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The Games Smart People Play
St. Louis
It's nearing midnight, and Jillian Sorenson is fretful about the flesh-eating green monsters surrounding her fat-cheeked fictional little baby. With the turn of a card, and visible relief, she wins the vaccination to narrowly defeat the Zombie Pox.
The third weekend of April, every year for about the past 19 years, a few hundred people have gathered in a hotel ballroom to roll the dice. Literally. They're at Mind Games, an annual games-testing event sponsored by the high-IQ society Mensa. Toy developers enter their new games for testing by the attendees, who are assigned to play and review 30 over the course of the weekend. A group of prejudges makes the selection of games among the entrants; many are turned down as flimsy or derivative. The winning manufacturers get bragging rights and the right to put a "Mensa Select" sticker on their boxes. And the players—some of whom look like cast members of "The Big Bang Theory," only slightly older and fatter—get an experience that's both intellectually involving and delightfully immature.
"I've enjoyed board games since I cried at age 7 when my father beat me at Monopoly," says Ms. Sorenson, a five-year veteran of the event. With her patent-attorney boyfriend she met at a Mensa event, she heads from Zombie Pox to Suburbia, an intricate strategy game of competitive urban planning. One player's restaurant, for example, loses value when another player opens one. Suburbia goes on to win one of the weekend's five awards.
In the toy industry, the distinction carries some weight. "It means something; it really helps the manufacturers," says Josh Heinzl, owner of a chain of New England toy stores. With many of them being start-ups or mom-and-pop operations, the prestige of winning gets them increased visibility, orders in time for the holidays and, often, funding.
Mr. Heinzl, who started his first company at the age of 12, plays a ruthless round of The Presidential Game. Opting for fund-raising in key states rather than campaigning nationwide, his Republican team wins the election in seven weeks, handily. "Suck it!" he cries to the Democrats, gloating.
What does it all look like? With the host hotel, the Airport Marriott, under renovation, the event is held in an enclosed giant white tent, as might be used for a downtrodden wedding. Couture is not relevant to this crowd, and some of the hairdos are not well considered. Some T-shirts read "Hell's Mensans," the name of a hard-partying wing of the group that claims to have been founded in a Dayton, Ohio, hot tub in 1988. Empty coffee cups dot the tables, as does spilled soda. In the background, there's a constant buzz of announcements, as judges seek other players for games. Each table is marked with a giant playing card, so there's a lot of "We need four for Forbidden Island at Jack of hearts." Or "We need one more at two of diamonds for A Way With Words."
This year, slightly more than 300 people attended Mind Games. (The event, held in a different U.S. city every year and costing about $100 in registration fees, plus hotel and travel, is always sold out.) Most judges will skip meals, relying on a snack room open all night. Many won't leave the hotel. A few dozen never sleep.
The mechanics: After each game ends, the players fill out detailed cards: age, sex, what did they think of its instructions, how unique is it, does it have replayability, would they recommend it to friends? Each judge is assigned 30 games—a heavy load—and at the end of the weekend will rank his top seven. Five games win the seal.
Founded in Britain in 1946, Mensa claims members in 40 countries; 50,000 are in the U.S. It hosts annual meetings with various speakers on topics like robotics, science fiction and astronomy. There are high numbers of lawyers in the Mind Games group; computer programmers, musicians and teachers are also well represented. Children are welcome. Cheating is unheard of.
Some diehards pull all-nighters and play, albeit briefly, every one of the 60 or so games submitted. "Playing games here is like playing them nowhere else in the world," says Joel Kohler, a Chicago Mensan and father of three boys. "You've got a concentrated focus on really getting through it," he says at 3 a.m.
Most of the games at Mind Games are variations of well-known ones, say Chinese checkers with a revolving outer ring, or chess with dice that can change how the pieces move. Although players aren't supposed to discuss games with those who haven't tried them yet, that rule is flouted when it comes to good ones like Kerflip!—an ingenious and fast anagram game that goes on to win. And word leaks out about unpopular games, too.
The group despises educational games or those with a social agenda or point of view. "Occupy-ology," a kind of reverse-Monopoly that seeks to punish the 1%, drew laughter and boos for its emphasis on politics over playability. An apocalypse-themed game that comes with an upbeat comic book urging green initiatives was similarly dismissed as preachy. A satisfying game is all about strategy.
There are trends: cooperative games are big one year, word games the next; card games had a moment. This year, judges returned to play Ghooost! even after voting. A game where players try to clean out their haunted mansion, Ghooost! was one of the winners.
At 6 a.m. on the final day, volunteers arrive to repack the games, checking for lost pieces or misplaced instructions. The reassembled boxes are given away to judges at the end in a lottery system; others go to local children's charities.
As the event winds down, one joker approaches the microphone: "I'd like a group of eight by the three of clubs. For solitaire." People are so tired, he doesn't even get a laugh.
Ms. Peers writes on art and culture in New York.
Write to Alexandra Peers at firstname.lastname@example.com
Corrections & Amplifications
Josh Heinzl started his first company at the age of 12 and received a $10,000 loan at age 13. An earlier version of this story misspelled Mr. Heinzl's name and the age at which he received the loan.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Swedish princess baptized in royal ceremony
HELSINKI (AP) — The fifth in line to the Swedish throne, Princess Leonore, was baptized in the church of a royal palace outside Stockholm on Sunday.
The daughter of Sweden's Princess Madeleine and New York banker Christopher O'Neill, Leonore Lilian Maria will be known as the Duchess of Gotland — in reference to Sweden's largest island. She is King Carl XVI Gustaf's second grandchild and was born in New York City on Feb. 20.
Leonore lay quietly as Lutheran Archbishop Anders Wejryd baptized her at the ceremony attended by about 150 guests, mostly family and friends. It was held in Swedish and English at the church of Drottningholm Palace, the private residence of the Swedish royal family, around 10 kilometers (six miles) west of central Stockholm.
The ceremony was exactly a year after Princesse Leonore's parents wedded in Stockholm.
Leonore's mother, Madeleine, is fourth in line to the Swedish throne, which Carl XVI Gustaf inherited 41 years ago. She is the youngest of the king's and Queen Silvia's three children.
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy in which the royals primarily serve as figureheads. The current dynasty was founded in 1810 when French marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was elected as successor to the throne.
The royal family has only ceremonial duties, such as attending award ceremonies, promoting Swedish businesses abroad and supporting charities. As head of state, the king also receives foreign dignitaries on formal visits to the Scandinavian country.


