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EDMONTON - With their playoff hopes virtually ended, Edmonton head coach Ralph Krueger said the Oilers must use their final six games to learn valuable lessons for the future.
The day after their sixth straight loss, Krueger admitted the team "still didn't have the foundation" to truly be a playoff team this year and the players now must focus their attention on upcoming seasons.
"It's now having to understand what we do in this final stretch, this is very, very important for us heading into the future," the first-year head coach said Thursday. "To play teams that are division champions, three of them … is a huge test of our character. It's going to be very important to look these division champions in the eye and try to understand in every single game what we're missing. And try to play these teams even up.
"We have the opportunity to really learn lessons that will take us into the summer so we can begin immediately, one day after the season, working on where we can get better, what is this gap (between themselves and division champions) about."
The Oilers were in eighth place and riding a five-game winning streak two weeks ago but have lost their last six to fall to 12th in the western conference, eight points out of a playoff spot. They travel to Denver to play Colorado Friday night before returning home for four of their final five games, four of those against division leaders Vancouver, Anaheim (twice) and Chicago.
Edmonton's home record is the third worst in the NHL at 8-8-4.
Coming after the Oilers appeared on its way to achieving a major goal of making the playoffs, the losing streak has been shocking for the players and the coaching staff.
"We were totally on plan at Game 35," Krueger said. "You get to Game 35 everything worked out, with all the setbacks we had …. so to be where we are today is why it's difficult to regroup. We reached quite high, from 29th place, to truly believe the possibility of making the playoffs and to have that taken away the reality is extremely painful. And it should be painful and we should feel that."
Krueger said it's vital the players and management figure out why they were a playoff team at the 35-game mark and also-rans six games later.
"What happened to us, why didn't we have the energy to sustain that? Why didn't we play those games in Vancouver and L.A. at a different level and figure out what that gap is, how we can close that gap?"
Shawn Horcoff and Ryan Smyth have suffered through the agony of a lot of Edmonton's non-playoff seasons — this will be their seventh straight — and both admit this may be the most disappointing of them all.
Horcoff, the team captain in his 11th season with the Oilers, said this year has "probably been the toughest because we were right there six games ago."
Horcoff admitted part of the reason for the current losing streak is partly because the Oilers played top-tier teams — Vancouver, Anaheim and Los Angeles — and then couldn't recover from the shock of losing all three games and seeing their playoff hopes fading.
"We played some good, playoff teams, league leading teams," Horcoff said. "They upped their game and we couldn't find a way to respond to that."
The team captain said the players' attitude is that they want to finish the season strong but because there's been such a "mass disappointment, a huge emotional let down. We've had trouble getting over that."
Smyth, a 16-year NHL veteran — 13 of those with Edmonton — said the finish is particularly disappointing "because of the assets we have here."
"We thought we were a playoff type of team and not to be there is so disappointing," he added.
Also Wednesday, the Oilers agreed to terms with Yale Bulldogs right-winger Andrew Miller on a one-year entry level contract. He led Yale this season with 18 goals and 41 points and was named Ivy League player of the year.

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Lately I've been getting back into the garden only to find that I no longer have the option to grow more gardens in-ground, and so I've been playing around with my container gardens more and more. They're easy: I can move them, and I know exactly how much water and nutrients the plants receive. Container …
containers for container gardening
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text: Mine is my middle shelf too. I'm glad you said that because my mam thought I was being weird and fussy so I showed her your post to prove that I'm not the only one! Thank you!22.FireandIce wrote:I have a favorite section on my bookshelf (the middle shelf) with all my harry potter books and Twilight books. It's quite the sacred area.


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Can POTJ Bespin Guard qualify, figures that are 4 years old should get some special award, like EpI Maul...Pegwarmer of the Decade perhaps?
Quote from: OCB on May 6, 2004, 01:34 PMCan POTJ Bespin Guard qualify, figures that are 4 years old should get some special award, like EpI Maul...Pegwarmer of the Decade perhaps?No kidding!Woodbury TRU still has at least 20 each of PotJ Bespin Guard and PotJ Duros. They've been there for 4 years! And they are still asking $5.99 for them!Are they high? I kept going in there expecting them to be fdown to $0.90, but everytime I went, they were $5.99 still.Maybe not Pegwarmer of the Year, but definately deserve a lifetime achievement award of some sort...Jeff
The new Hoth Rebel Soldier seems to be hanging for quite some time too
Both of these figures are still useful, however.
Quote from: Dressel Rebel on May 6, 2004, 01:53 PMBoth of these figures are still useful, however.Well, feel free to come and get them then! If they are so "useful" then why are they still around? Seriously though, I purchased an extra Ellorrs Madak to customize Baniss Keeg waaaaaaaay back in 2001 when Target and Wal-Mart had enough sense to clear them out. I also purchased 3 more Bespin Guards to customize (Black, White, Alien) way back in 2001 too when they went on clearance.I refuse to buy 4 yr old figures for custom fodder, especially when they are still $6! If TRU would only mark them down to $2, I'd gladly add two more Bespin Guards to my Army, along with picking up a few Duro for Jedi/Alie customs. I'm just not gonna pay $6 per figure though...Jeff
Quote from: OCB on May 6, 2004, 01:47 PMThe new Hoth Rebel Soldier seems to be hanging for quite some time tooI don't even know how this figure made it to production. It's about 1" too short, the face sculpt is awful, no useful arm articulation.I think it's one of the top 10 worst figures ever.
The biggest pegwarmer around here is Ack Med Beq. I hate that guy.
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As Oscar host Seth MacFarlane is surely learning Monday, helming the annual awards ceremony dwarfs all other challenges. Rescue hostages from under the nose of armed revolutionaries? Piece of cake! Free American slaves amidst a young nation's bloody civil war? In my sleep!
But host a three-hour industry telecast to the satisfaction of a global audience of a billion and counting? The faint-hearted need not apply.
Mr. MacFarlane, the creator of Fox's "Family Guy," has been criticized for making sexist, racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic jokes (does this miss any groups?) as well as general bad taste and lousy clock control (the show ran until midnight EST, a half hour over schedule).
But pop culture audiences seem to be as divided as political ones. According to Fizziology, a social media research firm, 13 percent of Facebook and Twitter users discussing the show ranked MacFarlane as "the best host ever." And early Nielsen ratings show the broadcast up nearly 20 percent over the 2012 show with some 37 million US viewers.
But there is one question that all Oscar viewers are asking: Will he be back?
