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Pregnant women who are obese or overweight are more likely to have premature babies according to a new Swedish Study which analysed more than 1.5 million births.
This follows on from a previous American study that showed a 30% increased risk of pre-term births. (Pre-term is defined as babies born before 37 weeks).
The children of these pre-term births can also suffer serious health problems as a result of early birth. Pre-term birth is one of the leading causes of serious infant illness and death.
The researchers found that the higher the BMI, the higher the risk of pre-term birth.
Other studies have suggested that women who spontaneously deliver pre-term have been found to have high levels of Cytokines which are released into the blood stream as part of the body's immune response. Obese and overweight women are more likely to suffer from inflammation which carries an increased risk of urine infections and vaginal infections.
These infections raise the risk of pre-term birth.
Does this research mean it is now acceptable for a pregnant women to diet? Surely having a healthy diet that results in a weight loss throughout their pregnancy is safer than the risk they carry when they are over weight?
Slimming world is now working with the RCM, they want to make their message clear, they are not encouraging weight loss or dieting, instead they say they are supporting women to have a healthy diet whilst pregnant. This, I feel, is a little confusing.
How will that work? Will Slimming World not be giving any affirmations to the pregnant woman on how well she is doing/looking because she just so happens to be losing weight? A healthy diet will almost always result in weightloss, whether you're pregnant or not.
They must know that. Come on, they are after all called SLIMMING world.
I do however believe what they are doing is a step in the right direction. RCM magazine predicted that 18.5% of pregnant women in 2012 were obese. Something has got to change. Our bodies were designed to carry one or two babies alone, not on top of the weight of 6 others.
Asides from a healthy diet, is it safe for pregnant women to exercise? Should heavily pregnant women be seen at the gym? Obviously this would raise concerns on correct training. During the later stages of pregnancy you have to be careful of high impact on the body, over stretching etc. Gentle exercise is okay.
It is a woman's right to chose what she will (or won't) do throughout her pregnancy. After all it is her body and her baby. I just believe that perhaps, women need to be made aware of the risks they are taking.
Nurture Antenatal x


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Cody Prosperini is a teenager who, in his own words, �wants to know everything about everything.�
And while he�s working on that, he�s happy to do his part to make Springfield a better place.
The youth of Generation Y � born between 1982 and 2000 � often get rapped for being self-centered, less concerned about helping the world, politically disengaged and lacking work ethic.
But the Gen Y stereotype certainly does not apply to Prosperini, a junior at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and recipient of this year�s State Journal-Register Top Teen award.
The Top Teen title is given annually to central Illinois teenagers who make a difference in their communities. A panel of teenagers evaluates the nominations and names the finalists.
Academically, Prosperini excels at SHG. He is a straight-A student and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. He wants to be a neuroscientist.
But it�s his leadership, compassion and compulsion to help others that set him apart from other youth. For example, he organized car washes as a middle school student to raise money to help the family of a local girl who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a watercraft accident.
�I wanted to show that my generation cares,� he said. �I figured that I was just as good as any other person to start showing that.�
From there, his desire to serve the community grew. He is involved with the Key Club, a Kiwanis International-sponsored group that raises money for nonprofit organizations, such as UNICEF. He raises money and awareness for spastic paralysis research, which seeks to cure diseases of the central nervous system.
He also works on The Eliminate Project, which seeks to eradicate maternal and neonatal tetanus, and raised money for the cause by seeking small donations instead of Halloween candy.
The list of service projects goes on. He�s a student ambassador, representing SHG in the community. He�s worked on food drives, raising about $8,000 each year he�s been in high school. He tutors children after school at St. Patrick Catholic School.
Springfield is a better place because of Prosperini and his passion for learning and helping others.
Congratulations to him and to the other Top Teen finalists: Isabel Butterfield, senior at Williamsville High School; Taylour Jones, senior at Lanphier High School; Jonathan Miller, senior at Williamsville High School; and Rene Runions, sophomore at Rochester High School.

subset: commoncrawl


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Online/Virtual Programs Admissions
Through the USF virtual campus, students experience the same quality and personal touch of a University of Saint Francis education, with the convenience of online courses and a reduced tuition rate.


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Hartsville, S.C. – The Coker volleyball team lost a pair of heartbreaking matches on Saturday afternoon. The first one came at the hands of Conference Carolinas rival Belmont Abbey College. The Crusaders defeated the Lady Cobras 3-2, after Coker battled back from a 2-0 deficit to start the match. Then in the second match of the day the Lady Cobras were downed by Brevard College 3-1, after another come from behind 2-0 deficit. The losses drop the Lady Cobras to 1-13 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
In the Abbey (2-7, 2-2 Conf. Carolinas) match, the Crusaders won the first two sets 25-19 and 25-20, but then the Lady Cobras stormed back to win sets three and four with scores of 25-20 and 25-23. Then came the fifth and final set; where both teams battled back and forth to start the set, but a late run by the Abbey gave them a 15-11 win.
Leading the Lady Cobras in the Abbey match was Cynallyhia Indriago (Columbia, S.C.) with 10 kills and 17 digs for a double-double, while Kristin Teets (Columbia, S.C>) also recorded a double-double behind 12 kills and 14 digs. April Griggs (Bishopville, S.C.) netted double digit kills with 10, with Abby Frame (Sylvania, Ohio) and Molly Bookhart (Orangeburg, S.C.) dishing out 23 and 18 assists respectively. Samantha Bryant (North Augusta, S.C.) also added 17 digs for the Lady Cobras.
For Belmont Abbey, Steffanie Holler (Wake Forest, N.C.) and Remick Tiller (Palm City, Fla.) each had 13 kills, with Tiller also leading the team in digs with nine and Holler netting seven digs of her own. Kay Schellenburg (Jacksonville, Fla.) had 41 assists and Julianne Pisano (Erie, Pa.) had eight digs.
The second match of the evening for the Lady Cobras started much like the first with Brevard (7-3) winning the first two sets, 25-16 and 25-12. And then just like in the first match Coker bounced back with a win in the third set, 25-18, but unfortunately for the Lady Cobras that is where the train stopped as the Lady Tornados won the fourth set 25-13.
Teets, Indriago and Griggs each had five kills to pace the Lady Cobras, with Teets also grabbing 12 digs. Frame had 19 assists and 13 digs.
Brevard was led by Brooke Seaman's (Spring Hill, Fla.) 13 kills, followed by Jamie Atkinson's (Spartanburg, S.C.) 10 kills and Rebecca Schoonover's (Palm City, Fla.) match leading 18 digs. Also picking up double digit digs for the Lady Tornados were Caroline Merrill (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Chelsey Trojan (Sacramento, Ca.) with 11 digs apiece, while Brethany Stevenson (Prattville, Ala.) had 37 assists.
Coker returns to action Friday, Sept. 25 when they travel to Anderson, S.C. to face the Lady Trojans of Anderson University at 7:00 p.m.


text: Hello Avid Haifuxers, Shachar's talk is postponed to Monday, July 26th, 18:30 (same place and hour, next week) due to July 19th being 9th of Av. There will be no Haifux talk tomorrow (July 19th). Thanks Orna On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 2:58 PM, Orr Dunkelman <orr.dunkelman at gmail.com>wrote: > Next Monday, July 19th at 18:30, Haifux will gather to hear Shachar Raindel > talk about: > > Valgrind - from magic to science > > Valgrind is an extremely powerful development tool, which detects and > pin-points many common programming errors when running a program. Some > examples for the problems it handles are many kinds of buffer > overflows, using uninitialized data, accessing freed memory and memory > leaks. Valgrind does that without need for recompilation of the > program, simply by adding "valgrind" to the beginning of the command > line. > > To an outside observer, this could seem like magic. In this lecture, > we will take a peek under the hood of valgrind, and learn how the > magic is done. I will also briefly introduce other, less known > features of valgrind. > > ============================================== > > We meet in Taub (CS Faculty) building, room 6. For instructions see: > http://www.haifux.org/where.html > > Attendance is free, and you are all invited! > > ============================== > > Future talks include: > > 02/08/10 Zemereshet - Yair Even-Zohar > > Gaps for YOU to fill... including Haifux's 11th birthday!!! > > 13/09/10 Secure File Systems - Orr Dunkelman > =============================== > > We are always interested in hearing your talks and ideas. If you wish to > give a talk, hold a discussion, or just plan some event haifux might be > interested in, please contact us at webmaster at haifux.org > > > -- > Orr Dunkelman, > Orr.Dunkelman at gmail.com > > GPG fingerprint: C2D5 C6D6 9A24 9A95 C5B3 2023 6CAB 4A7C B73F D0AA > (This key will never sign Emails, only other PGP keys. The key > corresponds to orrd at vipe.technion.ac.il) > _______________________________________________ > Haifux mailing list > Haifux at haifux.org > http://hamakor.org.il/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/haifux > -- Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda. http://ladypine.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://haifux.org/pipermail/haifux/attachments/20100718/e6ee6254/attachment.html


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is proposing a "grand swap" in which the federal government would take over all responsibility for Medicaid and the states would gain all control over education.
The senator said an address to a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Wednesday said that proposal mirrors one he made to President Ronald Reagan three decades ago while Alexander was the state's governor. Alexander said Reagan embraced the idea, but it did not gain any traction in Congress.
Alexander told reporters after the speech on Tuesday that he sees similar barriers to his proposal amid Democratic control of the Senate and the presidency but said the change would remove the concerns and political challenges facing the states on expanding Medicaid or creating state insurance exchanges.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text: Through this musical theme violin sounds like it came from heaven. Violin is real. The musical theme is well suited for anything that relates to love and romance. I recommend it for the main theme music for a romantic film or TV and radio shows focused on the theme of love and Valentine's Day.


