text:
Robbery investigation continues
The investigation continues into an armed robbery of a Pella bank Wednesday afternoon. Authorities are still searching for the woman who reportedly used a handgun to rob the MidwestOne Bank Branch Office at 500 Oskaloosa Street. According to the Pella Police Department, the FBI is analyzing all video tapes of the scene and the evidence collected from the crime scene has been submitted to the Division of Criminal Investigation for analysis.
A busy day for grassfires
A controlled burn got out of control Thursday morning at 1561 Lisbon Drive east of Knoxville, with no injuries. Knoxville Township Fire Department and Knoxville Police Department responded to the blaze and had it extinguished in minutes upon arrival. Pleasantville Fire & Rescue responded to a grassfire spanning multiple acres on 1134 40th Place. Also, the Knoxville Township and Indiana Township Fire Departments responded to a grassfire on the 1500 block of Quebec Drive, and Columbia Fire Department responded to a grassfire off of 120th avenue near Columbia.
Bank employees lauded for response
MidWestOne has received an outpouring of support in the wake of an armed robbery Wednesday afternoon. KNIA/KRLS News spoke with MidwestOne Bank Retail Managing Officer Margaret Ratcliff who says they've seen an amazing outpouring of support from their customers and other financial institutions. Pella Police Chief Michael Marcinkowski says bank employees did an excellent job and followed procedure. No one was injured in the robbery.
Court furloughs begin
The Iowa Supreme Court is ordering all court offices closed for select days in coming months because of an expected $3.8 million budget cut. The first scheduled furlough day is today: the state offices on the third and fourth floors will be closed, with the rest of the courthouse open as usual. In addition, the third and fourth floor courthouse offices will be closed at 2:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday beginning March 24th.
City Hall building sold
The former Pella City Hall is under new ownership. City Attorney Bob Stuyvesant says the sale has been completed and the conservation easement agreement recorded. The facility was sold to Horizon Distribution Inc. and it's unknown at this time what the new owners have planned for the old city hall at 717 Main Street.
City Council to discuss roll-off dumpsters
An ordinance amendment using roll-off dumpsters only from licensed residential city haulers could be heading to the Knoxville City Council. Knoxville City Manager Dick Schrad says the amendment suggestion followed discussion with a representative from one of the city haulers at the city council meeting this week. Currently non-residential licensed haulers are able to deliver roll-off dumpsters to residential areas.
Pella Cooperative Electric to hold annual meeting
Pella Cooperative Electric holds their annual meeting later this month. CEO John Smith says rural electric cooperatives face numerous challenges such as new environmental legislation and finding additional capacity to meet customer needs. Smith says Iowa needs additional generation as projections show that the state will be in a deficit mode for capacity by 2010, which means purchasing more energy on the open market. Smith says this leads to greater exposure to price volatility.
Legislation modifies absentee ballot procedure for election officials
County election officials would be required to count absentee ballots the day before the general election under legislation approved by the Iowa House earlier this week. Marion County Auditor Jake Grandia says the requirement could be a positive, because it would save the Office from counting absentee ballots on Election Day, as it currently does.
Pella League of Women Voters to hold State of the County event
Area residents can hear about the State of the County at a special event next week. The Pella League of Women Voters has invited the county supervisors, sheriff and auditor. The event is March 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pella Public Library.
Pancake breakfast to serve as fundraiser
Knoxville residents can enjoy an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast Saturday at Dyer-Hudson Hall from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for a Knoxville High School Bowling Team fundraiser. Tickets are $5 each, and available at Iowa State Savings Bank, from bowling team members and at the door.


