Savin' slaves, another body found
Bound to the streets where we drown if we sleep
We make heat instead of peace
Struggle to heat, and breathe
On Shiek metal swords before we eat
To teach, shake my head in disbelief
41 shots, a young brotha deceased
Gunned down by police, is there no justice, no peace?
So fuck the police, listen, I walk with P.
Ignorance leakes like back streets of sickness
Or disease, and our weakness, we bleed
Deceive to believe in this modern Eden, we thieve
Conceive through this belly, we beasts
Ninety thieves stalk woods for Priest
Leave out this laws of Camenites
We strive to rise like height
But through hate we over-weigh our fate
And fall like meteorite, to spread the self-sacrifice
Instill like these parasites, in drug bites
Prescribe a mind of 360 degree fahrenheit
In the dark like midnight, these words I recite
I once was blind but now I..
[Killah Priest]
See the light..
Freedom fights in prison, sprung from religion
Taught by elders, the system failed us, no one to help us
Priest is, withstanding Priestess, but stand on thrones judgin' Egypt
Peep the eclipse, the shadows cover the moon
The Devils govern the fools, they stubborn as Jews
Pearls before swine, I quiz them, they need more time
Seek the wisdom, free your mind
From the cobras, it's Priest and SoulStice
We came to teach the culture
We can stand the heat like vultures
Open ya wings, the soul of a King
Song of a Queen, dawned with the wings
Bow and kiss 'em, if he's a fraud than strip 'im
From all this badness, greet him with daggers
We more than rappers, we the masters
Even after.. World War 3, the war of intelligence
The court, self-defence is common sense
Third corridors and drug stores
Immensely spokes and leave scars of no evidence
Dense minds outlined in chalk, the refined walk
Can rise again like cocks, a ressurection at box
Religious, intervenous, take my name in vain
Clinically insane, hold secrets
Mentally slain for their repentance by the government
Hold the third commandment, who's the man sent?
Modern Lazurus, hands wake the nation
[Killah Priest]
It's revelations, I'm takin' medication, my head is achin'
I've been by a weapon since the 11th
Stars and stripes vs. a star and crescent
God's blessin', be a soldier, I gotta speak out on Oprah
I'm Under Siege, I grab my gun and fatigues
Plead my woman and seeds, hundreds shall bleed
I speak blunted from weed
Do y'all really want peace or y'all wanna see war?
Crates of candles on crates of C4
Why they rich and why we poor?
If he Jacob do that make him Esaw?
Is Colin Powell really Bush as Igor?
Why did terrorist attack the entire Eastern seaboard?
Who taught the men to kill theyselves?
They're received Allah's rewards, we need to read more
Priest, I rap with razor blades on the side of each jaw
In the millenium, war against Palestinians
A century is done, plenty of guns
Plenty of bombs, many shall come
And my name, a homeless man ridin' a train
Day and night, leavin' my head with migraines
It's the atomic age, we either smokin' chronic or sage
The blood of Jesus, Decepti-concept
Martin Luther King had a dream
Gun shots create a smokescreen
We throw on concrete, I wear a bandana like the Panthers
Back to court with my handgun
[Chorus x2: Both]
It's real as the masonic seal on a dollar bill
Conspiracy theories that got Kennedy killed
Or the secret governments, Blood and Crip
Worldwide, look at the future through your third eye
As they say Priest spit wisdom unknown,i agree so far i have listen 2 5 albums of him and u learn a lot the way he preject his word and the sense he makes,he is not just a rapper,he knws the street i can relate 2 wat he says that i c happenin in soweto,jst like the track Black August where he says this is no rap this moments captured on a kodak so hold that,u do really picture his words wen he raps.he is not just my favourite hip hop mc he is also my role model,so keep holding ur pen like a syringe and inject ur paper wit the thoughts of a gangstar,and keep brainstorming until the ink on ur paper looses form rather than change it .Peace Psychosis23
Killah Priest Lyrics
Killah Priest Black August Lyrics
More Killah Priest Music Lyrics:
Killah Priest - B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) Lyrics
Killah Priest - Gotta Eat Lyrics
Killah Priest - Horsemen Talk Lyrics
Killah Priest - Information Lyrics
Killah Priest - Live By The Gun Lyrics
Killah Priest - One Step Lyrics
Killah Priest - Royal Priesthood Lyrics
Killah Priest - Time Lyrics


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Biological Sciences Division
Research Highlights
October 2006
PNNL Wins Project BioShield Grants
Researchers to develop ways to counter radioactive materials from "dirty bombs"
Contact: Tatiana Levitskaia
Contact: Chuck Timchalk
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory received two grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for development of products that eliminate radioactive materials from the human body following radiological or nuclear exposure. NIAID is one of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In the event of an attack by a nuclear explosive device or radiological "dirty bomb," individuals potentially could inhale, ingest or absorb through their skin radioactive atoms called "radionuclides." The PNNL projects will contribute to development of new products that could minimize internal exposure:
- Tatiana G. Levitskaia and her team will receive $725,000 for rapid development of drugs based on chitosan biomaterials to capture and remove specific radionuclides from the body. Chitosan is derived from the exoskeletons of crabs and other shellfish and currently is sold over-the-counter as a weight loss supplement. The researchers also will establish the toxicity, if any, of chitosan and identify product development pathways. Ultimately, this and other natural materials could be safely and rapidly distributed to the public for both medical mitigation and prophylactic purposes. Levitskaia's team includes key investigators Karla Thrall, Jim Morris, and Rick Traub from PNNL and Tony James from Washington State University.
- Charles Timchalk and his team were granted $599,747 to create new forms of SAMMS - self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports - that could capture and naturally remove radionuclides from the body. Earlier SAMMS research showed that chelating agents can be attached to mesoporous materials and engineered to latch onto specific radionuclides. Chelating agents can deactivate radionuclides by forming bonds with their ions. The NIAID project will adapt SAMMS technology for radionuclide decorporation in humans. If the team is successful, the next step would be to move the results toward FDA approval. Commercially, this versatile technology is used to removing mercury contaminants from process water and smokestack emissions. Timchalk's team includes co-principal investigator Wassana Yantasee and key investigators Glenn Fryxell and Shane Addleman.
The PNNL awards were granted under NIAID's Project Bioshield authorities. Project BioShield provides new tools to improve medical countermeasures protecting Americans against a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attack.


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- Story by TessVan Straaten Photography by Don Denton
Story courtesy of Boulevard Magazine, a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on Facebook and follow them on Instagram
When Ted Hancock and Shawn Richardson decided to team up to launch the Incredible Home brand, they never thought their relationship would be a topic for discussion.
"People assume we're a couple but I've actually said to Ted we should get buttons that say, 'I'm not with him' and 'I'm not with her,'" Shawn jokes.
The pair, who have more than 70 years of industry experience between them, joined forces last July to grow Ted's successful company, Incredible Closets, into space solutions for every part of the home — kitchens, entryways, living rooms, garage organizers and even wine rooms and custom-made doors.
"We'd been looking to expand for several years because our clients have been asking us if we can do kitchens or vanities — since it's similar to what we do," Ted explains. "I wasn't sure exactly how we were going to do it but as Shawn and I started to talk, I realized collaborating would be the ideal situation."
Shawn moved to Victoria from Calgary three years ago and worked with a prominent custom homebuilder. Her expertise is in design, space planning and custom millwork.
"I was a partner in a custom home and renovation business, working in that beautiful, high-end, no-holds-barred Calgary market where I got to do some pretty amazing work with clients, but really learned custom millwork over a 10-year period," Shawn says. "We had a master cabinetmaker who taught me everything I know."
The dynamic duo met in 2017 at an industry event, and realized they both had a passion for offering top-notch customer service and had strengths that complemented each other. Ted's skills are in building things — he grew up on a farm and started driving tractors at the age of 10, and building dog houses and other structures at 14.
"When you grow up as a farmer you learn to do pretty much anything, and from there, I combined farming with construction. So I have close to 60 years' experience building things and almost 40 years' industry experience," Ted says.
Ted launched Incredible Closets in Calgary in 1982 — the first of its kinds in Western Canada. He moved the business to Victoria 11 years later, for lifestyle reasons and the opportunity to sail.
"That's very hard to do on the prairies," quips Ted. "The business just grew from there, mostly from repeats and referrals, which is about 50 to 60 per cent of our business."
For Shawn — who counts a stint with the TV show Property Brothers as a career highlight — design is in her DNA.
"I've been decorating and designing my whole life," she says. "As a teenager, I was the weird kid who had my pillows arranged just perfectly on the bed. It's something that's just in you."
Together, they re-branded Incredible Closets to Incredible Home earlier this year and moved into a spectacular, new, purpose-built showroom in February.
"When this space became available, it was a no-brainer," Ted says. "The space is perfect and it's a pebble's throw away from our previous showroom and offices."
The pair admits there have been challenges in growing the business, but they say long-term employees have helped to make the transition easier.
"There are always challenges, but like anything, it's how you approach the challenge," Ted says. "Is it something you can learn from? And if it's an obstacle you have to overcome, how do you get through it? Instead of saying we can't do it, we say 'how can we do it?' We'll figure out a way."
Their mantra is "listen carefully and answer creatively'" and they say it's served them well. Shawn also tells staff to think of the money clients are spending as their own money, and to act accordingly.
"The biggest mistakes I've made in life are whenever I haven't trusted my instincts," she says. "You have to listen to your inner voice and you have to be bold and say, 'if this was my money on the line, what would I do? What would I choose?' I always think like that."
For Ted, his biggest mistake was not being enough of a risk-taker when he was younger.
"Now, as I get older, I'm more of a risk-taker and it seems to work," says the father of three and grandfather of three. "You have to learn from your mistakes or you'll never get them out of your head."
"I always say to myself, 'no guts, no glory,'" adds Shawn, who has an adult daughter. "Don't compromise, do what you think is right, take the high road and it will serve you well. If you're passionate about something, just continue to push forward."
And that's exactly what Shawn and Ted are doing — despite being at an age when many of their peers are retiring.
"This is my retirement plan," jokes Ted. "I love what I do and when I thought about what I wanted to do when I retire, it was this. I still work a lot more than I probably should at this age, but it keeps my brain going and it keeps my body going."
"Ted is really an inspiration for me because a lot of my friends are retired or starting to retire and I'm venturing into this new business and I'm in it for the long haul," Shawn adds.
"It does keep you young and I'm excited about what we're going to do next."
Check out Incredible Home here.


