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Dazzled by the spotlight
Hugh Farrelly
September 24, 2011
Cian Healy impressed against the Wallabies scooping the man-of-the-match award © Getty Images
Ireland's tournament-jolting, path-opening, hemisphere-shifting victory against Australia took some getting over. Such was the glee in New Zealand at the discomfiture of their neighbours, their media were more than happy to keep running with tales of Irish achievement and Irish possibility garnished with ceaseless mocking of the Wallabies.
New Zealand is a pretty unforgiving nation when it comes to rugby failure (the treatment being doled out to All Blacks winger Zac Guildford, after he had one poor game and was hounded into the spotlight for a supposed drink problem, has been a shameful example).
And this rush to kick the Australians has kept the Irish in the spotlight which, despite the valiant efforts of players and management, meant that the focus has been backwards rather than forwards. Even at the team announcement for the clash with Russia, the Australia game was the story as Ireland coach Declan Kidney had to angrily refute claims by ex-Wallaby centre Tim Horan that backs coach Alan Gaffney had admitted the Irish players were deliberately faking injuries to slow Australian momentum.
Being the biggest story at the World Cup has created a level of exposure neither Kidney nor the squad are entirely comfortable with or used to. Ireland's progress from Pool C was always going to come down to their final clash with the Italians, and with Russia a means of gearing up for that clash, the focus needs to switch sharply to an Italy side that has the capacity to cause Ireland problems.
A major issue for Kidney is to get his side back to the mental pitch they achieved against Australia. Ireland have an infuriating habit of only producing their best when they are in a corner, criticised for poor displays and expected to be beaten by big-name opponents.
We saw it against England at Lansdowne Road last March. Martin Johnson's men arrived full of brio, expecting to be crowned as Grand Slam champions only to be ripped apart by an Irish side fired up by their own inconsistencies in the championship and the desire to humble the 'old enemy'.
Something similar happened against Australia. Ireland went into the match on a horrid run of form, partly self-induced as there was a definite policy to hold back in certain areas against the USA on their World Cup opener and in the warm-up internationals.
However, that policy did contribute to an Australian side that was ill-prepared for a tactically excellent Irish effort, playing a brand of cup rugby their players were reared on through school and the All-Ireland League. There was also an undoubted element of complacency in the Wallaby side, who revealed only a rudimentary knowledge of the Ireland players beyond Brian O'Driscoll.
They could not envisage losing to Ireland when it mattered because they never had before and even when put to the pin of their World Cup collars by the Irish in 1991 and 2003, the Australians never lost the belief that they would win.
Add all of that together and there numerous motivational triggers for Kidney to pull. The same cannot be said for the clash against the Italians or the likely quarter-final against Wales.
In the modern, professional rugby era of scientific preparation, the old scenario of Ireland never being comfortable in the role of favourites should no longer apply but it continues to.
We saw it last year when Scotland turned them over in the final rugby match at Croke Park, denying Ireland a Triple Crown in the process. We saw it against Italy and Scotland earlier this year in the Six Nations when Ireland struggled to put away clearly inferior teams and we saw it against the USA in their World Cup opener a couple of weeks ago when what should have been a routine dismantling became a worrying struggle.
Nonetheless, Ireland should still have too much for the Italians, who have yet to defeat the Irish since coming into the Six Nations in 2000.
It is Wales who are the real worry.
The Welsh are looking good and, most significantly, are looking good without being hyped up. They should have beaten South Africa in their first game and were thoroughly professional against a tough, if tired, Samoan side in their other big pool game.
They are a team with talent across the park, from Adam Jones to Sam Warburton, Mike Phillips and a powerful centre combination of Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts. In Warren Gatland, they have a coach who carries a Kidney-like capacity for achieving the unexpected and, with his knowledge of the Irish psyche, the Kiwi ex-Ireland coach will be relishing all the attention Kidney's men have been getting since beating Australia.
Furthermore, Wales do not fear Ireland. They won in Dublin in 2008 and in Cardiff this year (albeit courtesy of what should have been a disallowed try) and, though their club sides regularly fail to the provinces in the Heineken Cup and what is now the Pro12 League, consistent exposure to the Irish players has reduced the intimidation factor.
Beating Australia was a monumental achievement and one that opened up a path to the final for Kidney's Ireland side. How galling it would be to set up that platform only to crash out to the Welsh in the quarter-finals.
And it could well happen. Wales are waiting in the long grass.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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FY10 Challenge America Fast Track Review Grants
FY10 Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast Track Review Grants
Announced December 8, 2009
Some details of the projects listed below are subject to change, contingent upon prior Endowment approval.
Altoona Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support a concert featuring composer and violinist Andy Stein. Most readily recognized for his role as a musician on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion, Stein and the Symphony will perform some of his original compositions for an audience drawn from throughout Blair County.
Fargo-Moorhead Orchestra, $10,000
To support performances of Peter Boyer's Ellis Island - Dreams of America. Through a collaborative effort with Theatre B, local immigrants will tell their oral histories, receive dramatic coaching, and present their stories during the concerts.
Fort Smith Symphony, $10,000
To support EARQUAKE!, a series of concerts targeting elementary school students. The concerts will incorporate a full orchestra, sessions with composer Kevin Puts, and performances by Western Arkansas Ballet students. Educational study guides and music excerpts will be sent to participating schools prior to the concerts.
Great Falls Symphony, $10,000
To support a performance of opera arias featuring tenor Scott Piper and soprano Karin Wolverton. Related activities will include choral workshops targeted to high school students and an open dress rehearsal for area choral and orchestra students, as well as for residents of homes for the developmentally disabled.
Greater Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support a pre-concert talk and public performance with pianist Read Gainsford. Students at Pensacola High School will be invited to participate in an in-school performance and lecture by Gainsford as well as attend the dress rehearsal for the public performance.
Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support the Annual Community Gospel Concert featuring conductor Dr. Henry Panion and choristers selected from area colleges and churches. The concert will celebrate the opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support Music Tells a Story, concerts exploring the region's American Indian heritage. Lee Johnson will compose orchestral music and Gayle Ross will write narration exploring the Cherokee Indian's experience during the Trail of Tears.
Mid-Texas Symphony, $10,000
To support performances and related activities by the Romero Quartet. Performances will be held at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin and the Byron P. Steele II High School in Cibolo. Related activities will include a guitar master class and open dress rehearsal.
Northwest Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support the project East Meets West - Music of the Pacific Rim and Northwest Student Composers. The organization will partner with the Highline School District to feature composer Glenn Crytzer and timpanist Michael Crusoe in concerts, master classes, composition workshops, and lectures.
Paducah Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support Exhibitions, a series of musical performances that each feature a guest conductor. Related activities will include an exhibit of work by local visual artists and pre-concert discussions.
Portland Symphony Orchestra, Portland, ME, $10,000
To support a performance by Chris Thile, Concerto for the Mandolin. Related activities will include composition workshops with youth, open dress rehearsals, and artist lectures.
Rockford Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
To support performances of Modest Mussorgsky's piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition, featuring photographers' artistic responses to the music. Rockford Art Museum staff will provide curatorial direction for the images displayed at both school and public performances.
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, $10,000
To support Meet Gabriela Frank, a special outreach initiative targeting the Latino community. Frank will present four free concerts of her new composition titled El Picaflor: Tone Poem for Violin and Orchestra. Other activities will include programming targeting elementary schools with predominantly Latino students and a free chamber music concert at a Latino community center.
South Dakota Symphony, $10,000
To support the Lakota Music Project, featuring the Porcupine Singers and tenor Robert Moore. The guest artists, members of Sioux tribes, will perform with the orchestra in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and on several American Indian reservations.
Abilene Arts Alliance, $10,000
To support Artfully Abilene, a marketing initiative for the City of Abilene. The initiative will be comprised of several components including a quarterly magazine, e-marketing, airport exhibitions, and collaborative projects with the Abilene Convention and Visitors Council. Arts organizations such as the Grace Museum, the Center for Contemporary Art, the Paramount Theatre, and Abilene Philharmonic, as well as local individual artists, will benefit from the initiative.
Foundations, Inc., $10,000
To support a performance of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, featuring trumpet player Rodney Mack. The event, celebrating Black History Month, will include public interviews with composers George Walker and Ellis Marsalis.
Frostburg State University, $10,000
To support a production of Verdi's Requiem featuring the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. Participating groups will include the FSU University Chorale and Cumberland Choral Society.


