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Antoine Christopher Smith, born Aug. 1992 (BMI member) is a rapper, songwriter, musician, producer, and an audio engineer. As his originals and remakes populated on Youtube, his rap productions got him an audition in Ohio's 2010's Def Jam's "We Got Next." Recent releases; "Perception Week 1 - The Introduction," and "The Thought Of It (feat. vChaney) [Prod by. araabMUZIK & !llMind]."
Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image
QdaJuice and Antoine Christopher performed at The Grog Shop
Qdajuice x @Spaceman_Spiffy live with "1K" #FreeShow #Qdajuice #Babylon #UpThrough #Cleveland pic.twitter.com/GiDk43md3n— Q- #BABYLON Out Now! (@Qdajuice) May 9, 2017
New Blog Talk Radio Host: Antoine Smith aka DJ Night Writer
He was brought up in the neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio -- studied and played many drum instruments in school: quad, tenor, snare, bass drum, drum-set, and conga. Also participated in sports: football, basketball, softball, track, and x-country. Studied music theory at Tiamoyo Arts and Education.
by Mzkool, Last.fm
Song Reviews for Antoine Smith
Songwriter/artist, Antoine Smith has been selected in The Peoples Music Awards (TPMA) Top 5 Finalists for two consecutive years, for his track, "Mythical" 2010 from his cd MYTHICAL and his unreleased track, "City In The Sea" 2011 from his unreleased cd CITY IN THE SEA. He seems to know how to gain positive attention from UK fans to complete fantastic exposure for his cd's.
Although there is always room for improvement in composition, performance, and production, Smith seems to take constructive criticism very well in his personal notes on site @ Antoine Smith - The Peoples Music Awards
Below are some highlighted reviews taken from a few top UK/US professionals in the music industry regarding Antoine Smith's unreleased track, "City In The Sea" for 2011:
D. Ramirez: DJ / Producer - awarded Best Remix and Best Producer in DJ Magazine's Awards says...
"City In The Sea," "I really liked the musicianship, the chords and the arrangement and the feeling that he captured."
Russ Sawyer: Mixing/Masterering Professor, London College of Music at Thames Valley University says...
"City In The Sea," Very atmospheric trumpet and other instrumentation to provide a swell of sound."
David Dunne: DJ / Presenter - Head of Music & Senior Presenter Kiss 102 & 105 in Manchester and Yorkshire says...
"City In The Sea"..."I think that melodically it's very nice indeed - has a nice chilled balearic jazzy feel to it and the chord progressions work really well." "I think this is someone who clearly has musical ability and can put together some quite complex rhythms and melodies - jazz is hard to pull off successfully but Cleveland's done well here."
Hayden Bendall: Producer/Mixer/Engineer (worked w/ stars...Kate Bush, Katie Melula, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tori Amos, and many more) says...
"City In The Sea"..."Interesting from the beginning! Loved it."by Mzkool, Last.fm
Bio, Music Links, Songwriting Reviews, Registrations, & General Information
- 7digital
- All Music
- Amazon MP3 - ALL THAT JAZZ, WALLFLOWER, DAYDREAM, MYTHICAL
- Artist Direct
- Behance Network (videos, info, etc.)
- Blog Talk Radio Host - Antoine Smith aka DJ Night Writer
- BMI Member
- CDBaby - ALL THAT JAZZ
- Google Play
- Google+
- IFC - ImFromCleveland.com
- iTunes - ALL THAT JAZZ
- iTunes - DAYDREAM
- iTunes - IF I WERE A BUTTERFLY
- iTunes - MYTHICAL
- iTunes - WALLFLOWER
- Join: We Love Antoine Smith Group!
- Last.fm
- Myspace - Jazz/RnB
- Napster
- Newsletter
- PODCAST - Antoine Smith aka DJ Night Writer
- PRESS RELEASE: Eroica Inducts Antoine Smith - 2010 Catalogue for History of Records
- PRESS RELEASE: Turn On Records Indie Artist Antoine Smith - - Teen Youth Jazz/Alternative/World Composer and Musician
- Record Union
- Resume
- Reverbnation
- Reviews - Song/Album
- Song of the Year
- The Peoples Music Awards
- Tidal
- Top Music JAPAN
- Tradebit
- Youtube - DJNightWriter (REMAKES)
- Zazzle
My Lawyer
526 Superior Ave. East
Suite 522
Cleveland, OH 44114-1900
Phone: (216) 781-2787
Fax: (216) 781-0701
My Mgrs.
If I Were A Butterfly by Aeric & Antoine Smith
Kingdom Hearts 3 (Birth Of Sleep/358/2 Days) - The True Kingdom Of Hearts
DAYDREAM by Antoine Smith
Antoine Smith has also been a very popular young artist on air in rotation and over 30+ interviews with many wonderful hosts on Blog Talk Radio such as; Black Talk Radio (e.g. Black Teen Enpowerment Radio, 28 June 2009, etc.) Today, his music is still in rotation on several shows and here are a few out of 17 hosts of what is being said about him and his music as follow:
Talking Smooth Jazz: 7/18/2009, says..."16 year old Antoine Smith is a drummer and a "dabbling" keyboardist that composes and plays mainly, contemporary jazz. In addition, he composes other genres as well." In addition, Talking Smooth Jazz featured Antoine Smith's cd, WALLFLOWER on 7/19/2009. ---Light 08 Radio: 6/28/2009, says..."The First of what promises to be an electrifying weekly tribute to the art form called Jazz. There may be many imitations but there is only ONE real thing...accept no substitutes as we will sit in the blue room and experience the Rebirth of the Rebirth of Cool...You Coltrane, Miles, Blake, and Byrd fans know what I'm talking about. We'll be joined with our special guest an up and coming Jazz artist by the name of ANTOINE SMITH who in this one's opinion exemplifies the LIVING spirit of Jazz in the tradition of the original jazz masters. We'll listen to his music and have him share his thoughts and inspirations, and more…" ---Club S.O.N. Platinum: 9/8/2009, says..."Note - The countdown begins tonight, the end of an era! It's been great and thanks for the support! The first of the last 2 regularly scheduled Soundoff Now! Show and what better way to close out our regular formatted schedule of shows this season than with a positive teen youth such as my special guest tonight jazz musician pheonom Antoine Smith. We will preview several tracks from many of Smith's compilations as well as an open discussion on the lost art form of jazz today, as we chronicle the young career of this young phenom jazz musician." ---"Speaking of celebrity interviews...Paul Taylor was interviewed by Talking Smooth Jazz on Blog Talk Radio and during the interview, Antoine called in as a fan. In the conversation as a fan, Antoine mentioned that he had done an attribute copy song to Paul Taylor, which was "Groove Zone." Paul Taylor had immediately remembered the song done in 2008 from Antoine as a Myspace friend and stated that he liked it and felt he had a future in what Antoine was doing!"
Antoine Smith has also been interviewed by other Blog Talk Radio hosts such as; Indie Lady A, Onlinewithandrea, Sultry Songbird, Soul City Radio, Madd and Cookiediva, ATAZP LIVE, MondialAmourRadio, Musicwoman, KSO Productions R63, I.B. The Wise 1, CENLA Radio, etc.
Ventura, CA, April 10, 2010 -(PR.com)- Currently on Blog Talk Radio in 2009, Antoine Smith has accepted a Co-host offer with Host, Light 08 Radio Tony Qwade on "Nyt Flyte Friday Jazz Meltdown." The show that is a partnership with WDKK Radio D.A. Williams and Light 08 Radio will sometimes interview jazz artists on many levels and play jazz hits from the past to the present as an "anchor" for the show. Audiences can listen in on the first show that Light 08 Radio interviewed and announced Antoine Smith as his new Co-host surprise at: NYT FLYTE FRIDAY JAZZ MELTDOWN(Signal strengthens on future shows.)
Currently, Antoine Smith is studying THEORY under Sharon Brown Cheston, Ph.D., CEO, Tiamoyo Arts and Education (a graduate of Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Music Joint Program.) Antoine Smith, being a senior in high school plans to enroll in college majoring in Audio Production and Engineering.
iTunes Customer Review
by Pro Music Reviews - Oct 4, 2008
Web Link: iTUNES CUSTOMER REVIEW - ANTOINE SMITH
ALL THAT JAZZ is lively and full of surprises. The 15 year old Antoine Smith has created some intriguing contemporary jazz motifs that linger in your mind long after the last playing of the album. Antoine's album has an intimate appeal as debuts go. Melodies are smooth and rich with a rhythmic beat. Bravo Antoine!----------------------------------------------- Jango airplay)))
by Fans on Jango in Phillippines - Aug, 2009
MYTHICAL " always relaxing and comforting...hmm "
IF I WERE A BUTTERFLY " bravo.... modern day mozart! your music is awesome! " Antoine Smith's fans from other sites extends from countries such as; Slovenia, India, Mexico, Russia, Australia, Canada, Sweden, UK, Korea, etc.
RATING: 5 Stars *****
by GigRight Talent Services - 11-11-2009
PLAYING IN THE RAIN " Very impressive sound"
Antoine Smith's track, "CITY IN THE SEA" was selected in Top Finalists by The Peoples Music Awards in categories: Best Male Solo Artist and Dance/Electronica, 2011.
Antoine Smith's song, "MYTHICAL" was selected in a contest such as; The People's Music Awards, nominated in 2009 for The 5 Top Finalists in category of Best Male Solo Artist in 2009. This young artist is blowing up the net (e.g. Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Reverbnation, EMusic, iTunes, Yahoo Music, etc.) and will be here for the long run. You can expect even more in the future from this very humble and busy young indie composer/artist, Antoine Smith!


