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Catalunya (Catalonia) and Euskadi (Basque Country) are two of the regions of Spain with strong national identities, including having their own language.
Catalunya national team consists mainly of Barcelona and Espanyol players and their shirts usually feature red and yellow stripes inspired by their national flag.
Their regular fixture normally falls on one day during Christmas holidays when the Liga takes a festive break of two weeks. This season they will be playing Nigeria on 2nd January 2013 at Espanyol's ground at Cornellà, on the outskirts of Barcelona. This will be Johan Cruyffs last game in charge of the Catalans and promises to be an exciting fixture.
Euskadi team on the other hand is mostly made up of players from Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Osasuna, although some French Basques have also played for them in the past.
They will play Bolivia in the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian on 29th December


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SAINT JOHN, N.B. – New Brunswick's Irving Oil says it will spend $60 million over the next six weeks as 1,700 extra workers are brought in to perform scheduled maintenance at Canada's largest oil refinery in Saint John.
The company says the work will continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the project is completed.
Known in the refining industry as a "turnaround," the project is aimed at improving safety, reliability and environmental performance.
In total, about 2,000 people will be involved with the project, including 1,700 additional tradespeople, most of them from New Brunswick.
General manager Mark Sherman says the refinery can process more than 320,000 barrels of oil per day and typically exports 80 per cent of its production to the United States.
The company says gasoline exported from the refinery represents 19 per cent of all U.S. gasoline imports.

subset: commoncrawl


text: A Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified (PBU) student is one who holds a bachelor's degree and who enrolls at UHM without seeking a specific degree. Unlike degree-seeking (classified) students, PBU students are not admitted to a specific degree program. To be eligible to apply for admission as a PBU student, an applicant needs to possess a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, or an equivalent degree from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education. PBU students are encouraged to review the UHM catalog for course prerequisites. PBU students may not register for 699 (Directed Reading), 700 (Thesis) or 800 (Dissertation); PBU students need approval from the graduate chair to take 600-700 level courses at UHM. Please note that some undergraduate-level classes are restricted to majors only. The standard application fee applies to all PBU applicants, including faculty and staff, without exception. Application fees are non-refundable under any circumstances including but not limited to: closed classes, health clearances, and/or prerequisite restrictions etc. Applications must be submitted by July 31 for fall and December 15 for spring.


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Reusing Ice Screw Holes
It's easier to set an ice screw into an existing hole than to place one from scratch, but does reusing a hole compromise the placement's strength?
It's easier to set an ice screw into an existing hole than to place one from scratch, but does reusing a hole compromise the placement's strength?
I recycle holes myself, but am unaware of any strength-testing for such placements. My opinionated hunch is that if the screw twists into the ice and you meet resistance the entire way, it's not much different than boring a brand-new hole.
Sometimes, however, the existing hole has melted out and can be larger in diameter than your screw, or your screw might have a smaller diameter than the one that drilled the hole. Using a sloppy hole isn't cool because screws rely on the bite of their threads to hold, and that bite is minimized if the hole is oversized. On popular climbs where the ice is as perforated as Sponge Bob, you may, for want of untapped ice, have to use the existing hole. Place the screw, but recognize that your levitation training will do more for you in a fall.Besides melt-out, consider the hole's location. Did the dimwit ahead of you set his screw in a bulge, plate or chandeliered formation that could blow out? If so, your screw could screw you even if it felt snug going in.
While the benefit of reusing screw holes sounds substantial, it is becoming less relevant as screw designs continue to advance. I tested the latest BD Express Ice Screw and compared placement times starting from scratch to those of reusing a hole. Best case, placing a screw in an old hole shaved off just five seconds, or the time required to initially engage the screw in a new placement. Once either screw was set, both spun in equally quickly and with the same effort. Compare those five seconds saved to eternity, and the choice becomes clear. Gear Guy has spoken!


