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Whoa doggy, Season 6 of "The Real Housewives of New York City" is going to be a doozy.
After being off the air for almost an entire year, the Bravo reality hit is set to return in March, and on Wednesday (Feb. 12), the channel offered fans an in-depth preview of what's to come. So what did we learn?
Most importantly, each wife has a new intro-package catchphrase, because of course. Here they are, ranked from worst to best:
New wife Kristen Taekman: "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm pretty." –Aww, good try, newbie. But, no.
Heather Thomson: "A true New Yorker never backs down and I'm no exception. Holla!" — Really with the "holler," Heather? Really?
Carole Radziwell: "If you're going to talk about me behind my back, at least check out my great a**." — Come on, Cool Carole. We expect better.
Sonja Morgan: "Sometimes Sonja has to go commando. What can I say?" — What can you say? How about something intelligible? Try starting with that.
Aviva Drescher: "When people tell me I'm fake, I know they're just pulling my leg." — So close to top honors, Aviva. That leg pun, that's gold.
Ramona Singer: "Get the Pinot ready because it's Turtle Time." — Callbacks a plenty! This is Ramona's world and we're all just living in it.
7 other things to look forward to/dread:
1. Sonja's apparently dating 23-year-olds. HAHAHAHAHA. Heavy emphasis on "apparently." In reality, Ms. Morgan will continue her descent into "Grey Gardens" territory: Her house is in trusteeship, her teeth are falling out. It looks rough.
2. Ramona, who's currently going through a dramatic divorce with icky husband Mario, will go through a bit of an empty-nest phase with daughter Avery off at college. And it looks like she won't even have her insane bestie by her side, as things with Sonja seem to be falling apart.
3. Get ready for an extremely rare Housewives crossover. Carole and Kristen do lunch with "RHOBH" babes Brandi Glanville and Yolanda Foster. Why? Looks like Kristen and Brandi are old modeling pals.
4. Kristen, who's gonna have plenty of home life drama with what looks like a lout of a husband, speaks the truth when it comes to Ramona and Sonja: "They seem like my crazy, drunk aunts."
5. Aviva will visit the farm equipment that stole her leg as a child. Expect for that to be a pretty uncomfortable experience.
6. The women take a trip to Missoula, Mont. Whoever let this group of unstable drunks throw axes is a dangerous person whose decisions aren't to be trusted because, Sonja and Ramona and axes? Yikes.
7. That fight. You know the one. It's the season's biggest tease. It results in Aviva's leg off her body, on the floor, during an attempt at a classy affair. How will it happen? Will she throw it at sparring partner Heather? Will someone yank it off? Will it accidentally come loose? We demand answers!
"The Real Housewives of New York City" Season 6 premieres Tuesday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.


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Most Earned
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Like last month, seven titles have been added to the Leaving Soon section of Xbox Game Pass and they'll disappear at the end of the month.
Posted 1 month ago by Rebecca Smith, 75 comments
Discounts on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Goat Simulator, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) and more
Posted 10 months ago by Rich Stone, 69 comments
Discounts on Grand Theft Auto V, Halo 5: Guardians, Far Cry 4, LIMBO, Far Cry Primal, Inside, The Deer God and more
Posted 1 year ago by Rich Stone, 97 comments
Discounts on Grand Theft Auto V, Forza Horizon 3, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, HITMAN, Homefront: The Revolution, Farming Simulator 15, Blood Bowl 2 and more
Posted 1 year ago by Rich Stone, 44 comments
Discounts on Destiny, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, Farming Simulator 15, Party Hard and more
Posted 1 year ago by Rich Stone, 60 comments
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Brandi Carlile
"You'll revisit the chill you got the first time you heard Joni Mitchell or Emmylou Harris when you hear the first note of Carlile's holy blue-water voice." - LA City Beat
Authentic. That's the first word that springs to mind when you encounter Brandi Carlile. From her rootsy bell-clear voice to the palpable emotion that seeps through every song on her stunning debut album, everything about this 23-year-old from rural Washington state is the real deal.
Deeply driven to be an artist, Carlile's life-long love affair with performing began when her musician mother brought her out onstage at the Northwest's version of the Grand Ole Opry. Carlile sang Roseanne Cash's "Tennessee Flat-Top Box". She was 8.
Growing up in the isolated foothills of Ravensdale, 50 miles outside of Seattle, Carlile turned to music for company. "Ravensdale wasn't a town," she says. "We were the only house around for acres and acres. Being in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't the kind of place you brought friends back to, so I just hung around the woods and built forts and played music with my brother and sister. That's all we did. And we thought that's what everyone else in the world did, too."
During those years, Carlile taught herself to sing. "I locked myself in my room when no one was home to see how loud and high I could sing, and how long I could hold a note," she says. "I'm sure it sounded like mating season, but I knew that's what it would take to develop a big, powerful voice." She also figured out how to play the piano ("I wanted to be like Elton John") and eventually guitar at age 17.
From then on, Carlile performed everywhere she could. She even took a job as a back-up singer for a local Elvis impersonator, an experience she credits with teaching her how to layer vocals and sing harmonies. A few years later, Carlile began to book herself and her band (Seattle natives and twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth) at restaurants around the city-the local chowder house, a popular sports bar and grill, and at any wedding or birthday party that would hire her, just so she could practice.
"I've never had a real job," she says. "I've insisted that I do nothing but play music and not let my head go anywhere else. If that means playing in a smoky bar for three hours, five nights a week, that's fine. It's discipline. It teaches you how to grab your audience, no matter who they are."
Carlile's determination and work ethic paid off in late 2004 when she signed with Columbia Records, home to several of her favorite artists including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, and James Taylor, whom she has shared a stage with. The timeless quality of her debut album for Columbia, Brandi Carlile, is proof of her intention to become a classic artist alongside her labelmates.
The album is a showcase for Carlile's expressive voice, which can turn from a tough, bluesy growl to a vulnerable, aching falsetto on a dime. The catch in her throat before she launches into those alpine high notes is reminiscent of her idol, country singer Patsy Cline.
"Patsy Cline had a really gutsy, powerful voice," she says. "I identify with that. I've gone through all sorts of vocal phases, from pop to blues to R&B, but no matter what I do, I just can't get the country & western out of my voice."
Rather than fight it, Carlile makes good use of the country flavor by juxtaposing it with dark, otherworldly melodies on songs like "Follow" and "Tragedy". Think of a female Roy Orbison or Radiohead's Thom Yorke fronting a roots-rock band and you're not far off. The contrast led Rolling Stone, which named her one of their 10 Artists to Watch in 2005, to declare: "Carlile's ethereal, melancholy ballads have a spare heartache that reflects her love for old-school country but she loves new-school mopers like Radiohead and Jeff Buckley just as much". Indeed, those artists' influence can be felt on the simple, acoustic strummers "Happy", "Gone" and "Tragedy". Other musical stand-outs include "Throw It All Away" and "Fall Apart Again".
The ten sublime gems on Brandi Carlile were recorded sporadically throughout 2004 in Seattle, some at Carlile's home in bucolic Maple Valley, Washington. "I live in a log cabin and the ceilings are really high, so it sounds great," she says. "We rented a Pro-tools set-up and put it smack in the middle of my living room." Some of the unadorned production comes courtesy of indie-stalwart producer John Goodmanson, who has worked with Sleater-Kinney and Blonde Redhead, and the rest was driven by Carlile and the twins. "We just went in and played the songs," she says. "It interrupted my whole world for weeks, but we made some really good music."
Acoustic 2004
Brandi Carlile 2005 (release date July 12th 2005)


