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© 2017 Lynn Abbott
After my mom died in 2008, I dragged myself though the necessary notifications to banks, retirement boards, and credit card companies.
One customer service representative stopped me mid-sentence.
She immediately expressed her sympathy, and explained that she had lost her mother just 1 1/2 years before.
"Beware, because grief's a funny thing, "she said. "It kinda sneaks up on you when you don't expect it."
Holidays, she further acknowledged, had been the most difficult. She related her experience: she seemed to be doing rather well, returning to normal life. She stopped at the local supermarket to pick up items on her Christmas grocery list.
"Grief's a funny thing…It kinda sneaks up on you when you least expect it."
As she stood in the produce department examining oranges, the unthinkable happened. One of the oranges began to tumble to the floor, causing a sheer avalanche of orange.
She stooped to pick up the fruit, and at that moment, a torrent of tears broke loose. Hurriedly, another woman left her cart, and ran to help.
"It's okay," the woman encouraged, "Don't worry about the oranges."
My new friend recalled her own response. "It's not about the stupid oranges," she blurted.
And it wasn't.
In fact, it usually isn't.
For many, tension during the Christmas season frequently runs so much deeper than a foiled "to do" list.
I don't know quite why, but it seems to me that during a season filled with all things that glitter, sparkle and shine, human hearts become more fragile. In my humble opinion, an avalanche of heartbreak threatens too many people.
Instead of being wrapped by joy and peace, many find themselves stumbling through anxiety, fear, grief, and confusion And with each day, it is simply enough to put one foot in front of the other or to stumble through the numerous holiday events.
Perhaps, you have periodically found yourself in such a place. Quite honestly, I've been there on several occasions.
Such darkness, in moments like these, seems all the more overwhelming since it contrasts sharply with our Christmas card-expectations.
When our post boxes are filled with annual letters enumerating joys and triumph's of our friends and family; when Christmas movies and television specials deliver warm, fuzzy images of love, happiness and plenty, it seems a cruel twist of life that anyone should grieve, suffer heartbreak or live through tragedy.
And so we strive to create a season of beauty; to warm the winter of the soul. Christmas is supposed to be, after all, a season of hope and miracles.
Funny that. We scramble to grocery shop, bake, gift wrap, and recreate that perfect Christmas setting when actually, the first Christmas had little resemblance to those cozy, Dickensian, fireside images that we hold so dear.
"It's not about the stupid oranges," she blurted.
Luke 2 unfolds during a dark time in the life of Israel. The golden years of David and Solomon were distant memories.
Yahweh had been silent for 400 years. The heroic era of the Maccabees had come and gone, and now a pagan empire once again oppressed Israeli freedom. For God's people, the times were uncertain.
You could say that George Orwell's concept of "Big Brother" generally fit their situation. Rome kept a close watch and demanded a census.
For this reason, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. All were to be accounted for, and exorbitant taxes would be required. The mighty Roman empire must be financed.
Of course, there are no accidents with God. God times everything for His purpose.
Even the Christ's birth announcement to a group of rag-tag shepherds reflects that moment in Israel's history. Significantly, the shepherds "were keeping watch over their flocks by night." Israel's glory days had passed; night had settled.
However, despite the darkness, despite God's seeming silence, the messenger came.
God's glory shattered the night sky and brought good news to men who fulfilled lowly tasks within the enormous empire.
The shepherds actually may have been most crushed by those in power. They were poor and of low social standing. They sat in fields on the outskirts of society. They had little hope for a better life.
In Roman culture, they were all but forgotten men: vulnerable and practically invisible. Their world was certainly dark.
Actually, the first Christmas had little resemblance to those cozy, Dickensian, fireside images that we hold so dear.
While wealth is not an issue for the Magi, their inclusion in Matthew's account of Christ's birth reflects another kind of darkness. These wise men sought truth; God's revelation had gone dark. There had not been a prophet in Israel for a very long time.
The age was dark. Yet, the Magi followed a bright start in order to seek and find "the Way, the Truth and the Light," (John 14:6).
Yes, Abba thinks of everything. He arranged every detail to herald the coming of the Light of the World, (John 1: 1-12).
And lest we miss the symbolic significance of light and darkness in Matthew's and Luke's gospel narratives, God inspired John to open his account with the words, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness…" (John 1:4-5).
Thus, through our Christmas candles and electric lights, God's truth finds its way into contemporary culture. And who doesn't enjoy all the sparkle?
But in order to fully appreciate the beauty of our neighbors' holiday decor, we bundle up and make our tour after sunset. Obviously, Christmas lights do not shine as brilliantly in daylight.
And so it is with life on this side of eternity.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, "The shadow proves the sunshine."
In other words, when our days are darkest, we most clearly see the Light of the World.
Darkness shrouds all else. But Christ, the living Word of God, overcomes the darkness, and, in fact, scatters life's shadows.
Indeed, when all seems lost, when heartbreak oppresses, our Savior shines, (Isaiah 61:1-3a).
He is the Lamp for our feet and the Light for our path (Psalm 119:105). And His grace will lead us safely home.
Yeah, that's right. Christmas isn't really about picture-postcard moments. It's the story of God's Light overcoming darkness (John 8:12).
Thus, we lay our Frankincense and Myrrh–burial spices and grief–before the King of Kings. He desires just one gift– our hearts… as fractured and shattered as they may be.
Our days may not always be "merry" but Abba has promised, "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do And I will not leave them undone," (Isaiah 42:16).
Undoubtedly, in this world, darkness invades every life– even during the Christmas season.
Nevertheless, Christmas celebrates the coming of the Light, the hope of every nation.
Yes, God's attention to detail–His choice of setting for His great salvation story–reminds me that despite any heartbreak this world may bring, the Promised One will illuminate the lives of His children.
And His Light ultimately overcomes all darkness.
"Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life,'"~ John 8:12


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Rev. Victor D'Monte - December 16, 2012
Pastoral Ministry
From Series: "Sunday Sermons"
This is the archive of sermons preached by gifted and anointed men of God at our church. We pray that you will be blessed immensely as you listen.

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BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials have criticized the United States for using unarmed surveillance drones to help protect the U.S. Embassy, consulates and personnel.
"Our sky is our sky, not the USA's sky," acting Iraqi Interior Minister Adnan al-Asadi told The New York Times.
Iraqi officials say the U.S. government needs Iraqi approval to use the drones.
Asadi, Ali al-Mosawi, a top adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and national security adviser Falih al-Fayadh all said they weren't consulted by U.S. officials about use of the drones.
A month after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, the State Department relies on the drones as part of its effort to take over functions the military had performed, the Times said.
But some senior Iraqi officials view the program as what the newspaper called an "affront to Iraqi sovereignty."
The State Department confirmed the "unarmed aerial vehicles" program without mentioning Iraq, saying in a statement: "The department does have a [UAV] program. The UAVs being utilized by the State Department are not armed, nor are they capable of being armed."
The State Department drones also are much smaller than Predator and Reaper drones used by the Pentagon and the CIA to attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, with wingspans as short as 18 inches, compared with 55 feet for the Predators.
In an online prospectus in September, the State Department said the surveillance drone program is designed "to provide real-time surveillance of fixed installations, proposed movement routes and movement operations," referring to American convoy movements, and improve security "in high-threat or potentially high-threat environments."


