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Javier Castellano, the world-class jockey who calls Belmont home at this time of year, was good.
But Bobby's Kitten was even better.
Together, Castellano and the prized 3-year-old were unstoppable in the second edition of the $500,000 Penn Mile turf race Saturday night at Penn National.
What's even scarier moving forward was the fact that Bobby's Kitten is now able to switch gears.
The speedy horse, ridden by Castellano, loves to race on the lead but on a night where the weather was near-perfect (mid-70s and sunny), Bobby's Kitten was able to rate in the one-mile Penn Mile. He inhaled 99-1 leader Sing The Dream as the horses turned for home and won easy, outdistancing Global View by about four lengths to win in 1:35.82.
Bobby's Kitten, the 6-5 favorite, has now won 4 of 7 starts and he is 2-for-3 in 2014, winning an allowance turf race at Tampa on March 8 but coming up empty in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 12.
The Blue Grass was run on a synthetic surface, and trainer Chad Brown now knows what he has in Bobby's Kitten.
"I won't run the horse on the dirt,'' said Brown, who accompanied Castellano on a flight from New York to Capital City Airport in the New Cumberland area late Saturday afternoon, arriving via white stretch limousine at Penn National with little time to spare.
"We tried him on the synthetic, that didn't work. I think he's an exceptional horse on the turf.
"It's nice to see him come here today and rate early and re-break at the top of the lane. That's what he's trained to do in the morning. I'm very proud of the horse.''
Castellano rode through the fourth race at Belmont Saturday afternoon — he won the Kingston Stakes, a mile on the turf, in Race 2 — before leaving for Penn National.
All that travel was worth it.
On Penn National's biggest day of the year — there were five stakes races worth a total of $1 million in purses — Castellano won three of them, also claiming the $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup (a 5-furlong turf sprint) aboard Tightend Touchdown and the $200,000 Mountainview Handicap (a 1 1/8-mile dirt race) aboard the Chad Brown-trained Last Gunfighter.
The total handle at Penn National Saturday was $2,665,790, the second-highest at the track.
"It couldn't have worked out any better,'' Castellano said of his three wins at Penn National.
"Of course, I rode a lot of good horses. But you never know in this game. You've gotta be lucky at the right time.''
Castellano, Brown and Bobby's Kitten have been hard at work in the mornings trying to get the horse to rate. In 2013, he was a blur in winning the Grade 3 Pilgrim at Belmont in early October, a six-length victory.
But Bobby's Kitten was caught in the Grade 1 Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf race, finishing third behind the European star, Outstrip.
"He worked wonderful today, I really liked the way he did it today,'' Castellano said of Bobby's Kitten.
"He was able to relax a little bit. ... That was amazing. He's the kind of horse that is a front-runner.
"He likes to go and nobody can stop him. So finally today, we've been working with him the last couple of races to rate a little bit. I think Mr. Brown, he did a great job with the horse.''
Saturday marked only the second day of turf racing this season at Penn National and the turf was classified as "good" for the racing. Bobby's Kitten's winning time of 1:35.82 was two seconds off of Rydilluc's winning time of 1:33.80 last year.
The early fractions were quick Saturday — the quarter-mile went in 23.32, the half in 48.02 — and Bobby's Kitten was comfortable running behind Sing The Dream.
Bobby's Kitten paid $4.60, $2.60 and $2.20. Global View, ridden by top jock Gary Stevens, was second, and Chad Brown's Storming Inti finished third.
Prior to the race, Stevens said he walked parts of the Penn National turf course in the morning but he was fearful that Global View, a pure closer, might not get there at a mile.
"He's going to get better as the distances go on,'' Stevens said of Global View.
Stevens was making his first appearance at Penn National, which is also the 107th track he's raced at.
"He's a special race horse and he's only going to improve,'' Stevens added.
Global View isn't the only horse that ran in the Penn Mile who might be better at a longer distance.
Now that Bobby's Kitten has started to relax, Brown believes that a mile race isn't the horse's limit.
"I do want to try to stretch this horse out,'' Brown said.
"He's bred to go further than this. And if he can continue to cooperate early in his races, with the jockey, and rate, I think this horse has more furlongs in him.''
In the first race, the $100,000 Penn Oaks, Interrupted, ridden by Angel Serpa and trained by Graham Motion, upset favorites Ready To Act and Famous Alice in the mile turf race to pay $16.60.
Tightend Touchdown paid 4.40 in winning the Governor's Cup and Last Gunfighter paid $3.40 to win the Mountainview Handicap.


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19 riders retired from Paris-Nice during Saturday's stage as the wet and twisting roads of the south of France sparked some high-speed crashes and made for a tough day in the saddle.
Both Heinrich Haussler and Martijn Maaskant crashed, making it an especially tough day for the Garmin-Cervelo team.
Haussler went down several times, including once into a wall, but managed to finish the stage and keep the green points jersey. He won the first sprint on stage seven, extending his lead, and now has a 20-point advantage on nearest rival Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) and so should secure victory in the special classification during today's final stage.
Maaskant was not so lucky. He crashed hard on the descent of the Cote de Gourdon, 60km from the finish, and is reported to have fractured seven ribs. It was rumoured he was also diagnosed with a collapsed lung when taken to hospital but team manager Jonathan Vaughters said this was inaccurate in a twitter message.
However Vaughters confirmed that the fractured ribs would mean Maaskant would not recover in time to ride the cobbled classics.
Maaskant joined Vaughters team in 2008 and finished fourth in Paris-Roubaix and was fourth in the 2009 Tour of Flanders.

subset: commoncrawl


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About the ProductWith the ever-shrinking office in mind, finding an elegant, smaller conference chair to play the supporting role is often more difficult than one would imagine. Bernhardt Design addressed this need with the debut of Joe Doucet's Duet chair. The small-scaled conference chair is Doucet's first contribution to Bernhardt Design. Doucet didn't set out to make a revolutionary statement, but aimed to make a well-crafted chair that becomes a chameleon in its environment. Acknowledging that Duet is "unique because it's not trying to be unique," Doucet is pleased with the subtle qualities which make Duet a flexible and functional chair in an ever-changing workplace. The Duet chair upholstery can be customized in two distinct ways. The first option is sleek and simple, featuring saddle stitching around the perimeter. The other more luxurious option incorporates horizontal quilting on the seat and back. The appearance of the chair can be fundamentally altered by selecting either a flat stainless steel arm or a round tubular arm. The five-point base is available in polished aluminium or black. Joe Doucet shows us that being part of the ensemble can be just as important as having the lead.
The BrandMore about this Brand
Orphaned at 13, John Bernhardt jumped a box-car to Oregon hoping to become a government surveyor. He returned home three years later to pursue a career as a timber cutter. After buying a sawmill he saw the opportunity to use timber to make solid oak bedroom furniture. Pretty soon folks in Chicago and New York City started buying this furniture for their homes. And so in 1889 the Bernhardt Furniture Company was born in North Carolina. Berhardt's skill was in leveraging the area's plentiful supply of beautiful timbers, and local woodworking skills. Never one to do things by halves, he opened his factory with 25 employees.
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Panaji, Sep 15 (IANS) Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha on Friday dismissed as false news reports about the involvement of its activists in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.
"False news that Sanatan's activists are involved in the killing of Gauri Lankesh are being spread with the assistance of a few media houses," Sanstha spokesperson Chetan Rajhans said in a statement here.
He claimed that such news was circulated by anti-Sanatan and anti-Hindu elements, adding that it was an attempt to divert investigations in the case.
Sanatan Sanstha is headquartered in South Goa's Ponda sub-district and one of its cadres has been questioned in connection with the murder of rationalists like Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar.
Lankesh was shot by unidentified assailants outside her home in Bengaluru in Karnataka on September 5 night.
Post Source: Ians feed