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3 Crystal DIYs to Get You Through Mercury Retrograde
Beware! Mercury retrograde is in full effect. Please note: Mercury is not actually moving backward, it's just an illusion that occurs when Mercury passes Earth in its orbit. However, while this cosmic occurrence happens three to four times a year, it has some serious astrological implications. Mercury rules the transfer of information, thus, throwing off all communication, travel and technology during its retrograde. I mean, the WiFi at Brit HQ was on the fritz all last week. Coincidence or Mercury retrograde? Just sayin'. Regardless, I felt like it was time to burn some sage and harness some crystal power to get us through the final days of Mercury retrograde without incident.
How to Make a Crystal and Succulent Terrarium Stones: amethyst and quartz
Properties: Amethyst is a calming stone to help promote peace and balance during this crazy time. Quartz crystals are among the most common in the world, are seen as a source of light and can help guide you through muddled communication.
Materials and Tools:
- jar
- amethyst gemstone and geode
- crystal quartz pieces
- soil
- small rocks
- succulents
- hammer
- flat nose pliers
- Safely break open your geode and separate it into small pieces with a hammer. Make sure you protect yourself from flying pieces.
- Layer the geode pieces at the bottom of the jar with the crystals facing outward. Next, add the rocks and soil.
- Plant your succulents into the soil, using your finger to dig a little hole in the soil.
- Arrange your crystals around the succulents to your liking and you're done!
Layer the geode pieces at the bottom of the jar with the crystals facing outward. Next, add the rocks and soil.
Carefully place the succulents and crystals into your jar. And you're done!
This little crystal terrarium will definitely bring some positive vibes your way.
by: Lindsay Saito


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Multiple reports now have the deal done, one trade right before the deadline.
The Cavaliers and Kings will swap young forwards, with J.J. Hickson going to the Kings for Omri Casspi. This deal may be the last before lockout begins at midnight, according to a tweet from Marc Stein or ESPN. The Cavaliers also would get a conditional first round pick from the Kings (lottery protected for one year, top 10 protected in the second year).
Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated confirms that Casspi has been told he likely will be traded in the next few hours. The Sacramento Bee is reporting the trade as done (as do other outlets now).
The two are both young forwards who play the same position (essentially, Casspi is listed as a three, Hickson a four, but both operate inside and out), but their games are very different. Hickson is an athletic, slashing forward who gets most of his shots at the rim and is not a great jump shooter. Hickson has improved as a rebounder in his three years in the league.
Hickson seemed a likely guy to be traded once the Cavaliers took Tristan Thompson No. 4 in the NBA Draft last week. Sacramento will likely use DeMarcus Cousins at the four and five and Hickson at the three and four, with Jason Thompson in the mix — that is a young and athletic front line.
Casspi has NBA shooting range — he hit 37 percent from three — but is not a guy who can attack the paint the same way. Hickson was a more productive player, but Casspi felt he was not used properly in Sacramento. With him the Cavaliers get some real toughness — the guy has fire in him. Fans will like him.
Both are on their rookie deals, so the salaries match up.


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Love and Nostalgia in Times of War
The sun in Rio Salado must shine more intensely than elsewhere – there is no other explanation for how a contemporary novel can revel in such glowing colours, voluptuous landscapes and hosts of sunsets. Rio Salado, an Algerian village populated mainly by winegrowers, is where the narrator spends almost his entire life.
At the end of the book, he tells us how much he still loves it there and how he can hardly imagine a place more beautiful, despite having experienced both vineyard festivals, endless rounds of balls and weddings – and a great deal of human suffering, loss and grief.
When Younes arrives in this "magnificent colonial village" as a boy, he has already been through tragedy. Younes is the child of an Algerian farm worker, forced to move to the ghetto of Oran with his family in the vain hope of finding work.
The family descends into utter misery, the father unable to avert disaster despite all his efforts, and Younes is only rescued by his uncle, a wealthy pharmacist who takes him into his home.
Identity between two cultures
Under the new name of Jonas, he finds a home with his childless aunt and uncle, spending the rest of his life in the European part of Algeria, still under French rule. Everything Jonas experiences from this point on is refracted through his identity between two cultures; no matter how European he may feel, he is always a Muslim boy.
This is the tragedy and the destiny of his life, his story told in a great novel of an era by Yasmina Khadra, a very prolific and successful writer, particularly in France.
Yasmina Khadra is the pseudonym of Mohammed Moulessehoul. Born in 1955, he was an officer in the Algerian army and assumed his wife's names to evade military censorship. He only revealed his true identity in 2000, when the two of them moved to Paris.
The focus of his eventful novel, which begins in the late 1920s and spans to the present day, is on Younes' love for the young French woman Emilie. Yet Younes never reveals his great love – out of shame and inhibitions that he cannot overcome, despite passionate appeals on the part of Emilie, who admits her love for him in a dramatic declaration.
Tense relationship between France and Algeria
The author weaves this sorrowful story over hundreds of pages. While the political upheavals in the wake of World War II make their mark on all of Algeria, eventually leading to a military confrontation between the French and Arab parts of the country, we read in parallel of the excruciating tragedy between Younes / Jonas and an increasingly despairing Emilie, who finally marries another man but never disappears from Younes' life.
The narrator's extreme reserve is hard to bear; at times Younes comes across as absolutely apathetic, passively submitting to his life – enough to drive the reader to desperation. Emilie loves him – and Younes returns her feelings; over the years they make several attempts to talk about it, but their mutual love remains unfulfilled.
Presumably, Khadra had the tense relationship between France and Algeria in mind as a model for his troubled couple: the destruction of Algeria, the brutal massacre en route to independence in 1962. At that time, life in Rio Salado comes to an absolute standstill – no wine is grown any more and most people have left the village, leaving only Younes to carry on running his pharmacy.
Large parts of the novel are sensuously written, full of thrilling scenes, vivid dialogue, memorable characters as if in a Fellini film, shored up by great earnest and melancholy – which is unfortunately destroyed by overly theatrical and bombastic language. The writer seemingly cannot help indulging in gushing images: "Dusted with a fine fuzz, the hills sparkled in the sunrise like an entire ocean." An erotic kiss is commented with the words: "No spring would have refreshed me so."
By the end of the book, "the time of blossoming innocence" is over and an eighty-year-old Younes looks back upon the shards of his life. After his years of suffering over Emilie, he did lead a good life (not described in the novel, however): marrying and having children and grandchildren. Yet on a visit to pay his condolences after Emilie's death, he realises that all he has left is nostalgia – with the novel offering a telling wordplay:
On meeting again, the old friends from Rio Salado talk of a special "nostalgérie" that fills them every time they "are overwhelmed by homesickness again". All of them have had to emigrate, and have since been longing for the fatherland of which they can no longer take possession – not even after a two-hour flight and a reunification with Rio Salado.
Volker Kaminski
© Qantara.de 2010
Translated from the German by Katy Derbyshire
Interview with Yasmina Khadra
"The Arab World is not just a Postcard with Dunes and Caravans"
Yasmina Khadra is the pseudonym of Mohammed Moulessehoul, a former major in the Algerian Army, now full time novelist. In this interview with Richard Marcus, the exiled writer talks about his writing and the differences between Western and Arab culture
Yasmina Khadra: "The Attack"
Current Affairs - Workaday Style
Yasmina Khadra, a former officer of the Algerian army, has made a name for himself with a series of detective novels. In his latest book, "The Attack," he deals with the problem of violence in the Middle East. Heribert Becker has read it
Aziz Chouaki's novel "The Star of Algiers"
A Singer in a World Gone Mad
In his novel The Star of Algiers, the Algerian writer Aziz Chouaki tells the story of a talented musician whose career takes off just before the Algerian civil war, of all times. Kersten Knipp read the book


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Specs shown in photo:
18x10+15 (4" lip) Low disc
18x11.5+0 (5.5" lip) Low disc
Pearl white centers with polished lips.
We also offer custom GMR orders!
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Available in custom finishes and custom wheel specs for your vehicle.
Please contact us for more information regarding building you a custom set today!