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Paul Tucker, deputy governor of the Bank of England (BoE), was to appear before Parliament to give his version of events described in a memo written by Bob Diamond, former CEO of Barclays, as he hoped to hold on to his position as likely successor to Mervyn King as governor of the bank.
Bloomberg reported Monday that Tucker sought the opportunity to testify about a telephone call between himself and Diamond in October of 2008 that, according to Diamond's memo, seemed to suggest that Tucker proposed Barclays lower its Libor submissions. So far the Libor rigging scandal has claimed the jobs of Diamond, Barclays chairman Marcus Agius and the bank's chief operating officer, Jerry Del Missier, as well as resulting in heavy fines for Barclays.
"It's the battle of the titans where the powerful banker is pointing the finger at the guy who's heading to be the next governor," Marcus Miller, a professor at the University of Warwick, said in the report. Miller, who was doing research at BoE at the time of the phone call in question, was quoted saying, "Tucker may get asked about whether he counseled lowballing, and whether Diamond's version of events is believable. I think he can save himself."
Parliament's Treasury Committee was set to begin its questioning of Tucker in London on Monday afternoon. Not only the issue of the phone call is expected to be addressed, but also an earlier meeting at which the issue of Libor rates was raised. The minutes of that meeting, which took place in November of 2007, said in part, "Several group members thought that Libor fixings had been lower than actual traded interbank rates through the period of stress. Libor indices needed to be of the highest quality given their important role."
Feeling in Europe is running high over the Libor rigging scandal. Germany's markets regulator BaFin was said on Friday in a Reuters report to have launched a "special investigation" into Deutsche Bank's possible complicity in the rate manipulation, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. A special investigation launched by the regulator itself carries more severity than an investigation requested by an outside party.
The ire rises higher; no less a person than Michel Barnier, the European Union (EU) commissioner in charge of financial reform, said through a spokesman on Monday that he would propose new regulations to criminalize benchmark manipulation—that of Libor and other important financial icons.
Barnier intends to amend proposed legislation already intended to tighten rules prohibiting insider trading and other such activities so that it also includes protections against benchmark manipulation for such industry standards as Libor.
Through his spokesman, Barnier said in the report, "We need to draw lessons from the Libor case. We intend to close the regulatory gap in our proposed market-abuse legislation by including the direct manipulation of market indexes such as Libor."
Britain's own Serious Fraud Office also said on Friday that it was launching a criminal probe into Barclays' activities surrounding Libor. And over the weekend, Business Secretary Vince Cable pushed Barclays to cut Diamond's exit pay so that it could avoid "another outrage."
In a BBC interview, Cable said, "There isn't anything government can directly do about it, but in view of the shame that's already been heaped on Barclays bank, I'd be very, very surprised if the chairman of the board were to allow another outrage."
Other politicians weighed in as well, with Ed Balls, the Labour Party's finance spokesman, saying in the report, "It is totally outrageous that somebody can stand aside because the board decides there's a problem and then get a payout which is off the scale of anything normal people will earn in their lifetimes. How can that be?" He added that Barclays should "think really hard" about how it will address Diamond's compensation package.
Ed Miliband, head of the Labour Party, went further, not just calling Diamond's entire compensation since joining Barclays "totally out of whack" but also expected to propose in a Monday speech that Britain's five largest banks be broken up. His office released remarks that indicate he will also propose a new code of conduct for bankers that will bar wrongdoers from ever working for British banks again.
Miliband also intends to pledge a restructuring that will include a British Investment Bank to provide credit for small businesses, as well as a new financial crime unit to be set up at the Serious Fraud Office.


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Magness Land and Cattle
Published on Fri, 02/22/2013 - 10:09am
The Beginning. The late Bob Magness, who founded Magness Land and Cattle, traded some of his commercial cows back in the 50's for the stake he needed to begin TCI, which would ultimately become one of the largest cable television companies in the world.
Through the years and various business involvements, though, Bob always had some commercial cattle stashed around. And, he always reminded sons, Gary and Kim, that cattle were the bedrock of the family's business success.
Fast forward, the Magness family was impressed enough with those first commercial heifers to purchase some Limousin bulls for their Colorado operations, as well as for the storied Silver Spur Ranch in Wyoming, which Magness owned for many years.
Long story, short, they liked the way those bulls crossed on the Angus and Hereford cows they used them on; so much so they started replacing more of their bull battery with Limousin bulls. Needing upwards of 120 commercial bulls, though, they ultimately decided they would be money ahead to start their own purebred operation in order to raise the bulls they needed.
With that in mind, Magness Land and Cattle purchased half of the renowned McKown Limousin herd at Norman, Oklahoma in 1985, then the other half in 1987. At the time, the McKown herd was one of the leading fullblood Limousin programs in the United States.
So, Magness Land and Cattle built upon that original base and began crafting genetics for their commercial use. However, the Magness crew also understood that purebred breeders were seeking these same genetics. That was the beginning of the parallel Magness production and marketing program, which serves both commercial and purebred cattle producers today with the same leading genetics.
Our Next Step
This basic approach enables us to market approximately 300 commercial bulls each year, in addition to our purebred sales. As the new millennium approached and the industry was becoming more vertically integrated, we recognized the necessity of providing more than just genetics to our commercial customers. We believed commercial producers needed additional information, including feeding and carcass history more marketing options and more management help in terms of health and nutrition. And, in the name of economic survival we believed commercial producers needed these things in the same affordable package we had already been delivering.
Every Situation is Unique
Certainly, everything you've read up to this point is an extremely simple view of what we are and what we do. In reality, we visit with each customer about what they want to accomplish: what it is specifically they would like our genetics to help them accomplish; and how the management and marketing resources we offer with our genetics can also help them achieve their goals. We consider these customer goals relative to where they are today. Then we craft our recommendations for genetics, management and marketing based upon the cows they currently have.
Bottom line, while we are in the cattle business, we understand more than anything that the cattle business is about people and how you treat them. In our case, we've always believed that our customers are partners in our seedstock business. Rather than tell someone what they need to do, we prefer to listen to our customers explain to us what it is they need to do, what they need from us, then offer options on how our various genetics and services can help them.
MAGS Junior Program
Juniors are also a big part of our program, they are the future in more ways than one and we want to help them. We started the MAGS Junior Show in 2011 and hold it in conjunction with the Oklahoma Junior Limousin Field Day in Miami, OK. Any heifer that is sired by or out of a MAGS animal or carries the MAGS prefix is eligible to show. Every exhibitor will receive premium money, regardless of placing. This year's show will be held June 16th, 2013 and we are looking forward to a great turn out.
A Little More
Magness Land & Cattle has two locations, our main headquarters is in Platteville, CO just north East of Denver and our Southern Division is in Miami, OK in the north eastern corner. We do our spring calving in Colorado and our fall calving is in Oklahoma.
The beef cattle industry in the United States is enjoying the highest prices any of us have ever seen, and all signs point to a continuation of this market strength. At the same time, the demand for outcross genetics within commercial herds continues to grow. Lim-Flex genetics offer the advantages of heterosis and trait complementary and are thus sought after by cattlemen who understand the advantages the breed has to offer.
Magness Land & Cattle has made a significant commitment to the Limousin breed for more than 25 years and continues to strive to produce the best Limousin and Lim-Flex genetics in the industry. The ownership and staff of Magness Land & Cattle remain committed to the ranching industry and the production of seedstock that will enhance the bottom line of our customers, whether they be cow-calf operations, fellow seedstock producers or young people showing cattle in junior shows across America.
Multi-Media Access
In person or Online, Magness is here when you need us. This year we will have a Spring Bull sale March 24th, 2013 at are southern division ranch in Miami, Ok and will have a Fall female sale also this year, all upcoming information can be found at www.magnesscattle.com. Our website has all our sale information along with upcoming events & shows we will be attending. We also feature past champions, Herd Sires and more. In addition to being able to view information on your computer, you can also see all cattle information on your cell phone or mobile device. We use the virtualherd.com system by Ag Town Technologies as it provides a great way for our customers to be able to see all the data on the cattle we have for sale just by looking at the individual information on their mobile device.
Genetics, Management and Marketing for America's Beef Producer