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I gotta say it feels so good to wake up to warm mornings and the sun shining. Heading out with the boys and not having to pile on clothes and bulky jackets. LOL
We've been doing great. Spending lots of time outside. Almost everyday by 10am I start hearing "go out! go out!".
Days are still chaos and while somedays I think I'm loosing my mind the boys are getting so much more fun. Watching them grow and start doing things that they couldn't do last year puts a smile on my face.
They eat all.the.time!!! Seems like if I'm not fixing a meal I'm grabbing a snack. LOL They're obsessed with "choo choos" & ice cream or as they call it "eye keem".
They discovered the word MINE! and have regular wrestling matches too. haha
Here's a few recent pictures~
Every once in awhile I come across something so cool I have to share. Something that if it makes my days easier I'm in love and have to share it with the rest of the mommy's out there. LOL
These little contraptions are one of the best inventions ever!
And while we still use sippies most of the time we try to give the boys cups with straws as often as we can. Juice boxes are so convenient but I got so sick of the messes. These limit them and the boys love them because they think they're "big boy cups". :)
Here's the site they came from~http://www.onestepahead.com/home.jsp
So that's about it in our neck of the woods. We hope you all are doing wonderful too.
Til next time, Triple the LOVE!!!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Summer in full swing
I gotta say it feels so good to wake up to warm mornings and the sun shining. Heading out with the boys and not having to pile on clothes and bulky jackets. LOL
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Good Reads
Nothings worse than buying a book to only discover by Chapter 2 you hate it. LOL So since I haven't discussed what I've read lately and some of them have been really enjoyable books I thought I'd share. So here's a few of my recent favorites.
First off those of you who know me know I love fantasy fiction. Monsters and other crazy adventures is my preference in reading material. So I'll start off with those.
Every year during the winter months Sam turns into a wolf. Then one day he meets Grace. Find out what happpens to their romance in this awesome book.
Part 2 "Linger" is set to be released July 20th.
The Dark Divine
Character Grace, a local pastors daughter, knows something awful happened between her brother and his friend one night a few years back. Her brother's friend has returned and now she has to decide who to choose, her brother or her growing attraction to his friend Daniel.
Beautiful Creatures
This story takes place in the small southern town of Gatlin. See what happens when new girl Lena arrives and moves in with her uncle, the towns one person who no one ever sees and who all is terrified of.
And my new absolute favorite, Hush Hush.
A wonderful story about a sacred oath, a fallen angel, and forbidden love.
I started this book and couldn't put it down. I cannot go on enough about how much I love this book. I finished it in less than 24hrs and I'm anxiously waiting on part 2, Crescendo which is set to be released November 16th.
So for those of you who don't enjoy books like that here's a couple I think you'd like.
The Lucky One
When US Marine Logan finds a picture of a young girl along the beach during his tour of duty in Irag he brings it back to the base for someone to claim. When no one does for reasons he doesn't even know, he puts it in his pocket and keeps it. Soon a sudden streak of luck follows Logan everywhere he goes.
Once back home in Colorado he's determined to know the face in the picture.
Perfect Chemistry
A boy from the wrong side of the tracks takes on a bet to win over the popular girl in school. What starts off as hatred towards one another turns into something much more.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for bad boy/good girl love stories but I really enjoyed this book. Part 2, Rules of Attraction is set to be released April 13th.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Yep that's right, I jinxed myself! After I went on and on about how healthy the boys have been what happens? I got a sick red head and the other two coughing! Hopefully it's nothing big and something they can all get over fast. I fixed chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese for lunch today and gave them all some motrin. Hopefully some good naps will help too.
Just goes to show never brag or it'll back fire on you everytime! LOL
Monday, March 8, 2010
Jibber Jabber
Well the boys have really took off with speaking. It seems like everday a new word is coming out of their mouths. LOL The basics are becoming more popular now, were as before we would hear them in spurts. Tattle telling has became a huge hit too (oh boy!). Seems like someone is always saying "momma ookey wha he do!" or when I ask who did it "I donno know". And yes I know it's only going to get worse. LOL Brody's got the animal noises down pat. That kid knows so many animal noises it'll be hilarious this summer at the zoo. He does a pretty killer kitty noise too. ;) Logan's became big on monsters and loves to scare and be scared. He cracks me up and never ceases to make anyone around him laugh.
Seth is such a homebody. That boy loves home, and is just content with being here. While the other two like to go go go. He'd rather be curled up in the recliner with Dino or downstairs playing. Definitly a hermit (his new nickname Daddy gave him LOL) which I can be most of the time however I'm so ready for Spring, and parks and trips to the zoo. :)
It's started to warm up a little bit which I hope isn't a tease. Seems like it never fails that around this time of year it starts to warm up only for it to drop to freezing again.
The boys have hit 2 big growth spurts since Christmas leaving me to have to go through the closet yet again clearing out clothes that are too small for them. I look at them and cannot believe how fast they've grown and how big they've gotten. While I'm so thankful (and knock on wood) we've had no trips to the Dr this winter I'm curious to see how much the boys have grown since their birthday. Logan's still the tallest by a close 2 inches. And while Brody and Seth are the same height, our little stockey bruiser Bear still weighs the most. He's already wearing some 3T pants!
Til next time, triple the love to you! :)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wolf Girl Creations
I guess it's time to mention my new adventure, jewelry making. What started off as just something small for my friends has turned out to be a little website and side hobby for me. Last month I created Wolf Girl Creations. Hand made jewelry made by me and inspired by the ever so popular Twilight Saga. While right now the store is only "twilight" related items I will eventually have other stuff available. It's really taken off and I couldn't be more surprised by it or more thankful for the orders and sweet comments.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
For those of you wondering, WE'RE ALIVE!!! LOL :)
I know I know I've been terrible at updating the boy's blog but in all honestly I haven't really had anything to post. Since ole man winter came knocking we've been trying to stay put as much as possible. So our planned trips to the Museum or Wonder Lab has been put on hold until all these flu bugs are gone. Seems like so many kiddos have been sick recently and it's not worth it to take the chance so besides a few quick errands to Target or Sams we've pretty much stayed cozied up at home.
As far as the boys go their doing great and (knock on wood) are healthy and happy.
Seth's still spunky as ever and still loves wrestling and pestering. He's taken a liking to cooking and helps me almost everyday with either lunch or dinner.
Logan's doing good too. And has really gotten into puzzles. He loves working on them and could sit at the table and just do one after another.
And of course Brody's still loveable as ever. Giving kisses to everyone who let's him. We recently discovered he LOVES salads which has made me exstatic! :D
Their favorite movie is still Cars and I ended up having to buy another one because they wore the first one out! I didn't even know that could happen to a DVD but that gives you an idea of how much it's played. LOL
Since they love movies so much they went for their first time at a theater to see the new Chipmunks movie. I'll admit it, I was nervous. But they did really good and had a blast.
We finally got the basement finished and now they have it to run around in which helps so much in not having tons of toys under my feet on the main level.
They love it, we love it and with it being winter they can still burn enough energy off and not feel so cooped up.
Here's a few pictures...
And here's a few recent pictures of the boys playing around...
Til next time... ;)
Monday, December 28, 2009
A VERY Merry Christmas!
I know I'm a few days behind but time has flown by! We had a wonderful Christmas. And the boys made out like bandits needless to say. We heard lots of "wows" & "whoas". Sweet music to this mommy's ears.
So the HUGE hit was a Step 2 Kitchen from my parents. The boys have played with it non-stop and absolutely love it!
Let's see, for Brody his favorite toy from Santa was a Mickey Mouse doll that sings the Hot Dog song. He'll start dancing and singing right along with him.
Seth got a Spike Jr which he's crazy about. And Logan was exstatic about his Mac truck he got.
So here's a few pictures and we hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas too!
It's a mad dash to the presents!
Logan still trying to wake up, poor guy. :)
Santa came! Or as Logan says "HO HO" :)
Pap, Memaw & Mamaw Barrow stopped by later in the day...
Happy Holidays everyone!


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Based on 141 votes and 2 reviews
*How would you rate this movie?
It would ve been better if I could understand it. I m from Australia and don t speak French, and as I saw it in France I didn t really understand it. I strill thought it was funny though.


text: Question: Will children who suffer from epilepsy be able to use medical marijuana once the new Illinois law goes into effect? Answer: Yes. Beginning in early 2015, a new Illinois law will allow the use of medical marijuana to provide relief for those suffering from epileptic seizures. Adults will be able to smoke the substance, but children will need to take a non-smokable form. For more information about Illinois law, visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com. If you have a legal question, send it to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Courgette, tarragon & lemon bread
I'm a recent bread machine convert, but finding lots of scrummy recipes like this one leaves me eagerly awaiting my next warm, fresh bread fix. It's like magic - all the ingredients get thrown into the machine, press a few buttons and hey presto! A couple of hours later out comes something like you see above. I get the same kind of wonder when a photographic image appears in my darkroom tray.
This recipe is taken from "The Bread Book" by Sara Lewis and is another cunning way of using up some of that courgette glut.
To keep things (relatively) short, I'll just post the bread machine recipe. Do post me a comment if you'd like the hand-made version.
- 150g (5oz, heaping half cup) courgette - grated & patted dry with kitchen paper
- 500g (1lb, 4.5 cups) strong white flour
- 1 lemon, grated rind only
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped French tarragon (don't bother with Russian unless you really don't like the aniseed flavour)
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons fast-action dried yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 200ml (7 fl oz, scant 1 cup water)
- Assemble ingredients. Lift the tin out of the breadmaker, fit the kneader blade and then add the ingredients in the order advised by your breadmachine's manufacturer
- Insert the tin into the breadmachine and shut the lid. Select basic large (750g/1.5lb) white bake and select the preferred crust setting if your machine has this option. (I used the dark crust setting for the loaf you see in the photo) Press start.
- At the end of the programme, lift the tin out of the machine with oven gloves and turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool. Loosen the bread with a plastic spatula if it's reluctant to leave the tin.
- If you don't have a crust setting option and you find the loaf is rather pale on top, brush a little butter over the top and brown under the grill.
I find it very hard to keep to a recipe, so here are some variations I've tried:
- Substitute the same amount of peeled butternut squash for the courgette. This is a good way of using those teeny tiny squashes we've got from our plots this year
- Fennel foliage (bulb or herb) instead of tarragon for a stronger aniseed taste
- Use 30-40ml juice from your grated lemon and make up to the 200ml liquid needed with water. Tip - microwave the lemon for 10 seconds and you'll extract the juice much more easily
- Substitute strong wholemeal flour for the white flour to make an even healthier bread. However, you'll lose some of the green speckled effect from the courgette and tarragon. Also, remember to change the baking option to brown bread!