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white river Wildlife area
May 8-9, 2015
With just one week until our first adventure, none of us had bikes. Lucky for us, we were working with the pros at Sugar Wheels Works and Breadwinner Cycles who, through a truly phenomenal measure of cooperation and a couple late nights, had our wheelsets built and our bikes assembled in time for the team to pick up our rigs by 8 PM on Thursday. That night, we gathered in Ira Ryan's shop and were all smiles as we dialed in our new rides - adjusting saddles and installing pedals and our Revelate Design bags. Stoke was up to level 11. We popped open beers and a bottle of champagne to cheers to a successful first trip - one that would start in less than 24 hours!
The next afternoon, we gathered at PDW HQ to load up and roll out to the starting point of our first adventure. We drove out through the Columbia River Gorge, made a right hand turn onto State Highway 197 and continued southbound into the scenic rolling hills of the Cascade Plateau. Along the way, we watched Mt. Hood's eastern flanks slowly shade to dark as the sunset colored the western skies behind it. Natural light was extinguished as we pulled into the Wasco County Fairgrounds. We donned headlights and went about setting up tents and hammocks for the night while Sharon prepared a fancy camp feast of steak and salmon filets. Well fed, whiskey-ed, and excited for our maiden voyage, we bedded down to coyote lullabies.
The next morning, we lazily took our time making breakfast (leftover steak with eggs!) and packed up. We chatted with the campground host, who confirmed that it would be just fine to leave our cars in the Fairgrounds so long as we moved them to the far corner to make room for the vintage car show later that day. After a bit of goofing off in the rodeo arena, we threw around a bunch of high fives then pedaled out into adventure.
Our route for the weekend was a 40ish mile loop through the Tygh Valley, into the Mt. Hood National Forest and through the White River Wildlife Area. A few of us were already familiar with some of these roads having enjoyed them while riding VeloDirt's Oregon Stampede route. The Limberlost guys provided us with some valuable beta on N. South Road which climbs through the Mt. Hood National Forest. Using that knowledge as foundation, we rounded out the loop with a bit of wildcard in Upper Fifteenmile Road. The route offered an exciting mix of wide gravel roads, rough doubletrack, a handful of creek crossings and lots of cattle guards.
We began climbing the graveled and gently graded Badger Creek Road which delivered us quickly into the White River Wildlife Area. We rode around the boundary gate and relished in the narrowing path and lush springtime vegetation reaching up and out toward the sunshine. At times, we rode close together, chatting and cracking jokes. Other times, we found ourselves in a personal bubble, alone and quiet. The usual central Oregon perfume of Ponderosa Pine and Sagebrush sweetened the warm air. We stopped frequently to admire the wildflowers - showy pockets of yellow Balsamroot, purple Penstemon, and a few early red Indian Paintbrushes.
As Saturday afternoon waned on, the road got a bit rougher. A few technical rocky descents and one really punchy climb challenged us, but we all agreed on how freaking awesome our bikes felt despite the tricky terrain. We crossed a few creeks - a nice chance to splash off in cool water. We were also surprised to see a truck right in the middle of nowhere with a weathered looking fellow and his grandson packing up gear after a day of turkey hunting. We chatted them up and learned that they hadn't any luck seeing turkeys, but that they had seen a large cougar creeping into their camp that morning. That cougar was never far from the back of our minds for the rest of the trip.
We rolled into camp dusty and were pleased to discover the bush camping option we had hoped would serve us well was indeed a lovely oasis along Fifteenmile Creek. We promptly poured ourselves a pint of beer, all thanks to Hazel for having hauled in a growler! We got a fire going, made dinner, then second dinner. It was a dark and still night and the running river alongside camp was a lovely soundtrack. And we didn't see or hear any cougars.
The next morning as we repacked our bikes, we were surprised to see an ATV appear seemingly out of nowhere from the direction opposite of how we accessed camp. He introduced himself as a local farmer who helps maintain a nearby irrigation channel. We chatted about our plan for the day and he warned that Upper Fifteen Mile road was going to require us to "carry our bikes" some. Despite the unspecific warning, we took off that way and were glad to discover that not only was the road rideable - it was super fun and totally gorgeous, hugging the river through a narrow canyon. We encountered only one easy hike-a-bike section over a short rockslide.
Eventually we reached our turn out of the canyon and climbed up and away from the river. The views started getting really good as the group pedaled our way south toward Friend and we kept our cameras busy clicking shots.
We lunched in the shade of the Old Friend Schoolhouse then turned our bikes onto Clark Mill Road and climbed back into the White River Wildlife Area. Definitely one of the more scenic sections of our ride, we marveled at the expansive views of Mt. Hood, got rowdy on descents through babyhead rocks and deep gravel, found a secret waterfall and had an almost-too-close encounter with a rattlesnake. Good times!
All in all, the trip was an overwhelming success. No mechanicals, no time spent lost and just three minor boo-boos. We celebrated with some beers back at the cars before heading into Hood River to refresh ourselves on pizza and more beer.
The route is highly recommended, although it's important to note that it's fairly remote - we passed only a very few houses and no public services - but water was plentiful. Cell phone reception was severely limited. Keep an eye out for rattlers.
Post by Jocelyn Gaudi.
Some individual thoughts from the Komorebi team riders:
For weeks we have been planning, building our set up and waiting for the chance to finally ride our adventure mobiles. The weekend finally came and i never imagined it could have panned out any better. So many smiles, the right amount of challenge and, for me, the perfect crash scenario. Wound is healing, rotor replaced (thank you Ira!!) and i'm still in that dreamy giddy fog state of reliving the experience with vivid memories and pictures!! Yaaay Bikes!! Yaaay fantastic teammates!! - Sharon
Having only been mountain biking a grand total of two times, the terrain we covered over two days on our inaugural trip was initially totally terrifying. I'm not sure what it was I was expecting, but there was no turning back once we rolled out of camp that first morning. And look at that, I made it out alive. The encouragement from my amazing teammates, trust in our incredible equipment, and the confidence I gained as I bombed descent after descent made for one of the most memorable and stoke-instilling weekends in a long time. I can't wait to do it all over again. - Caitlin
I think the biggest surprise for me was how the bike hardly felt loaded at all. I'm so used to panniers and having a wobbly rear end (the bike, not me!), that the sturdiness of the frame bags, the fork mounted cages, and the bike itself, was just a total shock--and of course, way more fun to ride! The more technical parts of the route were definitely my favorite, and it was fun to see people new to mountain biking get their feet wet, literally. Before the trip, I didn't really think of what we were doing as "mountain biking" since in my mind, that equates to single track. But of course, we were still going over rock gardens and logs, and I think that also came to a surprise to some of the folks newer to it. But they rode it all, and fully loaded no less. - Kristin
What a great trip to kickoff a summer of adventures. That was by far the most off road climbing I have ever done which was challenging but I was amazed at how well my bike handled it. It was fun to get dorky with everyone about camp cookware and snacks. It was also great to realize that our group comes from such varied backgrounds, professions and interests but equals out to a great crew! The biggest thing I learned was to really check out your medical kit, mine was brand new but lacked some things I would consider essential. - Hazel


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The landscapes, grassland types and conservation projects included in Save Our Magnificent Meadows were selected by a UK committee of grassland experts.
The range of grassland management conservation techniques that were used across the landscapes include mechanical mowing, physically removing bracken, scrub and trees, introducing grazing, restoring habitats and creating access as well as setting up a community machinery ring and establishing a network of community meadow champions. In some areas, a conservation advisory service ran alongside the practical land management.
Explore the nine landscape areas listed on the left to find out about the conservation work carried out near you.


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Queens Zoo
- 53-51 111th St.
- Queens, NY 11368
- (718) 271-1500
- Visit Site | E-Mail
- Details
- Map
Visit the Queens Zoo to see playful pumas, Andean bears and the world's smallest deer. You won't want to miss the sea lion feedings (at 11:15am, 2pm and 4pm every day). Kids will especially love the domestic animals in the farm exhibit, where they'll meet lots of friendly farm animals up close—including giant 26-pound bunnies!


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Hi it's Alex Wilson-Campbell here, the Founder of the Careers With Purpose Summit and I just wanted to say thank you so much for attending the summit. And for all those who missed out on each one of the sessions you really missed a treat from 27 of the world's best speakers, thought leaders in a range of different subjects and although the summit is over it is time to take what you learned and put it into action so that you can make any necessary steps, any necessary improvements to your career so you can move forward….
[s3audio s3url="cwplearnings/cwplearningsrichard.m4a" responsive="on" /]
.. And with that in mind, over the next few days i'm going to review some of the summit speaker [sessions] selecting some of my favourite quotes and giving my interpretation on what those quotes potentially mean and how you could use them in your career to take things forward.
And our first speaker is founder of the Values Centre, Richard Barrett is his name. He is also Chair of the Values Centre. Richard had lots of great insight to share on the importance of values in work and life. One of the key things I learned is that your values change over the course of your life. So, the values you had as a 20 or 25 year old may not necessarily be the same when you reach 35, 40 years old. So it stands to reason with that being the case that you will need to self assess over the course of your career and do that on a regular basis. One of the things that Richard said is that if you feel fearful or uneasy, that may indicate the presence of a potentially limiting value.
Values are driven by your fears.
And we've all been there. We've all sat at work where we've felt a sense of trepidation or you feel a sense of anxiety on your journey into work.