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'Safe Seats' And The Media Spin About Radical Republicans
Written by Eric Boehlert
According to press accounts, one of the universal truths about the current government shutdown is that more Republican members of the House have adopted increasingly brazen political strategies because they're elected from safe districts.
Due to the growing polarization of American politics and its voting patterns (along with gerrymandering), Tea Party-aligned Republicans from deeply red districts have embraced unorthodox behavior and unprecedented strategies because local voters staunchly support them even if their agenda is unpopular nationwide. It's that electoral freedom that's produced a new breed of Republican congressmen and women, according to this press telling.
That storyline is deeply flawed, however. It leaves out crucial context, like the simple fact that for decades a huge number of congressional Democrats have enjoyed safe seats. Yet they never equated comfortable victory margins with permission to adopt the extremist measures now displayed by Republicans as they provoke crisis after crisis. The safe seat spin also gives Republicans a pass as they continue to steer the country towards dangerous territory.
Still, that narrative remains a constant.
Explaining the disconnect between the public dismay over the shutdown and stubbornness displayed by GOP politicians, political scientist Larry Sabato told CBS News, "The vast majority are in heavily Republican districts, so general public opinion may be completely against them, but this is actually good for them."
The New York Times explained Republicans face "little personal political risk" for backing the extreme measure of shutting down the government, "because they are elected in overwhelmingly Republican districts." And the New York Post announced that "Until a sufficient number of Republicans start fearing that the blowback threatens their own political skins, the shutdown won't get solved."
Over and over, this account has been embraced by reporters and commentators as they try to explain the increasingly radical, hostage-taking behavior of Republicans who have already forced a government shutdown and who are now threatening to allow the United States to default on its debts; a move that could cause catastrophic damage to the global economy.
Media message: If politicians don't have to worry about re-election, naturally they're going to act more extreme.
Journalists seem to like the 'safe seat' explanation because on the surface it appears to make sense,. (Oh, that's why Republicans are acting so outlandishly.) And journalists also seem to be searching for a quasi-rational explanation or justification for why Republican anarchists in the House are behaving the way they are. But that's the wrong way to approach the story.
Hint: There is no way to sugarcoat what's going on in the Republican House. Nor is there any reason for journalists to try. Republicans have proudly adopted a radical path, so why are too many journalists reluctant to point that out? Why the desire to avoid spelling out the truth about one of the country's two political parties and the fact that Republicans shut down the government because they didn't support a law that was passed three years ago.
Meanwhile, the safe seat spin crumbles when you look at the numbers and their recent history in American politics.
From the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza:
The math is stark. Of the 199 Democrats in the House at the start of the 113th Congress, a majority -- 51 percent(!) -- won their race with 67 percent of the vote or higher. Among the 234 Republicans elected in the last election, 67 -- or roughly 29 percent of the GOP conference -- won with 67 percent or higher.
According to the Post, 101 Democrats occupy safe seats, compared to 67 Republicans. Yet the contrast of their behavior couldn't be more stark: Democrats have more safe seats in the House, yet it's Republicans who have embraced the agenda of "governmental sabotage," as New York's Jonathan Chait called it.
Fact: Lots and lots of Democrats have been winning very safe seats for a very long time. (It's not a new phenomenon.) But that doesn't mean Democrats used those easy wins as justification to push a wildly extremist agenda or to force the government to lurch from one crisis to the next.
For instance, most of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus come from very safe districts; equally safe as the ones that elected the Tea Party-friendly members of Congress who engineered the current shutdown. But have members of the Black Caucus banded together in recent years in an effort to bring the federal government to a halt because they disapproved of a previously passed law? Did they spend years, for instance, plotting to shutdown the federal government in order to protest the Iraq War, which they opposed? Did they conspire to provoke a series of crises designed to cripple the government and a Republican president?
And yes, Democrats benefited from a huge number of safe seat wins while George W. Bush was president. Between 2002 and 2008, while a Republican was in the White House, Democrats held 42 of the 50 safest seats in the nation, according to an analysis done by Smart Politics.
Additionally, the site reported in 2010 that, "analysis of 1,740 U.S. House general elections since 2002 finds nearly 90 percent of the 100 most lopsided congressional districts - those with an average victory margin of more than 50 points - are held by Democrats."
Until very recently, Democrats dominated the number of safe seats in Congress, but you didn't see them plotting to wreck the government. What Republicans are doing today is extreme and destructive.
Having a safe seat doesn't excuse that or explain it away.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Quote of the Week: 'I shave my balls for this?'
Our weekly round-up of what the tech world says
QuoTW This was the week when Apple cofounder and technology titan Steve Jobs sadly passed away, aspiring geeks were told they shouldn't bother leaving their bedrooms to go to school, Amazon's decision to lose money on the Kindle Fire made good business sense, overzealous Microsoft anti-virus software classed Google's Chrome browser as malware and someone released some sort of new smartphone.
It was also the week when -
Bill Gates was one of the many, many people to pay tribute after the passing of Steve Jobs:
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
A BT spokesman gave his advice to customers, after a power outage which took out a major exchange in the Midlands:
Should any customers continue to experience difficulty in accessing their broadband service, they are advised to turn their hub or modem off and on again.
HP's developer newsletter, seen by The Register, enthused about webOS:
Now is the time to take advantage of the large webOS user base.
Developers were enthused too, in fact one was so excited about developing apps for webOS - according to HP - that he rushed the stage, yelling:
Long live webOS!
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, gave his keynote address at annual OpenWorld conference:
We're better than IBM in Java, and we're going to beat them in integer arithmetic and then there will be nothing left.
A Facebook spokesperson explained that the social network's newly granted patent wasn't intended to track logged-out users, as claimed by various bloggers:
That is my understanding, anyway.
One Twitter user was particularly disappointed with the launch of the iPhone 4S, not the iPhone 5:
I shave my balls for this?
Protestor Drew Hornbein described the new Twitter-style network for revolutionaries:
Let's say you're protesting and someone up ahead sees that the cops are getting ready to kettle people, they can send out this vibe that only lasts a few minutes that says, 'Cops are kettling'.
Blogger Michael DeGusta lamented the lack of Googly elite on the new social platform:
In total, of the 18 most senior people charged with overseeing Google, 11 have either not joined or have never made a single public post, and 5 have barely used it at all.
Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff scheduled his keynote speech at a hotel near the OpenWorld conference after Oracle banishes it from its primetime slot in the conference:
Sorry Larry, the cloud can't be stopped.
Michael E. Glover, senior VP and deputy general counsel for Verizon worried about the implications of the US Federal Communication Commission's net-neutrality rules:
We are deeply concerned by the FCC's assertion of broad authority to impose potentially sweeping and unneeded regulations on broadband networks and services and on the internet itself.
Mike Lynch, ex-Autonomy boss and now HP software biz supremo, is excited about HP's acquisition of Autonomy:
We are at the dawn of a new era when it is the 'I' in IT that is changing, not just the 'T'.
And Samsung ups the stake in its patent war with Apple, as it seeks injunctions against the iPhone 4S in France and Italy:
Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology.
You can send in your candidates for next week's roundup directly to the author by clicking the byline. ®


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Congratulations to Jose Bautista, the #7 player in the LSB Top 100 list...
We continue our series where we have the LSB community pick the top 100 players in MLB. Today, we are at #8.
Here are the rules:
1) Each weekday at 10 a.m. Central, a new poll will open, which will stay open until midnight Central that night.
2) Unless there is a tie, there will be no runoffs.
3) Pitchers are eligible.
4) You vote for who you think the best player is right now. Who you would want if you were building a team for just the next season or so. Don't vote Mike Trout unless you think that, right now, he's better than anyone else on the list. Don't vote Matt Moore because you think he'll be the best pitcher over the next 10 years.
5) Caveat for #4, above: Injuries only matter in terms of how it impacts the player long-term. If you thinkAlbert Pujols is the best player in baseball, and he suffers an injury with no long-term implications that will sideline him for two months, don't not vote for him because, well, this is who is the best right now/over the next season and he's not the best now because he's on the disabled list.
6) Contracts don't matter. If you think Albert Pujols is empirically better than Evan Longoria, don't pick Longoria because his contract is more team-friendly. Don't pick Jered Weaver over Matt Cain because Cain is about to be a free agent and Weaver is under contract for five more years.
So, cast your vote...who is the #8 player in MLB right now?