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Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates which, with the exception of a few notable species, nurse their young on milk produced by the female's mammary glands, give birth to live young, and have bodies insulated by hair. Around one in four of the world's mammals are currently threatened with extinction.
Search results for mammals
Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
While the bizarre and elusive aardvark (Orycteropus afer) may look vaguely similar in appearance to…
Aardwolf (Proteles cristata)
Dog-like in appearance, the aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a hyaena characterised by a distinctive…
Abbott's duiker (Cephalophus spadix)
This secretive, forest-dwelling antelope was first photographed in the wild as recently as 2003…
Aceramarca gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus aceramarcae)
Information on the aceramarca gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus aceramarcae) is currently being…
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Addax (Addax nasomaculatus)
The Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) is a desert living antelope and is well adapted to its harsh…
Aders' duiker (Cephalophus adersi)
The rarest and most highly endangered of Africa's duiker species , the diminutive Aders' duiker…
More about the Aders' duiker »
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Aellen's roundleaf bat (Hipposideros marisae)
Information on the Aellen's roundleaf bat is currently being researched and written and will appear…
More about the Aellen's roundleaf bat »
0 videos
African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus)
Information on the African brush-tailed porcupine is currently being researched and written and will…
More about the African brush-tailed porcupine »
0 videos
African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
The strong and imposing African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is Africa's only wild cattle species , and…
African civet (Civettictis civetta)
A nocturnal, opportunistic mammal, the African civet (Civettictis civetta) is the largest African…
African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)
The dexterous, hand-like forefeet of the African clawless otter are its most remarkable feature…
African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Perhaps one of the world's most emotive and iconic animals, the African elephant (Loxodonta…
African giant shrew (Crocidura olivieri)
The aptly named African giant shrew is one of the largest shrews in the world . Like most shrews, it…
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0 videos
African golden cat (Caracal aurata)
The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is little known by science, but is the subject of much…
African linsang (Poiana richardsonii)
Information on the African linsang (Poiana richardsonii) is currently being researched and written…


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Before the National Football Leagues penultimate week of regular-season football, Evans Adams best Gridiron Green finish was a pair of 10s in Weeks 14 and 15.
Adams was perfect in Week 16 16-for-16.
Ralph Stasio of Greenfield, Wis., batted 1.000, too.
Yet for all of Adams perfection, the local Gridiron Greenie ranks last among our weekly winners in total points with 107. Ann Laws, our packerfan and Week 2 winner, ranks first in that group with 162 points.
Overall, daniel overtook edonelan and tholeman to lead the Gridiron Green standings 166-165 with one week to play; daniel leads tholeman by the same score in the Gridiron Gold standings.
The Gridiron Guru was 13-3 in Week 16 to run this years overall mark to 151.5-87.5.
Sunday, Dec. 30
Jacksonville at Tennessee, 11 a.m. the Jaguars wrap a Tebow on their 2012 season with a costly road win (see: Chiefs). Pick: Jaguars, 17-13. Line: Titans by 5.
Carolina at New Orleans, 11 a.m. the most entertaining game on the slate that means absolutely nothing. Pick: Saints, 40-27. Line: Saints by 4.
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 11 a.m. feel the Fitzmagic. Pick: Bills, 24-16. Line: Bills by 3.
Baltimore at Cincinnati, 11 a.m. both teams are dancing with fixed schedules. Pick: Bengals, 20-19. Line: Bengals by 3.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 11 a.m. will the Steelers bow out of the tournament with pride? Pick: Steelers, 17-13. Line: None.
Houston at Indianapolis, 11 a.m. they won for Bruce; theyll be Chuckstrong, too. Pick: Colts, 27-24. Line: Texans by 6.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 11 a.m. with the playoffs on the line, I gotta think the defending Super Bowl champs will show up after their two-week vacation. Pick: Giants, 24-13. Line: Giants by 9.
Chicago at Detroit, 11 a.m. well, at least Stafford to Johnson works. Pick: Bears, 27-17. Line: Bears by 3.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 11 a.m. the Buccaneers ship is flying half-mast. Pick: Falcons, 27-23. Line: None.
Oakland at San Diego, 2:25 p.m. will one more win stay the Chargers Smith-Turner era? Pick: Chargers, 30-10. Line: None.
Arizona at San Francisco, 2:25 p.m. dont worry, the 49ers are fine. Pick: 49ers, 30-9. Line: 49ers by 15.
St. Louis at Seattle, 2:25 p.m. just imagine, if the Rams win, theyre undefeated in the NFC West but without a playoff spot. Too bad the Seahawks made a deal with the devil. Pick: Seahawks, 31-20. Line: Seahawks by 10.
Kansas City at Denver, 2:25 p.m. (KRSJ 100.5 FM) for Denver, 11 in a row; for Kansas City, the No. 1 draft pick. Pick: Broncos, 37-6. Line: Broncos by 16.
Green Bay at Minnesota, 2:25 p.m. the Vikings and Adrian Petersons good run comes to an end. Pick: Packers, 24-23. Line: Packers by 3.
Miami at New England, 2:25 p.m. dont worry, the Patriots are fine. Pick: Patriots, 30-17. Line: Patriots by 11.
Dallas at Washington, 6:20 p.m. (KOBF, KUSA) and the Redskins are partying like its 1999. Pick: Redskins, 29-27. Line: Redskins by 3.


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Venture Grants
For some students, the Initiatives program at Beloit College culminates with a self-designed summer project funded by a Venture Grant. The grants support entrepreneurial, self-testing, or intellectually challenging projects that benefit both the student(s) involved and others. Projects may be of a personal, service, or commercial character, and may be completed independently or through an organization. The Venture Grant program gives priority to projects that engage with "local" communities, broadly construed. That is, "local" can refer not only to the diverse localities of which particular students are a part but also to the various ways—and places—in which "local" questions, challenges, and opportunities can be engaged. International projects may also be funded, especially when the project includes a meaningful connection to the local.
Travel in the footsteps of famous Beloit alumni. Research Native American mound sites across the Midwest. Intern with a youth ministry organization. Research and establish a food co-op. Learn traditional methods for mounting Chinese calligraphy.
All are examples of projects undertaken by Beloit College students through Venture Grants. In each case, the projects allowed students to get hands-on experience related to their intellectual and personal development. Funding from Beloit College's Initiatives program made it possible.
Take a closer look at some past Venture Grant projects:
Beloit College Venture Grants Tumblr
Beloit College Venture Grants Facebook
How will you venture forth?


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In case you couldn't make it until the end of the Academy Awards, you gotta see the tearjerker ending supplied by wunderkind school choir PS 22. Ahh, the angelic sound of children's voices. And they're signing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. And then the winners come out for a standing O? Dreams really do come true! Plus: Check out PS22 Singing Listomania
This video is beyond cute—the kids are so into it. And so are we. Plus: Totally Weird Kid Products
We're also into these 20+ kid and baby viral videos, like Star Wars according to a 3-year-old, Jessica's Daily Affirmation, Single Ladies Devastation, and more.


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Create a Ning Network!
Coco, thanks for the accept. Welcome to the awesome Opolis. The place to make new Tennis friends. Welcome aboard.
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When our children were still at home we tried to make our evening meal a family affair. As often as possible, we had supper together and enjoyed a pleasant (most of the time) discussion around the table.
One evening the subject turned to the rubberized WWJD bracelets that were the rage at the time. WWJD: What would Jesus do? At one point our son said, "I know what Jesus wouldn't do. He wouldn't pay $4.98 for a stupid rubber bracelet."
We all laughed and I silently marveled at how closely the apple had fallen to the tree. Frugal and direct; that's my boy!
The WWJD question came to time mind recently when I read that the American Family Association (AFA) has called for a one-month boycott of Radio Shack over that company's "censorship" of the word "Christmas."
The AFA claims that Radio Shack has refused to use the word Christmas on its website, in its advertising and in-store promotions.
At the same time I have seen snarky posts on Facebook condemning the use of "Happy Holidays" in lieu of "Merry Christmas."
What would Jesus say about Radio Shack's refusal to use the word "Christmas" in its holiday promotion? Would Jesus call for a boycott because the chain wouldn't use his name in its advertising?
Another question: would Jesus be offended if someone wished him "Happy Holidays" rather than Merry Christmas? Is it possible that Jesus would say to the AFA, "Why in the world do you want a national retail chain using my name to promote sales?" Is it possible that Jesus would respond to a "Happy Holidays" greeting with a smile and a simple, "Thank you!"
Some Americans who call themselves Christians have a problem: they get their undies twisted in knots over less than important matters. Jesus had a lot to say about feeding the hungry and caring for widows and orphans. He told us to love our neighbor. Instead of following Jesus' instructions, some folks brandish their religion by taking offense and thumping their chests when someone doesn't "honor" their holiday.
If I meet you on the street this month, I will wish you a "Merry Christmas." I hope you will accept that as a sincere gesture of good will.
If you meet me on the street this month and you wish me "Happy Holidays," I will return your greeting with a smile and say, "Thanks." I will accept your wishes as a gesture of good will.
The most memorable Christmas gift I ever received was given to me by Sam Sadoff, a Jewish business friend in Sioux City. Over the years Sam and I had wonderful discussions over coffee about his Jewish faith and my Christian faith. A few days before Christmas years ago my family visited his store to purchase a gift and, after a long, friendly conversation with Sam, we were the last customers in the store at closing time.
We paid for our purchase and as we were about to leave, Sam said, "Wait, I have something for you."
He went to a back room and came back with a bottle of kosher Concord wine imported from Israel. "We may be of different faiths," Sam explained as he handed me the bottle, "but this is a special time of year for both of us and I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas."
I don't have a taste for Concord wine but I loved the gift because of the spirit in which it was given. My Jewish friend gave his Christian friend a gift as a gesture of good will. What was it the angels proclaimed? "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
In His infinite wisdom, God has not revealed to me what Jesus would do in any of these situations, but based on what the Bible reveals about him I strongly believe he would accept a gesture of good will in a spirit of good will. He certainly would not return a sincere greeting with a snotty response.
And I seriously doubt Jesus would promote the use of his name to sell electronic toys.
Merry Christmas. Happy holidays.