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We previously looked at Bing UK rolling out the social update we've witnessed being released elsewhere, but it seems as though we're not going to get the full package - at least not the SERP social sidebar anyway. What the Bing UK search engine has received is a slight upgrade with Facebook and Live connectivity, plus a slight design revamp.
With our previous coverage, we received numerous comments from readers who reside in multiple countries, all confirming no social sidebar. Unfortunately, it seems as though this is a limited feature with only the US sporting the whole shabang thus far. But what we all do have after the upgrade is a cleaner interface, larger homepage images, and clearer result pages. Let's hope more is on the way.
If that wasn't enough to heal the social wounds, the Bing team have worked hard on optimisation and under-the-hood improvements. Question is: do you like the sidebar? Would you like to see it included, or is what we have so far enough?
Source: Bing UK


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when you check out, make sure to pick USPS Priority Mail shipping.
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Most of the items on our web site available for wholesale please check our wholesale web site www.mbdinternational.com
Copyright mbd international,inc. www.holyland-mall.com, www.holylandmall.net ©1999-2018.
Buy with confidence our company was establish since 1999 a Washington State corporation, we are register with the state and responsible for all the transactions.
No international phone calls no long email response time, we take care of our customers.Make sure to check what our customers say about us. Go to my info page to read about us. For shipping rate please check our shipping charge.
We accept order by phone for orders over $100 only please call 1-888-260-4461.


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How To: Make a Marbleized Leaf Centerpiece
I've been looking for an inexpensive, simple way to dress up my dining room table to celebrate the height of the fall holiday season — and I came up with this leaf centerpiece which cost me under $5. Even better? My kids were able to help, and the process went really quickly … they also managed to get really messy, which is always a bonus in their book!
• shaving cream (I used a can of foamy barbasol, about $1)
• shallow pan
• acrylic craft paint (I used a few fall colors, $0.59 each)
• stick for swirling
• watercolor paper
• scraper — piece of cardboard, spatula, etc.
• branches for display
• scissors and pencil
• hot glue
1. Squirt out your shaving cream into a shallow pan.
2. Spread it out, and squirt out some paint on top.
3. Use your stick to swirl the paint and make a pattern.
4. Put a piece of watercolor paper right on top and press lightly.
5. Pull your paper up carefully — it's gonna look like a big mess!
6. Use your scraper to scrape off the shaving cream, and like magic, your design will stay on the paper!
7. Let paper dry completely, and marble the reverse side as well, if desired.
8. Trace a leaf onto a page and cut out — repeat!
9. Glue leaves to your branches, and enjoy!
(Images: Sarah Dobbins)


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One handed slap & fold
This all started as a joke in the Spanish forum http://www.elforodelpan.com
I commented on my way of kneading, which is basically the slap & fold method using just one hand. It's a very convenient method for the amount of dough I use to make, about 1.2 Kg or 2.65 lb, but I've used it with up to 2.5 Kg of dough.
Good-humoured discussiong followed, with some forum members ironically questioning the possibility of such a thing as one-hand slap & fold, so I decided to make a little video and this is the result.


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BLÖCT Wooden Tablet Stands
When we think of wooden stands, we definitely don't think of the BLÖCT models that are currently available. They are somewhat large, but have a rustic appeal that would make them interesting to use at home. For all of you who think that wood is good, here are some great wooden stands for all of your tablets.
BLÖCT Model A1 and B1
The BLÖCT wooden tablets stands come in two different models. The B1 is the cantilevered model and will prop up your tablet in a few different configurations. The A1 is more of a desktop model, and will work well on your desk if you've got the room to spare. Both models come with felt tipped feet, so they won't scratch your desk.
Zebra Wood iPad Stand
This stand was handmade by MODchair and it will fit most tablets that are the size of the iPad. The lustrous wood is definitely something unique that we wouldn't mind having in our home office.
The Magnetic Wood iPad Stand
This stand is quite minimal, which is one of the reasons we like it, and it will serve you well. You can get them from Yournestinspired's Etsy shop. When not in use, you can put the two pieces together for storage.
Sinker Cypress iPad Stand
This stand from the HardWoodShop on Etsy is made from reclaimed wood and has got a smaller footprint so it will fit almost anywhere, especially on the coffee table.
iPad & eBook Oak Stand
This simple yet effective stand from WoodDesigner will get the job done, and not just for your iPad. They are nicely finished and will look good in a variety of different places.
Wooden Laptop Stands
Best DIY Stands
Rain Design iRest Stand
(images: MODchair, Yournestinspired, HardWoodShop and WoodDesigner)


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Insurance products offered are not deposit accounts and are not insured or guaranteed by FDIC or any other government agency and may go down in value.
|©2011 Citizens Bank Sac City, Iowa. All rights reserved. Website powered by ProfitStars.
Citizens Bank Sac City, Iowa
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|NOTICE: Citizens Bank Sac City, Iowa is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the web sites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source - The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.


text:
The NDSU A-Z index has moved to https://www.ndsu.edu/alphaindex/. Please update your bookmarks.
Student Focused. Land Grant. Research Institution.
North Dakota State University | Information Phone: (701) 231-8011 |
Physical address: 1340 Administration Ave., Fargo, ND 58102 | Mailing address: PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Site Manager: NDSU Webmaster | Published by University Relations


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A Waldorf doll may be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of "Waldorf toys." I often receive inquiries about Waldorf dolls and how to choose one. Here, I share with you some of the common questions, and my responses.
Q: What exactly is a Waldorf doll?
A: A Waldorf doll is a type of doll used in Waldorf education. They are usually handmade of natural fibers, like wool and cotton, using traditional European dollmaking techniques.
The facial features of a Waldorf doll are intentionally minimal (for example, two embroidered eyes, and a hint of a mouth) or they may have no facial features at all! This is to allow a child to develop his or her capacity for imagination and creativity. Without fixed facial features, a child can imagine the doll to have any expression. It is equally easy to imagine such a doll being happy or sad; crying or laughing—unlike a hard plastic doll, with a fixed, permanent expression.
Q: When is a good time to introduce a doll for the first time? Which dolls would you recommend for different ages?
A: One can introduce a doll to a baby during the first year! I always recommend a Waldorf Blanket Doll as the perfect first doll for a baby, and up to the age of two.
Sometimes known as a "Towel Doll," a Blanket Doll is a cross between a favorite "blankie" and a doll. Babies love to look at the human face, and this doll has a formed head covered with cotton knit skin and hand-sewn simple facial features. It has an unformed, soft flannel body, and simple hands and feet sewn into the four corners. The cotton flannel body is warm and soft, and nourishing to a baby's developing senses. The hands and feet invite gumming and chewing, and the materials are safe and non-toxic.
A toddler at the age of two or three can more easily grasp the concept of "doll," and at this age I recommend a Waldorf Cuddle Doll. This type of Waldorf doll (which is also known as a "Bunting Doll") is more huggable, and squeezable. The body is pillow-like and squishy, making it easy for a young child to hold and grasp. The knot at the end of this "baby's" stocking cape invites gumming and mouthing, and like the Blanket Doll, is safe for doing so.
For a child age four or older, I recommend a beautiful and classic Waldorf Dress Up Doll. The "dress up" doll typically has skin made from cotton interlock knit fabric and wool stuffing. The trademark long hair on the girl dolls is usually made of mohair or boucle, and can be braided. It has flexible arms and legs, allowing the doll to be dressed in different changes of clothing, and to assume natural postures.
It is between the ages of 4 and 6 when children really start to play imaginatively and out of imitation. This is the age when playing "house" usually begins, and children of this age love to dress and change clothes on these dolls, feeding them, having tea parties with them, and so forth. These dolls are ideal for a child who has developed the fine motor skills needed to button and change clothing. In doing so, children further develop these skills of manual dexterity.
Q: My daughter's doll has some dirt stains on her face and body. Can you tell me how to safely wash a Waldorf doll?
A: Waldorf dolls are generally surface washable only. The best way to wash them is to gently spot clean with a mild soap (I like Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, used very diluted in water) and a soft terrycloth rag. Allow the doll to air dry away from direct sunlight. Never, ever put a Waldorf doll in a washing machine or dryer!
I love hearing your questions! Have a question about Waldorf toys or Waldorf education? A perplexing parenting problem? Wondering about your child's development? Leave your question here and I'll do my best to answer in a future post.