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Water, food and development: the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
Providing the water needed to produce food for more than 9 billion people by 2050 seems simple: agriculture must produce more food with less water. However, three complex issues are involved: First, water, food production and rural development do not have a simple correlation. Second, there are interactions between processes at local, basin and global scales. Third, change involves people in complex networks of institutions. The Challenge Program on Water and Food brings together agriculturalists, hydrologists and development specialists in a global-to-local programme that focuses on change through institutions. We believe that this scale, complexity and involvement are necessary to deliver plausible change.
Water International (2009) 34 (1) 4-12 [doi: 10.1080/02508060802666179]
Water, food and development: the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food


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Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980)is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to WWE, where he is currently in his eighth reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a four-time World Heavyweight Champion, making him a 12-time world champion, and the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship (upon unifying it with the WWE Championship).
Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle Barry O all competed in the professional wrestling industry. He also has a cousin NXT Superstar Jasper Orton. Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions.
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, his first title with the company.[ Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions. At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship.[14] After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night. Orton formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008. It disbanded in 2010 and Orton returned to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won 14 total championships in WWE. He is also the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble match, and has headlined many pay-per-view events for the organization, including WrestleMania XXV.
On July 14 at Money in the Bank, Orton defeated Christian, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Rob Van Dam, and Sheamus to win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, thus earning him an opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year.[246] On August 18 at SummerSlam, Orton turned heel after he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Daniel Bryan, who had just won the WWE Championship and had been subsequently attacked by special guest referee Triple H, who also counted the pinfall to give Orton his seventh WWE title. The following night on Raw, Orton appeared with Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H for a title coronation, and when Triple H invited Bryan to the ring to clear the air from SummerSlam, Orton delivered an RKO to Bryan, and he and Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H stood over him, holding the WWE Championship high, therefore confirming his heel turn. On the August 23 episode of SmackDown, after Daniel Bryan defeated Wade Barrett in a cage match, Orton came out from under the ring and hit Bryan with an RKO. It was also announced that night that Orton will defend his WWE Championship against Bryan at Night of Champions. At Night of Champions, Daniel Bryan defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.
However, the next night on Raw, Triple H stripped Bryan of the title, due to a fast 3-count by the ref, but refused to give the championship back to Randy. Shortly afterwards, in an interview with Michael Cole, Triple H made a rematch between Orton and Bryan at Battleground for the vacant WWE Championship. The match ended in a no contest after Big Show knocked out both competitors.[248] Bryan and Orton once again faced off for the vacant championship at Hell in a Cell, where Orton won the title after special guest referee Shawn Michaels superkicked Bryan. He also successfully retained his title against The Big Show at Survivor Series. On the November 25 edition of Raw, Orton's long time rival John Cena suggested that there should only be "one champion" in WWE, so Triple H stated there would be a unification match at the TLC pay-per-view. Orton defeated Cena at TLC to unify his WWE Championship with Cena's World Heavyweight Championship, and with that victory officially being recognized as the final World Heavyweight Champion. Orton would then defeat Cena again in the subsequent rematch at the Royal Rumble PPV, aided by The Wyatt Family.


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Timothy could not obtain any intelligence from the people of the inn at the last stage, except that the chariot had proceeded to London. We arrived late at night, and, much exhausted, I was glad to go to bed.
Chapter XXVI
In following my nose, I narrowly escaped being nosed by a Beak.
And as I lay in my bed, thinking that I was now nearly twenty years old, and had not yet made any discovery, my heart sank within me. My monomania returned with redoubled force, and I resolved to renew my search with vigour. So I told Timothy the next morning, when he came into my room, but from him I received little consolation; he advised me to look out for a good match in a rich wife, and leave time to develop the mystery of my birth; pointing out the little chance I ever had of success.
Town was not full, the season had hardly commenced, and we had few invitations or visits to distract my thoughts from their object. My leg became so painful, that for a week I was on the sofa, Timothy every day going out to ascertain if he could find the person whom we had seen resembling me, and every evening returning without success, I became melancholy and nervous. Carbonnell could not imagine what was the matter with me. At last I was able to walk, and I sallied forth, perambulating, or rather running through street after street, looking into every carriage, so as to occasion surprise to the occupants, who believed me mad; my dress and person were disordered, for I had become indifferent to it, and Timothy himself believed that I was going out of my senses.
At last, after we had been in town about five weeks, I saw the very object of my search, seated in a carriage, of a dark brown colour, arms painted in shades, so as not to be distinguishable but at a near approach; his hat was off, and he sat upright and formally. "That is he!" ejaculated I, and away I ran after the carriage. "It is the nose," cried I, as I ran down the street, knocking every one to the right and left. I lost my hat, but fearful of losing sight of the carriage, I hastened on, when I heard a cry of "Stop him, stop him!" "Stop him," cried I, also, referring to the gentleman in black in the carriage.
"That won't do," cried a man, seizing me by the collar; "I know a trick worth two of that."


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The Painted Murals of Cambridge: Maintaining the City's Collection
A 1977 mural—originally painted by Jeff Oberdorfer and a group of neighborhood residents—is an architectural depiction of triple-decker houses, painted in the style and scale of the abutting residences. The mural, threatened by development two decades later, was ultimately restored by an architectural muralist hired by the Cambridge Arts Council. Photo: Courtesy the Cambridge Arts Council.


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Hey guys... I recently found a new website where you can make extra cash taking surveys. Click "read more>>" to check it out!
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Tell the city what you want in the next Police Chief
2010-01-14 · By Editor
Residents, employees and business owners are encouraged to take an online survey to rate their most important public safety issues and leadership qualities to help the City of Long Beach select its next Chief of Police.
The brief survey will help to identify public safety challenges and opportunities facing the City of Long Beach, as well as the skills and attributes residents feel are most important for the position. The survey includes the opportunity for residents to rank attributes for the police chief as well as policy priorities.
Rank the most pressing Public Safety issues facing Long Beach. Options include:
- gang reduction,
- crime prevention,
- financial management of the Department's budget,
- terrorism and
- community policing, etc.
The, rank the most important leadership traits in a Police Chief. Options include:
- integrity,
- financial management experience,
- innovation,
- visibility in the community,
- bilingual,
- consensus building skills and
- educational background, etc.
The survey will be available at www.longbeach.gov until January 22. (It's the second post under "featured news.")


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Abbas pitches ceasefire plan
The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has presented Hamas and its allies with proposals to end their war on Israel in return for international guarantees of a ceasefire, a political role in the Palestinian government and a commitment not to surrender the claim on east Jerusalem and other territory in any peace negotiations.
Mr Abbas presented his plan at talks in Gaza City this week aimed at securing an end to Palestinian violence as a means of putting pressure on Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, to return to negotiations.
Yesterday, Palestinian security forces were being deployed along Gaza's border to stop rocket attacks on Israel in a largely symbolic show of Mr Abbas' commitment to end the violence. But his primary efforts are being put into a political agreement to turn Hamas and Islamic Jihad away from armed resistance.
The Islamist groups, which suspended rocket attacks for the talks, are expected to respond this weekend before an international tour by Mr Abbas to seek backing for his plan.
The Palestinian leader's chief negotiator, Ziad Abu-Amr, told The Guardian that Mr Abbas had told the Islamist groups there was no future in armed resistance, that his election this month was a mandate for his non-violent strategy and that if it failed, there was probably no prospect of a negotiated settlement with Israel for many years.
"He said, give me a commitment and give me some time," said Mr Abu-Amr. "Then he will go to the relevant parties and ask: what will Israel do in return for this?
"At some point, the new situation on the ground will be formalised in some kind of agreement. All of it will happen within two weeks."
Hamas wanted guarantees that if it agreed to a ceasefire, Israel would refrain from killing its activists; that Hamas would play a role in the political leadership; and that Mr Abbas would not retreat from the demand for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Instead, Mr Abbas intends to press foreign powers, principally the US and Egypt, to ensure that if the Islamist groups abandon armed resistance, Israel will not undermine a truce with attacks, as happened in a 2003 ceasefire.
"The international community is watching and it will know who is serious and who is not," said Mr Abu-Amr.
He said the new Palestinian leader was counting on a different US approach from Washington's treatment of Mr Abbas, who is popularly known as Abu Mazen, when he pursued a similar non-violent strategy during his brief tenure as prime minister two years ago. "The Americans feel guilty about it. They say they didn't do enough for Abu Mazen in 2003," he said.
- Guardian


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Tweet Last night, I went to flush the toilet. Several boys had gone to the bathroom.
Something bad happened.
I will leave it up to your imagination. Then Not Blessed Daddy yelled for me to plunge the toilet and went back to sleep. Then I went and beat him in the face with the dirty plunger.
Then Spawn#3 woke up with a fever and needed to be held.
It was a long night.
Then I finally laid down and my nipple started hurting. My mind raced- mastitis? Thrush?
Nope. Lego crystal. In my bra.
I wish this was an April Fools Joke. It's not. April 1st, I hate you.
The End.
April 1, 2011
{this moment}
8 comments:
Nice. Owwwwieeee!!!! Hope the rest of your day goes well. ;0)ReplyDelete
Owch! That sounds painful.ReplyDelete
Haha. Well, I guess I didn't REALLY beat him with the plunger. But I wanted to!ReplyDelete
The menfolk had to take the toilet OFF to get it unclogged!
This is my life, haha! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry for laughing so hard.ReplyDelete
That'll leave a mark. Maybe get even by putting legos in their jock straps.ReplyDelete
Just found you from World's Worst Mom blog.ReplyDelete
Am your newest follower, and am I glad there's another Mommy out there who would like to to beat Daddy with a plunger :)
You lay down with a bra? That alone sounds mighty uncomfy.... the second I lay down that bad boy gets flung across the room LOLReplyDelete
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Jim Hayes, a journalism professor and writing coach who nurtured generations of reporters at media organizations across the United States, has died. He was 88.
Hayes died Tuesday afternoon at his home in Los Osos from complications due to cancer, daughter Kelly Hayes told the Los Angeles Times. His wife, Ellen Hayes, and other family members were by his side.
The son of a newspaper editor, Hayes became a reporter and editor and worked at newspapers in California, Arizona, Minnesota and Washington, D.C.
He taught journalism at American University in Egypt in the 1960s before becoming a journalism professor at
Hayes was also a writing coach for news organizations, including The Times.
"In every era, he had a different collection of students and friends," Kelly Hayes said. "He had a way of adapting."
Daughter Dayle Hayes began chronicling her father's declining health on Facebook after doctors detected a mass on his brain earlier this year.
His two Facebook pages are filled with tributes from former students who credit Hayes with teaching them how to think, write and tell a good story.
"During one of your classes … while we were reviewing coverage of some current disaster, you had us pass around a list of the victims and read off the names of the dead. The lesson -- to think and feel beyond the body count -- stuck with me from there forward," a former Cal Poly student wrote.
Other former students recall how Hayes stressed accuracy and would hand down an "F" for being careless.
"Mr. Hayes told me to check your facts," a former student said. "Always. Because some people really do spell their name 'Joens.' If you can't get that right, why should anybody trust you to get the school board budget right or what the police say the guy did or what the farmer really did say about his crops?"
Hayes is survived by his wife; daughters Dayle and Kelly; sons Joshua, Jason and Patrick, and five grandchildren.
Family members said memorial services are being planned and asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Jim Hayes Journalism Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
On Tuesday evening, the flag at his home was flying at half-staff.
Follow @LAJourno for breaking news