text:
With advances in computing and sequencing technology, science has been riding the wave of the Human Genome Project, ushering in a new era where genetic information will greatly impact science, medicine and society. Anticipating this new era, Duke University developed a unique response to the Genome Age: The Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy.
Huntington F. Willard, the Nanaline H. Duke professor of genome sciences at Duke University, notes that genetics holds a certain kind of mystique for people that most other sciences do not have.
"I describe it as being similar to an expecting parent seeing their first ultrasound," he says. "It's just a fuzzy image, but it immediately evokes a sense of wonder about life. Genetics is like that; if I hand you a copy of your genome, you can look at it much like that developing baby. That's your code; your characteristics and traits, not to mention a snapshot of both your past and future— that's very powerful stuff."
And, in today's world, the idea of looking over your genetic makeup is not a far-fetched one. With advances in computing and sequencing technology, science has been riding the wave of the Human Genome Project, ushering in a new era where genetic information will greatly impact science, medicine and perhaps, most importantly in Willard's eyes, society.
Anticipating this new era, Duke University developed a unique response to the Genome Age: The Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy.
• • •
Willard, who moved to Duke in 2003 as the founding director of the institute, recalls an unusual moment back in his undergraduate days at Harvard in the early 1970s that set the tone for his future career. He was taking the biochemistry class that originally had been developed by James Watson. It was the usual hard slog for both premeds and pre-science majors, but what was unusual was that halfway through the semester, they suddenly stopped learning just hard-core science and instead read two novels: "The Double Helix" by Watson and "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis (about the life's journey of an up-and-coming scientist).
"It took me for a loop at first, but later, it really helped me put the science I was learning in the bigger context of what it meant to be a scientist, both in the world of science and in the world of society," he says. He kept that broader view throughout his career, as perhaps unconsciously reflected on his office shelves by a host of books on scientific ethics and philosophy that he has read over the years.
Therefore, he immediately was intrigued when he was approached by Duke almost nine years ago to head its new and unique vision for an interdisciplinary campus-wide institute that would bridge science and society.
"They basically gave me a blank piece of paper to work with and a license to be a bit schizophrenic, going back and forth between these two worlds," he says, "and I went for it."
And today, the IGSP has grown to include nearly 100 affiliated faculty members across the university, spanning virtually every sector of the campus. In addition to individuals in various science, engineering and medical departments, the IGSP boasts members from the departments of African and African American studies, philosophy, English and mathematics as well as the schools of business, law and public policy. This extremely diverse group works together under a tri-fold mission: to uncover the biology and evolution of our genome, to reflect on its meaning for individuals and to push that knowledge to the front steps of both medicine and social policy.
It's a steady climb that can be attributed to both nature and nurture.
Part of the ability for the IGSP to work, Willard notes, lies in Duke's DNA. It's a nationally and internationally known academic institution that has a strong academic reputation in multiple schools like arts and sciences, medicine, law and business, all nicely contained within a fairly compact campus where different disciplines spill over freely. "You have to look pretty hard to find boundaries here," Willard says.
At the same time, Willard has been instrumental in bringing the right personalities along for the ride for the past several years, whether they were pre-existing faculty or new hires.
"Sometimes, I've had to be blunt to prospective faculty," he says. "They had great credentials and skills but also had that tunnel vision about their own research, which wasn't the kind of personality we look for at IGSP. So, I'd tell them that I knew they would succeed in their career; it just wouldn't be here."
• • •
Assistant professor Laura Rusche is one of the scientists who took the IGSP bait; in fact, she was one of the trailblazers, arriving in 2003 as one of the IGSPs first external recruits following her postdoctoral fellowship with Jasper Rine at the University of California, Berkeley.
As she talks about her own work using yeast models to understand how DNA and various proteins assemble into discrete active and silenced chromatin domains, the view from her office provides a sense of the wide breadth of IGSP's scientific enterprise, which encompasses six component centers that study and teach genes and genomes from the molecular to the population level: genomic medicine, systems biology, evolutionary genomics, computational biology, applied genomics and technology and genome ethics, law and policy.
Directly across lies Linchong You, a biomedical engineer who designs synthetic gene circuits in bacteria to try to program specific cellular behaviors, while nearby sits the office of Greg Crawford, who has developed bioinformatics technologies that can identify DNase I hypersensitive sites (an indicator of an active DNA regulatory element) from potentially any species and cell type with a sequenced genome.
"It can be a little bit of a struggle for us to all come together because the perspectives of our members are so different— and we're all pretty busy— but we definitely have the opportunities and desire to forge strong and diverse relationships."
The opportunities arise from regular seminars, journal clubs and meetings that cover the wide breadth of this institute, not to mention the dozens of potential research collaborations. (And, if all else fails, Willard has been known to host dinners to directly introduce investigators who might need to get acquainted.)
Rusche has taken full advantage of this great environment in her own research. As a postdoc, she had worked with an unusual gene called SUM1, which coded for a promoter-specific repressor, and found that a single amino acid change created a mutant that could silence new and different regions.
"And, that got me thinking about where new protein function comes from," she says. "After I came here, I started talking with an IGSP colleague, Fred Dietrich, whom I was introduced to by Hunt over dinner during my interview. He has been characterizing the genomes of various fungi related to traditional yeast, spanning hundreds of millions of years of evolution. And, with that information, I've started looking at the evolution of Sir2 histone deacetylases, to see how function has changed over time."
• • •
Evolution is a vital component of the IGSP as well; even though the institute has grown to a sizable and sustainable level, Willard notes it's not a time to rest on one's laurels. "The genome sciences continue to advance at a rapid pace, and we have to move as well because if we're not climbing that mountain, we're rolling down the hill."
Keeping the momentum involves placing future bets and thinking ahead. That includes a strong emphasis on education, and, as such, the IGSP offers a number of options at the student level, from introductory courses for incoming freshmen to undergraduate summer fellowships featuring mentored research and engaging activities, to a certificate-level program, equivalent to a minor degree in genome sciences and policy (a comparable graduate level certificate currently is in the works, to broaden and connect the two doctoral programs the institute already offers).
On the research end, one of the most recent initiatives has been setting up a top-level proteomics facility, a commitment that reflects Willard's broad view that the genome sciences are much more than "just" DNA.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology member M. Arthur Moseley, brought into the IGSP in 2007 to head the new proteomics facility, compares this view with shining light through a diamond. "Depending on which facet of the diamond you look through, you'll see a different image," he says. "You need to see all of them to get a complete picture."
"Likewise, genes are only what might happen; messenger RNA is what is trying to happen; and proteins are what does happen. Only by looking at all the '-omic' technologies can we understand mother nature's subtleties."
In just three years, Moseley has built his core from the ground up— "literally," he says, "when I arrived, I didn't have a floor or walls or anything"— to feature six state-of-the-art tandem mass spectrometers and a dedicated team that now has supported more than 80 investigators (in the IGSP and Duke University at-large) and 180 projects.
The proteomics core is just one of several technology platforms established within the IGSP to expedite the genome-related research efforts of the institute. Under the astute operational eye of technology manager and fellow ASBMB member Thomas Burke, whom Moseley describes as the glue that holds the diverse IGSP platform technologies together, the institute offers services for DNA microarrays, genome sequencing, RNA interference screening and an extensive fluid and tissue biospecimen facility.
"The IGSP is the ideal environment for platform technologies at Duke," Moseley says. "Hunt created the infrastructure required to successfully deploy them to studies in basic and translational sciences, including a major investment in specialized IT infrastructure that enables user-friendly access to all the technologies."
And, although the various technology cores primarily are service facilities, they contribute much more than just running samples. "We provide opportunities for all the core directors to apply their interests to various research projects," Burke says. "We encourage them to meet with faculty, sit in on lab meetings and help implement methods or strategies to problems. We want our technology members to feel involved in the institute's mission."
• • •
Robert Cook-Deegan, who heads up the institute's Center for Genome Ethics, Law and Policy (GELP), echoes Burke's assessment. "A lot of schools say they have interdisciplinary institutes," he says. "But, I think it's a testament to Hunt and Duke University that we really strive for that here."
Cook-Deegan, a former physician and molecular biologist who switched to a policy career after doing an American Association for the Advancement of Science science and technology policy fellowship, highlights his own center in those feelings; despite being somewhat different than the other five IGSP centers in that GELP's mission is not focused around laboratory work— though his center does carry out independent research projects— he feels that GELP is given equal status with the rest of IGSP.
And, this is important, because among all of IGSP's parts, GELP provides that extra spark that helps make IGSP a unique fixture among academic centers.
"Duke certainly wasn't alone last decade in seeing that genomics was the next big wave barreling in to shore," Willard points out. "But, most research places seemed fixated on the impact of genomics strictly from a health and medicine perspective."
"We weren't going to try to out-Broad the Broad Institute," he adds. "So, instead, Duke saw an opportunity to carve out a niche in merging the genome sciences with genome policy."
For more information on regulating direct-to-consumer genome sequencing, see the feature article titled "The FDA versus Personal Genetics Firms" in this issue of ASBMB Today.
At GELP, Cook-Deegan and his colleagues, a group that includes individuals trained in policy, law, business, bioethics and genetic counseling, follow the IGSP motto of "Ask Big." Their goal is to analyze questions emerging from the world of genetics and genomics that matter in the real world— for example, how companies that offer direct-to-consumer genome sequencing should be regulated— to help people make better decisions. Given that genome policy falls under such a big umbrella, GELP has specialized in a few key topics such as intellectual property, informed consent and consumer genomics.
It's not a "think tank" per se, though Willard and Cook-Deegan hope that some of the research that comes out of GELP could be used positively by those in policymaking positions— and perhaps soon, for as big an impact as genomics has made the past few years, the next incoming wave is even bigger.
"As recently as a year ago, we only had a handful of complete human genomes sequenced," says Cook-Deegan, "but even now, scientists are sequencing hundreds every week, and all the speculation of the $1,000 genome is becoming reality."
"And, once that's completed, I think it will open the floodgates and completely change how we look at, interpret and value our genetic data."
More from the current issue

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Work at Roland Garros extended by a year
Work at Roland Garros extended by a year
Former rugby international Jean Gachassin also said that the cost of the work was now being estimated at 340 million euros ($444 million), up from the original figure of 273 million euros.
The stadium, constructed in 1928 and named after a famous French aviator, is sandwiched between the Bois de Boulogne and residential property on the western outskirts of Paris.
With the growing popularity of the French Open, staged annually in late May to early June, space has become a problem and the current plan, drawn up in 2009, is to increase the surface area from 8.5 hectares (21 acres) to 12.5 hectares Lights and a roof are also to be installed over the Philippe Chatrier center court and a fourth showcourt, also with a retractable roof, is to be built to the east of the present ground.
That would mean that three of the four tennis majors — the Australian Open, Winbledon and the French Open — all have retractable roofs on their center courts, leaving the US Open as the exception.
Gachassin told Tennis Magazine that efforts would have to be made by all concerned to find the extra financing needed.
"We have four difficult years ahead us and we will need to tighten our belts both at our headquarters and in the provinces. We have been taking advantage of what we have and now it is time to make efforts of our own," he added.


text:
The Andersonville Trial Continues Tonightby Karen Handley • September 29, 2005 Share:
The Wabash College Theater Department will present its first theater production of the season, The Andersonville Trial by Saul Levitt, which will run from October 5-8 in Ball Theater in the Fine Arts Center. The performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. each evening.
Click here to see photos from The Andersonville Trial.
The Andersonville Trial is a striking courtroom drama about a famous event in American history: the military trial of Henry Wirz, who was commander of the Confederate prison at Andersonville during the Civil War. Torn by awful memories and coldly pursued by his prosecutor, Captain Wirz maintains he ran Andersonville as a soldier acting under superior orders. The crux of this stirring play raises the question of when the responsibility of the individual to the conscience transcends any power of authority.
"The Andersonville Trial" is the pure and genuine quill of theatre, written to stand your hair on end." –Morning Telegraph
The cast list includes Wabash students: Peter Wagner as General Lew Wallace; Matt Olivarez as Captain Williams; Denis Farr as Otis H. Baker; Brandon Stewart as Lt. Col. N.P. Chipman; Aaron Mann as Henry Wirz; Ross McKee as Major D. Hosmer; Reynaldo Pacheco as Louis Schade; Danny Lippert as Dr. C.M. Ford; Richard Winters as Court Clerk; Jacob Peerman as Lt. Col. Chandler; Travis Mclaughlin as Dr. John C. Bates; Emanuel Harper as Ambrose Spencer; Dustin Foster as James H. Davidson; Matt McKay as Jasper Culver; Ian Bensberg as James W. Gray; Jonathan Grandoit as a Union Soldier; Tyler Williams as a Court Reporter; and Timothy Closson as a newspaperman.
Dwight Watson is the director. Scene and lighting designer is James Gross; costumes by Laura Conners; stage manager, Donald Claxson; and assistant stage manager, Nick Kraynak.
In 2005-2006, seating for Theater productions will be by general admission, though free tickets are required for Theater productions.
For tickets contact the Fine Arts Center Box Office by email at email@example.com; phone: 765-361-6411; or by mail at Fine Arts Center Box Office, Wabash College, P.O. Box 352, Crawfordsville, IN 47933-0352. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m. The box office will open 90 minutes before curtain time. Tickets not claimed at the Box Office 10 minutes prior to curtain will be released to the general public.
Other theater productions for the 2005-2006 season include: Studio One Acts: The Vietnamization of New Jersey on November 9-11; Churchill at Eight: Two Plays by Caryl Churchill on February 22-25; and The Braggart Soldier on April 19-22.
More News
- New Interdisciplinary Major Made Possible Through Walsh Endowment
- Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield Named Wabash Center Director
- Wabash Gateway Project Begins Construction
- GHI Experience Aids Jawed '17 En Route to Kenya
RelatedGet directions to Wabash College #GetLoc.LocationName#