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Research At the Biodiversity Institute, about 100 scientists and graduate students study the planet's species, ecosystems and past cultures. Their work is critical to understanding the diversity of life and for predicting the future: changes in populations, threatened species, the spread of disease and the influence of pest species.
Software for Biological Collections
The Department of Informatics is a multi-disciplinary unit of biologists and software engineers which develops and supports software for biological collections research, including Specify and Lifemapper
Predatory Behavior of T. Rex
In a paper published in the journal PNAS, the tooth crown embedded in a hadrosaurid caudal centrum provides direct evidence of predatory behavior by Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Last Day in the Mountains
I had one last look at the mountains as we turned the van around and retreated down the muddy road. Over the last 48 hours Dr. Tess Sanguila and I drove back and forth along the north coast of Mindanao...
Graduate Education
The Biodiversity Institute is one of the leading organizations in the United States training the next generation of biodiversity scientists and evolutionary biologists.


text:
Boring is better!
Last week was exciting for my family, and not in a pleasant way. Two bad things happened on Tuesday, June 14:
- Keely's knitting bag was stolen from her (unlocked) car while she was home for lunch. A thief opened the car door and took it, apparently thinking it was a purse. Keely had all her knitting needles in her bag, some special yarn, and the project that she's been working on. She was outraged and traumatized, in the way that you are when someone steals something that is dear to you and part of your life.
- Isaac drove to Lexington, KY, to visit a friend, and had a car accident. He was driving on a busy street and glanced down at his speedometer. In those few seconds, a car ahead of him (four cars up) came to an abrupt stop. Everyone was slamming on their brakes, but Isaac didn't slam quick enough and he rear-ended the car ahead of him. He was unhurt, except that the impact did extremely bend his toes on his driving foot. He was also a little bruised from the airbag. No one else was injured, either. We are very thankful!!
When I got my wits about me, a few minutes after talking to Isaac, I realized that there was no point in driving to Lexington until the next day. It was already 4 pm in the Eastern Time Zone, and Lexington is a three hour drive from where we live.
Dennis was enroute to Kansas City that afternoon, to visit his mother. He was a little weak in the knees when he heard the news, too! He volunteered to turn around and come back home, but I urged him to go on and visit his mom. (This is a summary of several excited telephone calls between us!)
And poor Keely! I had planned to go to Clarksville with her that evening when she got off work. When I called her to tell her about Isaac's accident and my change of plans, she was already distraught about the theft of her knitting bag. And, just to add to the stress, Keely's house was crowded with boxes and displaced furniture all last week. Their landlady was having some repairs done, so Keely and Taurus had to completely empty one of the rooms in their house, and then a few days later, another room.
I went to Lexington the next day and got Isaac. We found his car at the towing service and cleaned it out. I took the photo below at that time. The insurance company couldn't decide whether to transfer the car to a Lexington adjuster or tow it back to Hopkinsville. After dithering for a few days, they totaled it and left it in Lexington. Dennis arrived home safe and sound from his trip, and he has been taking care of all the details with the insurance company, thank goodness.
A few days after the fact, Keely went to the police station and filed a report on the theft of her knitting bag. The police department called her back within an hour and said, "Ma'am, we think we have your missing property." A homeowner on a neighboring street had found it in the ditch in front of his house. He realized that it was probably stolen and turned it into the police. The bag was wet inside, but all of the knitting needles, etc. were still in it.
This week is going better. The repairs at Keely and Taurus's house are finished, so they are moving their furniture back and restoring order. We're looking for a suitable replacement car for Isaac, and his foot is feeling better. Keely has been washing the mildew smell out of her bag and yarn, and she's back to knitting. And I have finally written in my blog again.
|One of Keely's recent projects (future gifts). These little
critters are ba-bombs which are characters in the Mario
video games. I hope I am identifying them correctly!


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Nourishing, botanical ingredients for a glowing, more radiant YOU!
Our unique skin care line captures the natural, rejuvenating benefits of a rare apple, the Uttwiler Spätlauber (Malus Domestica). The Apple Stem Cells help protect skin cell regeneration and so delay the onset of wrinkles. Multi-Peptides work to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Inca Inchi Oil, Shea Butter, Jojoba Seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil hydrate and seal in moisture. In combination, these sulfate and paraben-free products are among the world's most innovative skin care breakthroughs.
Let's face it; we can't control aging or what it does to our skin. Finding a skin care regimen that not only addresses the signs of aging, but one that's also formulated with ingredients that are safe for your skin is not easy. There are so many choices on the market today, and you don't want to waste time and money on empty promises of an ever-lasting youthful appearance that never materialises.
Embrace your age with confidence! Norwex Naturally Timeless helps to fight the signs of aging! This product quartet is formulated with eco-friendly ingredients that help moisturise, smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve clarity, and contour the skin for a healthier, more youthful appearance.
Cleanse face with Makeup Removal Cloth before applying Naturally Timeless products in the following order:


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Chicken & Bread Salad, Strawberry Dessert Pizza, Roasted Vegetable Pasta, & Lemon Yogurt Icebox Tart
May we suggest a weekend menu for you? Start a spring evening with crispy, addictive chickpea flatbread (socca) and bites of crostini with goat cheese and greens, all while sipping a glass of rosé. Move on to a fresh salad with hearts of palm and watercress, and a main dish of crispy chicken thighs piled on a sourdough bread salad with arugula and pine nuts. Finish it off with a no-bake lemon yogurt tart, chilled in the fridge and served with whipped cream. There you have it — our perfect April weekend menu. Read on for these recipes and more!
• Crispy Chicken Thighs and Warm Bread Salad
• Lemon Yogurt Icebox Tart
• Creamy Tofu and Green Pea Dip
• Hearts of Palm, Corn, Tomatoes and Watercress Salad
• Roasted Balsamic Vegetable Pasta with Mint and Yogurt
• Strawberry Pizza
• How to Make Socca
• Goat Cheese Rapini Toasts
• Acai Cosmo Cocktail
Last Week's Recipes: Mediterranean Meatballs, Cheese Gougeres, Strawberry Soda, and White Bean and Roasted Vegetable Salad
(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)


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ENEA Global Oficina ENEA Global without armrests ENEA Global with armrests ENEA Global with armrests ENEA Global Oficina ENEA Global Oficina ENEA Global Oficina ENEA Global Bancada ENEA Global Bancada ENEA Global Silla Patin
A system of stackable seats for domestic or group use. It is especially conceived to resolve the most diverse usage requirements, both in private and public spaces: offices, hostelry, auditoriums, schools, waiting rooms,… The intention is to find a global solution to the problem posed in a large variety of public spaces, and to cover the needs derived from a certain activity. It is equally important to precisely consider a broad range of combinations and possibilities bearing in mind the functional characteristics that each of the elements must fulfil as well as the required conditioners of maintenance and storage. Special consideration has been given to the impact to which they will be submitted through continuous and often undue use, so materials and constructive solutions have been chosen that give maximum durability. In the event of serious damage to the pieces, their replacement will not involve an excessive cost. High technology constructive processes have been used, so a considerable increase is achieved in the quality of the final product and the number of different finishes, with a more satisfactory interrelationship between all of the components, resulting in a very light product of very high quality, with very reasonable prices in all kinds of installation. In terms of shape, a product is proposed with a sharp characterisation as a result of its functional requirements; therefore, the seat and back are designed with the intention of welcoming the user in an exercise of balance between ergonomy, shape and constructive rationalisation, with soft forms that suggest comfort. Functionally, an installable flap has been achieved for either of the sides, which hides downward even in the case of connected rows of chairs and does not make stacking difficult.
ENEA began its activity in 1984, focusing on manufacturing and commercializing contemporary design furniture.