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KISSIMMEE — A 140-acre site east of St. Cloud has won approval by county commissioners for rezoning for an industrial and commercial park. The area is zoned residential. Dr. Phillips Inc., a philanthropic company based in Orlando, had been looking at the area for several months.
Specific plans for a park have not been developed, said attorney Stephen Miles, who represents the developer. However, Miles said the initial proposal would have light industrial development fronted by a commercial center facing Hickory Tree Road. St. Cloud City Manager Jim Chisholm said the park would be a good addition for the city in terms of employment. However, because it is located more than a mile outside city limits, it could not be annexed until areas in between annex into the city.


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Not-for-profit fundraising can be anything but easy these days; but here are a few key points to help you push the EASY button. Let's start by stating the obvious - you have to be able to articulate why your cause matters. Why does it matter to you, and why should it matter to others. Ask yourself how life would be different if you closed your doors tomorrow. What would change for the people who currently receive your services? And, what would happen to your community as a result? And, don't forget to share all the personal benefits of giving they'll experience. I highly recommend that you check out Gaiam Life's "5 Reasons to Donate to Charity".
Next, let's talk about the donors you will approach. Describe each of these groups and educate yourself about the differences among them. Consider which parts of your message are most likely to reach across boundaries, and build these key points into your main case for support. Then take a look at how these groups differ. Research and commentary on this topic abound. For example, you'll find the EASY button for fantastic generational information from the West Midland Family Center.
Easy, however, doesn't mean effortless. After you've learned about the various groups you plan to reach out to, focus your efforts on removing the barriers that stand in the way of engagement. So you've made a great case for support; and you've developed focused messages that you can deliver from various platforms to deeply touch the audiences you'll approach. Now let's think about WHY they might say "no" and consider how you might be able to turn their response into a "yes" by removing their reasons. Think about how you can be flexible; ask yourself lots of "What if?" questions: "What if we offered an easy payment plan or a payroll deduction option, etc.?" The sky's the limit on this one – be creative!
Finally, fundraisers continuously lament the lapsed donor phenomena. So let's sum it all up with the EASY button we can never stress too much or too often. Actively invite your donors to become your agency's true FRIENDS! Seriously, making lifelong friends who will engage their hearts along with their checkbooks beats a one-time donation any day! If this isn't your strong suit, do some brainstorming with your co-workers and board members. Think about organizations and causes that you've felt strongly about through the years. What did they do to engage you; how were you invited to share their missions? Connecting with friends is much more fun than "mobilizing donors". If you follow these steps, you may even begin to think it's EASY.


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And do you know what is more isolating than being in Perth?
The answer is -being a chick lit author at a romance conference where 'everyone' says chick lit is dead, especially when you don't believe it is.
Especially when you must answer the women at the conference, not the publishers or the powers that be, but other authors when they ask you what you write.
"I write chick lit but that you can't call it chick lit that you have to call it women's fiction," said I.
And they said "Why?"
And I said. "Apparently no one reads it anymore. I was told that last year and the year before too."
And to a one they say "But I love chick lit."
It's a conundrum to be in a room where you're being told what you write is out of fashion and yet you're surrounded by people who say they like it. It's harder still when you love it yourself.
Chick lit was like the French onion dip of the conference. It's not very trendy, you won't see it on a menu anywhere because it's been pushed aside by hummus and guacamole and even beetroot dip but still there's barely a woman who when left alone with some French onions dip and crackers won't take a bite. Not only that she'll have another dip. She may even find herself embarrassed by the fact that she ate the whole bowl and loved it.
She may even find herself grabbing a small tub at the supermarket next time she's there because she forgot how much she really enjoyed it and how much she had missed it.
Now she may not serve it up on Saturday night (or in the case of the book, recommend her whole book club reads it) but she will enjoy it.
I think that's chick lit right now. It's not widely available or celebrated but people do like it. It's not trendy but people still read it.
You know why that is? To my mind at least, it is because chick lit books are about women trying to find themselves in this crazy world with the help (or hindrance) of friends their friends, family, co-workers and lovers.
That's also the story of every woman who was at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference. They were an amazing, wonderful, vibrant group of women who were busy making new friends, building careers while trying to balance family and work. They were trying to find their way, where they fit in and how they could move forward on their journey.
I didn't hear anyone talking about their own boyfriends or lovers or needing men to complete them. They were talking about their jobs, balancing that with their families and trying to become their full and happy selves (or happier because there were some gloriously happy people in that room).
That's why I believe chick lit (and French onion dip) can both survive because we enjoy them and they are a part of our own stories, even if we may not always admit it.
(If you would like to come over for a Jatz cracker, some French onion dip and to boorow a book, do let me know!)


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Dining Services
Balanced lifestyle, balanced diet.
Dining at The Oaks of Clearwater is truly a delightful experience. The Oaks of Clearwater provides all of our residents with three well balanced, nutritional, chef-prepared meals daily. The Oaks of Clearwater provides a variety of options for meals to our residents on a daily basis. Our dining department incorporates unique dishes to accommodate for our residents selective palettes, and is creative in providing specialized dishes for every meal.
The Oaks of Clearwater has ten dining rooms in total, with the main dining room open to all residents located on the first floor at the west end of our formal lobby. Our main dining room overlooks the gorgeous waters of Clearwater Bay, and the ambiance created by the reflection and setting of the sun over the water provide our residents with a picturesque view as they dine, all the time.
Each of our meals at The Oaks of Clearwater is served restaurant style, and specific meal has featured items, and signature Chef's choice items. If one of our residents would prefer to eat something that is not listed as a featured item on our menu for that particular meal, there are always a list of alternatives that are available.
The Oaks of Clearwater's Chef and culinary team carefully plan out our resident's menus on a monthly and weekly basis to make sure that our residents are receiving a variety of options on an ongoing basis. Upon request, our dining department may be able to accommodate for special dietary requests that are verified by medical documentation.
Our dining services team makes sure our residents are receiving proper nutrition all day long and not just during meal times. We strongly believe in the satisfaction of our residents all day long, and to ensure their stomachs are never left empty we provide off meal time snack and hydration options for the residents who we monitor from a healthcare standpoint. We offer consistent opportunity for hydration for all of our residents through our scattered water fountains, coffee station in our main lobby, and through our designated health care staff throughout the building.
If you have any questions regarding meals, or our snack and hydration program at The Oaks of Clearwater, please call us at (727) 445-4069.


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Unlike small molecule compounds, biologics (sometimes known as biopharmaceuticals) are more complex molecules and often much harder to make generic copies of (if at all). Due to this molecular complexity, regulators in the United States and European Union have struggled in the past to develop guidelines for a way for biogeneric (biosimilar) compounds to gain marketing approval.
With this extra regulatory difficulty there has been only one biosimilar compound approved in the U.S., and until today only one in the European Union as well.
Novartis' biosimilar that received the go-ahead is a compound that mimics the effects of epoetin alfa, sold by Johnson and Johnson
Novartis' epo compound was given the preliminary go-ahead by European regulators back in June, but because of a quirk of the European regulatory system, drugmakers have to wait an additional three months for final marketing approval -- which is always granted if the preliminary decision is positive.
The multibillion-dollar market for epo products in the EU has gotten much more crowded with Shire
Looking for more Foolish drug stock coverage? Check out the Fool's market-beating Rule Breakers newsletter. You can check out all our recommendations as well as get access to our message boards and exclusive content with a 30-day free trial.
Fool contributor Brian Lawler does not own shares of any company mentioned in this article. Johnson and Johnson is an active Income Investor pick. The Fool has a disclosure policy.


