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Mens Grey Match Straight Leg Jean
Can't find your size? Discover our Made to Order Studio for your perfect fit.
All E.L.V. DENIM jeans are designed and produced in East London, made from 100% upcycled rigid vintage denim.The material of these pieces have ZERO impact on the environment.
This style is slim through the hip, bottom and thigh, with a straight leg finish. Available with the original jean hemlines, or a finished cropped hemline.
All jeans have our branded eco-finish hardware, and leather labels made with left-over leather from Tura London.
Here at E.L.V. DENIM we want to make buying jeans online as simple as possible.
Follow the below steps to find your size.
1. Find yourself a measuring tape.
2. Hold your breath and measure your high-waist (just above your tummy button) in inches.
3. This will be the size you take in our jeans. However, we do say that it is not about the size you are, it's about how you want to wear the jeans.
4. If you would like the style to be a bit looser, you can go up a size or two for a more relaxed, lower rise fit.
5. Watch our size guide videos for a more in depth style guide.
Can't find your size? Head to our Made to Order page.
We design for circularity, with every aspect of our sourcing, design and production innovatively re-imagined by our skilled design team and local ateliers to deliver the highest quality of craftsmanship.
We hand-source only the highest quality materials from vintage wholesalers in the UK. Our design-led approach to sourcing allows us to work collaboratively with our suppliers to create genuinely one-of-a-kind garments.
Each item is 100% upcycled and crafted from hand-paired pre-loved garments. All E.L.V. DENIM garments are skilfully made by hand, locally in East London. This is to ensure the highest quality production, support of our local communities and further reduce our carbon footprint.
We work tirelessly to ensure every aspect of our design, sourcing and production have as little an impact on the environment as possible. Striving to prevent unwanted materials going to landfill and extending the life of pre-loved items, we are consciously crafting lasting luxury.
All our processes are designed to reduce waste, reduce our carbon footprint and thus impact on the environment - from our innovative approach to curated sourcing, using only upcycled materials and recycled packaging.
We offer a take-back scheme for your unwanted jeans and a 'repair/alter for life' service – meaning your E.L.V DENIM unique pieces can evolve with you over the years.
In the interest of maintaining the highest standards of sustainability all our garments are produced in limited quantities. We also offer made-to-order and entirely bespoke services.
We are committed to always finding new and better ways to reimagine sustainable fashion to reduce the impact of the fashion industry on the environment.
Following wash-care label advice can extend the life of your clothes. We advise you to wash at 30ºC, keep colours separate, line dry, and iron on low heat.
E.L.V. DENIM uses DHL Carbon Neutral Shipping on all orders.
United Kingdom - £8 shipped next day and delivered within 1-2 days
Rest of the world - Shipped next day and delivered within 3-7 days. International duties and taxes will be calculated at checkout.
To avoid returns, we'd really like to help you get the right size first time. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Read our full returns policy.


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This Special Task Group will create and maintain a global philatelic checklist of postal authority releases generated in celebration of the IYA2009 and/or astronomy in general.
Task Group
Co-chairs: Michael Howell ( firstname.lastname@example.com ) & John Budd ( email@example.com )
Create and maintain a global philatelic checklist of postal authority releases generated in celebration of the IYA 2009 and/or astronomy in general, as well as, historical philatelic items, which would serve to document/illustrate the long historical connection between astronomy and philately.
It can be assumed with some degree of certainty that there will be a variety of philatelic materials generated to commemorate IYA2009 specifically or feature astronomy as a theme or topic, in general. A list of such materials would likely include:
- Items specific to the recognition of the IYA2009.
- Commemorative stamps to honor special anniversaries (such as the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of the telescope).
- Conspicuous astronomical events (such as the 2009 solar eclipse).
- And a wide variety of ancillary items such as special postmarks - cover cache artworks – souvenir sheets – etc. that would depict events or items directly astronomy related (such as – local star parties, promotion of dark skies, persons with direct contributions or supportive influences in the field of astronomy, observatories, planetariums, and archaeoastronomy sites or artifacts to name but a few). Additionally, the prospects for interdisciplinary connections that relate back to astronomy are quite extensive.
The science of astronomy can and has been readily promoted by the collection and study of the various materials generated by the postal authorities, clubs, associations and societies the world over.
The hobby of philately has a long history of being capable of generating interest in a variety of specialty topics and serving as valuable teaching tools, especially to young enthusiasts. The hobby of philately has the capabilities of crossing a varied array of boundaries that include (but are not limited to) age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic position and level of education.
The site would serve as a centralized point of contact for enthusiasts and the curious to visit and be able to view samples of the various issues available and/or planned. It would contain schedules of pending releases. It would provide information about the items featured.
It is envisioned as an interactive site wherein postal authorities could submit their announcements for related releases and enthusiasts would be able to follow links to various sites that offer the items for sale and/or submit items of their own local interest for inclusion.
If approved for forward activity, establish a format for the web interface, gather and organise historical graphics and data. Work with IYA2009 webmasters to build the interface, gather and include materials and test links offline.
Timeline and Milestones
- At the earliest appropriate time, formulate an official announcement of the portal and its purpose.
- Continue to solicit submission of and actively seek out relevant materials from all member nations and the general public.
- January 01, 2009 - open the website for viewing, with its complement of graphics and text promoting the long history and association between astronomy and philately with announcements and information collected to date.
- Perform ongoing review of material as it arrives, posting that which best fulfills the goals of the IYA2009 programme and updated the page/s accordingly.
- December 31, 2009 - close the portal.
Report (Mar 08) (pdf)
IYA2009 Philatelic Release Calendar: http://www.astronomystudyunit.com/IYA2009_philately_calendar.html
Ian Ridpath's Astro Stamp index: http://www.ianridpath.com/stamps/stampindex.htm
Maiken Naylor's SCI-PHILATELY: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/exhibits/stamps/
American Topical Association - Astronomy Study Unit: http://www.astronomystudyunit.com/
Europa-CEPT: http://europa-cept.blogspot.com/
Special Task Group - Philately webpage: http://www.astronomystudyunit.com/phil_astro.html
National Nodes: 148
Organisational Nodes: 40
Organisational Associates:33
National Websites: 111
Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
Special Projects:16
Official Products:8
Media Partners:22