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Commencement 2013: The Last Day, the First Day
By Kevin Hodur | Published
"The future is already here; it's just not very evenly distributed"
–President Glenn Mroz, quoting novelist William Gibson
Twice a year we celebrate all of the wisdom developed behind closed doors and in lecture halls and in the field. But because it happens twice a year doesn't mean it's ordinary, uneventful. It brings together hundreds of lives, thousands of accomplishments, millions of thoughts and ideas.
Commencement is a celebration of what is possible.
90 minutes before the ceremony
The Peter J. Grant Hockey Education Center is a beautiful facility, designed to help student-athletes learn and grow and relax, all in one place. This morning it hosts the VIP Breakfast prior to Spring Commencement.
It's quiet, though; the VIPs are running a few minutes behind, but for a good cause. The ROTC commissioning ceremony has 22 freshly minted second lieutenants, and the President, the Commencement speaker and the Board of Trustees are all still there. A few staff members, coordinating this complicated occasion, are getting a bit nervous. Commencement is on a tight schedule.
60 minutes before the ceremony
The dignitaries make their way in, President Glenn Mroz and his wife, Gail; the Board of Trustees. David Barnes, the Commencement speaker, arrives a few moments later. With limited time to eat and handle media duties, coffee is more popular than scrambled eggs and sausage.
David Barnes skips breakfast altogether, opting to swig his energy drink and meet with the media. He is a natural in front of a microphone, handling interviews as though he were ordering lunch: no hesitation, no nerves. He tells tales of giving presentations to kings and queens, CEOs and industry experts. Barnes has been a lot of places, and he has much more he wants to see.
30 minutes before the ceremony
Some of the students in the hallway of the SDC are in a daze. They're looking for friends and loved ones before the final line-up. A few students are giving interviews, talking of what they've done and what they will do. Tyler Losinski, freshly engaged, is now able to reveal himself as one of the students under the Blizzard costume. He's in his costume, in fact, aside from the head. He's smiling, proud, eager for what's next: marriage and starting his job at an engineering consulting firm at the end of July.
A few students run in late, dashing into the Multi-Purpose Room and taking their places in line with 1,000 of their peers.
It's just about time to go.
The MacInnes Student Ice Arena is a bit chilly, even without the ice. The podium is set up near what is usually the Huskies goal, the ceiling high overhead, the scoreboard unlit.
Brenda Rudiger, director of Alumni Relations, isn't nervous. Unlike everyone else at the podium today, she is not in a cap and gown. Every year, she signals the unofficial start to Commencement with her announcement to turn off mobile phones and other announcements. Her work is done in less than 60 seconds, and she's off to the Multi-Purpose Room. There are preparations to make for the celebration after the ceremony, welcoming new alumni to the family of Tech graduates.
Mari Buche, university marshal and associate professor of management information systems in the School of Business and Economics, leads the proceedings, guiding first the graduate, then the undergraduate students down the aisle. Then the podium dignitaries make their way to the stage.
President Mroz's speech is short and to the point, expressing his thanks to the Board of Trustees for attending and the families and friends of graduates who have made the trek (mostly) north. He recounts the tales of what alumni have accomplished, and also what today's graduates have achieved. It's a chance to appreciate just how many paths the Huskies family has walked.
The student speaker, Katie Price, is next to speak, one peer looking out and speaking to a sea of others. "It's not just the amazing things I've done here, but the amazing people I've done them with," she says. Plenty of nods.
David Barnes takes the podium. He describes what it's like out there, how to get from here to there. He recalls finding work, finding it at a young age. But then he found his passion.
"Find your passion, make it viral."
Barnes traces back through history the idea of the good old days, stressing that they aren't behind us. "Every day of your lives is the good old days," he says.
"Especially today."
Barnes is awarded an honorary doctorate, quipping "this is the coolest thing I've ever achieved." For someone famous for his speaking engagements, his series of commercials, and his YouTube videos, that's saying something. He stresses one more time, before the awarding of degrees begins, for today's graduates to "find what makes you tingle."
Signing Off
Following the degrees, President Mroz gives some final remarks before the Huskies Pep Band crashes the party. One last memory of the Tech community for many of the students, one small taste of the college years for their families and friends. And with that, the dignitaries make their way out, followed by the graduates.
The hallways are crowded, a sea of relief, graduates and families trying to locate each other, friends seeing each other in passing, maybe for the last time. The one guy from physics class. What's-her-name from chemistry. Was that my Perspectives instructor?
A Final Glimpse
By 3 p.m., the crowd has largely thinned, the hallways are mostly navigable. A couple of students are chatting, caps and gowns still on. They exit the building where a few dozen families with camera are still milling about. Their families are standing at opposite ends of the entrance plaza. It's time to part.
"Hey," one says to the other simply. "See you around." A pair of smiles and they turn and go their separate ways. One's family meets him in stride, and they walk off toward the Gates Tennis Center and the parking lots. The other goes up to his parents and puts an arm around each of them and smiles again.
"Well?" they ask him.
He looks back at the entrance, at his friend walking away, at the cars leaving. He smiles again.
"Let's go."
Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigan's Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.


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The world's best makers and creators - now shipping to the US!
Earn $15 towards the Christmas gift haul when you spend $150! See more >
Ships from Lodz, Poland
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Customise a bag to your laptop. If you don't have a MacBook, choose from the drop-down list size of your laptop with the option custom size. After purchase, please leave us a message with dimensions.
Internal Dimensions for MacBooks (L x W x H ):
Bag: 32 cm/12.6'' x 5 cm/1.97'' x 20.5 cm/8.07''
Pocket: 23 cm/9.05'' x 3 cm/0.79'' x 15 cm/5.9''
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Pocket: 26 cm/10.24'' x 3 cm/0.79'' x 17 cm/6.69''
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Pocket: 30 cm/11.81'' x 4 cm/1.57'' x 18.5 cm/7.28''
- grey stabilized 4mm/ 1/6 inch felt
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Extra details:
Designed in Poland. Handmade. Colours may vary a bit from screen to screen.
Etoi Original bag is an exclusive felt bag and satchel, dedicated for laptops. This beautiful and unique bag can be a laptop bag, casual bag, messenger bag, document bag or shoulder bag. The whole bag is made from stabilised grey felt, premium vegetable tanned leather and finished with high quality chrome-plated accessories. This stylish bag will be the perfect protection for your device.
The bag construction includes clasps under the buckle that allow easy and quick opening and closing of the bag (photo No. 4).
Feel free to contact us if you need a custom size or you have your own idea. I'm sure you'll find something you've been looking for or something you'll just like at the first sight in my shop.
All my products are designed and produced in my studio.
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UNCW's Rafael Aita lost in straight sets in the opening round of the NCAA men's individual tennis championships.
UNCW's Rafael Aita lost in straight sets 7-6 (9), 6-2 to UCLA's Dennis Novikov in the opening round of the NCAA men's individual tennis championships Wednesday in Urbana, Ill.
The match began on the outdoor courts before rain forced a delay and completion on an indoor court.
Four UNCW Seahawks head to Greensboro today where they'll compete in the NCAA East Regional of the Track and Field Championships hosted by N.C. A&T at the Irwin Belk Track.
Meena Reid (100 meters) will compete in the women's meet while David Lindsay (100 hurdles, Aerial Chatman (triple jump) and Cam Walton (long jump) will represent UNCW in the men's meet.
Earlier this week, Brunswick Community College self-reported an academic ineligibility violation, resulting in forfeits, yet will still be allowed to participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association Baseball World Series, which begins Friday in Enid, Okla.
The 13th-ranked Dolphins play Murray State College at 4 p.m. Saturday.
BCC was forced to forfeit games the ineligible player appeared in. As a result, BCC's record falls from 31-19 to 19-31.
Coach Robbie Allen refused to divulge the player's name, and he took the blame for the infraction.
BCC was placed on probation, meaning the Dolphins are not allowed to participate in the conference tournament in 2014.


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Hand grenade lecture notes by Lance Corporal Robert Rafton (26)Rafton Robert
A handwritten notebook containing notes written by Lance Corporal Robert Rafton (Service Number 2090) of the East Riding Yeomanry about a lecture on hand grenades. The book includes information about topics including explosives, trench catapults, the West Spring Gun, and the Stokes Gun, and is illustrated with diagrams. Part of a collection relating to Robert Rafton, deposited by his great-niece.