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West Sacramento company recalls cashew cheese, including in Reno
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California company is voluntarily recalling all flavors of its cashew cheese because it might be contaminated by salmonella.
The Cultured Kitchen of West Sacramento said the affected cheese includes all those with expiration dates until April 19, 2014. It was sold in 8-ounce round containers at natural food stores and farmers markets in the Sacramento Valley, San Francisco Bay Area and Reno, the company said Tuesday.
The Cultured Kitchen said the recall was initiated after it was suspected that raw materials used to make the cashew cheese could have been contaminated "with a specific strain of salmonella found almost exclusively in Southeast Asia, where the company's cashews are sourced."
The listed flavors are herb, smoked cheddar, pepper jack, habanero cilantro lime, pesto, basil pesto and white cheddar.
Consumers who purchased the affected products are advised to return them to their place of purchase or throw them away.


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This morning as I was driving to work, an old song came on the radio.
You know those songs that take you back to a time of your life and make you feel like it was yesterday? This song is one of those.
So what is it? Low by Flo Rida. (what can I say…I like my rap…shorty had them applebottom jeans….)
As I was listening, I thought about how much life has changed the last few years and especially how I have changed as a person. I couldn't help but look back to that time of my life and think "If I knew then, what I know now"….
- I would've spent more time thinking about others, and less time thinking about myself
- I would've appreciated what I had, instead of obsessing over what I didn't
- I would've been more thankful for my parents and everything they did for me
- I wouldn't have put up with a boss that talked down to me
- I would've spent less money on materialistic items, and donated it instead
- I wouldn't have dated that a-hole
- I would've drank more water, and less wine
- I would've taken more cabs
- I would've stood up for myself more
- I would've been happier with my appearance
- I would've payed better attention in my MBA classes
- I would've spent more time with my friends that deserved my time, and less with those that didn't
- I wouldn't have tolerated a boyfriend that didn't take me seriously (different dude than the one above)
- I wouldn't have been such a slacker with my running
- I would've tried to meet more people and branch out
- I would've volunteered more
- I would've been more accepting of people
- I would've been healthier
- I wouldn't have wasted tears over things and people that didn't deserve my tears
- I would've said yes to a date with my now husband two and a half years sooner
And those are just a few of things I would do differently now.
But I will tell you this – I regret none of these decisions. Because without these decisions, I would not be the person I am today. I am a firm believer that our mistakes teach us lessons and make us better people. I know mine certainly have.
Today I am thankful for all that I have and the person I have become.
And while my early 20's were awesome – please do not make me go back 🙂
P.S. I am impressed that Flo Rida could make me think so deep.