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Film Segments
Gold and Silver Doctoral Jubilee 2012
A total of twelve golden jubilees and 114 silver jubilarians from all of the faculties as well as other guests were invited by Rector Professor Dr.-Ing. Ernst Schmachtenberg to celebrate the jubilees in the decorated Aula 1 of the Main Building and to accept their renewal certificates. The jubilarians and guests used the opportunity to listen to Dr. Hermann Brandstetter, Executive Manager of RWTH Campus GmbH, discuss the most recent developments of the campus project. Guests were able to form their own impressions of the current state of the project during a bus tour around Campus Melaten following the celebration.
Lousberglauf 2012
For the eleventh time, there was an Alumni Team with 50 runners at the starting line of the Lousberglauf. As in past years the Alumni Team had its own champion. Andrea Kemper came on top for the men with 20:21.7. Maria Wildau took her chance and was the women's champion with 27:29.7
Research Alumnus Han-Ill Yoo
Prof. Dr. Han-Ill Yoo from the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at Seoul National University holds a Ph.D. in Ceramics from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.I.T., USA. The former Alexander von Humboldt Research Award Professor is a regular guest at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University as visiting professor partnering with Prof. Manfred Martin, Chair of Physical Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University.
Doctoral Jubilees 2011
A total of twelve golden jubilees and 103 silver jubilees from all the faculties and number of other guests were invited by the Rector to celebrate their doctoral jubilee in the festively decorated Aula 1, in the Main Building on Templergraben.
"keep in touch"-Jubilee 2010
RWTH Aachen celebrated the 25 year long existence of its graduate magazine with the 50th issue. RWTH Aachen graduate and the Production Director of the Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Dr. Andreas Bereczky, who is pictured on the cover of the issue, travelled to be present at the event. The diversity and liveliness of current alumni work was refelected in the program, moderated by Bernd Büttgens, Deputy Editor in Chief of the Aachener Zeitung and Aachener Nachrichten.
Doctoral Jubilee 2010
Golden and silver doctoral jubilarians could enjoy a view of Aachen in 2010 as well. The RWTH Aachen saxophone ensemble "Saxollence" provide cheerful background music.
Greek Turkish Alumni Meeting in Thessalonica
The joy of reunion, but also getting to know each other and making new contacts - these moments shaped the Greek Turkish RWTH Aachen alumni meeting, that took place in Thessalonica. Meeting people applied above all to Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg, who participated in this traditional meeting for the first time. Numerous Greek and Turkish graduates have been close friends since their studies in the 60s and 70s at RWTH Aachen and have maintained these relationships till today.
Take a look at the photo gallery from the alumni meeting in Thesssalonica.
Keeping hearts and minds together..
...or "Mit Herz und Verstand". The spectrum of activities, which could be designated as such, are offered by RWTH Aachen central alumni advising to graduates and students since 2001.
Celebratory Scholarship Ceremony for the First NRW Scholarships
Since winter semester 2009, the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia has had a new scholarship program, through the Education Fund, for the best students, that is is financially supported by companies and private donors through a matching system. 190 scholarships were initially given out to recipients by Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg during a celebration. Four recipients were funded with means from the Alumni Scholarship.
Intercultural Communication Workshop
Initiated by the Alumni Team, the workshop "Intercultural Communication" took place for the first time in winter semester 2002. The workshop is for students from all RWTH Aachen faculties. Due to the increasing internationalization in academic and professional life, intercultural skills are more and more valuable and in the meantime have been regarded as a necessary ability for a successful career at the international level.
Night of Science
"5 vor 12" – RWTH-Wissenschaftsnacht: Presenting science in an unusal form - this idea is what is behind the RWTH Aachen Night of Science "5 vor 12", which has taken place annually since 2003 in the RWTH Aachen central lecture hall building, Kármán Auditorium, and enjoys a large number of visitors. Alumni are also involved with particular contributions to the program.
Lousberglauf 2009
Every year the Lousberlauf casts a spell over numerous athletes. Since 2002, RWTH Aachen alumni have participated in their own team and determine their best runners in a separate judging. After the long time favorites Florian Thönneßen and Brigitte Krings did not participate this year, other alumni could finally enter their names in the winner list: Mathias Schumacher pushed through for the men. Kathrin Borggrebe won the competition among the alumnae.
Doctoral Jubilee 2009
The top floor of the SuperC formed the backdrop for the 2009 Doctoral Jubilee celebration. Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg welcome numerous golden and silver doctoral jubliarians. After the renewal certificates were handed out, guests had the opportunity to share memories from their studies during brunch in a relaxed atmosphere.
Human Foosball Exhibition Game
The opening of a photo exhibition, interviews, a "human foosball" game between students and employees of Aachen universities as well as professional football players from Alemannia Aachen made up the prelude for a community campaign against race discrimination and xenophobia.
Christening of the RWTH Aachen Hot Air Balloon TUATIM
"Always have a good ride and favourable winds". With this wish, RWTH Aachen Rector Prof. Ernst Schmachtenberg gave the new RWTH Aachen hot air balloon his consent and christened it with the name TUATIM. The balloon will advertise RWTH Aachen in the sky around the Euregio and at international balloon festivals.
SuperC Opening
After only two years of construction, the new RWTH Aachen student service center, the so-called SuperC, was festively opened on July 29, 2008. The SuperC is the central contact point for all questions about studies. It houses the International Office in addition to the Registrar's Office and Central Examination Office.
The Search for the Golden Chain
With a film hommage, University Administration gave Prof. Dr. Burkhard Rauhut a particular gift during his farewell as Rector of RWTH Aachen. Prof Rauhut as "Indiana Jones" searching for the lost chain of office. Numerous memories from the nine year long term of office were recalled.
Lousberglauf 2008
Almost 2000 runners did not let the wet storm conditions keep them from the starting line. A RWTH Aachen Alumni running team participated again with 76 registered athletes. Florian Thönnessen was the winner again in the alumni judging. Brigitte Krings came out on top among the women.
RWTH transparent DVD
The DVD shows a film portrait of RWTH Aachen University. The segments are not limited to teaching, learning, and research at RWTH Aachen, but rather also include the surroundings, for example contact and collaborations with in industry.
MOGAM Dedication
Thanks to the generous donation of Korean RWTH Aachen graduate Dr. Young-Sup Huh, the so-called MOGAM house, a learning and work studio for students, could be actualized and dedicated with a celebration. MOGAM essentially means "making the Earth bloom" and is the life motto of the donor.
RWTH Aachen Excellence 2007
NRW Minister of Research Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart personally informed RWTH Aachen Rector Prof. Dr. Burkhard Rauhut of the announcement that RWTH Aachen had been successful in the Excellence Competition among German universities.
Homecoming 2007
After 2004, a homecoming, a meeting of international alumni, took place for the second time at RWTH Aachen. Over 200 alumni from all five continents accepted the invitation from RWTH Aachen Rector Burkhaud Rauhut. An alumni symposium offered information and further education. With a reception in city hall, an evening with the Greek Turkisch Alumni Friendship, a river boat shuffle tour from Maastricht to Liege, and a closing gala dinner, the social togetherness did not end too soon.
Construction of "SuperC" in Time Lapse
The constrution of the RWTH Aachen student service center "SuperC" started in spring 2006. The video shows a time lapse of the evolution of the building till June 2007. The light and shadow play of the sun is particularly impressive over the course of the months.
RWTH Campus Westbahnhof
In addition to Campus Melaten and the Campus area Mitte around the RWTH Aachen Main Building, Campus Westbahnhof creates a third large urban building project until about 2020.
Alumni Trailer "Won't Forget These Days"
Particular close, friendly relationships develop during students' studies. However, many connections get lost after exams, since roads of life take their own course through professional and private developments. The Alumni Network helps to get in contact with those, with whom contact was once lost.