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When you're expecting, you have many decisions to make. So if you've heard about banking umbilical cord blood, you might be wondering what it involves — and whether it's right for you and your family.
Cord-blood banking basically means collecting and storing the blood from within the umbilical cord (the part of the placenta that delivers nutrients to a fetus) after a baby is born.
Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells, which are potentially useful for treating diseases that require stem cell transplants, such as certain kinds of leukemia or lymphoma, aplastic anemia, severe sickle cell disease, and severe combined immunodeficiency.
There are two types of banks that store cord blood:
Like community or hospital blood banks, cord-blood banks are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has developed standards regulating future cord-blood collection and storage.
Up until the 1970s, the placenta and umbilical cord were discarded after birth without a second thought. But around this time, researchers discovered that umbilical cord blood could supply the same kinds of blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells as a bone marrow donor. They started collecting and storing umbilical cord blood.
What are blood-forming stem cells? These are primitive (early) cells that are capable of developing into the three types of mature blood cells found in blood — red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cord-blood stem cells also may have the potential to give rise to other cell types in the body.
Some serious illnesses (such as certain childhood cancers, blood diseases, and immune system disorders) require radiation and chemotherapy treatments to kill diseased cells in the body. Unfortunately, these treatments also kill many "good" cells along with the bad, including healthy stem cells that live in the bone marrow.
When this happens, some kids can benefit from a stem cell transplant from a donor whose cells closely match their own. Blood-forming stem cells from the donor are transplanted into the child who is ill, and those cells go on to make new, healthy blood cells and boost the child's blood-producing and immune system capability.
Cord-blood banking isn't routine in hospital or home deliveries. It's a procedure you have to choose and plan for beforehand.
Collection of the cord blood takes place shortly after birth in both vaginal and cesarean (C-section) deliveries. It's done using a specific kit that parents usually order ahead of time from their chosen cord-blood bank.
Blood is collected immediately after delivery by an obstetrician, nurse, or technician. After birth, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped on one side. To collect blood, a small needle is passed into the umbilical vein and a syringe is used to draw blood.
Blood also can be collected by hanging a bag below the mother and letting gravity draw the blood from the cord down through a tube and into the bag. Blood collection can happen either before or after the placenta is delivered.
After collection, the cord blood is taken by courier to the cord-blood bank. Once there, the sample is given an identifying number. Then the stem cells are separated from the rest of the blood and are stored cryogenically (frozen in liquid nitrogen).
How long can blood-forming stem cells last when properly stored? In theory, stem cells should last forever, but cord-blood research only began in the 1970s, so the maximum time for storage and potential usage is still being determined. Blood-forming stem cells that have been stored for more than a decade have been used successfully in transplants.
There is no cost involved when donating cord blood to a public bank, though some doctors or midwives may charge a small fee to collect the blood. The cost for storing cord blood privately is approximately $1,000-$2,000, in addition to a yearly maintenance fee (usually around $100). You also might pay an additional fee of several hundred dollars for the cord-blood collection kit, courier service to the cord-blood bank, and initial processing.
Cryogenic blood-forming stem cells can be thawed and used in either autologous procedures (when someone receives his or her own umbilical cord blood in a transplant) or allogeneic procedures (when a person receives umbilical cord blood donated from someone else — a sibling, close relative, or anonymous donor).
In most cases, these transplants are done only with children or young adults. That's because the volume of a cord-blood donation usually isn't enough for an adult's transplant. The larger a person is, the more blood-forming stem cells he or she needs for a successful transplant.
Most medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommend public donation of cord blood whenever possible.
Currently, they do not recommend privately banking your newborn's cord blood unless you have a child or family member with a current or potential need for a stem cell transplant. The reason? The likelihood of a healthy person ever needing stem cells is rare, and research has never confirmed that self-donated cells (rather than cells from a relative or stranger) make transplantations safer or more effective.
Stem cells from cord blood from both related and unrelated donors have been successful in many transplants. That's because blood-forming stem cells taken from cord blood are naive (a medical term for early cells that are still highly adaptable and are less likely to be rejected by the recipient's immune system). Therefore, donor cord-blood stem cells do not need to be a perfect match to create a successful stem cell transplant.
There has been little experience with transplanting self-donated cells. Some experts are concerned that an ill baby who receives his or her own stem cells during a transplant would be at risk for a repeat of the same disease. Most of the stem cell transplants that use blood-forming stem cells have been performed on relatives of the donating child, not on the donating child.
Finally, there are a few cautions to keep in mind when it comes to private banking. Some doctors and organizations express concern that private cord-blood banks may capitalize on the fears of vulnerable new parents by providing misleading information about the statistics of stem cell transplants. Parents of children of ethnic or racial minorities, adopted children, or children conceived through in vitro fertilization may be especially encouraged to bank cord blood because it's statistically harder to find a match in these cases.
If you are considering banking your newborn's cord blood, be sure to discuss your options with your obstetrician.
Here are a few questions to consider before choosing a cord-blood bank:
Answers to all of your questions might not be readily available. Cord-blood banking is still a relatively new medical practice. Many hospitals do not yet offer this service (or are not affiliated with a public or private bank that offers it), and some medical professionals are still not fully aware of how cord-blood banking works.
But other resources are available to help you make an informed decision, including:
You also can contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org/find-your-local-chapter) or a local university hospital.
Many doctors and researchers support saving umbilical cord blood mainly because of the promise that stem cell research holds for the future. Most of us would have little use for stem cells now, but research into using them to treat diseases is ongoing — and the future looks promising.
If you'd like to donate your child's umbilical cord blood, talk to your obstetrician or midwife or contact the hospital or birthing center where your baby will be born. It's best to start the process early in your second trimester to give yourself plenty of time to register for this service.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2018 KidsHealth® All rights reserved. Images provided by Cook Children's, The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com.