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TODAY'S STUDY: How Ocean Wind Will Get Better
Innovation Outlook – Offshore Wind
October 2016 (International Renewable Energy Agency)
Summary for Policymakers
The case for offshore wind
Off shore wind technology opens up sites with high wind resources. Off shore wind farms can be built quickly, at gigawatt-scale, close to densely populated coastal areas. This makes off shore wind an important addition to the portfolio of technologies to decarbonise the energy sector in a cost-eff ective manner.
Advances in wind power technologies continue to drive cost reduction and expansion into new markets. While onshore wind power is increasingly cost competitive against conventional power generation technologies, growing attention is being paid to technology development for off shore applications that open the door to sites with better wind resources. This combination of higher capacity factors and the availability of large-scale sites makes off shore wind an attractive alternative for utility-scale low-carbon electricity
Wind development is essential to decarbonise the global economy. According to IRENA's analysis, wind power will have to become the leading power generation technology by 2030 to ensure a decarbonisation of the global economy. Off shore wind capacity can reach 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 as innovation continues as the industry takes shape. It could increase faster if policies were adopted to double renewables in the global energy mix. This ambitious decarbonisation pathway requires 1990 GW of total installed wind capacity by 2030, of which off shore wind would provide about 280 GW
Innovation Outlook
Offshore Wind Technology aims to inform policy makers and other stakeholders about anticipated developments in the next three decades that will make off shore wind competitive on a large scale. The information in the report aims to help guide incentive programmes and policy actions supporting innovation sustainable energy innovation.
A sector driven by technological innovation
Offshore wind has grown from a few megawatts of installed capacity to more than 12 gigawatts in barely 15 years. The technology's evolution started in 1991, when the first megawatt-scale offshore wind farm was commissioned in Denmark in shallow waters, close to shore, using turbines rated at only one-eighth of today's largest turbines. The first commercial-scale offshore wind plant was commissioned in 2002, also in Denmark, with an installed capacity of 160 megawatts (MW). By the end of 2015, the world's installed offshore wind capacity exceeded 12 GW, mainly off the coasts of Europe.
Offshore wind turbines are now the largest rotating machines on Earth. Developments in wind turbine technologies as well as in foundations, installation, access, operation and system integration have permitted moves into deeper waters, further from shore, to reach larger sites with better wind resources. Until 2007, offshore wind turbines were installed in water depths below 20 metres (m) and closer than 30 kilometres (km) from shore. Today, in contrast, turbines are being installed routinely in water depths up to 40 m and as far as 80 km from shore.
Most of the capacity installed or operating for off shore wind to date is located off northern Europe. Half of the capacity is in UK waters, one-third in German waters, and the rest almost entirely in other parts of the North Sea or in the Baltic Sea.
Competitiveness of offshore wind
As innovation keeps driving down costs, offshore wind power could be highly competitive within a few years. The main driver for growth in the offshore wind industry has been significant decreases in power-generation costs with the technology. Cost reductions have been aided by government financial support to address the security of electricity supply and decarbonisation of electricity production. Such efforts have, in turn, driven innovation in the sector, which has brought costs down as well as boosting performance.
Costs have fallen more than 30% in the 15 years since the first wind farm opened. The levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from offshore wind, which averaged about USD 240 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in 2001, had fallen to approximately USD 170/MWh by the end of 2015.
Innovations that enabled this cost reduction include offshore-specific turbine designs, bespoke offshore wind installation vessels and advanced offshore electrical interconnection equipment. Between 2001 and the end of 2015, the rated capacity of commercially deployed offshore wind turbines grew from 2 MW to more than 6 MW. This progress not only improved the efficiency of the turbines but also resulted in cost economies across the rest of the wind farm, which is why, in Figure S6, innovation in turbines is shown as the largest contributor to reductions in the electricity cost. "Other" change shown came from changes in typical financing costs, site characteristics and other non-technological issues, including project life, competition and other supply chain levers, exchange rates and commodity prices.
Despite the progress made, the offshore wind sector must continue to reduce costs, ease its integration into onshore grid systems and expand the markets that it is able to address, while preserving its focus on the environment, health and safety. Technology innovation will remain a key ingredient, as well as reducing the cost of finance and savings through competition and other supply chain levers.
As an example, in 2015 and 2016, winning bids for auctions for pre-developed offshore wind farms in Europe, such as Horns Rev 3 and Borssele I, have indicated important further cost reductions for projects commissioned for 2020, due mainly to increased competition at the developer level for the same site and driving additional savings in a variety of areas
Innovation prospects
Rapid strides with technology and other innovations will drive further reductions, helping expand the off shore wind market around the world. The most signifi cant innovations related to off shore wind technology are expected to include the introduction of next-generation turbines with larger rotors, as well as advances in electrical transmission. Other types of innovation — such as in policy-making, fi nance and business models — will also boost the sector over the next 30 years.
Ongoing developments in blade and drivetrain technology will allow even larger turbines with higher power ratings. Off shore wind turbines deployed at present typically have a rated capacity of about 6 MW, with rotor diameters around 150 m. Larger turbines might not have a much lower capital cost per MW of rated power than existing designs, but they deliver a lower LCOE due mainly to higher reliability and lower foundation and installation costs per MW. It is expected that the commercialisation of 10 MW turbines will take place in the 2020s, while 15 MW turbines could be commercialised in the 2030s.
Off shore installation will continue to be simplifi ed. Several steps can be eliminated by assembling and precommissioning wind turbines in a harbour and installing the complete, integrated turbine (including rotor and tower) in a single operation off shore. A further innovation is to install the turbine and the foundation together, towing the turbine-foundation structure to the site via a bespoke vessel or tugboats. This innovation can be applied to bottom-fi xed or fl oating systems. These innovations have potential to reduce installation cost and reduce exposure to health and safety risks.
Floating foundations are another area of innovation with high potential impact. They are expected to start to be commercially available by 2020. This type of foundation off ers the off shore wind industry access to large areas with a strong wind resource and proximity to population centres in waters that are deeper than 50 m. In mid-depth conditions (30-50 m), fl oating foundations may off er a lower-cost alternative to fi xed-bottom foundations due to the potential for standardisation of foundation designs, maximisation of onshore activity and the use of low-cost, readily available installation vessels.
Electrical interconnection of off shore wind farms presents multiple innovation opportunities. These include reducing the necessary amount of off shore high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) infrastructure. High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission is used in preference to HVAC transmission from far-from-shore projects to reduce losses and cable costs. Reducing the cost of HVDC infrastructure could open up new markets and enable the connection of off shore HVDC substations to the fi rst elements of international or interstate HVDC supergrids.
Many innovations in other areas are already reaching a commercial stage. For example, innovations in the development of the wind farm — such as optimisation of the site layout for better use of the wind resource, minimisation of aerodynamic wake eff ects and optimum use of varying seabed conditions — will enable much more informed and holistic layouts of off shore wind farms. Innovation opportunities also exist and are being harnessed rapidly in operation, maintenance and service (OMS), and this report discusses them all in detail
Potential game changers
Specialised technologies such as floating foundations will reduce costs further and open up vast areas of currently inaccessible sites for turbines. Currently, offshore wind farms have been installed in water depths below 50 m using turbine foundations that are fixed directly to the seabed. This limits access to sites with higher winds and potentially large markets. Japan and the United States, for instance, have few shallow-water sites, and existing foundation concepts would not be costeffective. Floating foundations could be game changers in opening up significant new markets with deeper waters. Floating foundations make installation easier and cheaper by reducing the amount of offshore activity and avoiding the use of heavy-lift vessels. Floating foundations are buoyant structures maintained in position by mooring systems.
Three technologies (Figure S7) are in development at present: ● Spar buoys, such as the Hywind concept developed by Statoil, ● Tension-leg platforms, such as Glosten's PelaStar, and ● Semi-submersibles, such as that developed by Principle Power.
Several full-scale prototypes have been deployed, while demonstrations for new fl oating turbine concepts continue. The fi rst full-scale prototype was a spar buoy in Norway in 2009, followed by a semi-submersible installation in Portugal in 2011 and three installations in Japan (spar and semi-submersible) between 2011 and 2015. No tension-leg platform has yet been deployed for a wind turbine, but variants of all concepts have been used in the oil and gas sector.
Other turbine concepts, including multi-rotor and vertical-axis wind turbines, could also prove to be game changers. Airborne wind energy, using kites or fi xed wings to reach winds higher up, has also started to receive more attention. Benefi ts include the increased scale and consistency of wind resources at higher altitude and lower mass and costs for materials.
Market-changing cost reductions could also be possible through extending the life of existing projects, including repowering them with the latest turbine technology
The outlook
Technological advances and other types of innovation can take off shore wind power to waters deeper than 50 m, expand its geographic range and reduce costs by more than half over the next three decades. Technological innovations, combined with various non-technology innovations, like diff erent site choices, new market strategies and refi ned tools to reduce fi nance risks, should decrease the LCOE for off shore wind farms to USD 95/MWh by 2030 and USD 74/MWh by 2045. This excludes the potential impact of game-changing technologies. Such reductions should put off shore wind fi rmly in the portfolio of technologies needed to decarbonise the energy sector in a cost-eff ective manner
Other significant effects relate to changes in risk and hence the cost of finance and levels of competition and industrialisation (Figure S9). This is already seen with the shift to project-specific competitive auctions in Europe. Global trends in commodity prices, especially for steel and, to some extent, copper and fuel, affect the analysis up to 2015, but the effects of commodity prices and macroeconomic conditions are assumed to remain constant over the period from 2015 to 2045.
In the next three decades, off shore wind is anticipated to grow from a new commercial technology To an industrialised and important component of the global energy mix, driven by technology innovation as well as by non-technology enabling factors discussed in this report. The operating capacity is expected to grow from around 13 GW to roughly 400 GW
Policy recommendations
Concerted eff orts from the public and private sectors will drive further cost reduction, making off shore wind a competitive and reliable option for clean power supply for decades to come.
Policy makers have an important role in creating a climate for investment in technology across the off shore wind industry. This involves: ● Providing as much clarity about the future market size and long-term policy direction as possible. ● Facilitating competitive environments in which reduction in the cost of energy is both rewarded through the right to deliver new projects and supported through the provision of targeted public research and development (R&D) funding. ● Establishing frameworks for the development of international and interstate transmission supergrids. ● Ensuring that public R&D funding is targeted at areas of greatest anticipated cost-of-energy impact and supplemented by incubation support. ● Supporting information sharing within the industry, including the establishment of common language and nomenclature with which to defi ne cost elements. ● Putting in place frameworks and regulations for markets to be able to receive new technologies. ● Supporting skills and supply chain development in order to enable commercialisation of technology
Experience so far shows the best modes of research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to advance high-impact innovations through engagement with a range of stakeholders.
Key approaches include steering R&D, maximising the impact of grant funding, and enabling demonstration of larger turbines and new concepts. Useful synergies can also be found beyond off shore wind or renewables and outside the energy sector as a whole
Steering R&D…Maximising grant impact…Enabling demonstration…Collaboration in other sectors…
No QUICK NEWS today – NewEnergyNews is on the road.