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Pet Fire Safety Day is July 15th so take some time this weekend to ensure that you have a fire safety plan in place that includes your pets. Make your home fire safe for your pets, and include your pets in your evacuation plan.
Preventing Pet Related Fires
Unattended candles are a no-no, especially around pets. Cats and dogs can topple a burning candle easily igniting surrounding objects, and large dogs can knock over a candle with a quick wag of their tail. Keep open flames out of reach and NEVER leave a burning candle unattended. You may consider flameless, battery-run candles. They look like real candles and are much safer.
Place flammable liquids and cleaners in cabinets away from curious pets. In addition to being fire hazards, these compounds are usually toxic if ingested.
In cold months, monitor access to fireplaces. While most pets won't approach a hot fire, some curious pets may burn their nose on the protective glass while checking out the flickering flames. They may also nudge flammable toys or other items too close to a hot fire which could ignite before you realize they are there.
Keep electrical cords out of reach of your pets. Pets that chew on cords can suffer electrical burns to their mouths and die from electrocution. In addition, nibbling pets such as rabbits, can remove the protective insulation from wires resulting in sparks that could start a fire.
Cats have been known to jump onto a stove and inadvertently turn a stove knob and leaping dogs can also inadvertently turn a knob igniting items left on the stove top. Be sure to use knob covers or remove them and never leave items on the stove.
Make sure all your smoke detectors are in working order.
Pet Evacuation Plan
Include your pet in your family's evacuation plan. Place decals on windows and doors identifying the type and number of pets that are located inside. This lets fire fighters know that there are pets to be rescued inside your home. Teach all family members the safest way to get out of the home. Have a leash close to your dog's bed or crate to help you guide your dog out of the house. Establish who will be responsible for each pet, but NEVER risk your own life to rescue your pet and NEVER go back inside your home to retrieve pets. In the event of a fire, it is important to get out and stay out. Call the fire department as soon as you are outside.
Make sure your pet is identified with a microchip and/or ID tags or ID collar. Your pet may escape in the chaos of a fire and having your pet easily identified is key to your pet's safe return.
After the Fire
Even if your pet seems fine, take her to your veterinarian for an assessment as she may have inhaled smoke. If your pet is having difficulty breathing, ask emergency workers to provide oxygen. Some rescue vehicles are equipped with oxygen masks specially made for dogs and cats.
Once the fire is out, managing the aftermath is much easier if you have a disaster kit prepared. In addition to important household documents, include your pet's medical records, proof of vaccination, medication record, and your veterinarian contact information. This will help in case you can't take your pet with you to a shelter or hotel and need to board your pet instead.
Losing your home to a fire is devastating, but losing your pet makes a sad situation even more difficult. Taking a few precautions and being prepared can protect your entire family from a fire in your home.

subset: commoncrawl


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Federal prosecutors just lost a quarter of a million dollars trying to take away the Mongols Motorcycle Club trademark. Now they're trying again.
Revving up an unusual free-speech case, prosecutors in Southern California filed racketeering charges against the related Mongol Nation in February. No one will go to jail if prosecutors prevail in what appears to be a long-shot case. In theory, though, the federal government could end up owning the trademark that it's been chasing for years.
"I'm not aware of any other case where the government has sought forfeiture in this way," David Loy, the legal director of the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said in an interview this week. "I have concerns about the case."
Prosecutors consider the Mongols' trademark name and logo of a ponytailed man riding a motorcycle to be signs of a criminal enterprise.
Loy and Alan Mansfield, an attorney with the San Diego-based Consumer Law Group of California, successfully challenged the Justice Department's last effort to seize the Mongols' trademark through the tool of asset forfeiture. Citing the government's "unlawful action based on an ungrounded and unsubstantiated legal theory," a federal judge also ordered the Justice Department to reimburse the attorneys $253,206.
The Justice Department quietly dropped its appeal of the judge's order in mid-March, meaning the payment is forthcoming.
"Better late than never," Loy said Monday. "They never should have been appealed in the first place."
But while the department lost its earlier asset-forfeiture case, prosecutors are trying to reach a similar goal through a different route.
In an indictment filed without fanfare in February against the Mongol Nation "unincorporated association," officials say the "enterprise" engaged in crimes ranging from murder and robbery to drug dealing and extortion. Throughout the 44-page indictment, prosecutors repeatedly cite the distinctive "patches" worn by full-fledged and probationary members of the Mongols.
"Mongols frequently used the reputation of the Mongols Gang, especially its history of large-scale violence and riots, as a means to threaten and intimidate the victims and witnesses to their crimes," the indictment says.
The government's new case faces several serious impediments.
The first is finding a defendant. At a court hearing in March, court records show, Justice Department attorneys said they hadn't been able to serve legal papers on the Mongol Nation. George L. Steele, an attorney who's represented Mongols on other intellectual property cases, said Tuesday that he doubted prosecutors would ever be able to pursue a case against such an unincorporated association.
The second problem is whether any judge will let the government seize an association's intellectual property.
"I don't think they can ever prevail, no matter what they do," Steele said.
A representative for the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California couldn't be reached to comment Tuesday.
The Mongols are primarily a Hispanic organization based in Southern California, with chapters in other states including Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington. The group bills itself on its website as "the baddest 1 percenter motorcycle club in the world." The term "1 percenter" is said to distinguish an outlaw club from the 99 percent of other, law-abiding motorcycle riders.
The new case against the Mongol Nation, like the previous one, seeks to apply the government's powerful tool of asset forfeiture against an alleged criminal organization. Typically, these assets are ill-gotten gains from drug trafficking, financial fraud and other criminal activities.
Prosecutors in other cases, for instance, have reported seizing $2.9 million in cash during a Stockton, Calif., bust, more than 5,000 iPods worth $1.1 million during a Miami bust and $2.8 million worth of silver coins and bars in a Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, bust, according to the Justice Department's most recent asset-forfeiture report.
Prosecutors first tried going after the Mongols' trademark in 2008, when officials indicted some 80 individual Mongols on assorted criminal charges. Prosecutors said then that the trademarked name and logo were closely associated with the alleged criminal activities undertaken by members of the organization.
"If the court grants our request . . . then if any law enforcement officer sees a Mongol wearing his patch, he will be authorized to stop that gang member and literally take the jacket right off his back," then-U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien said in 2008.
A judge ultimately said the trademark forfeiture might violate the free-speech rights of Mongols who hadn't been criminally charged and who wanted to wear their club patches.
As spelled out in the indictment made public in February, the Mongols obtained trademarks in 2005 and 2006 for the name and the image of the ponytailed motorcycle rider. After assorted legal proceedings, the trademarks are now said by prosecutors to be held by the Mongol Nation organization. The trademark-protected identity, prosecutors say, "conveyed that . . . criminal activities were being carried out on behalf of the Mongols Gang."
Prosecutors further say that, if they win conviction of the organization on racketeering charges, they'll seek forfeiture of all rights associated with the Mongols' trademarks. This proposal differs from the earlier trademark-seizing effort because it's based on indicting the organization, rather than individuals.
The organization hadn't yet been served with the legal papers associated with the indictment, as of the most recent court filings in March, and it hasn't filed a legal response.


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Nursing and Health Studies
WISC Software
The Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog enables eligible students throughout the University of Wisconsin System to purchase software packages at substantial discounts. To access the Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog (WISC), click here.
The WISC website provides detailed information on how to place an order, eligibility, licensing agreements and technical requirements for software, and we encourage you to consult this site when placing an order. However, before you actually place your order, you will need the following information:
- A valid student identification number - This number may have been mailed to you with admission materials from your home campus, but if you do not have the number or are uncertain how to obtain it, please contact your advisor.
- Remember to select "UW-Green Bay" when ordering.


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First Picture Of James Holmes, PhD Student, Released (Dark Night Gunman In Colorado) [Updated]
First photos of Denver gunman James Holmes released
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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Infusion Center
Treatment rooms at Sipe Infusion Center are designed to promote a comfortable, relaxed setting for patients.
The Sipe Infusion Center is an integral part of St. Clair Hospital's cancer program. Designed to meet patients' needs in a comfortable, relaxed, environment the unit is equipped with four private rooms and eleven treatment chairs.
The center is used by patients being treated with chemotherapy, blood transfusions and injections for various ailments. Our experienced Infusion Center team consists of registered nurses who have received specialized education and training in cancer care, including certifications in oncology, infusion therapy, critical care and medical-surgical care. The staff consistently receives high satisfaction ratings from patients and their families for their excellent care.
The Sipe Infusion Center is named after Dennis J. "Denny" and Carol Sipe of Pittsburgh, who made a generous gift to St. Clair Hospital Foundation to help fund the construction. Each treatment chair in the 4,900-square-feet center has its own flat panel TV and patients also have access to the Internet. Click here (PDF) to read about the opening of the Sipe Infusion Center.
The Infusion Center delivers individualized care in services that include:
Hours of operation
- Mondays through Saturdays – 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Patients also have the option to make special arrangements to receive care after hours or on Sundays.
More Information
For more information, please call the Sipe Infusion Center at 412.942.3550.
Physician Directory
See our Physician Directory for more information about a doctor.


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Double Room Ensuite – Room 8 – 31/05/2012
All the staff welcomed us which made us feel very comfortable throughout our stay. The room standard was excellent as it was always lovely and clean, with a freshly made bed every morning. Thank you very much we really enjoy our stay.


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Jaime Hernandez: 1943 was a very critical year for the U.S. and the U.S. Mint. America was in the midst of World War II, and there were alarming concerns because of copper shortages needed for artillery used to fight the war. As a result, it affected the U.S. Mint and hundreds of millions of 1943 Lincoln cents.
The U.S. Government's response was to cease the production of all Lincoln cent coins, primarily because they were made out of copper. The U.S. Mint was left with the task of transforming the Lincoln cent coins metal composition. The end result would be that all 1943 cents were now composed of mostly steel content with a 5% mixture of zinc.
The 1943 steels cents are easily distinguishable because of their gray surfaces, which gives them a silver like appearance. The 1943 Lincoln cents are the first steel cents produced for circulation by the U.S. Mint. It struck steel cents at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. There were no proof coins struck for this year. 1943 also remains as the only year in which the Mint struck steel coins. (This does not include a few transitional steel error coins which were unintentionally struck by the U.S. Mint.)
1943 Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Cent Comparisons
Philadelphia 1943 Cents have the highest mintage from all three steel cents this year. It has about three times a higher mintage than each of the Denver and San Francisco 1943 steel cents.
1943 Cent Striking Characteristics
All 1943 dated cents were struck with fairly new dies. 1943 dies were replaced much quicker than prior dated Lincoln cent dies, primarily, because of the hardness of the steel cent planchets. The striking point between both the obverse and the reverse dies was also minimized, in order to obtain a better strike and sharper surfaces. The striking pressure was also increased to create optimum coin design features. This is the reason why there are more 1943 wheat cents in high grades of MS68 or in higher condition than any other wheat cent from 1909–1959 and including all memorial cents struck from 1959 to 1983. Most all 1943 steel cents in MS65 condition or higher, display great eye appeal and vibrant and original luster. From all three different mint mark steel cents struck in1943, the Philadelphia 1943 cents are the scarcest in MS68 grades or higher. About 75 total examples survive in MS68 grades. As of 2010, PCGS has not graded one example in MS69 grade or higher.
There are several different varieties and errors for this date and mint mark. The most famous of all are the 1943 error coins which were accidentally struck on copper planchets. There is also a significant doubled die for this date and mint mark.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


