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Aquatic Facilities
Our Facilities
Allentown Splash, Tennis & Fitness Park
The Allentown Splash, Tennis, and Fitness Park has everything you need to have fun including a basketball court, tennis court, fitness room, pool, and picnic areas.
Ellen E. Linson Splash Park
Cool off this summer while enjoying this large seasonal outdoor family splash park. You could have fun at the pool, basketball court, or relax with your family by the picnic area.
Fairland Sports and Aquatics Complex
Experience all the amenities the Fairland Sports and Aquatics Complex has to offer. The complex offers aquatics, gymnastics, tennis and land fitness classes for youth and adults.
Glenn Dale Splash Park
Glenn Dale Splash Park has great aquatic facilities including an awesome water slide and an outdoor pool.
Hamilton Splash Park
The Hamilton Splash Park, located in Hyattsville, Maryland, is a kid-friendly splash park with an aqua climbing wall, kiddie pool, water slide, waterfalls, as well as a regular sized pool.
J. Franklyn Bourne Memorial Pool
In honor of Judge Bourne, this memorial pool has amenities for both children and adults to have a good time. This facility is dedicated to the memory of the Honorable James Franklyn Bourne, Jr. Judge Bourne was one of the original judges of District 5, the District Court for Prince George's County, and the first African-American judge to serve on that court.
Lane Manor Splash Park
The Lane Manor Splash Park, located in Hyattsville, Maryland, has a variety of pool amenities including a kid's pool, waterfall, waterslide, as well as regular pools with lap lanes.
North Barnaby Splash Park
Have a fun time at the North Barnaby Splash Park, located in Oxon Hill, Maryland. This Splash Park has an aqua climbing wall, waterfall, and a waterslide!
Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex
The aquatic center at Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex has a 50-meter indoor pool as well as a leisure pool that has a lazy river and waterslides.
Rollingcrest-Chillum Splash Pool
The Rollingcrest-Chillum Splash Pool, located in Chillum, Maryland, has an indoor splash park that's fun kids as well as a spa area, and a pool with lap lanes!
Southern Area Aquatics & Recreation Complex
Experience panoramic scenic views of the wooded areas while swimming laps in the six-lane pool. The 25-yard six-lane pool provides a balanced blend of fitness, competition, and instructional aquatic programs. The natatorium is open all year long and features a leisure pool, a fun flume slide into a plunge pool, and a spa.
Southern Regional Aquatic Wellness Center
The Southern Regional Aquatic Wellness Center features a four-lane lap pool and Warm Water pool maintained at 92 degrees or higher. Each pool has a gentle slope ramp for entry and in-water wheelchairs and walkers are available. Come enjoy the pools while surrounded by a beautiful tile mosaic of fall leaves.
Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatics Center
The Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatics Center is part of the Glenarden Complex that has an indoor pool, a spa area, and a nice outdoor patio.


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Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has confirmed two Surrey teenagers are dead, following a late-nightshooting in South Surrey's Campbell Heights neighbourhood that police believe was targeted.
Cpl. Frank Jang, at a news conference Tuesday morning, appealed for anyone with information regarding the activities of 16-year-old Jaskarn (Jason) Singh Jhutty and 17-year-old Jaskaran (Jesse) Singh Bhangal, to come forward.
"We've seen young victims in the past, but really, they were children," Jang told Peace Arch News.
The pair – described as high school students who were known to each other but not to police – were found dead just after 10:30 p.m. Monday near 192 Street and 40 Avenue.
"When officers arrived, they found two unresponsive males lying on the road," Jang told reporters. "The victims had sustained gunshot wounds and were declared dead at scene."
#IHIT is in #SurreyBC for two victims of homicide. News release will be disseminated shortly with media availability sometime this morning.
— IHIT (@HomicideTeam) June 5, 2018
The discovery came less than an hour after Surrey RCMP were alerted to a burning car in the area of 184 Street and 29A Avenue, and just a half hour before police were notified of a second burned car, at 172 Street and 93 Avenue. The second vehicle was determined to be a Honda Accord, Jang said.
"The two vehicles are very suspicious," Jang said. "Both happened in kind of a two-hour timeframe."
Investigators, however, have not conclusively linked the vehicles to the teens' deaths.
Jang said it is also too early to say if the killings were linked to the April 26 shooting death of 24-year-old Amin Vinepal, a Delta resident whose body was found on a rural stretch of 12 Avenue between 176 Street and 184 Street. In that case, a burning vehicle was also found nearby, at 187 Street and 28 Avenue, and investigators said they believed Vinepal's death was linked to gang violence in the Lower Mainland.
Jang said "investigators are working hard to determine motive" for the teens' deaths. There have been no arrests in this week's case, however, "we're working on the suspects right now…. But again, it's a little too early."
Surrey RCMP and IHIT investigators were still on the scene the next day, and access to 40 Avenue was blocked between 184 and 192 Streets.
Tuesday morning, an RCMP canine unit could also be seen investigating on the usually quiet rural road, located approximately one kilometre west of the Campbell Heights industrial area.
Police investigation at the scene seemed to focus on the shoulder of 40 Avenue. Pylons and evidence markers scattered the road, which was flanked by a heavily treed area and agricultural land.
A witness at the scene early Tuesday told PAN there "appeared to be a body underneath a tarp at the side of the road with a number of pylons around it."
Another, who reportedly works nearby, told media that Monday evening he heard what he thought was firecrackers, followed by the sound of two cars "roaring by."
"Six, seven, eight, maybe more, like… a string of firecrackers going off – bang, bang, bang, bang. That's what I thought it was," the man said.
It was Surrey's 22nd recorded shooting so far this year. There were 88 shootings in 2015, 61 in 2016 and 59 in 2017.
Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call the IHIT tipline at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email firstname.lastname@example.com. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

subset: commoncrawl


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I've been following closely the case of Minhaz Khan, a 24 year old undocumented Bangladeshi-American from the Inland Empire who, on Nov 4th, was required to put on an ankle bracelet and present a one way ticket to Bangladesh to the authorities. It had been 20 years since he'd been to Bangladesh and when his father was deported after being denied political asylum, he was murdered for his political affiliations in Bangladesh. DreamActivist.org had a petition out to support his case and his case garnered local media coverage. His case officer read the coverage and removed the bracelet last week and Minhaz last Tuesday was granted a temporary stay.
Minhaz Kahn — the UC-Riverside alumnus who last week had to show immigration officers that he bought a one-way ticket back to his native Bangladesh — learned Tuesday that he doesn't have to return home just yet. He will be able to stay in the country for another three months…[T]op federal counsel told a group of American Immigration Lawyers Association attorneys in a meeting last week that they will not automatically grant a stay for all other DREAM Act eligible immigrants who are awaiting deportation, says AILA attorney Leah Price. [SFWeekly]
I had the chance for a virtual sit-down with Minhaz right after the ankle bracelet was placed on him a couple of weeks ago. Here's what he had to say.
When and why did your family come to the United States?
My family came in 1992 to flee danger. My dad left entrepreneurial success and political influence to work at gas stations and my mom left a teaching career and lost all significance her Master's held, so to anyone who says immigrants come here to take anything from anyone is missing what many people have to leave behind for safety and the possibility of a better future.
Why wasn't your father able to seek political asylum? What happened after he was deported?
I'm not completely sure why he wasn't granted asylum. I never got to see the judge's decision, but I think he missed an interview or something due to a lawyer not notifying him. After he was deported in 1997, he died (or in my whole-hearted belief, murdered) a couple of years later. Continue reading


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3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2011 Quality Declaration
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/07/2012
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QUEENSLAND POPULATION CHANGE IN GREATER BRISBANE At June 2011, the population of Greater Brisbane (which excludes the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) was 2.15 million people, accounting for nearly half of Queensland's population. Between 2001 and 2011, the population of Greater Brisbane increased by 25% (432,300 people), the second fastest growth of all capital cities, behind Greater Perth (26%). Ipswich had the largest growth of all SA4s in Greater Brisbane, with an increase of 70,800 people in the ten years to 2011. This was followed by Brisbane - South (up 57,100 people) and Moreton Bay - North (53,700). The SA4s with the fastest population increases in Greater Brisbane were Moreton Bay - South, which grew by 41% between 2001 and 2011, Ipswich (32%), Moreton Bay - North (32%) and Brisbane Inner City (29%). These were also among the ten fastest growing SA4s in Australia. In the ten years to 2011, the SA2s with the largest growth in Greater Brisbane were North Lakes - Mango Hill (up 17,100 people), Springfield Lakes (which increased from zero population in 2001 to 10,600 people in 2011) and Cashmere (up 9,200). The fastest growing SA2s in Greater Brisbane were North Lakes - Mango Hill, Wakerley, Pallara - Willawong and Brisbane City, which each increased at an average annual rate of more than 12%. POPULATION CHANGE IN THE REMAINDER OF QUEENSLAND The population of the remainder of Queensland increased by 412,900 people in the ten years to June 2011, to reach 2.33 million. Nearly half of this growth was in the SA4s of Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Gold Coast had the largest growth in Queensland over the ten years to 2011, increasing by 129,700 people to 527,500, while Sunshine Coast grew by 69,700 people to 316,900. Other SA4s in the remainder of Queensland with large population increases were also coastal. They were Wide Bay (up 47,200 people), Cairns (38,200), Townsville (34,900) and Mackay (33,800). Many of these SA4s also had rapid growth in the ten years to 2011, with Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Mackay and Wide Bay each increasing by more than 20%. Gold Coast In the ten years to June 2011, the SA2s with the largest growth on the Gold Coast were Upper Coomera - Willow Vale which increased by 16,800 people, and Pacific Pines - Gaven which increased by 11,500 people. These were the largest growing SA2s in the remainder of Queensland, and among the largest growing in all of Queensland. The three fastest growing SA2s in the remainder of Queensland were on the Gold Coast. The fastest growing was Coomera, followed by Pacific Pines - Gaven and Upper Coomera - Willow Vale, each increasing at an average annual rate of more than 12% between 2001 and 2011. These areas were also among the ten fastest growing SA2s in Queensland. Sunshine Coast In the ten years to June 2011, the SA2 on the Sunshine Coast with the largest growth was Caloundra - West (up 9,900 people), followed by Sippy Downs (6,100) and Peregian (4,500). Sippy Downs was also the fastest growing area on the Sunshine Coast, increasing by 184% in the ten years from 2001 to 2011. This was followed by Caloundra - West (178%) and Peregian (124%).
Elsewhere in Queensland A number of SA2s on Queensland's northern coast had large increases in population. Deeragun and Kirwan - West in Townsville, and Redlynch in Cairns all increased by around 5,000 people or more in the ten years to June 2011. The Townsville SA2s of Oonoonba, Douglas and Deeragun each grew by more than 100% in the same ten year period. Further down the coast, Pialba - Eli Waters in Hervey Bay had strong growth, increasing by 5,500 people (or 75%) between 2001 and 2011, while inland, the SA2 of Highfields in Toowoomba grew by 4,900 (74%). POPULATION DECLINE In the ten years to June 2011, just under 10% of Queensland SA2s declined in population. CENTRE OF POPULATION Queensland's centre of population at June 2011 was in the suburb of Coalstoun Lakes, roughly 100 kilometres south-west of the town of Maryborough. The centre moved 11.5 kilometres south-east in the ten years to 2011, reflecting sustained population growth in Greater Brisbane and Queensland's coastal regions over this period. The centre of population for Greater Brisbane at June 2011 was in the suburb of Highgate Hill, to the south of the city's central business district. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window. |