Not if the Academy is a tad more careful next time, suggests Thelma Adams, Yahoo! Movies contributing editor. The "central conundrum" is having a show that remains true to its film industry audience.
"Watch an episode of 'Family Guy' and you'll know it's not a good match for Hollywood honchos sitting in stiff chairs in tuxes and tiaras," she says. The first thing to acknowledge is that the audience inside the Dolby Theater, where the show is held in Hollywood, "is a tough and tense crowd."
There are several groups on whom MacFarlane's humor was wasted.
Gwendolyn Foster, a film professor at University of Nebraska at Lincoln, says her female students were "appalled" at what they consider MacFarlane's outdated and sexist routines.
"Everyone agrees it was like watching an old sexist 'Dating Game' episode," she says via e-mail. "Seth McFarlane was as smarmy as the host of the 'Dating Game,' which is perfect because the Dating Game, if memory serves me, was on during the Vietnam War, when many Americans preferred to bury their heads in the sand and pretend the war was not happening, or pretend the war was a good thing."
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued its own rebuke of MacFarlane's bit in the guise of his animated Teddy Bear persona, the main character in his 2012 film, "Ted." A computer-animated Ted, presenting with actor Mark Wahlberg, made the joke that Jews controlled Hollywood, and that being Jewish was required to work in the industry. "I was born Theodore Shapiro and I would like to donate to Israel and continue to work in Hollywood forever," he said.
"While we have come to expect inappropriate 'Jews control Hollywood' jokes from Seth MacFarlane, what he did at the Oscars was offensive and not remotely funny," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, in a statement. "It only reinforces stereotypes which legitimize anti-Semitism. It is sad and disheartening that the Oscars awards show sought to use anti-Jewish stereotypes for laughs.
Others argue that the flap around MacFarlane's performance is exaggerated.
"Seth MacFarlane is getting a bad rap from critics who can't take a joke," says Carole Lieberman, a Los Angeles-based psychiatrist who specializes in the media.
"He was risky, risqué and riotous," she says via e-mail. And while he stepped a bit over the line, "he was a breath of fresh air to an otherwise safe awards show. The audience needed to sit back and relax and laugh at themselves and their colleagues a bit, instead of hiding behind their own press releases touting their perfection."
Dr. Lieberman says MacFarlane won't be asked back, because the Academy will "keep looking for an impossible combination of someone new who's funny enough, but doesn't offend anyone."
Unless the Academy finds a younger audience, the telecast will become increasingly insignificant, says Susan Mackey-Kallis, a communications professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
"Whether or not Seth MacFarlane is the answer to the Academy's dilemma about maintaining their older more traditional audience while capturing the hearts and minds of the younger generation remains to be seen," she says via e-mail. What is certain, she adds, is that the days of the show being hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopie Goldberg, "or fill in your favorite over-50 star – are long gone."
The Golden Globes' hosting duo this year may be a better guide for the Academy, says Paul Levinson, media professor at Fordham University in New York.
"The Academy can appeal to younger audiences, with edgier content, while maintaining its broad demographic appeal as a family show," he notes in an e-mail, adding that it's a question, as always, of finding the right hosts.
"Certainly, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler accomplished that at the Golden Globes," he says.


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Part III of Spring Break installment For the final leg of our adventure west of Finland, we journeyed up to Oslo, the capital city of Norway. Hopping on an overnight ferry out of Copenhagen, we cut our way up into the choppy North Sea and awoke in the early morning to watch Norwegian Fjords pass... View full entry
A new adventure begins as we finish one chapter; we hope to share our story with you. We are graduates of Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.


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Hundreds of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the northern Jordan Valley this week, as the Israeli army conducts what local media has deemed to be unprecedented military drills around villages near Tubas.
The military drills, which began last Sunday, have brought a large number of Israeli military vehicles into villages east and south of Tubas. The Jordan Valley Solidarity group estimates that hundreds of tanks, helicopters and heavy machinery have been moved into the area.
The training exercises, which are taking place in one of Israel's many closed military zones located in Area C, have displaced over 60 families according to solidarity activists in the area.
Activists told Ma'an News Agency that, so far, 18 families have been displaced from the village of Khirbet Humsa, 30 families from Hammamat al-Maleh, five families from Fruth Beit Dajan and 13 families from Ibziq.
Israeli military officials reportedly forced villagers from some of the farming communities in the area to sign papers one week ago obliging them to leave their homes from May 3 until May 7, while other communities in the al-Hadidya area have been put on standby to be evacuated, signaling the length of the military drills in the area is undetermined as of yet.
Villagers told Ma'an that if they refuse to evacuate the area during the drills, the Israeli army will destroy their homes.
"Either they leave or are forced to leave," Sarah Cobham, a volunteer with JVS told Ma'an News Agency from the village of al-Hadidya.
"When people have to leave their homes they are given no support, so all they can do is stay with other people they now in the area and find people to help look after their animals. There is no compensation," she said.
Cobham said that smoke, explosions and the sound of gunfire fill the area, and as tanks and military vehicles launch artillery fire in the area, the farming and herding based communities are left to worry about their crops and livestock left behind—the primary source of income for most families.
Just last month, on April 28, more than 3,000 dunams of crops and trees in the area were destroyed after a fired broke out due to military drills. About a week later, on May 4, more than 5,000 dunams of land were burnt near al-Hadidya, again due to military training, solidarity activists reported.
This week's military drills reportedly involve over 50 tanks and heavy artillery fire. The troops have reportedly set up targets throughout the area, especially in the village of Bardala, for military aircrafts to bomb, and residents are expecting severe damage to crops and the natural landscape.
Cobham, the solidarity activist, was in one of the villages that was forcibly evacuated at the beginning of the week. She said the atmosphere was "very, very tense," and that families were "extremely angry" and worried about what will happen to the property.
"It's about the uncertainty in peoples' lives. They don't know how long the training is going on for, or if or when the road will be blocked, or when they can move. That's a major party of the impact," she said.
"This military training right next to Palestinian homes is clearly part of the [Israeli] occupation's attempts to pressurize (sic) people to leave their land."
Annexing the Jordan Valley
The Israeli military has long used the Jordan Valley for training exercises, but since 2012, they have been on a marked rise. According to activists working with the Jordan Valley Solidarity group, this type of military drills are just one of many tools used to forcibly displace rural Palestinian communities, and are a part of a larger, on-going process of annexation by Israel's military of the valley.