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Matthew McConaughey/Anne Hathaway Reunite In Trailer For 'Serenity'
'On this island. Truth lies beneath the surface…'
First starring together in Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar'. Oscar winners Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway have left us very intrigued by the first trailer for 'Serenity'.
Less an unlikely rework of the 2005 Joss Whedon film. More a twisty thriller from Peaky Blinders creator and Locke director Steven Knight.
McConaughey plays a fishing boat captain whose past comes back to haunt him, when his ex-wife (Hathaway) tracks him down, expressing a desire to 'drop' her violent husband (Jason Clarke) 'in the ocean with the sharks'. Yet is all as it seems?
We'll soon find out when 'Serenity' is released later this year…
'If Beale Street Could Talk' New Trailer
Academy Award-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) brings his highly anticipated next feature to the screen, an adaptation of James Baldwin's stunning novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. We are delighted to share with you the new trailer and first poster for the film which comes to cinemas January 2019
In early 1970's Harlem, Tish, a nineteen-year old girl, is in love with a young sculptor, Fonny, the father of her unborn child. When Fonny is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned, Tish and their families race to clear his name before the baby is born. A story about love persisting in the face of racial oppression and injustice, Jenkins brings together a talented young cast which includes Stephan James (Selma, Race) as Fonny and newcomer Kiki Layne as Tish.
The Grinch – Latest Trailer
For their eighth fully animated feature, Illumination and Universal Pictures present The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss' beloved holiday classic. The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl's generous holiday spirit. Funny, heart warming and visually stunning, it's a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism.
Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpit with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbours in Who-ville when he runs out of food.
Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.
Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who-a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer-plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheming threatens to collide with the Grinch's more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all?
In Cinemas November 9th 2018
Mary Poppins Returns – Official Trailer
In Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns," an all new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.
"Mary Poppins Returns" is directed by Rob Marshall. The screenplay is by David Magee and the screen story is by Magee & Rob Marshall & John DeLuca based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are John DeLuca, p.g.a., Rob Marshall, p.g.a. and Marc Platt, p.g.a. with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The music score is by Marc Shaiman and the film features all new original songs with music by Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. The film also stars Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; Julie Walters as the Banks' housekeeper Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and introducing Joel Dawson as the Banks' children, with Colin Firth as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank's William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Mary's eccentric cousin, Topsy. Angela Lansbury appears as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from the PL Travers books and Dick Van Dyke is Mr. Dawes, Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth's character.
Guillermo del Toro to Direct Stop Motion Pinocchio for Netflix
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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
The Lewiston-Porter Alumni Association announces four area residents will be inducted into its 2013 class of Distinguished Alumni. The ceremony will take place during Lew-Port Spirit Week, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the high school auditorium on the Creek Road campus. The program is open to the public.
This year's inductees include:
Thomas G. Pryce, Class of 1972
A graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh with a MBA in history, Thomas G. Pryce was first elected in 1978 as the youngest-ever member of the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education. He served until 1991, including two years as board president.
Pryce was a journeyman ironworker from 1978 to 1988 and served as business manager/financial secretary/treasurer for Iron Workers Union Local No. 9 from 1988 to 2012. Pryce was also board of trustees chair of the Iron Workers district council's benefits fund from 1991 to 2013. He is now retired from Iron Workers Local No. 9.
Pryce has been a member of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission from 2008 to present day, and currently serves as chairman. He also sits on a number of charitable and community boards in the Western New York area.
Nancy Diez-Orsi, Class of 1963
Nancy Diez-Orsi received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She earned a professional diploma from Niagara University, which provided her the opportunity to work in school administration.
Diez-Orsi began her career in education at Lewiston-Porter, teaching in the elementary schools before going into administration as the district curriculum and instruction coordinator.
She has also been active in the community, serving on the Town of Porter Planning Board for several years, and held a seat on the Porter Town Board for four years. She has represented the town on several committees, and was named Town of Porter Citizen of the Year in 2010.
Diez-Orsi continues to serve the community through her involvement on several committees, including as an executive committee member of the Lewiston-Porter Academy of International Business and Finance.
Claudia Tower Andres, Class of 1976
Claudia Tower-Andres received her B.M. in music education from the Crane School of Music and her M.M. in piano from Arizona State University. She has served as choral instructor at Wilson High School for the past eight years, and previously was associated with Niagara Falls High School.
Music has been and continues to be a big part of her life, both as an educator and a performer. Tower-Andres serves as music director at the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown.
She is also a member of the Youngstown Recreation Commission. In her role, Towers-Andres has worked in developing the community room in the Youngstown Red Brick School Village Center and was instrumental in making major changes in the Youngstown Christmas in the Village celebration in past years. Tower-Andres was honored as the 2013 Village of Youngstown Citizen of the Year.
Lt. Col. Patrick Roemer, Class of 1981
Patrick Roemer received a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was commissioned as an engineer officer in the U.S. Army in 1985.
His career has involved numerous engineering assignments as a platoon leader and company commander in the Army, and as a civil engineer in the Air National Guard.
Roemer has served as base civil engineer and civil engineer commander since 2002. During his time with the Army, his assignments have included duty in Panama, Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Restore Hope. Roemer is the recipient of numerous major awards and decorations for his service.
For more on the ceremony, visit www.lew-port.com or contact Harold Shippy of the Alumni Association at 716-745-9703.


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Stockton, CA
Winfield S. Williams Jr.
Oct. 16, 1940 - Feb. 2, 2013
Winfield S. Williams Jr., 72, was born October 16, 1940 in Eureka, CA and died
unexpectedly February 2, 2013 in Stockton, CA. He is survived by his wife of 43 years Patti, daughter Sunny Williams (Heather),
brothers Dennis
Williams and John Williams
(Missy), sister Esther Kalbfleisch (Leon), nieces Michele Tolentino (Dominic), Melisa Gourley (Justin), great nephews Matthew, Kellen, Kaden and Jackson and great niece Grace. "Wynn" as he was known served his country honorably in the US Army 1958 - 2003. As a pilot he flew the Mohawk, a reconnaissance airplane.
After serving two tours of duty in Vietnam he took his new bride to Germany where they welcomed their daughter Sunny. Returning to the states, he was stationed in OK & AZ, then relocated and settled in Stockton until his death. He retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel and started his second career as a corporate pilot. He flew for many of Stockton's business leaders. He also loved golf and started his own business building and repairing custom golf clubs. Later his hobby led him to collecting and refurbishing two 6 Series BMW's. He loved helping to plan Sharkfest, a gathering of BMW 6 Series cars.
Wynn is perhaps best remembered by family, friends, neighbors, and sometimes complete strangers as the ultimate Mr. Fix-it. He was truly a giving and generous spirit, touching all who came to know him.
Private internment services will be held Monday, February 18, 2013, at Sacramento Valley National
Veterans Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to attend a Celebration of Life at 12:00 noon at the Waterloo Gun and Bocce Club,
4343 Ashley Lane, Stockton, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred in Wynn's name to the San Joaquin Historical Society, P.O. Box 30, Lodi, CA 95241.
Please sign the online guestbook at www.cherokeememorial.com.


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Django Prepare a Coffin (UK - BD RB)
Marcus buries his DVD copy and machine guns up a review with this BD
*Note: I reviewed Django Prepare a Coffin a few moths back on DVD - so the feature element of this review will include my original overview. Jump to the later sections of the review for the Blu-ray release specific elements*
Django (Terence Hill) is a gunslinger hired by a corrupt local politician to kill innocent men for their land but Django has other ideas and instead bands the men together to turn the tables on the politician and get his revenge for the death of his wife.
As is regularly the case, Quentin Tarantino releases a movie ( Django Unchained as if you didn't know) and suddenly we are inundated with DVD releases of the titles in his chosen genre that inspired him over the years. Django: Prepare a Coffin is after all Quentin's 19th favourite Spaghetti Western (I love that we live in a movie world where that's a fact we can find out), so we should all really see it, right? Who am I kidding, this is Tarantino, of course we're gonna wanna see it!
This Sequel to the 1966 Django (another Tarantino favourite of course - No.3, I'm told) is full of revenge western goodness. There's plenty of twists and turns and of course a mythic type cowboy hero to get behind until justice is served. I could go on but given that I got this review disc a little late and I'm not really the biggest fountain of knowledge for westerns, I'll skip embarrassing myself with woeful amounts of observations fans probably know about the film already and skip right to the presentation of this release.
This Blu-ray presentation here is a mix of Western visuals. On one side is a warm creamy HD presentation with plenty of orangey colours and strongly lit sets, the other a rather washed put browny-beige looking flick seen through a blue filter. Blacks are nice and natural and don't hide detail in their depths and speaking of textures there's plenty to enjoy here. Fabrics and clothing look very good, as do the largely wooden sets and Western landscapes.
The image reduces in quality in the exterior scenes quite dramatically and the blueish tint plagues a lot of the visuals giving the soft image an even more washed out, contrast iffy appearance. Even with that said, there are big improvements over the recent DVD release even if it's far from perfect. Skin textures can often feel waxy, it's not the most natural looking of images and the sharpness and colours between interior and exterior scenes can hold quite a big difference. However, the overall style of Django Prepare a Coffin is pretty well celebrated here in 1080p. The old school Western looks here are served well, with the HD colour boosts and the bright lighting sources stepping the film up in line with modern presentations but always keeping a orignally intended look to everything. It's just a shame that the levels seem all over the place when it comes to the exterior scenes.
The English and Italian dub are both very much disconnected from the visuals, as is the case with many of these Italian made Westerns. Because of the post recorded technique, dialogue is clear and crisp and works very much as an overlay to more natural sounding sound effects and ambience of the film. The score is strong and works in nicely subtle ways, even if its occasional crackled recording is more obvious in certain places than I noticed on the DVD release. The main theme (sampled years later by Gnarls Barkley in their hit Crazy) explodes out of the track with all the right power behind it and makes for some very cool feeling moments.
Django Explained (08:32 HD) breifily skips through the history of Django. With sixty plus films with the character, his popularity in Europe is discussed and even Reggae songs dedicated to him in Jamaica. It later goes into Django Prepare a Coffin but at just over eight minutes, this interesting featurette doesn't really go as far as I would have hoped.
The only other extra is the film's trailer (03:04)
My second viewing of this Django adventure was actually more fun than I expected. It probably has something to do with me being more accustomed to the material now but I found myself getting quite excited for the machine gun filled finale as it came closer and really liked Terance Hill's Django. I also noticed he looks a lot like upcoming Superman, Henry Cavill, making dark hair and blue eyes the go to look for a mythic heroes I guess. That said, on the cover art he looks like Lee Majors, adding another hero to the pile of look-a-likes.
This Blu-ray is a noticable upgrade when lined up against the DVD but it's by no means a show off disc. All the enhancements are there to make the film look better in HD but there are still some visual niggles that might bug the fans out there. This one comes in at a 'good' but never 'great' HD overhual, largely down to some odd levels when it comes to contrast. As for extras, there's a good but brief overview of the legend of Django but otherwise, nothing.
Review by Marcus Doidge
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
If you open the coffin you'll find this transfer's black levels.
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,718
I love that the cover art tries to make Hill look like Franco Nero. As if they're fooling anyone.
Wilson Bros Reviewer Join Date: August 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,182
Terence Hill DID look like Franco Nero back then - that was almost certainly why he got this gig.
The Wilson Bros
The Wilson Bros
Marcus1138 Contributor Join Date: June 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 910
They do mention that quite a bit in the brief featurette.
Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 10th June 2013
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: LPCM 2.0 English, LPCM 2.0 Italian
Subtitles: English
Extras: Django Explained, Trailer
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Ferdinando Baldi
Cast: Terence Hill, Horst Frank, George Eastman
Genre: Action, Drama and Western
Length: 91 minutes
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Best-Selling Author; Contributing Correspondent, NBC's Today; Chair, UNICEF's Next Generation and Editor-at-Large, Southern Living Magazine
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A fresh voice with a positive message, Jenna Hager shows how lives can be changed when provided with compassion, community support and educational opportunities.
Internationally Recognized Multimedia Artist, Author, and Innovator
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Phil Hansen has designed a unique art experience beyond the keynote speech. Companies who are seeking an unforgettable interactive experience for their audience are absolutely stunned by its originality, value and effect.
Founder and CEO, charity: water; Best-Selling Author: ?Thirst
Types: Entrepreneur, Male, Philanthropist
Bio Info
Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of charity: water, a nonprofit organization on a mission to bring clean and safe drinking water to communities in need. Through radical transparency and a strong 100% model, charity: water has brought clean water to over 6.3 million people worldwide.
International Speaker and Strategist; Expert in Organizational Dynamics, Leadership, Sales Behavior and Corporate Education; Author of The DNA of Creative Ventures: 21 Building Blocks of Success
Types: Author, Entrepreneur, Male
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Complexity threatens all aspects of the client experience, while simplicity, an almost universal goal, remains elusive for most companies. Steve Harvill and his Creative Ventures team have isolated the patterns that form simple, elegant and powerful strategies creating impact and opportunity.
Skateboarding Legend, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Types: Athlete, Male, Philanthropist
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Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, a pioneer of social media, philanthropist, successful entrepreneur, and the first skater to ever land a 900, talks about his experience creating authentic brands and giving back.
New York Times Best-Selling Author and Professor
Types: Author, Entrepreneur, Male, University Professor
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The co-author of four New York Times best-selling books on business, Chip Heath offers a breadth of expertise to teach audiences at any level how to utilize the power of moments to manage and lead successful change, make communication stickier, and improve their decision-making skills.
CEO, Entrepreneur, Author and Columnist, The Huffington Post and Inc.com
Types: Author, Entrepreneur, Female, TED, Top Executives , University Professor
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CEO and business thinker Margaret Heffernan challenges the most common business practices that make us feel comfortable - but leave us in the dark.
Groundbreaking Creative Executive and Brand Innovation Expert
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Christie Hefner has led major global brands from the brink to the cutting edge through creative vision and transformative leadership, and provides key insights on the power and process of self-disruption in today's business world.
Topics: Branding, Business Growth/Strategy/Trends, Change: Living with It, Change: Managing/Leading It, Consumer Trends, Corporate Culture, Corporate Governance, Creativity, Design, Diversity, Family Relationships, Infrastructure, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges, Peak Performance, Social Media/New Media, Teamwork, Women's Issues, Workforce Issues
Mt. Everest Summiteer and Cancer Survivor
Types: Adventurers/Explorers, Author, Male, Mountain Climbers
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Alan Hobson tells an inspiring story of two decades of preparation and failure, final success in reaching the summit of Mt. Everest and a diagnosis of acute leukemia, now in remission.
Director of Global Business Marketing, Facebook (2009 - 2015)
Types: NEW Speaker, Top Executives
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As a 25-year Silicon Valley insider and author of Becoming Facebook who has worked with legendary leaders like Andy Grove, Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg, Mike Hoefflinger provides an engaging and insightful look at the biggest consumer technology stories of the past, present, and future.