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Graduate Admissions
Interests and activities pursued by people with passion. People who believe in creating knowledge, expanding the boundaries of traditional thought, and leaving the world a better place.
If you're hungry to make your mark on the world; if you're eager to break down barriers; if you're driven to take on the status quo, turn it inside out, and thrive where success has not yet been envisioned ... welcome to the School of Arts & Sciences at Clarkson University.
CLICK HERE to get started on the application process!
Clarkson's School of Arts & Sciences offers graduate degree programs in the following areas:
- Basic Science, MS (interdisciplinary) - For qualified students who desire graduate study within the sciences, with a focus that does not fit within one of the degree programs listed below. The following optional areas of specialization are also available within this program:
- Biology
- Data Analytics
- Bioscience & Biotechnology, PhD (interdisciplinary)
- Chemistry, MS/PhD
- Computer Science, MS (interdisciplinary)
- Computer Science, PhD
- Engineering Science, MS/PhD (interdisciplinary)
- Environmental Politics & Governance, MS (interdisciplinary)
- Environmental Science & Engineering, MS/PhD (interdisciplinary)
- Information Technology, MS (interdisciplinary)
- Materials Science & Engineering, PhD (interdisciplinary)
- Mathematics, MS/PhD
- Physics, MS/PhD
- Physical Therapy, DPT
- Physician Assistant Studies, MS
Ready to Apply?
Recommendation Form (pdf)
International Students:
See the International Students and Scholars (ISSO) website for more information on being an international student at Clarkson!


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Scarf-print-lined Tropical Gabardine Trench Coat
$1,990.00 $1,990.00
$990.00 $990.00
All orders will be fulfilled by Burberry Limited and shipped from the US. When you place your order, you accept Burberry's Terms and Conditions and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy.
Size Guide
Use the Size Guide to choose the best fit for your measurements.
In this window, you can find out the shipping and returns options for the selected item.
In this window, you can contact customer service for further assistance.
- An airy tropical gabardine trench coat updated with double gun flaps and an archive scarf print lining.
- Coat length: 97cm/38.2in. This is based on a size UK 8 as proportions change slightly according to size.
- Model's height: 180cm/5ft 11in
- Outer: 100% cotton
- Trim: 100% leather
- Lining: 100% viscose
- Buttons: buffalo horn
- Buckles: leather
- Double-breasted closure
- Button-through welt pockets
- Signature details: epaulettes, hook-and-eye collar closure, gun flap, belted cuffs, D-ring belt, storm shield
- Specialist dry clean
- Imported
Item 80029391
Wear this with
Silk Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater
$280.00 $690.00
Recommended Products


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Worcester police said they spent more than $47,000 in overtime to provide security at the funeral home where Boston Marathon bomb suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev lay for nearly a week before a burial place was found in Virginia.
The police said they were looking for help in paying for the overtime at the Graham Putnam and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, which added up to $47,171.48.
"The department will examine all opportunities for reimbursement from the state and federal government. We do not believe that these costs are a local responsibility," police said in a statement posted on their website.
The 24-hour detail began at midday on May 3 and concluded Thursday evening, police said. Protesters and a large contingent of reporters had gathered outside the funeral home.
Tsarnaev, 26, was buried Thursday in a small cemetery in Doswell, Va. The funeral home director and family had been rebuffed by other cemeteries due to Tsarnaev's alleged role in the Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three and injured more than 260.
Tsarnaev died a few days after the April 15 terror attack after a confrontation with police. His brother, Dzhokhar, 19, is facing federal charges that could bring him the death penalty.
The brothers are also accused of killing MIT police Officer Sean Collier.Martin Finucanecan be reached email@example.com.


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Providing Research, Education and Support for Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia
Moderator: pmaxwell
kiminfla wrote:Mandy, I've been wondering how you've been doing since your surgery. Sorry about the pain you're in now. As I said, for me, the blood patch wasn't that bad and it did bring a lot of relief. I pray things improve for you and Kara. Be blessed, Kim
Return to All About Chiari, Syringomyelia, and Related Disorders
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Fresh is the word and this – Virginia's Farmers' Market Week – is the time to celebrate the best eats of summer.
As the demand for locally grown foods has increased, so has the number of farmers' markets, increasing from 88 available statewide in 2005 to more than 210 in 2012. What does this mean for you? More opportunities to find Virginia Grown products as you travel about!
A Sample of What You Can Find & Where:
The Ashland Farmers' Market is only open 9 until noon on Saturdays through November, but it's the prime location to purchase those coveted Hanover tomatoes.
Historic Roanoke City Market offers more wares than you can imagine an open-air "farmers' market" could. Fruits, vegetables and meats are a given, but add in flowers and handcrafted delights and you have a vibrant, "buy local" destination available to you every day of the week.
Known to be a place to find fresh, local goods since 1753, the Alexandria Farmers' Market in Old Town is a Saturday morning adventure that yields the harvest of local growers. Even George Washington vended Mount Vernon's goods at this market.
Vendors set up daily for the Fredericksburg Farmers' Market at Hurkamp Park, bringing whichever products are in season – veggies, fruit, cheeses, firewood, canned and baked goods, flowers and more. Another reason to visit this particular market this week is the Virginia is for Lovers LOVE artwork on display! Take a photo and share it through Twitter with the hashtag #LOVEVA or on our Facebook page.
Don't skip out on your good eating habits while vacationing at Virginia Beach. Old Beach Farmers' Market is a Saturday morning gathering of local growers, watermen and wineries. Expect to find free-range chicken from Suffolk, Chesapeake Bay clams dug by a local family and even bison from a ranch in the Northern Neck.Even in metropolitan Richmond the fresh and local can be found. Visit South of the James Farmers' Market on Saturdays to pick up Hanover-grown berries, honey products from Henrico County, shiitake, oyster and maitake mushrooms from Nelson County's Rockfish Valley, free range forest-fed pork from Buckingham County, gluten-free baked goods and quite a bit more.
Seafood must be on your list if you're on the Eastern Shore and you'll have plenty to choose from each Saturday morning at the Onancock Market. Jams, jellies, crafts, and other seasonal offerings await you, too.
In southwest Virginia be sure to seek out the Abingdon Farmers' Market Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. or Saturday mornings. You'll find cheeses, grass-fed meats, eggs, and a wealth of artisnal crafts, foods and baked goods.
>> Find a Farmers' Market Near You
>> And it's National Peach Month!
LOVE is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. Virginia is for Lovers.
Request a free Virginia Travel Guide.