The Jordan Valley makes up about a third of the occupied West Bank, and 88% of its land has been labeled as Area C—meaning it falls under full Israeli security and administrative control. It has long been a strategic area of land for the Israelis, land that is very unlikely to return to Palestinian control.
Co-funder and director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Jeff Halper, told Ma'an News Agency that ever since 1948, Israel has vied the Jordan Valley as its "security border." Under this guise, he said, there is no chance, even within the framework of a two-state solution, that it would revert back to Palestinian control.
"The Jodan Valley is special in that it is seen as central to Israel's security and from that point of view its non negotiable. There has been a process of Judiazation and it has largely been de-populated of Palestinians," Halper said.
Before Israel's occupation of the West Bank in 1967, according to Halper, nearly 250,000 Palestinians lived in the Jordan Valley. Today, that number has been reduced to little more than 50,000, that majority of whom live in Jericho.
According to a report by Ma'an News Agency, "Mass house demolitions, settlement construction, and the establishment of Israeli agricultural production zones have essentially replaced the Palestinian population, with any remaining land declared as closed military areas."
Halper argues that Israeli military activity in the area has always been a cover for displacement. "Over time they will pass the land over to settlers. It's a layered process."
The unpredictability of training drills and army movements in the Jordan Valley leaves the local Palestinian community constantly anxious about future displacement, be it temporary or permanent.
According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Palestinians in the Jordan Valley are one of the groups most vulnerable to displacement.
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My nephew MAY be the cutest child on the planet. (or... he IS.)
I know, I know. Everyone says their baby is the cutest. But he is DANG cute. I have to say my older nephew was a SUPER cute one too... must be the genes!
I do, however, feel that this may curse me with a scary, alien-like baby who people refer to as "a sweet spirit" rather than an adorable child.
Happily I tell you that both of my nephews have sweet spirits and super-sweet genes that make them look like they are destined to be heart-breaking young chaps.
I'll post some pictures of the Dashielly Dash when I get back from Vegas. And I realize I haven't had hardly any pictures of my dear Jayson either, so we'll get some of those on here so you can meet him more formally- he'll be headin' to Alabama so I'll have a small child to terrorize... mwahah! Oh wait...
Anyway... had caffeine this morning, rearing its ugly head... you know the drill!
Have a GREAT hump day all!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
You Don't Even Know.
Posted by Claire at 10:22 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Out of It.
I've been out of the blog loop lately.
I do have pictures to put up here, and I'll do that soon, i hope. But if not I'm about to head to vegas, and the cutest baby on earth is coming to town, so I'm sure I'll have many more pictures after the coming week.
In case I'm a bum and don't get to updating more in the next crazy gauntlet of days, this is my schedule:
5/30- Dashiell and Eliz come to town!
5/31-Off to Vegas with Matthew, Whitney, Whitney, and Jesse! Cheesecake Factory here we come!
6/1- Weird. June..... and We Are Scientists at the Celebrity Theater at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas!
6/2- Home from Vegas.
6/3- Barbeque with the Minnesotans! (it's the saturday, right? Or is it on the 2nd?)
6/5- Big fat meeting at work!
6/6- To Alabama for wedding number one of the summer! John, my cousin, is gettin' hitched! Nothing like southern heat...
6/11- Home from Alabama.
6/13- E and D head back to NY. Julie comes home?
6/16- Red and White Wine Soiree!
And that's all for now. The next date on that list would be the oh-so-sad day that my Matthew leaves for LDAC. But Let's not talk about that for now.
Anyway... to entertain yourselves in lieu of my horrid post, go check out we are scientists (.com) website and be amused- there are some video clips of interviews, etc etc on there... enjoy!
Posted by Claire at 1:47 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
So the rules are, once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with "6 weird facts/things/habits about yourself." In the end you need to choose the 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read yours.
I'd just like to say Mel basically stole all my people to tag…
First weird thing about me: I love brushing my teeth. No, really. I love it so much that buying a new toothbrush is like Christmas morning, that the right toothpaste can make or break the experience, that flossing is a God-given activity, that I love the dentist. I have seriously considered writing Crest about some of their faulty toothbrush models… and also writing them to praise their expert designs in other instances. What can I say… my teeth are happy so it works out. I've never had a cavity and I'm pretty sure the love of the dental-care experience aids that. I'd also like to brag that I've never had braces… but that is perhaps andication of why I don't hate the dentist.
2) I do, on the other hand HATE the eye doctor. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I know it takes energy to hate stuff, and this is, probably other than ignorance, the one thing I hate. I LOATHE the eye doctor with my whole body… especially my eyes. BLeh…I can't say more about it. Oy, shiver me timbers.
3) If I start walking down the sidewalk in a certain rhythm and I am either stepping on the cracks that separate cement segments or not stepping on them, I have to continue in this pattern. My OCD takes over and I get really freaked out if I step on a crack when I hadn't been before, or vice versa. That may not make sense… but if you've been with me for any length of time you've probably witnessed it. I take the "don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back" to an extreme.
4) I eat corn row by row. None of that nasty "take a bite outta crime" business… I eat it neat-like, orderly consumption is next to… something good. Again, this may not make much sense, but just trust me. Or ask Mel for a testimonial. See how disgusting that looks? Why should refine go out the window with corn? I just DON't Know!
5) I talk to my cat (Herm!) like he is human… and I think there is a large part of me (lover 90%) that believes he understands. It's just that look in his eye… man, I'm doomed to be a crazy cat lady. Someone buy this for me! heh!
6) I have an intense love for Arnold Schwarzenegger and refuse to believe he is less than 6 feet tall. I don't care what you say, he's tall, he's HUGE! I doubt very seriously that if I see him in person and he is small that I will believe him… I'll probably ask him to "just go ahead and stand up straight Governor, there's no fooling me"… Does that man look 5'7'' to YOU? I don't think so...
This doesn't even begin to delve into the depths of my weirdness, and I know some of them are really boring, but I'm at a loss for any of my true oddities. If you happen to remember any that I've missed (oh gosh…) go ahead and post them in the comments.
As for who I'm tagging… uh… Staci (in all that free time of yours dear!), Amy G, Kimber (though I'm betting Josh tagged you), Beth, and Joshua P!
Posted by Claire at 10:58 AM 6 comments
Thursday, May 18, 2006
From Underneath a Rock.
Hi all,
Working, eating, playing, sleeping, working out..., yep, that's pretty much it. I apologize for not being a more faithful blogger, but I promise I'll do my best now that I'm working my way into a summer routine to get you some more up-to-date updates. And ideally one of these days I'll be blogging about my nice paycheck that I have... though week three has proved no closer to that. In the end, though, all is well and I like where I work so even if they never pay me I think it's worth it.