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No guns in Texas' victory lane for NRA 500 winner Kyle Busch this time, thanks to cranky Washington politicians (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
By Mike Mulhern
FORT WORTH, Texas
Give Kyle Busch the inside of the front row for a restart and it's usually all over.
The best pure driver in NASCAR? Well, it may be a toss-up between Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
But the best driver on restarts in this sport is Busch, without question.
Busch polished his rep with another victory in Saturday night's Texas NRA 500, leading half the race and rarely challenged on the track for the lead.
"When that caution came, my boys stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam, 11.7," Busch said almost gleefully.
Two years ago here, remember, Busch was suspended for the weekend after an altercation. So sweeping this weekend's Nationwide 300 and Sprint Cup 500 was sweet indeed.
"Kyle is the fastest man in Texas," crew chief Dave Rogers said.
However now the next great NASCAR drama will be played out back in North Carolina in a few days, before the Sprint Cup tour heads to Kansas City for next Sunday's Kansas 400 – NASCAR officials will be sitting in judgment of the Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano teams and crew chiefs, after finding some parts they didn't like under the rear ends of those two cars in pre-race inspection Saturday afternoon.
Major suspensions and fines could be looming for the sport's defending champions.
And runnerup Truex may face penalties too, after NASCAR inspectors said his car was "too low" in post-race inspection. Any penalties would come next week.
Keselowski was angry at NASCAR's actions pre-race, and said he felt NASCAR officials had "targeted" the Penske team for some reason. He called the actions "shameful."
And, without indicating all the areas he was displeased with, Keselowski said bluntly "We're not going to take it. We're not going to be treated this way."
Keselowski said he "very worried" that NASCAR would suspend Wolfe.
Brad Keselowski (L) and crew chief Paul Wolfe. Will NASCAR suspend Wolfe? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
Though Busch was strong all night, he needed a great pit stop the last time in to regain command late, as evenly matched as he was with Martin Truex Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
Truex was leading Busch by a comfortable five seconds when the caution came out with 75 miles to go. That was right at the fuel mileage window, and Truex was pitting just as the yellow was called. Truex' right-front had worn into the cords, so that stop was timed about perfectly.
The stop went smoothly for Truex, who had the lead for the restart with 44 laps to go. And Truex jumped back to a quick lead. But Busch's crew was banking on tires being a late-race issue, so told Busch to save his tires for a final sprint. Busch began that charge with 21 to go….but then got a big break with the final caution of the night, for debris.
As much of an advantage as fresh tires are here, all the top drivers pitted. And Busch won the battle off pit road.
"The race was over when we got beat out of the pits," Truex said painfully, the heartbreak obvious.
"The bottom was so fast.
"We should have been able to beat him out. And it wasn't all pit position (Busch had the best pit, because of winning the pole)…
"Then I was really worried about losing second (to a fast closing trio of Fords).
"We've had a tough season….tired of finishing second. That's getting old."
Truex' first and only tour win was in 2007.
"When it's been that long since you won, to run this well and not win, it sucks," Truex said. "It hurts when you give them away. It takes so much to have a car to beat Jimmie Johnson and those guys.
"That's where we've got to get better."
Carl Edwards has the victory backflip, Jimmie Johnson the victory burnout, and Kyle Busch has the victory bow to the crowd, which he's performed twice now this season. This time Busch didn't need a miracle comeback as he did three weeks ago at California.
So it was a one-two night for Toyota, with Ford, somewhat surprisingly perhaps, taking the rest of the top five in the 3-1/2-hour race.
Chevrolet? Johnson was off, though finishing sixth. Gordon ran third most of the night, in one of his best performances of the spring – only to go behind the wall with a broken right-front wheel hub with just 30 miles left.
Toyota's runs were expected. Ford's runs weren't, even though this has long been a Ford track, particularly a Jack Roush Ford track.
And it didn't look good for Ford men most of the evening.
"It was pretty eventful," Ford's Edwards, third, said in understatement.
"I was ready to pit and stay in there for a lap early and fix whatever we needed, as bad as we were running. Fortunately we stayed out.
"Then we had a problem with the exhaust system….then my seat belts came loose and I had to retighten them.
"I know Martin isn't happy with second but I'm real happy with third. We're in the dart-throwing stage, maybe with a blindfold. We've got to get better. Maybe the tire threw us for a loop. I don't feel confident we could come back here next week and pull off another third."
NASCAR inspectors didn't like everything they saw under Brad Keselowski's car. Penalties may be coming (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
However the biggest story of the night might have come even before the green:
Keselowski and Logano were in deep trouble before the 500 got started.
NASCAR inspectors confiscated the rear ends and related suspension parts from the two drivers' Penske Fords during final pre-race inspection.
Keselowski managed to get his car through inspection and onto the starting grid in time to hold his 16th starting spot. But Logano's crew was slower and didn't get to the grid in time, and NASCAR put Logano at the rear of the field, because his car wasn't on the line yet when the command came 'Gentlemen, start your engines."
Yet Logano made an amazing run to finish fifth, in contention late. Keselowski managed to finish ninth.
"It was a little too close for comfort," Logano conceded. "If you'd have told me I'd finish fifth, I'd have given you a hug."
Joey Logano's car got the same scrutiny as his teammate's...and the penalties may be just as severe (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR said it would take the parts from the two Penske cars back to the R&D center in Concord, N.C., for further consideration, and any penalties would be determined next week.
Usually those penalties are announced Tuesday, but with Keselowski scheduled to meet President Obama at the White House Tuesday, any penalties could be delayed till Wednesday.
Speculation in the garage among rival crew chiefs focused on the possibility of six-week suspensions and $100,000 fines for the two crew chiefs, Paul Wolfe (Keselowski) and Todd Gordon (Logano). That would be in line with other penalties for similar violations. A six-week suspension would cover the Kansas, Richmond, Talladega, Darlington, Charlotte All-Star and Charlotte 600 races.
Any points penalty levied could be even more devastating. Keselowski went into Saturday night's 500 second in the Sprint Cup standings, just six points down to Jimmie Johnson; Logano was 11th.
However NASCAR executives have wide latitude in such judgment.
The apparent issue: modifying the rear end in order to make the car run better through the corners. Last year Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, came up with some rear end tricks to accomplish that, and Johnson went on a mid-season tear. Rivals, when they finally understood what Knaus and Johnson were doing, questioned NASCAR, and NASCAR said it was all legal. That didn't really set well with rivals, who then cranked up an expensive research program to develop their own similar rear end tricks.
At the end of the season NASCAR officials decided to eliminate that rear end stuff and changed up the rules considerably, to eliminate teams 'skewing' the rear end to get better bite.
However rivals here Saturday night said Wolfe and Gordon had come up with a way to get around that, with some type of 'floating' rear end. One top crew chief, asking not to be named, said "They are in deep doo-doo. There is no way to explain that away."
It was not clear why NASCAR inspectors did not discover the rear end issues during Friday inspection here.
Joey Logano, Keselowski's teammate at Roger Penske's (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
All the crew chiefs do work that gray area.
Mike have you heard about Brad Keselowski basically saying that NASCAR is rigged? This is what I have read.
"I have one good thing to thing to say and that was my team and the effort they put in today in fighting back with the absolute (expletive) that's been the last seven days in this garage area, Keselowski said. The things I've seen over the last seven days have me questioning everything I believe in. I'm not happy about it. I don't have anything positive to say and I probably should just leave it at that.
"There's so much stuff going on you guys have no idea, you have no (expletive) idea what's going on. That's not your fault. I can tell you there's no team in this garage with the integrity of the No. 2 team. And the way we've been treated over the last seven days is absolutely shameful. I feel like we've been targeted over the last seven days more than I've seen a team targeted in my life.
I think the people who currently run NASCAR are the worst "runners" of any sport in the history of American sports. But I wouldn't say they are rigging NASCAR against the 2 team. If anything they would want to hurt Jimmie and help Dale.
But still I'm not a fan of what Brad is doing. But than again I'm not backstage like Brad is.
I find it hard to believe that being too low would be any advantage to Truex. During the race I noticed that most cars' splitters came up to the regulation height during the cautions, but were almost rubbing the surface of the track not just on the corners, but even on the straights during green flag runs. How could you get any lower?
Who cares if the cars don't come back up for cautions and the post race inspection when that has no effect on the height they are when racing?
They should ditch the splitters and make the cars run on the springs instead of sagging down on the stops when in competition. Use a monitoring system to make sure the rule gets followed.
Silly, this ought to be interesting...Todd and Paul need to have a meeting with Cheatin' Chad..he will tell em' how its done...:)
Maybe now Brad will realize he might be the current CHAMP but he does not run NASCAR :)
And to get caught doing what he whined / cried about the #48 doing last season well that looks good on him.
And again he proved he has no CLASS with his foul mouthed comments after the race.
They inspect these cars several times a weekend, week in and week out, yet they find something just before the race starts. This is laughable, a joke. And they wonder why the fans are deserting the sport. It's called integrity and NASCAR officials never display it. Just reading Mike's column would lead one to believe that Hendrick teams seem to get away with items that other teams don't. Remember the #24 Jurrassac Park car in the Winston way back when. Jeff won the race and Ray was told not to bring that car back to any more races. Same happened with Chad Knaus with a #48 car. Built to perfect, don't bring it back But you can keep the wins.
When a car arrives at the track the initial inspection should be the only inspection it goes through. If it fails it goes home, and if the back up fails it goes home. Simple game. And if you can't produce a legal car for the race, you don't race that weekend. What difference does it make. If you get through all of the inspections and are found illegal after the race you get to keep the win anyway. Now that is bright thinking.
I say let's bring in Hulk Hogan, Rick Flare and the Killer Bees into this dog and pony show. They are starting to make the WWF look like the most honest show in town.
I think Brad is full of himself but I'll take his honesty and emotion anytime over the slobbering pro-NASCAR buubleheaded drivers Brian wants us to see. In fact this latest move may be a payback for previous Brad comments. Don't ever put anything past the Gang Of Three(Brian, Mike and Robin).
I can't be the only one who listened to Brads's rant and wonder if he stepped out of his car and went straight to drinking Miller out of his Championship Cup again! The guy ...who by the way has been deemed Nascar's new poster boy...really wasn't making any sense!! All the drivers rant and rave at times....but Kez's tirade was straight out of "One Flew Out of the Cuckoos Nest"! And he kept saying his team
had been picked on in the garage the last seven days??? Does he not realize he wasn't in the Texas garage the last seven days?? Well maybe he was abducted by the Mother Ship and dropped off in Texas...who can say for sure?!!! He said if NASCAR keeps picking on his team he's going to run to Big Daddy's (Penske) desk and tell on those bad men....ha! and here all this time I thought Bad Brad prided himself on being a "real racer"..... "man's man" .... "tough as nails"!!! Whoops...looks like there's a chink in this knights armor ...
The heavily political and often murky world of NASCAR politics and cheating (or to use the old Sam Moses line Cheatin' or as Bill Gazaway put it Fudgin' or as Richard Petty put it Jes Tryin' To Get An Edge) makes this issue complex because one can buy both sides of the argument - that the Penske Fords were caught red-handed, yet that NASCAR is cracking down on them harder than others for political - aka personal - reasons. No question other teams have used these floater rear ends and will try to beat the inspectors - the teams are, after all, ahead of NASCAR in the technology arms race. That it's Keselowski and Logano getting busted after Keselowski got hosed by Brian France over his USA Today piece, one can see spite by NASCAR against this group coming into play. Dismissing this controversy as Keselowski screaming black helicopters is wrong.
I back Brad 100%. Robin Pemberton is manipulating...
Brad never said NASCAR did anything. It was an artful rant. There is a rumor out there saying Hendrick teams may have busted the Penske teams.
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30-Minutes to Fitness "Body Design"
This DVD has six, 15 minute workouts. You design your own workout by choosing the 2 training techniques of your choice. Your options are; Cardio Bootcamp, light db Cardio Sculpting, Upper Body Strength, Stronger/Leaner Lower Body, Kickboxing with light dbs, Yoga Flow Stretch. *Although theses 15 minute workouts are designed to be all-inclusive and not needing a full warm up or stretch, they have been added as another option in case you want or need them.