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2013 and earlier Chevrolet Equinox Lease Questions
Hey phil56. GMAC's current base lease rate and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2008 Chevrolet Equinox AWD with 12,000 miles per year are 6.1% and 52%, respectively. If you haven't leased your Equinox yet, you're in luck. General Motors just introduced a $1,000 President's Day bonus cash incentive on it that's good through the end of the month. You can use this cash to reduce the capitalized cost of your lease.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Hi sarasmiles. Vehicles' lease payments are made up of two main parts, the interest portion and the depreciation portion. When you signed the lease on your Equinox, GMAC used an estimate called a residual value to calculate how much depreciation you would have to pay for over the lift of your lease. The remainder of your vehicle's value that is not added to the depreciation portion of your lease payment is its end of term purchase option price. As you have seen, vehicles' lease-end purchase option prices are often higher than what vehicles are worth in the real world. This is actually a good think because it means that you paid for less depreciation over the life of your lease than your vehicle actually experienced, saving you money. The problem is, unless GMAC is willing to lower your vehicle's end-of-term purchase option price, it doesn't make sense to buy your truck. Place a call directly to GMAC a month or two prior to the scheduled end of your lease and see if they will be willing to negotiate your Equinox's purchase price. If you don't have any luck with your initial contact, try working your way up the ladder to a manager. If GMAC is willing to lower your truck's price to around what it is worth in the real world right now, you may want to consider buying it. If not, just walk away.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
I'm in Syracuse, NY. My lease is up in September. I just got a call for early release out of my lease. I have a 2006 Equinox LS 12,300 miles AWD. The purchase price to buy this case is 16624.69 (according the GMAC) - the dealership is telling me they will sell it to me for 14980.00 and my payments would be 259 a month. I'm not sure I understand all this. Is this a good deal for me??0
claufenb Posts: 1My lease comes up in March 2009. I was wondering if there will be an early out offered to me? I have leased the last 3 of my vehicles and have always been offered an early release on my contract. Will GMAC still be offering this?0
Hi claufenb. General Motors usually offers some sort of early lease termination program, but it rarely lets lessees out of their vehicles more than three months prior to their scheduled end dates. You're still nine months out, so I have a feeling that you are going to have to wait until you are closer to your scheduled end date to get something new.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
leesah71 Posts: 1You can take over my existing lease. I love the car but with our move to Hawaii cannot afford the payments any longer. Lease is with GMAC and terms are $450.90 per month and expires 12/2009. I used to drive a lot for the company I used to work for so I purchased extra miles. It allows 18,000 miles per year but since moving to Hawaii a year ago, only have 33,000 miles on it now. It's been an awesome car and I love it and hate to have to give it up. If interest, let me know. We can arrange shipping.0
I'm in Syracuse, NY. My lease is up in September. I just got a call for early release out of my lease. I have a 2006 Equinox LS 12,300 miles AWD. The purchase price to buy this case is 16624.69 (according the GMAC) - the dealership is telling me they will sell it to me for 14980.00 and my payments would be 259 a month. I'm not sure I understand all this. Is this a good deal for me??0
Hi soccer14. In order to determine whether it would be a good idea to purchase your leased Equinox, you need to compare the price that you were quoted for it to what it is currently worth on the open market. There's no reason to pay more for your truck than someone off the street would have to pay for a similar one. You should be able to get an idea of how much this truck is worth right now by visiting the Edmunds.com Used Car Appraiser.
If you determine that this is an attractive selling price, then turn your attention to how you will pay for it. If you want to finance, pay attention to the interest rate that you are being charged, not the monthly payment. The lower the interest rate is, the lower your payment will be. It's usually a good idea to get pre-approved to finance any vehicle that you want to purchase prior to discussing financing with dealers. Doing so serves two purposes. It gives you an idea of what sort of interest rate you qualify for and it often motivates dealers to try to beat the rate that you are pre-approved at.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
lablover2 Posts: 106anyone out there lease a new equinox yet? wondering about buying versus leasing one since it is the new model.0
I'm interested in leasing too, but I've not seen much talk about it. CarMan or Kyfdx, is GMAC still offering any lease incentives, especially for the Equinox?0
wallyuwl Posts: 166If there are are special lease rates (an "incentive" rate) it will be listed on Edmunds. I just bought a new 2010, and as of the July incentives there were no special lease rates. There was just the Conquest Cash, military cash, and GMAC financing (a horrible 6.9%, but it is a new model - I got 5% locally). The August incentives will be out soon, but I doubt there will be anything for special lease offers.0
Hi timmboj. General Motors' financial problems forced it to pull the plug on leasing for a while, but it has finally reintroduced it on select models...including the 2010 Equinox. Its lease program on this truck varies by region. In a few states it is promoting a special lease through US Bank with a special rate of 4.56% for 36 to 39 months. In most states it is running a special lease through GMAC featuring a lease rate of 3.0% again for 36 to 39 months.
The US Bank program has $280 lease cash available through it, but there is no lease cash available on GMAC leases.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Cool. Thanks Car_Man.
What is "Lease Cash"? And do you happen to know if the governments tax credit on new cars purchased in 2009 applies to leased vehicles?0
Hi timmboj. Lease cash is essentially like consumer cash that is available on leases. You should take it into account when negotiating the selling price of the truck that you want to lease.
That's a good question about the tax credit. It might apply to leased vehicles, but they technically are in the bank's name not yours. Hmmmm, I think that an accountant would be more qualified than myself to answer that one. The FAQ section for this program (link) on the IRS site doesn't even address this issue.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
runox Posts: 156Tax credits do not apply to leased vehicles.0
rienthusiast Posts: 4Without the residual values for the car it is impossible to calculate the monthly lease payment. Do you have the residual values for the 2010 Equinox for both 12,000 and 15,000 mile leases with a 3 year term? Thanks.0
ellery8 Posts: 2Hi,
There is an article on GM getting back into leasing dated Aug 10th or 11th byTim Higins of the Detroit Free Press. The 2010 Equinox was listed amoung the models.
I test drove a 2010 4cyl AWD LT1 and think they have a real winner if it holds up in reliability and quality. I have GM Card money that I would like to apply to an Equinox lease if it is attractive. The 2010 Equinox competes against the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav-4 which have attractive leases recently. If GM puts out an attractiive lease I think they can convert the Honda and Toyota customers if the Equinox is as good as it appears.
Don Mc0
You are correct, rienthusiast. It wasn't easy to find, but I was able to get a hold of GMAC's residual values for this vehicle. Its current 36 month, 15,000 mile per year resid for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox varies from 40% to 44%, depending upon what trim level you get. If you describe the exact Equinox that you're interested in, I will gladly tell you what the exact resid is for that trim level.
The last time that I checked, GMAC added 3% to its 15,000 mile per year residual values for leases with only 12,000 miles per year.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
wanny Posts: 1Car man,
Can you please give me the lease pricing on a 2010 equinox LT1 with AWD msrp $26500, gms pricing of $24500 with 0 down, 39m at 12k miles please? Thank you so much!0
Hi wanny. Let's work up a lease payment on this truck and see what we come up with. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT1 AWD that has an MSRP of $26,500 and a selling price of $24,500 through GMAC this month for 36 months with 12,000 miles per year, your zero down, pre-tax monthly payment would be around $391.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
slem1842 Posts: 1Hello Car Man,
I am interested in leasing a 2010 Chevy Equinox LT2 FWD with Rear DVD Entertainment. I read your earlier posts referencing lease rates (In most states it is running a special lease through GMAC featuring a lease rate of 3.0% again for 36 to 39 months.) and residuals (40%-44% depending on trim line). I was wondering if the lease rates have changed for September and what the residual would be for the LT2? I could potentially be interested in leasing for 36 - 48 months and definitely need 15,000 miles.
Thank you,
Hello James. GMAC's current base lease rate and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 FWD with 15,000 miles per year are 2.25% and 41%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical 48 month lease are 2.55% and 33%.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Karen_S Posts: 5,095A reporter is looking to speak to consumers who recently leased a GM or Chrysler vehicle in the past two months . Please send your daytime phone number to [email protected] by Thursday, October 8, 2009.0
djhalptert Posts: 115CarMan,
Can you please provide the current 36 month, 15,000 mile lease numbers for a 2010 Chevy Equinox LT2? Thanks.0
I sure can, djhalptert. GMAC's current base lease rate and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 AWD with 15,000 miles per year are 2.6% and 42%, respectively.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
sean43 Posts: 2Hey CarMan -- could you please post the numbers for 12k miles, 36 mo? Many thanks!0
scrappy_jack Posts: 2Car_man - Thanks very much for your assistance. I wish there was an easily accessible way to access various captured finance lease information on our own (maybe a premium Edmunds subscription?).
I am curious about current residual and MF for a 2010 LT1 2.4L with the Vehicle Interface Package. 36 months, 12k per year.0
bonesaz Posts: 6Car_man could I get the latest residual and money factor for a 2010 LT2, 36months, 12k a year, I'm in AZ. Thank You0
Here you go, sean43. GMAC's December base lease rate and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 AWD with 12,000 miles per year are 2.6% and 44%, respectively.
When negotiating your lease on this truck, make sure to take advantage of the $400 cash incentive that is currently available on leases of it through GMAC.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
You're welcome, scrappy. GMAC's December base lease rate and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT1 FWD with 12,000 miles per year are 2.6% and 42%, respectively.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
This discussion has been closed.


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ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Saturday 15/09/2012, 10:08
This week in ELO has brought a game balance problem to my attention. Now that Copy Bonus cards are becoming a little bit more prominent, and many clans are getting powerful 8 power cards, SoB clans are starting to feel outdated. In UR's delicate ecosystem, SoB clans were usually a balancing force. They messed up games for clans that have incredibly good synergy between bonus and ability. A good deck had to be able to defend against both SoA and SoB without losing the ability to win rounds.
A good example of how damaging underpowered SoB clans are to the game is Jungo. Askai is currently unbanned, and the vast majority of ELO players are either running him or have tried to run him this week. If SoB clans weren't weak in the current metagame, running Jungo would pose a risk of a low damage draw, even with Askai. Many Jungo staples have mediocre damage, if they are deprived of their bonus. With SoB clans too weak to threaten Jungo, they are becoming overused. The same can be said of All Stars... Deprived of their incredible round-winning bonus, they struggle to secure the rounds they need. However with Saki's arrival, and Robb Cr unbanned, All Stars pack an even bigger round winning punch and gain the ability to wall vs SoB clans.
Has anyone else noticed this? I think Lizbeth is a step in the right direction, but her price puts her out of reach of many players...
Shanks Guru Colossus E X C A L I B U R Tuesday 27/11/2012, 15:38
Idk if anyone mentioned this already but powering up these sob clans could potentially screw up every other clan in the game, i dont know much about this but when my brother used to play (before i started) he would talk to me about elo and tell me stuff like "omg pirana is so op... faceroll elo wins... sob rules" ect ect ect point being if you give them too much power and to big of abilities like some of the clans without offensive bonuses have it could great a huge advantage for some of those players and there was a time (before alot of the newer powerhouses came out) where almost every top elo player used piranas (this also used to be an issue with rescue) yes you see alot of the same clans but imagine taking your favorite deck (junks or uppers or sakrohm, montana, bangers, ulu watu ect) and running in to all SOB that would be unfair if you werent set up with enough prot and stop bonus abilities in your deck. lots of complaints go out and so the staff makes new cards to combat the sob and sob become obsolete just like when they ban characters to prevent same deck wins all the time (lehane with sents all those ghiest ect) a balence has to be made for elo to be fair to all players of all clans, to simply power up sob for elo would be unfair to players who like to have more strategy based games not just pill winning face rolls. (ulrich may not be the best ban choice but he certainly calmed down some of the pirana spam i would say)
0_4DPaladin Veteran Tuesday 04/12/2012, 02:55
Forgot about this thread. I wouldn't mind a boost for Piranas, however it would have to be quite subtly (Spelling fail), since giving us a DR or defeat + life card would make round 1 stupid 50-50s worse than Freaks currently.
The reason I use Piranas (Aside from them being the best clan in ELO ) is that you'll need someone to keep those Jungo/Freaks derp-decks in line. Expecially with Amiral Coco, Piranas easily beat Freaks, and give Jungo a good run for thier money (Although a nice counter-Askai would be nice). Its like being a police officer
As for weakness vs. Defeat: + life (Like Lola): I don't think anyone should (But hey, they do it anyways) be running Puff in mono personally, and 2 dmg without any other factors (At least Hawkins has pillz manip.) is highly unadvisable, since Piranas get out-damaged against all the other clans.
The way I see it is that Piranas is a really solid clan. and through deck building, you can play to your strength (Like frozn + kalindra derp) or try to reduce your weaknesses. For piranas, the second IMO is much more important, and by doing that you play to your strengths by becoming even more solid.
One last stab at Puff: I'm sure most Puff users use Lizbeth as well, but get turned off by the otherwise low amount of damage the clan offers and switch to Frozn or some other less-skilled clan. Correctly played I think Piranas are the strongest clan: Pillz>Life, why do you lose pillz but gain life in Survivor?
nervous wmd Imperator Tuesday 04/12/2012, 04:40
The person with the most pills at the end of the game doesn't necessarily win.
The person with the most life at the end of the round always wins.
slav.georgiev.3 Senior Tuesday 04/12/2012, 21:54
Piranas and even Nightmare are hardly underpowered in my opinion. What these two clans do is change the face of the game. Most other clans builds their decks around their clan bonus, and the SoB clans take that away. It then comes down to ability vs ability, and Piranas and Nightmare have their fair share of abilities just like everyone else.
The problem is that there are only a handful of clan bonuses but an endless combination of abilities, so for Piranas and Nightmare the differences in strategy from game to game vary more greatly than for most other clans. That puts of players that are habitual or inexperienced. Every single game, every single round has to be thought out individually, while the majority of other mono decks and even many of the half decks are based around similar strategies for the majority of their games.
I am over-simplifying of course, each game is slightly different. But for decks that rely on Ability vs Ability, this stands true more profoundly and that's what makes them a bit trickier in my opinion.
0_4DPaladin Veteran Tuesday 04/12/2012, 23:47
@ slav
While that may be true for NM, Piranas have pillz manip + low damage: making 99% of the games about winning 3/4 rounds.
True, but pillz let you win rounds, and won rounds let you do damage. IMO Pillz manip>Damage early game, which makes it easier to manipulate pillz in later rounds too.
slav.georgiev.3 Senior Wednesday 05/12/2012, 10:31
What you said is correct but it doesn't contradict to what I said. Yes, Piranas need 3/4 wins in most cases. However, HOW they achieve these 3/4 wins in terms of particular strategy for each particular game varies more greatly than, say, Sentinel which also usually need 3/4 wins but can rely on the same strategy game after game with relative consistency.
My whole point is that the extent to which a Piranas or Nightmare player must adapt to their opponent's particular set of abilities from game to game is slightly bigger than the majority of other mono and half deck setups.
0_4DPaladin Veteran Thursday 06/12/2012, 00:58
"However, HOW they sesachieve these 3/4 wins in terms of particular strategy for each particular game varies "
Win rounds, manip. pillz, win 3/4 rounds. I don't think I've ever had to derive from that strategy.
ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Thursday 06/12/2012, 06:03
I think that describes the biggest weakness of the Piranas exactly: they have to win the 3 rounds most of the time.
Overpilling a card like Scubb, who brings a chunk of his pills right back to you, is all well and good, but what about their other cards? Both pilling too high OR too low carry certain risks, and pilling moderately is just asking for a card that you need to win to get beaten. The Piranas are a higher risk clan than most others, currently... And the fact that your opponent probably knows your strategy does not help matters.
Lingod Imperator Harbingers of Ares Thursday 06/12/2012, 17:31
Im using a half deck of FPC and Piranas this week, not bad for, but hey i am a 1200 elo player, still need help reaching higher grounds.
When using Piranas its tiring sometimes when you lose by 1 damage or you win 3 rounds and in the end some card turns the whole game around. But I do feel that in more trained hands then mine piranas can still wreak havoc in most games. Honestly I would love to see a better power manip in the clan, a 4 stars maybe since there is one in every level but that, something like deadeye but more deadlier.
I can understand why a DR in Piranas is so dangerous, not only you stop their bonus, and in the cases of some clan it reduces greatly their damage, bezerk, fpc, la junta, freaks, frozn, jungo. it also reduces the damage of the card itself, a dr with sob is like the ultimate dr. But i would love to see sothing like smokey unbanned. Trey is useless, and in the 3 star category nobody makes pill manip. An 8/2 with defeat plus 2 pills would be really awesome. I can dream, but that aint gonna happen.
And yes conventional piranas decks are very predictable, thus making things really hard for the user, 63 atack on selma anyone?
0_4DPaladin Veteran Thursday 06/12/2012, 23:10
Cards that aren't Scubb or Selma are used to draw pillz from your opponents, such as Taljion or Raeth. Your opponent has to pill to get over the attack manip, or eat some damage. And to further complicate things, you can throw on a few pillz in order to scare your opponent into pilling even more.