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You have until Feb 01, 2019 to return or exchange items bought after Nov 01, 2018. All other standard return policy conditions apply.
Product Highlights
The yellow Recyclable ABS Plastic Cube Cartridge from 3D Systems is compatible with the 2nd generation Cube 3D printer. Each cartridge contains enough material to make about 35 models per cartridge. Switching the cartridge out is easy because it snaps right in. The Cube also notifies you of how much material is left in the cartridge and doesn't let you start to print a creation if you don't have enough material to finish it, avoiding waste. Up to 13 to 15 cell phone cases (or creations of similar size) can be printed from a single cartridge. An average smartphone case takes about 2 hours to print with a layer thickness of 200 microns.
You can use one color at a time while printing on a Cube. If you want your creation to be multicolored, you can either print it in separate pieces and attach them together later, or they can be printed on a different machine with an optional Cloud Printing service. The cartridges cannot be swapped in the middle of a print.
Please note this cartridge is not compatible with the 3rd-gen Cube, CubePro, EKOCYCLE Cube, or the CubeX.
|2nd-Gen Cube 3D Printer
|Packaging Info
|Package Weight
|1.85 lb
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|10.5 x 9.4 x 1.9"


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Elizabeth is dear to my heart for all the challenges she faced in her life. Though I never knew her personally, she continues to be a great example to me. Other posts about her include Elizabeth and My Elizabeth.Few photographs of her survived and those I have are copies (some xerox-style) of originals. Poor photographs but at least I can see her image.
This photo makes me laugh because of the cup of liquid she's holding. Water? Was there a story or joke to go with this? Why was she standing in a field, dressed in Sunday best, holding a cup of water -- and posing for a photographer?
Elizabeth was born on August 24, 1852, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Her parents were Abel and Eliza (Hartley) Armitage.
Happy, happy Birthday, Gramma.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Great-Grandmother Elizabeth's Birthday Is Today
2 comments:
It may not be water, but one of those cordials which are the fruits of the field, like elderflower 'champagne' or sloe gin. Worth posing for!ReplyDelete
Little Nell, I hadn't thought of it being some special kind of refreshment. It's entirely possible that she made her own elderberry or other fruit wine.... Thanks for sharing that thought. I really appreciate it.ReplyDelete
I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.
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At this stage of the game, and there is little game left for the 2009 New York Mets. We know they aren't going to catch the Philadelphia Phillies, and they have to leapfrog almost the entire National League to have a puncher's chance at a wild card.
They must start to make moves with 2010 in mind, and at the top of that list is to shut down Carlos Beltran and seriously evaluate the need for surgery. If Beltran does eventually need surgery, wouldn't it be better to have it done now rather than October or November?
Should he get it now, he'll have an extra three months to rehab, and Padres outfielder Brian Giles, who underwent the procedure microfracture surgery, said he'll need every day.
"I would let it calm down and be ready for next year, having gone through what I went through," Giles told reporters over the weekend. "There's a lot of risk with this injury, especially with a young player like him. It could affect him for a long period of time.
"I rehabbed my butt off. I've never worked so hard to get ready for a season."
Beltran is not soft nor is he a slacker, however, rehabbing is tough work and he'll need the time to overcome the inevitable setbacks and slow points.
With little to play for this season, the Mets can't afford Beltran risking further injury. Or eating a lot of time then opting for surgery. And, what is there is a problem with surgery or a longer than anticipated rehab? The extra time gained by doing it now would be essential.
Why push him for no reason?
As far as Delgado is concerned, the Mets aren't going to offer him arbitration, which he'd obviously accept. They would be better off spending the money elsewhere, and the Mets do have holes that need plugging.
They'd be better off getting something and ridding themselves of the financial obligation. Daniel Murphy, which currently lacks the power needed for first base, could further develop as a hitter for the remainder of this year and next. While Murphy might not be the long-range answer at first base, he plays the position well enough defensively to where the Mets won't be hurt with him there next season.
With at least two starters, left field, bullpen help and bench depth, first base is NOT an immediate priority. Murphy is good enough to stick there for another year. Plus, his lack of power should, or could, be made up with Beltran's healthy return, David Wright's comeback from the power Twilight Zone, and possibly the addition of an outfielder.


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UK's big build dreams still dogged by past binge
By Ian Campbell
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
The UK government wants austerity to pave the way for bold modernisation of Britain. In reality its cuts don't reverse the previous explosion in government spending and there isn't much money for its big infrastructure dreams.
This week's Comprehensive Spending Review was mostly about cuts to the so-called resource budgets of most government departments though leaving health and education aside. Here austerity is unquestionable, including 10 percent reductions for the Justice, Environment and Communities departments and the Treasury itself. The Office for Budget Responsibility says another 144,000 public jobs will go, after well over half a million gone already. With a near-freeze on public sector pay, the civil service resource budget will be 2 percent lower in 2015-16 than in the current fiscal year.
The problem is the less controllable elements of government spending: pensions, social security and interest bills. So-called Annually Managed Expenditure is still rising. The government projects that it will climb by 18 percent from the current 2013-14 fiscal year to 395 billion pounds in 2017-18. And so in total, the austere government's spending is projected to rise to 765 billion pounds in 2017-18, 6.3 percent higher than this year.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, came up this week with the idea of a "welfare cap" on social spending. But it won't reverse the previous expansion. Social security spending was 176 billion pounds in 2011-12, up by 35.9 billion in four years. The Spending Review says that excluding pensions, welfare rose between 2000 and 2010 by over 45 percent in real, inflation-adjusted terms. Against that rise, recent planned savings are puny.
The government wants to turn away from all the talk of cuts towards big appealing capital projects which will create jobs along the way. The 100 billion pounds in public infrastructure investments announced on Thursday sounds bold but the big number stretches thinly out to 2020. The OBR forecasts that public investment will run at less than 3 percent of GDP in coming years – below the 2011-12 level.
The government may have big ideas. Without more radical reform, it won't have the money to pay for them.
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/