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In England, it's a crime to call someone a "f___ing black c___." If you think I'm making this up, ask John Terry, the English soccer star who was just found not guilty of saying this to Anton Ferdinand, an opposing player, during a contentious match.
Terry didn't come away unscathed. He lost his captaincy of the England national team when the Crown decided to prosecute him.
But one needn't feel too sorry for the player, and not just because of his pattern of prior conduct. He probably did abuse Ferdinand with a racial comment; the prosecution simply couldn't meet the burden of proof that applies in a criminal case. And losing the captaincy is not necessarily an unreasonable penalty for this kind of remark.
Being tried for a crime is. Terry made the remark at issue in the heat of battle, after Ferdinand taunted him for "shagging" the partner of a teammate (Terry is "guilty as charged" of that).
Moreover, Terry almost certainly is not a racist. One need only watch the way his black teammates at Chelsea respond to him. One of those teammates, Ashley Cole who has played alongside Terry for years for club and country, was a star witness for the defense. "We shouldn't be sitting here," said the great left-back, in perhaps the truest words uttered during the proceedings.
Terry's racial remark (if he made it, as I believe he did) was akin to getting angry at a fat person and calling him a "fat ____." It doesn't mean you dislike fat people; it just means that, in the heat of the moment, you used the person's most obvious physical characteristic as part of your expression of anger.
In any case, racism is not a crime. And even if Terry had not been provoked, a free society should not criminalize speech, however odious, without more.
Moreover, the Terry trial shows the extent to which the judicial process is demeaned by this sort of prosecution. Ferdinand didn't hear Terry's alleged comment. But video showed that Terry seemed to utter the offending words. Terry's defense was that he was responding to an alleged accusation by Ferdinand that Terry had called him a "f___ing black c___." He uttered the offensive phrase as part of his denial to Ferdinand that he said any such thing, or so Terry's story goes.
Naturally, the trial became something of a circus. Lip-readers were brought in to testify about what the video showed Terry to be saying. Ferdinand testified about how distraught Terry made him feel. Terry's character was vouched for, and so forth.
This theatre of the absurd lasted for five days. Surely, there are better ways to use judicial resources than to litigate over the content of a comment that the victim did not even hear. Surely, a society that obsesses to this degree over a few words is an unserious society.
In the end, the Chief Magistrate Judge ruled that the former England skipper is not guilty. Finding Terry a credible witness, he said:
There is no doubt that John Terry uttered the words 'f****** black c***' at Anton Ferdinand.
When he did so, he was angry. Mr Ferdinand says that he did not precipitate this comment by himself accusing Mr Terry of calling him a 'black c***'. I accept that it is possible that Mr Terry believed at the time, and believes now, that such an accusation was made.
Even with all the help the court has received from television footage, expert lip readers, witnesses and indeed counsel, it is impossible to be sure exactly what were [all] the words spoken by Mr Terry at the relevant time. It is impossible to be sure exactly what was said to him at the relevant time by Mr Ferdinand.
It is therefore possible that what he said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.For a small part of the relevant time, the camera's view of Mr Terry was obstructed. It is a crucial fact that nobody has given evidence that they heard what Mr Terry said or, more importantly, how he said it. His account has been subject to the most searching and thorough questioning.
In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.
The verdict brought cheers from onlookers, but Ferdinand's mother is said to have appeared shell-shocked. What a royal waste!
I don't believe that such a prosecution could proceed in the U.S., thanks to the First Amendment. However, similar proceedings have occurred here, for example, before college disciplinary boards.
And they also occur in federal court. Under Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination, allegations regarding utterances such as Terry's, and indeed significantly less offensive ones, are often litigated under the rubric of racial or sexual harassment. And since the litigation is civil rather than criminal, it need not be shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged statements were made. A simple, uncorroborated "she says" may well be sufficient to result in liability, even if contradicted by a "he says."
Thus, as in Britain though to a lesser degree, the robustness of our society is being reduced by ridiculous litigation over "hate speech."


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Late Thursday, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and 13 other senators introduced a bill that proposes the federal government fulfill a decades-old promise to pay 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities, the Council for Exceptional Children's Lindsay Jones tells me.
The proposal suggests the federal government would reach the 40 percent mark by 2021. For years, advocates of students with disabilities have pushed for the federal contribution towards the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The 40 percent marker was part of a pledge by Congress when that law was created in 1975. But current federal spending specifically for students with disabilities stands at about 16 percent.
So instead, school districts and states have picked up the bulk of the tab for educating students with disabilities. As those costs appear to keep rising, some states have requested permission to cut spending in recent years. With more federal money, the CEC says schools could increase the quality and range of services available to students with special needs, raise the salaries of teachers and staff who work with these students, and in the long run, improve their graduation rates.
Bills pledging full funding have been introduced before, but haven't gotten the traction they needed to pass. This bill proposes boosting the federal contribution from about $11.5 billion this year to $35.3 billion by 2021, primarily through the doubling of taxes on cigarettes and small cigars.
Whether Congress, which is in a bind over raising the debt ceiling, will act on the bill is a big question. All 13 of Sen. Harkin's co-sponsors are Democrats.
Stay tuned for more details and comments as they are available.


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DreamWorks Animation has named Michael Francis its first chief global brand officer, the studio said Monday. In his newly created position, Francis will oversee the company's licensing and consumer products push and franchise management activities.
"This is an incredibly powerful global family brand with enviable brand equity and significant untapped potential," Francis said in a statement.
Francis will begin at DreamWorks Animation immediately on a part-time basis and will assume his new role full-time in February 2013.
Francis comes to DreamWorks Animation from Farview Associates, a global branding firm he founded and headed. He also served as president of J.C. Penney, and spent 26 years with the Target Corporation, rising through the ranks to become executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Francis' hire comes as DreamWorks Animation tries to move from releasing a handful of big budget movies annually to becoming a children's entertainment powerhouse. The company has unveiled plans to build an entertainment district with shops and theaters in Shanghai as part of a Chinese joint venture and will release television shows and animated films targeted to China.
It also hopes to do more licensing not only with DreamWorks Animation characters like Shrek, but also with more evergreen figures like Casper the Friendly Ghost and George of the Jungle. It acquired them after shelling out $155 million for Classic Media last summer.
But the company needs to steer through stock turbulence. DreamWorks Animation's stock has been in steady decline following the disappointing box office reception for its most recent animated film, "Rise of the Guardians." The film was produced for a reported $145 million, and the company is projecting internally that it will lose $50 million on the film, an executive with knowledge of the financials told TheWrap.
As of 10 a.m. ET Monday, shares of Dreamworks stock were up .18 percent to $16.68.


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The Pink Knight was an urban myth cooked up by Castle Crashers' Xbox Live community. No such dude existed. But he does now, as The Behemoth offers him for free and promises to make up to a $US50,000 donation to a breast cancer prevention and awareness organisation.
Pink Knight has all new weapons, says The Behemoth, and is free in the Xbox Live Marketplace right now. A dollar per download, up to the first 50,000, will be donated by The Behemoth to the Keep A Breast Foundation.
There is also the Blacksmith Pack for 160 Microsoft Points. "Once shrouded in mystery, the legend of the Blacksmith becomes a reality. Wielding miniature antlered frogs, burning hammers of justice and springboard contraptions, this warrior is much like William Wallace (ala Braveheart), but purple and definitely not Mel Gibson."
Castle Crashers' latest title update also adds a Team Vs. Team feature to the Player Match Arena, and some other fixes, bells and whistles. See the link for more.
Castle Crashers Title Update 2 [The Behemoth via RipTen.]


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Video! Darren Criss on Losing His Eyebrows & Being the First Hedwig with a Glittery Beard
April 8th, 2015 | By Broadway.com Staff
Dreams come true for Darren Criss! The Glee favorite has been dreaming of playing the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch since he was a teen. Before he takes the stage on April 29, see him chat about drag, glitter and more with Broadway.com!