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I also have 2239 model. Which is a 3 channel radio. It does say LINK & it does say High Output and has red buttons.
I also, have a 2 channel radio that says LINK but does not say High Output but have yellow buttons.
Sorry I am confused:
I have this Transmitter:
How many Models i can bind?
and what receiver will work?
Is there any manual for my transmitter out there?
Standard 2.4, can not use the 2218 link receiver. 2217 receiver is the one to use. 1 model only. I think it is standard operation as the regular TQ3. There is no programing for the gray case, 2.4 standard radio. Post #18 on page 1 covers this in this thread. Hope this helps.
Last edited by papermaker; 07-07-2010 at 08:41 AM.
After trying to bind my traxxas link radio i got with my slash 4x4 to some new 2.4 recievers i just got to replace all my older non 2.4ghz models and having trouble i came and checked the website looking for info. After looking and finding no solution i thought i would check here. Now that i have read this i must say that i am pretty upset by this, i just bought 3 recievers at $40 bucks a pop and none of them will work with my link i appartently bought the older 2.4 ghz #2217 that will not work with any of the transmitter i have. So now i have 3 older recievers that i cant use at all and my hobby shop has a no return police. I love everything i have ever got from traxxas and i relize why they did it this way but it is confusing even the guy that owns the hobby shop was confused by this. So i thought it might help someone else if i posted this to keep it from happing to them, make sure you do your homework and then still doublecheck it again what you have and what it will work with.
Originally Posted by danielhr77
...turns out it is the 2244 model, for which I can not find instructions for and the throttle trim is so far out that it has no neutral and no reverse... fun times !
Ok. Dumb question. I have the black case non HO version.2244. Does it multi model memory? I have 6 trucks and way too many transmitters kicking around.
HK Brushless Summit!!!
im trying to get a 4 channel 2.4ghz radio with link (for multiple models) and H.O but things are still kinda hazy
the summit has the
-model 2244
-4 ch
-NON link
-NON high output
supposedly the radio I want is the
-model 2240
-4 ch
-Traxxas Link
-High Output
-says "traxxas link" on the radio
but on on the traxxas accessory page they only show
-model 2230
-4 ch
- does not say "traxxas link" nor does the description mentions "link"
-does not say High ouput" nor does the description mention h.o
I cannot find the model 2240 on the website
If someone knows of its existance please point it out/post link for me
MAN, Use Common Sense.
Outside? THERE IS NO BOX !
Last edited by papermaker; 09-17-2010 at 09:19 PM.
Don't fry bacon naked.
im looking for some help with this new 2.4 system. I have a Tmaxx 4908 with reverse and I just bought a 2218 transmitter and reciever and I need to know if it will allow me to use my reverse since I did not see a red thumb switch on the handle.
Im new to this FM stuff so go easy on me
wow, Ijust read a few threads for an hour and my brain is cooked. I cannot believe how many different models are out there. Traxxas, is there really a need for that? Come on now...
You need the button. It shows it here:
Last edited by papermaker; 01-06-2011 at 03:42 AM.
Don't fry bacon naked.
wow, what a mess. I seen no answers to the 2 posts where the members only were able to bind 2 rxs.
Ya can't polish fertilizer...
I was under the impression the 2239 is a 2238 with a third channel for adding reverse as an upgrade to trucks that do not have reverse as an installed option, i.e. the T-Maxx 3.3 I just bought as opposed to the 2.5 which I believe has Reverse already.
If you look at the new Maxx under the gallery it shows 2 radios. One with no reverse switch and one with reverse button. If you look under accessories it gives the image for the 4 channel radio, so I don't know what gives. The Classic Maxx shows the old TQ3 which is am. No 2.4 with that unless you buy one. The accessories section has like 4 options for radio/receiver combo.
I looked again at the parts list for the 3.3 and it says that it comes with a 4 channel 2.4 link radio.
2208 radio system
2240 radio
Google search shows 2239 is indeed the 3 channel red thumb switch radio, so you should have to only buy the reverse kit.
Last edited by papermaker; 03-11-2011 at 07:51 PM.
Don't fry bacon naked.
I just purchased a used slash at my lhs. It came with a 2.4ghz tx/rx setup. Everything I see as far as setting this up or restoring factory defaults is for transmitters with menu and set buttons. Mine however only has a set button. The reason I bring this up is because I have terrible turning radius on my slash. I was hoping maybe it was something as simple as end points but not sure how to set/change/restore settings if possible.... Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Maybe this?
http://traxxas.com/support/Steering-binds and check to see that the servo saver is working correctly.
Is this it?
This is from Tower:
I did some research and if you have the 1st generation(grey) model the set button is for linking the tx/rx, that all. There is no advanced programing with this radio. Your steering issue is probably binding or some worn parts as it is used. Hope this helped you.
Don't fry bacon naked.
The radio I have is a darker grey than the ones in the links. I found out that it is not programable.
This is it. http://traxxas.com/support/parts/tra...2228tq24ghz2ch
I have the 4wd bellcranks and found a solution. Turns out the draglink is too short. I legthened it and got my steering. Thanks for the info and your time.
And I have always thought that my brand new Summit came with the latest link High Output radio. Now that I know it is a fairly standard 4 channel radio with low output AND since I don't usually like the trigger style of radio (my preference is dual stick) I will look at changing the radio. I would like to keep the nice small RX though and I wonder if it would bind with any other DSSS radio? I willl be receiving a ******* 2.4Ghz radio soon and willl be able to check it out. I know that the standard reply will be that it won't bind with any TX other than the Traxxas but it does no harm to try, otherwise I will have to swap them alll out and will llook to sell the whole radio system.
Traxxas makes a 2 channel stick. I don't know why it would not bind. The Spektrum rx is used in Losi cars with Losi radios. As long as it's DSSS you should be fine I would think. Let us know.
Last edited by papermaker; 05-26-2011 at 06:23 AM.
Don't fry bacon naked.
Is this correct:
2208 = 4 ch Link radio w/2218(x) Link receiver
2240 = 4 ch Link radio only
2244? = 4 ch standard 2.4 non Link but works with the 2218 Link receiver(early 2.4 Summit radio)
and in reality, the radio is actually a 5 ch transmitter,
Gear shift
F Diff
R Diff
Summit; ERBE; E-Slayer; MERVs
Wraith; AX10; RX10
Hi guys,
Ive been reading all morning and im getting more confused..
I can get a great deal on these 2 Traxxas TX and RX... HOWEVER they are no a matching set, the fella says that in his for sale ad. The picture is fuzzy, but Im hoping someone might be able to tell me if they look like they could be linked or Bound to each other.
Thanks in advance,
Always in Trouble for trying to help out.
The two Traxxas transmitters are the high output Traxxas Link version--you can tell by the black-chrome wheels.
If you haven't already seen them, posts 18, 20, and 22 of this thread should help readers trying to understand the difference in Traxxas 2.4GHz transmitters. Also this article if you're wondering about TQi compatibility.
WOW thats a Fast reply.. thank you..
So the TX's are the new style and chances are the Radios aren't much older.. So would it be reasonable to assume the units could be bound to each other ?
Thanks again,
haha, you popped in with a reply again before I finished this post.
Last edited by madkawi650; 02-07-2012 at 11:03 AM. Reason: Traxxas employees too fast for me. lol
Always in Trouble for trying to help out.
Assuming the receivers shown are the ones that were included with the transmitters, they are Traxxas Link-enabled and you can bind both TXs to both RXs.
Whether your vehicle included the silver-wheel "non Traxxas Link" TX or the black-chrome-wheel Traxxas Link TX, it comes with the same 2218X Traxxas Link receiver.
Glad to help!
Traxxas Link is pretty cool. When we do our Try-Me Tracks at events, we cross-bind 20 cars with 20 radios. We never have to figure out which radio goes with which car--every radio goes with every car!
I have had an AM transmitter and was driving one day and it had a mind of its own! Ran all over the place! That day I got a 2.4 and the LHS...
2.0, Summit, Slash (4x4), 'Pede 4x4, MERV
You may be able to help me as well Peter. I've got a Rustler VXL with the TQi control and I'm trying to pair it with my 5603
E-Revo, it has the 2218X receiver but for reasons unknown it just won't pair for me.
Is the 6519 compatible with the "high power" TX model 2238? Thanks; Don
what a transmitter that was released last traksas?(with receiver)
interests and 4 channel and long range control
i installed the new tqi system to my first 4tec and bought another rx and installed it to my other 4tec. it bound right, BUT the steering is reverced and so is the throttle. Why is that? HELP