Love to you all, leave ME some love, and hopefully blogful inspiration will soon strike!
Posted by Claire at 4:36 PM 1 comments
Friday, May 12, 2006
Ok guys, I know, I know, it has been a while.
I am back. Things are good. I am loving work. It has ALMOST registered that I am home for the summer... hooray!
Until I have something more intelligent to say (besides the fact that all my grades are in so I feel the semester is officially concluded, yay!) I'll leave you this...
Go there, and be entertained! Also, sorry it's not a link, Blogger on safari can't do links, and Firefox is being sloooww..
Much love. And to Ash and Thadd- can't wait to see you guys! And to Julia-- I love you!
Posted by Claire at 4:31 PM 2 comments
Monday, May 01, 2006
May Day, USA!
I hear the chants of thousands of immigrants chanting USA from the park outside my window. As crazy as that can get- always hearing SOMETHING from my window- I'm going to miss it.
Today is my last afternoon to spend listening to the sounds of Union Square. I've lived in Union Square basically all 3 years here at NYU (minus a stint in Florence, of course!), and it is going to be such an odd change of scene!
The great thing is, I'm moving to a neighborhood. I won't be in a square anymore, but on a real live street in New York. Not that Union Square isn't fantastic, because it has been great and I'm going to miss it, but I think it will be pretty great to have a change of scenery, a change of feeling when I walk down my street. We'll see.
Anyway... things are getting packed up, slowly but surely. I'm shipping only one box home, which is nice. Tonight I have my last class-- finally! I have an 8 page paper to turn in (well, an epic poem... and no, you can't read it, it is the WORST thing I've ever written, bar none!), and I'm going to have a little in-class debate that 15% of my grade hinges on. Needless to say I'll be happy when the game of this class is OVER and I can relax! Tomorrow I'm running the rest of my stuff (that upon which I'll be sleeping this evening!) to the storage space, grab one last meal with Eliz and Dashy, and then be off!
OH... and I got a confirmed upgrade! MWAHAHHA! I highly recommend being a medallion flyer! YESSSSS!!!!
Anyway... I'm off. I have pictures to post and all that jazz, but in all honesty I bet that won't happen until after this saturday, when work hopefullly slowls down a bit. But maybe tonight, I dunno..
Ok, I'm done talking!
Posted by Claire at 12:40 PM 7 comments


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Dad sent photos of daughter to pedophile website in Russia
A MAN who posted photos of his own daughter on a Russian pedophilia website has been jailed - after her photos were viewed by more than 200,000 people.
Ipswich District Court heard the 50-year-old was a member of the child exploitation website, going under the username "Tempted", and encouraged other men to comment on pictures of his daughter and her friends.
He shared up to 50 photos of his child and others online, publishing her full name, as well as that of two of her friends.
The defendant accessed the site an average of three times a week over 19 months.
He said he was attracted to the girls' "innocence", but his desires "underpinned a much more sinister intention", the court heard. He uploaded secretly-taken photos of his teenage daughter in the shower, as well as other suggestive pictures of two of her friends.
When police from Taskforce Argos raided his home in February this year, he was found to have 50 indecent photos on his computer, including images of girls being violently raped.
The court heard that the man's wife has remained with him, and the daughter has been allowed to live at home despite the police investigation. The Department of Child Safety said it was not necessary to investigate further or intervene in the case.
In court the photos were described as "sick".
Judge Sarah Bradley said it was "inevitable there were still photos out there" of the man's daughter, because in cyberspace it was hard to delete images.
She said his actions were "abhorrent and horrific".
The father was sentenced to 18 months' prison, but will be released in six months on a $500 good behaviour bond for three years. He will also be placed on probation.


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Hollande to pursue ambitious European growth plan
Issued on: Modified:
French President François Hollande has presented European leaders with a series of growth-boosting measures, including €120 billion worth of measures to stimulate growth across the continent, French media reported Sunday.
AP - Francois Hollande is the man in charge after his Socialist Party swept France's parliamentary election. Voters welcomed the French president's vision of injecting government money into Europe's economies in hopes of helping the joint euro currency stave off disaster.
Socialists now have an unprecedented lock on politics in France, and plan to use it to raise taxes on big banks and oil companies, levy a 75-percent tax on incomes higher than €1 million ($1.26 million) a year, and hire 60,000 teachers. Hollande's strong domestic mandate will let him push back in global economic talks against the budget cuts being demanded by Germany, which Greece and other indebted countries say are driving them deeper into the financial abyss by suffocating growth.
France's election Sunday also gave the far right National Front a toehold in parliament, a small but symbolic victory for a party that wants to stop immigration, dump the euro currency and decries the so-called "Islamization" of France. The conservative UMP party of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, which dominated the outgoing parliament, suffered the biggest losses.
The balloting to elect 577 lawmakers for France's lower - and more powerful - house of parliament came on the same day that conservatives won a parliamentary election in Greece.
With final results still coming in, pollsters estimated France's Socialists and their closest allies will hold between 313 and 315 seats, well over the 289 needed for a majority and exempting them from horse-trading with far-leftists who oppose some of Hollande's pro-European policies.
"This score exemplifies strong confidence in the president," said Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, who won his own race for an Assembly seat. "This gives a spinal column to the government and strengthens it ... our commitments will be honored. We will not do any austerity."
Sarkozy's UMP party went from 304 seats in the old Assembly to an estimated 214 in the new one, after Sarkozy himself lost his re-election bid to Hollande just six weeks ago.
Hollande now has a free hand to push forward with his plans. He wants to crack down on tax shelters and encourage companies to reinvest their profits. Also on tap is requiring banks to split their traditional deposit-and-loan activities from their speculative bets in the financial markets.
Hollande's government has already made good on a controversial plan to lower the retirement age for some French workers to 60 from 62. He also slashed the salaries of government ministers by 30 percent - a nod to a public wary of the much-criticized bling of Sarkozy's reign.
Hollande's pro-growth attitude is also attracting attention elsewhere in Europe. France is the eurozone's second-biggest economy and, along with powerhouse Germany, has a major role in EU policy and providing bailouts to weaker countries.
Hollande presented other European leaders last week with a new "growth pact" including €120 billion ($151 billion) worth of measures around the continent to stimulate growth, the Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported. A French official confirmed the report but would not provide details.