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The luxury automaker's latest top-of-the-line car can cruise down the highway almost entirely on its own.
You can't buy Google's self-driving Toyota Prius but if you can pony up for a six-figure luxury car, you'll soon be able to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class that practically drives on its own -- while its heated seats give you a massage.
Beyond that, the Mercedes also has a host of other amazing technologies and some cool '70s-retro interior trim options.
Underneath all that, it's a Mercedes-Benz, which means it rides smoothly, accelerates quickly and drives better than you'd think a car this size would.
Pricing for the S-Class hasn't been announced yet but you can expect it to be similar to that of today's S-Class, which starts at over $90,000.


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kris Medlen outpitched the Royals' Ervin Santana over seven innings, Jason Heyward hit a go-ahead homer, and the Atlanta Braves' bullpen hung on for a 4-3 victory Tuesday night in the team's first visit to Kansas City.
Medlen (5-7) limited the Royals to a run in the first and Eric Hosmer's two-run homer in the fifth while striking out five. He turned the game over to Jordan Walden, who survived a leadoff walk in the eighth inning to get the game into the hands of Craig Kimbrel.
The Braves closer walked Mike Moustakas and gave up a single to David Lough to start the ninth, but rallied to strike out Elliot Johnson and Jarrod Dyson. Kimbrel intentionally walked Alex Gordon to load the bases, and then got Alcides Escobar to fly out to right on the first pitch.
The escape job was Kimbrel's 22nd save.
Heyward drove in a pair of runs with a double in the fifth, and then broke open a tied game with his solo shot off Tim Collins (2-2) with one out in the seventh inning.
In a curious twist to interleague play, the Royals had played 142 games against NL teams at Kauffman Stadium without a visit by Atlanta. If not for last year's All-Star Game at the K, longtime Braves third baseman Chipper Jones would have retired having never played in the park.
The opener of the two-game set was dominated by stingy pitching.
The Royals scratched out their first run off Medlen in the first when Alex Gordon reached on a single, took second on an error and went to third on a sacrifice bunt. But he was caught in a rundown on a grounder by Hosmer, who reached second before Gordon was tagged out.
Hosmer scored on Billy Butler's ensuing single.
That was all the Royals would muster off Medlen until Escobar managed a two-out single in the fifth. The resurgent Hosmer followed with his tying two-run shot over the right-field wall, his fourth home run of the season but third in 10 games.
It proved to be timely, too, coming just after the Braves pulled ahead.
Santana had struck out five through the first three innings, but began running into trouble the second time through the Braves' power-packed lineup. But it wasn't home runs that gave them the lead, but a series of singles and doubles.
Chris Johnson led off the fifth with a double, and Andrelton Simmons put runners on the corners with his base hit. Jordan Schafer tied the game 1-all on his double, and Heyward's double down the right-field line gave the Braves a 3-1 lead.
Heyward didn't hit that ball particularly hard. The one he hit off Collins in the seventh was crushed.
Heyward greeted a 0-2 pitch from the Royals' diminutive left-hander with a ferocious swing that sent the ball soaring over the wall in right field and gave the Braves a 4-3 lead.
The Braves began the day with 96 homers, tied with Colorado for first in the National League. Heyward's sixth of the season allowed the Braves to improve to 41-9 in games in which they homer. They are 4-23 in games without a home run.
Notes — Braves OF Justin Upton was the DH after missing two games with a sore right hand. ... The Royals recalled LHP Will Smith and optioned RHP Kelvin Herrera to Triple-A Omaha. They also reinstated LHP Danny Duffy (Tommy John surgery) from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Omaha, where he worked five scoreless innings Tuesday night. ... LHP Mike Minor pitches for the Braves in the finale of the two-game set. RHP Luis Mendoza goes for the Royals on Wednesday night.
Heyward hits two-run double, go-ahead homer for Braves
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US to spend $1 billion on embassy expansions in Pakistan, Afghanistan
| Islamabad
The US is embarking on a $1 billion crash program to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, another sign that the Obama administration is making a costly, long-term commitment to war-torn South Asia, US officials said Wednesday.
The White House has asked Congress for – and seems likely to receive – $736 million to build a new US embassy in Islamabad, along with permanent housing for US government civilians and new office space in the Pakistani capital.
The scale of the projects rivals the giant US Embassy in Baghdad, which was completed last year after construction delays at a cost of $740 million.
Senior State Department officials said the expanded diplomatic presence is needed to replace overcrowded, dilapidated and unsafe facilities and to support a "surge" of civilian officials into Afghanistan and Pakistan ordered by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Other major projects are planned for Kabul, Afghanistan; and for the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Peshawar. In Peshawar, the US government is negotiating the purchase of a five-star hotel that would house a new US consulate.
Funds for the projects are included in a 2009 supplemental spending bill that the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed in slightly different forms.
Obama has repeatedly stated that stabilizing Pakistan and Afghanistan, the countries from which Al Qaeda and the Taliban operate, is vital to US national security. He's ordered thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan and is proposing substantially increased aid to both countries.
Macro buildings to micro manage?
In Pakistan, however, large parts of the population are hostile to the US presence in the region – despite receiving billions of dollars in aid from Washington since 2001 – and anti-American groups and politicians are likely to seize on the expanded diplomatic presence in Islamabad as evidence of American "imperial designs."
"This is a replay of Baghdad," said Khurshid Ahmad, a member of Pakistan's upper house of parliament for Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the country's two main religious political parties. "This [Islamabad embassy] is more [space] than they should need. It's for the micro and macro management of Pakistan, and using Pakistan for pushing the American agenda in Central Asia."
In Baghdad and other dangerous locales, US diplomats have sometimes found themselves cut off from the population in heavily fortified compounds surrounded by blast walls, concertina wire, and armed guards.
"If you're going to have people live in a car bomb-prone place, you are driven to not have a light footprint," said Ronald Neumann, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan and the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. Mr. Neumann called the planned expansions "generally pretty justified."
In Islamabad, according to State Department budget documents, the plan calls for the rapid construction of a $111 million new office annex to accommodate 330 workers; $197 million to build 156 permanent and 80 temporary housing units; and a $405 million replacement of the main embassy building. The existing embassy, in the capital's leafy diplomatic enclave, was badly damaged in a 1979 assault by Pakistani students.
The US government also plans to revamp its consular buildings in the eastern city of Lahore and in Peshawar, the regional capital of the militancy plagued North West Frontier Province. The consulate in the southern megacity of Karachi has just been relocated into a new purpose-built accommodation.
Buying the Pearl in Peshawar
A senior State Department official confirmed that the US plan for the consulate in Peshawar involves the purchase of the luxury Pearl Continental hotel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.
The Pearl Contintental is the city's only five-star hotel, set in its own expansive grounds, with a swimming pool. It's owned by Pakistani tycoon Sadruddin Hashwani.
Peshawar is an important station for gathering intelligence on the tribal area that surrounds the city on three sides and is a base for Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The area also will be a focus for expanded US aid programs, and the American mission in Peshawar has already expanded from three US diplomats to several dozen.
In all, the administration requested $806 million for diplomatic construction and security in Pakistan.
"For the strong commitment the US is making in the country of Pakistan, we need the necessary platform to fulfill our diplomatic mission," said Jonathan Blyth of the State Department's Overseas Buildings Operations bureau. "The embassy is in need of upgrading and expansion to meet our future mission requirements."
A senior Pakistani official said the expansion has been under discussion for three years. "Pakistanis understand the need for having diplomatic missions expanding and the Americans always have had an enclave in Islamabad," said the official, who requested anonymity, because he wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly. "Will some people exploit it? They will."
In Kabul, the US government is negotiating an $87 million purchase of a 30- to 40-acre parcel of land to expand the embassy. The Senate version of the appropriations bill omits all but $10 million of those funds.
(Jonathan S. Landay contributed to this article.)
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As easy as walking up and down stairs, this is a full-body, cardio workout. In this class, you'll do lunges and squats around a step to really work your legs. You'll get a chance to show off your flair for rhythm with exciting, hit music that'll motivate you and add a whole lot of fun to your workout.
During the workout, you'll get your heart pumping, and increase your cardio fitness. You'll shape and tone your butt and legs, and improving your coordination and agility. Best of all, you'll keep burning calories long after the workout is over.
And if you're just starting out, you'll be given low-impact options that'll tailor each workout to your fitness level. We suggest that you start with 1 to 2 classes a week and work your way up from there.
BODYSTEP® 30-minute
If you're pressed for time, BODYSTEP® 30 is perfect for you. It's designed so you'll still burn, shape and tone in a time that fits into your busy schedule.
BODYSTEP® 45-minute
Step into a jam-packed 45 minute where you'll still burn the same amount of calories in less time.
things to bring
If it's your first time, here's a few essentials you might need.
choose a class
Pick a club to find a class with a suitable time for you.


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Solhyddan: Blå Jungfrun 06**
Solhyddan – Private apartment accommodation – walking distance to the sea.
Child friendly holiday village near shallow bathing beach
Close to sights worth seeing, golf and all of Borgholm's entertainment.
Apartments in small red townhouse. 4-beds: Apartment from 16 m2. Combined bedroom/living room with kitchenette, shower, WC and fridge. 2-beds: Apartment 9m2. 2 beds. Fridge. Kitchen, shower/WC in service building. Private terrace, entrance and parking place for every apartment.
Facilities contain large service building with kitchen, dining area, showers, WC.
Beach with barbecue area. walking distance to shallow, child friendly beach in Köpingsviksbukten (bay).