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I gave a photo tour of the hill garden a week or so ago, and today it's time to fill out another piece of the picture.
The back fence is the southernmost part of our property, and would normally get the most sun, but there are several large trees back there, so in the summer there are a few more hours of shade in the early morning and late afternoon.
Thankfully our neighbor to the south has a huge lot, and most that borders our fence is an open field, so we don't have to worry about any shade directly south.
Last year (year 1 by the gardening calendar, I had two 12′ x 4′ raised beds that I filled with cheap topsoil, a little bit of compost, and too much mulch. It was okay – most of what I planted really struggled to take hold, but late in the summer I got a burst of okra, jalapenos, and tomatoes.
So in late fall, I planted red clover to improve the soil, partly for nitrogen fixation, but also to keep the soil from blowing away over the winter.
I decided to keep most the clover instead of tearing it out, but also, in the middle of spring, it was growing so fast that I could trim giant mounds of it almost daily and spread it into other beds to decompose.
Each section of the raised beds became kind of like a grid, with cutouts in the clover where I added compost and mulch to insert vegetable plants. Here's the result almost three months later:
Here are some close-ups of these beds:
Why so crowded, you're probably asking? Well, the answer is…so far, it's working!
I haven't had much trouble with insects (in fact, I haven't used anything to repel them on these beds), and while each one might produce a little less than if they had more space, I like the look of a ton of successful plants around each other.
Want more production? Give plants more space!
So let's talk about the trellis. At first I thought about getting some metal fencing and metal posts and using that up and down the length of the beds, but it was suprisingly expensive to do that the right way.
I looked at alternatives, and furring strips are pretty cheap, as is large quantities of metal wire.
Pro tip for buying wire for the garden: do NOT look in the section where they sell wire for hanging pictures. You don't need to support that much weight, and the prices are ridiculous by unit. I found a quarter mile of aluminum wire among the fencing supplies (presumably for electric fences) for $18.
I used a total of three six-packs of furring strips, also $18, and bought two packs of stainless steel screws for $4 each.
So what about rot? I assume eventually it'll set in, but I painted the lower three feet of each furring strip with linseed oil (organic, not boiled) to slow down the process. That way the section that's buried or hidden in shade should stay relatively waterproof. I guess we'll see!
Fully assembled, the total cost was $44 plus a few hours of time, and I'm sure I could have done it with less expense if needed.