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Montpelier Family Dentistry is a Laurel based family dentist practice that treats patients of all ages. We are committed to delivering the highest quality dental care and do so using state-of-the-art dental equipment. We are a cosmetic dentist that offers services like checkups, teeth cleaning, crowns, veneers and more.
We also perform emergency dentist services that include bonding, root canals, crowns, and bridges. As a local dentist, we create lifelong relationships with our patients and their families and work to ensure that they receive treatments in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Dr. Michelle Samuel and Dr. David Koilpillai and our staff invite you to schedule an appointment by calling 301-605-1132 and experience why our patients think Montpelier Family Dentistry is the best dentist in Laurel.
Meet The Doctors
David Koilpillai, DDSDoctor of Dental Surgery
Dr. David Koilpillai was born in India and as a very young child came to the United States along with his family. He was raised in Takoma Park, Maryland and attended both elementary and high school there. He graduated from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park with his undergraduate degree in medical technology. He attended the University of Maryland Dental School and graduated with his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1983. Since then, Dr. Koilpillai has completed hundreds of hours of continuing dental education credits in order to keep up to date on the latest advances in dentistry and dental practice management.
Since 1991, Dr. Koilpillai has been practicing quality dentistry in his Laurel, MD office. He enjoys practicing general dentistry because of the variety of procedures and treatment options he can offer. He especially finds it satisfying to help those who have been crippled by their dental condition. He enjoys volunteering his services as a dentist, and his favorite charity work was his trip to an orphanage in Mexico six years ago, where he provided dental services for the children.
Dr. Koilpillai has been married for more than 30 years to his wife Hannah. Their daughter graduated from University of Maryland Dental school in May 2013. She has joined her father in his practice and is excited about working with him. Dr. Koilpillai also enjoys several activities outside his profession, including being active in his church, traveling, photography, riding his motorcycle, spending time outdoors, and gardening.
Michelle Samuel, DDSDoctor of Dental Surgery
Dr. Michelle Samuel was born and raised in the Maryland. She attended both elementary and high school in the Takoma Park area. She graduated from Pacific Union College in Angwin, California with her degree in Business Administration. She attended the University of Maryland Dental School and graduated with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2013.
Dr. Samuel chose the dental profession after she went on a mission trip to Mexico at an orphanage and observed the dental need among the children. When she observed the services her father was able to provide for the children, she was convinced that dentistry was the field for her. She looks forward to taking part in mission trips as a regular part of her future career.
Throughout dental school, Dr. Samuel enjoyed taking part in community outreach such as volunteering at health fairs and at church community fairs. She also took part in extracurricular activities such as student clubs that mentored younger classmates and interviewing incoming dental students.
Dr. Samuel enjoys traveling, amateur photography, running and reading.
Meet The Team
Yesenia E. ParraguirreRegistered Dental Hygienist, BS
Yesenia became a member of Montpelier Family Dentistry in 2010, after graduating from the University of Maryland Dental School with her B.S. in dental hygiene. Prior to receiving her B.S., Yesenia also received Associate's degree in general studies from Howard Community College. She loves being a part of our dental team and helping educate our patients about their oral health. As the dental hygienist, she provides preventive care along with patient education.
Yesenia and her husband David have one son, David Alejandro, and one daughter, Veronica. In her spare time, Yesenia can often be found with her husband and kids. She also enjoys watching movies, reading, and going out to eat.
Julie RenfroCertified Dental Assistant
Julie has been assisting at Montpelier Family Dentistry for over 20 years. A graduate of Median School of Allied Health Careers in Pittsburgh, PA, Julie is also a member of the American Dental Assistant's Association and the Maryland State Dental Association. She is also certified through the Dental Assisting National Board. Julie enjoys watching the patients who were teenagers when she first started now bringing their families to our dental office to receive exceptional care. She also is grateful for the opportunity to assist Dr. Koilpillai in delivering high-quality, comfortable care.
When Julie is not helping to improve your smile, she enjoys reading, embroidery, gardening, and camping. She is a Girl Scout troop leader for a troop in Howard County, MD. Julie and her husband Dan have two daughters, Beth and Emily, and one grandson, Johnny. They also have a cat named Marley. Her favorite pastime is watching sports with her husband, especially NASCAR races and Steeler games.
TiffanyOffice Manager
Tiffany has been part of Montpelier Family Dentistry since April 2013. She has 15 years of Business Management experience and received her degree at NOVA Community College. She has many years of experience in insurance claim filing, benefit coordination, and patient scheduling. Tiffany enjoys the patient interaction she takes part in as part of her front office responsibilities.
Tiffany and her husband Dameyon have 3 children, Dionte, Dymond, and Daelan. In her spare time, Tiffany can be found spending time with her family. She also enjoys spending time with friends, bowling, and shopping.


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Dear Followers,
I am sorry to inform you but I have decided to take a break from poetry. Some of you may realize that the last time I posted a poem was, in fact, a year ago. I need time to find myself in a society filled with individuals knowing exactly what they want to pursue. I am one of the few who have not chosen a career path. I cling to my passion of creating a world where words make a difference, mocked by those who refuse to encourage me. I am torn between choosing a path which will undoubtedly grant me a steady payroll in the future (denying me the right to simply write for a living) or one which will help me become a young adult author with less than fifty percent of actually "making it". I have certainly reached a fork in the road.
Until We Meet Again,
Ambitious Poet


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Recipe Search
Mini Sausage Pizzas
Latest Review
little pizzas big on flavor. I used english muffins, toasted and smeared with garlic butter and chicken sausage. i did not foil my pan but i always spray it with non stick spray. i added sliced black olives and canned, drained, sliced mushrooms. DELICIOUS! anyway these are put together they are WOW! — Barbara Miller
Servings4 servings
Prep Time20minutes
Cook Time8minutes
- 4 English muffins or bagels, split in half
- 1/2 cup Pizza sauce
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 package (13.5 ounce) JOHNSONVILLE® Premium Fully Cooked Three-Cheese Italian Style Sausage Rope, cut into thin slices
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper, optional
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, optional
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Lightly toast English muffins.
- Place muffins halves on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Spread with pizza sauce.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and sausage. Add green pepper and red onion if desired.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted.


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After vacationing in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for almost a decade, I began to like the idea of becoming a "Snowbird" six months a year. Why not? I hate winter. I know a lot of people here -- both locals and ex-pat Canadians -- some who have married Mexicans. I may be a little young to be considered a "snow bird" but I feel this is a great time of my life for an adventure.
I can do my job from anywhere as long as I have my computer, WiFi and a phone. With technology today, it isn't a problem. I talked to my clients and they didn't seem to mind, so I decided to take the plunge.
I headed down to PDC at the end of September to celebrate my birthday and to hunt for my new home. I found the perfect place in just a few days. Two bedroom, two bathroom, beautiful Italian furnishings, a huge balcony, a big common pool, private roof top patio with a Jacuzzi, a six minute walk to the beach and two minutes away from one of the biggest grocery stores in town. And the best part is the price -- only $1000 a month!
I arrived in Playa 12 days ago. I have left behind many typical first world problems, and now deal with "second world problems." The first thing you learn when you get here is that nothing gets done in a few minutes in Mexico. Thankfully I have great friends here who have been amazing in helping me set up the condo and purchase everything I need to get started. I would have been lost without them.
Playa Del Carmen is a tourist town, so things are fairly easy to find. Some things are cheap, other are more expensive. There is a Walmart, and the grocery stores sell more than just groceries. There is a Sam's Club in Playa, and a Costco in Cancun. So far my biggest problem is too much glare on the screen of my laptop when I work on my patio -- I need an anti-glare screen but the local Office Depot doesn't carry the size I need.
A friend is now bringing one from Toronto. Only one other thing has been hard to find so far. The stove in my kitchen is electric, although most in Mexico are gas. I need new rings to go around the elements but nobody seems to sell them here. Those are now also coming from Toronto. I love my friends....or as I like to call them, my "luggage mules"!
My new Mexican cellphone service (unlimited data on my iPhone, ten local numbers I can call for free at any time, and 250 minutes a month) is costing me a third of what it would cost in Canada. My cable and internet is costing me half of what it does at home.
I have only experienced a small amount of "gringo discrimination" so far. Taxis here charge tourists more than locals. There is one price for a cab ride in central Playa -- its 20 pesos. Twenty-five if you get into the taxi at a taxi stand at one of the stores. But if you are pegged as a tourist they tell you the price is 50 pesos. My Spanish is poor (I start my lessons this week) but I have learned one important phrase -- Vivo aquí -- which means "I live here." I don't even ask them for the price -- I just hand them 20 pesos and get out of the cab. If they try to tell me it's more I just pull out my magic phrase and say "gracias."
My friends in Playa Del Carmen run the gamut from affluent Mexicans (lawyers, doctors, architects, wealthy entrepreneurs) to hard working bartenders, teachers, and musicians. The people here are truly lovely, genuine people. I had a dinner party on my roof top patio on the weekend which produced two-day hangovers for some of my friends. We ate, drank, sang and danced the night away. It's a very different vibe than back at home. If there is one thing I know for sure, my Mexican friends sure know how to have a good time!
Now that I have settled into a routine, I am looking forward to many adventures and new experiences. I am looking forward to traveling around Mexico to really experience the culture. I am also looking forward to the wedding of two of my Mexican friends in December. I will also be traveling to Merida soon to meet the parents and families of two close friends of mine. Let the adventure begin...I am ready for it!