text:
A pop hopeful who had been questioned about a rape allegation prior to trying out for The X Factor has been dropped from the contest.
The unnamed man, in his 20s, went to an audition for the ITV talent show last month attended by panellists Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Mel B and Louis Walsh.
Programme bosses have now decided he will go no further in the show and his performance will not be broadcast when the series is screened later in the summer.
The wannabe has been asked to step down after failing to declare that he had been quizzed in a police investigation when given the opportunity.
He is understood to have gone to police voluntarily and has not been charged with any offence. He has also denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for the show said: "In light of the situation and the ongoing police investigation it has been decided that it is best for the person in question to no longer be a part of this year's competition."
A programme insider said: "Contestants are asked as part of the application process to declare if they have any criminal convictions or if they have been arrested. The person in question did not make us aware of his arrest or the ongoing police investigation."


text:
Infographic: The Google Panda Update, One Year Later
One year ago, Google launched its "Panda Update" designed to filter low quality or "thin" content from its top search results.
Below, our infographic produced in conjunction with BlueGlass covers how Panda works, what it impacted and the various updates from Panda 1.0 through Panda 3.2 that have happened along the way.
After the infographic, you'll also find more information about the Panda Update ranging from in-depth analysis of how it works, "winners and losers" and well as recovery tips.
(Note: An earlier version of this infographic listed scraper sites as something targeted by Panda 1.0. That wasn't right, and we've updated the graphic to correct this).
Get The Infographic!
Want the infographic for yourself. You can use this embed code:
You can also copy the image from here for your own server. You're free to repost, as long as you link back to the original here in some way.
Learn More!
Want to learn more about the Panda Update and some of the things mentioned on the chart? Consider the stories we've grouped below.
Panda: The Timeline
- Panda Update 1.0: Feb. 24, 2011
- Panda Update 2.0: April 11, 2011 (about 7 week gap)
- Panda Update 2.1: May 10, 2011 (about 4 week gap)
- Panda Update 2.2: June 16, 2011 (about 5 week gap)
- Panda Update 2.3: July 23, 2011 (about 5 week gap)
- Panda Update 2.4: August 12, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
- Panda Update 2.5: September 28, 2011 (about 7 week gap)
- Panda Update 3.0 : October 19, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
- Panda Update 3.1 : November 18, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
- Panda Update 3.2 : January 18, 2012 (about 8 week gap)
Panda: In-Depth Analysis
- Google Forecloses On Content Farms With "Panda" Algorithm Update
- Google Speaks More About The Farmer Update, AKA Panda Update
- Panda 2.0: Google Rolls Out Panda Update Internationally & Incorporates Searcher Blocking Data
- Why Google Panda Is More A Ranking Factor Than Algorithm Update
- Google Panda Update 2.4: Panda Goes International, In Most Languages
- Taking a Closer Look at the Google's Panda 2.5 "Flux"
Panda: Winners & Losers
- Google & Bing Have "Won A Major Victory" Over Content Farms, Study Says
- Number Crunchers: Who Lost In Google's Panda Algorithm Change?
- Winners & Losers As Panda 2.0 Goes Global? eHow, Bing's Ciao.co.uk & More
- Demand Media: Panda's Impact On eHow.com "Significantly Overstated"
- New York Times: Yes, Google's Panda Update Hit NYT-Owned About.com
- Google Panda 2.5: Losers Include Today Show, The Next Web; Winners Include YouTube, Fox News
- Yahoo Deletes 75,000 Associated Content Articles, Moves Rest To New Yahoo Voices Site
- Google Panda Update Costs Demand Media $6.4 Million In 4th Quarter?
Panda: Recovery Tips
- Your Site's Traffic Has Plummeted Since Google's Panda Update. Now What?
- Hit By Panda Update? Google Has 23 Questions To Ask Yourself To Improve
- Lessons Learned at SMX West: Google's Panda Update, White Hat Cloaking & Link Building
- 5 New Tactics For SEO Post-Panda
- Can You Dig Out Of Your Google Panda Hole By Offloading To Subdomains?
- Yet More Tips For Diagnosing & Fixing Panda Problems
- Google: Low PageRank & Bad Spelling May Go Hand-In-Hand; Panda, Too?
More SEO Information
- What Is Google PageRank? A Guide For Searchers & Webmasters
- 21 Essential SEO Tips & Techniques
- Resources: What at Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization?
- Video: What Is Search Engine Optimization?
- Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors
- Search Engine Land's Guide To SEO
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
We're listening.
Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.


text:
HMS Victory 1778
HMS Victory, the most famous ship in the history of the Royal Navy, is best known as Horatio Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. Today Victory is docked at Portsmouth and as flagship of the Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.
Laid down in 1759 Victory was a First Rate, the most powerful type of ship of her day with three gun decks mounting 100 guns. The Royal Navy had always built very large ships to fight major fleet battles. In contrast the French and Spanish navies did not build First Rates until after the end of the American War of Independence in 1783. Victory was launched in 1765 but was not commissioned until 1778. This long period of weathering meant her timbers were well seasoned and was a major reason for her long life.
In service for almost forty years, Victory was well known for her excellent sailing qualities and served as the flagship to a series of distinguished Admirals including Kempenfelt, Howe, Hood, Jervis and Saumarez. She fought at Ushant in 1781 and St Vincent in 1797. In 1797 she was pronounced unfit for further service and orders were given for her conversion into a hospital ship. However the loss of First Rate ship HMS Impregnable in 1799 saw the decision reversed and what became the 'Great Refit' took place at Chatham between 1800-1803.
Victory's most famous Admiral was Horatio Nelson who flew his flag from her between May 1803 and October 1805 as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. For eighteen months Nelson blockaded the French fleet under Admiral Villeneuve in Toulon.
In March 1805 Villeneuve's fleet slipped out of harbour and Nelson chased it to the West Indies and back without meeting it in battle. The French ended up being bottled up in Cadiz harbour in Spain and when they set sail for the Mediterranean on 19 October Nelson aboard Victory was waiting.
On 21 October 1805, Victory led the British fleet into battle off Cape Trafalgar against the Franco-Spanish force; at 1148 the most famous signal in the history of the Royal Navy, 'England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty' flew from her masthead.
Victory first engaged the French flagship Bucentaure followed by the Redoutable. Nelson was shot by a French marksman from the Redoutable at the height of the battle and died at 1630 when victory was assured. Out of a crew of 821, Victory had 57 men killed and 102 wounded demonstrating the serious nature of the fighting.
After further service in the Baltic and off the coast of Spain, Victory was put into reserve in 1812 in Portsmouth. Flagship of the Port Admiral from 1824 she became flagship of the Commander-in-Chief in 1889. She entered her present dock in Portsmouth on 12 January 1922.
|Period in service:
|1778 - 1812
|3,500 tons
|69m / 226.6ft
|15.7m / 51.10ft
|Lower gun deck
30 x 32 pounderMiddle gun deck
28 x 24 pounderUpper gun deck
30 x 12 pounder (long)Quarter gun deck12 x 12 pounder (short)
2 x 12 pounder (medium) 2 x 68 pounder carronade
Notes: The carronade was a short heavy gun which fired a large quantity of shot at short ranges. At Trafalgar Victory's carronades were loaded with a 68 pound ball and 500 musket balls which were fired with devastating effect into the stern of the French flagship Bucentaure.
See News for articles on HMS Victory.
Further reading: Non-RN HMS Victory Website