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BBC News
- Brexit: Theresa May to join EU summit after surviving vote
- Josh Clayton's mother blames police for 'three years of torment'
- Organ donors to be asked if they are religious
- EastEnders set revamp goes £27m over budget
- House of Fraser revival 'challenging'
- England's primary school league tables are published
- With three D grades at A-level, 80% got university places
- Hamleys pulls slime toy amid safety fears
- Brexit gloom to hit housing market into 2019, says RICS
- Ambulance vandalism: Bins and scooters used in attacks
- 'Concerns' over London violent crime strategy
- Restaurant dishes 'contain more calories than fast-food meals'
- Theresa May: 'We now need to get on with the job'
- Brexit battles: How May keeps fighting on
- Prime Minister Theresa May wins Tory confidence vote
- Round-up of the day PM faced confidence vote
- Halo brace boy from Long Stratton puts on brave face
- Raheem Sterling row: Is there a racial 'double standard'?
- Dying woman's wedding wish at Berkhamsted hospice answered
- Victoria Derbyshire
- Tyneside council worker 'saves Christmas' for children
- Pebbles and penguins: The Falklands island up for sale
- Newspaper headlines: May survives, but for how long?
- Marmite sprouts? Why retailers are pushing the boundaries with festive food
- The secret life of a fantasy shopper
- Could light bring us superfast mobile broadband indoors?
- David Dimbleby's 25 years on Question Time
- How Tory MPs said they would vote in no confidence ballot
- Tory leadership: Who could replace Theresa May if she goes?
- Instagram tightens eating disorder filters after BBC investigation
- Mrs Wilson: Still searching for the real Alexander Wilson
- Why Wales' quietest station, Sugar Loaf, got busier
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Ozzie Guillen still hasn't received any assurances he'll return for a second season as Miami Marlins manager, but sources close to the combative skipper say he's "not too worried about it" either way.
As the Marlins open their final homestand of a tremendously disappointing season tonight against the Phillies, there had been some thought that perhaps Guillen's four-year contract included an out clause of some kind that would protect the Marlins from having to pay out the $7.5 million that remains.
Maybe some sort of clause penalizing him for "comments detrimental to the organization."
Not so, said two of Guillen's friends in the game.
In fact, despite daily speculation swirling around the team that includes Guillen's job status, one source said the 48-year-old has "peace of mind" about his situation.
"That's what four-year contracts give you," the source said.
The same source hinted there's a "lot more going on" inside Marlins Park than just a decision on the manager.
That could include changes to the front-office structure as well as the coaching staff.
One name to keep in mind is veteran hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, fired in June by the Cubs as he completed a three-year, $2.42 million contract that made him the highest-paid hitting coach in baseball history.
Guillen has spokenly openly this season about his respect for Jaramillo, who previously rose to prominence in the Rangers organization and is a member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
Eduardo Perez, son of Marlins special assistant and baseball Hall of Famer Tony Perez, currently holds the position, but the injury-marred Marlins are 28th out of 30 big-league teams in runs.
Their on-base percentage (.307) ranks 26th in the majors and they are 25th in slugging (.382).
Jaramillo, however, would likely have to take a steep pay cut to work for the Marlins, whose coaches are traditionally paid near the bottom of the big-league scale.
"No one has any idea what they're thinking," one source said of the Marlins drama. "So it's just wait and see."


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Regional Vice President
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires franchise and business opportunity sellers to provide to prospective buyers with a Franchise Disclosure Document.
Contact us today to learn more: 1-561-425-6829


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I & M Auto Body Repairs
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Categories: Car Body Repairs
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Comic great Jonathan Winters was struggling to make a name for himself in the early 1950s when a man at the nightclub where he was performing offered some life-changing advice.
Winters had a talent for channeling the voices of celebrities like Gary Cooper and Boris Karloff but, the man observed, "All you're doing is shining their shoes. You'd best think up your own characters."
That, Winters told TV Guide many years later, was "the best hunk of criticism I ever got."
With his rubbery, moon-shaped face and pitch-perfect ear for speech patterns, Winters began to unleash a cavalcade of charmingly twisted characters, including a redneck ballplayer, a lisping child and a prissy schoolmarm. He gave many of them names — Elwood P. Suggins, Chester Honeyhugger and, perhaps most beloved, Maude Frickert the swinging granny he performed in drag and described as a cross between Whistler's and Norman Bates' mothers.
"If you ask me who are the 25 most funny people I know," Jack Paar would later quip on the "Tonight" show, "I would say, 'Here they are: Jonathan Winters.'"
Winters, whose talent for mimicry, sound effects and improvisation made him a comic original and creative godfather to later generations of comedians like Lily Tomlin and Robin Williams, died Thursday at his longtime home in Montecito. He was 87.
"He was one of the great comedy talents in the history of the United States, just brilliant. He could play any character in the world," said Gary Owens, his close friend who was the announcer on TV's "Laugh In."
Tributes flowed from the younger comics he influenced. "First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend," Williams said in a statement Friday. "I'll miss him huge. He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha."
Jim Carrey said on Twitter that Winters "was the worthy custodian of a sparkling and childish comedic genius. He did God's work. I was lucky 2 know him."
Audiences never knew what to expect from Winters, who once walked onto the Paar show wearing a goat-horned wig and clutching a small branch while announcing he was the Voice of Spring. Another time, Paar handed him a stick and away Winters went on a madcap stream of impressions, from a fisherman to a lion tamer to Bing Crosby wielding a golf club.
He punctuated his comedy vignettes with realistically accurate sound effects — a rotary phone being dialed, raindrops, a rushing subway. As he explained, "I try to paint verbal pictures."
What he didn't do, he once said, was tell jokes. "The characters," he explained, "are my jokes."
His comedy defied categorization.
"Jonathan Winters was probably the most admired — and the most inimitable — of all the comedians of his time," Gerald Nachman wrote in his 2003 book "Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s"
"While he calls himself a satirist, it isn't traditional satire," Nachman wrote. "Most satirists mock institutions or events or politicians; Winters mocked the yokels next door with a home (though bizarre) brand of cartoon commentary, sketching and sculpting characters with droll comments that work like balloons above their heads."
During his more than half-century career, Winters appeared only occasionally in movies, most notably in the 1960s in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming," "The Loved One" and, more recently, "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle."
TV gave him his greatest exposure and opportunity to "wing it."
He hosted his own comedy-variety TV shows in the '50s, '60s and '70s. He also starred in numerous specials.
In the 1981-82 TV season, Winters surfaced — or, more accurately, hatched out of a giant egg — on the sitcom "Mork & Mindy" starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber.
As Mearth, Mork and Mindy's middle-aged "infant" offspring, Winters inspired Williams to even greater improvisational heights.
Williams later acknowledged to TV Guide that "Jonathan's the source for me, the guy that made it all possible. He's the Smithsonian, all these riffs he stores up. He's a force of energy. Comedy would be more closed off without him."
Winters won an Emmy for his often improvised portrayal of an eccentric, retired Marine in the short-lived 1991-92 situation comedy "Davis Rules" and a Grammy for his 1995 comedy album "Crank Calls." In 1999 he received the Kennedy Center's second annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Over the years, he also provided voices for a number of cartoons, including "The Smurfs" and "The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley."
In one of his most memorable TV commercials, he played the urbane, white-clad spokesperson for Hefty trash bags who famously pronounced garbage "gar-bahj."
The comedian was also the bestselling author of "Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual" (1987), and an artist noted for his pen-and ink-drawings and what have been called "surrealist-impressionist-primitive" paintings.
Winters once said that he never grew older; he just became an older child. But he was a wounded "child" — an adult who used to carry in his wallet the Emerson quotation, "Humor is the mistress of sorrow."
He was born in Dayton, Ohio, on Nov. 11, 1925. His banker father was a heavy drinker who would leave his young son locked in the car while he got drunk in a bar.
Both of his parents have been characterized as selfish, chilly disciplinarians who, he told Newsweek in 1991, filled his childhood with "insecurity, shyness, neuroses and paranoia."
After his parents divorced when he was 7, Winters lived with his mother and grandmother in Springfield, Ohio, where his quick-witted mother hosted a radio talk show for women.
He learned early on to entertain himself.
His mother and other people would stop by his bedroom, he told the Palm Beach Post in 2000, "and say, 'What are you doing in there? Who are you talking to?' I'd say, 'I'm talking to Lord Telfin. Lord Telfin Salo. He just came in on British Airwaves. Please say hello. We're having a little tea and biscuits.'"
Sent to boarding school when he got older, he would amuse his friends at the local tavern with his impressions of movie stars. But he remained a loner.
He enlisted in the Marines at 17, in 1943. "I wanted to fight," he told AARP magazine in 2003. "But mostly, I think, I wanted to get away from my parents."
After serving in the Pacific, Winters briefly attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. But dreaming of becoming a cartoonist, he transferred to the Dayton Art Institute.
There, he met his future wife, Eileen Schauder, who once said, "The first time I heard him talk, my jaw began hanging open. Did he make up all those things all by himself?"
In 1949, she encouraged him to enter an amateur talent show, which was offering the winner a new watch.
Winters did his impression of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, featuring the voices of Cooper, Karloff and others. He not only won the watch but was offered a $65-a-week job as the morning disc jockey at Dayton radio station WING.
In 1950, he moved to Columbus, where he hosted various local TV shows. When he was denied a $5 raise in 1953, he quit and moved to New York City with only $56.46.
Once he began building his act around original characters from his madcap mind, his career began to rise. He became a favorite at nightclubs like the Blue Angel and appeared on Steve Allen's "Tonight" show and other programs.
But Winters' growing success came with a price.
He reportedly was drinking up to two quarts of liquor a day before he stopped drinking in his early 30s. He also suffered two nervous breakdowns, the first in 1959 and the second in 1961. The latter episode kept him in a hospital for eight months.
Comedian Shelley Berman once described Winters as "the most 'on' comedian I know."
On movie sets, he was known to ad-lib 30 minutes for the crew at lunch. Ever-playful, he once turned to fellow comic Pat McCormick in a crowded elevator and said, "You don't think we tied him up too tight?"
About six months ago, Jamie Masada, owner of the Hollywood club Laugh Factory, was with Winters in the parking lot of a Santa Barbara area supermarket when the comedian saw a woman taking her groceries to her car and decided to impersonate a bag carrier.
"The way he did the whole character, it was so funny," Masada said. "I was laughing so hard, and then the lady gave him the bag to take."
He was so convincing she offered to tip him. Winters declined.
Winters' wife died in 2009. He is survived by two children, Jay and Lucinda, and five grandchildren.
McLellan is a former staff writer.
Times staff writers Elaine Woo and Steve Chawkins contributed to this report.