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by Rebecca Winzenried
Central Clearinghouse
NewMusicJukebox compiles an online library for 21st century music.
Easy access to new music via the Internet may have widened its potential audience to the nth degree, but the technology has presented other dilemmas for the music industry. Exactly how does a composer of new music familiarize orchestras and audiences with his work? Where does an orchestra programmer go to learn what new music is available? How does a music librarian archive materials to reflect the changing ways in which information is communicated? How does an organization known for its 20th-century collection of musical scores deal with 21st-century music technology?
Hold on, because answers to some of those questions may be just around the corner with the launch of NewMusicJukebox, a web site of the American Music Center. This "central clearinghouse for scores and recordings," as it's described on the site, is the AMC's wide-ranging solution for how to deal with the collection and dissemination of new music for a new century.
AMC officials have wrestled over the last couple of years with how most effectively to move one of the organization's core services-circulation of perusal scores-from the physical to the virtual world. AMC members have long been able to "check out" copies from the organization's library of more than 60,000 scores and recordings by American composers dating back to 1906. As Executive Director Richard Kessler notes, the process worked fine for most of the 20th century. When the organization first started offering the service in 1939, it wasn't easy to view scores or get copies. (The Xerox process had been invented only a year earlier.) "People knew that when they were in New York, they could stop by and take a look at scores," he says. "It was never meant to be an archive, but it became a default archive."
With the advent of Web technology, more and more composers, programmers, and audience members are now turning to the Internet as their primary source of information. NewMusicJukebox is an attempt to create an archive adapted to their needs. It has made scores, audio samples, and information about composers available on a single web site.
NewMusicJukebox is set up as a fairly straightforward music-library database-except, in this case, composers and users are in control of the information and how it is accessed. Composers who are members of the American Music Center can post their works on the site, including information about length, ensemble type, and how to obtain a score. They can also post a score for perusal and include recorded clips or MIDI files.
The site works with different composing software programs, such as Sibelius and Finale, in an effort to be "as ecumenical as possible," says Larry Larson, an AMC board member who has been directly involved in the site's development. "We don't want them to be forced into learning a new program." A "Technology Guide" and an "FAQs" section give information about the different programs, and the site allows users to download applications needed to view the scores--a Scorch plug-in is needed to read Sibelius web files, for example-or listen to audio files.
Composers can post audio clips as MP3 files or MIDI samples. Larson and Kessler admit that the synthesized quality of MIDI files is not a perfect option for hearing an orchestral score, but such files do provide a fairly accurate representation of what the works sound like and, at least on NewMusicJukebox, the welcome chance to follow along in the score. The MIDI option may also be a way around rights issues if composers aren't able to obtain permission from everyone involved in actual performance recordings. (MIDI files are basically instructions for a computer or synthesizer for how to play the music.) An "About Rights" section will keep composers and users up to date on the latest information concerning copyright and intellectual property issues for distribution of music-related materials on the Web.
Visitors to www.newmusicjukebox.com can search the site by type of composition, scores only, audio only, or all of the above. A composer search offers a roster of works with information on the length, ensemble, instrumentation, and how to obtain a score or contact the composers or publishers. NewMusicJukebox was conceived as a strictly business-to-business model for artistic administrators and programmers. Thus, an advanced search can be narrowed down to specifics such as five-minute length or works for marimba.
However, the site has since been opened to general access. Composers must be AMC members to post, but anyone can sign on to do searches, including casual users who might have heard something on the radio and want to learn more about it. A keyword option allows them to do broad searches for works by a composer's last name, or by any fragment of the title they might have managed to catch.
Sounds and Scores
In fact, NewMusicJukebox developed from plans to launch a web radio station devoted to new music. That idea is still in the works, as the "New Music Radio" button floating at an upper corner of the pages attests. The radio station would draw its playlist from the NewMusicJukebox database. Early discussions about the web station evolved with the realization that there was no central place for users to find information about new composers and their music. Kessler points out that even established contemporary composers can be hard to track down on the Internet. It's not a given that composers or their publishers have taken time to set up web sites or to log composition details.
Many up-and-coming composers without publishers have taken matters into their own hands by establishing web sites that function as promotional tools and distribution centers. Still, if no one knows about the music, the odds of any given site on the World Wide Web being found are dicey. "There's actually a confusion of information. People don't know what composers are out there," Kessler notes. "When they do want to program something new, they don't know where to find it. The reality is that the field is deeper, stronger than it's ever been."
A core group consisting of Kessler, Larson, and composer/web consultant Caleb Kerchaval has been working on NewMusicJukebox for more than a year, aided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Nuts-and-bolts work on the project has revolved around development of a database and navigational tools to make NewMusicJukebox as user-friendly as possible.
A second element has involved familiarizing publishers with the concept, demonstrating how NewMusicJukebox can work in tandem with them, not in competition. AMC sees NewMusicJukebox as a bridge between publishers and end-users, since it can include links to publisher web sites, composer pages, or information about how to obtain scores. Kessler reminds critics that NewMusicJukebox scores are offered for promotional perusal, just as AMC has always done with hard copies. "We're not selling this stuff," he says. The site does allow self-published composers to offer users a score-download option. Keeping in mind that this is a 21st-century project, NewMusicJukebox will focus on new compositions only-at least for now. A test phase that began in February started with a base of about 100 works; the list had grown to substantially prior to the site's official launch on May 6. AMC encouraged participation from a balance of known and unknown composers to get it started on a solid footing.
NewMusicJukebox will be essentially user-controlled and maintained as composers continue to post new works or offer updates on older pieces. The design sets up NewMusicJukebox as an instant archive of new music from this point forward. Its acceptance among composers remains to be seen, but its potential can be weighed by a look at AMC's membership: Of about 2,500 members, 1,800 are composers.
The organization will eventually add its 20th-century library to NewMusicJukebox, either by adding scores directly to the database or perhaps by offering connection to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. AMC's actual collection of scores was moved last summer from the organization's headquarters in Manhattan's Flatiron district to the Performing Arts library at Lincoln Center, some 40 blocks north.
AMC has also entered into an agreement with the Charles Ives Society to include that composer's scores on the site. Kessler believes it is important to widen the scope of NewMusicJukebox by adding such "legacy" materials. It's a rather ironic twist for a forward-looking project-one that, he notes, "opens the door not only to the 21st century but the 20th century as well."
Rebecca Winzenried is managing editor of SYMPHONY.


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Nymbler is the smart baby name guide that responds to your personal taste.
Nymbler makes name connections with insights from baby-naming expert Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard.
CamalliaInspire Nymbler with Camallia
A girl's name of Italian origin. Camallia has never been a common name in the United States. Meaning: Italian: Botany: a camellia is an evergreen tree or shrub with fragrant roselike flowers.
U.S. popularity statistics:
|Peak year:
|Rank in 2008:
|3-year trend:


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27 September 2012
This October, KMS will be selling KMS Drift breast cancer awareness stickers and shirts to promote awareness and raise money for Cindy's Hope Chest.
About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. This disease claims the lives of tens of thousands of women each year and is the second most common type of cancer after skin cancer. With the help of fundraisers, advances in treatment have increased rates of remission and early detection dramatically over the years. We here at KMS hope to see an end to breast cancer in the near future and are very happy to aid in the fight. Proceeds from breast cancer awareness sticker and shirt sales will go to help women in need until there is a cure. You can find yours at all KMS events and soon to be online; show your love for boobies!
Stickers are $5 each and Shirts are $15 and will be available from Wednesday, September 26th. Proceeds from sales of these special edition breast cancer awareness shirts and stickers will go to Cindy's Hope Chest, whose mission is to support women battling breast cancer emotionally and financially. KMS will be presenting a check to this wonderful organization on October 21st. We invite any survivors to come out to our events and celebrate their victories.
A personal note from owner and CEO, Steve Koss:
"I know cancer has touched almost every family in the United States and KMS wants to do its part and help fight for a cure to end all forms of cancer. My father, Stephen Koss, Aunt, Cathy Hayes, and several members of my family are cancer survivors. My grandfather passed away from it. My Aunt Cathy just beat breast cancer, so this is very dear to my heart."
Visit KMS online at www.KOSSMOTORSPORTS.com


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White House: Egypt's democracy on 'difficult path'
- Article by: LARA JAKES
- Associated Press
- January 28, 2013 - 3:19 PM
WASHINGTON - Egypt is on a "difficult path" to a peaceful democracy, the White House said Monday as months of lukewarm political support for the conservative Islamic government was in danger of backfiring after deadly weekend riots pushed Cairo to crack down on civil rights.
It was the latest strain on the stretched-thin detente between the Obama administration and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood following — a fault line that already has delayed $1 billion in U.S. aid to Cairo. Billions of additional dollars in international loans also have been shelved because of Egypt's instability.
Washington has worried since June — when Egyptian voters overthrew dictator Hosni Mubarak and picked Morsi as its first democratically elected leader — that the Brotherhood ultimately would default to its anti-American and anti-Israel roots instead of taking a more moderate stance towards peace.
A spate of recent steps — from Brotherhood-led attacks on protesters, to vague protestations of women's freedoms in the nation's new constitution, to revelations of old comments by Morsi referring to Jews as "bloodsuckers" and "pigs" — have raised alarm among senior U.S. officials. Political unrest in Egypt peaked this weekend with clashes that left more than 50 people dead and forced Morsi to deploy military forces and impose a curfew as part of a month-long state of emergency in three Suez Canal provinces.
"We have engaged directly with the Egyptian government as they move forward on the difficult path towards greater democracy and rule of law, and we will continue to do so," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday. "There needs to be a lasting solution to the conflict that we see in Egypt and it has to be a solution that adheres to the rights of all Egyptians.
"Obviously, this is not a lasting solution," Carney said.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo closed hours early on Monday, fearing that protests against Morsi and the Brotherhood could turn violent and endanger American diplomats who work a few miles from Tahrir Square, the base of Egypt's revolution in 2001. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said U.S. officials are "obviously watching how this moves forward," and urged Morsi's secular and liberal political opponents to agree to a national dialogue with the president to settle the burgeoning crisis.
"There are a lot of different views about how to take the country forward," Nuland said.
Egypt is the birthplace of the Muslim Brotherhood, but its influence and affiliates have spread across the Mideast and into North Africa — where two recent terrorist attacks and a French assault on Islamist militants in Mali have presented Obama with a new front in the war against extremism for his second term.
The White House has little interest in picking a fight with the Brotherhood, which has grown in size and stature across the region since the Arab Spring revolts. The Brotherhood and similar Islamist movements are regarded warily by monarchies in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Its members are part of the opposition coalition seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. It has small followings in Qatar, Algeria, and a like-minded — although not officially affiliated — ally in Tunisia.
The Brotherhood describes itself as a non-violent social organization dedicated to instilling Islamic values in the society. In Egypt, the group was repressed by former regimes for decades and has struggled with adjusting to its new role leading the government. Its members, fearing a coup, are widely blamed with attacking anti-Morsi protesters outside the presidential palace in Cairo last month in clashes that left at least 10 people dead.
"This is the kind of group that will be a pain to deal with for the United States, but it's not al-Qaida; it's not a security threat," said Nathan Brown, a professor at George Washington University who has been researching Islamic movements for nearly a decade. "The biggest fear on the part of the (Obama) administration is a political breakdown in Egypt. They are worried that a collapse in the Egyptian state would be destabilizing on the region, and might allow the flow of arms and fighters among more radical movements in the region."
Since the Tahrir Square revolution, Washington has tried to help Egypt build a democratic state without appearing to tread on its sovereignty. Morsi won election last June with 51 percent of Egypt's vote, and has since offered words of moderation, brokered a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza and bore down on terrorist dens in the Sinai Peninsula.
Morsi's anti-Semitic comments, made in separate speeches in 2010 but which surfaced this month on Egyptian TV, also accused Obama of being a liar. They shocked U.S. officials who sprang to condemn them as counter-productive to American-supported peace efforts in the Mideast. But they surprised few people in Egypt, who have heard Brotherhood officials make similar statements for years.
Morsi initially struggled to respond to the U.S. backlash from the comments. His office issued a statement committing to uphold religious freedoms and tolerance, and condemning violence. It did little to soothe U.S. lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans alike — who have balked at approving $1 billion in aid to Egypt that Obama promised in 2011 to help the new government settle an economic crisis that has drained the country's central bank and devalued the local currency in the revolution's aftermath.
"How would the American people feel about cutting money to education programs here and giving money to a government that is anti-Semitic?" Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding to foreign governments, said.
"I don't think the administration has any right to say they are going to grant this foreign aid because I think this Congress may very well condition it," Wolf said. "I think there are a lot of questions, and I don't think it's a given."
Part of the proposed $1 billion aid package depends on International Monetary Fund approval of its own $4.8 billion loan to Egypt. But that loan has stalled for months because of Egypt's instability. And despite its misgivings about Morsi, the White House still is pushing Congress for the funding, acknowledging that Egypt's downfall all but certainly would roil the already turbulent Mideast and North Africa.
Obama administration officials said Morsi's promises to abide by Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and continued security cooperation with Israel over the volatile Sinai Peninsula shows his willingness to be a reasonable partner. Morsi's work in November to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rules was "a good first step," the senior Obama administration official said.
But Washington remains wary of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, "who come from a very conservative viewpoint with issues that are very important to America," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
Gillibrand was part of a delegation of U.S. lawmakers who met with Morsi in Cairo this month shortly after his 2010 statements surfaced. She stopped short of saying Morsi appeared chastened but described him as mindful of "how important America is to the viability of his presidency and the economy."
She said lawmakers want to see what actions he takes, "and we want to see if his words match those deeds and actions," Gillibrand said.
Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at https://twitter.com/larajakesAP
© 2018 Star Tribune