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I am excited to get started and share the restoration of this wonderful, early Martin. In last month's column, we assessed the damage and made a list of concerns
I am excited to get started and share the restoration of this wonderful, early Martin. In last month's column, we assessed the damage and made a list of concerns and repairs that would be needed. The first repair that we'll begin is the removal and resetting of the warped ebony bridge.
We will need the following tools and supplies for the procedure:
- Bridge/Fingerboard Iron #4607
- Surface Thermometer #4603
- Spatula Bridge Removal Knife #4464
- Sloane Bridge Clamp #0682
- Hot Plate
- Aluminum Block
- Protective 8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock Paper
As I inspected the guitar, I couldn't help but notice the exquisite ebony bridge. It was finely crafted from a naturally rich, black, tight-grained bridge blank. It looked very unusual compared to what I normally see in flattop bridge woods.
I heated up my bridge/fingerboard iron on a basic hot plate, purchased from a local department store. The temperature was monitored with a surface thermometer from Stew-Mac. 250 degrees is a safe starting temperature, although I've found that larger bridges with more mass or different adhesives need an increased temperature – usually 350 degrees. I use two bridge/fingerboard irons, alternating them for really tough, epoxied bridges to apply a consistent temperature. Always remember to monitor your work and be careful.
To protect the top of the guitar before applying any heat to the bridge. Take a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock, cut out around the bridge, and lay it over the guitar's top. It is quick and easy to cut and will protect the guitar if you have a slip of the hand.
The bridge on this 0-18 came off in about 10-15 minutes as I was checking the warmed glue joint with my flexible spatula bridge removal knife. This knife is something that Don MacRostie at Stew-Mac hipped me to years back. The 3 7/8" blade tapers from handle to tip, so you can keep the blade down while holding the handle safely off the guitar top – thanks Don! As you can see in the next picture, there was minimal tear out after the bridge was removed.
Re-warping the Bridge
Now that the bridge is removed, it's time to clean and inspect the underside of the bridge. I use a razorblade to lightly remove unwanted grime. Then with a thin amount of warm water applied over the ebony glue surface, I lightly burnish the area with a spatula to remove the leftover hide glue.
Now that the gluing surface of the bridge is prepped and clean, I am ready to begin the re-warping process. I'm using a scrap of aluminum for my bridge leveling table and Sloane bridge clamps to secure the bridge to the flat surface. A microwave comes in handy to quickly boil a cup of water. Once the water is boiling, I use a Q-tip to apply the water to the gluing surface. After applying four coats of boiling water, the bridge was quickly clamped down with Sloane bridge clamps to the bridge leveling table. The bridge remains clamped for 24 hours and often this process will need to be done more than once to achieve the desired effect. Note: Squared pieces of cork were used between the clamping palm and bridge for extra protection while clamping. This process worked well for removing and rewarping the pyramid bridge on this guitar and for the most part, is similar to most bridge removals that we do in the shop on flattops.
Next month, we'll continue on with the restoration of this classic Martin acoustic. I'm looking forward to sharing our next steps in "Restoring an Original." - John
John Brown
John Brown, of Brown''s Guitar Factory, is the inventor of the Fretted/Less bass. He owns and operates a full guitar manufacturing and repair/restoration facility, which is staffed by a team of talented luthiers. He is also the designer of guitar making/repair tools and accessories that are used today by instrument builders throughout the world.


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5 Tips To Get Your Home
Sold FAST For The Most
Money Possible!
Provided by Debbie Warford Home Solutions Realty
email@example.com 214-636-7138
Do you need to sell your home fast? Are you doing everything you can to expedite the process?
In this report I'll show you a rock solid house marketing technique, how to get buyers fighting over your home, how to avoid two big mistakes that most sellers make, a simple Facebook secret to get your home in front of thousands of people, and how you can capture leads on your house 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
One of the most highly overlooked home marketing methods is VIDEO.
91% of buyers are doing their shopping online, and most sellers are aware of this statistic, so they will put the effort into listing their house online; however, most of the online listings only have pictures.
Are you ready to make your house stand out? It's time to shoot some video. And I'm not talking about a picture slideshow like everyone else does. You know, they just take the pictures and make a cute little slideshow with transitions and stuff.
I'm talking about creating a "virtual walkthrough" video. Here's how I create a virtual walkthrough video. I'll first walk around the exterior of your home and film all of the highlights. Next, walk through the front door and into the rest of the rooms of the house. And do I need to state the obvious? If your house has any blemishes or areas that you're not particularly proud of, I'll leave these out of the video.
I'll then get some royalty free music from somewhere like Audio Jungle (www.audio.net) and mix it together for a nice presentable video of your home.
The goal of the video is so that the buyer can see what your house looks like hopefully make them want to see it in person.
I listed a house for a guy named Dave and Dave's house is a prime example of why this works.
I heard a story of a house that had been for sale for about 8 months, and the seller REALLY needed to get out fast. His Realtor suggested that he make a virtual walkthrough video and he did.
It turns out that a little old couple from south Florida saw the video and they said, "Well when we saw that video of the house, we just loved it and had to come take a look".
They ended up coming to look at the house and making an offer a few days later. The house sold thanks to the Realtor putting forth a little extra effort and making a video.
So, how can we get those buyers fighting over your home?
Glad you asked. I have shared this story before, but I'm going to share it again because it is by far the best example I know of to explain this method.
My friend wanted me to list his house for him about a year ago, but there was one problem. For the area that we are in, he was asking about $25,000 more than what other houses in the area were selling for.
Now granted, he had a NICE house for the city we lived in, but like I said before, it's a buyer's market. I convinced him to trust me and work with me on doing a pricing tactic that I've used countless times.
This tactic always works (unless the house is just plain awful), and I love doing it. The plan was to lower the price so that it would match the other houses in our area but still get what Daniel was originally asking for.
How did we do this? Once we lowered the price, people were all over it. We were booking more showings than I could count, more phone calls, more everything! The low price on this very nice house was getting a lot of attention, and that's exactly what we wanted.
Pretty soon we had 2 very solid potential buyers who were very interested in the house. Each of them had made Daniel an offer pretty close to the price he had listed. He went to the lowest offer and told them that he had a higher offer from another person and that he needed an offer higher than that to consider.
He did this a few times until he started a huge bidding war between these two buyers. They kept raising their prices higher and higher until finally they were $5,000 over the price that we had originally listed the house for! Needless to say, we took the offer and were very happy with our results.
Even if you think that you are at the rock bottom price for your home, consider lowering it about 10% more than what the other houses in your area are asking.
This will stir up a lot of attention and get more people interested in your home. More people looking at your house means more offers. Statistics say that it takes 8 people to view your house before you'll get one offer!
And speaking of offers, let's review how to avoid two BIG mistakes that almost all sellers make.
Nothing makes you sound more desperate than continually decreasing the price of your house. Eventually buyers are going to wonder why the price keeps being cut. They'll also assume that a lot of people must have seen it and then rejected it.
Consider taking your house "offline" for a week and then putting it back up as a new listing. New and fresh beginnings are always a plus to buyers. And maybe this time you should list it at 10% below the market value like I proposed using the method above.
You can make it seem as if a brand new house just came on the market, and this is sure to attract attention.
And the second mistake is even bigger. A lot of sellers put their house on the market and get a great offer. This offer may be slightly less than what they were originally asking, but they could still live with selling the house at the price of the offer.
However, they turn down the offer, and think that there's more fish in the sea and they should just wait for that next big offer. The first offer gets them all excited and full of hope, yet turning down that offer could mean waiting another half a year to a year for another one to come.
Nothing is guaranteed, and if you get a decent offer that you can HONESTLY live with, take it. Don't wait around for the next one. It may not come.
Here is a tactic that I've used countless times and it always get you at least 2,000 people viewing your home online.
At this point, most reports like this would tell you to post your house on your Facebook profile to up the chances of someone seeing it that would be interested in buying.
I am going to assume that you already know that and that you've done it. If you haven't, go do it now.
What I'm going to reveal to you is a tactic that hardly anyone ever thinks about, but it does work wonders.
Almost every city or town has a Facebook "page" dedicated to their town or their area. I know mine does, and I know that the county next to mine does too. Usually pages like this are ran by the chamber of commerce or by people who are in charge of general PR for the town.
Find the page for your area on Facebook by doing a little search. They're usually pretty easy to find. Get the contact info off of the page by going to the "about" link.
Send them an email and tell them that you have a house for sell and you would like it if they would post it on their page so that the community can see it. If you've got a virtual tour video, send them the YouTube link to that too.
There are a lot of good reasons for doing this but the main ones are that these Facebook pages usually have a following of at least 2,000 people in small towns and a lot larger for big cities.
Another reason this is great is because you know that everyone on the page is in your area. Even if they're not personally looking to buy a house, they may know someone in or out of town who's been looking for a place just like yours.
They may want you to pay a small fee, but generally they're happy to do it for free.
And last but certainly not least, I've discovered a way for people to get information on your home 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
You should have an automated lead capture service. Let's face it. I cannot physically be available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. I have an automated system (www.MobileRealEstateMarketer.com) that gives buyers all of the information they want on your house.
I will hang a sign rider to your existing for sale sign that says, "call or text this number for information". When they call or text the number, the system sends out pictures and information straight to their phone.
After someone requests information, the system forwards me to the contact information so that I can follow up with them. Plus, a lot of today's buyers want to find out the information on their own. They don't want to have to go through an agent just to find out a little information.
Let me explain how this works. So a buyer drives by your house and sees a number that they can call or text to get some more information on your home. (Feel free to try these numbers for yourself. It's pretty cool.)
If they call the number, they'll get an automated message that I've pre-recorded about your house. This can include the price and as many details that I want.
And they can even text the number on the sign and it will automatically send them pictures and details about your home!
I can program this software to say whatever I want it to say and it gives buyers the ability to get the information on their own without having to talk to a Realtor.
After someone requests information on your home by calling or texting the automated number, the information is sent to me and I can then follow up with them. It's a great system and it generates a LOT of leads.
I want to briefly go over the points that I have made in this report so that I can re-enforce the importance of all of them.
Make a virtual walkthrough YouTube video. You don't have to be a camera or computer genius to make this work. Just do your best. The goal is to get the buyer to see what your home looks like. Your goal is not to be Steven Spielberg.
Lower your price to 10% below the market value and get a couple of people to start a bidding war on your home. 9 times out of 10 they will bid their way straight up to the price that you were originally asking for.
Don't pass up that first offer that you would honestly not mind taking. Don't have the mindset of "more fish in the sea". And quit reducing the price of your home. People will think there's something wrong with it. Pick a price and stick with it.
Contact whoever runs your city's (or town's) Facebook page and get them to put up a post about your house for sale.
And last but not least, let's use the Mobile Real Estate Marketing software to generate a lot more leads. The more leads we can get, the more options we'll have and the more offers we'll get.
Debbie Warford
Home Solutions Realty
P.S. I would love to get your home sold as FAST as possible and I'm only a phone call away. After reading this guide and seeing these options that I provide, and if you're unsatisfied with the results you've been getting, you should call me. I do what it takes to make things happen. Looking forward to hearing from you!