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Bill aims to have state retirees pay into health care
SPRINGFIELD - Taxpayer-subsidized health care for state retirees could end with legislation moving through the Illinois House.
The measure, which passed out of the Illinois House Executive Committee on Wednesday without opposition, allows the Illinois Department of Central Management Services to set premium rates for state retirees, retired lawmakers, retired judges and retired university employees.
Now, after working 20 years, state employees can get 100 percent of their health care costs paid for by taxpayers.
State retirees with eight years of service can get 40 percent of their health insurance covered.
And taxpayers cover all health care costs for lawmakers who retire at the age of 62 or older and have served a minimum of four years.
The state is dishing out $876 million this year to cover health care for 78,000 former state employees, said House Republican Leader Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego.
"The goal here is to not eliminate health care coverage but to make sure it's sustainable," Cross said.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who is co-sponsoring this legislation with Cross, said this isn't tied to the public pension reform talks. Instead, he framed the measure as responsible budgeting.
"It's a significant step, and a step we clearly ought to take, if for no other reason, to set the tone for the budget-making for the next 30 days," Madigan said.
Gov. Pat Quinn laid out a plan to fund Illinois' ailing pension system fully in 30 years through reduced cost-of-living increases for future retirees and other measures.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the public union that represents most of the state's workforce, said the legislation interferes with the collective bargaining process now under way. AFSCME Council 31 and Quinn are negotiating a new contract; the current one expires this summer.
AFSCME Council 31 Legislative Director Joanna Webb-Gauvin said retiree health benefits have been viewed as compensation.
"This has always been a part of the collective bargaining process, and we're in opposition because we feel that process is being violated," Webb-Gauvin said.
Beyond having an unfunded pension liability of $83 million, the state also has $54 billion in unfunded retiree health care liabilities, according to the Illinois Policy Institute, a right-of-center think tank.


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Sims Park is a five-acre natural sector in New Port Richey and is home to a super playground and amphitheater. Orange Lake, adjacent to Sims Park, boasts a winding sidewalk with sitting areas and is a favorite walking site for near-by residents.
Enjoy a fascinating wilderness walk through the 80 acre James E. Grey Preserve Park, the 8300 acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park or bike, roller blade, walk or jog the Suncoast Bike Trail.
In the 3,400-acre Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park, visitors can enjoy fishing and paddling the inlets and bayous that wonder though the salt marsh. The Salt Spring looks small, but it is an amazing 320 feet deep.
Take a memorable canoe trip along the beautiful Cotee River to its tropical origin or get active on the waterways around West Pasco, ideal for:
Want to spend a day on the green? Test your skills on one of the private, semi-private or public courses of PGA caliber awaiting your arrival.
Tampa Bay is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays and the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. Our area also hosts Spring training camps:
Enjoy one of the many Theme Parks located in Central Florida including:


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Now that the issue (fill in the blank based on your views/knowledge: is, appears to be, might be, might never be) settled, it's time to discuss what will happen next. We need to focus on better building techniques, sustainability and resource management. The demolition of buildings needs to be well managed. We must recycle as much of the irreplaceable old-growth lumber and components as possible. There should be a consortium of all the city's materials recycling entities to handle this. NOLARecycles and the Green Collaborative represent collective efforts and can be tapped for expertise.
There will be lead paint issues, asbestos issues. But we have an enormous opportunity to set new examples of Best Practices in recycling and re-use, and that means economic development. Now is the time for leaders of the Biosciences District to seek assistance from area green organizations and leadership. I can see several sites processing these materials and the possibility of reinvigorating our rebuilding resource organizations with this effort.
A huge concern of this project is water management. Stormwater runoff from this site will be copious. There are many in this area who are well-versed in sustainable development techniques. We must make this site a shining example that exceeds anything ever built in New Orleans when it comes to water systems and ecological footprint. The development team needs to delve deeply into Low Impact Development principles, Regenerative Design techniques and Biomimicry concepts. These should be Living Buildings where healing takes place with the assistance of Nature. And they need to be leading examples of resilience and mitigation. We can make the hospitals state of the art in more than just medicine, but also in how to build in our hot, humid, windy environment and for our soil types.
There's no doubt this project can be measured in both dollars and lives. There's no doubt Charity Hospital was prevented from opening in the months after the flood by those seeking to build the new hospital. We can (and probably will) debate this issue for decades; because, for too many, the cost was measured in the loss of loved ones like Cayne Miceli. And there is no doubt that far too many of those lives were lost due to a plethora of failures that reach their nadir in the mismanagement and brutality of the operations of Orleans Parish Prison. Unfortunately for us, today's funding decision changes nothing about life in New Orleans in that regard until both the hospital and new jail are completed, years from now.
So I say it's time for us to come together and make these entities the best they can be. There will be opportunities for involvement, for cooperation and compromise in the coming days. I intend to do my part, and hope that everyone who worked so hard on both sides will do theirs, to ensure that these projects make New Orleans stronger and become the kind of assets that will improve our lives and economy.
Let's not settle for the same kind of management, design and construction practices of the past. As yesterday's Green Collaborative Platform for Candidates proposes, we know how to grow the economy of New Orleans. These hospitals need to be catalysts for green/sustainable development. It's time to step up, demand the best and build our future.


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Furious Francis explains why the New Devil May Cry game will be better than a lot of the naysayers think.
"Twilight" is not vulgar, it's true.
New story level, that might work - Ninja Theory are good at changing stories, Enslaved was based off some ancient story but I think they adapted that well.
The whole defence for your piece is that "People like it" though, I'm still in two minds. I'm wagering they'll whack on a skin pack at some point for like £10 which includes the original Dante, that's the Capcom way.
People will forget this game after a month or so its such an irrelevant Devil May Cry game for the fans in general from the way i see it.
PS All Stars Battle Royalle will be just a reminder for this game´s existence in a year or so.
the gameplay is getting better hopefully this game can prove me wrong because I dislike the shit outta the new dante
it hasn't up till now and it won't when it releases. Stop lying to yourself so you can feel justified playing this terrible terrible game.
It will live up to itself as its own game (which doesn`t actually mean if it will be good or not), not as a original DMC game.
4 repetitive hits on a boss and you get SSS...I think the first one gave the player an A on the first one too.