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SURREY — A new documentary film about murdered Surrey teen Maple Batalia makes its Canadian debut here this month.
The 47-minute movie, called "Maple" and directed by Jasleen Kaur, will be featured at the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, held from Nov. 16 to 19 at Surrey City Hall.
Batalia, an aspiring health-sciences student and actress/model, was killed by an ex-boyfriend in 2011. She was 19.
"'Maple' tells the story of a girl whose passion for life was unparalleled, and who had an impact on everyone she encountered during her short life," says a post in the "Maple: A Documentary" Facebook page.
"In the film, we hear from prominent members of the community, including Barinder Rasode and Pink Orchid Studio's Shannon Mann and Harp Sohal. It sheds light on prevalent issues in the community, such as gender inequality and domestic violence, particularly in the South Asian community."
• READ MORE: Judicial system has 'victimized" us again, Batalia family says after verdict, from January 2017.
Kaur's documentary is different from a film being made by Mani Amar that will dramatize the final 24 hours of Batalia's life.
• READ MORE: Surrey filmmaker looking for perfect actress to play Maple Batalia, from March 2017.
In mid-October, "Maple" was premiered at the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Renton, WA.
In Surrey, the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival was launched in 2008 to "bridge the gap between South Asian talent and mainstream audiences by connecting directors, actors, producers, community organizations, corporate brands and South Asian cinephiles," according to a post at visaff.ca.
This year, the seventh annual festival's opening-night gala will feature an appearance by Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi.
"Maple" will be screened at the festival on Nov. 18, along with "Help Wanted," a Jacquile Kambo-directed short film about a Punjabi teenager "who gets involved in his local gang in order to support his fragmented family, when his unemployed and abusive father fails to do so."
For a complete guide to this year's VISAFF, visit visaff.ca/visaff-2017.
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Breath of Fresh Air
About three years
ago I picked up a copy of Dan Kimball's book The Emerging Church which I found moderately
interesting, especially because Dan ministers just over the hill from me in
nearby Santa Cruz, California. In the ensuing months I have accumulated about
two dozen books under the umbrella of "emerging church" developments
in America. The subject is so complex that reputable survey and analysis books
are required to get a sound grasp on what is happening. I recommend D.A.
Carson's, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church, and David Wells' Above all
Earthly Pow'rs.
By the way,
nowadays "Emerging" does not mean the same thing as
"Emergent" so for a brief survey of what this is all about, Wikipedia
is a good place to start. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_church).
Succinctly stated,
one branch of this new movement seems to be detaching itself from the historic
Christian faith and from mainstream doctrine in order to be more culturally
relevant and more seeker-friendly. In contrast there is a smaller stream of
young and gifted new leaders who strongly adhere to the historic proclamation
of the gospel and to conservative theology. Both types of churches tend to
"deconstruct" denominational and traditional evangelical/charismatic
traditions, and they all take a strong "missional" approach of
vigorously engaging the local culture. Many of the leaders in
this movement are disillusioned evangelicals, some, I would say, are real
apostates, others are theological liberals, yet a good number are well-read and
godly reformers--rooted, anchored in the Bible and allowing Jesus Christ to
direct all they do. Wikipedia's section on Values and Characteristics in the above article covers lots of
ground which I'll skip over. The main point is that (in my opinion) no serious
Christians can write off this movement as spurious.
I am always
interested in genuine movements of the Holy Spirit in any period of
history--especially nowadays, so I have picked only one example from the last
class of "emergents" to discuss briefly.
Mars Hill Church in
Seattle (http://www.marshillchurch.org/) started about ten years ago with a
small home group and after long and painful struggles has been taking off
lately with a current membership of over 4000. They are meeting on several different campuses
in pagan Seattle (where the density of Christians is only about 7%).
Pastor Mark
Driscoll, age 36, has two books out, both of which I heartily recommend, Confessions
of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church, and The
Radical Reformission: Reaching Out without Selling Out.
Even more fun than
reading his books are Driscoll's sermons. I decided to listen this summer to 35
sermons by Driscoll (available by Podcast or downloading from their web site).
Driscoll generally preaches for a full hour, he is obviously never boring,
often hilariously funny, and very radical. Some would call him crass, but he is
obviously well-read and has been mentored by sound pastors in the sixteen years
of his Christian experience.
In listening to his
sermons it is important to keep in mind the audience he is appealing to. He is
very outspoken, sometimes blunt, (as in "we are fools for Christ's
sake"). His preaching is straight from Scripture with an appropriate spin
to make the text relevant and appealing to today's culture. Most all of the
members of Mars Hill Seattle are converts who have been nurtured in the church
family. So this is a new and leading-edge church with some distinctives I like
very much. So far I haven't found any doctrinal issues where we differ--and I a
bit of a stickler when it comes to sound doctrine.
Driscoll notes that
Fundamental churches stress sound doctrine but have insulated themselves from
the culture and have little to do except to bash various and obvious sinful
forms of behavior in the surrounding culture--thus not attracting any converts.
Liberal churches have watered down their doctrine and hence have little to
offer that is life changing and redemptive, but they may draw large crowds. The
Biblical model, he says, is faithful preaching of the gospel with lots of
content, backed up by vigorously discipled church leaders--who either meet
Biblical qualifications or are asked to step down. Non-Christians are warmly
welcomed in the services, but membership in the church is for the genuinely
converted. The new members are given lots of pastoral care, tracked, mentored
and discipled. No matter how deep their struggles may have been with sexuality,
drugs, alcohol, divorce--whatever--MHS is committed to the healing and
wholeness of each member.
One of the most
fascinating of Mark's messages (two hours long) is his talk on church
leadership and church discipline. (This message is temporarily also on my web
site for your easy access, http://ldolphin.org/audio/discipline.mp3). I found this message extraordinary. Here was a church that
insisted on Christian life-styles in all of the members, yet with lots of
latitude on the marginal issues, and very high standards for pastors, elders,
and deacons--according to the specifics laid down by the Apostles as one
finds them in the New Testament.
Driscoll has a
burning compassion for the lost which is evident in every sermon. He is
transparent, real and credible. Listening to his messages has been, for me, a
breath of fresh air.
I suspect many of
you will not feel as I do about this man or his church and that's OK. You may
not like his style at all and that's OK, too. He is a young preacher just
getting started. I'm sure he'd appreciate your prayers. He has a wife and five
kids, travels a lot, and so far seems indefatigable. He amazes me frankly!
I don't see how
older well-established churches could ever make the changes necessary in
leadership and membership standards to "revive" their churches along
the lines of Mars Hills Seattle. A great start for many churches would be to
restore real Biblical content back into their preaching, that is, if they have
strayed from in-depth expository preaching, which I believe is the Biblical
norm. (http://www.raystedman.org/expository/).
In answer to the
question, "You know this growing church probably as well as any Westerner
does. I wonder how you evaluate it?", John Stott said recently, "The answer is 'growth
without depth.' None of us wants to dispute the extraordinary growth of the
church. But is been largely been numerical and statistical growth. And there
has not been sufficient growth in discipleship that is comparable to the growth
in numbers." (CT October 2006)
In His personal
words of commendation and correction to seven representative churches found in
Revelation 2, 3, our Lord
addresses the strengths and weaknesses of various types of churches.
For a long time I
have felt that by and large "we" American evangelicals have now moved
from the Philadelphian era into the Laodicean, so that the real life of many
churches is carried by a small believing remnant. In the Old Testament, "true
Israel" was but a small remnant within a professing nation. (http://www.ldolphin.org/church.html)
Jesus also warns
the church that He can and does remove the "lampstand" of a given
church when their performance falls below minimum standards.
Regarding the
Lord's evaluation of the Church at Ephesus Ray Stedman has written:
I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height
from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you
do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But
you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I
also hate." (Revelation 2:4-6 RSV)
we can see that this is a church in serious trouble. Despite all the
commendable things, there is something seriously wrong. Our Lord puts it in one
brief phrase, "You have abandoned your first love." That is the
problem. So serious is that that he says, "If you do not correct it, I
will remove your lampstand." This indicates this is a very serious matter.
The removal of the lampstand does not mean that the individual members of the
church would be lost or condemned to hell. What it means is the church would
lose its ability to shed the light of truth. The light from this church would
stop shining. They would become a church with no influence or impact
spiritually upon the community around. They would be busy doing religious, but
entirely irrelevant, things. They would still be working, still orthodox , but
inconsequential, with no light, no impact.
we have to say that there are thousands of churches like this in our country
today. There are churches where congregations are still meeting year after
year, Sunday after Sunday, doing religious things -- singing hymns, reciting
the Apostles' Creed, perhaps doing some good works in the neighborhood -- but
having no spiritual impact, seeing no change in people's lives, no releasing of
them from their sins, no changes in the morals or outlooks of a whole
community. Their light has failed.
causes that condition? Our Lord says it is because they left their first love.
They abandoned it. When we ask, "What is first love?" the answer is
almost obvious. It is the love you felt for Jesus when you first came to know
him. It is that wonderful sense of discovery that he loved you, and had
delivered you, and freed you from your sins. Your heart went out to him in
gratitude and thanksgiving; you had eyes for no one but him. Watch a couple who
have fallen in love. Note how they have eyes only for each other. How spacey
they are! Talk to them, and they do not even hear you. They are only thinking
of the wonder of each other…
gradually there comes an almost imperceptible shift of focus. We get busy, and
what we do for Christ begins to loom more and more important to us. Gradually
our position, our status, the longing for approval by others, begins to take
first place. We go on doing the same things but not from the same drive or
motive. We drift into the loss of first love.
are always symptoms, signs, of this happening. Here are three of them: The
first one, visible at first only to the individual, is the loss of the joy and
glow of Christian life. It soon becomes humdrum and routine. You begin to feel
like you have heard it all already. Even the church service loses its impact.
It seems mechanical, routine, dull and drab. That is a sign you are beginning
to lose your first love. Second, you lose your ability to love others. One of
the great revelations of the Scripture is that the reason we love others is
because we have first been loved ourselves. When we lose that consciousness of
the wonder of Jesus' love we also lose our awareness of others and find our
love for them fading. It is difficult to love. We become critical, censorious,
complaining. We begin to choose our friends more closely and only associate
with those we like. We lose the compassion that reached out to everyone at
first. Then, third, we lose a healthy perspective of ourselves. We become more
and more important in our thinking. Instead of what the Lord wants and what
will please him we begin to think of what we want and what will please us.
Gradually, we become sensitive and touchy, unable to bear criticism. This
begins to make divisions and often schisms in a congregation. Individuals in
the church are no longer interested in evangelism. They are no longer concerned
about those around them without Christ, but are focused on themselves, their
own comfort, their own pleasure. Self-centeredness sets in.
are the marks of the loss of first love, and this is what was happening at
Ephesus. I am fully aware that we have all done this at times. I have. You have.
We have all felt the debilitating symptoms of a loss of first love. When a
whole congregation begins to reflect that atmosphere it soon loses its influence.
Its light goes out. Its lampstand has been removed. (http://www.raystedman.org/revelation/4190.html)
Driscoll notes that
many churches today do more harm than good! They really ought to disband he
suggests. This remark reminds me of God's words of exasperation at Israel
recorded in Malachi at the close of the Old Testament.
"A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If
then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My
reverence?" Says the LORD of hosts, To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?' You offer defiled food
on My altar. But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?' By saying, 'The table
of the LORD is contemptible.' And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is
it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it
then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you
favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts. But now entreat God's favor, That He
may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept
you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.
Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that
you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you, Says
the LORD of hosts, Nor will I accept an offering from your hands." (i.e., 'I wish someone
would lock the doors of the Temple and stop all this nonsense of fake and phony
worship.') "For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My
name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered
to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,"
Says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 1:6-11)
At Mars Hill
Seattle, their Senior Pastor is openly stated to be Jesus! There is no
hierarchy in the church as far as I can tell--which is my style for sure. I can
not detect any of those non-biblical "clergy/laity" distinctions which
characterize many churches--but their leadership is visionary and clear--it is
both written down and adhered to. "Leadership" is after all one of
the spiritual gifts. "Without a vision the people perish," sort of
thing. Preaching without content is anathema to any church and Driscoll
delivers a full meal straight from the Word for an hour or more. No one seems
bored as far as I can tell.
I am greatly
encouraged! It is too soon to see if the current "breath of fresh
air" in some parts of the emerging church movement, such as MHS, becomes a
"mighty rushing wind," but shall we pray? We certainly desperately
need the latter.
Using Google.com
and the key words "Mark Driscoll" one can quickly see that this man
is nationally very popular and much discussed, almost always favorably. I
Contacts: I answer my own email every day,
and am glad to be able to do so.
Working with me on email questions is a splendid team of men and women in the
Paraclete Forum, http://paracleteforum.org. You may write us at email@example.com. The Paraclete Forum also
addresses questions sent to us from the Ray Stedman and PBC web sites, http://pbc.org and http://raystedman.org/. For excellent help in studying the
Bible I always recommend Blue Letter Bible, http://blueletterbible.org/.
Newsletters are on my web site: http://ldolphin.org/news/. My main web site library is http://ldolphin.org/asstbib.shtml, with newer articles posted at the
October 4, 2006