text:
Don't Bet Against Tesla, Says Musk
Is Tesla overvalued? With the company's shares trading up more than 400 percent this year, some have argued that it is. Indeed, New York University finance professor Aswath Damodaran believes Tesla is worth $67.12 per share — far below the $164.89 at which its stock currently trades. If he's right, that would make Tesla a great stock to short. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk advises against it.
"Our valuation right now [assumes] a lot of good execution on our part in the future," Musk told Fox News Thursday. "And we're going to do our best to work hard and make sure that investors are not disappointed. … In the past, I said it's really crazy to short Tesla. Is it so crazy to short Tesla right now? I mean, it's not as crazy, but I still think it's probably not a good idea."
What else is he supposed to say, right?
A fair point. That said, it's worth noting that Musk said something similar last September, right before Tesla shares sped off on a massive year-long rally that almost certainly brutalized investors shorting them.
"I think it's very unwise to be shorting Tesla," Musk said at the time. "There's a tsunami of hurt for those holding a short position. It's going to be very unpleasant."


text:
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Boston Marathon bombing suspect killed by police early Friday participated in the National Golden Gloves boxing tournament in Salt Lake City in May 2009 and was preparing to compete in this year's tournament, which is also at the Salt Palace Convention Center, May 13-18.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, lost his first and only bout in Salt Lake City in 2009, falling to Lamar Fenner of Chicago by decision in the 201-pound weight class. Fenner went on to the championship bout, but lost to Michigan's Jordan Shimmell in that final.
Fenner died of a heart attack in 2012.
Alex Noshirvan, a sports clerk at The Salt Lake Tribune, covered Team New England's bouts in Salt Lake City four years ago for the Lowell Sun newspaper. On Friday, he recalled that he met with the entire team the night before the tournament opened and that Tsarnaev said little during an interview, perhaps because he struggled to speak the English language at the time.
"You could tell he didn't get along with the rest of his teammates," Noshirvan said. "You could tell he wasn't a part of the group. He kind of kept to himself."
Even during the first night of bouts, Noshirvan said Tsarnaev sat a couple rows up in the bleachers from his teammates, by himself, when he wasn't fighting.
Tsarnaev would later say he hoped to use the tournament as a springboard to the U.S. Olympic team, but lost in a controversial decision. Noshirvan described Tsarnaev as a "big, strong dude" who could punch hard. The reporter said he believed at the time that Tsarnaev won the fight.
Here's what Noshirvan wrote for the Lowell Sun:
"In Team New England's last bout of the night, Tamerlan Tsarnaev dropped a controversial decision to Lamar Fenner of Chicago in the 201-pound division. After flooring Fenner with a huge punch that required an eight count, it seemed that Tsarnaev was in control of the whole fight. Yet somehow the judges saw it differently and awarded Fenner the decision, a decision that drew boos from the crowd."
Longtime Utah boxing official Larry Fullmer, who was the tournament director in 2009 and is involved in putting on the event again this year, said he does not remember Tsarnaev's bout in 2009. Neither do Fullmer's brothers, Hud and Troy, who are also part of the Golden Gloves Rocky Mountain Region board of directors.
Larry Fullmer said Tsarnaev would have to have been an accomplished boxer to have made it to Salt Lake City. He would have emerged from the New England Region, which includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine and is known as one of the stronger regions in the Golden Gloves system.
Mike Joyce, a Chicago attorney who coached Fenner in that 2009 bout in Salt Lake City, told the city's CBS television affiliate on Friday that he remembered the bout well and that it was close and heated.
Joyce said he was "shocked" to learn that Tsarnaev was one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings because "even though boxing is an individual sport, it is also a fraternity, so you are practicing with your teammates, and you are competing in a very difficult sport, and you have respect for your opponents at all times."
However, Joyce told the television station that Tsarnaev's behavior in the bout "offered suggestions of possible racial prejudice against his black opponent, but nothing remotely resembling overt anti-Americanism."
Noshirvan recalled only that the two combatants boxed like they did not like each other, as most serious boxers are prone to do.
USA Boxing spokeswoman Julie Goldsticker said Tsarnaev was not considered an elite prospect by the sport's national governing body, nor would he have been able to fight for the U.S. even if he were a national contender.
"He was not close to making an Olympic team or national team," she said. "As a noncitizen, he would have been precluded from competing in any qualifying tournaments or USA Boxing national events."
Goldsticker said the 2009 Golden Gloves tournament in Salt Lake City was the only national amateur boxing event he competed in.
Twitter: @drewjay


text:
Flores hoping for peace in his home country
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Count Wilmer Flores among those hoping for a speedy resolution to the political strife in his home country of Venezuela.
"I'm really worried," said Flores, one of three Venezuelan players in Mets camp along with shortstop Wilfredo Tovar and pitcher Miguel Socolovich. "We don't know what's going to happen. They're just going to keep going to the street and we'll see what happens."
For weeks, Venezuelans unhappy with the country's political course have been protesting, at times violently, in the streets of major cities.
Flores is from Valencia, roughly 100 miles from the capital of Caracas. He said he has cautioned his mother, who still lives there with his aunt and other family members, not to leave home.
"I just don't want her to go out where it's dangerous," Flores said. "But where she lives, there's not too much going on."
Though Flores spent much of his winter attending two separate Mets-sponsored fitness camps in Michigan, he was in Venezuela from mid-November through mid-January.
"I wish everything works out for the best," he said. "I'm not with the president. I'm not with the other group of people. I just want everybody to be safe and our country to be good."