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By Phil La Duke
Injury rates are down, the safety function is running like a well-oiled machine and senior leadership is happy, so now you can relax right? Wrong. If safety is the probability of injuries and we know that the risk of injury is never zero, then most of us understand that we have to remain vigilant in our efforts to create a workplace with the lowest possible risk…blah, blah, blah. But realistically do we really need to keep trying new initiatives after we have licked the biggest hitters in safety? Isn't that just some academic argument? Well, yes and no. In some cases, we truly can wind down some of our safety efforts. After all, it doesn't make a lot of sense to be hyper-vigilant in workplaces where most of our hazards are well managed and quickly contained or corrected—that's like continuing to look for your car keys after you've already found them ("where else MIGHT they have been but weren't?") Unfortunately, most of us aren't working for organizations that are quite there yet and still have some work to do.
In fact, it's highly unlikely that we will ever get there. We tend to think as safety (and other business systems) as its own system when, in fact, all our business systems are interconnected in highly complex ways. What's worse is that all our business systems operate in a dynamic business climate and this continuously changing environment makes it impossible for us to ever pronounce the workplace permanently "safe".
When we are confronted with a new situation we generally feel nervous, or tentative, or unsafe in some way. Even the boldest among us is likely to exercise heighted care when first confronted with a new situation, but as we get used to the situation we become more comfortable. We acclimate to the changes and feel more comfortable taking what a less seasoned observer might describe as unwarranted or even reckless. This same process of acclimation that allows us to perform our jobs with greater levels of skill also puts us at higher levels of risk.
Over Confidence and Complacency
Many organizations fail to recognize that the hazards shift and evolve. These organizations, reckoning that they have solved the safety puzzle become less vigilant. It's a dangerous phenomenon. Hazards insidiously grow while the perception of danger diminishes, leaving the organization open to unexpected catastrophe. Some of you may be skeptical; it's often difficult to accept that you may be losing ground when all indications are to the contrary. But as long as the work environment changes and your safety management system stays the same, you are at significant risk. And the kinds of catastrophes that strike seem to come out of nowhere.
A key source of variation in organizations is turn over. We talk a lot about the effects of employee turnover on the safety organizations (well at least I talk a lot about it) but one of the most destructive changes to the organization is executive turnover. Executive turnover can throw the vision of the organization into a tailspin, but even moderate turnover at the middle of the organization can change the environment enough to cause variation sufficient to pose a significant hazard to the workplace.
Disruptive Technology
A prime driver for change in an organization is disruptive technology. Clayton M. Christensen Harvard Business School professor coined the term "Disruptive Technology" to describe a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology. Most companies are successful because they have mastered sustaining technologies. But disruptive technologies introduce hazards far beyond the changes brought by the technology itself. Disruptive technology generally produces ripple effects that, owing to the organization's lack of experience and familiarity with the nuanced nature of the new technology, can manifest in lethal hazards.
Drift is the natural tendency to move away from a standard or a norm. When we drift we tend to believe that risks are justifiable and fairly benign—like driving a car and thinking yourself safe even though statistically the faster we drive and the longer we drive we will make dozens of poor choices, risky choices and errors. Our subconscious minds experiment with ways in which we can drift from the norm; it makes us make mistakes to test the safety of quickly moving from one environment to the next. This process allows us to quickly adapt when our survival depends on it, but it also subjects us to the risk of injuries.
All these factors—from acclimation to drift—build to put us in harms way. But the biggest thing we have to fear, isn't, as FDR once said, "fear itself", but the absence of fear. We are often most at risk when we believe ourselves to be "safest".


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Groton's Ramos expects process of selecting new superintendent to be more open
Groton - In the wake of complaints stemming from a closed-door meeting last week, Interim Superintendent John Ramos said Tuesday that he expects a more open process leading to the hiring of the next superintendent.
Instead of reviewing and possibly choosing a search firm during executive session, Ramos said the school board intends further discussion about the search at a March 25 meeting that will be open to the public.
A closed-door meeting on March 11 led to complaints about a lack of transparency by former school board member Natalie Burfoot Billing. She contends the choice of a superintendent is too sensitive a subject not to be talked about in the open.
The Day has filed a Freedom of Information complaint and contends the notice for the closed-door meeting was too vaguely worded.
Ramos said, based on legal counsel, he called for the March 11 executive session, noted on the agenda as "discussion of a personnel matter." The closed-door meeting was scheduled in anticipation of the vote by the board to accept the arbitrator's decision and fire former superintendent Paul Kadri, Ramos said. It had allowed an opportunity for the board "to debrief on any residual personnel-related issues in regard to the recent arbitrator's decision," he said,
During that meeting, Ramos said he encouraged the board to get the search for a new superintendent under way. The school board authorized him to solicit proposals from search firms.
"I kind of nudged the board on this," Ramos said. "I want to make sure, given the number of superintendents' seats available and the competition, the board gets someone of quality. It's really my sense of urgency that led us here."
He has since received five proposals from search firms, which were to be reviewed Monday during another executive session. That meeting was canceled late last week.
At no time during the March 11 meeting did anyone suggest that the meeting was illegal, Ramos said. Concern has since been raised, though he said there are differences of opinion.
He said Monday's meeting was canceled because of the number of firms that applied and the fact that only a half an hour was allotted to review the firms. He said part of the decision arose from the disagreements about the March 11 meeting. He consulted with a representative from the Freedom of Information office for guidance. Additionally, he said Board of Education Chairwoman Kirsten Hoyt "decided to go beyond what is required in order to ensure the public that there is nothing underhanded going on."
The newly devised process will include an open March 25 school board meeting to review search firms. On the same night, the school board will consider a resolution appointing the board as the initial search committee.
If adopted, Ramos said the group can meet with the search firm and determine "both the best inclusive process to follow and additional stakeholders to ensure a collaborative process." The search committee can then add to or drop members as necessary "to ensure an inclusive, collaborative process that gives voice to concerned stakeholders," he said.
Ramos said the selected firm would be able to advise the board on how best to "fully engage parents, local officials, and other members of the public to ensure transparency and, at the same time, confidentiality for candidates in order to get the most qualified pool of applicants."
Ramos said with his contract up at the end of June, time is growing short to get someone in place by July 1.
Since he is retired and can by law only earn 45 percent of the superintendent's salary, Ramos said he is not interested in the permanent position but loves the community and wants the best for the future of the school system.
Groton school board to interview two finalists for superintendent
Three superintendent candidates for Groton include Ledyard's Graner
Meet the future farmers, scientists and artisans of Ledyard High School


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Simple + Beautiful: Organic Patterned Napkins
I love cloth napkins. They make even the most casual snack or meal feel more special. This selection of organic patterns is lovely and complements my last post on geometric patterned napkins. Organic and geometric patterns are definitely not bipartisan; they mix together beautifully!
Handmade and unique, some of these napkins have great features beyond what is revealed in the photos, like being wrinkle-free and reversible, and made from eco-friendly materials. Click on individual links to read makers' descriptions.
Shown above from left to right:
1. Hand Printed Cloth Napkins, Crimson Vine - Set of SIX, $42.00 from Anna Joyce
2. Organic Cocktail Napkins, $14.00 from Down Home Amy
3. Eco-Friendly Large Cloth Napkins - Set of 4, $13.50 from JAQS Studio
4. Lunch Napkin Set of 2 Grey and Mustard Yellow Martini Dot - Reversible, $8.00 from Fancy Cuts
5. Screen Printed Birch Tree Organic Cotton Cloth Napkins, $20.00 from Oh Little Rabbit
• Simple + Beautiful: Geometric Patterned Napkins
• 10 Bold Patterned Placemats
• Practical & Pretty: Hardback Placemats
(Images: As credited above.)


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Nintendo Japan shake-up merges handheld and console hardware teams
3DS and Wii creator Nintendo will merge its handheld and console teams in Japan as part of what Japanese paper Nikkei calls major organisational changes.
The move comes amid a fast-changing games hardware marketplace once ruled by Nintendo but now shared with a range of devices from both traditional competitors plus new ones like Apple and Android.
Until this switch up - the first major shake-up at Nintendo in nine years, when the then relatively new president Satoru Iwata helped bring the DS to market - the console and handheld teams were kept separate.
This new merged console and handheld console team will be merged in a month.
Together they will be working out of the new R&D centre that Nintendo has been building for the last three years, near its original offices in Kyoto, Japan where the bulk of Nintendo's development teams are situated. Nintendo is investing over $300m in this new facility.
The Nikkei report says that the teams will now work together to share tech and expertise, and investigate future platforms that would satisfy both its DS sand WIi audiences in one - the very thing critics of the firm's strategy say has been done by new cheaper tablets.
It's not yet clear what impact this will have on overseas operations for Nintendo - and it's likely to be very little in the short-term, as sales and marketing offices are still focused on future releases for the 3DS and growing the recently-released Wii U.