text:
As Jeremy, Richard and James found out, Rallycross is (a) a form of mixed-surface motorsport contested solely by people called Gary, (b) cheaper than a set of posh golf bats, and (c) a bloody good laugh.
But now Jean Todt has given the raucous Rallycross circus the green light to go global, with the series running as an FIA World Championship for the first time this year.
This has watered down the Gary-quotient quite considerably. Names on the driver roster this season include former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, former WRC Champion Petter Solberg, BTCC Champion Andy Jordan, DTM Champion Mattias Ekström, GRC Champion Toomas 'Topi' Heikkinen and X-Games Champ Liam Doran. Not too shabby.
With this year's F1 rules taking the pinnacle of motorsport into a new, more efficient, quieter direction (providing plenty of kindling in our comments section) - there's never been a better time for Rallycross, to quite literally bring the noise. And trust us, it does.
For the uninitiated, Rallycross (or RX, if you're down with the kids) is a circuit racing mixtape of all the best bits of motorsport blended together.
The top tier cars are 600bhp four-wheel-drive monsters cloaked in carbon fibre silhouettes of everyday superminis like Citroen DS3s, Peugeot 208s, VW Polos and Audi S1s. It's quite obvious they're not your everyday city cars as soon as drivers line up on the grid. With a flick of a switch and a hefty prod of the throttle, turbos spool up and anti-lag systems kick in, filling the track with a din like an arson attack on a firework factory. Then, with the release of a handbrake, 0-60mph is hit in 1.9 seconds, pace that'd leave Lewis Hamilton's F1 car lagging behind.
But the start is just the, erm, start. Once the pack of seven cars has completed the drag race to the first corner, they have to get round it. Which is an entertaining affair as the cars are set up for bumpy gravel sections and smooth tarmac. This means they wobble round on their axles like jelly on a Power Plate, cocking wheels as they shift from power understeer to power oversteer while belching flames out of the exhaust onto the bumper of the car behind.
With just four to six laps to a race depending on the circuit, the racing is insanely action-packed. And, as you can see here, potentially very crashy.
No surprise it's a sport that's drawing in more spectators by the year. RX events are now beamed into the televisions of some 816 million homes in 100 countries, making the sport very attractive to manufacturers and brands.
This year, Ford, VW and Peugeot are backing teams, and big sponsors like Monster, Red Bull and Total are getting on board - bringing lots of cash into the sport. But, being relatively cheap by top level motorsport standards, veterans of racing like Petter Solberg and Mattias Ekstrom are going rogue and setting up their own Rallycross teams.
TG visited the Franciacorta circuit just outside Milan to see some of this year's cars put through their paces for the first time. As you can see from the photos, this was no gentle shakedown. Largely because Gigi Galli, the most outrageous sideways showman to ever pilot a rally car, was in charge of the course design. This resulted in one thing: BIG, chassis-bending jumps. Lots of them.
If you're in the Milan area in September, we'd highly recommend visiting the Italian leg of the RX championship. Don't worry if you can't, though. Now RX is a World Championship, it's easier for you to get your old school racing fix as it ventures outside of Europe for the first time. Canada, Argentina and Turkey have now been pinned on the map, and there are 12 races in total, hopping from France, Norway, Sweden, Belgium and Germany, to Lydden Hill back here in Blighty on 24th-25th May.
But don't worry. Just because there are big brands, drivers and publicity, the RX organisers don't plan to throw out the beers and burgers in favour of champagne, caviar and helicopters.
Understanding where Rallycross has come from, and that privateers have kept it afloat, the people pulling the puppet strings of RX have pledged to keep it true to its roots. Which is a good thing.
So if you're baffled by the new rules and lack of noise (and indeed jumps) in F1, we'd recommend checking here to see if there's an RX round near you. Trust us, you won't regret it.
Still not convinced? See what Jacques Villeneuve has to say in this exclusive interview.
Pictures: Rowan Horncastle


text:
NEW YORK -- Michael Vick is back with Nike more than two years after the company severed ties over the quarterback's involvement in a dogfighting ring.
The managing director of the agency that represents Vick announced the deal Wednesday while participating on a panel at the Sports Sponsorship Symposium. Michael Principe of BEST referred questions to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, who said:
"Mike has a longstanding great relationship with Nike and he looks forward to continue in that relationship."
Segal would not reveal terms of the agreement.
"Mike has had a great relationship with Nike and is excited to be part of the Nike team again," Segal said.
The deal is the latest step forward for Vick as he seeks to rehabilitate his career and his image after serving 18 months in federal prison. On Sunday, Vick played his first regular-season game since December 2006.
The former Atlanta Falcons star signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 13. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave him his full reinstatement Sept. 3, saying he could return to the field in Week 3.
Vick participated in 11 plays, accounting for 30 total yards, in the Eagles' 34-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, as Philadelphia tries to use him in a variety of ways as a backup.
Nike, which signed Vick as a rookie in 2001, terminated his contract in August 2007 after he filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in the dogfighting ring.
Vick agreed to a $1.6 million deal with the Eagles, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. The club has received little backlash -- protests have been limited, and the Eagles' sponsors have stood by them. That experience could make companies less wary about adding Vick as an endorser, though the biggest determinant may be no different from any other athlete: how well he performs on the field.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press


text:
What was the message of Tuesday's elections? Clearly the base voters of both parties are unhappy and looking for change. Incumbents are at risk. Politics as usual is unappealing.
Conservatives in both parties are spinning this as a protest vote about deficits and spending. But voters are angry not because of abstract deficits. They are angry because the record deficits come as Wall Street was bailed out and jobs are still scarce. Independent voters rail about spending, but their anger is less about size of government than about competence and corruption, a government suborned by special interests that doesn't work for them.


text:
Roadchef Hamilton Motorway Service Area - 20% Off
Avg. Saving £5.80*
* average saving based on two adults and two children
9 members have claimed this offer
- people are currently joining Kids Pass
- Over a million Kids Pass Members are saving thousands of pounds on 5000+ family offers
- Save up to 40% off at cinemas nationwide, including adult and child tickets seven days a week
- Access to thousands of exclusive family friendly offers
- Enjoy thousands of "Kids Eat Free" offers
- Free App for Android and iOS to make saving even easier
More About This Offer
20% OFF at Fresh Food Cafe, Costa, Chozen Noodle and Restbite at Roadchef service areas
Roadchef operate 30 service areas across Britain and offer you brands such as, Fresh Food Café - if you are looking for food that is freshly prepared, tastes great and offers great value, we have food to suit all tastes throughout the day and kids can eat for FREE too, Costa - where you can enjoy a great range of authentic coffee drinks and deliciously tempting food while you're on the move, Chozen Noodle - for a healthy, tasty Asian experience enthused with fresh ingredients or Restbite - who have been serving the needs of the British motoring public for over 35 years, with traditional hot dishes, snacks and healthy options.
Terms and Conditions
1.20% discount is only applicable upon presentation of the offer on the Kids Pass App and/or Kids Pass membership card at any Roadchef service area when an order is placed. 2.Discount only applies to Fresh Food Cafe, Costa, Chozen Noodle and Restbite in the main amenities building and excludes branches of these brands outside of Roadchef Service Areas where applicable. 3.20% discount is not valid in conjunction with any other offer or promotion including, but not limited to, the 2 for £12 meals. 4.Discount is limited to 6 customers travelling together and paying in a single transaction. 6.All food & drink items are subject to availability. 7.Roadchef reserves the right to withdraw this offer without prior notice. 8.Promoter is Roadchef Motorways Ltd, Roadchef House, Norton Canes MSA, Betty's Lane, Norton Canes, Cannock, Staffs, WS11 9UX.
Address and Contact Details
- Hamilton Motorway Service Area, M74 Northbound, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, ML3 6JW
- Opening Times: See website for details
- 01543 272 540