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For more than six decades, Shell has been working in partnership with Kuwait to bring its crude oil to international markets. From those early days our business in Kuwait developed to include exploration, oil trading, lubricants, and technical services and chemicals sales. Shell staff in Kuwait is based at Kuwait Shell Limited (KSL) and our new company, Shell Kuwait Exploration and Production (SKEP). Through their network, all local staff has access to Shell's global expertise.
Shell Lubricants' distributor, Al-Hafez Trading, supplies the local lubricants market and has more than 15% of the market share. In Kuwait's refineries much has been achieved over the past few years by Shell Global Solutions, in partnership with Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC).
Shell has a number of international joint ventures with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) and, in 2005, extended our collaboration with Kuwait through an MOU with Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) to develop projects in global markets.
In 2009, Shell made its first Liquefied Natural Gas delivery to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) floating terminal to help meet peak summer demand.
Looking ahead, Shell is committed to help Kuwait meet the local and global demand for energy in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways. Early 2010, Shell and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) signed an Agreement for development of the Jurassic Gas fields. Under the agreement, Shell will deploy a number of technical experts to Kuwait through SKEP to support KOC in managing the ongoing development of the Jurassic Gas fields. In addition, Shell's operational excellent and diverse LNG portfolio, supported signing an LNG supply contract to cover peak summer periods between April-October for the years 2010-2013.Less...
Contact Information:
PO Box 28487,
Safat, 13145,


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|There are 1 objects for which Provenance contains "some"
|Enclosed note in pencil reads "Head of cat mummy ex cargo arrived from Egypt to Liverpool in the year ... see article in all year Round?" A later note, in black ink, encircled, perhaps written by Annie Ure, reads "Probably about 1890 imported for making artificial fertiliser H.B. 5.12.58." This note seemingly refers to Professor Henry Bassett, University of Reading Professor of Chemistry 1912-1946 and Dean of the Faculty of Science 1926-1930, who donated this and other Egyptian artefacts, some of dubious antiquity, in 1958.


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See what uniform laws are being enacted this year. Click on the column headers to sort legislation list by State, Bill Date, or Status (or use the filters at right to narrow your results).
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In 2005, Jim and Tracey Goettl purchased their first houseboat. Although hopes and dreams of something bigger than a 16 by 68 were often in their thoughts, this was the boat that started it all for them.
Jim grew up with the genes of engineering and did a lot of high-end custom design in different homes. Little did he know then that his skills and experience would be brought to the houseboating industry sooner rather than later.
His first houseboat was designed much more high-end than others: granite tops, a 50-inch pull down plasma TV and a full size galley on the second level. One of the nation's largest builders manufactured and made these designs possible for Jim and Tracey.
Once delivered to Lake Powell in southern Utah, people couldn't get enough of it. Many approached them on a regular basis to see what had been done and to find out how they could have it done to their houseboats. As a result of this attention, the houseboat manufacturer sold about nine similar versions in the million-dollar price range. Despite the market and the economy, it was evident that people wanted high-end boats and they were willing to pay for them.
Spark Of Inspiration
In February of 2008, Jim and Tracey were invited to be part of an advisory meeting in which ideas of their own were beginning to spark. They were hearing that people were looking for more yacht style and design, while still retaining the houseboat feel. Suggestions were given to them in which they should private label a boat that they could market across the country. In this process they began to realize how underdeveloped houseboat manufacturing was and how they could bring new, current technology to the table. The company that constructed the newest boat for the Goettls finished just in time before being forced to shut down because of the economy. The houseboat contained full aluminum side walls, recessed floors, tall ceilings, custom trailer and more features that weren't as common as other boats on the lake.
"The economy in Arizona took a hit, but people still wanted the boats," recalls Jim.
At this point, they were ready to embark on their own journey and start new dreams as a family, with help from kids Alexis and Steven. People warned them that this wasn't the time or the industry to invest in, but they continued to move forward. A big part of the economy in Phoenix, Ariz., is construction and property values had plummeted, but regardless, they went against the odds and continued on.
Open For Business
The dream began in December of 2009, quickly followed by the manufacturing in January a month later. Bravada Yachts is currently running at maximum capacity in a 65,000 square-foot plant. Although they deliver to the east coast, most deliveries take place in Nevada, Arizona, Texas and California, which is interesting considering that there are more weight and size limitations in the West.
The majority of boats being built today consist of three-level minimums with some four-level tops. "The average price in boats is at about the million dollar mark and still today, as more people see these types of boats, the more attention is given to us in building them," says Jim. "We currently have nine boats in the plant that will be delivered by mid-May and the greater part of this bulk is the GT or Limited Series that will be going to Lake Powell."
For Today's Market
Bravada Yachts thrives on building high-end boats and that's been the key to their early success."There is no need to try and chase the old cheese," says Jim. "There is no reason to go back to the old styles in houseboats because we feel it takes high-end products to work and sell in today's market."
Adds his wife Tracey, "Heading into our third year, Bravada Yachts is currently operating debt-free. Last year we sold around 23 boats and are hoping to be at 40 plus boats in 2015."
Jim and Tracey, along with their two children, have all been a contributing factor in making all of this possible. In the past, Tracey worked with the accounting aspect of Jim's business's but as of lately, has been given the responsibility to focus more on the interior design portion of Bravada Yachts. She is handling the interior design sessions with clients and working on packages for the boats. Alexis, daughter of Jim and Tracey, currently studies at Northern Arizona University in accounting but plans to head back to the Bravada industry to work after graduation. Their son Steven, who is a senior in high school, also has the engineering skills in which his father has proven to be successful and will continue to work on these skills at NAU studying engineering.
With efforts of the family, skills and experience, and a dream that many didn't believe could be accomplished, the Goettls have found success in doing what they love.
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Oh my, Caryn!!! I think he's either going to be a new partner at Bella's firm, or the rep from Mozilla that has been assigned to work with Ryan and Bella.. . Edward is gonna go fracking crazy with this one!Jazz Girl wrote:Hey TEF Fans~
An update from our Angel...
Hey ladies and gentlemen!!
As promised, we will be introducing new characters to the sequel... Here's your sneak peek at our first character being revealed.
I would love to hear your thoughts... Who do you think he is? How do you think he's involved? Do you think he's going to be a good guy or a bad guy? THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS!!
The Big Reveal
and downright HOT...
TeeHee!! Mmmmmmmm, looks like things are going to get pretty interesting...
I also hope that AG takes the time she needs to end WA on her terms. Its such a shame that people who are supposedly fans are pressuring her to finish. Sure, we all can't wait for the next update (although it will be sad for it to end), but like SweetKay and Christy said, thankfully, we have other great stories/authors to turn to while we wait.
The Arrangement sounds...interesting. Tracy, I had the same reaction to The Submissive, The Dominant, The Training - when I first started reading them I had to step away. Really wasn't my thing. But yet, here I sit waiting on the edge of my seat for the next update! I guess I'll go take a look at The Arrangement .
Right now I'm reading A Life Extraordinary by LolaShoes (and it's a complete story! ) in addition to waiting for updates to TEF and CW&IA.
ok, I have a technical question, whenever I click on the fanfic link for our list of Lex stories, I can only get 1 page of stories. It won't let me advance to any other pages. I do have a ff.net account. Any suggestions? Thanks!