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Nearing its two-year mark, South Kensington's Saint Benjamin Brewing Company announces its brewhouse expansion. Led by brewers Tim Patton and Christina Burris, the brewing operation increased its three-barrel system to one that is now 10-hectoliters (that roughly translates to eight-and-a-half barrels).
The anticipated expansion will enable the Philly brewery to increase its production to 4,000 barrels per year. As of 2015, they clocked a 440-barrel production year, with their goal to produce a significant increase for 2016, roughly 1,400-1,500 barrels.
New System, New Beer
The sleek new German brewhouse arrived on-site as of early February, with the brewery tapping industry consultant and regional beer pioneer, Scott Morrison, to assist with calibrating the equipment. Even better, as a homage to Saint Ben and Morrison's working relationship, they're collaborating with him on a maibock—one to be released during the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in early May.
But, back to the new system. The very first beer off of it was a sessionable IPA crafted with New Zealand Wakatu hops and pilsner malt, which made its public debut at Martha on Fri., March 4. Appropriately named the Troubleshooter, this beer also marks another new beginning—it was the one of the first releases that Saint Benjamin's new assistant brewer, Josh Caputo, collaborated on. (He was formerly the cellarman of Duck Rabbit Brewery.)
Yes, We Can
Beginning early April, Saint Benjamin will also start mobile canning their most popular releases: Inca, an India Cream Ale with West Coast sensibilities, and Wit or Witout, a classic wheat beer made with traditional spices and a bit of Philly zest.
"We considered these two beers for canning because they are our go-to, easy-drinking beers," shares Burris. "We envision people grabbing them to take to the shore or to baseball games."
Burris and Patton worked with a designer to concoct can labels that best represent their history-inspired brand. Burris, a self-proclaimed 'typography nerd,' shares that the calligraphy-themed lettering that'll don the coming-soon cans is identifiable to what one would have seen during Ben Franklin's era.
More Bottling
It will not be just St. Ben's cans hitting the market. Expect them to up the ante on their bottle production too. "Liaison was the first home run," reveals Burris. "It was my first homebrew that grew into this beer. We are very happy for it to be coming into 750-ml."
Bonne Année, a Belgian-style strong ale brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops, is another they're prepping for large-format bottles. The beer debuted on draught for the second consecutive year on New Year's Eve 2015. A portion of it was reserved and aged in 750-ml cork-finished bottles, to be released at a later date, after it "takes on the essence of the year," suggests Burris.
Here Comes a Pub
The biggest news of it all is that fact that Saint Benjamin Brewing Company will soon add to the ever-evolving craft beverage scene of Kensington and Fishtown. Ever since Saint Benjamin's initial May 2014 debut (that's when they released the first keg, though they'd been in the works since Feb. 2012), the co-owners intended to unveil a pub within their brewery's space.
Quick history lesson: the brewery's tri-level building once acted as the historic carriage house and stables of the defunct Theo Finkenauer Brewery. Theodore Finkenaeur purchased the location in 1876 and by 1890, he was producing 15,000 barrels of lager beer.
Now, just in time for CBC, Saint Benjamin's aims to introduce its brewpub. Previously, SBBC was open once a month for tours and growlers fills only.
"With this expansion, we've doubled our team," shares Patton. They hired a general manager last week; they are in the process of appointing a chef; they welcomed a sales assistant.
Excited to add to the drink and food culture of the neighborhood, SBBC is about a three-block walk from New Liberty Distilling and Federal Distilling, and a quick drive from bar newcomer Martha. Similar in timing, SBBC's brewpub will open the same month as Philly Distilling's new HQ (which includes a restaurant and cocktail bar; more on that here).
Brewery visitors can expect the rustic, brick-lined Tap Room to feature 12 beers on tap, plus one release on hand pump. The pub will feature a full kitchen that focuses on a fresh and seasonal menu that's in sync with the brewery's sensibilities. Patton also reveals they'll feature Pennsylvania wines, as well as local cider, within the pub.
The Future
The brewery's site has seen many lives, acting as a motor cargo company, sewing machine factory, storage warehouse, and now again, a brewery. Burris reveals that the space allows them room to grow upward, up to three floors. When the building acted as carriage house and stable, the horses were kept on the second floor. "The second floor was built to hold 64 horses," reveals Burris about the architecturally sound levels of their building. "We can easily develop reorganizational opportunities upward within this building that are gravity fed."
"We're on the path of achieving our vision," continues Patton, "And, continuing to get our name out there. Philadelphia's [beer scene] continues to grow steadily and we've experienced great growth in the suburbs. As those markets are changing, we are looking to grow into the rest of the state and New Jersey, and build ourselves into a recognizable brand."
Locate the Saint Benjamin Brewing Company at 1710 N. 5th St. in Philadelphia's South Kensington neighborhood. Follow 'em on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.


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Welcome to the second card challenge of November over at Cards in Envy. The theme is 'So Thankful'. I personally give thank you cards throughout the year to quite a few people. Receiving a thank you card from someone who has been given a gift is definitely not uncommon. But how about giving someone a thank you card just for being Amazing. Wouldn't it put a smile on your face to receive a card like that?
Stamps - My Favorite Things
Scalloped/stitched die cut - My Favorite Things
Markers - Copic
Ink - Memento
Gold shimmer spray - Heidi Swapp
I'd love to see some of my followers play along with the Cards in Envy card challenge. Just remember to keep your cards fairly flat with no lumpy or bumpy embellishments.
Thanks for visiting my blog today!


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Lust is a feeling. Thirst is the performance of that feeling. Join Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins as they explore the public ways women express their desire, particularly in this moment when we are all asking more pointed questions about Hollywood, representation, and opportunity. Examine why we desire who we desire through conversation, original fanfic, and fantasies that take us by surprise...like a lion would a gazelle.
77 Min
Dec 20, 2018
63 Min
Dec 13, 2018
57 Min
Dec 6, 2018
"I just love me a butt in some 80s jeans."
Yes, we talk to THE actual Chris Evans.
~Very~ uncomplicated.
Don't blame us if you start looking at Captain Planet in a different light.
On your marks, get set, thirst!
Holy thirstbuckets, Batman!
Everything you need to lust out loud.


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I used, for the first time, the bring to a boil and let sit method. Then I started cooking them. That was in 2011.
And by this I mean: they still have not softened. I should probably just throw them out, but now it has become like a spiritual quest. I add more water, cook for hours. But they do not soften.
Did you soak them first? Are the beans old? Something is definitely wrong if they have not cooked in three days.
Make sure you soak in water overnight in the fridge, or quick soak by boiling for a few minutes and then take off heat, cover, and let sit for an hour.
I hope the next batch turns out well!!! Good Luck!
Cooks illustrated suggests soaking beans overnight in brined water (for one pound beans,I 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts of water). Drain and rinse before cooking. Makes silky beans every time.
For your current batch, try adding a teaspoon or so of baking soda.
As it has already been suggested,do soak the beans over night, but also remember not to add any acidic ingredients until beans are softened or they may never cook.
I'm guessing they're just old. Beans are pretty inexpensive. I'd probably toss them and start over. I soak overnight, usually unrefrigerated (unless the weather is very warm) no salt in the water. I don't salt beans ever until they are almost cooked. [They always come out great!]
I've had this problem before, especially with gigantes (the Greek 'giant' beans). I tried baking soda... didn't help. I tried never salting till the end... no dice. What finally worked for me was a) to not boil vigorously, just keeping it at a simmer and b) using filtered water instead of water straight from the tap. I've also found that I generally have a lot more luck with dried beans every time if I at least start the cooking process in my pressure cooker. But, to echo June, if your beans are too old to start with, I think nothing will work, save for throwing them out!
ENunn, they have left their bodies and gone back to the mother ship. Time to add them to your compost heap. (Your "Twilight Zone" comment cracked me up. Haven't we all been there, with one dish or another.)
I've only every had tough-bean syndrome once, and a pinch of baking soda saved them. I think I tried it after something closer to 3 hours than 3 days, let along 3 years!
Did you cook the beans in salted water? Usually if you do that retards the cooking time of the beans and they will never soften (or they will take an ungodly amount of time). If you use the method of soaking then cooking Cooks Illustrated recommended, you would still have to drain and rinse those beans before additional cooking.
No beans should take 3 days to cook, just throw them away and buy a new pack. Before cooking them soak them over night and add a 1/2 tsp baking powder in the water that will help to tenderize them.
Having some fun at EN's expense! Laughed out loud. Only other thing I can think of...did you check to make certain that there was a fire underneath the pot? Agree tho that they were just old.
Yes, you are all her-larious. I threw them out. I've cooked a million pots of beans in my life, and these were fancy white ones. I ALWAYs soak them overnight. This time I tried the shortcut bring-to-a-boil method. No salt in water. I didn't actually boil them for 3 days straight. It was an on and off kind of thing. I kept looking at them, trying to break up with them, admiring them. But they were hard as rocks. So I tossed them. So many lessons in the kitchen.
Hee-larious. But since we're all women in this thread, I guess HER-larious is fine. Either way, Hahahahahaha!
I love this thread! I seriously think your fancy white beans may have been polished gravel. About a year ago, I learned to add a small (3-4 inch) piece of kombu (a type of kelp available at any Asian market on earth, or at Whole Foods if you don't mind patronizing Eden Brand foods [which I steer clear from because they are suing to avoid covering birth control for their employees *ahem*]) to my beans during their pre-soak and while cooking. It helps make the beans more digestible, and improves umami. Some people fish out the kombu after cooking, but I usually just leave it in there to eat. I have no idea what effect it has on gravel and other stones.
The secret is NO SALT until after the beans are cooked. Soak, of course, and then boil without salt. That's the trick.
Took me a long time to learn that btw. My first pot of beans in salt water dates back to the first episode of the original twilight zone. They've been boiling ever since and my children and grandchildren will inherit them :D
The one idea I haven't seen here, except obliquely in Diana M's post, is whether your water is hard or not. If it is, that will affect whether your beans remain tough. If your tap water is hard, use filtered or distilled water instead.
No salt was added to these beans. I used the same water that I have used to make beans, which is to say from the faucet. They were B.O.T.D. (beans of the devil). Thank you everybody!
I grow dry beans, so I know that the reason they won't soften is because they are old. Even "dry" things have expiration dates! Once, I was sold "fancy" dry beans from a farmer's market that, as it turned out, had clearly had been hanging around for quite a while. No amount of cooking had any effect on them. Technique has nothing to do
with it.
The upstream comment about baking soda.
With old beans and hard water---baking soda breaks the magic bond on the bean that allows the beans to cook and soften.
Careful tho; just a pinch as baking soda can 'level' any flavor the beans have into a rather bland mush, so start with 1/4 tsp.