text:
So sad when non-thought-through actions taken result in a needless death and a judicial outcome without a morality base that leaves many questions unanswered for the public-at-large.
So sad when non-thought-through actions taken result in a needless death and a judicial outcome without a morality base that leaves many questions unanswered for the public-at-large.
In my lifetime I cannot recall any incident that continues to be this upsetting and unnerving. It takes one back to the period, when Christ walked this earth, to demonstrate that group mentality still reigns not withstanding apostolic leadership over centuries.
Is there a pattern of regulations adopted, nationally or statewide, by volunteer Neighborhood Watch Groups whereby any police instruction, regarding �the chase� cancels the act of pursuit about to be performed by a vigilante? If the pursued is presumed a threat to the neighborhood, by a vigilante, does not the one pursued have the same rights of self-protection under these circumstances, when innocent, or until proven guilty, in the courtroom?
How can only one member of what had turned into a two-party-action-threat event leave an unarmed participant dead from a gunshot wound to his heart without considering that this innocent person, presumed to be a threat to the neighborhood, by a Watch Vigilante, was just a teenage kid walking home with soda, candy and a cell phone, as companionship, and became scared.
To charge a jury with a verdict of manslaughter, or anything else, in consideration of the evidence through the lens of personal fear-of-life without stipulating that his presumed predator, upon awareness of being followed, also had a personal fear of life, from an unknown party behind him. Was the jury instructed to consider the fact that his policeman collaborator had given this vigilante instructions not to proceed with the chase and to get into his car and leave? Were the facts restated that he was unarmed and that the only �given� of neighborhood predator in this pursuit event was a presumption, by an armed vigilante, that this FIGURE, hood up to protect from the rain, was a threat to this neighborhood?
Everyone who cares that justice and morality as an equal partnership under the law prevails needs to write letters and to contact your legislators at all levels as well as your clergy.
Jane Coogan, Fairfield Harbour


text:
AZ Disruptor Companies Announced
It was 5 months ago on January 14th when I posted Let's Get This Party Started, AZ Disruptors' first post announcing our Software Incubator and the construction of an additional 6,000 sq ft space adjacent to Axosoft's offices bringing our total office space to more than 12,000 sq ft.
In those 5 months, we've finished the construction of the new office space, hosted a number of lunch events, talked at numerous local tech gatherings, exposed a local tech company accused of text message scams and brought together 15 great local tech startups for the AZ Disruptors Pitch Day.
The Pitch Day proved to be a huge success. In front of a packed house full of angels, entrepreneurs and techies, each of the 15 startups showed their stuff. There was quite a bit of surprise in the room as to the quality of the companies that were presenting. Most people didn't think such companies existed in Arizona.
We plan to change that perspective. There is a tremendous amount of great talent here. All they need is the support systems to help make software startups more successful.
Of the group of 15 startups that pitched, we are excited to announce two that will be joining the AZ Disruptors incubator:
|Blogic.com - Blogic is a blogging engine for companies that already have a web site and want to add a blog that matches their current web site design. Users can provide Blogic with the URL to their current web site and Blogic will magically create a blog that mimics the look, feel and navigation of their existing site within seconds. There is a real need out there for such a service. We currently have this problem for both of our companies, Axosoft and TransferBigFiles.com. Adding a blog that looks like your existing site can be a huge pain and we think Blogic is going to be in high demand once it makes its service public. Right now, they are taking email addresses for those who want to be first to take advantage of the private beta when that becomes available. When blogic presented at the Pitch Day, the tentative name was Nounc'd.
|MemberDesk - Provides simple web site creation for anyone wanting to sell monthly subscriptions of content such as eBooks, video, newsletters, etc. The software makes the management of such a web site and the collection of recurring monthly subscriptions super easy. MemberDesk already has a V1 product with dozens of paying customers, which is a fantastic place to start. We think the demand for this type of service is going to continue to raise as more and more content providers want to have subscription based revenue streams for their services (rather than one-time payments). MemberDesk is already signing up customers.
Some of you might be asking "what happened to having 5 startups in the incubator?" The answer to that is a combination of factors which included:
- Lack of readiness to commit full-time
- The need for at least one technical co-founder
- Poor timing for some of the startups
Of our final 15 pitches (remember, we started with 58 applicants), we liked and approached 7 startups: MemberDesk, Blogic, ScratchAudio, EventDay, Convrrt, NextSlide and GiveTheOK. We still think these 7 companies have tremendous potential. Obviously, we are super excited about the two we brought into the AZ Disruptors incubator, but we'd also like to support the others and give them the props they deserve.
Over the next several months, we expect to have more lunch events and we will soon open up applications for our second class of AZ Disruptor companies. In fact, we've put together a promo video this time:
Watch AZ Disruptors Promo Video on YouTube
Thanks to everyone who's helped us get this far. This has truly been a community effort! A special thanks to our judges for Pitch Day: Francine Hardaway, Greg Head, Jim Goulka, Mike Wolf and Steve Zylstra. They took time out of their busy schedule to help get the ball rolling on building a stronger startup community in Arizona.
Stay tuned for our next event (subscribe below to get notified):


text:
Production Manager is very similar to another occupation for which we have
a full profile.
Check out our full profile for:
Set and Exhibit Designers
Design special exhibits and movie, television, and theater sets. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.
Art and Exhibits Director
Art Coordinator
Art Director
Design Chief
Display Coordinator
Display Designer
Exhibit Designer
Exhibit Preparator
Exhibitions Curator
Food Stylist
Historical Society Window Dresser
Installations Designer
Manager, Exhibits
Miniature Set Designer
Museum Curator
Presentation Specialist
Production Manager
Room Designer
Scenic Designer
Set Decorator
Set Designer
Show Design Supervisor
Stage Scenery Designer
Stage Set Designer
Supervisor, Scenic Arts
Television Scenic Design Supervisor


text: Toulouse, June 12th 2009, the IGE+XAO Group announces: In the first nine months of 2008/2009, IGE+XAO reports a 3.5% growth in turnover, with this year's figure of 16,447,850 Euros as compared to 15,895,542 Euros the previous year. Over the third quarter turnover reached 5,483,024 Euros, a growth of 1% (+1.5% at constant exchange rate). The good performance of the business is all the more significant as it was achieved during a period of serious deterioration in the world economic situation, with a noticeable impact on the software market.


text:
DJ Khaled rounds out the list of new artists to be announced for the upcoming game along with Danja and Nitti Beats, two producers that are creating exclusive beats for Rapstar's freestyle mode.
The full list of new tracks Def Jam announced today:
-- Diddy (Featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim & The Lox) "It's All About The Benjamins" (Remix)Def Jam Rapstar is being developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. The game is set to ship on October 5.
-- DJ Khaled (Featuring Akon, T.I., Rock Ross, Fat Joe, Baby & Lil' Wayne) "We Takin' Over"
-- Method Man (Featuring Mary J. Blige) "You're All I Need/I'll Be There For You"
-- Nas (Featuring Diddy) "Hate Me Now"
-- Nelly "Hot In Herre"
-- Public Enemy "Fight The Power"
-- Yung Joc (Featuring Nitti) "It's Goin' Down"
Sharkey says: The announced track list so far makes Rapstar a treat for old school hip hop lovers. And the more big-name producers the developer announces for the game's freestyle mode, the more I think this game might just become a surprise hit and a mini studio for wannabe emcees.


text:
Goat Milk Cheese Recipes
Grilled Nectarine and Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe
I love grilling fruit. The natural sweetness creates a caramelized crust while slightly softening the texture of the fruit. Stone fruits in particular work very well. And since I just bought a bunch of white nectarines, I decided to have some fun with them and make sweet and savory appetizers.
I chose nectarines that were ripe but still a little firm, and threw them briefly on the grill. I wanted to make sure they didn't become watery and mushy. Fruity, sweet flavors pair incredibly well with goat cheese, so I nestled the grilled nectarine wedges on thin slices of chèvre and a slightly toasted brioche.
To finish the appetizers, I drizzled the nectarines with date syrup and added a sprinkle of finely chopped garlic chives and flat-leaf parsley. They're very easy to assemble and would make beautiful appetizers for your next summer party!
Full Recipe...