The French-German tandem has come under strain in recent months, not least because Chancellor Angela Merkel has opposed Hollande's vocal push for government stimulus and is defending an austerity package that she worked out with Sarkozy, a fellow conservative.
Even against the recent throw-the-bums-out mindset in many parts of Europe, the turnaround for France's Socialists was remarkable. The party was riven for much of the past decade by personal infighting and ideological discord.
On Sunday, the Socialists gained more than 100 seats in the Assembly - nearly all from the conservatives, discredited in the eyes of many voters after years of economic difficulties and high joblessness. Last fall, the Socialists seized control of the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
No matter who is in charge, there's plenty of challenges ahead.
France's debts are huge and its unemployment rate recently rose to 10 percent - the highest rate in 13 years. The little-known ratings agency Egan-Jones Ratings downgraded French state debt to BBB+ from A- on Thursday, warning that French banks may soon come under strain.
"The work before us is immense. Nothing will be easy," Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said, acknowledging that France's financial situation is "difficult."
The anti-immigration National Front party won two seats in Sunday's election - the most it has had since 1988, when the political system was more favorable to extremist candidates. Party leader Marine Le Pen lost her quest for a seat in the industrial north by just 118 votes, but her 22-year-old niece - Marion Marechal-Le Pen - won her race in the southeast and will become France's youngest lawmaker.
Marine Le Pen has revamped the party to try to shed its reputation as racist and anti-Semitic. She placed third in the presidential race. The party, known for its sharp-tongued critics, will get a high-profile platform from which to grill Hollande's ministers during weekly question time in the often-boisterous Assembly.
"This is a first step toward future elections," Marechal-Le Pen told BFM-TV.
In an election subplot, prominent Socialist Segolene Royal - the mother of Hollande's four children and the runner-up to Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential vote - lost her race in western France and her bid to become Parliament speaker. Her rival was a breakaway Socialist who had drawn the support of Hollande's current companion, journalist Valerie Trierweiler.
Sunday's result also exposed voter fatigue, coming so soon after Hollande's own victory on May 6. The turnout of 56 percent was the lowest recorded in modern France.
In a well-off area of central Paris, voter Eve Baume said she cast her ballot for the local socialist "because I've been waiting for change for a long time."
"I wanted to support Francois Hollande, the government and its projects," she said.
Pascal Albe, a voter from the working-class Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine, said he generally votes for the right but he thought Hollande should have a Socialist-led parliament.
"Otherwise the country will be paralyzed, and especially now, we don't need that," he said.
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Really enjoyed the multiple, and broad, responses to my last post. Unfortunately, Blogger didn't like my 1000+ word response. So I decided that instead of cutting it into multiple comments I would just create a new post. My responses by commenter:
@ The Constitutional Insurgent:
I too mostly agree with what you wrote. Every NCO I've sent off to an NCOES over the last 3 years (at least) has already served at the level he was attending school for. This goes for 11, 13, and 35-series NCOs who have worked for me across multiple Battalions, so it's not just a specific unit or MOS that's behind the power curve.
We're seeing a major transformation of the POI for the training centers right now. I think the first Hybrid Threat MRX happened just a couple months ago. Starbuck from WoI has a great post on the much ado about nothing that is the hybrid threat here.
In terms of phased operations, this is a major issue that I think many Officers across the board will (and are already) struggle with. My recent first-hand experience shows two types: the first is so tired of COIN/LIC/SASO/SOSO/SO/IW/AW/not-HIC that they see this merely as an opportunity to get back to the "good ol' days" of getting their K on, and the second group is stuck in the minimization of collateral damage and win hearts and minds absolute far-left end of the spectrum of conflict. Neither, obviously, is better than the other; but more importantly it likely shows the lack of flexibility/adaptability in the thinking of many leaders. The ability to move fluidly along the spectrum of conflict and transition from Full Spectrum Ops to COIN to HA-type operations, or wherever in between, by phase or otherwise, is paramount. What I've seen over the last six months is leadership getting stuck on just one phase and forgetting about everything after that one specific phase. More in a couple paragraphs that should help finish this thought.
@ Pat:
Fully agree on all fronts. TRADOC has failed a half decade's worth of Officers at least. I recently saw an entire Battalion fail one of their low-numbered firing tables; I'm sure a sizeable portion of that failure was attributable to TRADOC. Not that I'm discounting leaders' responsibility in this, but if you don't know your job it's probably a lot more difficult to make it through gunnery tables.
This stroke of brilliance dawned on me as I sat here tonight next to Mama Mac studying for her next ACSC exam. What if the Army adopted a liberal arts style continuing education program for its Company Grade Officers? By this I mean a correspondence program where an Officer must complete one course focusing on a specific portion of the spectrum of conflict annually. The courses could be self-paced but with a mandatory completion date, take two to three months each, be tracked via AKO, accountable on OERs with no deployment waivers authorized, and focus separately on historic HIC, COIN, HA events/wars/uprisings, etc. I think a program like this would have tremendous benefits. It would help fill the gaps that TRADOC wasn't able to get to. It would help span the spectrum of conflict and perhaps help broaden perspectives under GEN Dempsey's new training plan. It would also help fill gaps in the Officer's commissioning source education (think directional schools vs. USMA and Engineering vs. Military History undergraduate degrees). With a written paper or two in each course it would help Officers actually think in and write full sentences (which many cannot). With this program an Officer, while training for the hybrid threat or the Red Horde, would read Galula and Trinquier and learn about the Algerian War; they would learn about British CT efforts in Northern Ireland, WWII, etc., the options along the spectrum of conflict are numerous and would help fill gaps. I know as well as you that you can't just expect most Officers to learn about this stuff on their own; most of them would rather play Call of Duty than read anything. And I know what many of you reading this are saying, but what about JRTC/NTC/MRX/CPX/field problems? The classes would be self-paced and two to three months long, if it's mandatory you'll find the time to do it. This sort of program probably would have kept me a little more sober (and out of trouble) as a young Lieutenant, so there's another benefit. Enough with my diatribe, but I think the Army would be well served with a program like this.
@ Anonymous (JB… didn't think I'd catch that did you?!)
I was actually considering a full post about the misapplication of the Full Spectrum Operations term and how most senior leaders are treating it solely as if it is HIC/MCO. Phase IV what? But instead of writing that post I decided to go fly fishing.
Now a couple disagreements from your comment.