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The Wills of Our Ancestors
Regular price$24.95
- In stock, ready to ship
- Inventory on the way
The Wills of Our Ancestors
A Guide for Family & Local Historians
Author:Stuart A. Raymond
Dimensions:6" x 9"
Photos:40 illustrations b/w
Publisher:Pen and Sword
Item No. 9781848847859
What are wills, and how can they be used for family and local history research? How can you interpret them and get as much insight from them as possible? They are key documents for exploring the lives of our ancestors, their circumstances, and the world they knew. This practical handbook is the essential guide to understanding them. Wills expert Stuart Raymond traces the history and purpose of probate records and guides readers through the many pitfalls and possibilities these fascinating documents present. He describes the process of probate, gives a detailed account of the content of the various different types of record, and advises readers on how they can be used to throw light into the past. They offer factual evidence that no genealogist or local historian can afford to ignore. In a series of concise, fact-filled chapters he explains how wills came into being, who made them and how they were made, how the probate system operates, how wills and inventories can be found, and how much can be learned from them. In addition to covering probate records in England and Wales, he includes the Channel Islands, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland. This introduction is aimed primarily at family historians who are interested in the wills of particular individuals – who are seeking proof of descent – and local historians who are interested in the wealth of local historical information that can be gathered from them.


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When farming Terramorphous last night we found that he exclusively dropped orange Class Mods with nearly identical effects (he dropped other loot, but the orange loot was always a single mod, every time). All of these had +4 to 6 different skills, and +20% to 25% Burn damage and Burn Effect Chance, and + some amount of max health.
These mods are really fairly useless, aside from the skill bonus. They're okay for Siren (still sub-par burn %s however) but do they really only drop Burn Damage or did we get an unlucky batch? I saw Gunzerker, Assassin and Siren mods. The 2 Siren mods were identical, and the non-siren mods all had the burn chance and health bonuses.


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Six weeks ago, the Catholic League asked its online audience to sign the following petition:
I am requesting that the Obama administration withdraw the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate.
Considering the amount of time and money that has been spent trying to fix the problems that are inherent in this legislation—without a satisfactory resolution—it makes no sense to continue this process any longer. Religious liberty is a First Amendment right that cannot be abridged by any administration or policy initiative. Indeed, it is our most important inalienable right: it is not a bargaining chip that can be traded for some other purpose. That is why I urge the Obama administration to withdraw the HHS mandate.
Bill Donohue comments on the results:
Tens of thousands signed the petition, and today we mailed the names to Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. We did not get a chance to contact our mailing list, but the point we wanted to make has been served: Catholics want their First Amendment right to religious liberty respected, and that means dropping the HHS mandate.
We are also contacting the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court about our initiative. They will likely decide the ultimate fate of the HHS mandate, and they need to know the resistance there is in the Catholic community to it. Obviously, one does not have to be Catholic to oppose this draconian edict; many Christians, Jews and others are equally outraged over this violation of religious liberty.
Thanks to everyone who supports this important effort. The fight will continue until justice is served.


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We all have a catalyst that prompts us to research our ancestry. I am not too sure what mine was. I was always curious of the life lead by my Grandfather and his siblings. I have mentioned before the visits to my Great Aunts and listening to them talk about the past, the people and places of their earlier lives. I also knew that my Grandfather was born in the parish of Wanborough, in the small hamlet of a wonderful place called Christmas Pie. Great name isn't it? I had this burning desire to bring the family back to life and really flesh out the bones of my ancestry. So that I could really understand who I was and from where I came.
The day I saw on the 1881 Census the name of my Great Grandmother, Annie Prudence Butcher, nee Harris I was truly overwhelmed. This was the old lady who had let her Great Grand daughter sit on the bed and tickle her toes, and who loved pineapple and we always took one when we went to visit. I recall a really jolly old lady with her white hair tied behind in a bun full of smiles. At the time I was only about 2 or 3 years old, yet the life she had led, the hardships she had suffered and the sights she had seen.
Born in 1879 in Puttenham Surrey, she married Charles Harris in 1898 aged just 19 years. Together they had 12 children with 9 living to adulthood. Charles died in 1943 aged 74 and Annie died in 1972 aged 92 years. I have only just realised that Charles was in fact 10 years older than Annie, something that I had not realised, not in 24 years of researching my ancestry. Which, just confirms that it is always worth re visiting the data held on a given person.
I think that sometimes, we simply focus on the common criteria of our ancestors lives; their dates. I read somewhere recently that everyone has a set of dates (1879 - 1972) and to leave the bracket open is a loose end. Thinking about it, whoever said it was right. Imagine the questions if I didn't know Annie died in 1972. Would I be compelled to find the dates? Probably as I hate loose ends! but, in doing so would I loose focus on the other bits of her life? An obvious one is that Annie lived through the Boer War, The Great War and The Second World War. Was she frightened? Did she feel worried, sad, concerned that her son, my Grandfather had joined the Army? Did she feel proud of him for doing the right thing? or, cross that he had not returned to the farm where he would have been in a reserved occupation with his brothers? That is just a few questions involving one of her 9 children, what about the other 8?
So, when we hear the statement "Going back to our roots" perhaps we really should revisit the data we hold about our ancestors and ask what don't we know rather than what we know, ask what we would like to know and can we find out? There are always more questions than answers, and I rather think there are more questions that even we could comprehend.
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If you have yet to receive the Ice Cream Sandwich update on your DROID RAZR or RAZR MAXX, you should be able to manually download it tomorrow, June 30. This news comes courtesy of a Verizon PR rep, which if true, would get them in on the Q2 deadline that Motorola announced a few weeks ago.
We know that many of you are frustrated and still without it even though the soak test was completed at the beginning of the week, so cross your fingers that this is finally it.
Via: Twitter
Cheers Ross!