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A quick start to the day.
Today's forecast:
Partly sunny, high of 54.
Website of the Day
CloudMagic removes clutter from your tech-heavy life by creating one search box for everything. You can look through email, notes, image-sharing services and more on all of your devices to find what you need.
Number to Know
$1.03 billion: On this date in 1998, a U.S. federal judge ordered 37 U.S. brokerage houses to pay $1.03 billion to cheated NASDAQ investors to compensate for price-fixing. This is the largest civil settlement in United States history.
This Day in History
Nov. 9, 1967: The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine is published.


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Andover - Town Seal
From Andover Answers
- According to tradition, the land comprising both the North and South Parishes of Andover was purchased from Cutshamachie, the Sagamore of Massachusetts, for six English pounds and a coat. This event is commemorated in the town seal, which was officially adoped at the annual meeting on March 5, 1900. It is generally believed that the new seal was designed by Leonard Sherman, a local artist, photographer and nature writer. However, there were no Native Americans in New England tribes that ever wore such an elaborate headdress.
- The original town seal included just text: the town name, state, and date of incorporation.
- In 1895, John E. Whiting, a local jewler, designed a porcelin pin depicting the sale of the land that was to become Andover from the Indians as a souvenir for the Town's 250th anniversary.
- A banner was also commissioned using the same picture. Andover's 250th Anniversary Banner
- For the Town's 350th anniversary, the Town requisitioned a painting of the seal for the selectman's meeting room. Kristoffel Meulen, then a high school senior, was chosen.
- "New Town Seal," Andover Townsman, March 9, 1900.
- "Sealed with Historical Inaccuracies," Andover Townsman, February 1, 2007.
- "Andover's town seal tells many stories," Andover Townsman, January 30, 2014, p. 7.
- Andover a Century of Change:1896 - 1996 by Eleanor Motley Richardson, (974.45 Ric), page 188.
- Andover: Symbol of New England, by Claude Moore Fuess,(974.45 Fuess), page 373.
- The Townswoman's Andover by Bessie Goldsmith (974.45 Gol), page 2.
- Town and City Seals of Massachusetts, by Allan Forbes (929.9 For volume 2), page 6.
- There is a color picture of the seal on the Andover Finance Report for 1976.
--Eleanor 12:39, July 13, 2007 (EDT)
back to Main Page


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Patriots owner: Putin stole my Superbowl ring
'He put it in his pocket, and 3 KGB guys got around him and walked out'
(New York Post) New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft revealed the real story behind a 2005 meeting with Vladimir Putin, during which the Russian president pocketed his Super Bowl ring, worth more than $25,000. Kraft, at the time, claimed the diamond-encrusted bauble was a gift, but he now admits Putin stole it, and the White House intervened when he demanded it back.
Kraft explained the incident happened while Sandy Weill and other business execs were in St. Petersburg. "I took out the ring and showed it to [Putin], and he put it on and he goes, 'I can kill someone with this ring,' " Kraft told the crowd at Carnegie Hall's Medal of Excellence gala at the Waldorf-Astoria."I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out."


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Domestic Violence Prevention Program
Thanks to the generosity and vision of Verizon, MALDEF together with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and the Los Angeles Urban League created the Los Angeles Domestic Violence Prevention Collaborative (LADVPC), a cooperative alliance to raise domestic-violence awareness in our respective communities.
Through a strong partnership with coalition partners, MALDEF provides the Latino community in the Los Angeles region with important domestic violence prevention information using a culturally and linguistically sensitive, multi-pronged approach.
MALDEF empowers Latinas and adolescents by informing them that domestic violence is a crime and violation of basic human rights, and that abuse should not go unreported or unaided due to lack of knowledge about the law, a victim's legal status, age, language, economic, or cultural barriers.
The MALDEF Domestic Violence Prevention Program reaches Latino families through diverse strategies:
- Toll-free Information Line – In 2007, MALDEF launched a bilingual, 24-hour, free info line, 1-866-NO-ABUSO (1-866-662-2876) that provides information on domestic and teen dating violence prevention and legal rights. The confidential service also lists referrals to free or low-cost legal resources and to community organizations offering assistance and provisional emergency shelters.
- Prevention Education – MALDEF provides free community workshops with information on domestic violence prevention to Latino parents and youth. The adult program is designed for those who attend MALDEF's Parent School Partnership (PSP) Program, however, the eight-week course on Domestic Violence Prevention and Healthy Relationships in the Family is available to groups upon request. Prevention Education is also provided to Latino high school youth as part of MALDEF's CREATE! Youth Leadership Program for teenagers at high schools in Los Angeles.
- Forums and Outreach Events – MALDEF holds Domestic Violence Prevention Forums throughout the year with lawyers, mental health counselors and well-known survivors to dispel myths and provide fact-based options and solutions to this devastating crime. MALDEF also participates in diverse community outreach events throughout the year to distribute free bilingual English/Spanish educational materials, including wallet cards, brochures and a regional resource guide with information on free or low cost community services.
- Community Awareness – Verizon's contribution to raising awareness of domestic violence was used to produce an English and Spanish Public Service Announcement (PSA) on teen dating violence and emotional abuse awareness and prevention. CREATE! students wrote the scripts and also performed as actors in MALDEF's English and Spanish PSAs. They clearly conveyed the message that relationship and family violence affect each person differently, and that victims have the right and responsibility to reach out for help regardless of age, language, national origin, or legal status. To celebrate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, MALDEF launched the placement of hundreds of full-color bus placards on the sides, tails and interiors of Metro busses viewed by millions of people throughout the highest Latino populated areas in the Los Angeles region. Ads included the message, "Stand up for Respect!/Lucha por el Respeto!" and promote the 1-866-NO-ABUSO info line and our website.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact Ana Paula Noguez, Domestic Violence Prevention Program Coordinator, at (213) 629-2512 x115 or send us a message.