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• The best images as Krul becomes an unlikely World Cup star
• Last-minute sub Tim Krul the penalty hero for Holland
• Van Gaal: I kept Krul's penalty role secret from Cillessen
• All World Cup teams ranked from 1 to 32
• The World Cup's best pictures - updated daily
• World Cup fixtures and results
Who do you think will win the fourth quarter-final? Can either defeat Argentina? Do you fear for Brazil without Neymar? Thoughts on these subjects and anything else to email@example.com
Holland 0-0 Costa Rica Holland win 4-3 on penalties
12midnight Thanks for joining us today for the quarter-finals. We have four matches of this pulsating Word Cup to go, a semi-final on Wednesday, the next on Thursday, the plate on Saturday and the final on Sunday, in eight days time. Thanks for your correspondence, sorry I couldn't use them all, and for your company. My money's on a replay of the 1974 final, sort of, if for the sake of continuity we are saying West Germany and Germany are the same. Every favourite has got through the round of 16 and the quarters, but who will be the proper favourites for the last four? Goodbye Costa Rica. Well played. Good night.
So Holland will play Argentina in Thursday's semi-final for the right to play Brazil or Germany in the World Cup final. Brazil have five World Cups, Germany three, Argentina two and the Dutch have been runners up three times.
Louis van Gaal sent Tim Krul on to save the penalties and he did, saving two out of five What a dramatic end, as ever with a penalty shootout. But Van Gaal isn't content with just your normal drama. Amazing.
Umana. Saved! Krul dives low to his left, the penalty hit towards the right corner by Umana and it is saved. Costa Rica 3-4 Holland
Kuyt. Scores. Low to the left. Costa Rica 3-4 Holland
Bolanos. Scores. Mid height in the left corner, briiliant. Costa Rica 3-3 Holland
Sneijder. Scores. Sends him the wrong way and tucks it into the left corner, low. Costa Rica 2-3 Holland
Gonzalez. Scores. High and in the right corner. Costa Rica 2-2 Holland.
Robben. Scores. To the left, high into the side netting. Beautiful penalty. Costa Rica 1-2 Holland
Ruiz to take. Saved! Weak and centre right, Krul gets down easily. Costa Rica 1-1 Holland
Van Persie to take. Right in the corner, scores. Costa Rica 1-1 Holland
Borges to take. Scores, low to the right. Costa Rica 1-0 Holland
Costa Rica shoot first
Costa Rica are still in a huddle. The Dutch are waiting on halfway.
23.38 The captains toss for who goes first.
Full time (again) Penalties it is.
120+1 min Holland sub, Tim Krul for Jasper Cillessen. Oh my days, as the kids say. And Danny Murphy.
120 min Robben beats his man, lays it back to Kuyt on the edge of the box and his free-kick smacks into the defnder and Huntelaa fouls Umana.
119 min Sneijder shoots from the left, cutting in and spearing a brilliant shot that smacks the crossbar. It would have beaten Navas and was arrowing towards the top-right corner but just didn't dip enough.
117 min Costa Rica again come forward, Urena taking the ball brilliantly breaking to the right of the box, and spanking a shot that Cillessen blocks with his feet. Bolanos tries to dance into the box but De Vriij clears and then Blind knocks it long on the 'diag', hark at me, for Robben who, of course, gets there, plays it into the box and the ball is blocked.
115 min Bolanos - who is without a club - again almost breaks the Dutch defence apart with sublime control this time on the left of the box to win Costa Rica's first corner of the game. Sadly, for him, and the watching scouts, he hits a dreadful corner too long.
114 min Holland barrel all the way up the field, looking for Lens who strays offside.
113 min Bolanos has a slalom run into the box from wide on the right, past one, past two but De Vriij intercepts before he can pull the trigger.
112 min Tim Krul is warming up! A penalty saving substitute? Van Gaal!
111 min Kuyt hits a deep cross with too much air in it towards the back post wher Huntelaar goes up with the keeper, leaves his arm in, and is booked.
109 min Urena goes lurking in the box, giving an out ball for Diaz but cannot hold it up, tonking it back, starting a Holland blitz that Costa Rica's defenders again deal with through a mixture of the trap and their discipline.
108 min Robben aims the free-kick towards Huntelaar but Costa Rica beat him to it. Now Holland have a corner when Robben's shot is blocked. The corner again heads towards Huntealar and Costa Rica block it off again.
107 min Acosta takes out Robben, perhaps accidentally, when the winger had beaten Diaz and was hurtling towards the box. Both men thud their bfaces into each others chests.
106 min Huntelaar comes on for Holland - replacing Martins Indi. Urena hounds Cillessen, chasing a hopefull through ball but the keeper beats him to it and luanches it towards Kuyt who is harried back by Bolanos.
Half-time They're showing the Costa Rica 'penalty' again. Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand thought it was a 'stonewall'. I'm still not convinced.
105+2 min Robben out n the right, rolls it back to Wijnaldum who pops it to Kuyt on teh overlap. His cross is an outswinegr that Navas races out to punch clear.
105 min There will be two more minutes of this half following the treatment to Navas. Costa Rica can't hold the ball up with Urena or Myrie.
104 min Sneijder lets Robben take the free-kick which he tonks straight into the wall. Half a minute later Costa Rica, make a rare foray forward but theyr'e done for by exhaustion and can't make it count.
103 min Wijnaldum clips through another ball for Robben to run on to down the right. His control, as ever, is immmaculate and he skirts across the box, unleashes a shot that Diaz blocks with his back turned, the ref saying it was handball though it hit the shoulder.
101 min Crowd whistles as Ruiz lies on the floor after he collides with Martins Indi and the referee tells Sneijder to kick the ball out even though he hadn't penalised Martins Indi.
99 min Vlaar goes route one, spanking it from the edge of his box out for a goalkick.
97 min Costa Rica sub - Cubero for Tejeda. Costa Rica appeal for a penalty when Urena goes flying when Vlaar and his legs brush each other. I thought it was a dive. Danny Murphy thinks it's a penalty.
95 min Navas eventually gets up after treatment and Sneijder bends in the third successive corner, Costa Rica clearing.
94 min Sneijder take sthe corner from the other side, Navas comes out to try to catch it, misses entirely, falls clutching his knee and his excellent defenders race to his rescue, as it bounces out of play for another corner.
93 min Kuyt wins a corner when his pass is blocked. Robben takes it on the right Vlaar heads firmly and Navas tips it behind.
92 min De Vriij chips a pass over the back five for the run of Robben and Van Persie who were onside though the linesman failed to see that, flagging unnecessarily.
91 min Still no more substitutions for Holland. The policy seems to be we'll keep battering on the door until the hinges come off or the lock breaks.
Oh dear!
Daniel Martinez writes
Costa Rica!! All America is proud of you!!
Full time An extra half-hour it is. Can Costa Rica hold out? What changes will Van Gaal make.
90+4 min Navas and the woodwork have denied Holland about 20 times. It's level and we're heading for extra time.
90+3 min Van Persie whips in his shot from the right that is punched clear by Navas. Blind crosses back from the left into the box, low across the six-yard box, through everyone's legs to Van Pesrie on the right of the six-yard box. He shoots and Tejeda miskicks it on to the bar and somehow they scramble it clear through Navas and Tejeda.
90+1 min Diaz who has been booked slides in and takes Robben out, his boot on his shin pad, wide on the right, a few inches out of the box. No red card though it shoud have been for a second yellow that was not forthcoming.
90 min Acosta again beats Van Persie to a through ball from Robben and takes it away from the box before hoofing it up the line to Urena who loses it.
89 min Sneijder who has had a tremendous last 20 minutes, curls in a dipping cross from the left to the six-yard box, with Van Persie running on to it and a defender on his shoulder, amd Percival misses the ball completely.
87 min Lens looks to skin Gonzalez up the outside left but the defender waits and waits then slides in to take the ball off the substitute.
86 min Robben pops up in front of the back four to take the ball off Tedeja and knock it back to Cillessen.
84 min Now Bolanos fells Robben wide on the right. They're conceding too many free-kicks. Robben shapes it into the box where Van Persie cushions the ricocheting ball on the right of the six-yard box wonderfully then fires a right-foot shot across goal, Navas saving brilliantly again, low and with his forearm.
82 min Terrific free-kick from Sneijder over the wall an dflush on Navas's right post with the keeper mid air and getting towards it. It bounced towards the centre of goal but Vlaar can't reach it.
81 min Gonzalez pulls back Robben on the left edge of the box just by the right-angle of the horizontal and vertical whitewash. Yellow card for the defender.
80 min Kuyt tries to sell Diaz a dummy by shaping to cross but he doesn't but it, though Lens does, leaving his mark too early so when Kuyt plonks it on his head a second r too later, he had strayed offside. Even so Navas ahd saved it .
79 min Dave Myrie comes on for Costa Rica, replacing the hobbling Gamboa. Robben bends in the corner with his left foot from the right, Diaz heads it to safety.
78 min Robben scorches past Diaz and waltzes into the box, opening his body with the ball stuck t his left foot to eran a corner off the shins of Umana.
76 min Blind thinks Lens should be up to pace instantly and sends a pass down the left touchline but Lens, or Usain Bolt for that matter, could not reach it.
75 min Holland sub - Lens for Depay.
74 min Gamboa flies feet first fr a ball that's at least 5ft off the ground and boots Blind in the back of the head. Holland free-kick, wide left, taken by Sneijder, viciously bent to the penalty spot but Vlaar smacks his header over.
72 min Urena, who has barely played any club football for three years, and hasn't scored for longer than that, plays a glorious threaded pass through the inside left gap to Bolanos who tries and fails to find the provider again with a pass rather than taking the better option nad having a dig.
70 min Gamboa jars his ankle when landing from a header duel with Blind. Off he goes on a stretcher.
69 min Robben cuts in from the right, threads it through to Van Persie about 10 yards out bon the right of the box with his back to goal. He plays the wall pass back to Robben despite the packed box but Borges has stuck to Robben and stops the shot, giving away the corner.
67 min Costa Rica sub - Urena on for Campbell. The substitute begins witha sharp turn and flick, freeing Gamboa but the move ends with Diaz's heavy touch planting it in Cillessen's hand.
65 min But it's a dangerous policy, if you can't keep a clean sheet. Martins Indi fould Bolans who spins the free-kick from 35 yards on the right out to the far post where Umana rises to meet it and bullet a header over.
64 min In a way, this is what the Dutch did to Chile. Pay them the respect of taking their strengths seriously, defend strongly, soaking up pressure and probing on the counter.
62 min Now Campbell is felled when dribbling loosely towards the box and Bolanos takes the free-kick, 25 yards out and batters it over.
60 min Big penalty shout from Costa Rica when Bolanos cuts back a cross into teh area from the elft and Campbell, on the half tirn then tries to shuffle all the way round to get off a shot and Martins Indi shoulders him out of the way. The referee says no, but, altogether now, 'we've seen 'em given'.
58 min Danny Murphy, like a true chalkboard artiste, refers to diagonal passes as 'diags'. Pleasing it is, too. Diaz concedes a corner just to be on the safe side when Robben jumps up kung fu style to control a belted pass and juggle it down the flank. Robben clips it to the near post and Costa Rica clear.
55 min Robben again finds some space on the right but five yards ahead of him are three sentries and behind them two reinforcements. He slips the ball though them to Van Persie's bent run between Acosta and Umana but he is forced so wide he can only cross/shoot, a hybrid effort that is blocked.
53 min Robben clips a low horizontal pass to Sneijder at the edge of the box who turns it on the half volley forcefully over the bar. It's the old Sheringham/Scholes run. It will berevived at Old Trafford next season, no doubt.
51 min Umana clears out Robben when he taps it past Diaz and tries to burst into the box. The free-kick is 18 yards from goal by the right touchline.
David Lander asks
With Columbia out who wins the golden boot or will 6 be enough for James Rodriguez
It's probably enough, I think David, unless Herr Muller plays through the middle v Brazil, or Messi does what he does best.
49 min Gamboa throws long to the centre circle where Campbell chests on to Tejeda who attempts to raid through the middle on a rampaging run and may have done but for an oddly-kicking bounce that knocks him out of his stride.
47 min Bolanos, for it is he with the Hillary Clinto hair accessory, then goes barrelling up the left following Robben's rubbish free-kick but Kuyt and De Vrij send him packing.
46 min Holland kick off, move it back then up the right where Robben is brought down by the fella with the Alice band.
Angus Craik is questioning #bestworldcupever. Heretic.
Watching paint dry has become the "In" thing. About as interesting as a pub with no beer!
Bryn Jones is in a better place
I hope Costa Rica win World Cup! I had them at 780/1... Sat in hospital with no wifi or game in maternity ward.
Good luck, Bryn, on both counts, particularly the maternity ward bit. Unless you're in there to repair the birthing tank rather than expectantly pacing.
Dee Patel writes
See the desire that other teams have to win and they use a bit of knowhow. Can England ever do this? I would say no. The rest of the world has passed us. Too late too little as always.
It's a myth, Dee. This 'American Dream' stuff that anyone can acheive anything so long as they desire it enough and work hard for it enough is a load of old tripe. It's about skill, having an intelligent manager, confidence and luck. All international teams work hard.
Half time But Costa Rica are dangerous on the break, both to Holland and equally to themselves when they flood up in support and leave space for Dutch pace to colonise.
45 min That's your lot for 15 minutes. It's been like a training exercise for parts, 10 v 10, attack v defence.
44 min Guy Mowbray has just pronounced Europe as 'Yerip'. Is he from Sheepscar? Excellent defending from Diaz to stop Kuyt breaking in from the box. They are defending superbly with discipline, intelligence and coolness.
42 min When the two 'killer' passes are eventually played, Borges tracks Robben and tackles him, then the next is to Van Persie through the inside left channel and Navas races out to smother it at his feet.
40 min Every man jack of this Dutch side touches the ball as they hold possession for a couple of minutes, shuttling it across from wing to win through Wijnaldum and Sneijder and into the corners. The Costa Rica back five stick to the task, though, maintaining their discipline, allowing no chink as the probe continues.
37 min Costa Rica do that thing where they foul Robben then insinuate that he dived. Comes with the reputation Arjen. Still, he didn't dive and he earns the free-kick. Sneijder takes the free-kick from 30 yards, bending it to the left post (as he struck it) and Kaylor dived up to turn it behind.
35 min Robben takes the free-kick 35 yards out on the right and overhits it, though the Costa Rica offside trap falls apart, with one man staying back and playing Van Persie and Vlaar onside as the ball floated out of play.
34 min Robben goes tumbling after Campbell misses his hack at his heels and Gamboa simply bundles him over, the Dutch having raced out of their area in numbers.
33 min Delivery from the free-kick is pants and Cillessen grabs it, punts it way up to the other penalty area where Robben, with back to goal, tries to turn, and is harshly whistled for backing in.
32 min Acosta is fouled by Van Persie after Blind messes up his clearance, bunting it short and Acosta nipped ahead of the retreating centre-forward.
30 min Depay shoots low when Holland fly up from the goalkick, Navas saving with his feet with the shot arrowing in at the near post, then Costa Rica immediately counterpunch with Campbell penalised for handball when poised to take on Martins Indi.
28 min Sneijder is piqued so fouls on the Costa Rica left, 30 yards from goal. Bolanos swings in the free-kick beyond the far post where Martins Indi sees off the danger with an unseen tug of the shirt.
26 min The Dutch are cranking up the pressure, Van Persie and before him Depay jumping the gun and drifting offside before the trap had been sprung.
Paul Cottam writes
I hope Gerrard, Rooney and all are watching the team in white tonight, a small team running until they drop, no Ferraris, no Porsches , just there to play football and win. So disappointed in England.
A lot of people are disappointed, Paul. But the Argentian players, Brazil players, Germany players and Dutch all have flash cars. It's about mentality and skill, not riches, isn't it?
22 min Double chance for Holland, who break so quickly with Robben turning a pass out to Kuyt on the overlap who spins in a cross to the D. Depay makes a lovely reverse pass to throw the defender off, straight to Van Persie, 10 yards from goal on the left, with a clear sight of it but the keeper saves superbly and Sneijder, who picks up the rebound and shuttles across the 18-yard line to find an opening, screws his shot unthreateningly.
19 min Gamboa again makes headway up the right. This system allows the wider of the three centre-backs to come across and help Blind and Kuyt but Costa Rica are targeting the wing-backs.
16 min Costa Rica are enjoying a lot of possession, making headway up the left, through Bolanos, Diaz and Tejeda. Kuyt, not in stature, but in style in this position, reminds me of Angelo Di Livio. What an infantryman.
Thomas Ndilikokule writes
Holland will go through. Brazil without Neymar is also dangerous though.
Well, quite. Like a haiku that. Thanks Thomas.
14 min Costa Rica have established a platform now, moving forward again through the slick passing of Bolanos and Tejeda up the left of midfield but again when they lose it, trying to find Campbell, Holland break at breakneck pace with Depay and Blind up the left.
12 min Barnstorming run from Gamboa up the right, burning Blind for pace and cutting inside of Martins Indi to screw a cross back through the penalty area, but Holland clear as Campbell had made the run ahead of the pass and hit the right-back hole Gamboa had vacated.
10 min Danny Murphy is an excellent co-commentator, I think. I know it's yet another ex-Liverpool player getting an analyst's gig, but he is perceptive and points things out tactically before they happen.
8 min Robben switches to the outside right from the inside left where he had been looking to probe and is well tackled by, I think, Gonzalez and wins a corner that comes to nothing.
6 min Depay and Sneijder work a triangle on the left with Robben who is robbed on the edge of the box by Gamboa but Robben gets off the floor sharply and tracks his man all the way back, springing a counter at sprinting pace when Campbell plays a hospital pass. Both teams are going to try to rope-a-dope the other, flooding into space on the counter.
4 min Costa Rica get a foot in and break from the middle of their half, through the centre-circle and Bolanos tries to weave past De Vrij who obstructs him more with his body positio than anything else, conceding a free-kick which Bolanos takes, going to catch Cillessen off his line but drifting his shot wide.
3 min Kuyt spins back as he approaches halfway as he taps it back to the three centre-backs, De Vrij knocking it across to the left and back again as they look for an opening, eventually working it up to Depay and back again patiently.
1 min From the kick-off Holland line up with five at the back as do Costa Rica as Holland attack up the left with Umana blasting away a clearance.
20.58 Costa Rica will kick-off.
20.54 The anti-racism entreaties are made. Songs are now being sung.
20.49 Alan Shearer has just said that Robben (by the way my Oranje friends, Arjen is pronounced Arkhen, with that Greek chi? no, not Aryen as the English commentators do it?) will lose out when he's done for diving when he hasn't, the boy who cried wolf and all that, and also that "the best player in the world never does it. Lionel Messi." I've seen Lionel Messi go down easily. It doesn't make him any less of a player. I've also seen the current England captain do it at least a dozen times. Alan Shearer has yet to mention that in the past 15 years.
20.40 M'colleague Alan Hansen is talking about the enemy for Holland being complacency. Ha. The only thing we have to be complacent about is complacency itself.
20.32 By the way #worstworldcupeverforkits why can Costa Rica wear their blue shorts with their red shirts but Argentina not wear their black shorts with their striped shirts and Brazil blue with yellow shirts or Germany white shirts with black? Is it because red/blue is designated dark/dark but yellow/blue light/dark and it has to be light/light or dark/dark? I'm raging about this. Call off this tournament now and lets's start again with some grown-ups in charge.
20.30 Come on formation fans, there's mponey to be made on that there Twitter with the expertise you have. Are the Dutch going to play 5-3-2, the Cruyffian 3-4-3, 3-3-1-3 with Wesley the one?
20.28 And the Percy van Persie fans gather:
20.25 The Costa Ricans are not taking this specs-off lightly.
20.20 I have a friend who lives in the enchanting city of Leiden. When I have visited him in the past I have been surprised by the number of spectacle shops, optometrists etc throughout the town and in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, too. Now I know why.
20.03 And in the conventional manner:
Holland Cillessen; De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi; Kuyt, Wijnaldum, Sneijder, Blind; Robben, Van Persie, Depay.
Costa Rica Navas; Gamboa, Umana, Gonzalez, Acosta, Diaz; Bolanos, Tejeda, Borges; Ruiz; l Campbell.
20.01 I know a lot of you are great fans of line-up bingo, so I'll provide the numbers first time around, then we'll clean up the teams. Eyes down for a full house, ladies and gentlemen:
Holland 1-Jasper Cillessen; 3-Stefan de Vrij, 2-Ron Vlaar, 4-Bruno Martins Indi; 15-Dirk Kuyt, 20-Georginio Wijnaldum, 10-Wesley Sneijder, 5-Daley Blind; 11-Arjen Robben, 9-Robin van Persie, 21-Memphis Depay.
Costa Rica 1-Keylor Navas; 16-Cristian Gamboa, 4-Michael Umana, 3-Giancarlo Gonzalez, 2-Johnny Acosta, 15-Junior Diaz; 7-Christian Bolanos, 17-Yeltsin Tejeda, 5-Celso Borges; 10-Bryan Ruiz; 9-Joel Campbell
Referee Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
19.55 Good evening Louis van Gaal is expected to spring a selection surprise tonight. The Dutch press reckon he'll be playing 5-2-3 as follows: Cillessen; Kuyt, Vlaar, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind; Wijnaldum, Sneijder; Robben, Van Persie, Depay. What does this tell us? It tells us if more than two outfield players play more than 30 league games for Manchester United next season, then I will consume a hat. Systems > players.
The irresistible fairytale of Costa Rica faces a day of reckoning against Louis van Gaal's hard, calculating Dutch side on Saturday in the Brazil World Cup's most unlikely quarter-final.
Few believed that Costa Rica, a small Central American country with an undistinguished footballing record, would still be standing, especially after a group including Italy, England and Uruguay.
Yet Los Ticos shocked Uruguay and Italy to top a group bracketing three World Cup winners, before battling past Greece on penalties after playing an hour with only 10 men.
Despite the talents of Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz in attack, it has been more a case of grit and organisation than Latin flair with Jorge Luis Pinto's side conceding only two goals so far and scoring five.
Costa Rica have already outdone their best World Cup performance, reaching the last 16 in 1990, much to the jubilation of fans back home whose celebrations have stretched long into the night.
Whether the parties continue depends on the Netherlands, whose hard-nosed approach and late comebacks have already dashed the dreams of millions of fans in Chile and Mexico.
The 2010 finalists began the World Cup with a heady 5-1 rout of reigning champions Spain, and then came from behind to beat Australia 3-2.
Objections surfaced over their counter-attacking style after the 2-0 win against Chile, which was achieved with two late goals and with veteran forward Dirk Kuyt playing left-back.
And much sympathy for the Oranje evaporated when Arjen Robben, after earning the injury-time penalty that sank Mexico 2-1, admitted diving during the last-16 tie.
After a furore over those comments Robben will not expect any favours from Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov, who is yet to give a penalty in his eight-game World Cup career.
But the Bayern Munich flyer's duel against Keylor Navas, one of the World Cup's goalkeeping heroes whose one-handed penalty stop denied Greece, will be closely watched.
Navas, who is expected to recover from a shoulder injury, can also expect a work-out from Robin van Persie with emerging PSV Eindhoven star Memphis Depay likely to figure later on.
In a blow to the Dutch, midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong is out with a groin injury, meaning a reshuffle for the Manchester United-bound Van Gaal.
But the coach has shown cool tactical nous and opportunism, first by redeploying Kuyt and also using the World Cup's first cooling break to switch tactics against Mexico.
Costa Rica have problems in defence with centre-back Oscar Duarte - who scored a brilliant header against Uruguay - suspended and the left-sided Roy Miller an injury concern.
Up front, expect another starring role from Campbell, 22, whose eye-catching tournament could prompt Arsenal to recall him after loan spells at Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos.
Playing behind Campbell will be the assured Ruiz, 28, completing an attacking duo which has yielded three of Costa Rica's goals so far.
The Fulham forward said Costa Rica were capable of shocking the Dutch - a seismic upset for the World Cup, but one which would find favour with neutrals and romantics.
"Saturday's game is like a final for us, but we don't want to stop there," said Ruiz.
"Holland is a great team, but I have to be honest and say that we have a good chance of beating them. But we have to take care of a lot of details if we want to win."
The eventual winner at Salvador's Fonte Nova Arena will play either Argentina or Belgium for a place in the July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro.