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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking public feedback on how to help the government do a better job of hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities.
EEOC regulations offer a "detailed explanation" of the standards determining whether an agency has violated the law that governs federal employment of individuals with disabilities, but they need to clarify the government's responsibilities with respect to hiring and promoting disabled candidates and employees, stated a notice published in Thursday's Federal Register.
The government has an "obligation to be a model employer of individuals with disabilities," the notice said, soliciting public comments on how the EEOC can amend its regulations to explain what that obligation means to agencies, and how it relates to their "nondiscrimination or affirmative action obligations." The EEOC is "concerned that, without more guidance, agencies may not fulfill their obligations under the [1973] Rehabilitation Act," said Peggy Mastroianni, in the EEOC's Office of Legal Counsel.
The feedback, due by July 14, will be used to craft proposed rules amending regulations related to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Specifically, the EEOC is looking for input on seven questions posed in the notice, including the kind of barriers that currently exist in recruiting, retaining and promoting disabled individuals in the federal government, and whether the government should establish annual goals for hiring disabled candidates. The notice also asked whether there should be "consequences" for federal agencies that fail to meet the eventual goals.
It's not clear why the EEOC is soliciting feedback on the matter right now. President Obama in 2010 issued an executive order directing federal agencies to improve their efforts to hire and retain individuals with disabilities, and "targeted" disabilities as defined by the EEOC; the order included a goal to hire 100,000 people with disabilities into federal service over five years. Mastroianni said that updating the regulations related to Section 501 "will support implementation" of Obama's executive order.
The federal government employed 203,694 people with disabilities at the end of fiscal 2011, and increased that total to 219,975 by the end of fiscal 2012, according to a December 2013 report from the Office of Personnel Management. New hires with disabilities grew from 14.65 percent in fiscal 2011 to 16.31 percent in fiscal 2012, the report said.
Hyacinth Clarke, an associate at federal sector labor and employment law firm Tully Rinckey in Washington, said the solicitation of input now could be related to the growing number of veterans entering the workforce, many of whom have mental or physical disabilities related to their service. "The government is in the best position to be the model employer," Clarke said, adding that she has worked with vets who have a documented disability from the Veterans Affairs Department, but who still have to prove that disability to the federal agency when they apply for a job – an often lengthy process.
Clarke said there likely hasn't been more specific guidance to date because "each disability and each agency's needs are so unique that you have no choice but to look at it on a case-by-case basis." Still, there is more the EEOC can do to formalize the process, Clarke pointed out. She said the current process for accommodating disabled employees can be inefficient. One of her clients, a disabled federal employee who had an ergonomic chair, was transferring within the agency to a different location, and had to go through the whole process again to secure reasonable accommodation at the new location. "Is it really in the best interest of the agency's time and resources to prove that?"
Clarke, a disabled Army veteran who has worked at several federal agencies, including the EEOC, said agencies also should revisit their telework policies. Often, they do not differentiate between requests from employees who want to telework for convenience, from those who need to because of a disability. Clarke also said the November 2002 list of targeted disabilities as defined by EEOC "desperately needs to be updated."
Obama, through executive orders and other actions, has repeatedly said he wants the federal government to be a model employer when it comes to diversity and pay parity.
via EEOC Wants Ideas on How to Improve Federal Hiring of Disabled People – Pay & Benefits – GovExec.com.


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Just two weeks before the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, the event has lost one of its most popular stars. Gianpiero Moretti, who helped define the term "gentleman racer," on Jan. 14 died at the age of 71 at his home in Milan, Italy, after a long illness.
"He was definitely a great guy," said Kevin Doran, who partnered with Moretti for seven seasons. "He will be missed."
In 1970, Moretti came to Daytona Beach, Fla., for his first Rolex 24; his underfunded Ferrari team finished 32nd. He returned in 1979 and could almost taste the victory-lane champagne. Carlos Facetti put his Jolly Club Porsche 935 on the pole and led the race, but the car blew an engine.
Thus began a series of frustrations for Moretti, who made winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona his personal quest.
Moretti knew that 1998 might be his final opportunity to challenge for victory at Daytona. With time running out on his racing career, he persuaded Ferrari to build him a car that could race and win in America. The result was the Ferrari 333SP, prepared for Moretti by Doran--a man with plenty of winning experience at Daytona. Moretti had finished seventh in the car in 1997 but knew the following year would be his best chance to finally win the coveted Rolex Daytona Cosmograph.
"With all the money I have spent at Daytona, I could have bought 1,000 Rolexes easily," Moretti said on the eve of the race. "But I wanted to win this race."
Moretti recruited drivers Didier Theys, Mauro Baldi and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk. Also fielding Ferraris were Andy Evans and Wayne Taylor, with Max Papis securing the pole for Evans's Scandia Ferrari. The race had its share of drama to set the stage for a popular ending: After falling 18 laps down early in the race, Moretti's Momo Ferrari came back in the closing three hours to take the lead.
With just minutes remaining, Moretti had his car brought to the pits and slid back into the cockpit so he could take the checkered flag. Moretti finally won his Rolex on his 15th try in what remains as one of the most popular victories in the race's history.
Moretti was a regular on the IMSA Camel GTP circuit. He played a role in the revival of the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, suggesting that the event be reborn during his retirement tour in 1995. When Watkins Glen International officials agreed, Moretti was good for his word. He returned for the 1996 event and won with co-driver Papis.
"Gianpiero helped launch Doran Enterprises to a professional-level sports-car team," Doran said. "Getting together with him and Momo brought our team back to pro racing after Al Holbert's death."
One of Moretti's close calls in the Rolex 24 came in 1996, when the Doran-prepared Momo Ferrari he shared with Bob Wollek, Theys and rookie Papis finished 65 seconds behind Wayne Taylor's winning Riley & Scott-Oldsmobile.
Moretti's colors will be carried in the 50th Rolex 24. Moretti founded the Italian racing-equipment company MOMO (for Moretti-Monza) in the 1960s; this year, the NGT Motorsport Porsche GT3 will be painted in Momo's traditional red and yellow scheme for the upcoming race to ensure Moretti will be there in spirit.