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Although lawmakers raised questions about racial profiling and subjective enforcement, a House committee on Tuesday moved toward allowing Sarasota and other communities to fine motorists who play their car stereos too loudly.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are advancing bills to address issues raised by a December ruling of the Florida Supreme Court, which concluded the previous noise-nuisance law unconstitutionally restricted free speech.
The House bill (HB 1019) cleared the Economic Affairs Committee in a 15-2 vote Tuesday, making it available for a floor vote. The Senate bill (SB 634) has won approval in two committees, while still facing a future hearing in the Judiciary Committee.
Both bills would restore the noise law by removing an exemption for vehicles involved in political or business activities from the noise limit. The justices ruled the exemption was unconstitutional since some forms of speech were allowed while others were restricted.
Additionally, the new measures would remove a prohibition against noise from vehicles that is "louder than necessary" in areas with churches, schools or hospitals. Lawmakers said that phrase was too vague.
What's left is the power for law enforcement officers to cite motorists who are playing music or mechanically generating other sounds that are "plainly audible" at 25 feet or more from the vehicles. Violations carry a non-criminal $30 fine.
Cities and counties have asked for the restoration of the law and it has support from the state's police chiefs and sheriffs.
Among the communities that were impacted was Sarasota, which had modeled a local noise ordinance on the prior state law. In fact, Sarasota aggressively used its ordinance to fine drivers and impound their cars. But the local noise restriction has not been enforced since 2010 when the American Civil Liberties Union and the city reached an agreement on a legal challenge.
"We feel kind of helpless" since the Supreme Court ruling, DeLand Police Chief William Ridgway told the Economic Affairs Committee. "We need to ensure the public tranquility more than anything else and this will provide a tool for that."
"We think all they're doing actually is cleaning up the language to make it more enforceable again," said Ridgway, who was representing the Florida Police Chiefs Association. "We're trying to provide a good quality of life for our citizens and when they're making complaints. It's very hard for us to enforce certain complaints now."
Without the law, Ridgway said law enforcement officers would have to rely on the possibility of a disorderly conduct violation, which could lead to a criminal arrest if the individual did not comply with a request to turn down the music. He also said local communities could try to rely on other local noise ordinances that are usually aimed at loud parties or bars.
Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, who is sponsoring the House bill, said the legislation is needed so that law enforcement officers can cite motorists, who fall under the domain of the state law. And Rader said noise complaints remain one of the top issues that citizens repeatedly call in to their local police and sheriffs' offices.
House members raised a number of issues about the legislation, including questioning how law enforcement officers would objectively measure the sound of music coming from a car at 25 feet without some type of device.
"I can't imagine you could go to court on just hearsay," said Rep. Tom Goodson, R-Titusville.
Ridgway said officers would, as they have done with the past law, rely on their "common sense" interpretation of the statute that allows them to determine if the sounds are "plainly audible" at 25 feet or more.
Members of the Legislature's black caucus questioned whether the law could be used for racial profiling of motorists.
"Are you concerned that this opens the door for issues like racial profiling or even the profiling of young people who tend to play their music loud?" asked Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville.
Ridgway and Rader said there had been no reported incidents of racial profiling under the previous law, which had been in existence for some 20 years before it was struck down.
But Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, suggested that lawmakers could add a provision requiring officers to note the race of motorists who received the noise fines. He said a similar requirement allowed black lawmakers to support the primary enforcement of the state's seatbelt law, which the caucus had long opposed because of the profiling concerns.
He discounted the fact that the prior law had been in existence for many years. "Slavery was on the books for many years until we changed it. That doesn't make it good," he said.
Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville, said his local sheriff had repeatedly lobbied him to restore the law, citing a case where officers were not able to intercede in a noise nuisance dispute that escalated into a murder.
Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Midway, said many of the concerns about the noise law seemed overblown.
"This has been an existing law for a long time," he said. "Let's don't make it more than what it is. It's worked for years. It's given them the ability to keep peace in the cities… (and) keep our neighborhoods quiet and peaceful."


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Smart Meters: Smartly Stripping Your Health, Liberties & Intelligence
In a world with freedom of choice, in some states, your freedom of choice is redefined as one. Or the one we force you to choose. Well, it's actually far broader than that, the scale of the illusion of choice that is. I'd like to stick with one small topic which hits home for everyone in America. If it hasn't already, it will be phased in shortly in your community and in your home, affecting you directly.
There's a discussion with two extremes going around today on the topic of Smart Meters. What are they? How do they benefit energy consumers? How do they benefit businesses? Are they safe? How do they work? Why are they being mandated across the country? Will they save me money? Here's a great explanation of what smart meters are. In short, they're a wireless version of your old analog energy meter. Now, that sounds great, but we're going to go through each smart idea and show why it absolutely is not and needs more research and no mandate whatsoever.
Those that are for smart meters are generally politicians, energy workers, regulators etc. Few are regular citizens or properly informed citizen. For the record, a properly informed citizen is not one that accepts facts or a study from a corporation or one that has financial or intellectual ties in any way. Those that are against smart meters are generally tech savvy bloggers, Youtubers, web crawlers and adversely affected citizens. The argument from the "for" side is that the other side of the spectrum are conspiracy theorists, fear mongers and misinformed. The argument from the "against" side is that their facts are wrong, they have significant health effects from the technology, their liberties are being infringed upon, subject to hacking and security risks, in some cases using extortion.
In the video above (conspiracy theorists), we see a clear attempt of the other party trying to sort of facts and fiction. Unfortunately, their video is filled with subliminal messages, condescending language, and over simplification, yet confusing the viewer further. If there's one thing we can all say, it's that anyone who uses these methods is hiding something or trying to manipulate you in some way for their benefit. Then again, I'm the Conspiracy Theorist for questioning facts like these.
In the video, notice the cleverly used computer "Thinkpad", as if saying, "Smart Meters, bad in any way? Come on.". The desk is cluttered, comparing that of the Smart Meter topic, then an auditory clue of a snap of a finger we've cleared the junk, or everything you've heard up until this point on the matter. What's left on the desk? A piggy bank (you'll save money), binoculars (clear and precise on the "facts" now) and a box of tissues as a sign of comfort in your new-found view-point. They could have easily and more effectively used a box of band-aids but clearly chose the box of tissues for that effect. Next is the over dramatization about misinformation and a panic button, which is debatable, and the funny yet ridiculous fourth horsemen crazy view from speculators saying smart meters are bad. They make the claim that smart meters do not know how you're using your energy, which is consciously false. Appliances are currently being phased in with "Smart" technologies to do exactly that seen here, with claiming your personal home grid will be connected to a larger grid to better manage energy consumption. In fact, they claim no one will know anything about you, yet your future proposed grid, which inherently is subject to tampering as a side note, will do exactly that. Again, proving they are lying.
Although they are correct in that having tools to make you more conscious about your energy consumption, real world situations sometimes prove otherwise, actually increasing your bill and consumption up to two to four fold in some cases. They claim this is good for the planet, yet have absolutely no evidence that for an average consumer a smart meter will reduce their consumption. It's all speculative and hearsay. Think about it, how could a smart meter reduce the consumption of your hot water heater or fridge? We use them all day or we'd have no hot water or cold food. "Smart meters could reduce the cost of power interruptions by more than 75 percent, saving the American economy more than $150 billion a year.". That's a sentence so ridiculously bogus I don't even have to comment on it. The video goes on that line to somehow say we'll keep safe by having the smart meter pinpoint outages. For 99.99% of us, this doesn't really concern us. Unless you're extremely ill or elderly in the midst of an extreme heat wave or blizzard and your power goes off and somehow the thousands of people who constantly call the power company have no means of communication.
Next up in the video they claim radio frequencies causing cancer goes against science. Yet shortly after they acknowledge that cell phones are harmful just as smart meters are. Almost condescendingly saying, "Cuddle up with this invisible radiation, you're safe conspiracy theorist". While science clearly shows sticking your head in a microwave harms your health, I'm pretty sure if you left your microwave open, or talked on your phone all day, you'd develop a tumor. There's evidence, although possibly not with 100% certainty of causing cancer, that there's an increased risk and bad health effects of like exposures. Ask yourself, would you subject your baby to these RF frequencies that we have nothing to worry about? Then again, my "highly technical research" is done on a dark aged dial-up modem and computer that "fails" at connecting. Implying that my legitimate concerns and conflicting science is a joke. The next claim in the video that smart meters produce less RF energy, which is another cuddly word for electromagnetic radiation in case you were wondering, than all those said appliances. Some real world examples prove otherwise. Showing that there is little difference between some cell phones and smart meters. Is anyone ready to try the following? "It would take 375 years of direct contact with a smart meter to equal the same amount of radio frequency exposure from a daily, 15-minute cell phone call over the course of one year.". That statement is so far beyond a comparable legitimate science. They take into account nothing. Distance, absorption, area, length of transmission etc. All of which makes me think of a response like this from Billy Madison.