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This is a picture of the quilt I have been making. It is Jacobean Holiday by Pat Campbell. I chose to hand appliqué the blocks and this is my first appliqué quilt after taking a class from Blue Ribbon Quilt Shoppe in Wylie,Texas. I will post actual pictures of the blocks as I finish them. I have several close to being complete.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone


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Ex-con tries to keep straight in this hard-boiled first novel.
After he left the Marine Corps, Jimmy Boone turned his imposing physique and slightly violent temperament into a lucrative career as a bodyguard. After an unfortunate experience with a client, he ended up in Corcoran. Now, back on the outside, he's tending bar on Hollywood Boulevard and trying to stay out of trouble. But Lange's Los Angeles is built on the bones of Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles, so all it takes is the mysterious death of an illegal immigrant to draw Boone into an ugly world of drugs, dog fights and truly inventive parole violations. Lange displayed his mastery of short fiction with the story collection Dead Boys (2007), in which each brief narrative felt true and inevitable. This longer, more complex tale occasionally feels contrived. But the author more than makes up for the slightly creaky plot with his compelling characters. Even the minor players are fully-formed, and Lange manages to depict a little bit of L.A. with each one. Consider, for example, T.K.: His day job is doing dirty work for a sociopathic crime boss, but his dream is to star in a series of martial-arts-influenced fitness DVDs that will be bigger than Tae Bo.
Smartly entertaining noir, and a promise of better novels to come.