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PLEASE…listen to the video at the end of this post. If you think Shawn is worthy of more recognition, you can help!
Sign a petition HERE….
No since even calling this post a review or critique. I'm not a very good critic of Shawn Phillips, as I've been a huge fan for over thirty years. With a style and range of music that can only be defined as eclectic, Shawn has refused to be boxed in by the music industry and practically led the way for the waves of independent rockers now on the scene. Although he did achieve some notoriety in the USA during the 1970's, he has a much larger following worldwide. Now residing in South Africa with his family, he has toured the States on a limited basis for the last couple of years.
No need for me to review his song choices and every missed note. I'll just say that Shawn seemed quite happy and his voice was great the night I saw him. His music is very difficult to perform, both vocally and the guitar techniques, so I was so pleased that he was able to use his full range without compromise.
Although Shawn never achieved the fame of some of his friends, he seems satisfied with his achievements and says that his defining moment was a standing ovation at The Isle of Wight in 1970.
A big thanks to UMG for allowing this video (below). WMG should learn a thing or two about common decency.
Related articles
- January First (kansasmediocrity.wordpress.com)


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No longer content to just have their notorious bricks serve as props, Lego are using their bricks for actual gadgets, including a digital camera, MP3 player, boombox, walkie-talkie and—my personal favorite-a stop motion video camera.
Dvice says the digital camera and the MP3 player were the only prototypes on display, which are limited both in function and technical prowess (1.3 megapixel sensor for the cam, 2 gigabytes of storage for the MP3 player). But it's the quirkiness of the stop motion cam that appeals to me. If you ever had a box full of Lego bricks and a video camera growing up, I suspect you've made some stop motion shorts in your time. Now, you can apply that same aesthetic to real world videos.
Lego plans to release the digital camera and MP3 player in the fall for $40 and $50, respectively. Who knows about the rest of the stuff—Lego didn't reveal many details on those. [Dvice]