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6:00 am
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly Atrocities in Myanmar - At one level, the former nation of Burma is moving slowly toward a free society. At the same time, as Lucky Severson reports, there is continuing mob persecution of Myanmar's minority Rohingya Muslims, just two-and-a-half percent of the country's 60 million people. And those committing what one observer calls "incredible brutality" are Buddhists, despite their teachings' non-violence. D
6:30 am
Visionaries, The "There Is Enough for All, Part 1/Malnutrition in a Fertile Land" The first and second episodes of the Visionaries will feature the work of Church World Service, a global humanitarian agency working to eradicate hunger and poverty in the world. Church World Service is a global humanitarian agency supported by 37 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican churches that came together to do what none of them could do alone: deliver relief, provide refugee assistance, respond to disasters, and give people the opportunity to take the lead in addressing their own concerns. Malnutrition in a Fertile Land - The Visionaries travels to a remote region in Honduras to showcase Church World Service's work with its in-country partner, the Mennonite Social Action Commission. D
7:00 am
Second Opinion "Food Allergies" Patient Story: While some food allergies are not that severe, some can be life threatening. Meet Stacy Saiontz, whose son's food allergies changed the way her entire family lives. Myth or Medicine: Are peanut allergies on the rise? Second Opinion 5: Five things everyone should know about food allergies. D
7:30 am
Lidia's Kitchen "Light and Delicious Supper" Fresh vegetables and dip make a lively, and lovely, precursor to a delicious meal of baked swordfish with lemon, capers, and vinegar; plus versatile Boiled Potatoes with Fresh Mint Sauce. D
8:00 am
Baking Made Easy "Tea Time Favorites" Biscuit Mix, Sweet Cream Biscuits, Orange-Scented Current Scones, Mixed Blueberry Shortcakes. D
8:30 am
Cooking 80/20 with Robin Shea "Road Trip" Keep your Road Trip a Fast-Food-Free ZONE with these delicious healthy recipes: Pressed Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches and Carrot, Cucumber and Radish Chips with Cannellini Hummus. A grab-n-go snack packed with good carbs and healthy proteins: Quinoa Protein Bars. Plus Robin's 20% Indulgent recipe: Potato Chip Cookies. D
9:00 am
The Jazzy Vegetarian "All American Meal: Burger and Fries" Host Laura Theodore prepares the quintessential American meal featuring meaty tasting "Mushroom-Nut Burgers" paired with delicious "Confetti Oven Fries." "Jazzy Coleslaw" adds color and crunch, while "Banana Milk-less Shake" adds a sweet and creamy touch of classic taste. D
9:30 am
Martha Stewart's Cooking School "Salads" Salads are a terrific way to make vegetables a main course. When Martha invites guests to lunch, she loves to make frisee aux lardons, a classic French salad made with spicy greens, crisp bacon, creamy poached eggs and warm vinaigrette. Her chopped salad is based on a recipe from her daughter, Alexis - a dish that's as beautiful in presentation as it is delicious in taste. D
10:00 am
Pati's Mexican Table "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Pati invites a few of her girlfriends over for a much needed "girls' night in." But these girls are here to GRILL! Grilling isn't just a guy thing - Pati's got a great outdoor grill, and she's gonna put it to work by cooking up a mouth-watering menu of Mexican food with a BBQ twist. One of Pati's sisters shows up to help her mix some drinks too! Recipe 1: Honey Chipotle Ribs; Recipe 2: Spinning Top Cocktail; Recipe 3: Mango Guacamole with Grilled Tortilla Wedges; Recipe 4: Grilled Romaine & Red Bell Peppers with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette & Cheese. D
10:30 am
The Mind of a Chef "Seeds" It all began when Sean Brock went looking for Jimmy red corn. That simple journey turned into a lifetime of searching, archiving and reviving lost crops of the South. His partners in crime are legendary owner and operator of Anson Mills, Glen Roberts, and University of South Carolina professor David Shields - a trifecta of seed nerds hell-bent on preserving Southern food heritage. D
11:00 am
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "Special-Occasion Roasts" Test cook Julia Collin Davison uncovers the secrets to making the best Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Roast. Next, equipment expert Adam Ried reveals his top pick for pepper grinders in the Equipment Corner. And finally, test cook Bridget Lancaster shows host Christopher Kimball how to make perfect Roast Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Coriander, Cumin, and Mustard Seeds at home. D
11:30 am
Scrapbook Soup "Mini Books" Good things come in small packages. Create a mini book from a 3D kaleidoscope with Joe Rotella, a mini journal with Jenny Barnett Rohrs, and 3D sculptured surface for your journal with Kim Hupke. All today on Scrapbook Soup. D
12:00 pm
Paint This With Jerry Yarnell "A Bluebird's Paradise, Part 1" Jerry provides step-by-step instruction on how to paint beautiful Eastern bluebirds on a diptych, two separate paintings brought together by technique to create one piece. Two 12x16 canvases are painted side by side with a connecting branch, birdhouse and Eastern bluebirds. To start the diptych, a fun and exuberant mottled background is painted simultaneously on both canvas with multiple colors and blended with a hake brush. D
12:30 pm
Aviators Aircraft engines: Kurtis learns about aircraft power plants from Penn Yan Aero's Bill Middlebrook, whose family has a long and rich history in American aviation. Lockheed Electra: Made famous by Amelia Earhart, Jeff takes us flying in this classic bird. Most female friendly airport: George celebrates women in aviation at the most female friendly airport in the world. D
1:00 pm
This Old House "Arlington Italianate Project 2014/Decorative Details" Paul Grothouse installs a teak island top in the kitchen, while Jim Snyder installs a solid surface vanity top in the master bath. Designer Christine Tuttle reviews how the vision for the house evolved from fabric, paint and light fixture choices. Tom builds a small but handy electronics nook. D
1:30 pm
Ask This Old House "Making a Home Accessible/Modifying a Bathroom and Dangerous" In this special episode, the guys make several important improvements. Kevin helps make a home accessible for a homeowner in a wheelchair by modifying a bathroom and several different sets of stairs. Tom and Kevin rebuild a dangerous staircase for a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing. D
2:00 pm
American Woodshop "Scrolled Leg Stand" Bandsaw curves join together for a sturdy occasional table. D
2:30 pm
Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac "Bookstand" Learn to build a frame and panel bookstand that's perfect for any room. And for our Rough Cut Road trip, we head to western Massachusetts to hang out with the legendary Silas Kopf, to see how he creates his unique brand of marquetry. D
3:00 pm
MotorWeek NULL
3:30 pm
America's Heartland Head to Oklahoma for a harvest of sesame seeds. Meet California nuns making unique olive oil from historic trees. Join the workers hauling in a bright white harvest of sea salt. D
4:00 pm
NOVA "Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses" Humans rely on smell, sight, taste, touch and sound; other animals have super-powered versions of these senses, and a few have extra senses we don't have at all. This episode follows some of the scientists who study the animals with these super senses. Part 2 of 3G
5:00 pm
Moyers & Company "What The One Percent Don't Want You to Know" The book that's the talk of academia and the media world isn't a political or celebrity tell-all or the work of a self-help guru. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Piketty, a 42-year-old who teaches at the Paris School of Economics, is an exhaustive study of the history and future of capitalism that confirms what many have believed for a long time - that we have returned to a Gilded Age of extreme income inequality in which vast wealth is more and more concentrated in the hands of a very few, while wages remain stagnant for those workers still managing to hold onto a job. This week on Moyers & Company (check local listings), Bill Moyers talks with Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who has described Capital in the Twenty-First Century as "a magnificent, sweeping meditation on inequality. D
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour Weekend On Saturday, we look at a revolutionary class of drugs called "biologics." Americans have been paying more for their benefits than patients in Europe or Asia because the "generic" versions or "biosimilars" have not hit the U.S. market. D
6:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Paris: Regal and Intimate" Rick cruises the Seine River, visits Napoleon's tomb, and takes in the Louvre. He also shops in village-like neighborhoods, attends church in a grand pipe organ loft, and celebrates with a big, patriotic Bastille Day bang.G
7:00 pm
The Lawrence Welk Show "Easter" This 1979 show begins at the "Easter Parade" as pretty girls in Gay Nineties finery stroll on a flower-bedecked set with their handsome escorts. Guy and Ralna sing "Give Me That Old Time Religion." Sandi, Gail, and Mary Lou "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Myron Floren plays "The Lost Chord."G
8:00 pm
Last of the Summer Wine "Destiny and Six Bananas" Reports of the sighting of dangerous giant apes in the area seem to be substantiated when the trio find a terrified man running from the local woods.G
8:30 pm
Keeping Up Appearances - The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket "Iron Age Remains" Hyacinth forces Richard to participate in a trip to the countryside to look for Iron Age remains. News from Daisy and Onslow interrupts the excursions.G
9:00 pm
As Time Goes By "The Affair" Jean's sister-in-law, Penny, convinced her husband is having an affair with his dental hygienist, moves in with Jean and Lionel.G
9:30 pm
Hebburn "Still Swayze's After All These Years" Jack's secret play book is no longer secret when excerpts are published in a national newspaper, and he has a lot of explaining to do.G
10:00 pm
The Red Green Show "The Ghost of Possum Lodge" Mike discovers a ghost in the lodge and gets Red to help him catch it. Then Red uses an arc welder to protect his van from parking lot dents.G
10:30 pm
My Family "Neighbour Wars" Having run over Mr. Casey's dog some years ago, Ben now compounds the misdemeanor by running over Mr. Casey himself. Casey plays the sympathy card for all it is worth - and it may be worth quite a lot.G
11:00 pm
Doctor Who Series "The Girl Who Waited" Amy is trapped in a quarantine facility for victims of an alien plague - a plague that will kill the Doctor in a day. The Doctor can use the TARDIS to smash through time and break in, but then Rory is on his own. Can he rescue Amy before she is killed by kindness?G


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One of the things I've had to get used to round here is the stuff growing on trees. People told me as a kid that you could find north by looking at what side of the tree moss was growing on. This assumed the person attempting to ascertain north wasn't living in Arizona. I spent a long time trying to find some moss in order to establish the truth of this claim.
Then I moved here to the PNW. Good luck establishing north by moss. It grows 360° around the trunks. It grows pretty much everywhere. And then you get these enormous patches of lichen and wild outbursts of wood mushrooms. It's a wonder you can see bark.
Quite decorative, isn't it just? But that one isn't what caught my eye when I was tromping along North Creek on a recent winter day.
How lovely is that? Certainly click to embiggen. You fungi and lichen lovers should be screaming with joy about now. Here, have a closer look.
I love the colors. You have the blue-green lichen, the darker-green whatever-that-is that looks almost like it's frosted with silver, and then these richly-hued mushrooms that remind me of the finest folded strata. Outstanding. And to think this stuff grows along North Creek. I hadn't noticed before, but these lovely specimens were certainly attached to tame trees. This isn't wilderness – this is an offshoot of the creek plunked down between office buildings and the wastewater treatment plant. I'm not sure if these had been growing on the trees before the branches came down – I couldn't see any, but I didn't look very long. These branches look fairly fresh, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if the fungi hadn't waited for them to fall.
I'm a fan of fan-shaped fungi. These are very decorative. Most of our wood mushrooms are of the big-and-pale variety, interesting mostly for their size and locations, sometimes for the patterns they're growing in. They're usually not this colorful.
They rather make these fallen branches look like they're all decked out to go flamenco dancing.
Carl Zimmer says these are only the tip of the fungiberg. DNA studies have shown that fallen logs are colonized by a great number, many of them invisible to our eyes. And without them, we'd be buried in dead logs.
I've also heard they're edible, but I'm not sure how to tell the yummy from the disastrous. Besides, these are too pretty to eat. Unless it turns out they're delicious, nutritious and don't taste just like chicken, in which case I'll be nomming them next time. What say you, my darlings? Which species of wood mushroom are these?