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Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune and a nationally syndicated columnist. Read his column here.
Ruben Navarrette says President Obama made a total mess of his position about torture.
SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- For someone who insists he is personally opposed to torture, President Obama has a rhetorical knack for it.
This week, Obama tortured the right, left and center with his parsing, hedging, and flip-flopping on newly released Bush-era torture memos and what to do about them.
Along the way, he also tortured logic and consistency, making a total mess of his own position. Only the most die-hard Obama supporters -- those who are invested to the hilt in his presidency and find it hard to see the blemishes -- could deny this.
Obama angered Republicans by releasing the confidential documents, over objections by CIA Director Leon Panetta and Bush administration officials who worried that it would telegraph to terrorists how far U.S. interrogators are permitted to go in trying to extract information.
But he also disappointed Democrats by ruling out the prosecution of interrogators who might have engaged in what some define as torture and initially suggesting that the lawyers who had advised them wouldn't be prosecuted either because, as Obama said several days ago, "this is a time for reflection, not retribution."
And then, this week, while this middle-of-the-road approach was being applauded by those in the center who smile on nuance, he flummoxed them by reversing course and suggesting that the whole matter of whether the three former Bush Justice Department lawyers who wrote the memos -- Jay Bybee, Steven Bradbury and John Yoo -- ought to be prosecuted should be decided by Attorney General Eric Holder.
Nice. And I bet you thought the two men were friends. With friends like Obama, Holder should run out and buy a flak jacket. No matter what Holder decides, he will be criticized. And for all the hay that Senate Democrats made about how former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allegedly politicized the Justice Department, it's ironic that Obama was so quick to drag his own attorney general into a political firestorm.
Besides, how do you go about prosecuting lawyers for simply offering legal opinions when asked for them? They've broken no law.
A friend of mine who heads up an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union concedes that is new territory but suggests there could be a case if the opinions were intentionally fraudulent or overly ideological.
I can imagine the same argument from conservatives the next time a liberal-leaning state attorney general issues a legal opinion supporting gay marriage. Just because a lawyer comes back with an opinion you don't like doesn't make it a crime. If Holder says otherwise, good luck to him the next time he asks one of the hundreds of lawyers in his own agency for an opinion on a politically sensitive matter.
Most disturbingly of all, by passing the buck on such an important issue, Obama has fallen short on the Harry Truman leadership scale. This is precisely why we elect a president -- to deal with tough issues, the adjudication of which is never going to make everyone happy. A real leader accepts that fact going in and doesn't cower in the face of it.
For what it's worth, on the issue of torture, I've changed my own view since September 11, 2001. For several years after the terrorist attacks, I bought the argument that the United States couldn't afford to torture terror suspects.
But now, acknowledging that the Bush administration did something right in preventing more attacks, I've come around to the view that we can't afford to take any option away from interrogators as they try to prevent an attack that could cost thousands of lives.
Too many Americans keep forgetting that the threat we face is real, and unrelenting. In fact, the Bush administration claimed that just a few months after 9/11, it thwarted a planned attack on Los Angeles where al Qaeda intended to use shoe bombers to hijack an airplane and fly it into the U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest building in the city. If enhanced interrogation played a role in foiling that plot, wouldn't it have been worth the cost?
After all the bobbing and weaving this week, I'm not really sure what President Obama believes about torture or what to do with those who authorize it. And, at this point, I don't care.
All I care about is that Obama choose a position and sticks to it, and that, as commander-in-chief, he fully grasps the enormous responsibilities that came with the office.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.
All About Torture • Barack Obama • Eric Holder


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Flyweight John Lineker's first trip outside of his native Brazil wasn't exactly his finest hour.
With no team around him and no knowledge of how to properly cut weight, Lineker (20-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was heavy for his UFC debut and wound up losing by submission to "The Ultimate Fighter 14" cast member Louis Gaudinot in a catchweight contest at May's UFC on FOX 3 event.
It would be understandable, then, if Lineker was less-than-thrilled about the task of traveling to Macau for this past weekend's UFC on FUEL TV 6 event. But the 22-year-old said his new manager, Alex Davis, helped him overcome the challenge en route to a thrilling decision win over Yasuhiro Urushitani.
"In my first fight in the UFC, it was the first time I had ever traveled outside Brazil," Lineker told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. "I had no help or support, and I really suffered from that. This time around I had my trainer, Marcelo Ribeiro, with me the whole time – and Alex Davis, who now is my manager, organized everything and came with me to make sure things ran smoothly. It was a huge difference from the first time around."
Lineker said Davis' key focus was helping his client overcome the jet lag commonly associated with a trip as lengthy as that from Brazil to Southeast Asia. The flyweight was kept to a strict regiment in both his training and sleeping schedule, and Lineker said the routine was hugely beneficial. Davis also elected to have his fighter take a 24-hour layover in Europe in order to break the journey into two segments.
"It is a 24-hour flight from Brazil to Macau, and Alex was worried that this would give my opponent a big advantage since he was coming from Japan, which is only a five-hour flight and just a one-hour time difference," Lineker said. "Not only that, but this is only my second time traveling outside of Brazil.
"Alex made us do a 24-hour layover in Paris, made me work out when we landed and insisted I not sleep until it was nighttime in France. We then repeated the same thing when we got to Macau. In the beginning, I was thinking he was being a pain, but I now know that this made a big difference and enabled me to adjust to the different time zone and not be affected by jet lag. I was able to fight three full rounds without tiring."
Lineker and Urushitani fought at a high pace throughout the 15-minute affair, but the Brazilian remained in control for most of the fight and floored his foe on several occasions. He wasn't able to put away a durable Urushitani, but he earned the decision victory in convincing fashion.
"I am really happy with my win over Urushitani," Lineker said. "He was a difficult opponent. He moved well and avoided my boxing, but once I found him I was able to knock him down several times. I must give him props, though. He is very tough. I know how hard I hit him, but that f—er would keep on getting back up!"
The much-needed win ensured Lineker remains a part of the UFC's still-developing 125-pound division and helps "Hands of Stone" help erase the sting of his debut loss. Now he'll wait for his next assignment, which he no doubt hopes can be booked a little closer to home. But if it's not, Lineker believes he's prepared for all challenges, and his eyes are set firmly on the UFC's flyweight belt.
"I would like to thank God, my trainer Marcelo Ribeiro for his dedication and Alex Davis for giving me 100-percent support," Lineker said. "I am really happy to have been able to show a little of what I can do. I will continue to improve, I will look for the 125-pound title, and I will bring the belt back to Brazil and to my hometown of Paranagua."
For complete coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 6, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.