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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Blue Nile Q4 Net Sales Up 21%
Blue Nile said Tuesday that net sales increased 21.2 percent to $136.1 million for the fourth quarter, led by a 30 percent increase in bridal jewelry sales. Operating income for the period, ended December 30, 2012, totaled $7.1 million, representing an operating margin of 5.2 percent of net sales. Net income totaled $4.9 million, or $0.39 per diluted share. Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA for the quarter totaled $9.1 million.
For the full year, the online diamond and fine jewelry retailer reported that net sales increased by 14.9 percent to $400 million. Operating income for the full year was $12.3 million, compared to $16.9 million in the prior year. Net income for the year was $8.4 million and earnings per diluted share totaled $0.63. Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA for 2012 was $20.6 million.
Harvey Kanter, Blue Nile president and CEO of the Seattle-based company, noted that non-engagement jewelry sales for the holidays did not meet expectations but growth for the fourth quarter was still greater than 5 percent.
Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $34.4 million for the year compared to $15.4 million for the prior year. Non-GAAP free cash flow for the year was $31.9 million compared to $10.1 million for the prior year.
In its outlook, Blue Nile said it expects net sales to be between $94 million and $100 million with earnings per diluted share projected at $0.05 to $0.08. For the 2013 fiscal it expects net sales to be between $440 million and $470 million and earnings per diluted share are projected at $0.75 to $0.85.
"The fourth quarter caps off a great year of growth at Blue Nile, building upon our sequential growth while posting greater profitability versus the prior year. Investments we made in 2012 paid off with the highest annual levels of revenue growth and customer acquisition in five years, exceptional strength in engagement sales in the U.S., and a return to strong growth internationally," said Harvey Kanter, Blue Nile president and CEO. "While we fell short of our expected sales of non-engagement jewelry during the holiday season, in part due to a weaker environment for consumer discretionary spending, we gained valuable insight that will guide the evolution of our product mix. We believe that our strategy to accelerate this part of our business is on track."
The company also announced it has entered into an agreement with U.S. Bank National Association for borrowing under a $35 million revolving credit facility maturing in 2014.
Among the highlights:
* U.S. engagement net sales for the fourth quarter 2012 increased 31 percent to $73.6 million. U.S. engagement net sales for the full year 2012 increased 21.7 percent to $226.6 million.
* U.S. non-engagement net sales for the fourth quarter 2012 increased 5.3 percent to $42.5 million. U.S. non-engagement net sales for the full year 2012 increased 4.9 percent to $111 million.
* International net sales for the fourth quarter 2012 increased 26.8 percent to $20 million. International net sales for the full year 2012 increased 11.7 percent to $62.4 million. Excluding the impact from changes in foreign exchange rates, international net sales increased 12.6 percent for the fiscal year.
* Gross profit for the fourth quarter totaled $25.7 million. As a percent of net sales, gross profit was 18.8 percent compared to 20.7 percent for the fourth quarter of 2011. Gross profit for the year totaled $75.1 million.
New customers, which are defined as individuals who have not made a prior purchase from Blue Nile, grew 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. For the full year, new customers grew 17.6 percent compared to the full year of 2011.
* Selling, general and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter were $18.6 million, compared to $16.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the full year were $62.8 million, compared to $55.2 million for the full year 2011.
* Earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter included stock-based compensation expense of $0.06 for the fourth quarter of 2012 and 2011.
* Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fiscal year totaled $87 million, compared to $89.4 million at the end of the fiscal year 2011.
Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Web site.


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In June 2014, Edge of Tomorrow, a Hollywood adaptation of Japanese light novel All You Need is Kill will be released, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Today, it was revealed that the new year will herald yet another adaptation of the science fiction novel though, as it has just been announced that Takeshi Obata (artist of Death Note) will be illustrating a manga adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's original novel in Weekly Young Jump from 9th January, 2014. What's more is, the manga will be released simultaneously in English via the Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine!
When aliens known as "Mimics" invade, Keiji Kiriya is one of many new recruits forced into what is essentially a suicide mission where he is killed in mere minutes. However, he finds himself being reborn each morning to fight and die once more. On the 158th loop, he sees something different – a female soldier known as the Bitch of War. Could the Bitch of War hold the key to Keiji's escape, or his final death?


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Bah. Weekends should be discussed. And often. We should soak ourselves in weekend thought until our fingers are prune-like.
We should extend our weekends right into our week days.
Fun is fun. And fun should not be reserved for just the weekend, this is true. But you've got to admit, there's just something a tad sweeter about weekend fun. So revel in it. Discuss it on a Tuesday. Or Thursday. Keep the feeling alive my friends.
Sweet weekend memories. Literally.
Here's our recipe:
Icebox Cake
1 box graham crackers
Vanilla custard cream
Chocolate cream
Whipped cream
9x13" casserole pan
Vanilla Custard Cream:
2 C milk
1/2 C granulated sugar, divided
1 egg
2 egg yolks
3 T cornstarch
2 T butter
1 1/2 t vanilla
In a mixing bowl, whisk together your egg yolks, egg, 1/4 C sugar and cornstarch until smooth and a light yellow color. Next, over medium heat in a sauce pan, combine your milk and 1/4 C sugar. Bring to a low boil. When your milk mixture is boiling, remove pan from the heat and slowly drizzle the milk into the egg mixture while whisking the eggs (to prevent eggs from curdling).
Return the entire mixture back into the sauce pan and slowly heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. The custard cream will begin to thicken pretty quickly, when it does, remove pan from the heat and add your butter and vanilla. Stir to incorporate thoroughly.
Pour custard cream into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap (make sure the wrap is touching the custard to prevent a skin forming on top) and place into the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
Whipped Cream:
1 C cold heavy cream
1 T granulated sugar
Place your cold cream into a bowl and whip on high with an electric mixer. As you're mixing, add your sugar. Stop whipping when nice, soft peaks form. Cover bow with plastic wrap and place whipped cream into the refrigerator until ready to use.
Chocolate Cream:
1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 of your prepared whipped cream*
Combine your chocolate chips and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on half power for 20-30 seconds - stir. Continue to cook in the microwave in 20 second intervals, on half power, until the ganache is smooth and warm, not hot. Allow your ganache to cool for 5 minutes and then fold in half of your prepared whipped cream. Mix until combined and place, covered, into the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble your cake.
To prepare your cake:
To start, place a layer of graham crackers on the bottom of your 9x13" casserole pan. Break crackers to fit and completely layer the bottom of the pan, if necessary. Spread 1/3 of your vanilla custard cream over the graham cracker layer. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the layer. Next, spread 1/3 of your chocolate cream over the custard cream using your spatula to layer evenly. Repeat this process two more times, finishing by placing a final layer of graham cracker on top of the last chocolate cream layer. Finally, layer your reserved whipped cream over the graham crackers and cover the casserole pan with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Dust with cocoa powder and cut to serve. Enjoy!


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Washburn Water Treatment Plant reaches completion
By Michael Johnson, Editor
The renovated Washburn Water Treatment Plant has been a project a long time coming in the city and it finally came to completion in mid-September. Talk of the project began in the early 90s when it became clear to Brett Jochim of AE2S that the plant was going to need some major changes in order to comply with new regulations in water. Jochim spoke of his time on the project at a reception following the open house for the new plant on Oct 11. It was about 22 years ago that Jochim first walked into the plant. That plant was built in the 70s and he was there to work through some issues occurring at the plant. After spending about four days there, during the spring runoff, he got to understand the workings of the plant. "A consolidated effort was necessary," Jochim said of the need to improve to meet regulations. "There's a lot of things we can do without, but water is not one of them," Jochim said. The facilities plan was drawn up by operations manager Russell Sorenson, who also designed the newest water tower and the water plant.


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Capstone Real Estate Services, Inc. Hosts Grand Opening of Casitas de Colores Apartments in Albuquerque
Albuquerque, NM - Capstone Real Estate Services, Inc., a prominent property management company, recently hosted the grand opening of Casitas de Colores Apartments, the first family "garden style" mixed-income, environmentally sustainable community to be located in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. The event was attended by local officials, Casitas ownership partners, Capstone representatives, and Casitas residents. This unique development opened its doors to the public at the end of 2013, and offers a variety of both income-restricted and market-rate units for lease. Construction has been completed on all three residential buildings, and initial leasing efforts are wrapping up as the property approaches full occupancy.
Designed as a "family-focused" community, Casitas is comprised of mostly two and three-bedrooms, in addition to studios and one-bedroom floor plans. Apartments feature private patios or balconies and Energy Star appliances, and the community offers a fitness center and courtyards designed to accommodate outdoor recreation for families. Partnerships with non-profit organizations such as YES Housing and Youth Development Incorporated allow the community to offer professional development to its residents, as well as an array of social services.
A leading example of sustainable building, Casitas is designed to meet LEED Platinum, Energy Star, and Enterprise Green certifications. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is intended to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.
As a third-party management company, Capstone manages 7 apartment communities in Albuquerque/Santa Fe, and 15 multifamily properties throughout New Mexico. In business for over forty years, Capstone boasts an extensive and accomplished history in property management, with a continuous management presence in New Mexico since the mid-1980s.


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A guy approaches a woman he likes. He has been with her for sometime as 'friends', and now wants to take that next step. He makes the daring move, and musters the guts to ask her out. What does the woman do??
She ties a rakhi on the guy.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Being a 'brother' to the woman you like means reaching Paris with someone, and then realising that you cannot spend your time with her, Paris style. It is the one thing that any bachelor would NOT want to happen in his life. Ever. Not even the married ones, I guess.
They say that diamonds are a woman's best friend. They got it completely wrong for the Indian woman. It's the rakhi.
Yes, friends. This is a weapon more powerful than those nukes that countries are fighting over. This is even more controversial than the CWG fiasco that is happening in Delhi right now. This is even more dangerous than George W. Bush being the President of the USA. Even God could not have found a harder punishment to give Indian men.
And it does not end with the rakhi. Once the 'knot is tied', the man is obliged to then give the woman a gift! All the various things he had planned to gift her would be of no use now. His previous efforts in meticulously finding out what she wanted, all gone to waste. He is doomed to love this woman, brotherly style. And gift her in that same style.
Through some extensive research (which means basically googling "Raksha Bandhan", finding the wikipedia page, and running through its contents), I have found that the history of this festival started from King Himayu. (Raksha Bandhan Wiki Page). Did this person not realise that by starting this, he has started a sort of mini revolution in Indian society? Did he not know that Indian women would be smart enough to adopt 'brothers', handpicking ONLY those who end up wanting to take the next step in their relationship with them?
I think that all Indian women look forward to this one day. I mean, lets face it. We men (you married ones included. ADMIT IT!!) follow, drool, oggle and ask out (atleast some of us men end up asking out) women 24*7. Women just absolutely needed something to protect themselves from....this insanity! Even if it is for a day, that small action of tying a teeny weeny thread on the hand of a man has everlasting effects. No sane man would want that to happen to him. NEVER!!
All you desi women out there. Have your day of freedom. Catch them men and bury them in eternal oblivion. You may win the battle. But you will never win the war.......