text:
Logo EyebrowsCare
Orçamento R$100-200 BRL
I need a logo for a clinic, specialized micropigmentation of eyebrows.
Terms: micropigmentation eyebrows; Microblading
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text:
Words by Sean Moeller, Illustration by Johnnie Cluney, Recording engineered by Matt Oliver
It's quite a serious deal to buy a house. There's no fucking around there. You have to make sure that you're certain you want to do it because there's no simple undoing of the act. You find a place that you could see yourself living in for what could be a large percentage of your life. You should understand the lawn that you'll despise every spring, summer and fall, as your greatest nuisance. You get the house thoroughly inspected by someone who does that for a living - someone who knows what to look for in a healthy chimney, in a sump pump, floor beams, furnace and more. You find a bank that will loan you the obscene amount of money that it's going to take to wrest it away from the people wishing to sell it. Then you have to furnish it. Then you have to maintain it. All of that has to happening, but there are quality checks and balances in place (when the system is done right and fairly, away from the hands and claws of predators) to make sure that you're really able to do such a thing. It's not going to kill you, or even mess you up all that much. It amounts to a huge deal, but with a multitude of precautions for the peace of mind and the protection.
The same should happen when two people decide that they'd like to get involved with one another intimately. There should be background checks and some kicking of the tires. There should be full disclosure and recorded proof of the character that you'll be connected with for however long you can take it, because frankly, most relationships wind up in that phase - just withstanding, not enjoying them, and then arrives the long overdue split. But this never happens. We don't have the resources. We're willing to base our foolish decisions on an idiotic set of data acquired within the first few moments of meeting, which is heavily weighed in the categories of face, chest and clothing. We just grin and bear it when it's, once again determined, that we should never base human relationships strictly on face, chest and clothing, no matter how much we always want to.
Austin band One Hundred Flowers, led by the wonderful songwriting of Harrison Speck and the voices of he, Eva Mueller and Amber Nepodal, bring to mind these ways in which we're routinely demonstrating our inadequacies when it comes to love. It's usually just one faulty body reaching out to another attractive, but likely just as faulty body and the results are predictable. They are so predictable, in fact, that we don't think anything of them. We just marvel at the ways in which we're not suited or equipped for very much at all. We're so quick to commit to another person and yet we're going to take our fine time and pick the place that is essentially just a holder of our stuff. Love and the messing around with it, the experimenting and tinkering with it are just frivolous endeavors that we dive into absently. Whatever, right? Oh, but they turn so bad sometimes. They turn great on the rare occasions, but they turn bad so much more often. Though, because we're so used to that, we barely get affected. We hear the kind of music that One Hundred Flowers gives - something akin to a fresh spring, a picnic on a pleasant summer's day and a garden being pollinated - with piano keys tinkling and voices joining with harmonious touches, and we mistakenly hear little wrong with the world. It's likely a ruse, but what's really the alternative? Wizening up? Hardly gonna happen. As Speck sings, "We take our stories and try to sustain."


text:
Back surgery expertise in NH draws curious doctor from JapanBy MICHAEL COUSINEAU
New Hampshire Sunday News
April 04. 2013 10:09PM
MANCHESTER - An orthopedic surgeon from Japan observed a Bedford colleague Thursday perform less invasive back surgery that reduces a patient's medical costs, length of hospital stay and recovery time.
At Catholic Medical Center, Dr. Thomas Kleeman, an orthopedic spine surgeon, uses a scanning machine, the only one of its type in New Hampshire, to keep back surgery more contained.
"Instead of large incisions, large blood loss and disruption of muscles, we use little tiny incisions, we don't cut any muscles and there's almost no blood loss," Kleeman said after performing such a surgery Thursday morning. "In order to do that, we have to be able to see inside the body and that's what this technology allows us to do."
A patient lies in the circle of the C-shaped machine, called an O-arm and costing upwards of $900,000, that scans the body in 13 seconds, similar to a CAT scan.
"It allows us to take images of the body with the patient in the operating room and then a computer links our instruments to those images, so we can use pinpoint accuracy through a small incision and see the spine as though we had opened it up," he said.
Patients are discharged in less than 24 hours on average compared to three to five days hospitalization with open back surgery, he said.
"They're able to go back to work faster," said Kleeman, who has performed about 50 such operations in the past year. Rather than being out of work three to six months, a person having the less-invasive surgery faces four weeks recuperation.
Dr. Joseph Pepe, CMC's president and CEO, said Kleeman is ahead of his peers.
"He has really brought spine surgery to the forefront and has done procedures here that they haven't done even at major academic institutions," he said.
Kleeman's work brought Dr. Osamu Shirado from Japan to witness two surgeries Thursday.
Shirado said he observed "very small blood loss" and a shorter surgical time.
"It's very good for a patient as well as for the surgeon," he said.
Shirado, who called Kleeman "a master," said his hospital might buy the equipment this summer and begin the newer type of surgery.
Kleeman said surgery takes about two hours compared to five to six hours with traditional surgery.
"It's very much like a flying an airplane on instruments," said Kleeman, a pilot for the past 25 years.
Kleeman, who founded the New Hampshire Spine Institute that later went on to become the New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute, said a surgeon often can operate more on a person's side, like for a hernia or appendix operation, rather than going through the back or abdominal muscles.
Pepe said the surgery pays off in several ways.
"The more you can get patients to go home early the better it is for the patients, the less risk of infections and less costs," he said. "We're trying to reduce overall costs and improve quality and this is something that does both."
Kleeman said the savings can add up in lower hospital bills and less loss time from work.
"The savings to patients could be hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said. "How do you put a number on someone being able to return to activities like skiing, water skiing, hiking? It's hard to put a number on that."