First, I think Division and Corps-level exercises, while obviously difficult to execute and manpower intensive on subordinate units, are vitally important. Take I Corps as an example, who will be deploying relatively soon. Should their first non-digital exercise be in the combat environment in which they will take over day-to-day operations for? How do you truly test your systems?
Second, while I do agree with you that policy makers must understand and accept that actual Full Spectrum Ops should be off the table for the next couple years until the Army is back up to par. I think we're seeing that now in the push back against military intervention in Libya. Or maybe that's because policy makers have no idea what the goals of intervention would be, a logical stopping point for our intervention if you will, and are loathe to commit US forces to another open-ended operation. Perhaps. I digress. What I disagree with is your sentence where you say we should only do what we do well moving forward. In a perfect world sure, but I don't see that world coming any time soon and we as an Army should be prepared to serve our Nation's goals in whatever capacity POTUS decides to employ us in. A more realistic goal perhaps would be to train toward perfecting MCO and then implementing the broadening program I outlined above for CGOs; and then possibly expanding the ILE and War College-level cross-training opportunities for the best and brightest of each annual class. This could help create a solid cadre of senior-level SMEs on the core capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, etc, of each specific agency of the government. So with this kind of model you'd have a force trained for combat and leaders at every level able to understand and conceptualize Phase IV operations; with senior leaders able to maximize the efforts and contributions of all contributing agencies in a JIIM environment.


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Bynes loses bid to leave hospital
Troubled actress Amanda Bynes has lost her latest bid for freedom - a judge has shut down her lawyer's request to release the star from a psychiatric hospital.
The Hairspray actress has spent the past 10 days on an extended 5150 psychiatric hold after she was arrested for starting a fire on a driveway in Thousand Oaks, California.
She appeared before a judge in the psychiatric ward on Thursday, according to TMZ.com, and listened intently as her lawyer argued there was no legal basis to hold her.
At the hearing, her representative told the judge that Bynes was perfectly capable of looking after herself and she was not a danger to others.
But the judge agreed with her doctors, who are still trying to counsel and treat the actress for an alleged mental illness.
They fear she won't take the medications that have stabilised her odd behaviour if she's allowed to walk free.
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text: In an era when ageism has killed off many a self-proclaimed "cultural maven's" influence, Pharrell Williams still stands untarnished – the master of a lane that's completely his own. The legendary record producer and artist has birthed an entire generation with his avant-garde approach to style and fashion. Recognizing this, adidas enlisted Skateboard P for a brand partnership in 2014 to coincide with a major rebranding of the lifestyle sector of its business (a move that also brought Kanye West into the fold, propelling its place in sneaker culture). The working relationship initially saw Pharrell endorsing and reimagining tentpole models like the Stan Smith and Superstar, as well as the highly coveted Human Race edition of adidas' famed NMD model. There was also an apparel component, which brought back the classic track jackets bearing the iconic Three Stripes in premium leather. Pharrell's personality radiates through each piece of apparel and footwear, whether it shoes via a vibrant colorway choice, use of textures and patterns like polkadots, or even progressive messaging like the aforementioned Human Race branding. All of this preceded the grand unveiling of the adidas Tennis Hu, the musician's first-ever signature shoe. Modeled after the Stan Smith, the shoe pairs an upper constructed in either Primeknit or mesh with an EVA midsole and outsole with a waffle design. The result is clean and on par with what we've come to know about Pharrell aesthetically – with each piece of footwear and clothing being a portion of a mosaic put together in left-brained ways never previously imagined. Stadium Goods assembles all of the above in our curated selection of Pharrell x adidas kicks. That includes a handful of rare gems, along with sneakers that could easily become staples in your everyday wardrobe.


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Felix, Walker start camp on slower schedule
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Pitching coach Rick Waits said Felix Hernandez and Taijuan Walker would continue on a slower schedule this spring than other Mariners hurlers, but expects both to be right on pace to open the regular season.
Hernandez, 27, will follow the exact same schedule he's used in recent Spring Trainings, as the Mariners try to lighten the early load on a pitcher who has thrown 232 or more innings in each of the last four seasons.
While most Mariners pitchers have already thrown three bullpen sessions and now a live batting practice outing, Hernandez still has to throw his third bullpen and then will have one live BP outing and a simulated game on one of the practice fields before he makes his Cactus League debut in early March.
"He won't be in the first games, same as he's done every year," Waits said. "He gets his stuff going on a backfield, then he's ready. He threw 22 [Cactus League] innings last year and 17 the year before. So somewhere between 20-25 innings is what we'll shoot for."
Waits said he has no concern over Hernandez getting ready in time by Opening Day.
"I don't because he's in great shape this year," said Waits. "He threw plenty enough before he came. And his first bullpen, he seemed ahead to me from his first bullpen last year."
Walker, 21, is a slightly different situation. The youngster had a sore arm upon arrival after throwing some hard sessions getting ready for camp. So he was held back initially and is just now gearing up.
Walker had a strong second bullpen session Thursday, but will still need several more bullpens before he graduates to live batting practice. Waits said Walker is completely healthy now, just slightly behind the other pitchers due to his late start.
"There are no issues at all," said Waits. "Today was an important day, the day after he threw his second bullpen, and he said he felt great. Hopefully he doesn't have any setbacks. We've got enough time to get him ready, but he's a little behind Felix."
Walker threw 35 pitches in Thursday's bullpen session, up from the 25 fastballs he fired in his first mound appearance Monday.
"I was pleased," said Waits. "He threw a few curveballs, but mostly fastballs and changeups. We need to do that again. There's no hurry to get to the off-speed pitches. The idea is to get the arm strength built up. When you've got the arm strength, you can throw anything."


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Pulling up alongside the MotoGPs and Gran Turismos of the racing sim world, Riding Spirits II is a bike racer's dream. Featuring a full-on career mode, quick arcade fixes for solo or multiplayer challenges, and enough customisation options to keep you occupied for ages, RSII brings all the high-speed action of the motorcycle racing circuit to life.
Starting out as a rookie, you can gradually work your way up through the ranks to take on the world's best bikers in RS Mode, or hone your skills on a variety of surfaces in the Motard mode, where you'll learn how to handle your machine in every condition.
Bikes from famous manufacturers are available to ride, with European models from Ducati, Aprilla, Triumph and BMW, and Japanese bikes from Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and HRC among the impressive machinery on offer. Engine sizes vary from 250cc to over 1000cc, with more than 330 different models to get to grips with, and an incredibly detailed customisation mode allows you to change every aspect of your chosen bike, right down to the last nut or bolt.