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Are we putting our edtech efforts in the right place?
CLASSROOM 21 | by Greg Limperis
Almost twenty years ago, I went to college for my Masters in Education. Back then, there were people like I am now: halfway through their teaching careers teaching students while they themselves had no (or very little) experience with modern-day technology in their lives. For many of them, cutting-edge growing up meant showing one's vacation pictures via a slideshow or movie reel. The slideshow was not the kind we know today. It was a carousel of pictures projected onto a wall or screen with one loud, mechanical-sounding click at a time. They had very little experience using new digital cameras because, for most of them, film was still the way pictures were taken. Speaking of film, if one was lucky enough to grow up with video, then their experience was with a big-reel movie projector and not the VCR tapes that I grew up with.
I remember in my Masters course at Boston College being introduced to the concept of "teaching with technology." My mathematics professor showed us how we could use an Apple II to plot points and make an object move around across the screen. This technology, as he would explain it to us, would help make plotting in math more engaging for our students. Personal computers and the Internet were just coming out in force and we were using them for research and typing papers — but there was little to no discussion on how one could use this device to better educate our students. We were not adequately prepared to teach with the technology that was, at the time, simultaneously being purchased in schools for teachers to use.
I was one of the lucky ones growing up: we had a VCR in my house. Yes, we had slideshows, but we also had movies via video cassette—this was great! We had technology. I also had one of the first game systems to hit the market — I had a Colecovision. With that, we had the attachment to play Nintendo games as well. We were playing Donkey Kong, Qbert and so much more. When one of the first home PCs came out, I took my paper route money and I bought a Commodore 64. At an early age, I was introduced to DOS code, "saving to disk" — and so much more.
Years later, when I was given my first student-teacher classroom to teach in, I was lucky. Placed in a brand-new, state-of-the-art school with six computers per class with one on every teacher's desk, in my first year of teaching full-time at that school I was also given a laptop and access to a school television studio. Don't get me wrong — I wasn't given much training on how to integrate all of this technology in my college teacher prep classes, and very little at the school I was at. If I was not that lucky kid growing up with all of this technology in my household, I'm sure I might have found implementing its use into my daily teaching a bit intimidating. I know my peers did. Yet, like most school systems then, the district kept throwing more technology at us with very little training.
However, it wasn't their fault. Most of the district administrators didn't grow up with technology, so knowing how to integrate it well into teaching was likewise foreign to them. As far as they knew, the training they were offering their staff was sufficient. Their staff would just have to figure it out as they assumed everyone else was doing. Colleges were not giving teachers the training they needed with technology, and neither was their district. Even if a staff member thought they did get adequate training, I am willing to bet it was fair at best.
Fast forward to almost twenty years later. Kids these days are growing up with multiple devices almost attached to them as if an appendage. They have cell phones, e-readers, tablets, laptops, computers, high-powered gaming consuls, netbooks, MP3 players and more. Not to mention DVRs, digital content, the cloud, and apps are all part of their daily lives. Their lingo includes words that didn't exist when I was growing up, minus the cloud, but that meant those things in the sky on a crummy day.
Teachers these days are expected to be able to teach to these kids with instruments they are used to using much the same as it was for me twenty years earlier. Back then, we were given equipment with very little training on how best to integrate it into our teaching. For many of us, the same happens today. Students are coming out of college not being shown how best to integrate some of this technology because, in fairness, the professors training them simply didn't grow up with it — and, for many of them, their knowledge on how best to integrate technology is also fair, at best. Districts are still throwing tons of software and hardware at our teachers. Though, leaders like me are doing much the same. Just the other day, I must have shared out almost one hundred sites, apps or articles about great tech integration without any way of making sure teachers would know how best to integrate these resources.
I couldn't help but think while sharing them that our efforts are in the wrong place. My teachers have little extra time in their day. If they're lucky enough to come across these resources, those who have the energy or luxury to look at them won't even know where to start. When they had the time in college, they were never shown how best to use these tools — and if they were — then they are changing so quick, it is almost impossible to keep up with them.
We as professors, thought leaders and administrators need to do more. We need to become professional in how to integrate this technology and then when we do so, we need to get that knowledge in the hands of our teachers. We need to give them just as much professional development as we give them product. We need to start off all of our training when it comes to technology much the same as I start mine. One of the first things I say when I begin a training session is, "Please have me back out and let you learn it." It's also one of the last things I say. We need to make ourselves available when our teachers have time so we can give them the help they need. Our colleges need to get their hands on the equipment they possibly may use during a school year and they need to teach those prospective educators how to best integrate that technology on a regular basis. We need to lead by example. If we expect our teachers to integrate technology into their teaching, then we need to integrate it into our training just the same. We need to lead by example.
It's about time we start to do more, give more, train more — and buy less. According to an article I read the other day, analysts think the edtech budget is about to burst. In my mind, that's because, for too long, we've put money in the wrong place. We've made countless great products — many that do the same thing as others with a slight variation, yet so few provide our educators with what they need most — not options, but opinions. How we use the technology will far outweigh what technology we have.
Greg Limperis is Supervisor of Instructional Technology for his district in Lawrence, Mass. He is the founder of the very popular Technology Integration in Education professional learning network, reaching thousands of educators worldwide. Greg has shared with others what he knows and they have joined him in sharing their insights as well. Join them in bringing about change using your 21st century skills.