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SPENCER � The monks live in a fieldstone abbey nestled in rolling farmland, supporting their modest lifestyle by selling religious vestments and jam preserves.
But in recent years, the simple monks of Saint Joseph's Abbey have quietly set about building one of the biggest breweries in the state and the first Trappist brewery on American soil. Their sleek 36,000-square-foot brewery � modeled after multimillion-dollar facilities in Europe � has already made its first commercial batches of Belgian-style ale, which will go on sale next week.
It's a big change for the monks, but it was a matter of necessity, said Brother Isaac Keeley, director of the brewery.
''In our little monastic economy, expenses� were rising more rapidly than our income,'' he said, standing in his monk's robes in a state-of-the-art beer laboratory inside the brewery. ''We needed to generate more income.''
And generate income it will. The Trappists aim to produce 4,000 barrels of ale this year, the equivalent of 1.3 million 12-ounce bottles, but the brewery has the capacity to generate 40,000 barrels, or more than 13 million bottles of beer.
Only a small number of people have tasted the new ale and toured the plant, situated deep within the monks' 2,000-acre monastic compound in this Central Massachusetts town about a dozen miles west of Worcester. Although the venture has been years in the making, the Trappists have declined to speak publicly about it until this week.
But the secrecy shrouding the enterprise, and the mystique surrounding the monks, should only add to the beers' cachet when it hits store shelves, beer aficionados said.
''Jam will only get you so far,'' said Daniel Kenary, a co-founder of Harpoon Brewery in Boston who consulted with the monks early in the process. ''It'll be interesting to see how it tastes.''
The Spencer monks do not drink much beer. As part of a Roman Catholic religious order started in 1825, they pray seven times a day, live without many modern amenities, such as television, and forgo personal possessions.
They don't hold individual bank accounts, but they still have bills to pay. The abbey, built in the late 1940s on the site of an old dairy farm, is in need of expensive improvements to its roofs, copper plumbing, and distinctive stone exteriors.
At the same time, the monks' numbers are shrinking, meaning fewer contribute to the upkeep and work that support the community. Home to more than 150 monks in the 1950s, the monastery houses 63 today. The average age is 70.
With fewer monks and rising expenses, the Trappists convened a task force of monks and lay people from the community about a decade ago to seek answers to their financial challenges.
They are forbidden by the order from fund-raising, but Trappists in monasteries across the United States sell products from honey to bourbon-infused fudge to pay their expenses. None of the Trappists in the United States has undertaken beer brewing, though in Europe, Trappists have brewed for centuries, making some of the most prized beers in the world.
There are eight Trappist monasteries with breweries in Belgium, Holland, and Austria, according to the International Trappist Association, a Belgian nonprofit that certifies the authenticity of products made by the monks. For a time, one of the beers of Westvleteren Brewery at the Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Belgium was ranked as the top beer in the world on the rating website BeerAdvocate.com.
The Spencer brewery is the most recent to become certified; part of the requirement is that all profits from the venture be used to cover the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of monastery buildings and grounds.
Brother Damian Carr, the abbot at Saint Joseph's and a monk there for more than 40 years, said he was not initially keen on the idea.
"I thought it was unrealistic'' from a funding perspective, he said, and he feared it might put ''crazy ideas'' into the minds of the brothers who live there. After all, their existence is so spare that they eat their own jam only on Sundays, and consume beer or wine only on significant religious holidays.
But the idea of brewing beer to support the community continued to gain steam, Carr said, particularly after a younger monk who had been ''a beer enthusiast'' in college created bottles of his own homebrew during Christmas season as gifts. Carr said the monks enjoyed the samples and the idea of a brewery gained momentum, eventually forcing him to overcome his reluctance.
"I'm supposed to listen to what the spirit tells us,'' he said.
St. Joseph's sent two monks to Belgium to tour various monastic breweries, hired a professional accountant, and after months of consideration landed on a recipe for a simple ale, based on a type of yeast popular for centuries among European monks.
The new ale contains 6.5 percent alcohol by volume, a higher alcohol content than in the most popular American beers.
''It's the kind of ale monks like to drink,'' said Keeley, noting wryly that people ''love the idea of monks brewing beer.''
Sitting at a stylish wooden desk in a modern white-walled office with a computer, and panoramic window, he pointed to a field and the site of a deep well where the brewery gets its water.
He referred all questions about finances, from the cost of building to the cost of a four-pack, to the beer's distributor, 1098 Distribution Inc. A spokeswoman for the Delaware wholesale distributor would not disclose pricing information.
The monks aren't disclosing details of the financing of the project, either. But the brewery equipment, from a top-of-the-line German manufacturer, can run into the tens of millions of dollars, said Jason Alstrom, co-founder of Beer Advocate magazine. He called the monks' plan to sell 4,000 barrels in their first year ambitious.
"Hoping to sell over 1.3 million bottles of beer or the equivalent is pretty bold for their first year,'' he said.
The monks say limited distribution will begin in Massachusetts by Wednesday. They also plan to supply a small Spencer restaurant situated a quarter-mile from the abbey. It is not yet available in their gift shop.
Carr said the monks opened a keg of the beer on New Year's Day to celebrate the culmination of their efforts and the end of a long process that disrupted their secluded lives with construction crews, marketing teams, and various consultants who have been involved in the project.
''Long term,'' Carr said, ''we'd like to get back to a more normal life.''