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The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly EverythingBy Olivier Lecarme and Karine Delvare No Starch PressJanuary 2013, 676 pp.US$49.95 print book with free e-book$39.95 e-book (PDF, Mobi, ePub)The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything combines a step-by-step approach to learning how to use this epic graphic image manipulation program (hence the name "GIMP") with a handy reference manual supplemented with very useful appendices. Whether you are a GIMP beginner or a veteran user, this book will save you hours of trial and error when editing graphics files.
It is not the only useful instructional guide on navigating through the difficult photo editing app, but it is one of the most current options available. It focuses on the latest iteration of GIMP, version 2.8.
I've used GIMP for many years, often being forced to reach for a variety of self-help sources to complete a graphical editing task. The Book of GIMP, released this month, is an excellent teach-yourself alternative.
Working With Images
GIMP is a free, open source replacement to the commercial graphic editing standard, Adobe Photoshop, but learning how to use its professional-strength features can be an exercise in futility.
The latest version of GIMP has countless improvements and new tools, which only add to the challenge of mastering GIMP. Lecarme and Delvare's approach can greatly reduce the frustrations encountered when striving for GIMP proficiency.
A Comfortable Read
Reading a book that describes how to use a software program is a method that doesn't work for everyone. The skill-based learning that photo manipulation tools require typically are conveyed more effectively through hands-on learning. That is the teaching style presented in the first part of The Book of GIMP.
Part 1 contains tutorials that take you one skill at a time through essential GIMP features. For example, each of the opening eight chapters gives you a solid understanding of how to complete real photo editing tasks. Even the indexing structure is effective. The basic GIMP layout is shown in Brief Contents. This is supplemented with a more detailed listing, Contents in Detail, that lets you home in on specific tasks.
Each chapter starts with a hands-on tutorial and ends with exercises that reinforce those concepts. An even handier find-it device is available in the traditional index at the back of the book. There you can locate specific topics cross-referenced by editing functions with page listings.
Basic Tools
This multifaceted indexing system to the content may be all that you need to speed up your progress. You can jump directly to how-to guides with actual color pictures and detailed explanations for key editing tasks. These include getting started, photograph retouching, drawing and illustration, and working with logos and textures.
This method also helps you to handle more advanced editing techniques within the first part of the book. You can quickly focus on Composite Photography, Animation, Image Preprocessing and Designing a Website.
Some of these skills are part of major editing and image manipulation functions GIMP handles. Part 1 also addresses introductory-level basic tasks. Some users never need more than a working competency in areas such as resizing and cropping images, touching up spots and scratches, and customizing the work area.
Advanced Skills
Part 2 serves as a detailed reference to GIMP's many features. For example, you get primers on color balancing, masks, filters and plug-ins. These tutorials are amply illustrated with color and black-and-white screenshots of actual editing processes within the GIMP user interface.
This second section contains 14 chapters and is the largest, most comprehensive section of the book. Part 3 is much shorter with five appendices. It is possibly worth the price of the book if you only read through its tips and helpful hints.
It contains reference guides for Vision and Image Representation, Tips and Hints for Selected Exercises, Resources, Frequently Asked Questions, Installing GIMP and Batch Processing.
About the Authors
Olivier Lecarme, a professor emeritus in computer science at the University of Nice, France, has a doctorate in computer science. He has taught many aspects of computer science, including programming language fundamentals and graphics processing.
Karine Delvare, a Web-development consultant, has a master's degree in computer science with a specialization in image and sound. She lives in Merignac, France.


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Disgraced U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong has been personally urged to make a full confession of all his involvement in doping by the founder of the lobby group Change Cycling Now.
Jaimie Fuller, who formed the group which includes former Tour de France champion Greg Lemond, told Reuters on Wednesday he had talked to Armstrong for an hour on the telephone last month.
He said the pair had subsequently had email exchanges after Fuller had told Armstrong he needed to talk to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Fuller said he planned to have further contacts.
Last year USADA stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and in a subsequent television interview with Oprah Winfrey the American admitted he had taken performance-enhancing drugs before each of his tour victories.
Fuller, who is also the chief executive officer of the compression clothing company SKINS, earlier told the Tackling Doping in Sport 2013 conference that he had wanted to believe Armstrong was clean. Last year SKINS sent a legal demand to the International Cycling Union seeking damages of $2 million for what it claimed was mis-management in the Armstrong case.
"The thing that upset me most about Lance was not the doping. We now know how prevalent the doping was, how entrenched it has been in the culture of cycling," Fuller told the conference convened by the World Sports Law Report.
"What upset me most all the other things that surrounded him, the way he abused people, the way that he just climbed all over people, the win at all costs.
"I had a conversation with him not long ago and I said to him it's going to get worse for him before it gets better. I think he's bit delusional.
"He's got to come clean, he's got to tell everything. We didn't see that on Oprah Winfrey, what we saw on Oprah Winfrey was the convenient truths. And when it was inconvenient we didn't get the truth.
"That includes not protecting other people he's still protecting. He needs to show a bit of contrition."


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This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
New, Salt-Tolerant Plants Developed
By Marcia Wood
January 29, 2003
Two new lines of salt-tolerant plants, boasting genes from wheat and a wild relative called wheatgrass, may someday prove to be a boon for wheat growers. Salt tolerance in plants is a prized trait, according to Agricultural Research Service research geneticist Richard R.-C. Wang. He developed the new plants, known simply as W4909 and W4910, at ARS' Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah.
Salt tolerance is especially valuable in the irrigated wheat producing regions of the American West, where irrigation can accelerate buildup of salts. Salinity weakens or kills plants. Nationwide, it's blamed for reducing crop yields by about 25 percent.
Wang's research has already attracted the attention of scientists and plant breeders throughout the United States and from several other nations as well. He is working to demystify the complicated genetics of rangeland plants, including wheatgrass. The goal? -- Develop hardier, more nutritious rangeland forages for cattle, other livestock and wildlife. These improved plants also could be used to revegetate roadsides, burned sites or erosion-prone slopes.
W4909 and W4910 contain salt-tolerance genes from wheatgrass and what's known as a Ph-inhibitor gene. Presence of the inhibitor gene allows plant geneticists to move the salt-tolerance genes among domestic wheats. Normally, a gene called Ph1b would thwart that exchange.
For the research, Wang collaborated with ARS geneticist Steven R. Larson of the Logan team; Catherine M. Grieve, a plant physiologist at the agency's George E. Brown, Jr., Salinity Laboratory at Riverside, Calif.; Michael C. Shannon, formerly at Riverside and now with ARS' Pacific West Area Office, Albany, Calif.; Abdul Mujeeb-Kazi of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; and four visiting scientists from China -- Zanmin Hu, Xiaomei Li, Jiyi Zhang and Xueyong Zhang.
Wang and his co-investigators are the first to use the Ph1b gene-inhibition technology to incorporate, into wheat genetic material, genes borrowed from another plant species. Details are in the January issue of ARS' Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.