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Patna, Aug 9 (IANS) A day ahead of its former President Sharad Yadav's arrival in Bihar, the state's ruling Janata Dal-United on Wednesday distanced itself from the two-day visit and dubbed it a personal initiative.
"Sharad Yadav's visit to Bihar is his personal initiative. The JD-U has nothing to do with it," JD-U state President Vashisht Narain Singh said.
Sharad Yadav will begin his visit to seven districts, including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Supaul, and Madhepura, from Thursday to meet people, including his supporters and mostly JD-U leaders and workers.
"Sharad Yadav will meet party leaders and workers loyal to him to know their stand and read the political situation carefully before taking any decision," a JD-U MLC considered close to him said here.
His visit comes in the wake of Sharad Yadav's public expression of sadness over Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U President Nitish Kumar's decision to dump the Grand Alliance of the JD-U, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in the state and joined hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance to form the new government.
Sharad Yadav had said Nitish Kumar's decision was against the mandate given by 11 crore people in Bihar in the 2015 assembly polls against the NDA.
JD-U Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar too said that Sharad Yadav, a former Union Minister, is visiting Bihar for two days in his personal capacity.
"Sharad Yadav is not visiting Bihar on JD-U invitation. So, where is the question of the party at all?"
Vashisht Narain Singh said the decision to join hands with the NDA was not taken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the individual level. "The decision was of the Bihar unit of the JD-U, including the legislative party."
JD-U leaders started targeting Sharad Yadav since last week for what they said was compromising with corruption.
"Sharad Yadav is compromising with corruption by supporting the Grand Alliance in Bihar," JD-U Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Singh said.
Sanjay Singh also raised question over Sharad Yadav's decision to hold a national seminar against communalism in Delhi on August 17, two days ahead of the JD-U National Executive meeting in Patna.
Another JD-U Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said it is difficult to understand why Sharad Yadav is backing leaders with corruption charges against them. "It is for him to take a stand — but how has corruption become 'shishtachar' (courtesy) for him?"
Apart from Sharad Yadav, the JD-U's two Rajya Sabha MPs — Ali Anwar Ansari and Virender Kumar have also voiced their opposition to Nitish Kumar's decision to join hands with the BJP. Both are in close touch with Sharad Yadav in Delhi.
According to Sharad Yadav's loyalists, several party MLAs and MLCs are in touch with him.
A JD-U leader said: "Sharad Yadav was deeply hurt by Nitish Kumar's decision taken without consulting senior party leaders at a time when opposition unity was to be strengthened. Sharad Yaadav felt ignored and is likely to take a final stand soon."
Post Source: Ians feed


text: Republican frontrunner Donald Trump racked up primary wins on Tuesday [Lynne Sladky/AP] This Tuesday wasn't as hyped and didn't quite have the drama of Super Tuesday - yet there are several things we learned about the contest for the Republican nomination ahead of November's US presidential election. The attacks on Donald Trump are barely leaving a mark After Super Tuesday, Donald Trump had another good evening. He won three states - two by big margins -and added to his delegate count. The voices against Trump have become louder, the negative ad spend has increased and still people have come out to vote for him. READ MORE: Bernie Sanders surprises with Michigan primary win It doesn't matter that his character, business record and past positions have come under assault, the Republican frontrunner continues to win people over with his angry populist positions. Ted Cruz is now Donald Trump's greatest challenger The Texas senator won in Hawaii, a state where Marco Rubio invested money and resources and still stumbled in third. He will be disappointed his conservative, evangelical pitch didn't wrest a few more votes from Trump in Mississippi but he is now clearly best placed to blunt the businessman's momentum. One problem he has is that he spent a lot of time, money and resources in the south and most of those states did not go his way. With the nomination battle now moving to the west and mid-west, it becomes less welcoming territory. He also knows there are many in the Republican party who dislike him. They hoped his campaign would soon wither and die; they hate the way he has railed against the political establishment; and how he has bad mouthed fellow Republicans and promoted himself. READ MORE: Why I'd vote for Trump, but you shouldn't But now he's emerging as the leader of the anti-Trump faction, there are some in the party who think they have to find a way to work with Cruz. John Kasich is a regional candidate While many people have grown to like and admire the Ohio governor in this campaign, he hasn't done too well outside the mid-west or North East. His appeal seems to be limited, although he's polished up his second and third place finishes really well. His home state is a huge test. He's campaigning there in the old-fashioned way - getting out to small communities, shaking hands, kissing babies, posing for selfies (well it's not all old-fashioned!). READ MORE: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton win big, Super Tuesday His numbers tend to creep up the days before a vote. He'll be hoping he can do the same there. Perhaps he can then expand the base of his support. Marco Rubio is campaigning in the last chance saloon The Florida senator came flying out of South Carolina energised and enthusiastic. He decided to go on the offensive against Trump and landed a few hefty blows. But it simply hasn't translated into votes for Rubio. The best poll in his home state puts him 12 points behind Trump - and if that's true, he has a big decision to make. Does he go down fighting in his home state and risk humiliation? Or does he pull out before the poll on Tuesday and give himself the chance of a second act at some point down the line? If he doesn't win in Florida, it's not just this campaign that might be over, but his entire political career. SOURCE: Al Jazeera ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alan Fisher @ alanfisher US Elections 2016 Donald Trump US & Canada Politics


text: Hi, I am Anurag M. from India. Its nice to be here. The forum niche is a different one, I wish you good luck with it. I am sure that I will enjoy my stay here with you guys! Well basically I am a MyBB theme maker at Yuvapix, apart from that I own another technology forum. I am studying B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation.


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The private view went well last night. A big turn out and I sold a painting...which is always pleasing. Good to get one under your belt early on!
The Level Best Art Gallery has offered me a date to exhibit in the Autumn which is great news. I will post more details on that nearer the time.
I'm off now to Libya for a week. Am very much looking forward to finding painting inspiration there as well as soaking up the sights and smells of another fascinating North African country. I will paste some photos on my return.
In the mean time I leave you with some photos of truly beautiful rusty, weather beaten walls. Taken when I was down at Brightlingsea last weekend. These will probably be interpreted into some art work at a later date. Locked away in my endless ideas books, to be used a source of inspiration when I need it.


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I just love all things Elf / Elves at christmas, it sums up the magical season for me.
Again these are all from slow boat ( even the stamp ) and cut very well. I did find these tricky to do as so delicate to hold let alone colour in. For the colouring I used Nuvo Alcohol Markers
These will be going on kids christmas sacks just hope they like them !
Just need to add hole and twine and job done 🙂


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Plymouth St. - P.O. Box 494, Halifax, MA 02338Phone: 781-293-5275 Fax: email@example.com WWW.GREELEYSOIL.COM
Plymouth St. - P.O. Box 494, Halifax, MA 02338Phone: 781-293-5275 Fax: 781-293-9137
Full service oil without
the full service price.
are looking a for a part time or full time oil truck driver and a burner service technician. Please call our office
if you love winter and would like to earn extra cash. We are a local, family owned business founded
in 1980 by Rick and Donna Greeley. Greeleys' Oil Co. has been reliably keeping the homes of Halifax and the
surrounding towns comfortable for over 37 years. We have 24 Hour emergency oil burner
service by our own licensed technicians.If we are not in the office, please call 781-293-5275.
For non emergency messages please press 1. For emergencies press 2 and you will be prompted to reach one of us.
Thank you for your business. Hi Folks, In 1980 I started an oil company with the help of
my loving wife Donna. With $3000.00, I bought a 1964 White oil truck and a load of oil from Quincy Oil Co.Now
after 36 years, I am proud to announce that I have sold my oil company to my sons Richard and Christopher. I have the
deepest confidence in both of them. They have been involved in the business since they were kids. They did whatever
they could to make my work a little easier. Both know the business from the bottom up. They have done it
all. My wife Donna has worked right along with me since we started the business. I could
not have been so successful without her. Donna will still be involved in the daily operation of the business.
The woman refuses to get old. I hope to help my boys in any way I can but they will be in control of
everything.I would like to thank everyone that I have had the pleasure to meet in this business.
I wish all of you good health, happiness and success at whatever you do.
Our cash price for January 16, 2019
to January 24 , 2019Budget customer- 4
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Thursday, May 10, 2012
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012Hi Folks,Here's some information. U.S. crude
supplies rose to a 22 year high. According to API, inventories of crude oil stand at 379.5 million barrels,
the highest since 1990. Maybe the price has created weak demand. China was also hit. Their imports and exporting
of oil grew less than analysts expected. Distillates (fuel oil) inventories dropped 3.3 million barrels.
Gasoline is down 5 million barrels. New Govenment regulations forced several refineries to close which could have impacted
inventories. Sometimes I wonder if this administration wants high prices to force people into a Chevy Volt!
You think!!!
We are proud members of:
We accept Visa, Master Card and Discover credit and
debit cards.
Greeleys' Oil Co. * 847 Plymouth St. * Halifax, MA 02338 * Phone: 781-293-5275 * Fax: 781-293-9137
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text: Contact Atlanta Bread welcomes your comments and questions. Please fill out the form below and select submit. Your Name (required) Your Email (required) How can we help you? (required) Guest ExperienceGeneral FeedbackFranchise Inquiry Your Message Does this concern a particular store? If so, please select from list below ---Ross Clark Circle, Dothan, ALHuntsville, Huntsville, ALMobile, Mobile, ALArk/Fayetteville, Fayetteville , ARWest Walnut, Rogers, ARAurora, Aurora, CONorthglenn, Northglenn, COAugusta, Augusta, GAMall of Georgia, Buford, GAColumbus Park, Columbus, GACumming, Cumming, GAPerimeter Point, Dunwoody, GAFayetteville, Fayetteville , GAGainesville, Gainesville, GASouthlake, Morrow, GAForum, Norcross, GAPeachtree City, Peachtree City, GA92 & King, Roswell, GASavannah, Savannah, GASouth Cobb, Smyrna, GASnellville, Snellville, GAValdosta, Valdosta, GAWarner Robins, Warner Robins, GAWoodstock, Woodstock, GASouth Neil Street, Champaign, ILSeverna Park, Severna Park, MDAsheville, Asheville, NCHighlands Square, Asheville, NCHickory, Hickory, NCMayfaire Town Center, Wilmington, NCBrick, Brick, NJMorris Plains, Morris Plains, NJTom's River, Tom's River, NJCity Center, White Plains, NYSheridan Square, Lawton, OKWhiskey Road, Aiken , SCDowntown Columbia, Columbia, SCPelham, Greenville, SCCherrydale, Greenville, SCHilton Head, Hilton Head, SCMt. Pleasant, Mt. Pleasant, SCTanglewood Station, North Charleston, SCSummerville, Summerville, SCSunset Blvd, West Columbia, SCDulles, Sterling , VAFox River Mall , Appleton, WI Please enter the characters below Atlanta Bread 1200 Wilson Way, Suite 100 Smyrna, GA 30082 770.432.0933 770.432.4489