We start to wrap up the video with more condescending wise cracks about the four horsemen. "I'm not here how to manage your power". Actually, in some states they're doing exactly that. In my state of PA, there is a mandate, no "opt-out", of installing the new smart meters. I'm not sure how I, the consumer, has any choice if you oppose an alleged smart meter. In case you didn't catch the lingo of these fat cats, this part too is a lie.
According to Pennsylvania's Act 129, smart meters will be phased into all energy companies and their consumers. As I was told by PECO and the company that manufactures the AMI smart meters, there is no opt-out and this is a mandate, replacing all meters. I asked to be directed to someone who could assist and I was literally bounced back and forth between the two companies. Apparently some invisible entity between them can help me, or they're just giving me the runaround. Somewhere along the lines they've decided lot's of profit means lying by "mandate" because there currently is no federal mandate of the replacement of analog meters to smart meters.
The core ideas behind these smart technologies and smart meters is that you'll save money and it's part of a larger Green Revolution. Our acknowledgement that we're polluting at an unsustainable rate, effectively progressing global warming. The Green Revolution is a topic all in itself, so we'll stick with the premise for Smart Meters and cost effectiveness. "Smart meters could reduce the cost of power interruptions by more than 75 percent, saving the American economy more than $150 billion a year." is simply made up as far as I'm concerned because there's no legitimate data backing that statement up. That's an extremely dramatic statistic of which requires such data. With the meter and system itself, cost effectiveness is debatable. You'd be eliminating a service person driving and physically checking your system. You'd save pollution from gas and money spent from that. I'm sure there's been an electronic form of record keeping for years so that shouldn't be accounted for. Again, as the average consumer, you will not be saving from your actual bill or power consumption. Unless you are a large business and have the means to say power down a portion of the building not being used or control that portion. Saving on gas and extra work is great. Then again, you've cut some jobs. You've saved some gas and pollution, which actually balances out to the average person not capable of taking full advantage of power management and actually increasing their bill, as seen here (increasing your bill and consumption up to two to four fold).
Where's the savings? I can't even conceive of them, let alone view supporting data. Where's the Green Revolution? In someone else's pocket if you ask me. These energy companies receive millions in government grants to switch to this new system. Couple that with the manufacturing, physical labor, and maintenance and you're literally spending at least 100's of millions more, not saving billions. The replacement cost for cheap plastic products, that sometimes fail or literally burst into flames, simply adds to that. Analog meters last for a long time. I assume they're also about 1/3 of the cost to manufacture. It's becoming difficult to think how someone would portray these as saving money or cutting consumption.
You've also got an argument with job creation. Saying smart meters create jobs is like saying it's a good thing to create a job for someone to clean your home after you clean your home. It's a job, but what value does it have to the independent, conscious citizen? Job creation is just another buzzword lingering around from the election. There's a deeper issue in the economy, of which job destruction (checking meter readings and upkeep with analog, changing companies to produce cheap plastic smart meters) and job creation (hiring upkeep of smart grid systems, having a new company produce cheap plastic smart meters) balance out. The actual numbers going into this smart grid across the United States is staggering. Well into the 10's of billion of dollars, paid for by American citizens of course. Which makes me think how some energy companies claim we have no choice, yet our money is placed into the program by federal grants?
Shouldn't we be questioning the safety of this technology? Both physical and financial? Especially with conflicting, unfinished research and science? Why such a rush to mandate something we're not sure about? That sounds like the pharmaceutical industry. It seems bizarre that politicians and companies are selectively using facts to skew their arguments. It would be like saying, "We just produced the greatest drug that will cure everything. We have no data to back this up but just swallow this pill. By the way, this pill is paid for using your money and if you don't take it you're against human rights. You're also barbaric, archaic, against going Green, careless spender and polluter. Oh, and you don't have a choice so swallow it now or Larry here is going to shove it in your mouth and make you swallow it. He also has a police officer here to make sure you do so or you will be arrested.". It's funny but it's almost exactly like that. Then again, is it bizarre that this is happening? So many billions of dollars invested, careers, livelihoods, families of jobs and relationships, wouldn't it seem more bizarre for this not to follow through? That by no means is any justification though.
What genuinely concerns me about smart meters and the like technology is not the idea of change, but rather one simple fact which is impossible to get around concerning promoters of "smart" technology…
If "smart" technology was actually about going "green" and saving money, why invest in pollution and spending more? Why not invest billions into renewable resources and new ones? Some argue we've tried that, it just doesn't work. Or my absolute favorite argument regarding renewable resourcing not working, "What was Germany doing correct? Are they just a smaller country, and that made it more feasible?" "They're a smaller country, and they've got lots of sun. Right? They've got a lot more sun than we do.". Then you take a look at reality, which tells us this. Using energy from the sun is smart. Using a finite resource is dumb. Dumb meters. Or more politically correct, profit meters, because let's face it, energy from the sun is far less profitable than a form of energy that is vastly more difficult to control, harness and a higher demand.
There's been plenty of solar company failures and bankruptcies in the past years, especially after Obama's bailouts and stimulus. My question is, how can Germany project their power to come from 100% renewable by 2050 and the US is projecting just burning a ton of stuff that doesn't pollute as much? Which goes along the same lines of dumping all your investments into smart technology. Almost everything they say in this video (favorite argument regarding renewable resourcing not working)is completely false. I don't understand how this is the world I live in. People will walk away from watching this, thinking, "we need jobs, let's go with natural gas it's half as bad pollution wise". Even though in the short future our population will double, and we'll be at square one again. Who cares about jobs when you're market is finite and pollutes the world? Kind of selfish, don't you think? Not that I don't drive a car and pollute, but I'd happily allocate my tax dollars, if I had a choice, to something productive and infinite.
So, now we're going to take this persons comments in the above video, and show they're basically just made up and a lot of people have the same made up thought.
- "The industry's future looks dim,"
It does when we have a geoengineering program to do exactly that:
- "The United States simply hasn't figured out how to do solar cheaply and effectively. You look at the country of Germany, it's working out great for them."
Basically made up. We can go to Mars. I'm pretty sure we can collect more free energy from the sun cheaply:
- "What was Germany doing correct? Are they just a smaller country, and that made it more feasible?" "They're a smaller country, and they've got lots of sun. Right? They've got a lot more sun than we do."
Literally made up and completely wrong.
- "The problem is it's a cloudy day and it's raining, you're not gonna have it." "but here on the East Coast, it's just not going to work."
Just another sentence to justify a manufactured statement with no truth. Look again here.
Smart Meters are clearly a specified tool of Agenda 21. This issue is much larger than simply upgrading to a more advanced meter. It's delves into profits, control, dependence and programs set up like Agenda 21. All of which are packaged to sound wonderfully progressive. So the issue is to keep this train of thought in mind for other products and programs so that you are aware. There are methods to rid this clearly corrupt, intrusive, abusive practice and product. Even if you're not concerned of the health effects, consider your safety and the numerous reports of smart meters causing fires. Stand up against anything that violates your Constitution of god given rights. I expect to see numerous lawsuits and eventually one day a clear choice. This requires action from you! No one can trespass on your land, arrest you for not consenting with illegal trespassing, force you to purchase a harmful product, force you to purchase an opt-out of providing no service, and blatantly lie to your face while insinuating you are crazy. Actually, they can do the last part and constantly do. Maybe now you'll have the tools of consciousness to see when there's clear corruption and manipulation.
Remove The Veil of Order and Chaos.
3 Responses
Sorry for the delayed response, Dave. It took a while to process! Definitely well thought out and researched. I enjoyed your observation of minor details in the commercials that send the subliminal messages. I also think more research is needed into the distuptions caused l the electrical systems of out bodies by these radio frequencies. Thanks for taking the time and for sharing.
This is great. Where are you? There's a bunch of us working on this. I am a peco customer/guinea pig, as well. Could you contact me please?