text:
Find Your Perfect Home.
Kent City Real Estate
Kent City is located in Michigan. Kent City, Michigan has a population of 1,102. Kent City is less family-centric than the surrounding county with 32.46% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 33.22%.
The median household income in Kent City, Michigan is $37,273. The median household income for the surrounding county is $52,716 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Kent City is 31.4 years.
Kent City Weather
The average high temperature in July is 82.9 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 17.2 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 36.6 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
View Homes for Sale in Kent City
Kent City Map
Real Estate Near Kent City
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Kent City Zip Codes


text:
Financing Your Education
Here at the International Culinary Center, we recognize that the challenge of funding your culinary education can seem intimidating, even if you know it'll be a great investment in your future. But the fact of the matter is that a majority of the students attending career programs rely on financial aid to attend the International Culinary Center, which means you don't have to let money stand between you and a first-rate culinary education.
Your Financial Aid Options
In these pages, you'll find information on a variety of financial aid and scholarship options available to those students who qualify. Though we've compiled this information as a helpful resource, we recommend that you speak directly with one of our financial aid advisors before beginning the process. They'll help you determine your eligibility for aid and offer tips on submitting forms and paperwork
Most students finance their educations using a combination of resources. Federal funds give eligible students access to Pell Grants and Direct Stafford Loans, as well as parent loans. International Culinary Center's FAFSA Code is 025754. Awarded on the basis of financial need and career goals, scholarships are another useful funding source available to assist students with meeting tuition requirements. Finally, special sources of federal and state funding exist for specific groups that include veterans, New Jersey residents, and individuals eligible to participate in vocational rehabilitation programs.
We're Here to Help
Our dedicated team of financial aid advisors can help you identify the sources of funding that will work best for you and offer guidance as you navigate each step of the application process. You may also use our financial net calculator to estimate the cost of attendance.
Please keep in mind that to secure a seat in your desired class, the financial aid process must be completed 60 days prior to your class start date. Therefore, we encourage you to contact us right away to get started with an advisor.


text:
Watch CBSN Live
The Whistle Activity Monitor -- and now Whistle GPS -- enable pet owners to track key indicators such as activity and rest, then wirelessly sends that information to a connected app on their smartphone, says Whistle co-founder and Head of Product, Steve Eidelman.
Read more: Wearable tech for pets? Devices are not just for humans anymore
Credit: Whistle
WhistleGPS adds location tracking in case your dog is ever lost. Small amounts of data are transferred at low power using SIGFOX technology, says Whistle co-founder and CEO Ben Jacobs.
Read more: Wearable tech for pets? Devices are not just for humans anymore
Features include: the Activity Graph, which shows how much play, exercise and rest your dog gets daily and over time; remote monitoring, which allows you to stay connected to your dog while away on vacation, at home or at work; additional people can be designated as "owners," allowing for communication about pets with loved ones. The battery lasts for a week without needing to be charged, the company says.
"Whistle's system is designed to seamlessly integrate into daily life, as something you would want to return to regularly throughout the day to get insight into your pet's day and share special moments with your social networks," said co-founder Steve Eidelman.
Tagg - The Pet Tracker has nationwide location tracking, which allows owners to pinpoint their dog's exact location on a map. Using either a smartphone, computer or the Tagg mobile app, owners can get directions and bring their lost dog home.
Credit: Tagg
Not only a pet tracker, Tagg also features activity tracking, which includes data like a pet's daily activities, activity trends, total hours active and a 90-day activity timeline.
Owners get a text or email if their furry friend leaves the designated "Tagg zone." They also get an alert when the battery is low. The battery can last up to 30 days, but actual battery life will vary based on usage frequency, according to the company's website.
The company says the Tagg pet tracker is optimized for pets that weigh 10 pounds or more and fits easily on most existing collars. It can be attached to a harness for smaller animals.
FitBark is the world's smallest wireless activity tracker for man's best friend, according to the company's website. Available in blue, pink, green, gray and red, it attaches to your dog's existing collar and collects physical activity and rest levels. The base station (pictured) allows for multiple dogs to sync their data to FitBark's servers.
Credit: FitBark
Dogs can't talk and don't usually carry smartphones, so FitBark's mobile app allows owners to monitor their activity progress, including the time they spend at various energy levels, and gives access to breed-specific guidelines. The app also allows for real-time updates using the base station.
In order to keep everyone in the loop, FitBark app features include a family messenger, a to-do list and a journal, and it allows for sharing on social media like Facebook and Twitter. It even compares the human owner's physical activities with their canine.
One in three pets will go missing in their lifetime, according to PetHub. The PetHub ID allows for easy access to a lost dog's information. Owners set up a free online profile with their pet's information and designate a QR code to access that information. If their pet goes missing, a smartphone could be used to easily scan the code -- located on their tag -- and help find their way back home.
Credit: PetHub/Lorien Clemens
No smartphone? No problem! Each PetHub ID comes with three ways to find a lost pet: a scannable QR code, a 24/7 "Found Pet" telephone number, and a unique web address, which all link to the pet's online profile.
For paid premium-level protection, the company offers PetHub Alerts, in which owners can report their pets missing on the website, notifying shelters in any specific areas; tag-scan notifications, in which owners are notified when their pet's ID gets scanned; and a GPS map that allows owners to see where their lost pet's ID has been scanned.
Credit: PetHub