text:
This week I've been taking a look at my UFO list and seriously wanting to cut it down by half in a hurry. It seems there's loads of projects that just need something small, like binding, a name tag, or a hanging sleeve.
Why do these small things not get done? Why leave them to pile up when that quilt could be being used and enjoyed?!
So today we're going to learn about the Snowball Effect.
This is a term used by debt advisers to help you pay off your debts quickly. Basically you budget a certain amount of money, let's say $200 to pay off debts. The first month, you knock out all the tiny debts, like $50 here and $25 there. All those little guys get paid off first and only the minimum balances get paid on the big debts.
Then the next month, you still have that same $200 budget, PLUS any money freed up by not having minimum payments or fees on the small debts you paid off. You use all that money to pay off the next biggest debts.
And on it goes, slowly snowballing up until you only have really big debts to pay off and knock them out with big punches every month. It's really a great way to pay down lots of debt and get control over your finances in a short amount of time.
But is this a good way to bust through UFOs?
I decided to test the theory this week with 3 UFO quilts clogging up the shelves of my sewing room. Each one only needed about 1-2 hours of attention - mostly binding, hanging sleeves, and a bit of quilting needed to finish them up.
So I busted through all three in a couple days and it really felt great! I could feel the snowball effect of enthusiasm and energy being sent straight into my sewing room.
Picking these now finished quilts up and bringing them upstairs to the couch also felt really good. Three less things in my sewing room - YAY!
But...and yes, there is a but to this....after finishing so many things at once, I really, really, REALLY wanted to start something new.
So I did. I decided not to resist the temptation to create something new because ultimately it's what I needed this week.
Keep in mind that unlike paying off real debts which really NEED to be paid off or they hurt us down the road, UFOs don't hurt anyone. They just take up space and drive us slowly crazy because of all the pressure and stress they bring by sitting in the corner of the sewing room whispering "finish me...finish me...finish me..."
So here's what I made: I had loads of tiny scraps left over from James's Space Quilt, which I had not thrown away yet. This is pretty unusual for me, as I could previously be known as The Ultimate Scrap Fabric Waster. It must be a side product of finishing so many UFOs and not buying more fabric, but I'm tending to get a lot more frugal with my fabric.
But what the heck do you do with this? These are literally shreds from squaring off the edges of fabric and none were wide enough to even get a seam allowance out of.
Normally, back in my UFO Creating Days, I would have shoved all these in a bag and thought "I'll get to that later." and left it to fill up yet another bin, shelf, or drawer in my sewing room.
Those days are long over! I wanted to keep these shreds, so I'd better do something with them - NOW! I pulled out some wash-away material, sandwiched those shreds between, stitched it quickly with some funky designs, rinsed away the stabilizer and ta-da a bright rainbow scarf was made:
|Clearly I forgot to comb my hair today...but my scarf still rocks!
So that's the lesson for this week: yes, make a list of your UFOs and yes, spend a day knocking out all the "small debts" that can be completed in a few hours.
But also find something fun you can make as a reward. All work and no play makes a quilting no fun!
Instructions for Linking Up Your Blog or online photo:
1. Write your blog post. Publish it on your blog. If you're linking up a photo, first upload it to Flickr or Facebook.
2. Copy the link of the specific blog post. This is not just the link to your blog itself (www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com), but the link to the specific post: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilt-along-2-quilting-in-rows.html
3. Click the blue link up button above and paste your link into the box.
If you have any questions about finishing your UFO, make sure to post them clearly within your post. 5 questions will be selected and answered on Monday or Tuesday's UFO Followup article.
By the way, if you'd like to share this program on your blog, grab a button below!


text:
My house has been full of the sounds of sibling rivalry from the moment my firstborn first poked his week-old baby sister and set her wailing. The rumpus has continued right through the argument I just busted up between that baby sister, now 12 years old, and her two baby sisters over who ate the muffin half she'd been saving.
Siblings have a relationship not quite like any other. Having to spend massive amounts of time with a built-in friend not of your choosing -- and maybe very much unlike you -- is both a unique life experience and a recipe for trouble.
Where the problems lie, and what you can do to stop (or at least slow down) the madness:
Most of us are prepared for the behavioral changes that a newborn inspires, but what do you do months and years later, when the jealousy seems to linger? Actually, kids are more sophisticated than we give them credit for: They don't expect everything to be even-steven.
Kids do monitor how their parents treat them relative to their siblings. But usually they don't get upset unless they think a different treatment is unjustified, says Katherine Jewsbury Conger, Ph.D., a family sociologist at the University of California, Davis. "My research shows that they may complain, but they also tend to acknowledge that it's fair, say, for an older child to have a later bedtime," she says.
What does bother kids, though, is if they sense their parents are spending a lot more time with one child or doing a particular activity with another sibling more often. What you can do to ease the competition:
• Skip trying to treat each kid "equally." "Each child deserves treatment that's appropriate to her age and who she is," Conger says. That means you can -- and should -- take into account a child's personality, interests, and developmental level when you decide on anything from punishments to what activities to enroll her in.
• But be fair. When one child has a gift or accomplishes something special -- she's a Suzuki violin virtuoso, he gets straight A's, your baby learns to walk -- be proud and congratulatory, but also be mindful of your other child's feelings. Find a way to highlight his special aptitude later in the day.
• Ignore the trivial. Complaints over whose cup has more juice are bids for attention more than cries of injustice. Don't play along.
• Avoid comparing your kids. It's a natural impulse, but if you must, at least do it out of earshot.
• Discourage boasting. Explain the difference between being proud and being rude.
• Reinforce family ties. Wendy Gunn Irvine, a mom of two in Sacramento, California, tries to subtly remind her kids about their bond. "I don't just say, 'Give Matt his toy, please.' I say, 'Give your brother his toy,'" she says.
This incessant back-and-forthing may well be the most annoying part of family life. It's no coincidence that bickering escalates when a parent is within earshot-the point is to get your attention. One party then gets to play the wronged victim, getting even more attention. You can't intervene every time they fight -- in some families that would be a full-time job -- but there are things you can do to limit the bickering:
• Tell them what to do instead. Kathrine Kirk of Durham, North Carolina, teaches her 2-year-old twins, Andrew and Brian, a better way to handle squabbles over toys: "I ask the grabber, 'How do you ask nicely?' and he says, 'Can I please have a turn?' The one who has the toy usually says 'Not right now' or 'In a few minutes.' Then I show the other what to do -- either take a few deep breaths to calm down or find another toy while he waits."
• Stay out of it. Give the kids a chance to sort it out, even if it means sitting in the next room pretending you can't hear them for ten minutes. Odds are they can work it out or it'll blow over. Don't go, even when you're called, as long as you can tell the cries aren't coming from a hurt child. One clue: They're accompanied by complaints ("Moooom! She won't get off the computer!").
• Resist the urge to take sides if you weren't there. You risk feeding a cycle of a "bad kid" and a tattletale. Instead of focusing on what just happened, look at how it can be avoided next time. Ask questions that encourage the kids to sort it out: "What is it you want to have happen here? Why?"
• Blame the problem, not the kids. For fights over TV, for example, suggest that "maybe the TV needs to take a time-out."
Turf disputes
Siblings have been shown to be on the fast track when it comes to learning about sharing and negotiating. But on a day-to-day level, woe to the child who doesn't respect his sib's stuff or turf. And what about the PlayStations and Barbie houses that must be shared?
One friend of mine color-coded everything from sippy cups to bedspreads to balls to mark each child's stuff. Another bought identical multiples of everything for her three daughters, claiming that the extra expense was worth the peace it brought, though that's not a realistic solution for everybody. What to do about the turf wars in your house:
• Identify what's shared and what isn't. Allow an older kid to set up ways to keep a younger one out of certain cherished items, such as a lockbox for a diary or a high shelf for a trading-card collection.
• Make sure physical turf is defined, too. Each child should have a place where she can put her own things, such as a bedroom. In a shared room, each child should have a designated shelf, dresser, and toy bin.
• Use an egg timer. When kids want to play with the same toy, allow them, say, ten minutes apiece, or 30 minutes if they play together. (Be sure to make the joint time longer.)
• Make them set the rules. How do they think you can handle problematic situations, like deciding which TV shows to watch?
Bossiness (by a big sib)
It's hard enough for a little guy (or girl) to have a parent or two telling him what to do all the time. To have an older kid do it, too? The injustice! Don't be surprised if you hear your little one roar "You are not the boss of me!" to a big brother or sister.
In the older child's defense, a "bossy" kid often doesn't even realize that's how she's behaving. Older siblings are often told to keep an eye on a younger child without having a very good idea of what that entails. "They get carried away in their zeal for leadership," says Laurie Kramer, Ph.D., professor of applied family studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To handle it when you see your big kid getting bossy:
• Clarify what you expect. Don't just say "Watch Maddie." Give your child more specific instructions: "Show Maddie how to make towers with the Legos and be sure to give her a chance to try, too, because she needs practice to learn to do it like you do."
• Applaud nonbossiness: "I appreciate the way you were so patient showing your sister how to draw dogs and cats!"
• Don't force friendship. Some brothers and sisters get along great, while others are oil and water. With my own kids, who-plays-best-with-whom has varied according to age and personality.
Tagging along (by a little sib)
Everything an older sib does can seem interesting to a curious, imitative younger one. After all, little kids learn by example. But it can also be annoying to have a baby trailing your every move -- a baby whose very presence implies you're a baby yourself when you most certainly are not and don't want your visiting friends to think you are, either. "Moooom! Get him out of here!" What you can do about tagalongs:
• Encourage patience. You won't do it by saying "Please be more patient," though. Instead, help your older child understand his younger sib's limits by asking him to help with babycare and talk up how many things he can do that the little guy can't.
• Explain the younger sib's perspective: "He really wants to be like you." "She looks up to you."
• Maintain a sib-free zone. Allow your older child some space of his own -- a room, a certain part of the backyard, the basement -- where he can play alone with friends. (Your job: Keep the younger kid out!)
• Don't expect 24/7 togetherness. Make sure each kid has her own time, with you or her friends, without the other around. Even 20 minutes with a parent can make a younger sibling easier to bear.
• Arrange double playdates. I've found it's often calmer, rather than more chaotic, when each child has a friend over at the same time.
Blows, accidental
A certain amount of physicality comes with children living in close proximity. Often older kids play with younger sibs the way they play with peers, which can be too rough. ("You don't know your own strength," my mother used to say to my brother after he wrestled a helpless, half-his-size sister over the TV Guide.) What to do about accidental blows:
• Come up with a magic word. Tell them, "When someone says 'stop,' we all stop." That lets an older child know he's getting carried away.
• Remember: Accidents happen. It's just not realistic to think there should be no physical play.
Blows, intentional
Sometimes siblings also poke, trip, pinch, and do worse on purpose. After all, no one knows you so well as your sister or brother, which means they also know exactly how to push your buttons. How do you keep everybody safe? Make sure your kids know that coming to blows or verbal assaults (like name-calling) fall into the "totally not okay" category. Don't wait for it to happen. Make clear what kind of behavior is not acceptable: "We use words instead of hitting." What you can do about intentional smack-downs:
• Don't automatically make the slugger the sole villain. Often, a child has been pestered or teased repeatedly before finally lashing out. In that event, both kids are in the wrong. Let the pestered child know that it's best to tell Mom about the issue right away, before it escalates.
• But do punish a hitter. Respond consistently and swiftly: Send her immediately to time-out, no discussion, no negotiation, every time and for every child.
For all their conflicts, most siblings do develop close ties. I don't know what I'd do without my big brother (the one who used to pummel me), and I hope my kids say the same about one another.
Contributing editor Paula Spencer is the coauthor of Bright From the Start.