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Milton Caraglio and Rajko Lekic served as the New England Revolution's starting strike partnership in the 2011 season finale against Toronto FC, but it appears increasingly unlikely that duo will serve in the same role when the Revs open the 2012 season in two months.
Reports surfaced out of Chile earlier this week that the 23-year-old Caraglio had signed with Chilean side Rangers de Talca, and while those reports appear premature, the reality is that the Revolution's first-ever Designated Player is likely to depart New England after just 12 appearances.
"[Caraglio] has not yet put pen to paper with another club outside of MLS," Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said on Tuesday afternoon. "However, having said that, I don't want this to be misleading. It's looking very, very likely that Milton will sign elsewhere and will not be back in MLS playing for the Revs next year."
After Caraglio scored three goals following his August arrival on loan from Argentine club Rosario Central, the Revs declined the purchase option on his contract and instead explored the potential of working out a new deal, a scenario which ultimately didn't materialize.
Meanwhile, Lekic's future in Foxborough remains unclear, as Burns indicated the Revs continue discussions with both the 30-year-old Dane and French-born Moroccan midfielder Monsef Zerka.
"With regards to both Rajko and Monsef, it's been an ongoing discussion since the season ended," Burns said. "We have not reached an agreement with either player and as we've indicated before, at this point it still remains unclear whether or not we will reach an agreement with either."
Burns cited league and club policy in declining to speak about the specific contract negotiations, but did note that the Revs were looking to significantly strengthen their attack regardless following a 2011 season in which the club scored just 38 goals in 34 games.
"Even if all three of those players (Caraglio, Lekic and Zerka) had re-signed, we're still looking in all areas of the field," said Burns. "That's not just to make a blanket statement, but we've been pretty open about that since the end of the season in terms of wanting to strengthen our team defensively and offensively.
"There's probably not a fan, player, coach or staff member who doesn't realize that we cannot enter 2012 with the exact same team that we ended the season with in 2011," he added. "So I think it's fair to say there'll be some significant changes and with that comes the realization that not all players will return."


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Rebirth of the Charitable Remainder Trust
Charitable remainder trusts are back! This according to attorney and PGDC contributing author David Wheeler Newman of Mitchell, Silverberg & Knupp, LLP. Read on to see why CRTs are enjoying renewed popularity.
By David Wheeler Newman
Throughout the Nineties, and continuing through 2007, the charitable remainder trust was an extremely popular planned giving vehicle used to balance the philanthropic and financial planning objectives of clients and donors. The primary financial planning objective in most CRT planning is to sell appreciated assets in the tax-exempt environment of the CRT, allowing the reinvestment of the full before-tax proceeds to produce income and the deferral of tax resulting from the transaction. A secondary financial planning objective is the tax savings derived from the charitable deduction, which, depending on the terms of the trust, can be substantial. The philanthropic objective may be to commit currently to a charitable gift that the donor intends to make at death anyway or, in many instances, to allow the donor to make a larger philanthropic commitment than he or she thought possible.
The popularity of charitable remainder trusts began to recede in a long process beginning with the reduction of the federal tax rate on long-term capital gains in 2001. In evaluating the pros and cons of a charitable remainder trust, most planners consider the primary "con" to be giving up access to the principal that would be held in the CRT: after the trust is funded, the income beneficiary must look only to the formula distributions from the trust, under the annuity or unitrust payouts, and does not have access to the trust principal even in case of emergency. The primary "pro" is the ability to defer capital gains tax, but the importance of that factor was reduced as the general capital gains rate was cut from 20% to 15%. However, through the early Aughts, CRTs managed to retain some of their vitality for planners, especially for trusts funded with real estate, since the rate remained as high as 25% for some gain from the sale of real estate.
Even this limited residual popularity of CRTs was severely tested by the Great Recession, since the primary financial planning objective requires both appreciated assets and a planned transaction involving those assets. A plummeting stock market and falling real estate prices meant that even wealthy individuals had fewer appreciated assets in their portfolios. Moreover, since many transactions, including sale of a business and especially real estate, require financing, the freezing of credit markets during the recession meant that fewer and fewer transactions were taking place.
The confluence of these facts led to a noticeable reduction in the number of new charitable remainder trusts, beginning in 2008 and continuing through the beginning of last year. There has been a recent reversal of this trend, which appears likely to accelerate.
The first quarter of 2013 has seen stock markets recover, achieving all-time highs for some indices. Slowly but surely, real estate values have improved, at least for some types of real estate and in some parts of the country.
More dramatically, as a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, the federal tax rate on long-term capital gains recognized in 2013 is more than 50% higher than the maximum tax rate in 2012. This tax legislation, intended to avoid the fiscal cliff, not only increased the maximum rate to 20%, but also subjected long-term capital gains to the new Medicare tax of 3.8% on investment income, resulting in a maximum federal tax rate on long-term capital gain of 23.8% (and 28.8% for some types of gain from real estate). Moreover, the charitable income tax deduction has become more valuable: as the maximum federal rate on ordinary income has increased to 39.6%, a dollar of charitable contribution now receives a federal tax incentive of 39.6 cents, rather than 35 cents just a few months ago.
Many organizations are reporting increased CRT activity beginning in the last quarter of 2012, no doubt as a result of these trends, and there is no reason to believe that interest in this charitable gift planning warhorse will not increase further as the economy and asset values continue to improve. This forecast should cause planners to refresh their technical knowledge of charitable remainder trusts and sharpen analytical tools that may have fallen into disuse in recent years. It is important that charitable gift planners learn (or relearn) how to talk to clients and donors about the benefits of charitable remainder trusts and how to assist those clients and donors in balancing their philanthropic and financial planning objectives with this flexible vehicle.
Copyright 2013 David Wheeler Newman. All rights reserved. Used by permission. www.msk.com
Submitted by Harold Metzel on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 12:35
Re: Rebirth of the Charitable Remainder Trust
Excellent, clear, and concise as always. Thanks.
Submitted by Richard Bray on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 06:36
Re: Rebirth of the Charitable Remainder Trust
David, great article! You are right that the time has come again for it to be in our tool-box as gift planners. Thanks for the refresher!


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10 Lemonade Treats To Eat This Summer
Lemonade is summer and childhood wrapped up in one refreshing drink. Have you ever met someone who didn't like lemonade? Doubtful. So why not take this universally loved beverage and turn it into something edible? A few of these recipes actually use lemonade concentrate!
1. Lemonade Cake - Better Homes and Gardens
2. Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes I Heart Nap Time
3. Pink Lemonade Dessert Bars - Dine & Dash
4. Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade Popsicles - Freutcake
5. Strawberry Lemonade Cake - Two Peas and Their Pod
6. Strawberry Lemonade Cookies - Mother's Mementos
7. Strawberry Lemonade Trifle - Bakers Royale
8. Blackberry Lemonade Ice Cream - Perry's Plate
9. Pink Lemonade Doughnuts - The Baking Robot
10. Pink Lemonade Freezer Bars - Heather Likes Food
(Images: As Linked)


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ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER | Roles & Responsibilities Reports To: Store Manager
Objective To create a unique, innovative and inspirational customer experience; encompassing the Free People lifestyle and brand image, while maintaining all store operations and goals, resulting in driving sales and ensuring a profitable store.
The Assistant Store Manager will both partner and support the Store Manager and the Visual Manager. They will also have an open and direct line of communication with the District and District Visual Manager in order to most effectively hold a firm knowledge of overall brand direction and focus.


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From: Israel
Genre: Alternative/Alt. Rock, Alt-Country, Honkeytonk Blues
Kids From Nowhere is an international experiment in American music, based in Israel. Members include singer/songwriter Zach Wheat (Texas), drummer "Element" Yves Elisee Akowendo (Côte d'Ivoire), bassist Elad Avni (South Africa) and guitarist Babush (Israel).
The band is heavily influenced by Texas "outlaw" country music, the British Invasion, and the proto-punk songwriting of Lou Reed and Mark E. Smith.
Active since 2007, Kids From Nowhere have played to Israeli and American audiences and are releasin…


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Vincent Kompany has revealed his displeasure at seeing Robin van Persie, the former Arsenal captain, playing for rivals Manchester United, believing Sir Alex Ferguson hit the "jackpot" with the deal.
The striker made the move from the Emirates Stadium to Old Trafford for £24.5 million in the summer, shunning Roberto Mancini, who had reportedly made him Manchester City's priority signing.
But despite the striker finding lethal form so far this season, Kompany does not believe that the nine-point gap at the top of the table is solely down to the transfer of the goal-machine.
"United hit the jackpot with Van Persie," Kompany told the Daily Mail. "But you can't think 'What if' about Van Persie. I am not sitting here thinking, 'What if we had signed Lionel Messi' either.
"His transfer has made a direct impact but to say he's the reason we can't make it - if it turns out that way - is not correct. I still believe we can do this but if we don't, there will be plenty more reasons than the fact we didn't sign one player and another club did."
Although his club missed out on the signing of Van Persie, the Manchester City captain believes the team's performances have improved in the League, even though they have scored 17 goals fewer than last season after 25 games.
"I think we have improved in the League," he continued. "Last year we had 'wow' results like beating United 6-1 and Tottenham 5-1. This time we haven't had as many stand-out performances but we have been better overall.
"This season we haven't always shown that we are the best. We have to accept that. But we still have 13 games left and every one we play is potentially one of those great performances that changes everything."
Manchester City hope to close the gap to six points when they face Southampton at 17:30 on Saturday, with the current league leaders hosting Everton on Sunday afternoon.