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"For pioneering contributions to the physics of one-component non-neutral plasmas, intense charge particle beams, and collective nonlinear interaction processes in high-temperature plasmas."
Background:Ronald C. Davidson has been Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University since 1991, and was Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory from 1991-1996. He received the B.Sc. degree from McMaster University in 1963, and the Ph.D. degree from Princeton University in 1966. He was Assistant Research Physicist at the University of California at Berkeley from 1966-1968, member of the Physics Department faculty at the University of Maryland from 1968 1978, and Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1978-1991. Dr. Davidson has made numerous fundamental theoretical contributions to several areas of pure and applied plasma physics, including nonneutral plasmas, nonlinear effects and anomalous transport, kinetic equilibrium and stability properties, intense charged particle beam propagation in high energy accelerators, and coherent radiation generation by relativistic electrons. He is the author of more than three hundred and fifty journal articles and books, including four advanced research monographs on nonlinear plasma dynamics, nonneutral plasmas, and high energy accelerators. Professor Davidson served as Director of the MIT Plasma Fusion Center from 1978-1988, and as Chair of the American Physical Societys Division of Plasma Physics during 1983-1984, and the Division of Physics of Beams during 2001-2002. He is a member of the National Academies Board on Physics and Astronomy, and has participated in numerous National Research Council panels, and national and international committees on physics research. Dr. Davidson is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also a recipient of the Department of Energys Distinguished Associate Award and the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award, both in 1986, and recipient of The Kaul Foundation's Award for Excellence in 1993, and the IEEE Particle Accelerator Science and Technology Award in 2005.
Robert Merlino, Scott Parker, John Lindl, George H. Neilson, Amanda Hubbard


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Whether by intention or not, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's choice of a papal name has meaning not only for Catholics. St. Francis of Assisi is a widely recognized saint, known for his faith and humility. It's not surprising that American Protestants also find him appealing.
"I think mainline Protestants are attracted to the same things Catholics are attracted to," says David Heim, executive editor of the Christian Century. "He seems like such a living witness to the Good News of the gospel and living it out in practical ways."
Pope Francis' commitment to social justice and equality, both in his actions and as addressed in Evangelii Gaudium, is attractive to mainline Protestants, Heim says. "That's a huge point of connection and excitement for mainline Protestants, that he speaks so forcefully and eloquently on [social justice], using his platform, his authority to address that. It's really great and really healthy for the church."
While Heim says he doesn't foresee any formal statements in the near future that bring the American churches closer to Christian unity, he does think that it could happen "at the level of spirit." American Protestants tend to be more congregational and less interested in juridical statements on theology and church practices being handed down from above. Heim thinks that's an important point of discussion for the American church. "If he's really serious about giving national councils of bishops and local councils more authority to decide things at that level, that would be a real sea change," he says.
Director of the Department of Ecumenical Relations for the Presbyterian Church-USA Rev. Robina Winbush says that Pope Francis' primary identity is rooted in being a disciple of Jesus Christ; that's what gives her hope that the new pontiff could mean good things for ecumenism, as does his seemingly outward focus when it comes to the mission of the church.
One of the major obstacles to Christian unity, Winbush says, is individual churches' desire for institutional survival. "You want certain things in place on the inside. My suspicion, however, is that Pope Francis, while standing on the outside, is also challenging the inside to be different as well."
This is a sidebar that accompanies "Everybody loves Francis: What the pope's appeal means for the church" which appeared in the May 2014 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 79, No. 5, pages 12-17).
Image: Flickr photo cc by Jeffrey Bruno


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Air conditioning thermostat market shows no signs of cooling down
IHS reports that thermostats used for air conditioning applications by 50% from 2012 to 2017 thanks to high demand in Asia as well as EMEA and the Americas.
Driven by demand from Asia, global shipments of thermostats used for air conditioning applications will rise by nearly 50% from 2012 through 2017, according to the latest report on the thermostats market from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc.
Air conditioning thermostat shipments are set to grow to 19.0 million units in 2017, up 48% from 12.8 million in 2012, as presented in the attached figure.
The Asian market will be particularly energetic, forecast to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13% from 2012 to 2017, compared to a CAGR of only 8% for the global market. Last year, Asia accounted for more than 30% of the air conditioning thermostats that were sold.
The collective Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) market and the Americas are also are forecast to see strong growth, but not at the same degree as Asia.
"An increasing population with higher disposable incomes is helping to expand the air conditioning thermostat market in Asia," said William Rhodes, senior market analyst for the building technologies group at IHS. "Owning an air conditioning unit is cheaper than owning a car and is seen as a status symbol for an aspiring middle class. Meanwhile in EMEA and the Americas, the air conditioning thermostat market is being driven by increasingly hot and humid summers."
The majority of the air conditioning systems currently used in North America are ducted split systems. However, across the rest of the world and particularly in Asia, Japanese-style ductless mini-split systems are preferred. Many mini-split systems come with their own thermostat from the HVAC equipment provider offering systems for HVAC. However, most duct systems are controlled by a thermostat from a third party.
"Mini-split systems are often thought to be more flexible for interior design and avoid the energy losses associated with ductwork for rooms that do not require air conditioning, such as attics," Rhodes noted. "The rising popularity of mini-split systems is driving the trend toward infrared (IR) thermostats that control the indoor air-handling unit. In some office environments for example, one IR thermostats can control up to four indoor units."
With home and business owners continuing to want to keep their buildings cool in times of hotter and more humid climates, the market for thermostats used for air conditioning control is unlikely to cool in the near future.
Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.


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CGA monitors may not be an amazing technological advance these days, but they can generally be found very cheaply. Additionally, they have a DB-9 connector and work off of TTL ranges (0-5VDC) making them ripe for experimentation. This hack takes advantage of all of these aspects to bring you an Arduino controlled CGA monitor.
One problem with experimenting with one of these monitors is that they are not that well documented. Fortunately, the detailed write up for this hack goes over some of the timing and frequency issues that one may encounter with this particular monitor. The article gives an Arduino pinout and the program used to drive the monitor with very detailed comments.
Although this hack is by no means a finished product, the now blurry test pattern seen above gives a pretty good proof of concept. It will be exciting to see if this hack inspires any other microcontroller-based projects. For some further information about CGA monitors, Wikipedia also has a fairly in-depth write-up about the technology.


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The key for American Legion Hall and Boy Scout Clubhouse uses may be picked up the business day prior to the rental. The key is due back by 4:30 pm the first business day following the rental.
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Discount rates available for 501(C)(3), (C)(4), and (C)(9) non-profit status groups Mon through Thurs. only. Non-profit rates do not apply to ball field rentals with lights. Fundraisers are at the full fee.
One half of your rental fee, as well and security deposit, is due at the time of reservation. All other outstanding reservation fees will be due in full within ninety (90) days prior to first rental date on contract. Any reservation made within ninety (90) days of the rental date must be paid in full at the time of reservation.
Payment must be by cash, Visa or MasterCard, money order or cashiers check only. No personal or company checks are allowed for facility rental payments.
Cash or credit card payments are the only form of payment accepted within three days of your reservation date.
Standard facility rental fees do not include setup the night before. Some additional setup options may be available. Contact our staff to make arrangements and discuss your options.
Insurance, security and other permits may be required at some facilities for some events. The Modesto Police Department determines security and permit requirements. Insurance and Security may be provided through a private company or purchased through the City. View the Facility Rentals Insurance Requirements page for more information.
This facility is located at 400 Enslen Avenue in Enslen Park at Stoddard Avenue and Enslen Avenue, adjacent to Graceada Park and has a small hall with a kitchen. The kitchen has a refrigerator, 4-burner stove, oven, and sink.
The Mchenry Mansion rents out for Dinners, Luncheons, Weddings, Wedding Receptions and Special Events.
The center offers a variety of non-fee sports and fitness activities for all ages, tutorial and learning opportunities and a variety of special events including, dance classes, Police Activities League (PAL) Boxing Program and Stanislaus County Office of Education Work-4-Success Program.
Effective July 1, 2021 the following fees will be charged for any withdrawal or transfer from this course. Withdrawal fee: $8 Transfer fee: $7. Withdrawals or transfers after course begins will not be permitted.