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Woman Claims Her Money-Saving Bond Idea Was Crushed By Wall Street
Williams devised a new way to finance the construction of airport terminals.
April 26, 2013 -- In April 2005, Linda Grant Williams, a structured finance and real estate lawyer living in Bedford, New York, came up with a new way to finance the construction of airport terminals. Her way of financing and refinancing these deals could have saved airlines billions of dollars, she claims in a lawsuit filed in 2008.
The idea was to issue bonds with ratings based on the demand for passengers that fly in and out of busy U.S. airports like La Guardia, JFK or LAX. High and reliable flyer traffic would translate into top bond ratings and thus lower interest rates for the terminal bonds based on that passenger stream. This method contrasts with how airport bonds are issued now, based on the considerably lower credit ratings of the individual airlines that use the terminals.
Williams had used a similar idea in 1998 to finance sports stadiums. In 2005, while she was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, in Manhattan, the law firm devoted over a million dollars of its own time to vet her idea from a legal standpoint and also file a patent application on it, she maintains in her suit.
According to her lawsuit, that same year Williams and some of her Pillsbury partners met with major rating agencies like Standard & Poor's and Moody's. They also approached bankers at Citigroup--which devotes a chunk of its business to financing airport terminals--along with municipal finance experts at JP Morgan Securities and Goldman Sachs. Initially, they all expressed interest for her plan, recognizing that it would save the airline industry billions of dollars, she maintains in her suit.
But then, she claims, some strange things began happening.
A few weeks after meeting with Williams, Citigroup backed out, despite the fact that they were initially gung ho. In March, 2006, her law firm asked her to resign, although it did let her retain her patent, she claims in her suit.
Williams joined another law firm, Greenberg Traurig, a few months later. That company also thought her idea was worth pursuing, she maintains. She met with JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, who initially loved the idea. But once again, something happened. A year after she joined Greenberg, the law firm refused to renew her contract. The banks would not return her call.
Williams was confused. Why did people keep backing out, and later ostracizing her, when everyone knew she was going to save the airline industry billions of dollars? And then she realized: The banks didn't want to save the airlines any money, because they would lose billions of dollars from secondary trading and derivative products tied to the traditional way of financing airport terminals.
"When Linda tried to pitch it there was a real internal conflict, there's no doubt about it," said John Greenlee, a financial advisor in San Francisco who brought Williams in to pitch her idea to Citigroup, and is familiar with the case. "They liked it at first--the rating agencies even approved it. But then they realized if they did it it would impact their bottom line."
In October, 2008, Williams filed suit against Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs & Co. for an as yet undetermined amount of money. (In October, 2012, she filed a separate suit against Barclays' Capital.)
According to her 2008 complaint, there was an "ongoing conspiracy, primarily among several Wall Street investment banks…" to boycott the use of her structure, "despite the fact that their own airport finance specialists have unequivocally acknowledged" that her structure could save the banks airline clients "tremendous amounts of money by virtue of the substantially lower interest rates they would pay on their [Airline Special Facility Bonds] bonds." (ASF bonds usually carry a higher interest rate than other government-issued bonds because the airline industry is so risky).
The suit alleges that the banks violated New York's antitrust law, the Donnelly Act, which prohibits, among other things, price fixing, bid rigging and group boycotting.
One insider brushed aside her allegations. "I think people did what we did—after badgering them relentlessly for a meeting, she came in, we listened politely, we smiled and nodded and said 'Very interesting', and she thought that was a sign of assent," said an industry professional who wished to remain anonymous. "But I remember thinking, 'That's not particularly novel and it's sort of been done before.'"
Finance pros say claims like this one are complex and often sink into a mire of what-ifs.
"There's a lot of different ways one can structure a transaction. It sounds sensible that you can come up with a structure that will create a savings for the borrower below what is available in the market," said Ed Grebeck, a market strategist in Stamford, CT . "However, the question is: Is that structure practical to implement? A lot of times that's when some of the best structures fall away. That may have happened here."
Williams declined to comment for this article. But in her suit she claims that she lost licensing and legal fees she would have earned had the banks applied her "innovative, now fully-patented structure to finance and refinance ASF Bonds." Further, the suit maintains that she has been "deprived of recognition for her important legal work and has suffered significant periods of unemployment and a devastating loss of income due to Defendants' interference with her senior positions at two international law firms."
That federal case was dismissed on the grounds that her case was not plausible. Undeterred, Williams filed another suit in New York State court, which was also dismissed. She immediately appealed.
And on March 19, 2013--nearly a year and a half later--the Appellate Division of New York's Supreme Court ruled that the case is allowed to proceed. The "allegations, which include statements alleged to have been made by defendants and other market participants… are sufficient to raise an inference of conspiracy," the appeals court ruled.
Citigroup, JP Morgan Securities, Goldman Sachs and Barclays declined to comment.
But in their Defendants' brief responding to her lawsuit, the banks' lawyer, Carmine Boccuzzi, noted that Williams did not allege that "any specific contract was actually breached by either of the two law firms that did not renew her contract."
Also, they added, that she clearly acknowledged that the "use of this structure would significantly harm the market, including bondholders…" and that her "own pleading demonstrates why any rational economic actor would have determined independently — and with no need of a conspiracy — that it was not in its business interest to adopt [Williams'] legal advice, and then exercise its right to not use her structure.''
In other words: They said that Williams clearly admitted it would cost secondary market bond traders and sellers of derivative products dependent on the high interest rate ASF bonds billions of dollars.
But that, William's lawyer, Michael Bowse, told ABC News, is precisely the point: That banks have a conflict of interest and don't want to save their airline clients money. The airline industry, in turn, is afraid to ruffle feathers, since it relies on the banks for loans.
"It does not make sense that the municipal and transportation finance groups within JP Morgan, Goldman and Citigroup would forego many hundreds of millions of dollars in bond issuances on which they could earn underwriting fees," said Bowse. "It doesn't make sense unless there is some other interest that the bank has--which we believe is that they make a lot of money off of these bonds because of the inefficient structure that would be fixed by Mrs. Williams' innovation."
Pillsbury Winthrop and Greenberg Traurig declined to comment. Boccuzzi, the lawyer for Citigroup, JPMorgan and Goldman, did not return phone calls to ABC News.
"Linda's aggressive but she's very good," said Greenlee. "I think her innovative ideas just rubbed certain people the wrong way."


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Published March 9, 2018
Netflix and Studio Bones team up to bring you A.I.C.O. -Incarnation. Researchers are digging in the earth and studying artificial life. Then an "incident" called the Burst happens and artificial life starts attacking. The government bans the area of the origin of the burst but that doesn't stop our 15-year-old protagonist Aiko from going and trying to discover the truth. This anime is out now on Netflix and has 12 episodes. From the looks of the trailer there's a lot of CGI… so yeah. There's that.
I'm a young videographer with an ambition to be the very best, that no one ever was. To record them is my quest to upload them is my cause!


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Editorial: Rules for drones needed sooner rather than later
Maybe Amazon's drone-delivery project is mostly a publicity stunt. Maybe it's genuine. It is without a doubt, however, a stark reminder that we need to be prepared in this country for the swarming of the drones.
In March, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it was setting up drone test sites and said it was expecting up to 10,000 drones flying in American skies by 2020. The drones are expected to be used for law enforcement, news gathering and countless other tasks.
One of those other tasks was suggested recently when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that his company is working on a program in which drones could deliver retail items directly to shoppers' doorsteps half an hour after they click "buy" online.
Some observers were quick to list all the reasons they thought the program wouldn't work. Others noted that, under current rules, the program would be illegal. In fact, when Amazon shot a promo video for the program, it had to take the shoot out of the country because it would have violated FAA rules, according to news reports.
"The fact that Amazon had to leave the country to make the video underscores how slowly U.S. officials have embraced the policy challenge," wrote the Washington Post. "It also offers a concrete example of what the country stands to lose, as the market for civil drone use picks up globally."
The FAA doesn't expect small drones to be fully integrated into American skies until 2015 and commercial drones of the sort Amazon is researching will have a longer regulatory path to travel. It behooves the country to get the infrastructure and legal framework for drones off the ground as quickly as possible. Doing so will better ensure safety, privacy and economic benefit in a future society abuzz with drones.


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This is what I find on ifunny xD Tons of people on...
Poems 2.0196191456
- by XxBetterOffDeadxXx & Orionaffect
- Rating:
- Published: 14 Oct 2016
- Updated: 25 Apr 2018
- Status: In Progress
I'm co-authoring this book!!! He's REALLY good at writing poems!!!
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
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Here it is
This is my painting for the upcoming ICONS: A Day of the Dead Group Show at Lunar Boy Gallery.
I don't know what to call it. It's mixed media with gouache, india ink, a couple of cut up vintage magazine ads, an illustration from an old pamphlet on how to throw a successful party, gel medium and oil sticks all on some old print of a landscape that was in the frame I bought at a thrift store.
I'm not expecting to sell it. I mean, if it doesn't get sold, I don't mind. I'm just glad I got it done and that I participated in the show. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else did!
Hope to see you there on Saturday. If you can't make it to Astoria, don't worry. We'll still talk bad about you.
Posted by Ward Jenkins at 12:49 AM
4 comments:
Nice painting, Ward. Very interesting. I haven't seen you work quite like that before. Do you know Wayne White's work? The way you broke the exisiting painted landscape reminds me of him.ReplyDelete
i'd buy it. looks great.ReplyDelete
Thats a really super painting. Good luck at the show!ReplyDelete
I'm not sure what (if anything) you're trying to get across here, but certainly a nice execution and the mixed media appears to coexist in a harmonious fashion. Almost makes me wish I knew how to draw!ReplyDelete
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Late Model Hemi - Gen III Giveaway
Genn III 5.7L Hemi stroked, and you can win it!
The annual Carlisle All- Chrysler Nationals event is rapidly approaching (July 6-8, 2012), meaning it's once again time for us to head off to Muscle Motors up in Lansing, Michigan, to document the assembly and dyno testing of a potent engine combo that some lucky Mopar maven will win at Carlisle. How potent? This year's giveaway engine is a Gen III 5.7L Hemi stroked to something over 392 cubic inches, yet topped with a Quick Fuel Technology carburetor and standalone MSD Hemi 6 electronic ignition controller for straightforward plug-and-play installation in someone's deserving project. Maybe yours.
Mike Ware, head honcho at Muscle Motors, sees lots of cost-effective potential in the readily available Gen III Hemi architecture. As supplies of venerable old LA and RB cores dwindle, the reverse is true of the 5.7L Hemi, which continues to increase in both availability and affordability on the used market. And, as we'll see, thanks to Muscle Motors and the ever-expanding aftermarket, these modern Hemis can make a great foundation for a project engine.