There are 15 courses to race across the globe, with Suzuka and Twin Link Motegi amongst the famous tracks you'll encounter on your travels. Take on CPU opponents in the 100 Battle Mode, a series of trials designed to tax every area of your bike-handling skills, or just go for no-frills racing in Arcade mode.
1-2 Players
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From the Oak: Let's hear it for the God!
Many are those that focus on female divinities, leaving male divinities in the shadows if they get mentioned at all. This is a shame. Here I will share my thoughts, stories and prayers on male divinities. Currently focusing on divinities placed in an atheist "graveyard".
Let's hear it for the God!
"Let's hear it for the God
Let's give the God a hand
Let's hear it for the male
You know you gotta understand
Maybe he's no Romeo
But he's my loving deity
Whooa, whooa, whooa-oh
Let's hear it for the God!"
You know what? I get it. Really I do. Goddesses are wonderful beings. Yes, they have been neglected and abused in the past and in some cases, still are. But. Let's learn from that and not do the same thing to the Gods. One hears a lot about feminine deities…pictures, stories, poems, prayers, divination decks, etc. You can find Pagan/Polytheistic items with a goddess theme quite easily any more. Not so much for the masculine divinities. Often they are relegated to the sidelines, treated as a minor player, if mentioned at all. I get it. I did it too. But then Zeus came along…
It all started on Halloween 2007. I was continuing my study of the Gods using the idea of Gods of the Month Club. It is where you draw a god to study for a month. I drew Zeus. I wasn't thrilled. In my mind, Zeus was firmly linked with the Roman Catholic god, the only difference being that Zeus had sex…a lot…and he didn't seem picky about it either. I was raised Roman Catholic and painted all male divinities with the same broad, ugly brush. Yet I vowed to study whatever divinity came up and so I did. I spent that month studying and meditating on Zeus.
When the month was over, I didn't want to stop learning about him. So I kept studying in whatever spare time I had from my infant son. The more I learned about him the more I liked and the more I wanted to know. On Father's Day of 2008, I vowed officially to study Zeus for a year. When that year was up, I dedicated to him. This led me to editing a devotional in his honor. Eventually, I started to seek out a goddess to even Zeus out, but I ever return to him. Goddesses confuse me, but Zeus…Zeus feels like home to me. He is a driving curiosity; a need fulfilled, all rolled into one.
So I get it. I've been there and sometimes I'd like the comfort of the divine feminine but never at the expense of the divine masculine. So once a week, I'm going to talk about Zeus, Ares, Helios and any other masculine divinity, Greek or not. I seek to show, to remind that divinity isn't only found in feminine form. As wonderful as goddesses are, gods are every bit as great and deserving of time, attention and honor.
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Blackrock, manager of the iShares ETFs has unveiled four new funds focused on bonds and income strategies.
Here's a snapshot of the new ETFs:
iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond Fund (EMHY). Focuses on high yield bonds denominated in USD and includes a 65% allocation to sovereign bonds and 35% to corporate issues. The new fund is designed to track the Morningstar Emerging Markets High Yield Bond Index. EMHY charges annual expenses of 0.65%.
iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (HYXU). Owns developed international non-U.S. denominated high yield bonds, which are denominated in euros, pound sterling and Canadian dollars. The fund's highest country allocations are France (15%), the United Kingdom (15%), Germany (14%), and the Netherlands (12%). The fund is designed to track the Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets ex-US High Yield Index. HYXU charges annual expenses of 0.40%.
iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (GHYG). Owns global (U.S. and developed international) high yield in a "one ticket" trade, via developed international corporate bonds denominated in the dollar, euro, pound sterling and Canadian dollar. Based on the country of issuer, the fund is allocated 69% to the U.S., 16% to Europe, 4% to the U.K. and 3% to Canada. The fund is linked to the Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets High Yield Index. GHYG charges annual expenses of 0.40%.
iShares Morningstar Multi-Asset Income Index Fund (IYLD). IYLD is an ETF of iShares ETFs that is allocated 60% to fixed income, 20% to equity and 20% to alternative income sources. The new fund is designed to track the Morningstar Multi-Asset High Income Index. IYLD charges annual expenses of 0.60%.


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Please select your meditation time
Start Meditating
Conclude Meditation
Content about Prisoners
"I was in prison and you came to see me" (Jesus, Mt 25:36)
"I was in prison and you came to see me" (Matth. 25:36).
These Web pages are dedicated to all WCCM members who are already teaching Christian meditation in prison and to those engaged in Prison Ministry around the world who would like to extend their ministries to include Christian meditation.
Experience has shown that meditation in prison is more powerful for inmates if it is introduced as the fulfillment of a preexisting ministry such as Bible studies or restorative spiritual programs. By sharing their prison meditation experiences and by encouraging the inmates to do the same, WCCM members can create a network that strengthens everyone's personal meditation practice.
These "Meditation in Prison" pages of the WCCM Web site will support the continuing work and dedication of those who minister in prison and encourage those who consider starting such a ministry.
Nurturing the Seed of Silence in the Midst of Deafening Noise
By Caitlin Brune


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An historic resolution that enhanced the Palestinians' position at the UN from "permanent observer" to "non-member observer state", a status also held by the Vatican, passed the General Assembly by a resounding 138 votes to 9, with 41 countries abstaining, including Britain. Five nations did not register a vote. The no votes were US, Israel, Canada, Czech Republic, Palau, Panama, Nauru, Mirconesia and Marshall Islands.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters, in New York (Reuters)
Introducing the resolution, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, said approval would "issue a birth certificate for the state of Palestine".
"Palestine has come to the United Nations because it believes in peace and because its people are in desperate need of peace," said Mr Abbas, who arrived in and departed the UN's grand hall to a standing ovation from delegates.
"The international community is now the last chance to save the two-state solution. We did not come here to complicate the peace process. The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: enough Israeli aggression, settlements and occupation."
Palestinians celebrate on the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank after the U.N. vote (EPA)
After the vote, celebrations erupted In the West Bank city of Ramallah, with hundreds crowding into the main square waving Palestinian flags and chanting "God is great".
The vote will not immediately end the Palestinians' six-decade wait for independence and will not give them a vote at the UN. But it will enable them to join the International Criminal Court and potentially prosecute Israelis for war crimes, and seek rulings on territorial disputes at the International Court of Justice.
Thousands of Palestinians from rival factions gathered in the streets of the West Bank, seeing the vote as a major step in their quest for global recognition.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor (left) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Reuters)
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, dismissed the vote's importance.