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cute and talented 12 year old singer 15mil views!
Posted August 28th, 2011 at 2:02 PM by Snivi
I hate the original song but I love the way this girl sings it!
Total Comments 2
Aww. She's really good! Shame she probably doesn't really understand the song though...but oh well. I remember when I was around that age, I loved a lot of songs that I'm just now understanding and I'm like "**** i didn't know what that meant back then" lol But yeah anyway, I hope she gets a future in music. She's way better than the crap we hear these days tbqh.
Posted August 28th, 2011 at 2:11 PM by Sydian
Posted September 1st, 2011 at 11:40 AM by Lucy Lu


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5 Ways to Re-energize Your Youth Ministry
Is a bored, dulled-to-death middle or high schooler sitting in the pew twiddling his or her thumbs an omen to a slow death in the life of a worship center? Probably not, but if you can think of 50 ways to use a church bulletin by simply observing, then it might serve as a sign that your worship services re-learn how to engage an ever-changing youthful landscape.
The following ideas aren't the total revolution, as some of the best ways to take our young teens back are simple get-back-to-basics. But as any youth ministry deals with its own nuances, the following offer some alternative activities that are both new and old school.
Keep it simple and be sure to always ask your group for suggestions and ideas. But overall, instill courage, invite risk-taking, and accept failure, and both the teen, parent, instructor can reignite the desire to achieve.


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FTSE 100 ends two-week losing run
The top share index rose 0.9 percent on Friday, lifted by telecoms, and ended two straight weeks of losses, though trading was thin as investors remained wary of the United States slipping back into recession.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman said the recovery has weakened more than expected and the central bank is ready to take further steps if needed, while U.S. growth was revised down to 1.6 percent in the second quarter from a previous estimate of 2.4 percent, though it was better than analysts' forecast.
Defensive stocks were in demand, helping the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> to closed 45.72 points, or 0.9 percent, higher at 5,201.56 in a choppy session. The index traded as low as 5,121.00 soon after Bernanke's remarks.
The benchmark closed 0.1 percent higher for the week, ending a two-week losing run, and was above 5,187.41, its 38.2 percent Fibonacci retracement level of the peak in April to the low on July 1.
It's a crazy day ... Some of the big houses think there is value out there, a London-based trader said. The FTSE 100 is still down 3.9 percent this year.
The newsflow is negative and short-term I can't see any better. I think it's more of a squeeze and volume is pretty light, he said.
Volume was 69 percent of its 90-day daily average.
Mobile phone operator Vodafone
Fixed-line telecoms shares, which have fallen nearly 4 percent this year, advanced 2.8 percent, with Cable & Wireless Worldwide
The FTSE 100 offered a dividend yield of 3.55 percent, Thomson Reuters Datastream showed, compared with the 2.901 percent from benchmark 10-year British gilt.
Purchasing high-dividend shares sounds like a safe way to raise equity exposure in a still uncertain macro environment, Credit Suisse said in a note.
However, the main risk of such strategy lies in the sustainability of these dividends.
Forty-two UK blue chip companies have had their dividend per share forecast for 2010 upgraded by analysts since last month, versus 44 downgraded, Datastream showed.
African Barrick Gold
Tullow Oil
(Editing by Erica Billingham)


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By STEVE PEOPLES and JIM KUHNHENN
CHICAGO - His confidence surging, Mitt Romney pointedly ignored his Republican rivals on the eve of Tuesday's high-stakes primary election in Illinois and turned his fire instead on the Democrat he hopes to oust in the fall.
Romney pushed into President Barack Obama's home territory, assailing Obama's economic credentials on the Chicago campus where the president taught for more than a decade.
"Freedom is on the ballot this year," Romney told students and supporters, contending that the nation's recovery from recession was being limited by an "assault on our economic freedom" by Obama. "I am offering a real choice and a very different beginning," he said.
While Republican rival Rick Santorum courted anti-Romney conservatives across Illinois, the front-runner was trying to show he was more than ready to rise above the grinding GOP primary battle and move toward a general election matchup against Obama. Romney has secured more delegates than his opponents combined, and his nomination seems more assured each week as Santorum's shoestring campaign struggles under the weight of continued disorganization.
But a victory in Illinois' Tuesday primary is by no means assured.
Romney has spent big on advertising here, and he will have devoted more than three straight days to the state - an eternity by some standards in this constantly shifting campaign - by the time votes are counted Tuesday night.
After embarrassing Santorum with a one-sided victory in Puerto Rico Sunday, the Romney campaign sees in Illinois a potential breaking point for stubborn rivals who have defiantly vowed to stay in the race until the GOP's national convention in August. Should Santorum and Newt Gingrich stay politically alive until then and follow through on their threat, it could turn the convention into an intra-party fight for the first time since 1976.
Illinois is expected to be far closer than Puerto Rico's blowout, although recent polls suggest Romney may be pulling away. Even if he should lose the popular vote, Romney is poised to win the delegate battle. Santorum cannot win at least 10 of the state's 54 delegates available Tuesday because his campaign didn't file the necessary paperwork
Still, Santorum campaigned hard across the state Sunday and Monday in light of the stakes in Illinois, one of the last premier battlegrounds before the Republican race enters an extended lull after Saturday's contest in Louisiana.
"If we're able to come out of Illinois with a huge or surprise win, I guarantee you, I guarantee you that we will win this nomination," he said.
He rallied conservatives on Monday in Dixon, Ill., the hometown of President Ronald Reagan, saying, "I might add, just parenthetically, that if we just happen to win Illinois, that will be the 11th state that I've won."
He invoked the former president's insurgent campaign in 1976 against President Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination. Reagan lost, but it set the foundation for his return in 1980 when he won the nomination and defeated Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
As Romney focused on the economy in Chicago, Santorum said that the president's health care overhaul, not the economy, is the election's "most salient issue." And he continued to emphasize conservative cultural values: "Ronald Reagan understood that faith plus family equals freedom in America," Santorum said.
In remarks in Rockford, Ill., Santorum said an oppressive government rather than the economy is the real issue of the presidential campaign.
"At every single speech that I give I talk about Obamacare," he said. "Every single speech I say that the issue in this race is not the economy. The reason the economy is an issue in this race is because we have a government that is oppressing its people and taking away their freedom and the economy is suffering as a result of it."
Romney, meanwhile, campaigned in the city where Obama taught law at the University of Chicago and where the president has his national campaign headquarters. Avoiding any reference to Republican opponents, Romney assailed the president.
"The American economy is fueled by freedom," he said, flanked by a row of American flags. "The Obama administration's assault on our economic freedom is the principal reason why the recovery has been so tepid - and why it couldn't meet their expectations, let alone ours."
At the current primary election rate, Romney would capture the nomination in June unless Santorum or Gingrich wins decisively in the coming contests. Including Puerto Rico's results, Romney has now collected 521 delegates, compared to Santorum's 253, Gingrich's 136 and Paul's 50, according to an Associated Press tally.
Romney and a growing number of Republicans across the country are eager to move beyond the increasingly nasty primary season that has consumed far more energy, resources and political capital than most expected. But the former Massachusetts governor has so far struggled to win over his party's most passionate voters - tea party activists and evangelicals who don't trust him as a true conservative.
Romney's wife, Ann, had called for Republicans to unite behind her husband at a campaign stop the night before, suggesting it was time to "move on to the next challenge."
Indeed, the battle for Illinois comes as Obama's campaign builds a mountain of campaign cash and organization in key states.
Obama collected $45 million for his re-election bid in February, accelerating his fundraising pace as his campaign fretted over an oncoming spending blitz by Republican-leaning outside groups.
With Republicans locked in their extended primary campaign, Obama's team is building a 50-state operation that aims to help register new voters, bring back past supporters and boost turnout. Obama's campaign had about $75 million in the bank through the end of January, but totals for February were not immediately available.
Romney and Santorum, by comparison, raised $11.5 million and $9 million respectively in February. And Romney and his allies are spending large amounts in Illinois.
Romney's campaign had spent $1.1 million, while the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, had spent an additional $2.4 million on advertising in Illinois through Monday, according to figures collected by the media monitoring firm, SMG Delta. Santorum's super PAC, the Red White and Blue Fund, had spent $327,000, while his campaign had spent $200,000.
Each side bought television ads that attacked the other. And though Romney focused on Obama Monday, he had spent much of the previous week calling Santorum "an economic lightweight," an indication that he continues to view Santorum as a threat.
Associated Press writer Don Babwin in Rockford, Ill., contributed to this report.