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Too Many trades
I don't doubt that trades will happen. The draft usually has 1 or 2. But, I don't see the Cheaters trading down.DRAFT
Posted: 13 hours 18 minutes ago
Mock draft: Deals could shape opening round
By Pat Kirwan | NFL.com
With the draft just over a month away, it appears there could be quite a bit of movement in the first round.
A number of teams are looking for a limited amount of talent at a few key positions. With that in mind, I've decided to incorporate trades in my first mock draft.
Carucci's mock draft
Where does Pat Kirwan and Vic Carucci differ in their picks for the first round? Click here for
Carucci's complete mock draft ...
More mock drafts:
» NFL.com's 2008 mock draft
» Charles Davis' top-10 picks An elite pass rusher like Ohio State's Vernon Gholston or an interior presence such as USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis could be good enough for a team to jump forward a few spots to acquire the player.
Considering there is no true franchise quarterback in a Peyton Manning mold, it might be difficult for the Dolphins to move out of the top spot. If there are going to be any deals, things should start to heat up after the top three selections.
As for the Dolphins, I might be pushing for a pre-draft contract with my selection because at least three of the top six players would also meet their pressing needs.
In this version, there will not be a center, fullback, or even a true guard taken in the first round. Depth at corner, offensive tackle and defensive end will make for a run at those positions.
Team Pick Analysis
1. Miami Dolphins
Chris Long
DE, Virginia The Dolphins could select either Chris or Jake Long and not be wrong. I would make sure my selection was under contract before the draft. Chris Long would be my choice because of the versatility he possesses as a defensive end or linebacker and his production. In 37 starts at Virginia he had 22 sacks and 43 tackles for loss. Some believe Jake Long is headed to the right tackle spot in the mold of Jon Runyan, and that breaks the tie between the two players.
Team Pick Analysis
2. St. Louis Rams
Jake Long
OT, Michigan Long helps build a better pass-protection unit right away, establishes a point of attack for the running game and will be in line to replace Orlando Pace when he hangs up the cleats. Long will play for a long time, and that makes him a good choice for new personnel chief Bill Devaney.
Team Pick Analysis
3. Atlanta Falcons
Glenn Dorsey
DT, LSU The Falcons will struggle with this selection considering the fact that Matt Ryan is still on the board. Owner Arthur Blank will see Ryan as the right guy to repair the team image, and he can play. Dorsey brings the three-technique tackle the team desperately needs. It's a quarterback-driven league and a favorable, late private workout for the Falcons could change this pick in Ryan's favor.
Team Pick Analysis
4. New York Jets (Projected trade with Oakland)
Vernon Gholston
DE, Ohio State The Jets have to figure the Patriots will try to move up for Gholston, so they have to do the same. They could also stay put at No. 6 and hope Darren McFadden falls or take the best corner on the board.
Team Pick Analysis
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Ryan
QB, Boston College The Chiefs would probably like to move down and take an offensive tackle like Ryan Clady or Jeff Otah. If they stay put and Ryan is still on the board, the Chiefs should take him. There's no way Kansas City can hand the team to Brodie Croyle without real competition. If the Falcons take Ryan than a short move down for the Chiefs is possible.
Team Pick Analysis
6. Oakland Raiders (Projected trade with New York Jets)
Darren McFadden
RB, Arkansas Oakland could have stayed at No. 4 and taken McFadden, but they need to slow down the spending, and an extra pick later on can help in other areas of need, like offensive tackle.
Team Pick Analysis
7. New Orleans Saints (Projected trade with New England from San Francisco)
Sedrick Ellis
DT, USC The Saints trade up and get the piece to their defense that has been missing since Jonathan Sullivan turned out to be a bust. New Orleans hired Ed Orgeron to coach the defensive line and he was a part of the USC staff that recruited Ellis.
Team Pick Analysis
8. Baltimore Ravens
Ryan Clady
OT, Boise State The Ravens need a left tackle to replace Jonathan Ogden and a corner. In this draft, it's much harder to get the left tackle, so Baltimore grabs the best one on the board and looks for a corner in the second round.
Team Pick Analysis
9. Cincinnati Bengals
Derrick Harvey
DE, Florida The Bengals really need one of the two elite defensive tackles, but waiting for either Dorsey or Ellis to fall to them is risky at best. The Bengals replaced Justin Smith in free agency with Antwan Odom and they like Robert Geathers. However, the one thing the Giants taught everyone in the Super Bowl was you never have enough pass rushers. Harvey only started 18 games but had 20½ sacks and 31 tackles for loss.
Team Pick Analysis
10. New England Patriots (Projected trade with New Orleans)
Leodis McKelvin
CB, Troy If the Patriots miss out on Chris Long and Vernon Gholston, moving down makes sense to select a corner or a tackle like Clady. The Ravens will take one of them but that would leave the Patriots with the other. While McKelvin is now at the top of most corner boards, there are other corners I like just as much. Don't be surprised if the Pats go down even lower and still get the guy they want. McKelvin had eight touchdowns on returns in college. Can you imagine New England's defense forcing punts with McKelvin back there?
Team Pick Analysis
11. Buffalo Bills
Malcolm Kelly
WR, Oklahoma The Bills told me they need to get more weapons for young quarterback Trent Edwards. Buffalo could seriously look at a tight end like Fred Davis or any of the big wide receivers. Lee Evans stretches the field as well as anyone in the league, but the rest of Buffalo's receivers are really slot guys. Kelly is a high character prospect, which will appeal to Dick Jauron in a big way.
Team Pick Analysis
12. Denver Broncos
Dan Connor
LB, Penn State Time to move D.J. Williams back to the outside and no one in this draft is more ready than Connor to take over the middle of a defense. Connor will have a similar impact to the Broncos that Lofa Tatupu had when he stepped on the field as a rookie for the Seahawks. Mike Shanahan will not reach for the third defensive tackle or the fourth defensive end at this point. He might like the big tackle from Pittsburgh, Jeff Otah.
Team Pick Analysis
13. Carolina Panthers
Jeff Otah
OT, Pittsburgh The Panthers are not going to like the remaining defensive linemen. A safety like Kenny Phillips or a running back might be an option, but taking Otah means they can slide Travelle Wharton to guard and put Jordan Gross at left tackle to reestablish the offensive line.
Team Pick Analysis
14. Chicago Bears
Rashard Mendenhall
RB, Illinois It might be time to admit running back is an issue, and Mendenhall has a high grade. The Lions would love to see him fall to them one pick later, so the Bears have a choice to play with him or see him twice a year in the NFC North. Not only did Mendenhall rush for 2,539 yards in just 14 starts for the Ilini, but he also caught 59 passes. Pete Carroll of USC told me he was the best back the Trojans faced last season.
Team Pick Analysis
15. Detroit Lions
Branden Albert
OL, Virginia Although the Lions want to run the ball more, they have to protect the quarterback better or the offense will suffer. I have done a lot of research on Albert and he is emerging as a left tackle candidate who can play guard or right tackle. George Foster is not the answer. The Lions will find a solid back in the second round.
Team Pick Analysis
16. Arizona Cardinals
Aqib Talib
CB, Kansas The Cardinals will have a number of corners to select from as well as a speed running back. Talib is a solid player who will fit into Ken Whisenhunt's team-oriented structure.
Team Pick Analysis
17. Philadelphia Eagles (Projected trade with Minnesota)
Kenny Phillips
S, Miami Brian Dawkins is getting older and this is the best safety on the board. The NFC East has matchup issues at tight end with Jeremy Shockey, Chris Cooley and Jason Whitten, so Phillips is the right player.
Team Pick Analysis
18. Houston Texans
Chris Williams
OT, Vanderbilt The right side of the Texans offensive line is in good shape. Even though Houston had a number of good linemen finish the year on injured reserve, it's time to find a left tackle. This pick could easily change by next week and a corner or running back could be the call.
Team Pick Analysis
19. Minnesota Vikings (Projected trade with Philadelphia)
Phillip Merling
DE, Clemson Derrick Harvey would have been a great fit for the Vikings but his stock is rising and is off the board. The Eagles' and the Vikings' staffs have a relationship and trades are always easier in those scenarios. The Vikings can move down, still get Merling, and the Eagles can ensure they get safety Kenny Phillips. The addition of safety Madieu Williams allows the Vikings to make the move. If Vikings miss on Merling, there's always a guy like Auburn's Quentin Groves, who had 26 sacks in college.
Team Pick Analysis
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
James Hardy
WR, Indiana Tampa has done a great job in free agency and still holds the rights to Jake Plummer for three years, so they could go in a few directions here. The starting receivers are older and Hardy gives the team a big target with tremendous college production. He caught 191 passes at Indiana with 36 touchdowns. Instantly, the Bucs will be better in the red zone.
Team Pick Analysis
21. Washington Redskins
Quentin Groves
DE, Auburn A receiver or a safety makes sense, but the Redskins only have one pass rusher on the team. Andre Carter needs a pressure player on the opposite side in third-down situations. Groves might be a better fit in a 3-4 scheme, but he gets up the field as well as anyone left on the board. He started 38 games and had 62 plays behind the line of scrimmage (sacks and tackles for a loss), plus he forced eight fumbles.
Team Pick Analysis
22. Dallas Cowboys (From Cleveland)
CB, Tennessee St. There's always speculation the Cowboys are packaging their picks to move up for Darren McFadden. They can stay right where they are and satisfy two big needs, corner and wide receiver. The run on either spot earlier in the draft will determine which area they address first. Rodgers-Cromartie would be an excellent compliment to Terence Newman, but he might have to start his career as the nickel back. A 4.33-second 40-yard dash and size make him a steal at this spot.
Team Pick Analysis
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
Gosder Cherilus
OT, Boston College I interviewed Cherilus recently and after a half hour of talking with him my conclusion was he's a Steeler. Cherilus is still learning the game after moving to the United States from Haiti his sophomore year in high school, but he's tough, nasty and loves the physical part of the game.
Team Pick Analysis
24. Tennessee Titans
Limas Sweed
WR, Texas This pick would reunite Vince Young with one of his Texas receivers. The Titans re-signed Justin Gage and brought back Justin McCareins, but they need more receiver help. Limas is a big target with polished skills, and it looks like his wrist injury will not be a problem.
Team Pick Analysis
25. Seattle Seahawks
Kentwan Balmer
DT, North Carolina Seattle let Chartric Darby and Ellis Wyms both go in free agency and the Bears proved last year that lost depth at defensive tackle is a dangerous situation. Balmer is getting mixed reviews around the league. Some personnel people feel he plays like Ryan Sims. Others see him as a solid space eater with good feet like Fred Robbins of the Giants.
Team Pick Analysis
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Calais Campbell
DE, Miami We all know Jack Del Rio loves big defensive linemen and Campbell fits the bill. He measured at close to 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds at the combine and ran a 5.01 40-yard dash at his pro day. His strength has to be an issue with just 16 reps on the bench press when the average for defensive ends at the combine was 25. Long arms or not, he has to get stronger. Calais started 25 games and finished with 39 tackles for a loss, 19½ sacks and six forced fumbles. He is a hard worker and it's hard to believe there will be a player like him when Jacksonville goes on the clock in Round 2.
Team Pick Analysis
27. San Diego Chargers
Antoine Cason
CB, Arizona The Chargers need to replace nickel cornerback Drayton Florence, who left in free agency. In recent years, San Diego has played in the lead a lot and that means they use their nickel and dime defense more than an average team. Cason should go higher in this draft and will be a steal for the Chargers at this slot. San Diego may look at other corners like Brandon Flowers and Justin King.
Team Pick Analysis
28. Dallas Cowboys
DeSean Jackson
WR, California Jerry Jones and Co. take the receiver/returner who can replace Terry Glenn and help open up the offense. Jackson's size and some injury history should make him available at this point in the draft.
Team Pick Analysis
29. San Francisco 49ers (From Indianapolis)
Keith Rivers
LB, USC Rivers was coached for four years by former 49er Ken Norton Jr. He can play inside or outside linebacker in the 49ers scheme. Rivers would make an excellent weak-side linebacker next to Patrick Willis. The two of them would be in on nearly every tackle. >
Team Pick Analysis
30. Green Bay Packers
Brian Brohm
QB, Louisville The Packers could take a corner for the future at this point or even tight end Fred Davis. However, if you're thinking future, Brohm hedges the bet on Aaron Rodgers to replace Brett Favre. Green Bay has a very good team and has already bolstered their linebackers in free agency. A move down would not be out of the question.
Team Pick Analysis
31. New York Giants
Jerod Mayo
LB, Tennessee The world champions need a linebacker, safety and another defensive tackle among other things. With Connor and Rivers off the board and mixed reviews on North Carolina State safety DaJuan Morgan, linebacker might be the way to go. While Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor are gone, signing Danny Clark does help the depth at linebacker. Mayo is versatile enough to play inside and outside. He had 223 tackles over the last two seasons and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds at 242 pounds.