"This is a meaningless resolution that won't change anything on the ground. No Palestinian state will arise without an arrangement ensuring the security of Israeli citizens," he said in a statement issued by his office shortly before votes were cast in New York.
He said that Mr Abbas's comments were "hostile and poisonous", and full of "false propaganda". "These are not the words of a man who wants peace," he said.
But his argument was rebuffed by European nations, which with a few exceptions have previously given staunch support to Israel at the UN.
Palestinians celebrate on the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank after the U.N. vote (Getty Images)
Although a six-decade wait for Palestinian independence will not end immediately, thousands of Palestinians from rival factions gathered in the streets of the West Bank, seeing the vote as a major step in their quest for global recognition.
Speaking before the vote, the Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said that granting Palestine non-member observer state status was "the wrong choice".
He added: "Today the Palestinians are turning their back on peace. Do not let history record that today the UN helped them along on their march of folly."
Ziad Abu Ein, deputy Palestinian minister for prisoners' affairs, said: "People want to have their freedom, their own independent state and to live in peace with the Israeli state – not in peace with the Israeli army occupation."
Wasef Erekat, 66, a Palestine Liberation Organisation veteran, said the vote represented more than a symbolic victory.
"We are using our rights to tell the world that we are not terrorists, as the Israelis used to say, but human beings who want to become members of the international community," said Mr Erekat, cousin of the Palestinian Authority's negotiator, Saeb Erekat. "We are looking for full membership in future. We are moving in the right direction to becoming a Palestinian state."
As the vote approached, it appeared likely that very few of the European Union's 27 member states would oppose the bid.
Britain did abstain. To vote yes, the Government had demanded assurances from the Palestinians on their future conduct that, with hours to go before the vote, were not forthcoming.
Leading Anglican and Catholic bishops called on William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, to increase efforts to revitalise the stalled peace process, calling his decision to abstain "regrettable".
EU nations felt moved to support the moderate Mr Abbas in a bid to revive his dialogue with Israel which collapsed two years ago and has been followed by increased construction of Israeli settlements.
The eight-day conflict this month between Israel and his Hamas rivals in Gaza weakened Mr Abbas, a moderate leader whose authority only covers the West Bank.
The immediate effect on his standing remains to be seen, but the very mention of the word "state" in the Palestinians' new UN status would carry potent political symbolism.
The word "Palestine", with its connotations of a country, could thereafter be more commonly used in referring to the Palestinian territories, West Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinians' upgraded status would also allow them to join the International Criminal Court, where they could try and accuse Israel of war crimes, or the International Court of Justice, that deals with territorial disputes, a key sticking point in negotiations. Leaders have however said they would not do anything to antagonise the Israelis unnecessarily.
The vote was deliberately tabled on the 65th anniversary of the General Assembly's adoption of the resolution that divided British Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, creating a legal and geo-political quagmire that has never been successfully dealt with.
In Ramallah, the capital of the West Bank, crowds of flag-waving Palestinians soaked up a festive atmosphere in preparation for celebrations planned to mark the vote.
Against a thumping backbeat of nationalistic songs and traditional dancing in Arafat Square, Hala Rihan, eight, and her brother Mohammed, six, sported Palestinian colours and traditional Arab keffiyehs as their mother, Shereen, 29, voiced her pride over events unfolding thousands of miles away in New York.
"I feel very nice and want to cry," she said. "We have a country for the first time. We must tell our sons and daughters that we have a country called Palestine. I feel the future will be very good, two countries, Palestine and Israel, living side-by-side in peace."


text: Anthony Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an emcee and producer based in Seattle, Washington. The founder of the Nastymix record label, he debuted in 1988 with Swass. In 1992, he debuted on a major label with his album Mack Daddy, whose single "Baby Got Back" reached the top of the American singles c… Read More


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At the outset of its Chapter Leaders Conference in Denver beginning Friday, the Financial Planning Association elected three new members to its board of directors. Each new board member will serve a three-year term beginning Jan. 1.
The newly elected FPA board members "will apply their experience and expertise to help guide FPA's strategic vision to achieve the organization's goal of advancing the financial planning profession," according to the organization.
The new board members are:
- Stuart H. Armstrong II, CFP, CLU, ChFC, ADPASM, CLTC, of Milton, Mass., a financial planner at Centinel Financial Group, a firm that provides comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, families, and business owners. Armstrong is currently chair of the FPA Diversity Committee, a national workgroup focused on developing strategies to raise awareness and promote inclusiveness of diverse communities in the financial planning profession. He is a member of FPA of Massachusetts and volunteers with many local non-profit organizations. Armstrong holds a bachelor's degree from Allegheny College.
- Marguerita "Rita" Cheng, CFP, CRPC, of Bethesda, Md., a financial planner at Ameriprise Financial. She currently serves as president of FPA of the National Capital Area, and is the 2012 chair of the FPA Diversity Committee Scholarship Subcommittee. Cheng is a CFP Board Ambassador focused on helping educate the public, policy makers and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park.
- Shannon J. Pike, CFP, of Houston, Texas, is founder and principal of Integra Wealth Advisors, a fee-only wealth management firm that provides financial life planning and investment management services. Pike was a member of the board of directors with FPA of Houston for six years, having served two terms as their president and chair during that time. He also serves on several national FPA task forces including the Leadership Advisory Council, Practitioner Advisory Council and the Heart of Financial Planning Task Force. As a three-year member of the FPA Chapter Leadership Advisory Council, a volunteer group of former chapter presidents who foster chapter leadership, Pike presided as chair in 2011. Pike holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, and a banking degree from the American Institute of Banking.
The 2013 board comprises 15 total members, which includes the three newly elected members and FPA Executive Director and CEO Lauren Schadle.


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In the Salvador shots of the Matt picture set there is a Whiteboard reference to 19BC. And 19 BC is shown on a building that he has shots of.Turns out that 19 BC is military base: 2° Companhia do 19° Batalhão de caçadores Operacionais (You Tube Link here)And if you watch the video you will see the Badge for the 19° BC. That same Badge appears on the sticker that Mr. Purple Shirt wears. But in the sticker it is in conjunction with Film Planet Group. They boast about doing work for TAR before (Season 9).I think in, sum and substance, 19 BC will turn out to be nothing more than just a dormitory for production.
I beat ya Puddin! See 11:03 am.
I thought that the colored headbands were just for a task in Cambodia. Seems each team gets a set before the race.
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