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Ethics education focuses on the exploration and identification of ways that faculty can incorporate ethics into the teaching and learning at Emmanuel College. This section of the Mulvaney Leadership Institute (MLI) will provide resources related to topics such as ethics in higher education, honor codes, ethical theory and case study methodology.
The links below highlight the different aspects of an Emmanuel College education that tie the different elements of the Emmanuel experience in a way that creates a unique educational experience for students that is rooted in ethics, contemplation and leadership development.


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August 06. 2013 11:27PM
After Gatsas veto, Manchester aldermen vote to seek bids for Pearl St. lot
By TED SIEFER
New Hampshire Union Leader
Aldermen want city to keep parking rights at Millyard, Pearl Street
Anthem to move HQ, 250 jobs to downtown Manchester
Pearl Street gem: One that nearly got away
MANCHESTER — The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday to issue a request for proposals for the Pearl Street parking lot, which several developers have expressed an interest in buying as a site to build student housing.
The vote came after Mayor Ted Gatsas vetoed a motion passed by a majority of the aldermen to enter into an agreement to sell the property directly to VMD Companies and its principal, James Vitas.
VMD was the first company to approach the city with a plan for the site, an eight-story building that would include three floors of parking and apartments for up to 1,200 students. Recently, two other out-of-state companies expressed an interest in building student housing at the site.
Mayor Ted Gatsas has insisted that the city-operated parking lot should only be sold through an RFP process in which multiple companies could participate.
"I told Mr. Vitas the project sounds great, but we have a process in this city," Gatsas said at the meeting.
Several aldermen, however, said that they were impressed by Vitas' dedication and his proposal.
"Going out for an RFP and losing out on a multi-million-dollar project for people in the maybe column — that's a risk," Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo said.
Vitas attended Tuesday's meeting, and he was joined by representatives of Brady Sullivan Properties. The company had earlier objected to selling the lot outside the RFP process, citing the potential impact on downtown parking. But a representative said the company reached an agreement with Vitas that would "protect our parking rights."
Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold said there seemed to be a different attitude toward disposing of city land, depending on the developer.
"People I talk to say this is a very frustrating process. The rules seem to change depending on who you are," said Arnold, who is a candidate for mayor.
Alderman-At-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur said Vitas had made a fair offer on the property.
"What's wrong with the deal being offered? I know — we want to wait until 10 minutes to 1:00 before the bar closes, and a pretty woman comes in so we can go home with her. Sometimes you take the girl who comes in at 9 o'clock," he said.
However, Ward 4 Alderman Jim Roy noted that one of the companies that came forward last week, Stonegate Developers, was offering $1.2 million for the property. VMD had offered $900,000. Taking the lower offer, Roy said, "wouldn't be fair to the taxpayers."
The aldermen voted 8-6 to approve a minority report from the Land and Buildings Committee to enter into an agreement with VMD, while revising the motion to negotiate a price for the lot, rather than accept VMD's offer.
Mayor Gatsas vetoed this motion. An override motion failed 8-6, two votes short of the required number. The aldermen then voted to issue an RFP for the lot within 30 days.