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Application Process
Please provide our office with the documents listed below to complete your application:
- TABE Scores/TABE Exempt Form
- High School Diploma/Transcript or GED®
- Driver's License
- 2nd Proof of Residency (must include your name and address)
- Copy of Social Security Card
- $50 Application Fee/Receipt of Payment
Application Information
Suwannee High and Branford High Dual Enrollment Applications
Private School, Out of District and Homeschool Students Dual Enrollment Applications
Tuition & Fees
In accordance with the Florida Legislature and Suwannee County School Board, fees are charged for RTC attendance. Fees vary according to program length and include a tuition fee, financial aid fee, capital improvement fee, laboratory use fee, and textbook costs. Financial aid and capitalization fees are set by the Florida Legislature. The financial aid fee is 10% of tuition cost. The capitalization fee is 5% of tuition cost. The technology fee is 5% of tuition cost.
Other fees may be assessed as required by an individual program such as state board exam fees, liability insurance, drug tests, and motor vehicle reports. Due to price changes during the school year, fees may change without prior notice. Contact Student Services for a list of fees associated with each program.
Students returning to complete a program that is less than one semester of instruction may be eligible for pro-rated tuition. Students must be identified eligible prior to his/her return to receive pro-rated fees.
Tuition & Fees Are As Follows:
1. Resident: Adult Job Preparatory $ 2.44 per clock hour
2. Non-Resident: Adult Job Preparatory $ 9.32 per clock hour
3. Adult General Education $ 30.00 per semester. *Fee waivers and exemptions may be available for AGE tuition.
Adult Education Fees
Adult General Education fees are $30.00 per semester. Courses listed for Adult General Education may receive a fee waiver except for students remediating above the literacy level required for vocational training programs, or remediation services above ninth grade level. Tuition and book fee waivers or exemptions apply to students who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and are enrolled in adult basic skills (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), or vocational preparatory instruction (VPI) for the purpose of achieving basic literacy or receiving a high school diploma or its equivalent.
Students who have a high school diploma or its equivalent and is enrolled in adult basic skills (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), or vocational preparatory instruction (VPI), and possess basic skills at or below the eighth grade level may also fee exempt for tuition and books. Adult high school students taking vocational programs for high school credit will pay all fees except tuition and books.
Additional Fees
Fee Due Dates
All fees are due in full on the first day of class. Students will receive an itemized bill each semester. Tuition and other fees must be paid in full or a payment plan arranged before students enter class.
Fees may be paid with VISA credit cards. The minimum charge on credit cards is $20.00. Fees paid with a check cannot be refunded until after 10 days.
Non-Refundable Fees
Fee Deferment
Eligible fees may be deferred. Nonexempt, non-fee waived students in adult programs may have fees deferred:
Eligible Fee Deferment
1. When financial aid from a federal or state assistance program is delayed in transmissions to a student through circumstances beyond the control of the student, not including failure to make timely applications for such aid.
2. When a veteran or other student eligible for benefits under Chapters 32, 34, or 35, Title 38, U.S. Code is delayed in the receipt of benefits for payment of tuition fees. The student must request the deferment.
3. When the district has written authorization for payment or charges for fees, books, and supplies from an approved business, industry, governmental unit, nonprofit organization, or civic organization.
4. When fees are delayed because of a district-adopted installment payment schedule based on a criterion of need.
RTC Refund Policy
Textbooks and kits may not be returned. The amount of refund, if one is due, is determined by the criteria listed below. Any student, except a student receiving Title IV financial assistance, may be eligible for a refund under the following guidelines:
Co-op Fees
Industrial Cooperative Education (ICE) and Cooperative Diversified Education (CDE) students will be assessed tuition and other applicable fees at the above hourly rate for the periods that they are employed as part of their training program.
1. A 100% refund (less a $50.00 administrative fee) will be issued to all students who withdraw up to one week before or on the rest day of class.
2. For withdrawal after the rest day of class through the rest 10% of the enrollment period, a 90% refund will be issued (less administrative fees, books, laboratory use fees, or any non-returnable equipment).
3. For withdrawal after the rest 10% of the enrollment period through the rest 25% of the enrollment period, a refund of 50% will be issued (less administrative fees, books, laboratory use fees, or any non-returnable equipment).
4. For withdrawal after the first 25% of the enrollment period through the first 50% of the enrollment period, a 25% refund will be issued (less administrative fees, books, laboratory use fees, or any non-returnable equipment). No refund will be issued if a student completes 60% of the enrollment period for which he/she is charged.
5. When fees are paid by a 3rd party, refunds are issued to the 3rd party.


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International Flavors & Fragrances has acquired Aromor Flavors & Fragrances Ltd., a private company based in a kibbutz in northern Israel.
"We are pleased to complete this important strategic acquisition," said Doug Tough, IFF's CEO. "We expect Aromor, with its strong R&D capabilities, to provide us with cost-effective, quality materials to use in our formula creations and external sales."
The official announcement follows earlier Israeli news reports that said a $88 million deal was in the works, although the exact terms of the transaction haven't yet been fully disclosed.
According to IFF, Aromor operations would have represented approximately $35 million of incremental sales to IFF's results in 2013 on a proforma basis. IFF funded the transaction from existing resources. Aromor will become part of the IFF fragrances ingredients business and is expected to be accretive to IFF's earnings per share in 2014.
"A key component of our overall ingredients strategy is to provide cost-advantaged, specialty molecules that enhance our development of consumer preferred fragrance compounds," said Nicolas Mirzayantz, IFF's group president fragrances.
Mirzayantz continued, "We believe the use of the Aromor ingredients portfolio and their technology development process will be value enhancing by improving the overall profitability and win rate of our fragrance creations. We plan to continue to support the Aromor facility in Israel and invest in and develop their R&D and manufacturing capabilities in order to strengthen the development and production of specialty ingredients."
Aromor, established in 1982, produces natural, natural identical and synthetic raw materials for the flavor and fragrances industries. IFF has been Aromor's biggest client, accounting for 17% of revenues, a Haaretz Newspaper report in Israel said.
Aromor is owned by Kibbutz Givat Oz (50%) and a group of former executives of agrochemicals producer Makhteshim Agan (50%), according to reports. As part of the acquisition deal, IFF will lease the land under the Aromor factory, on Kibbutz Givat Oz, for 10 years with an option to extend the lease by an additional 10 years, the Haaretz report said.
Aromor has 80 employees, 20 of whom are members of Kibbutz Givat Oz, a Globes report noted.
It also has a sales unit based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.


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Two Tennessee Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Violate Civil Rights of African-american Residents
WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 15, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Two Spring Hill, Tenn., men pleaded guilty in federal court today for their involvement in a racially-motivated conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of African-American residents of the Spring Lake subdivision of Spring Hill, the Justice Department announced. Dakota James Calderhead, 20, and Kristian Chancellor Mathis, 19, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tenn., to one count of conspiracy to deprive a person of his civil rights.
According to their plea agreements, on or about December 30, 2011, Calderhead and Mathis conspired to vandalize homes in the Spring Lake subdivision. Mathis admitted to spray painting a swastika and racial slurs on the driveway of an African-American family's residence.
Calderhead admitted that he fashioned a noose which Mathis hung from a tree outside of the residence. Calderhead also admitted to hanging a second noose from the driver's side rearview mirror of the school bus located in front of another African-American family's residence. Both defendants further admitted that their acts of vandalism were intimidating, and motivated, in part, by the race, color, or ethnicity of the victims.
"These innocent families were targeted and subjected to acts of harassment and intimidation for no other reason than their race," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy L. Austin Jr. of the Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that guarantee the civil rights of all people."
"The U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting the civil rights of all persons," said David Rivera, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. "Conduct which seeks to deprive any person of their civil rights will always receive the full attention of this office."
The defendants face maximum statutory penalties of 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell has scheduled sentencing for August 21, 2013.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Division, Columbia Resident Agency of the FBI and the Maury County Sherriff's Department. It is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorney Ryan Murguía of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal McDonough of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Assistance was provided by District Attorney Mike Bottoms from the 22nd Judicial District of Tennessee.


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Comax Flavors has revealed its flavor predictions for 2013, comprise of flavors chosen fit into specific categories: Herb Appeal, Duets and A Smooth Finish.
Herb Appeal uses herbs in concert with fruits to give a sweet, punchy flavor lift. This category is composed of the harmony of sweet and spicy. These flavors include:
• Peach Basil Black Tea
• Peppered Apple Bacon
• Chili Ginger Lime
• Cardamom Pear Berry
Duets balances two delicious tastes into one memorable flavor experience. These are fusions of flavors from different lands and generations, yet they combine warmth and sweetness.This group includes:
• Butterscotch Coffee Crunch
• Maple Bitters
• Dolce de Leche Buttered Rum
• Flan de Nuez
Smooth Finish consists of flavors that add a sweet 'pop' and satisfying mouth feel to just about everything; smoothing spirits, cream desserts and the wildest beverages, this taste grouping includes:
• Pistachio Almond Cream
• Pink Cherry Marshmallow
• Black Russian Cappuccino
• Dark Chocolate Bourbon Truffle


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I recently got HTC Wildfire from 3. On the webpage & in shop they told me that I will be able to do Skype talks. After doing some research I found out that:
- HTC Wildfire is not officilly supported
- Some claims that installing the Skype from apk just works
Hence I have following questions:
- Is it legal to install Skype in such way (according to UK or English law)? On one hand it is advertised feature of phone (or at least it looks like it is) on the other hand Skype is propertary.
- Which apk files I need?