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South Georgia farmer Randy Dowdy says some of his neighbors have remarked that if he had good dirt, there's no telling what he could do.
What he has done, on mediocre soils, is to break Georgia's state corn yield record by more than 60 bushels, with an astounding 364 bushels per acres this past season. He also was the state's corn yield champ in 2010 and winner of the National Corn Growers' Yield Contest for Georgia with a high of 279 bushels per acre.
"My heart is in corn production," says Dowdy, who farms in Brooks County, Ga. "I really enjoy it — you might say I'm a student of growing corn."
Dowdy says he is most competitive with himself and not others when it comes to corn yields, and he is always aiming to beat his yields from the previous year.
"I've been doing variety plots for Pioneer and DeKalb for the past five to six years, and each year, they have asked me to enter the National Corn Growers Association yield contest. I was hesitant to enter the contest in the beginning, but last year I decided to enter the NCGA yield contest and I was blessed to win," he says. The winners of this year's contest will be announced by the NCGA in December.
As a result of winning in 2010, Dowdy says he attended the Commodity Classic in Tampa in hopes of learning something new, but was disappointed that the other national and state yield winners wouldn't share any specifics of their production.
"I wasn't looking to re-invent the wheel, but I was looking for ways to improve. The advice from growers was limited, but advice from Glenn Rountree, a Pioneer sales consultant and friend, proved beneficial. The experience motivated me, since I always like to try new things, and I share whatever I'm doing with other growers. I spend a lot of time on corn production, to the point to where my family and friends say I need a hobby. But my hobby is growing corn because I don't consider it work."
Wanted to hit home run
As he looked forward to the 2011 crop, Dowdy says he wanted to "hit a home run."
"This year, instead of walking the fields a couple times a week, I walked them a minimum of every other day, watching what was going on as I applied nutrients, chemicals and water. I looked at the plants to see how they were responding to what I was doing. I felt I was doing some things right, but I also tried some different things," he says. Dowdy's main motivation was to learn something in order to help other growers reach the next level.
"I knew I needed to think outside the box, focusing on removing corn plant stress and learning why, when, what and how the plant functions throughout its reproductive cycle. I had to make sure I removed all of the stressors of the plant — fertilizer, weed control, disease, plant population, tillage, irrigation — all of which must be managed to prevent yield loss. The variable of Mother Nature is out of our control, but we can do something about all these other yield-limiting factors."
And Dowdy is quick to add that everything must be done on time. "Timeliness is everything. Many times, the difference between a good farmer and a great farmer is four or five days. We need to get seed in the ground early and with precision, spray herbicides on time, fertilize and lime timely and accurately based on yield goals, apply fungicides for disease prevention, and make sure water is always present in sufficient amounts."
In addition to corn, he also grows peanuts, cotton and wheat, sometimes double-cropping soybeans with wheat.
"My passion is in growing corn, and when I grow corn, sometimes I deliver it to the local elevator and sometimes I grow it for dairy farms or poultry houses. The markets have been pretty good since ethanol plants came on line in the Southeast, such as the one in Camilla, Ga. Corn gives us another opportunity to combat herbicide-resistant pigweeds because we can use different chemistries with corn."
All of his corn is irrigated, otherwise it's too risky and too unpredictable, he says. If there are dryland acres, it's because the pivot doesn't hit it, like a corner of the field. This year, he had five to 10 acres of dryland corn in some fields, from which he says he didn't make one bushel.
"In anticipation of what kind of yields I would be making due to the hot and dry weather, I started doing yield estimates after pollination and couldn't believe the averages I was coming up with. The yield estimates were consistently above 300 in some hybrids. Surprisingly, at harvest, our first NCGA entry went 296 bushels on a variety that was 50 to 60 percent lodged. I knew if the lodged hybrid was yielding that high with the large amount of loss, then the corn still standing was going to be really special.
"Next, we did a check on Pioneer 1814 that was still standing, and the first check went 340 while the recheck went 352. The yields were not kept quiet for long. After we got the 352, it was chaos around here, with everyone coming by and wanting to see the corn and asking what I was doing different to attain those yields.
"A week or so later, we started harvesting Pioneer 2023, which was my winner last year. It was a 120-day hybrid, and when it finally got dry enough to pick, we got into it and the yield check went 354 and the re-check went 364 bushels per acres.
Overall average yet to be determined
"We don't have the on-farm total average because some of my corn is still in the bin, and I don't have my weight tickets for the unsold corn yet, but it'll be somewhere between 320 and 330 bushels for the whole farm, and that particular farm is 100 acres. On that farm we harvested only 91 irrigated acres."
In addition to growing his own corn, Dowdy consulted on between 2,500 to 3,000 acres of corn production this year in Georgia and north Florida.
"All these guys had very good yields. Although it was a dry year, we were actually fortunate to have cloudless days. This promoted cooler nighttime temperatures, and the plant was able to 'rest' at night. Also, the lack of cloud cover enabled maximum photosynthesis to occur during the day which was an advantage as long as you had irrigation. I irrigated 26 inches this year compared to 9 inches last year."
Dowdy had an eight to nine-week period during which he didn't see any rain.
"The corn pollinated at from 96 to 104 degrees F. I tried some new irrigation techniques this year that worked. The key is to keep the plant as cool as possible during the high temperatures of the day and at night.
"One of the biggest mistakes I feel farmers make is that when their land is irrigated and they get rainfall, then they think the corn should have enough water. You have to know your corn has enough water. You can't make high corn yields unless you can supply the plant's water needs. If you get rainfall, then that's a bonus.
"At best, you may be able to eliminate an irrigation trip, but only for the amount of that rainfall. If you don't have a pivot that can put out four to five-tenths inch per day to keep up with plant needs in conjunction with the evapotranspiration rates, then your water profile will continuously decrease, because you're losing at least a half inch of water per day from around 60 to 110 days after planting."
If water is limited, he says, this issue alone should influence you to plant half a pivot instead of a whole field or plant on fields with small pivots. When a farmer is doing his planning, the most important thing he can do is make sure water is not a limiting factor, says Dowdy.
He uses the University of Georgia's irrigation table as a guide but not a rule. "It tells you the plant water needs in relation to days after planting and growth stages. It is necessary to be aware of your soil types and have intimate knowledge of your soils' moisture holding capacity.
"This is the easiest way of estimating the amount of available water for the plant and promoting timely scheduling of irrigation. They call it the checkbook method. I'm considering incorporating soil moisture probes for this next year because it might help me eliminate some watering."
Some of Dowdy's fields have been in continuous corn for five years, and he doesn't agree that you'll always see a yield reduction in corn following corn. He has been double-cropping a legume behind the corn to help with weed control and to help fixate some nitrogen.
"You will see a yield reduction if you don't perform certain practices. You need to perform deep tillage in the fall, plant a cover crop, and apply some nitrogen after the corn is harvested. This is done so the soil microbes can feed off the nitrogen and begin to break down the corn fodder and remove some of the disease and insect risks associated with heavy corn residue.
Getting good rotation
"Basically, I am getting some good rotation between crops because I plant a legume and then a cover crop after the corn. I do deep tillage in the fall and in the spring. Part of this tillage is to help with moisture retention and to remove compaction, but it also helps to break down the litter."
The field that produced Dowdy's highest corn yields this year once was rolling terrain and was in pasture for several years.
"When I took it out of pasture, everyone said it was the most conservation-friendly crop possible, and that it was helping to hold the land together.
"Frankly, all the neighbors thought it was foolish for me to farm this land due to the terrain challenges. After the first year of farming, I thought they were right, but I didn't have irrigation on it, and that made all the difference. If God made it, I believe I can work with it."
While Dowdy admittedly farms on a smaller scale than some, he says smaller farmers have to make every acre count, and to do that, you have to make high yields.
For fertility, he pulls GPS grid samples. "I started doing variable-rate fertilization, and in the last two years, I've moved to 1-acre grid samples. It gives me a better picture of what's out there.
"I pull tissue samples several times during the year to verify that my fertilizer is actually available to the plant.
"Also, I pull samples based on the reproductive stages of the plant. If you see that you have a deficiency, it's already costing you yield. If you see it visually or through a tissue sample, it's already too late."
It's also important, says Dowdy, to pay attention to minor elements. "Probably the biggest weakness we have in corn production is the lack of research on minor elements and accurate fertility recommendations.
"The levels being recommended by all of the labs are insufficient, in my opinion. It's based on research from the 1940s and 1950s, when improved varieties were not being planted and irrigation wasn't available.
"We've come a long way with new corn hyrids, but we still depend on old research. Global populations are increasing significantly, and to feed these additional people will require greater yields. We need research at the university level to advise farmers on current hybrids, fertility and new technology.
"We're using 21st century irrigation, hybrids, and other practices to remove yield-limiting production variables. Insufficient fertility should not be one of those variables."
Dowdy says his corn weed control is "nothing special," with timing being the most important factor.
"I strip-till, so I chemically burn down a cover crop. I make a herbicide application a couple of days after planting and use irrigation to incorporate those chemicals. Then, I make another herbicide application two to three weeks postemergence.
"I constantly monitor for weed flushes, and I'm aggressive whenever that happens. Weed control is huge in corn production up to a certain stage. Once you get to about 45 days, shading will be your best friend."
All of Dowdy's irrigation sources are underground, and he's pumping from wells. All nozzles are drops with rotators to help minimize erosion. He has a system that can monitor his center pivots through a computer or through his cell phone.
Believes yields were limited
Dowdy has no doubt this year's yields were limited significantly, and he believes he can top his winning corn yields.
"When I planted, I unfortunately had an issue with the planter. I had inconsistent seed placement, with doubles and triples and skips. Throughout the growing season and especially at harvest, you could tell there was a problem with consistency. It probably cost me 15 to 20 percent of my yield. Needless to say, I no longer have that planter.
"The genetic potential of hybrids before we plant them, according to what research tells us, is 600 to 800 bushels. If I average 50 percent of that yield potential, compared to most people's standards, I'd make an A. But if a professor was grading me, I'd make an F.
"Often, the yield-limiting issues are things that are within our control. We can't control things like temperature and rainfall, but we have to do our part, and timing is everything."
His yield goal for 2012 is 400 bushels per acre. "Last year, it was 300 bushels, and the good Lord blessed me. I take copious notes throughout the year, and I did some experimenting this past year that I'll do on a grander scale this next year.
"There's no doubt in my mind that some of the things I did increased my yields. I've already booked corn for next year and started purchasing and taking delivery of fertilizer."
Dowdy hopes that whatever he is doing to achieve high corn yields can be used by other farmers.
"Some farmers haven't grown corn in years, and things have changed, so maybe I can help them. Farmers have to be flexible and be willing to change current and past production practices and/or do things more timely with an emphasis on producing as much as possible and making every acre count.
"Cost-per-acre will go up with my system, but everything I do is based on return on investment. It's not about winning a contest — it's about making money. Nine times out of 10, if you have top yields you'll make money."
The son of a minister, Dowdy says he started doing farm work with people in his father's congregation when he was eight or nine years old. He attended college, obtaining his bachelor's and master's degrees, and worked professionally for awhile.
"I initially started buying land for an investment and for recreation, because I love hunting. Then, to help the land pay for itself, I started farming. I've been farming on my own since 2002, beginning then with food plots.
"In 2004, I started farming row crops. In the beginning, I asked peer farmers a great deal of questions and much credit for my success must go to the University of Georgia staff, specifically agronomist Dewey Lee. Dewey has been a friend and very helpful with answering my never-ending questions throughout the years, for which I am very thankful.
"It has been very difficult at times to succeed because I'm a first-generation farmer. I'm buying all of my own land and my own equipment, but I am not complaining. The good Lord has blessed me thus far, and I will keep trying to get to the next level."


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Catheryne Titan Urban-Rivals.me Wednesday 07/03/2012, 23:04
I've finally made some updates done to the "My Urban Rivals" fan site (http://urban-rivals.me). Let me know what you think.
Recent Changes:
* Updated the look and feel of the site
* Deck builder preview shows you which cards you're missing
* See what formats decks are valid for (i.e. T1, T2, and ELO)
* Shorter "share this deck" links in deck builder (old links still work)
Coming Very Soon:
* Searchable deck list that can be filtered to suit your needs
* Mission database and check-list
Current Site Features (for those of you don't know about the site):
* Search card database by any feature (name, clan, power, damage, level, ability, bonus, price, etc.)
* Sort card lists by potential profit/loss if sold at current market value
* Graphs of character price history over time
* See your recent trades for each character as well as profit/loss
* Deck builder to help you plan decks for various formats whether or not you own all of the cards.
* Securely link this site to your official Urban Rivals account
* Live player information for registered users (e.g. clintz balance, level, etc)
* Import your collection from the official site to easily see what cards you have, and which ones you're missing.
* Set decks on this site as your current in-game deck if you own all the cards.
Don't forget to vote for "My Urban Rivals - DB, Deck Builder, Etc." on the official fan site page: http://www.urban-rivals.com/community/fansites.php
Frowns Imperator At the End of the World Thursday 08/03/2012, 12:12
Awesome! I'm a big fan.
I'd love to see some more search filters as well. Specifically price ranges and release date ranges. Also, the abilities Heal and Copy Bonus should be searchable.
Catheryne Titan Urban-Rivals.me Thursday 08/03/2012, 12:54
Thanks for the reminder about searching for copy and heal. I've added them as searchable. I made Copy a prefix in case they add copy ability or something later on. I'll also look into searching by price and release date.
I may make the card filter collapsed by default so it takes up less room, and only show when you click to expand it or when you have filters applied. Thoughts?
Next step: deck lists.
Keep the suggestions coming.
Catheryne Titan Urban-Rivals.me Thursday 08/03/2012, 23:02
I just got the rough cut of the deck list implemented (http://urban-rivals.me/ur/deck). It'll fill out as people create more 8 card decks in the deck builder.
I've still got to add reviews and more filtering, but for now, you can filter by format and clans, and sort by level, damage, and power.
More to come.
Puddin Tame Guru Wednesday 14/03/2012, 03:31
I really like how your site lets me sort the cards according to release date and while only showing ones I don't have. It lets me quickly see which new bloods I still need to get and view all their prices at once.
ShazamFTW Titan Time To Hymn You Wednesday 21/03/2012, 01:45
Played around for a few minutes, definately looks like an incredibly well put together site. Bookmarked for future.
Well done sir.
-LDA-Brujo Master Sunday 02/09/2012, 19:20
My UR got off? im feel so sad when i try to acess and it gives me 500 error =/
HoA_Creedmor Master Harbingers of Ares Monday 03/09/2012, 02:33
Yeah same here but i bet its amazing
and maybe an idea for the website would be to add a card idea to the bottom of every clan page so that the creator of U.R can see it and probably get a good idea from what the players want
Legacy PH Senior Face Everything And Rejoice Monday 03/09/2012, 12:26
Regarding the 500 error.
Same problem here. I hope they'll fix it soon or better if it's an update.
A big fan here. I feel lost without UR.me..
-LDA-Brujo Master Sunday 09/09/2012, 03:22
"I pray to all the Gods: Please activate urban.rivals.me again!