text:
There has been much ado lately among the Very Smart People about the last minute avoidance of the Fiscal Cliff over which our entire economy almost fell, and, coming soon to a television screen or website near you, there will be much more ado about the dreaded Debt Ceiling, which must somehow be raised or paid for or else calamities of Biblical proportions will ensue.
The drama will unfold, with the D-Team and the R-Team staking out their positions, while our President heroically seeks a Grand Bargain to save the Nation from financial Doom. The Chattering Classes will excitedly chatter, the fans of the Red and Blue teams will exhort their heroes to stand firm, the High Priests of Finance and Investment will solemnly warn that their wealth must increase while the rest of us must sacrifice for the Good of the Nation. At the last minute a Deal will be cut, and a bit more of the remaining Social Democratic safety nets will be sacrificed upon the altar of Capital.
And, barring some fluke, the Denver Broncos will win the Super Bowl.
More importantly, the greatest transfer of wealth from the greatest number of people in the richest society the human species has ever seen to less than 1% of its population will continue unabated. We are in the midst of the greatest con game in the history of the planet. The players on stage are our elected representatives, but the directors of the play meet privately in sumptious comfort in corporate boardrooms, and dangle awards of wealth and power to those same representatives, who will in the end do the bidding of their masters in hopes of becoming masters themselves one day.
The Revolving Door between so-called public service and private gain continues to spin.
The oligarchical predators, like vampires of myth, will continue to suck the wealth and life out of the rest of us in order to increase the value of their assets on their glowing balance sheets, and the fools who wish to have the chance to emulate them will cheer them on in the futile hope that they, too, can become a vampire some day. Other fools, desperate to hold on to what wealth they still have, will convince themselves and try to convince the rest of us that this is just the best we can do, to grow up and live with it, because this is the Real World, you know, and if we say that it need not be so, that we are obviously insane.
Still other predators and fools will prate about some magical platinum coin that will save the Realm if only the President will deposit it into the Treasury, or cite the 14th Amendment's clause that the full faith and credit of the United States must never be questioned, like an evangelical Christian sending up prayers to God to not send any more tornados to her trailer park in the midst of Tornado Alley this spring.
Which brings me to the point: our entire financial system is faith-based. Our currency, our savings(if we are lucky enough to have them; I for one, have a whopping $5.95 in my savings account), our pensions, our 401K's, our Social Security and Medicare, only exist because we believe in their value. None of it is based on anything real and tangible. They are just numbers on computer screens.
We The People have allowed a bunch of sociopathic con artists and hucksters to take real power, and they are using that power to use our government to enrich themselves at our expense. There's a word for that system.
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because both believe in advancing corporate interests by the use of State power." Benito Mussolini said that, and he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Unfortunately for our ruling class of sociopathic con artists, hucksters, financiers, and politicians, the system they have set up to enrich themselves can only last as long as most people believe in it. Sooner or later, a child will point out that the Emperor has no clothes, or Dorothy will pull back the curtain and see Oz for what he really is. Then, they can only hold on by force of arms, and the problem with that is that the police and the military, the FBI and CIA, are people, too.
So what can we do? Well, we can shout the truth.
As Tears for Fears sang, "Shout, shout, let it all out! These are the things I can do without."
Sooner or later, this whole con game will fall apart. It is up to us to build something better, something fairer, something more just, something more honorable, something that will preserve the planet instead of destroying it.
That's it. Rant over. Have a nice day, and Go Broncos!
Precisely accurate, yet . . .
A lot of good people like to think of themselves as level-headed, smart, informed, above the momentary sway of emotions. Such people automatically dismiss such writing as this as extreme and therefore automatically biased and incorrect. It is ironic that such people refer to others as ideological. The sad truth is that, as the author states, we are seeing lying, illegality, and a transfer of wealth of historic proportions, all done with the full aid of a president considered by many to be a champion of the causes he actively undermines.
I do not share the belief that people can wake up to the reality of it all. There are many reasons for my pessimism, most of which relate to the general atmosphere we live in. Even were people to wake up, the forces arrayed against us are well-entrenched, powerful, and ruthless.
For the sake of the record, here are some facts supporting the contentions of this essay. There are many others, but this one is simple to glance through. Here are the first four:
Amount by which the annual tax bill of the richest 1 percent of Americans would have increased under President Obama's original proposal to resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff" crisis and prevent automatic deficit-reducing spending cuts and tax hikes: nearly $10,000
Amount that the last-minute fiscal deal approved this week by Congress lowers the income-tax bill of the average 1 percent family: $17,840
Percentage increase in payroll taxes that every U.S. worker will have to pay as part of the deal, regardless of income level: 2
Extra amount that a worker earning $50,000 a year will pay as a result: $1,000
Thanks. I'm used to being dismissed as extreme, though.
Ezxellent peice
Oh and shared with Chris Hedges
I agree with everything
Thanks. As far as the Super Bowl goes...
ha! I was thinking
I do. A little. I'm a football fan. I enjoy watching it. Besides
Great rant
"What is so nearly lost to us--the dignity of man"
I am thinking along those same lines, cmaukonen. I just asked elsewhere whether fish can learn to be aware of the water they swim in. I see degeneracy everywhere I look, much of it considered just clean fun or boys being boys. Do people imagine that people in admittedly degenrate societies, such as the late roman empire, as being aware of their own degeneracy? It doesn't work that way.
As Harold Pinter put it,
When we look into a mirror we think the image that confronts us is accurate. But move a millimetre and the image changes. We are actually looking at a never-ending range of reflections. But sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror - for it is on the other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us.
I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory.
If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man.


text:
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Blackberry Pie
I'm not a big fan of fruit pies. Mostly because I'm not a fan of pie crust. Weird, right? I know. I've never been accused of having normal tastes! That being said, I decided to try a lattice top. Please excuse how poorly it turned out! It was my first try, and I let Thing 4 help me with it. Yeah, we'll blame it on the kid. Sounds good to me! And since I don't really make fruit pies very often, I don't have a good recipe...just some guidance from my gut.
You'll need:
2 pie crusts (I cheat...Pillsbury does a great job making refrigerated pie crusts)
Berries to fill the pie
A few tablespoons of sugar
A little bit of flour
A few pats of butter
1 egg, or a bit of milk to brush on top of the pie
Place first pie crust on bottom of pie plate and push all the way down...but don't smash it into the pan!
In large bowl, carefully mix berries with a few tablespoons of sugar and a little bit of flour or cornstarch to thicken it up. Fill pie.
Add a few pats of butter to the top.
Either place second pie crust on top, or cut into strips and weave onto top.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top shell with either an egg well beaten, or a bit of milk.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then at 375 for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool completely. Cut and serve!
Find Other Great Recipes At These Places Where I Linked Up This Post!
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday at the Table
11 comments:
- Ott, A. said...
The Lattice Pie crust is really pretty and flatters that pie nicely. p.s. did I read the word "can" in there?????
- July 27, 2010 at 9:10 PM
- Jen said...
Yes, you did! I've been a canning fool! But don't worry...you'll be able to see all the posts in August. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
- July 27, 2010 at 9:30 PM
- Megan said...
I'm a firm believer that fruit and vegetables should not be a part of any dessert but I think your pie looks lovely!
- July 27, 2010 at 9:33 PM
- Jerri said...
Great looking pie! I think I would have to cheat with the Pillsbury crust too!
- July 27, 2010 at 10:00 PM
- Tanyia said...
looks yummy, I am like you, I do not really like pie crust either, and I always use pilsbury I never bother making my own, my poor Nana would roll over in her grave!
- July 27, 2010 at 11:14 PM
- Diane said...
hmm yummy!
I'm your newest follower =)
- July 27, 2010 at 11:18 PM
- Jacqueline said...
Looks so great. I thought I already commented. I followed you over from FMBT. I am your newest follower. Come over for my first giveaway.
- July 27, 2010 at 11:29 PM
It looks wonderful! I grew up having a supply of blackberries in my back field. I miss them. My mom would make blackberry cobblers. Easier than a pie crust!
- July 28, 2010 at 12:30 AM
- Tamar said...
Oh I love pies. looks yumm, thanks for the recipe!
got here from the Lady Blogger Tea Party. nice to meet,
- August 3, 2010 at 9:09 AM
- even-star said...
blackberries are almost ready here. Can't wait for pie!
- August 6, 2010 at 7:35 AM
- Fab Find Foodie said...
LOVE your blog!! I'm your newest follower. :)
- August 9, 2010 at 11:19 AM


text:
Adventurers - Pathfinders (517) 316-1570
The Pathfinder Club is a worldwide organization sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nearly 2 million young people in grades 5 to 10 are members. The club is open to all in those grades who are willing to live by the pledge and law.
To access the local webpage for the Pathfinder Clubs and Resources, see Michigan Pathfinders.
Many children around the world have discovered one of the most fun clubs ever created for them. The Adventurer Club is designed to strengthen parent/child relationships by providing specialized weekly activities, tuned into the psychological needs of this age group. These activities also give parents opportunities for learning parenting skills and enjoying hands-on activities with their children. To access our local webpage for the Adventurer Clubs and Resources, see Michigan Adventurers.
Craig Harris is a husband, father, and grandpa who has worked in youth ministries for over 25 years. As an ordained minister, he serves as the Associate Youth Director for the Michigan Conference with an assignment as the Director of the Adventurer and Pathfinder ministries. Pastor Harris believes that all young people need to be properly discipled to be sacrificial workers for Jesus Christ and His mission. He endeavors to inspire, educate, motivate, and support the youth and their leaders in this discipleship process. He is available to come to your church or school to support your leaders, parents, and youth with family worship ideas, teen hands-on training for local church and community, dads and their daughters, or anything relating to youth and family ministry. He and his wife Janie have been married for 30+ years and have two married daughters and one grandson. In his spare time, Pastor Harris likes to hike, golf, read, and play cool yard games.


text:
I just signed up to receive e-mail updates on the progress of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). If you want to see how USDA is moving along with BCAP, sign up at www.fsa.usda/gov/energy. For techies, you can even follow Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs now at Twitter.
USDA recently proposed two alternatives for implementing BCAP. While the survey deadline is now past, you may still want to make your voice heard at your county FSA office. http://FarmEnergy.org will be publishing results later this month.
The reason you might want to contact USDA is that in USDA's Alternative A—Targeted Implementation of BCAP, government payments would be limited to provide some risk mitigation for growing crops while Alternative B—Broad Implementation of BCAP would allow payments to completely replace lost potential income from non-BCAP crops.
See "What do you Think About BCAP?" at http:FarmEnergy.org to see the other differences between the two plans.
BCAP provides financial assistance to producers or entities that deliver eligible biomass material to designated biomass conversion facilities for use as heat, power, biobased products or biofuels.
The FSA will initially provide financial assistance for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation costs of biomass. Producers will be eligible for up to a dollar per dollar match, up to $45 per dry ton, for the value of the biomass delivered to a designated biomass conversion facility for up to two years of payments.
If a producer is paid $30 per dry ton for the biomass by the conversion facility, the producer would be eligible for a $30 per dry ton payment from the FSA for the costs associated with collecting, harvesting, transporting and storing the biomass.
FSA recommends that producers check back frequently for updates. The agency will publish a fact sheet, application documents and a list of participating facilities in the coming weeks.