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When Selma resident Kathy Mechling looked in an old horse trough on her property early last fall, she saw what looked like an 8-inch strand of hair moving in the water.
Although the strand looked familiar, the board president of the Siskiyou Field Institute, a nonprofit group dedicated to educating the public about the rich biodiversity of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains, was stumped. She couldn't identify what she described as a "lovely sinuous worm" with no obvious markings.
"And I know about worms — I had studied all sorts of worms in graduate school," said Mechling, who has a master's degree in zoology. She also is a medical doctor with a private practice in the Illinois Valley.
After a quick Internet search, Mechling, 53, contacted the Hairworm Biodiversity Project in Albuquerque, N.M., a leading research facility whose staff invites people around the globe to submit hair worms for identification and study.
Ben Hanelt, a project scientist and research assistant professor in the University of New Mexico's Biology Department, advised her to put the thin, tan worm in a plastic container with clean water until it could be mailed. The worm was not a human pathogen, he told her.
Mechling placed the worm in a Ziploc bag with water, sealed the bag inside a similar bag, put the package in a small box and mailed it off to Albuquerque.
"So much has been gleaned in the last 20 years since I studied (worms)," she said. "There has been a lot of DNA work about their evolution and distribution."
Hanelt recently contacted Mechling to let her know the creature was a horsehair worm Gordius robustus, the first of its kind documented in Oregon. The name is derived from the fact males and females of the species form tight balls — Gordian knots — while mating in streams or ponds.
She dubbed the worm "Roberta" after Robert Whittaker, an ecologist known for exploring what is now the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the 1950s. However, Hanelt determined it was a male of the species, according to Mechling.
She also discovered the horsehair worm is parasitic to some insects, including grasshoppers. After a grasshopper eats a hair worm cyst, the cyst then eats the grasshopper from the inside out, leaving the jumping muscles, heart and brain, she said.
In essence, the hair worm turns the grasshopper into its zombie, causing it to jump into water, where the adult hair worm then emerges, she noted.
In this case, the worm was found in an old watering trough on property she and her husband acquired adjacent to their home in Selma, Mechling said.
"I'm sure there is a million out there but it had never been documented here before," she said.
Mechling, who has lived in the Illinois Valley for 20 years, said the horsehair worm is indicative of the unique plants and animals in the region yet to be documented by science.
"We will be keeping our eye out for other undocumented species," she said. "It will be interesting to see how they fit in the evolutionary tree. This region is unique in so many ways."
She explained the mountains were not covered by glaciers during the last ice age, resulting in the survival of many species unique to the region.
"There could be medicines here we haven't discovered," she said.
She noted a unique insect species was discovered in the Oregon Caves in recent years.
"We live in such an amazing area of raw nature that still needs to be explored," she said. "But we need to do it with a sensitivity to the ecosystems."
Mechling's blog on the horsehair worm can be read at http://siskiyoufieldinstitute.wordpress.com/.
For more information on the Hairworm Biodiversity Project, visitwww.nematomorpha.net/.
Reach Mail Tribune reporter Paul Fattig at 541-776-4496 or by email at email@example.com.
First worm of its kind found in Oregon
When Selma resident Kathy Mechling looked in an old horse trough on her property early last fall, she saw what looked like an 8-inch strand of hair moving in the water.


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Shaykh Yasir Qadhi very nice, in his very different mood unusual on "Poetry Face Off - Brother Of Few Words VS Yasir Qadhi".
June 2, 2011
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi : Poetry Face Off - Brother Of Few Words VS Yasir Qadhi
Labels: Bayan in English, Yasir Qadhi
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That Medicaid waiver: Shaheen didn't get the memo
March 26. 2014 8:00PM
During the debate over Medicaid expansion last year, proponents said the Senate Republican plan, which could have been started last summer, was "unrealistic" because it would move Medicaid-eligible people onto the Obamacare exchanges before the federal government could possibly grant a waiver to approve the move.
Under the GOP plan, instead of putting people who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level on Medicaid, the state would give them the Medicaid money and let them buy their own private insurance. That part of the plan would kick in during the second year of the two-year transition.
Democrats said the federal government was too slow and inefficient to approve that plan within a year. And they said they did not want people going to the exchange when only one insurer offered coverage there.
The Republican plan "lacks workable, achievable and realistic time lines and includes no measures to ensure competition and cost-effectiveness on the exchange," Gov. Maggie Hassan's communications director, Marc Goldberg, insisted last fall. "Instead, it would delay critical health coverage for thousands of families...."
Republicans relented and agreed to the Democrats' plan to put eligible people on Medicaid for three years, after which they would transition to private insurance on the exchange. That plan passed the House Tuesday (just after the state Insurance Department approved another insurer for the state exchange). When Medicaid expansion passed, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen released a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urging her to "expeditiously develop and approve any waiver necessary to ensure a successful expansion of the Medicaid program in the state."
But according to New Hampshire Democrats, that is not possible. They said repeatedly that there is no way HHS could approve a waiver "expeditiously," it would take years.
Maybe poor Sen. Shaheen did not speak to Gov. Hassan and thus remained unaware that her request is impossible to fill.
Or maybe, given that Shaheen's request came on the same day the entirely politically run HHS department issued yet another delay of an Obamacare mandate, the New Hampshire Democrats' claim that the bureaucracy waits for no one was always a ruse.


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The SCISA state coaches' association released its all-state teams for spring sports with Colleton Prep's Kendall Jumper (softball), Porter-Gaud's George Grice (boys soccer), Pinewood Prep's Richard Hubbard (golf), Ashley Hall's Brenyce Watson (girls track and field), Porter-Gaud's Brent Demarest (boys track and field) and Porter-Gaud's Thomas Spratt (boys tennis) earning player of the year honors in their respective sport. Grice was co-player of the year.
John McMicking and Johnny O'Shaughnessy of Pinewood Prep were named all-state in baseball.
Lowcountry players named to the softball team are Taylor Barcomb, Dorchester Academy; Sarah Ham, St. John's Christian; Jumper, Colleton Prep; Courtney Kramer, Colleton Prep; Laura Reynolds, Colleton Prep; and Austin Utsey, Pinewood Prep.
Katie Black of Pinewood Prep, Sarah Carlton of Porter-Gaud, Lauren Cercopely of Pinewood Prep, Gracie Mogul of Porter-Gaud, Katie Morrison of Ashley Hall and Tahirih Nesmith of Porter-Gaud were named all-state in girls soccer.
Cole Beaver, Northwood Academy; Grice, Porter-Gaud; Tyler Lares, Northwood Academy; Jarrett Londergan, Pinewood Prep; Ryan Moore, Pinewood Prep; and Peter Ruby, Pinewood Prep were named all-state in boys soccer.
Hayes Fair and Mikell Hay of Porter-Gaud were named all-state in lacrosse.
The golf team features Katelyn Dambaugh, Pinewood Prep; Christopher Demarco, Palmetto Christian; Robert Ferira, Porter-Gaud; Hubbard, Pinewood Prep; and Evan Rodwell, First Baptist.
Isabella Alfaro, Ashley Hall; Bailey Allen, Porter-Gaud; Morgan Lee, Ashley Hall; Maryah Nasir, Pinewood Prep; Annie Pascutti, Palmetto Christian; Aliyah Simmons, Ashley Hall; Watson, Ashley Hall; and Michaela White, Ashley Hall were named all-state in girls track and field.
Travis Barnett, Porter-Gaud; Demarest, Porter-Gaud; Aidan Hekker, Porter-Gaud; Joe Siegwald, Palmetto Christian; and Brendan Ward, Porter-Gaud were named all-state in boys track and field.
Chris Demario, Palmetto Christian; Payne Hoy, Porter-Gaud; Seth Pinosky, Porter-Gaud; and Spratt, Porter-Gaud were named all-state in boys tennis.
Lexington High School catcher Nick Ciuffo was named the Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year. The 6-1, 205-pound senior catcher led the Wildcats to a 28-5 record and the Class AAAA state championship. He batted .468 with five home runs, 33 RBIs and a .723 slugging percentage. A 2012 Under Armour All-American and a 2013 Rawlings Preseason All-American, he is ranked the No. 12 player in the nation by Perfect Game USA and No. 14 by MaxPreps.com.
Ciuffo was named the state player of the year last week by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association.
"Nick Ciuffo is the best high school baseball player I have ever coached," Lexington coach Brian Hucks said. "He is a natural born leader and his make-up is off the charts. He is a winner and has always placed importance on team success rather than his own."
Rossi Anastopoulo, a senior at Ashley Hall, received the Bill Simpson Award, which is given annually and emphasizes the importance of academic achievement. It is the highest individual honor bestowed upon one male and one female student-athlete in SCISA.
Anastopoulo had a 2390 SAT score, which is 10 points short of a perfect score.
She was captain of the tennis and basketball teams, and also played on the soccer team.
Anastopoulo received the Morehead-Cain Scholarship to North Carolina.
Follow Philip M. Bowman on Twitter: @PandCPhil.