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Aikarthya is a registered non-profit and non-partisan youth led Social service organization. Working with a vision to create a poverty-free Community driven by the next generation of home-grown leaders. Aikarthya works to bridge gaps in society by uniting youth from diverse backgrounds, equipping them with leadership, problem solving and teamwork skills, and engaging them in community service and active citizenship.
Our area of work is Educational equity through programs for students, teachers and school leaders and Bridging the social gap by working on Youth in our country


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Mommy Makeover
What is a Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover combines breast enhancement and body contouring to address the unwanted effects of childbirth. In a series of procedures, Dr. Ortegon can help you regain the body you had before pregnancy. A typical mommy makeover includes breast augmentation with a tummy tuck. Some procedures will involve liposuction as well.
What Can A Mommy Makeover Help Treat? Who Is The Ideal Candidate?
During a consultation at our San Antonio practice, Dr. Ortegon will review your medical history to determine if a mommy makeover is suitable for you. Candidates for a Mommy Makeover should be healthy and have a desire to correct:
- Loose tissue on tummy
- Deflated or drooping breasts
- Stretched nipples or areolas
- Persistent areas of body fat
Should I Have A Mommy Makeover If I Plan On Having More Children?
Plastic surgery is suitable for mothers of all ages. However, for best results you should be done having children, because pregnancy can undo your results.
How Long Should I Wait After Pregnancy To Receive Treatment?
It is recommended that patients finish breastfeeding and reach a stable weight before the surgery.
"If you're looking for a place you can trust. This is the place! Love the new you!"
What Can I Expect During My Mommy Makeover?
On your surgery day, your plastic surgeon will mark incision locations with a marker. General anesthesia or local anesthesia with IV sedation will be administered. The doctor then performs the surgical procedures that you and the doctor have chosen: usually a tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and liposuction.
Breast Augmentation
To restore breast volume, Dr. Ortegon may recommend breast augmentation as part of your mommy makeover. San Antonio Cosmetic Surgery offers both saline and silicone implants, as well as breast augmentation with fat grafting.
"Many people are still unaware aware that breast augmentation can do more than enlarge the breasts. Enhancement surgery also corrects a loss of breast volume – commonly experienced after significant weight loss, after breast-feeding, or as a result of time and gravity…the normal aging process." – Dr. Ortegon
Breast augmentation typically requires two small incisions – around the nipple, near the underarm, or beneath the breast – to allow insertion of the implant. The implants can be placed above or below the chest muscles.
Tummy Tuck
Pregnancy can cause stretching of the abdominal muscles and skin. After one or more pregnancies, these effects can be significant and troubling for a mom. The solution for many San Antonio moms is a tummy tuck.
"I use a technique called a high tension lateral abdominoplasty, a procedure that enables me to remove as much excess skin as possible without compromising the patient's blood supply. – Dr. Ortegon
When your body weight is constantly changing, stubborn fat deposits can appear. The location varies with each woman. Some are bothered by fat in the thighs or buttocks, while others tend to accumulate fat in the arms or upper body. Using liposuction, a proven procedure for targeted fat removal, Dr. Ortegon can address these problem areas to help you slim down.
"I almost always do a combination of liposuction and tummy tuck. Together, these procedures allow me to optimally reshape and refine the contours of the body and get the best results," explains Dr. Ortegon in his plastic surgery Q&A.
What Can I Expect After My Mommy Makeover?
Your mommy makeover may be completed in a single day or it may be done in a series performed weeks or months apart. Dr. Ortegon can help you decide about these details.
A combined procedure of breast and body contouring can involve more downtime than a single procedure. You will probably need some help at home for about one week after surgery, while complete recovery requires several weeks.
When Will I See My Final Results?
As with many cosmetic procedures, it may take about six months or even a year to appreciate the final results of your mommy makeover.
Schedule A Consultation
You can learn more about mommy makeovers by contacting us for a consultation. Call 2109512483 to contact our San Antonio office today! Before your appointment, you can also view our before and after photos to see real plastic surgery results achieved at our San Antonio practice.


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Apple's Snow Leopard gets a Third-Party OpenCL GCD boost
Yesterday Apple announced that they were opening up the Grand Central Dispatch code. So, of course today we see the first of the "third-party" applications developed for it.
Interestingly it is a video encoding application that makes use of the OpenCL libraries found in Snow Leopard. The name of the application is called movie gate. It was developed by Christophe Ducommun and shows roughly a 50% performance increase over non-OpenCL performance. When I read this news I started to have flash backs to when NVIDIA released their Cuda API. At the time they called it WhoopAss, a rather goofy name for a bundle of demo applications and a single Video encoding app that was not much faster than CPU encoding (back then).
Despite this flash back I was actually impressed when I read further down in the article. You see although I dislike Apple as a company the one thing that I will always give them for is their Video Editing/ Authoring Applications. I still use FinalCut and DVD Studio for my authoring and NLE Editing. So with this new development I am starting to wonder if it is time to build me a hackintosh complete with some third-party OpenCL plugins.


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Our holdings include hundreds of glass and film negatives/transparencies that we've scanned ourselves; in addition, many other photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs) in the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) They are adjusted, restored and reworked by your webmaster in accordance with his aesthetic sensibilities before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here. All of these images (including "derivative works") are protected by copyright laws of the United States and other jurisdictions and may not be sold, reproduced or otherwise used for commercial purposes without permission.
Vintage photos of:
November 16, 1922. Cases of moonshine next to wreck of bootlegger's car in Washington, D.C. View full size. National Photo Company Collection.
This accident occurred on the same day that policewoman Leona King was injured when struck by a vehicle.
So that's a Maryland plate behind the crank? Wonder if the DC one's a fake or stolen.
[As we see here, it wasn't uncommon to have both. - Dave]
Looks like there'll be no drinkin' whiskey from the ol' fruit jar tonite!


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Steamed Tomatoes
Serving Size / Yield
4 servings
- 1 pt. cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 5 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
Our Readers Also Loved
Cut tomatoes in half through the stem end. Combine tomatoes and oil to taste in a saucepan. Cover pan and place over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Add basil. Serve.
Around The Web


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Also known as Wairarapa N162/538
Where: Wairarapa, New Zealand (41.4° S, 175.7° E: paleocoordinates 45.6° S, 177.5° E)
• coordinate based on nearby landmark
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Hurupi Formation, Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)
• Listed as "basal Tongaporutuan" NZ stage.
• bed-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: marine; gray, blue mudstone
Size class: macrofossils
Collection methods: No collection details listed. Material reposited in IGNS collections (formerly NZ Geol. Surv. coll.'s). Collected by Victoria University graduate students and P. Vella (1948-1954).
Primary reference: P. Vella. 1954. Tertiary Mollusca from South-East Wairarapa. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 81(4):539-555 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/A. Hendy]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 35693: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 04.01.2004
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list


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Quillasascut Farm School for Chefs of Color – Who, What & Why?
August 7-12, 2019
Who: My name is Chef Kristi Brown, and I am co-owner of a company called That Brown Girl Cooks! We produce a food product for grocery, do catering, produce events, cooking classes, and so on. I'm sure you understand…. I'm a culinary beast!
Four summers ago, while attending the Quillasascut Farm School as a board member of F.O.R.K.S. and chef/owner of That Brown Girl Cooks! I had a cathartic experience at QFS. I learned hands-on, in the most peaceful, beautiful atmosphere alongside Lora Lea, Rick and Chef Kären Jurgensen, what it can mean to make sustainability a part of your culinary practices. When I asked Lora Lea how many chefs of color they've had in attendance, she couldn't recount. She and I both agreed, that wasn't acceptable.
Why: Let's just be honest….The class and racial disparities inside the culinary sustainability/support local economy conversation is real.
What: This four day intensive class will give chefs/culinarians, who wouldn't ordinarily have an opportunity to participate in a such an experience. a practical hands on experience to see how Farm to Table can be real. You can read more about the workshop here
What else:
$695 per person includes lodging, meals, and all course instruction. (Transportation not included)
Some financial assistance is available depending on donations.
We need sponsors to fund this effort – The paypal link to sponsor is below!
We need applicants to apply for this amazing experience – Here's the link to apply – Application
Ignited? Please feel free to contact me, Kristi or Lora Lea for more information or questions.
For more information about the Chefs of Color :
Kristi – firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have further questions about the school contact:
Lora Lea – firstname.lastname@example.com