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Charles Martin is now showing in the group show 11.11.11 running through Dec 17th at San Francisco's FFDG.
Twenty, New York City, I do not have a website.
The things I make are a reflection of my ideas, coupled with a strong desire to make them tangible.
Our world is on my brain a lot; I like to think that if I'm conscious of what's going on that it will naturally filter into my work.
Most of my art is an investigation, sometimes about very specific content, and other work may strictly be about the medium.
I make work that references the past, and at the same time I like to read my imagery as futuristic. When I look at my paintings the first thing that comes to mind is making them, so in this way each becomes a mirror of the time in which they are created.
Limitations exist with drawing from land, more recently I've been trying to make stuff that combines unbounded space with our flat world. Picture compositions that display an earth embodying characteristics of space, and then imagine the opposite.
A lot of hip hop, Jazz, Instrumentals, Nas Illmatic!
Printing, Painting, Drawing, Photo, Sculpture, Sound, Writing, Skating.
Right now I'm trying to land an Internship with a design and construction corporation out of Brooklyn, hopefully that works out.
Growing up I worked on an urban farm, which is something that I definitely wouldn't mind doing again.
Over the past two summers I worked helping my family build their radical bookshop. We finished the storefront just before I came back to New York, so I haven't been able to see it yet in all its glory, but I'm excited to help out when I get back to Buffalo.
Skating, melting my brain in Blockbuster, writing down ideas, hanging out with friends, making food, seeing music and art, and going down to wall street which is pretty bizarre.
I make paintings, drawings and a bunch of other stuff...
My brother and I are talking about doing a show together in the spring, which would be really fun. I saw that Ray Barbee and Tommy Guerrero played at the 11-11-11 opening? That there were FREE tacos? I wish that I could have been there, either way I need to make it out to San Francisco soon.
My family, my parents.
Cooper Union may start charging tuition in a few years.
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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Natchez Transit System (NTS) is a public non-profit organization that operates as a FTA Section 5311 transportation provider rural non-urbanized. It contracts with the Natchez Senior Citizens Multipurpose Center to provide the agency's 5310 services to the elderly and disabled. The agency operates a fleet of 27 vehicles that includes 22 buses and 5 minivans. For uninterrupted service to the disabled population, 19 vehicles are fully accessible vehicles.
The agency operates from 4 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend hours are 5 a.m.until 4 p.m. with abbreviated hours on Sunday.
Serving as the only general public transportation provider in the county, NTS through coordinated and contracted services provides transportation for Southwest Mental Health - Life Skills, Mississippi Department of Medicaid, Natchez Convention Center, Natchez Chamber of Commerce, Catholic Charities and Natchez Housing Authority. Coordination of service with private companies includes First Class Limousine and Bus Terminal Tours.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
City Hall: 3301 Silver Lake Road
Phone: 612-782-3301
Hours: M - F: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Contact Us
The St. Anthony Police Department no longer distributes police patches to patch collectors. Patches are official symbols of the Department, paid for by taxpayers. The cost of patches, postage, and time are prohibitive. For these reasons, we are unable to honor requests for shoulder patches.
Show All Answers
Per the fee schedule and data practice laws, the St. Anthony Police Department can provide a copy of individual police reports; a computer generated statistical report, or copies of photographs and CD's.Copies of police reports classified as "public" can be obtained in person during office hours or through the mail by sending a request, with payment, and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), to the St. Anthony Police Department. For faster service, please indicate date of incident, case number, location, and name of involved party.
- FEE SCHEDULE -Incident or Accident Report-.25 a pageMail Requests-Same as above, plus SASEComputer Generated Report-.25 a pageHandgun Permit to Purchase-No ChargeHandgun permit to Carry-Obtained thru Hennepin or Ramsey Co Sheriff's Office (county of residence)Color Photograph Reprints-.25 a pageDigital Photos (CD)-$3.00 Video or Audio Tape Copy-$25.00
The St. Anthony Community Service Officer and Patrol Officers respond to complaints, or concerns, involving animals. Dial 9-1-1 to speak with an officer about a problem. Found pets are impounded at Pet Central, 2700 Central Avenue NE, 612-781-6941. To report a lost pet, please call the St. Anthony Police Department during business hours at 612-782-3350. After business hours contact Hennepin County Dispatch at 952-258-5321. The police department keeps a log of all lost/found animals in an attempt to connect owners with their pets prior to having to impound the animal. It is a violation of St. Anthony City Ordinance for dogs and cats to roam at large and owners can be cited.
To apply for a permit to purchase a handgun you must:•Be a resident of St. Anthony or Lauderdale•Be at least 18 years old•Fill out the appropriate paperwork; and•Pass all the background checks run on you as required by Minnesota State Statutes.For a permit to CARRY you must contact the sheriff's office in your county of residence.
If you reside in St. Anthony or Lauderdale, please complete the attached form. We request that you initial each bullet pointed item to acknowledge that you have read the requirements. Return the completed form in person or email to email@example.com. Once the background check is completed, we will need to see your driver's license (to confirm your address) and either your passport or birth certificate. If you have any questions contact our office at 612-782-3350 during business hours.
RAMSEY COUNTY'Under age 16Home by 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Any DayAges 16-17Home by 12 a.m. until 5 a.m. Any Day
The St. Anthony Police Department will no longer distribute police patches to patch collectors. Patches are official symbols of the Department, paid for by taxpayers. The cost of patches, postage and time are prohibitive. For these reasons, we are unable to honor requests for shoulder patches.


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- February 26, 2024
Robert "Bob" Hoffman, of Sarasota and formerly of Chicago, died Aug. 15.
Born June 28, 1927, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and graduated from Yale University in 1949.
Mr. Hoffman began his business career by participating in the Chicago Board of Trade and the Mercantile Exchange. He moved to Sarasota in the early 1970s and served as president of the board of Longboat Island Chapel, president of the Lido Shores Association and was on the board of directors of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
Mr. Hoffman and his business partner, Jack Shire, developed some of the first condominiums on Longboat and its surrounding keys, including St. Armands Towers, The Islander Club, Sea Gate Club and Islands West. Later, he developed manufactured housing communities in southwest Florida.
Mr. Hoffman is survived by his wife of 27 years, Judith; sons, William Hoffman, of Naples, and Robert Hoffman, of Orlando; daughters, Bonnie Waldron, of Fort Myers, and Amy Hoffman, of Sarasota; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service to celebrate Mr. Hoffman's life was held Saturday, Aug. 22, at Michael's On East, in Sarasota. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, Fla., 34238.


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Cigar City Brewing, Tampa
I recently gave a presentation at the National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego on aging beer on exotic wood, which covered Spanish cedar—they use it to construct the humidor boxes to age cigars and they also use it in the construction of cigar inserts. I also discussed lemon and grapefruit wood aging in the Dos Costas Oeste project we're doing in collaboration with The Bruery out of Placentia, CA. ["Two West Coasts," since both breweries are on the west coasts of their respective states.]
Do the woods have some of the character of their respective fruits?
They do, but they're muted. One of the things I like about them is that they can add tart and sour flavors to the beer without actually having to use wild yeast like Brettanomyces or Lactobacillus bacteria, so you don't have to worry about infections in the brewhouse, or having to isolate things. And the pick-up time is much shorter. It just gives you a few more options without having to get stressed and pull your hair out.
I know that cedar is traditional in sake aging. Apart from Dogfish Head using palo santo wood, I haven't heard of anyone experimenting with other woods besides oak. Are you a lone pioneer?
I'm pretty sure there are other people that are using this wood. The Hitachino classic ale is not the same wood—that's actually cedar. What we use is called Spanish cedar, scientific name Cedrela, but it's actually a type of mahogany. I don't know of anyone else using it on a commercial level. But last year's NHC [National Homebrewing Competition] winner came down here to our brewery and we gave him wood spirals and he ended up winning for his Spanish cedar-aged IPA.
What does Spanish cedar add to a beer?
You get white grapefruit, cedar wood, white pepper, a slight clove note and more nuances. You have to taste it for yourself. Those four are the main flavors.
Are you actually using vessels made from these woods?
No, the problem with vessel construction is, first, it's very expensive to have cooperage for barrels like this. Second, the chemical compounds in the wood will diminish over time. And you risk infection every time you re-use the barrel. Third, and one of the most important things, these woods may not have the porosity of oak; it might just leak liquid and not be able to hold it. So we conduct our process in stainless steel.
The main beer we use in this process is our IPA; since it is an IPA, we don't want any excessive oxidation. The hops work really well with the white grapefruit that the wood provides. I used it in the Humidor IPA, and entered it at the GABF [Great American Beer Festival] in 2009, and it won a gold for Wood- and Barrel-aged beer.
Any extra legal hurdles with U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau?
They wanted label approval for any type of wood contact with the beer. So we do have to submit a statement of process.
You seem to have a food lover's approach to beer.
I agree with that. I was trying to teach myself gourmet cooking when I stumbled across craft beer thanks to a friend and I thought it was really cool. This was back in the early '90s. At the time I was working in restaurants as a cook, bartender or waiter—always in contact with the food industry. For Christmas one year, I was given a copy of Charlie Papazian's book. I started reading through it and just fell in love because it was so similar to what I was learning about cooking.
You join a small number of brewers who come into brewing via the culinary route. That's a different approach to brewing and recipe design.
Even when I was homebrewing, I tried to implement different ideas that tied cuisine and zymurgy together. It's a really cool way to look at it. When you look at all the grains, all the hops and all the yeast strains as different raw materials, and consider all the processes you can use to change those things, to me, it's similar to the raw materials used in cooking. Another thing is that you can have a theme or idea. One of my concepts was to research Mayan chocolate production and learn how to implement that in our imperial stout, so it's harmonious. We ended up developing it, and it's turned out to be sort of like our Dark Lord that we release once a year.
What's special about the chocolate?
Historically, Mayan chocolate came from cacao beans and took a great deal of processing. They had to grind the cacao beans on a stone mill, like you would mill corn. It would take hours. It was a drink that was only for royalty, so there's a lot of romance around it. They'd put chili peppers into it for a little heat and character. They felt it was invigorating and a gift from the gods. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, What if molé wasn't quite as savory? What if it was more like dessert? So it was a combination of ancient Mayan chocolate production and a dessert molé, and I sort of laid it into our imperial stout. It worked out pretty well.
Do you still have a strong interest in cooking?
I do, but I live in a condo, so I don't get to do it as much as I like. I really like grilling, too. I have a 5-month-old son; between my girlfriend and me working full time and taking care of him, there's not that much time to cook.
You worked at Foothills Brewery here in NC?
I've been here since March 2008, so that was 2007. We still stay in touch. That was the only job apart from my original apprenticeship where I worked as assistant and not head brewer.
Could you please shatter any prejudices our readers or I may still have about Florida and craft beer?
Things are definitely changing down here. I don't know if we were partially responsible and I don't really care, as long as it happens. We continue to see people who are planning to open new breweries, and they discuss their concepts with us. You've got small breweries down in southeast Florida, like Funky Buddha—they're making, like, maple bacon porter and peanut butter and jelly sandwich beer; all kinds of interesting things.
A close friend who used to work here now works for a larger brewery that's been around the state of Florida for a long time. He said that they have hired a young brewing staff and they're designing a new product line that is more modern. That alone says a great deal about how things are changing in the state of Florida.
You have Bold City Brewery in Jacksonville and Intuition Ale Works; there's a small start-up that's going to be taking place before the end of the year in Tallahassee. Even the large distributors—the Anheuser-Busch distributor in the state of Florida is building a remarkable portfolio. They're bringing in Green Flash and Firestone Walker, so it's getting better and better here.
It's funny. The state is cursed with a reputation for bland beer, which often goes with a hot climate, but you've got a really rich culinary culture. Floridians aren't afraid of big flavors!
I think it's been the same old model, the same old assumptions. Then people saw how well we were doing with something they didn't think would work down here. If you look at craft beer here, the industry is growing so fast that it's impossible to find used equipment. Even in this economy, we're doing really well as an industry. That's phenomenal.
If people like characterful food, there's no reason they wouldn't like beer with character, too.
There's a mishmash of cultures here. Sometimes tourists don't get to experience it, because they'll come down here and they'll hit Disney, and that's not what the real Florida's like.
Have you taken inspiration from Latin culture?
We make a guava saison. The Cubans make a guava tart, so we decided on a saison. And we do a brown ale that has Ivory Coast cacao nibs in it, a small amount of Madagascar vanilla bean and Cuban espresso roast. The Cubans were in poverty when they arrived in Florida. Part of the history of Cuban espresso is the fact that they make really concentrated coffee. They usually use the lower grade bean, and they'll roast the heck out of it. Then they use it to make café con leche, which is espresso mixed with a little heavy cream that has been steamed. The smaller beans have a higher concentration of caffeine, so for very little money they could get this hefty dose of caffeine and a full-flavored espresso. So that's what we're trying to reflect as well. It's not only culinary background; it's history as well.
Cigar City makes deliberate connections with brewing history in Florida.
Not just brewing. We've referenced gambling rings, prominent characters from the Tampa area, Native American tribes—whenever we can, we try to grasp onto something from our history.
What are you working on right now?
We're doing a French oak-aged American porter that will be going to a Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club.
We've got the first beer in the three beer series for the Dos Costas Oeste project with The Bruery in Placentia. It's high gravity Belgian ale that's golden in color, with secondary on sweet orange peel, coriander and threshold levels of ginger, and aged on Spanish cedar. Then the second and third beers in that series will be the same base beer but one aged on grapefruit wood and one aged on lemon wood. Once we tie up the three threads that will be the end of that project. The idea is to let consumers taste the same beer with three different woods, and see what each wood does.
The whole project started in 2009 when we did our first collaboration with The Bruery, our first collaboration anywhere with anyone. Our first beer was Marrón Acidifié, which is a high gravity oud bruin that was aged in barrels for a really long time. It was brewed in 2009, and it wasn't released until April of this year.
We've also got a beer we're going to call Big Dummy. One of our senior brew staff members, every time he makes a mistake—I don't know if you've seen Sanford and Son—but I tell him "You big dummy," like Fred Sanford would tell Lamont. It's basically a Belgo-American amber ale with Citra and Simcoe, fermented with 3711 saison yeast. It has three different types of Munich malt, a ton of melanoidin malt and pilsner malt as base.
Then we have another project coming up after that—it's called Black Whole. It's a tribute to an indie band out of Alabama; the front man is a guy I used to play with. We're trying to tie indie music and craft beer, because we feel they share the same amounts of their respective markets and they challenge the consumer. That beer will be a hybrid between an English porter and a Belgian double. We're going to ferment that with saison yeast as well.