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Gulf Sovereign Fund Seeks to Buy Hotel Portfolio from Baupost JV
Real estate joint ventures are taking advantage of unloading European hotel real properties due to the heightened interest of real estate investment firms, pensions and sovereign wealth funds. [ Content protected for Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute Standard subscribers only. Please subscribe to view content. ]
Singapore's GIC Private Limited, a yield-hungry sovereign investor, invested in Denmark-based Nordic Aviation Capital A/S, becoming a significant minority shareholder. Other shareholders in Nordic Aviation Capital include EQT VI Limited fund, KIRKBI Invest (wealth origins tied to Legos), and Martin Møller, the founder of Nordic Aviation Capital. EQT VI will remain the largest shareholder of Nordic Aviation Capital. [ Content protected for Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute Standard subscribers only. Please subscribe to view content. ]
U.S. President Trump is progressing on plans to mandate pharmaceutical companies to reveal their prices in drug advertisements. "The drug industry remains resistant to providing real transparency around their prices, including the sky-high list prices that many patients pay," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "So while the pharmaceutical industry's action today is a small step in the right direction, we will go further."
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department would require pharmaceutical companies to include drugs' sticker prices in their video advertisements. This would be similar to how drug companies disclose the laundry list of side effects.
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It's so time-honored that it is now a cliche: The best time for an administration to release bad news is late on a Friday. The only better time would be after midnight Sunday morning on a three-day weekend. The Obama administration chose the latter in getting rid of the controversialVan Jones, its "green jobs" czar. While several Obama nominees had withdrawn their names over unpaid taxes and other issues, this is the first time someone already appointed has had to quit. It's never a good thing when an administration spills its first blood.
But Jones being let go is one more sign that the bloom is off the rose of Obama first term. A few weeks ago, before the administration began on taking water over health care, Jones might have held on -- even with the volatile "9/11 Truther" charges swirling around him.
Jones was arguably a victim of his own allies. He came into the cross hairs of Fox News' Glenn Beck when an organization that Jones once led, Color of Change, urged advertisers to boycott Beck's program. The drive has had, to say the least, mixed results: Several advertisers have dropped off, but Beck's ratings have increased.
That made it even more likely that Beck's scrutiny of Jones would reach more eyeballs. Once that media virus escapes, it becomes impossible to stop. With more people paying attention, it came out that Jones had used intemperate language to describe Republicans. OK, that was minor. Then it was revealed that he had signed a petition suggesting that the Bush administration had foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks -- indeed, may actually have conspired to let them happen. That was way beyond the pale. It's as kooky as the assertions of the far right's "Birther" movement.
But why was Jones sent packing Saturday night/Sunday morning? Simple: As President Obama heads into what may be his most critical week -- trying to resuscitate his health-care reform initiative, he couldn't risk having to deal with questions about Jones. Distraction? To say the least.
Jones would likely have gone eventually, but the relative quickness -- and in the media cover of a holiday weekend -- had everything to do with saving the president's primary domestic policy initiative.
New York writer Robert A. George blogs at Ragged Thots. Follow him on Twitter.


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NEW YORK (AP) — "Mad Men" creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner is being honored with the 2014 International Emmy Founders Award.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Monday that Weiner will be presented the honorary award on Nov. 24 at the International Emmy Awards Gala in New York.
Academy President & CEO Bruce L. Paisner says Weiner is being recognized for "creating a global cultural phenomenon that has dramatically changed the television landscape." The AMC drama about a Madison Avenue advertising agency in the 1960s premiered in 2007 and will air its final seven episodes next year.
Weiner recently wrote and directed his first feature film, "You Are Here," starring Owen Wilson, Zack Galifianakis and Amy Poehler, which will open later this summer.


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In the past ten years, nationalist, communalist and religious fundamentalist social movements have surfaced all over the world, moving into the power vacuum created as local elites have been overwhelmed by the new global financial ruling class. The emerging struggle is not between East and West, as Samuel Huntington would have it, but within both; it is a struggle between the forces of globalization and the atavistic social movements that have sprung up to oppose it. Civilian populations, especially ethnic minorities, women and children, are caught in between. Among such movements are the Taliban in Afghanistan; the Serbian nationalist movement (and its opposing counterparts elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia); Islamic fundamentalist movements in Egypt, Algeria and elsewhere; the Hindu communalist movement in India; the Israeli settler movement in the West Bank; and a whole range of militantly patriarchal Christian groups, from the militias to Operation Rescue, in the United States.
These movements have in common a desire for racial, ethnic and religious homogeneity; an apocalyptic vision of purification through bloodshed; and a patriarchal view of women and the family. I call them atavistic because of the way they yearn back to a mythic past, often the age of barbarism, when their nation, tribe or religion was great. ("Atavism: Biol. the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some more or less remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations." American College Dictionary) In Israel, to take one example, religious fundamentalists who believe they should control all the land that was biblical Israel's at its point of greatest territorial strength have repeatedly brought the peace process to a standstill. And in the United States, a cadre of religiously driven conservative leaders paralyzed the federal government for more than a year in their campaign against the Sixties and Sin, both exemplified by Bill Clinton.
As central to such movements as ethnic or religious homogeneity is the control of women. Atavistic social movements attack feminism not only as an obstacle to such control but as part of their war on modernity itself, for, like other movements for social and political rights, feminism is inescapably secular and thus part of the project of modernity, opposed to older forms of social organization in which women's needs and voices were subsumed into a communal or religious entity represented by male elders. Even in countries where the women's movement is led by female versions of tribal elders, feminism resists being swallowed up in male definitions of the class, the nation, the community; it sticks in the craw. Add to this the threat of female sexual and reproductive autonomy, then place both in the context of a volatile world situation where local males are losing power and the family has become the last bastion of unquestioned male authority and privilege, and what have you got? A world culture war, in which feminism becomes the scapegoat for every frustration and women become the focus of every contradiction.
This war takes culturally specific forms in each country, targeting poor women, because they are most vulnerable, and feminist intellectuals and organizers, because they stir up the others. Last month in the Bronx, Tabitha Walrond, a 19-year-old African-American, was tried for homicide in the death of her infant son. She had been breast-feeding him; her milk was insufficient, and he died of malnutrition. The prosecution also charged her with second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of her child by failing to get him emergency medical care when his condition became acute. But Walrond was unable to get medical care for her son; she was repeatedly denied a Medicaid ID number by a city administration that has shown an unholy eagerness to get women off the welfare rolls regardless of what will happen to them and their children. Tabitha Walrond is but one example of the way American women are caught between the drive to cut government spending and release capital from all constraint on the one hand, and backlash tendencies invoking earlier, more patriarchal forms of social organization on the other.


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Hole in the Ground trail volunteer weekend and trail maintenance announced
August 16, 2012
TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The Forest Service and the Truckee Trails Foundation are jointly hosting a Hole in the Ground Trail Volunteer Weekend, Aug. 18-19. The Hole in the Ground Trail is a popular mountain biking trail on Donner Summit. Volunteer participants will work under direction from local Forest Service and trail advocate crew leaders. Novice trail volunteers are welcome. All volunteers should bring sturdy shoes, sunscreen, water, lunch, and appropriate clothing for a full day (or two!) of trail work. Meet at the Interstate 80 Pacific Crest Trailhead (Boreal/Castle Valley Exit) at 8:30 a.m., working until 4 p.m. both days. Interested volunteers must pre-register for this event with the Truckee Trails Foundation. This event is free and open to the public. Please contact Allison Pedley at the Truckee Trails Foundation with questions and/or to register at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Volunteers will complete such tasks as brushing, drainage work, tread enhancement and repair, and even a minor re-route.
To complete the remaining deferred maintenance on the Hole in the Ground Trail, the Forest Service received a $14,000 grant from the Nevada and Placer County Resource Advisory Committee.
Utilizing the grant funding, the Forest Service developed a participating agreement with American Conservation Experience (ACE) to complete the necessary trail maintenance. ACEand#8217;s trail corps crews, under direction from Tahoe National Forest Trail Technicians, will begin three weeks of trail maintenance activities starting Aug. 20, 2012. Many local businesses and nonprofit partners supported this grant including: TAMBA, FATRAC, Ace Mountain Hardware, The BackCountry, Truckee Donner Land Trust and Truckee Trails Foundation.
and#8220;We are excited to host the trail weekend and to have such an outpouring of support from the community to maintain this popular mountain biking trail,and#8221; said Joanne Roubique, Truckee District Ranger.


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2012 INFINITI QX56 Values
Select a 2012 INFINITI QX56 trim level
2012 model year changes
The Theater package now includes a 120V power outlet and heated 2nd-row seats. Otherwise, Infiniti's flagship Utility returns unchanged following 2011's refresh.
Competitive comparison
High-end technology features, comfortable seating for eight, excellent stability and utility.
Special features for 2012
Although some might consider its styling a bit polarizing, the QX56 has a lot to offer for the buyer looking for a full-size body-on-frame sport-utility. Despite its size, the QX56 is smooth, quick, and maneuverable and it features a host of luxury amenities as standard equipment.
A luxury SUV with seating for 8, the Infiniti QX56 is powered by a 5.6-liter V8 engine that produces 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. Both drivetrains, standard RWD and optional AWD, are paired to the same 7-speed automatic transmission. The QX56 boasts a 8,500 lbs. towing capacity and achieves an EPA estimated 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Features include moonroof, power rear liftgate, push-button ignition, tri-zone automatic climate control, leather seats, , heated front seats, 13-speaker premium audio system, USB connection, steering-wheel mounted controls, navigation with voice recognition, and distance control assist. Safety is comprised of advanced airbags, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, anti-lock braking, blind-spot warning, forward collision warning, intelligent brake assist, lane departure warning, vehicle dynamic control, traction control system, and tire pressure monitoring. The QX56 is backed by a 4-year/60,000-mile warranty.