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Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 4:49 PM No comments:
Friday, October 11, 2013
My Son's Taekwondo Journey
Here is Jeremy's Taekwondo journey from white belt to first degree black belt at Brad Haynes Martial Arts Academy. So proud of my son. Enjoy the video! =)
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 10:57 AM No comments:
Thursday, February 21, 2013
1. Play a sport.
It will teach you how to win honorably,
lose gracefully, respect authority,
work with others, manage your time
and stay out of trouble.
And maybe even throw or catch.
2. You will set the tone for the sexual relationship,
so don't take something away from her that you can't give back.
3. Use careful aim when you pee.
Somebody's got to clean that up, you know.
4. Save money when you're young because you're going to need it someday.
5. Allow me to introduce you to the dishwasher, oven,
washing machine, iron, vacuum, mop and broom.
Now please go use them.
6. Pray and be a spiritual leader.
7. Don't ever be a bully and don't ever start a fight,
but if some idiot clocks you, please defend yourself.
8. Your knowledge and education is something that nobody can take away from you.
9. Treat women kindly.
Forever is a long time to live alone and it's even longer to live with somebody
who hates your guts.
10. Take pride in your appearance.
11. Be strong and tender at the same time.
12. A woman can do everything that you can do.
This includes her having a successful career
and you changing diapers at 3 A.M.
Mutual respect is the key to a good relationship.
13. "Yes ma'am" and "yes sir"
still go a long way.
14. The reason that they're called "private parts" is because they're "private".
Please do not scratch them in public.
15. Peer pressure is a scary thing.
Be a good leader and others will follow.
16. Bringing her flowers for no reason is always a good idea.
17. It is better to be kind than to be right.
18. A sense of humor goes a long way
in the healing process.
19. Please choose your spouse wisely.
My daughter-in-law will be the gatekeeper for me
spending time with you and my grandchildren.
20. Remember to call your mother
because I might be missing you.
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 8:34 AM No comments:
Labels: kids, motherandson, motherhood, parenting
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
My Year of the Dragon Baby Boy
Hello there baby boy #3!
The long wait is over. I gave birth last June 9, 2012, Saturday via normal delivery at Clark Memorial Hospital at 12:42 p.m.
Welcome to the world my baby boy!
Mommy & Zachary's skin to skin moment
Exhausted but HAPPY & BLESSED
Their 1st meeting. The 2nd generation of the Lopez Brothers
Zachary Anton @ 2 months
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 11:57 AM No comments:
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Preggy Me!
I would like to share the good news, we're expecting baby boy #3! Yes a boy again. We're hoping for a baby girl ( obviously) this time but 2 ultrasounds showed it's a baby boy again! It's ok as long as the baby is perfectly healthy. Hubby and I are blessed to have another child. He is due next month, June 21. One more month and I'm going to be a third time mom...awesome! I'm praying for a healthy and normal delivery. =)
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 9:11 AM No comments:
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Bohol dolphin watching
Day 2 of Bohol trip was our island hopping and we had so much fun watching those dolphins. They are amazing!
Here's the video:
Here's the video:
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 10:50 AM No comments:
Monday, January 10, 2011
The End of Facebook?
So, what if one day you wake up and find out that the famous social networking site is gone?
Can you still get in touch with all your friends, relatives or even families without Facebook or even remember their birthdays?
There's a buzz going around in the internet that Facebook is shutting down for good on March 15...OMG!
But, behold FB addicts..according to Facebook Director this is a hoax.
Here's the link for the complete article about this rumor.
Whether this is true or not it's best to save your friends' contact information on your phone or directory book before you go crazy again on how to reconnect with your long lost friends.
And if FB will be gone soon, there's a twitter anyway....lol!
Posted by D ! V ! N E at 9:36 PM No comments:
Labels: social network
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Embrace the perennial precipitation with this sky blue raindrop ring. This fun little stacking ring is a great gift for anyone who talks about the changeable Scottish weather! Laser-cut in acrylic it's lightweight and looks cute with a sun or cloud ring stacked with it too.
Made in Glasgow.
Dimensions of small: 1.59 cm inside diameter / size K
Dimensions of medium: 1.71 cm inside diameter / size N
Materials: acrylic
Product code: 901162
Designed by GSA graduate Alice Jacobs.
View more from this maker.


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Australian Taxation Office
New or updated materials on ATO website, including:
Royal Assent to Bill
Tax Laws Amendment (Small Business Measures No. 3) Bill 2015, which gives effect to a number of 2015-16 Federal Budget measures including the small business tax offset for individuals, allowing small businesses to immediately deduct certain costs incurred when starting up a business and extending the FBT exemption relating to work-related portable electronic devices, has received Royal Assent.
Home Ownership
The transcripts of public hearings in relation to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics inquiry into Home Ownership are now available. Academics and industry representatives where questioned, amongst other things, on the impacts of current tax policy on home ownership, including capital gains tax and stamp duty.
Data matching program
The ATO has given notice in the gazette that it will request and collect data relating to credit and debit card payments to merchants for the periods from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 from financial institutions. The data requested will include information that enables the ATO to match merchant accounts to a taxpayer, including name, address and contact information as well as information on the number and value of transactions processed for each merchant account. This acquired data will be electronically matched with certain sections of ATO data holdings to identify possible non-compliance with taxation law.


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The Lost City of Z (2016)
Posted by hd movie Posted on 16.29 with No comments
You've just seen the movie categories biorgaphy titled The Lost City of Z (2016). You can bookmark this page with the URL http://expecting-the-perfect.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-lost-city-of-z-2016.html. Thank you!
The Lost City of Z (2016) 910109.
Label: biorgaphy


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Cape Town: The ICC should consider using undercover investigations to identify corrupt cricketers as one of 10 recommendations to fight match-fixing made by the MCC`s cricket committee.
The MCC committee, made up of former international players and umpires, said the "mystery shopper operations" would be "preferably directed at somebody already suspected."
Following a two-day meeting in South Africa, the recommendation was one of the proposals made by the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club committee to the ICC`s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.
The committee also said there needed to be "uniformity" with the use of the Decision Review System and that members were "unanimously disappointed" that the World Test Championship had been postponed until 2017.
An undercover sting by now-defunct British newspaper The News of the World was chiefly responsible for revealing spot-fixing by Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir in a test in England in 2010.
The committee`s Anti-Corruption Working Party, led by former Australia skipper Steve Waugh, also called for lifetime bans for any captain, vice captain or coach found guilty of corruption and said the world cricket body should think about removing minimum sentences in its anti-corruption code.
Based at Lord`s, the MCC is the former governing body of English and world cricket and is now viewed as the traditional guardian of the game.
The MCC`s world cricket committee is chaired by former England captain Mike Brearley, while Waugh, Mike Atherton, Mike Gatting, Geoffrey Boycott and England team director Andy Flower are all members.
The MCC also said there needed to be a rethink of the current rules controlling the use of the DRS. According to ICC regulations, the DRS must be accepted by both teams for it to be used in a series.
India, as is traditional, did not allow it to be used in its ongoing test series in Australia, while South Africa and Sri Lanka players had access to the full technology for decision reviews in their recent three-match series.
"The committee has urged the ICC to ensure uniformity on the implementation of the Decision Review System," the MCC said. "It is wrong that there are such different playing conditions -- that the DRS is not used when India play."
Reacting to the delay in the test championship, the MCC is disappointed it could not be staged before 2017. "A World Test Championship would, crucially, provide additional context for test cricket," the MCC said.
"The committee is and continues to be convinced that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport, and that it needs to be encouraged and marketed in every way possible."
Bureau Report


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Austin Pets Alive's pledge to turn Austin into a no-kill city – meaning that 90 percent or more of the animals in local shelters are adopted out, rather than euthanized – did not just save shelter cats and dogs in town. When Michael Kitkoski heard that Austin achieved no-kill status in March of 2011, he persuaded the shelter director in Rockwall to let him try replicating APA's success.
Rockwall, a city east of Dallas, needed a push from someone like Michael to raise the city shelter's dismal adoption rates. Although originally more than 50 percent of the animals at the shelter never left it, with Michael's help, an average of 96 percent of stray dogs and cats in Rockwall now find new homes.
"It's very easy to make a city no-kill," Michael says. "You just have to set that as your goal."
And that's certainly what he has done. He and his wife, Pam, along with the nonprofit Rockwall Pets that formed out of their rescue efforts, have not just been successful in Rockwall. They've also helped a shelter in neighboring Royse City to achieve a 100 percent adoption rate last month and have turned to the bigger challenge of saving shelter animals in Dallas and Garland, another city near Dallas – which is proving trickier to do. But they aren't giving up.
Last February was Michael's first time to present at the American Pets Alive no-kill conference, where he spoke about his volunteer efforts in Rockwall. Next February, he will have much more to talk about after rescuing animals in other cities.
"I think we're doing a lot of things that I don't see a lot of other groups doing," Michael says about Rockwall Pets. "We're acting as shapeshifters when we go into different shelters. We started as shelter volunteers. Then we became a rescue group. Now we're sort of acting as an advocacy group in Garland because of all the resistance there. We become what's needed. I think basically it shows that there are many paths to no-kill."
Sometimes, the path is rockier than others. While Dallas has been cooperative so far, Garland has not. Michael says that the day after Rockwall Pets volunteers say they're going to rescue Garland's shelter animals, they go to the city shelter and find the animals already dead.
The numbers aren't easy to swallow: 1,079 dogs and cats were in the Garland shelter last month; of them, only 198 found homes – an 18 percent adoption rate.
Dallas' numbers are better, although because Dallas is such a large city, it's taking longer there to reach what Rockwall and Royse City did in a matter of months.
After Michael heard about APA's achievements and decided to swell the ranks of no-kill cities in Texas, he found the adoption rate in the Rockwall city shelter jumping to 86 percent by April of 2011. In August of that year, the Rockwall City Council voted unanimously to save a minimum of 90 percent of all shelter animals.
Although the Royse City shelter became no-kill in a much different way – it was through this rescue effort that Rockwall Pets was created – it ended in a similar fashion as Rockwall.
Michael says that the no-kill movement sweeping through North Texas has found such traction in large part because of APA.
"I think one reason we're making inroads at such a rapid pace is because of what happened in Austin, and people recognize what no-kill means and they want their communities to go no kill. We have lots of support from the community," Michael says.
To hear more from Michael Kitkoski register for the American Pets Alive 2013 No-Kill Conference!
- Location: Radisson Hotel & Suites-111 East Cesar Chavez St. Austin, TX
- Dates: Saturday 2/23 – Monday 2/25
- A list of presentations can be found here
- The early bird registration fee of $85 expires on November 30th. Click here to learn more and register.