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Mutant Bigaro (Custom)
Review by Prometheum5
Real x Head is a small Japanese vinyl company started and run by Mori Katsura in 2003. Mori's first figure was the Oni-Head, but he saw much more success with his second figure, the Mutant Head, the start of the iconic Mutant Zone series. The Mutant Head sculpt was borne out of Mori's love of classic 80's toys, especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Taken from the Super 7 Mook and the new Encyclopedia of Kaiju, the Mutants are an invisible race that lives in the forests and mountains in natural harmony, existing outside the realm of human perception. The evil Mutant organization Akrobat is led by the militaristic Akro-Kaiser, and the Mutants dislike humanity because of the damage we do to their natural habitats, and so cause accidents and natural disasters to punish us. During an engagement, Mutant Head is injured and loses his ability to stay invisible. Mutant Head is found by a young boy and nursed back to health, showing Head that not all humans are evil. When Mutant Head returns to confront Akro-Kaiser about their aggression towards humanity, a schism erupts within the Mutant world over how to deal with humans, leading to what amounts to a civil war among the Mutants against Akrobat, with the human-defending Mutants being lead by Mutant Head.
Mutant Bigaro is the third Real x Head to use the Mutant head body as a base, as well as the third friendly character in the Mutant Zone Series. The Encyclopedia of Kaiju interview describes Mutant Bigaro as a childhood friend of Head's and a gentle character. Bigaro looks to be a bit of a brute when compared to the previous Mutants, with a stockier look and single eye in a large cavity, similar to a Zaku mono-eye from the Gundam series. Bigaro has visible cracks in his skin, suggesting a thick and rugged hide, to me, as well as a cape on his back. The actual physical design of the figure in making a new character is unlike any other figure in the line (except for one specific case that we'll get to later), but the idea of creating add-on parts for the Mutant body to create different characters over a single base body is something integral to the Real x Head style and business plan. Instead of using the neck joints already on the Mutant body, the Bigaro head-piece is a cowl that fits over the shoulders and neck of the Mutant body, using a piece of foam in the front and back to keep it safely in place. This is both a blessing and a curse, and I have somewhat mixed feelings about the Bigaro head-piece. Because the head-piece does not actually clip onto any specific mounting point, it has a large range of movement on its shoulder perch, and can be very expressive. At the same time, however, I do not like how the head-piece flops around in your hands while you handle the figure, making the figure feel almost incomplete. As such, I typically relegate my few Bigaros to shelf-duty and leave them alone. Even with this problem, Bigaro is a popular character with many different colorways, and I am a big fan of the design even if I do not care for its actual execution.
The particular figure pictured here is a custom of mine. The stocky and round appearance of Bigaro gave me a classic Gigantor (Tetsujin-28) feel. I painted the cape to look like flames from Tetsujin's jetpack, and took advantage of a piece of advice Sanjeev gave me on how to give the blue a metallic finish without using a metallic blue paint by over-spraying the blue coat with a thinned down coat of silver. I painted over a beige 'flesh' blank, just like the Mutant Evil I reviewed, as can be seen through a number of spots on this figure where the paint has rubbed off… I did not do a good enough job of sealing this figure, and the paint is not well enough protected, especially around where the head-piece rests on the shoulders.
Posted 29 October, 2009 - 11:24 by Prometheum5 |
6 comments postedI love the design of this guy, and the Tetsujin style paint scheme and torso just make it all the more appealing. Looking at the top and bottom, they almost look like they're a part of two different toys entirely.
Thanks! I'm glad you picked up on that... I think the way Mori has added on things to his original basic design to create new characters is really fascinating... you'll get to see loads more variations tomorrow with my big Chaos retrospective, as well as some of the other characters I have in the pipe.
I do have to ask though, how is the head articulation on it? I would think it would be pretty limited based on that huge drape.
Well, it's articulated at the shoulders, but as I said above, the head-piece is not really attached, and floats on top of the shoulders using two pieces of foam for tension, so you can raise and lower and tilt it and get all sorts of expression while still being able to move the arms... obviously you can't move them all the way around, but it works.
Hm... Curious. I think I understand what you mean, but I feel like I need to actually see it for myself to get a grasp on how it looks and what not.
Fair enough... it's probably something I should have included in the review... I can add a pic of how it works the next time I am home to take a photo. I didn't bring any Bigaros to school with me.
EDIT: I've got this photo from when I finished the custom, fighting another Bigaro I have (Gold Mist), which I thought looked alot like Black Ox... you can see how the head piece comes off. There's a piece of foam in the front and back of the cowl that press against the chest and back to keep it in place:


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NASCAR revs ahead with new teams, new tracks, new energy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan took his own advice and just did it: Air Jordan formed his own NASCAR team and expects the foundation will be in place to build a stock car Dream Team centered around Bubba Wallace.
Jordan has some company on the celebrity starting grid: Pitbull bought his own piece of a NASCAR team and "Mr. Worldwide" could have fans — up to 30,000 of them at the Daytona 500 — shouting "Dale!" at next week's season opener.
"There's no better time to be involved in NASCAR," said Pitbull, who was attracted to the sport by the 1990 movie "Days of Thunder" and is now partnered with new team Trackhouse Racing, which along with Mexican driver Daniel Suarez provides a platform to reach a broader audience.
"In the same way that music is a universal language, I also see NASCAR as a universal language," Pitbull added. "Everybody loves a fast car and a great story."
The fan favorites extend well beyond the owner's box. Chase Elliott, NASCAR's most popular driver, is the reigning champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin — who helped usher MJ into the sport — has kids asking about his PJs in a national commercial tagline he can't shake.
The schedule underwent an overdue overhaul and now has a whopping seven road courses and five new venues. NASCAR is even set for an off-road detour through the dirt at fan-favorite Bristol Motor Speedway.
Perhaps in any other season, NASCAR could raise a glass to what its broadcast partner is billing as "The Best Season Ever." But promising "best" anything in a pandemic seems as outlandish as a 62-year-old driver — 1990 winner Derrike Cope — in the Daytona 500.
Yet here we are.
While NASCAR can hope the racial reckoning from last season that led to its Confederate flag ban have eased, concerns that it can reach the season finale without interruptions to the schedule and drivers falling ill still linger.
NASCAR last year navigated the pandemic by first filling the free time with nationally televised iRacing and found a way to become one of the first major sports to resume competition in May. It was the first sport to complete its full schedule but got to November only by moving races, running without spectators or limited spectators, and trusting participants to monitor their own health.
At least four drivers tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 season, with Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon and Truck Series driver Spencer Davis missing races.
NASCAR again won't test competitors in 2021 but plans on having rapid tests at the tracks when needed. The bubble has been widened this season to allow a team owner into the garage for the first time since last March and NASCAR acknowledged it must be "nimble" with its schedule. The second race of the season scheduled in Fontana, California, has already been moved to the road course at Daytona because of pandemic restrictions.
NASCAR executive vice president Steve O'Donnell touted the momentum from a successful 2020 season but acknowledged the pandemic has challenged NASCAR going into 2021.
"I think all of us hoped by this time we'd have full grandstands and be ready to rock and roll for the 500. That's not the case," he said.
Daytona International Speedway can hold more than 100,000 in the grandstands and thousands more in the infield, but the speedway will be limited to roughly 30,000 spectators for the Feb. 14 season-opener.
Hamlin is seeking to become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s while also transitioning into team ownership. He still drives for Joe Gibbs Racing but has partnered with Jordan to create 23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven) and field a car for Wallace, the only Black full-time driver at NASCAR's top level.
Wallace had a tumultuous 2020 as he became NASCAR's face for racial justice and change. He successfully pushed NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its events and with it came a wave of backlash from traditional fans. Wallace weathered it as best as he could — even when NASCAR brought in the FBI to investigate a garage door pull in his stall at Talladega that had been fashioned into a noose months earlier — and it ultimately led to a millions in new sponsorship dollars that gave Wallace the funding to help get 23XI Racing off the ground.
He and Jordan become the only Black team owner and driver combination in the sport and the pairing puts Wallace in a glaring spotlight. Winless in 112 Cup races driving for underfunded Richard Petty Motorsports, Wallace knows it is time to deliver.
Wallace is seeking a balance in trying to be successful with a high-profile team while also using his platform to push for diversity. If he can do it all with fewer headaches, he'd be thrilled.
"I lost 7 pounds through everything that happened last year. So much stress and pressure, Lord," Wallace said. "I have a goal every year to not be a part of the headlines. Every year I have that goal. And I've failed every year."
23XI with Jordan and Trackhouse with Pitbull are two of three new teams entering the Cup Series this year in anticipation of a new car in 2022 that will make NASCAR more affordable for owners.
Kyle Larson returns after a nearly full-season suspension for using a racial slur and he will drive for Hendrick Motorsports, which in November celebrated its 13th NASCAR championship with Elliott's win. Larson and Elliott are two of the most dynamic young drivers in the series and hope to fill a void created by a rash of retirements, most recent seven-time champion Johnson.
New teams, new tracks, young drivers and an abundance of optimism has led broadcast partner Fox to market the 2021 NASCAR campaign as "the best season ever." That remains to be seen starting with the Daytona 500 and ending with the Nov. 7 finale at Phoenix.
"I can't remember, at least not as season that I've been a driver in Cup, this amount of changes ever happening before, and I think it's a nice little shot in the arm," NASCAR veteran Brad Keselowski said. "As far as best season ever, I don't think I'm the right person to judge, but I don't know how you could argue that it's not mostly good stuff happening."
More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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Copernicus Center is located in Chicago, IL and is a great place to catch live entertainment. SeatGeek provides everything you need to know about your seating options, including sections, row and even obstructed views.
SeatGeek is known for its best-in-class interactive maps that make finding the perfect seat simple. Our "View from Seat" previews allow fans to see what their view at Copernicus Center will look like before making a purchase, which takes the guesswork out of buying tickets. To help make the buying decision even easier, we display a ticket Deal Score on every row of the map to rate the best bargains.
Image credit for Jesus Adrian Romero: © Jam Media / LatinContent Editorial / Getty Images
Image credit for Little River Band: © Beth Gwinn / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Image credit for Steve Hackett: © Harry Herd / Redferns / Getty Images