text:
It was during the March Sugar Moon when the 4,000 enrolled members of Michigan's Little River Band of Ottawa Indians learned 30-year casino veteran Wendell Long was heading north to manage their gaming enterprise.
Long, Oklahoma Choctaw, is now officially the general manager of Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan.
"I'm proud and honored to join this team, and together we can look forward to achieving great things," he said after Rose Ludden, chair of the tribal Board of Directors, gave him the official Aanii Kina Gwayawelcome.
"Wendell's expertise, strategic leadership and education will provide the specialization required to manage the tribe's continued growth and success," Ludden told Indian Country Today Media Network via email.
Long recently departed his CEO position at the by the Pascua Yaqui-owned Casino Del Sol and the tribe's original Casino of the Sun, both in Tucson, Arizona. He held that position since 2006, becoming the longest-tenured Indian gaming CEO in the state. At the desert facilities, Long was responsible for a $100 million Triple-A Four-Diamond Resort with 1,500 slots, a dozen restaurants, a 5,000 seat amphitheater and a championship golf course, collectively staffed by 1,400 employees, many of them tribal hires.
The Little River Casino Resort along the shores of Lake Michigan will provide a different set of challenges. Long will oversee a team of 900 at a resort that in 2010 made $20 million in gross revenue through its 300-room luxury hotel, a 1,600-seat event center, three restaurants and an RV park, as well as an expanding collection of slot machines (currently 1,700) and 40 gaming tables.
After being on the property less than a week, with his bags still unpacked, Long observed: "This is a beautiful property in a beautiful area of the country with some of the most dedicated and hardest working employees I've seen in my 32 years in this business. Things are currently well run here, but that doesn't mean we can't make them run even more smoothly."
The tribe, headquartered on some 1,200 acres of reservation land, represents nine villages or bands of the original Grand River Bands. Relatively unknown to the general public for a long time, their popularity began to grow once the Little River Casino and Resort opened its doors in the summer of 1999.
"This Casino Resort is one of the finest in the country, and I'm proud and honored to be joining their team," Long said in a tribal press release. "Together, this team can look forward to achieving great things."
In a phone interview with ICTMN, Long noted his immediate priorities would be to continue improving an already loyal customer base. The overall mission ahead will focus on improving the customer experience with a few tweaks here and there. "No major changes are needed," Long said, "just some fine-tuning to get the whole property in sync. When you take little pieces to improve the property by a small percentage, pretty soon that turns out to be an appreciable change."
One area the new general manager will be involved in is litigation between the tribe and the National Labor Relations Board involving both jurisdiction and Fair Employment Practices, the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively. "It's important for our tribe to let other tribes know what we're doing," Long says, noting, "A lot of money is being spent litigating—not just for ourselves, but for all tribes."


text:
J.D. Power And Associates Recognizes Verizon Wireless For "Highest Call Quality" In A Tie In The Southeast Region, Including Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Verizon Wireless tied for the top ranking in the Southeast Region, which includes Alabama, in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study(SM), Volume 2, issued today.
More than 26,595 wireless phone subscribers nationwide were surveyed by J.D. Power and Associates between January and June 2010 about their experiences with dropped calls, static/interference, failed connection on the first try, voice distortion, echoes, no immediate voice mail notification, and no immediate text message notification.
"Our customers in Alabama expect the best from Verizon Wireless," said Jeff Mango, president, Georgia/Alabama Region for Verizon Wireless. "We consistently invest in our network throughout the state to ensure that we anticipate customers' needs today and in the future and continue to provide our customers with the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network."
Verizon Wireless has the largest and most reliable wireless 3G network coverage area in the United States. Verizon Wireless offers its customers the ability to browse the Web, download and play music, watch streaming video, send e-mails with attachments, download and play 3D games, video conference with contacts and share files at 3G speeds in more locations than any other carrier.
Verizon Wireless' "most reliable wireless network" claim is based on network studies performed by test men and test women. These engineers conduct more than 3.5 million voice call attempts and more than 19 million data tests annually on the Verizon Wireless network and other national wireless carriers' networks while traveling almost 1 million miles across the nation.
Each year, Verizon Wireless aggressively invests billions of dollars in its network to stay ahead of the growing demand for the company's voice and data services. Verizon Wireless' ongoing network investment now totals more than $60 billion nationally over the past ten years.
For more information visit www.verizonwireless.com.
About Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.


text:
Premier League: Kevin Phillips hopeful on new Crystal Palace contract
Kevin Phillips hopes to be given a Crystal Palace deal and is aiming to become the oldest Premier League scorer.
Last Updated: 23/06/13 8:45am
Phillips is currently a free agent after spending the end of last term on loan at Crystal Palace from Blackpool.
He scored the winning goal for the Eagles in their Championship play-off final victory over Watford and talks have taken place over a new contract to keep him at Selhurst Park for the 2013/14 campaign.
The veteran striker, who turns 40 next month, is hopeful an agreement will be reached and he is confident he still has something to offer at the highest level.
He told Sky Sports News: "At the end of this week I will start ticking over and getting ready for pre-season, and hopefully that will be with Crystal Palace.
"We're in conversations with them. The chairman and the manager have been away on holiday and it is only really in the last few days that we have made contact, but I spoke to the gaffer a couple of days after the play-off final and he made it clear that he wanted me to stay.
"Hopefully we can get it sorted in the next week so that I can report back with the rest of the lads. It is an exciting season ahead and to be a part of that would be fantastic."
Phillips admits that one final year in the Premier League would be a perfect swansong to his career, and he is targeting a record currently held by Teddy Sheringham.
Asked what continues to motivate him, Phillips added: "The buzz of the game. It is all I have ever known and all I've wanted to do. When the enthusiasm goes it will be time to call it a day.
"Physically I still feel fine. I can still do a job and the manager believes that as well.
"If I can play in the Premier league next season, that would certainly be the time to call it a day. To finish at the top would be fantastic.
"There are a couple of records that I'd like to break still. I'd like to be the oldest Premier League scorer - I know Teddy Sheringham is at the moment but I've made it clear to him that I'd like to break his record."


text:
He sings in the shower. He sings in the car. He signs while making beer.
Branden Miller, however, had never sung on stage until eight weeks ago after being encouraged to enter the Second Annual Cortez Idol competition. He was shocked after winning the contest Wednesday night before a standing-room only crowd at Blondie's Trophy Room.
"Holy cow," he said moments after receiving a $1,000 prize and a trip to Las Vegas.
Miller said he never envisioned winning the competition when he auditioned against 60 other contestants in January. The hardest aspect of Cortez Idol was singing in front of hundreds of strangers.
"Getting up on stage, that's tough," Miller said. "To keep the butterflies in check, I simply focused on my daughters' faces."
The head brewmaster at the Main Street Brewery in downtown Cortez, Miller and his wife, Jolynn, have five daughters. One was recently diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid, which caused her heart rate to soar to 160 beats per minute while she was sleeping.
"We had to air lift her to Denver," Miller said. "Most of the $1,000 will go toward her medical bills."
With a play list of 150 songs on his music player, Miller said he "loves to sing." His passion was evidenced through his stage presence and crowd interaction, both of which helped separate him from the rest of the competition, said Cortez Idol judge Jill Carlson.
"This year was the first time a male contestant moved past the first round, and now a man has won the competition," Branden said.
Carlson was one of four judges, who scored singers on musicality, originality, stage presence, crowd appeal and marketability. An audience favorite, which included an online poll and ballots cast on Wednesday, was also used to determine the winner. Miller collected 40 percent of the audience vote.
The contest was modeled after the hit television show, American Idol. It started in January.