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Show All Answers
Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by a breed of mosquito common to the southeastern United States and the tropics. It is not spread person-to-person. More than 100 million cases of dengue occur every year worldwide, with year-round cases in the Caribbean and South and Central America. Symptoms of dengue include high fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, backache, joint and muscle pains, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes rash. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek medical counsel, although there is no vaccine or antidote for dengue. Care procedures involve common treatments for severe flu cases.
Many people are infected and do not develop any symptoms, said Bob Eadie of the Monroe County Health Department. Others develop severe joint pain, which is why it is also sometimes known as "breakbone fever." People with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or congestive heart failure may be at increased risk of severe disease. Fatalities are rare; less then 1 percent of patients succumb to the disease.
It was likely brought to the island by either a resident or a visitor who traveled to a dengue endemic area, arrived in Key Largo and was bitten there by an Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is common to the Keys. The mosquito, in turn, transmitted the virus to other humans. There have been no reported cases that have originated outside of that area or the remainder of the Florida Keys, according to health officials.
People should not be concerned about visiting. There are no local, state or federal advisories discouraging travel to Key Largo or anywhere else in the Florida Keys. Many popular tropical visitor destinations are challenged with dengue year-round.
The emergence of these dengue cases reinforces the importance for the public to prevent insect bites and to take basic precautions to help limit exposure. To safeguard against the virus and ensure personal comfort, take preventive measures against mosquitoes:
The Keys have an aggressive mosquito abatement program and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is concentrating eradication efforts in the section of Key Largo.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a freshwater mosquito, so the best way to thwart the insect's spread and activity is to eliminate breeding venues.
More Visitor Safety information and mosquito protection/preventive measures can be found at https://fla-keys.com/visitor-safety/.


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Created by Jijith Nadumuri at 29 Mar 2010 16:25 and updated at 02 Apr 2010 11:00
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Section 74
LXXIV Damayanti said, O Kesini, go thou and learn who that charioteer is that sitteth by the car, unsightly and possessed of short arms. O blessed one, O faultless one, approaching him, cautiously and with suit words, make thou the usual inquiries of courtesy and learn all particulars truly. Having regard to the feeling of satisfaction my mind experienceth, and the delight my heart feeleth, I am greatly afraid this one is king Nala himself. And, O faultless one, having inquired after his welfare, thou shalt speak unto him the words of Parnada. And, O beauteous one, understand the reply he may make thereto' Thus instructed, that female messenger, going cautiously, while the blessed Damayanti watched from the terrace, addressed Vahuka in these words, O foremost of men, thou art welcome. I wish thee happiness. O bull among men, hear now the words of Damayanti. When did ye all set out, and with what object have ye come hither. Tell us truly, for the princess of Vidarbha wisheth to hear it'
Thus addressed, Vahuka answered, the illustrious king of Kosala had heard from a Brahmana that a second Swayamvara of Damayanti would take place. And hearing it, he hath come here, by the help of excellent steeds fleet as the wind and capable of going a hundred yojanas. I am his charioteer. Kesini then asked, Whence doth the third among you come, and whose son is he? And whose son art thou, and how hast thou come to do this work' Thus questioned, Vahuka replied, He of whom thou inquirest was the charioteer of the virtuous Nala, and known to all by the name of Varshneya. After Nala had, O beauteous one, left his kingdom, he came to the son of Bhangasura. I am skilled in horse-lore, and have, therefore, been appointed as charioteer. Indeed, king Rituparna hath himself chosen me as his charioteer and cook' At this Kesini rejoined, Perhaps Varshneya knoweth where king Nala hath gone, and O Vahuka, he may also have spoken to thee about his master'
Vahuka then said, Having brought hither the children of Nala of excellent deeds, Varshneya went away whither he listed: He doth not know where Naishadha is. Nor, O illustrious one, doth anybody else know of Nala's whereabouts; for the king in calamity wandereth over the world in disguise and despoiled of his native beauty. Nala's self only knoweth Nala. Nala never discovereth his marks of identity anywhere' Thus addressed, Kesini returned, The Brahmana that had before this gone to Ayodhya, had repeatedly said these words suitable to female lips, O beloved gambler, where hast thou gone cutting off half my piece of cloth, and deserting me, his dear and devoted wife asleep in the woods? And she herself, as commanded by him, waiteth expecting him clad in half a garment and burning day and night in grief. O king, O hero, do thou relent towards her that weepeth ceaselessly for that calamity and do thou give her an answer. O illustrious one, do thou speak the words agreeable to her for the blameless one panteth to hear them. Hearing these words of the Brahmana thou didst formerly give a reply! The princess of Vidarbha again wisheth to hear the words thou didst then say
Vrihadaswa continued, O son of the Kuru race, hearing these words of Kesini, Nala's heart was pained, and his eyes filled with tears. And repressing his sorrow, the king who was burning in grief, said again these words, in accents choked with tears: Chaste women, though overtaken by calamity, yet protect themselves, and thereby secure heaven. Women that are chaste, deserted by their lords, never become angry, but continue to live, cased in virtue's mail. Deserted by one fallen into calamity, bereft of sense, and despoiled of bliss, it behoveth her not to be angry. A virtuous lady should not be angry with one that was deprived by birds of his garment while striving to procure sustenance and who is burning in misery. Whether treated well or ill she would never be angry, seeing her husband in that plight, despoiled of his kingdom, bereft of prosperity, oppressed with hunger, and overwhelmed with calamity' And, O Bharata, while speaking thus, Nala oppressed with grief, could not restrain his tears, but began to weep. And thereupon Kesini went back to Damayanti, and acquainted her with everything about that conversation as well as that outburst of grief
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