subset: commoncrawl


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Free Options For Providers to Bill Electronic Submissions
WellCare encourages providers to submit claims electronically via electronic data interchange (EDI) or direct data entry (DDE). Both are less costly than billing with paper and often enable quicker claims processing.
Change Healthcare, formerly known as Relay Health, manages all EDI claims between WellCare and providers. If you need assistance making a connection with Change Healthcare or have any questions, please contact Change Healthcare directly at 1-877-411-7271, or your vendor may call 1-800-527-8133.
For EDI submissions, providers should follow the HIPAA transaction and code set requirements. More information can be found on the Washington Publishing Company website.
All Fee-For-Service (FFS) providers and vendors must send claims through a clearinghouse. For more details on payer ids and submission details, please see the quick reference guide for the members State/Product under Providers in the Tool Bar, select Overview.
Free Direct Data Entry (DDE) and Small Batch Uploads
WellCare offers a DDE tool, powered by AdminisTEP, providing non-participating and participating provider a user-friendly web browser for single submission direct data entry (DDE). The batch upload option is for providers with compatible practice management software that can submit 837 batch files. These options for professional and institutional submissions, claim status and reporting and inquiry functions are at no cost to you.
To register for free DDE or 837P or 837I small batch file service, billers/providers register at: AdminisTEP Signup.
A representative from AdminisTEP will contact you to register within 24-48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
On the registration form, you can select "Yes Please" under the last question for a free demonstration.
DDE Manual is located at:AdminisTEP Billing Procedure Manual (PDF)
Once registered, for single submission direct data entry (DDE), sign into the login page at: AdminisTEP Login for Wellcare.
For any functionality question or concerns, please call the clearinghouse at 1-800-527-8133, option 2.
Connect Center ™ for physicians offers a web browser for direct data entry (DDE) or batch upload capability at no cost to you. To sign up, please go to: Change Healthcare Connect Center.
For registry questions, submitter/clients may contact Payer Connectivity Services at 1-877-411-7271. Direct questions regarding functionality of Connect Center should be directed to the Clearinghouse at 1-800-527-8133, option 2.
Providers will be required to enter a credit card upon initial enrollment to verify them as a valid submitter.
Only WellCare submissions are free of charge. Please ensure you use vendor code 212750 when you register.
Providers are required to use the WellCare Payer ID 14163for FFS submissions sent through Connect Center.


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With today's work and family demands, we know it can be difficult for residents to make it to our Pontiac office during regular business hours. With that in mind, we created our Local Office Visits, an on-the-road service offering on-the-spot copies of Oakland County records. The Local Office Visits, which operate at no extra cost, are simply a re-deployment of our existing resources. We will be visiting the east, west, north and south portions of Oakland County throughout the year.
Normal copy fees and identification requirements apply.Need a copy your property deed? We can do that.
How about a copy of your birth certificate or your divorce records? We can do that too.
During your Local Office Visit, you can:
Everyone is welcome at any of our Local Office stops. Visit us at the following locations:


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DANVERS — Prosecutors said Thursday that the 14-year-old student charged with killing Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer last month also raped her and robbed her of her cellphone, credit cards, and underwear before dumping her body in a nearby wooded area.
The new details were revealed in indictments handed up by an Essex County grand jury. It charged freshman Philip D. Chism with not only first-degree murder, but also aggravated rape and armed robbery in the slaying, which has stunned the small town and garnered nationwide attention.
"It's unreal that [Philip] would do something like that," Jessica DiPietro, 14, a freshman who was a student in one of Ritzer's classes, said as she discussed the indictments outside the high school Thursday afternoon. "It's unbelievable. I cannot even process into words why he would do something like that. It's devastating."
The new charges provided no insight into what might have motivated a teenager who was developing a positive reputation in his new high school to allegedly turn on Ritzer, a popular and enthusiastic 24-year-old math teacher.
Students have said that Ritzer asked Chism, who had just moved to the community from Tennessee, to stay after school on Oct. 22 in order to prepare for an upcoming exam. Prosecutors say Chism attacked her with a box cutter, raped and robbed her, and then dumped her body in an area behind the school.
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation has told the Globe that surveillance footage from inside the school showed Chism pushing a recycling bin, which may have been used to transport Ritzer's body, through the hall and outside the building.
"The indictments returned today detail horrific and unspeakable acts," Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement Thursday. "This is the first step in a long process to secure justice for Ms. Ritzer and her family."
Investigators believe that after abandoning the body — taking Ritzer's credit cards, iPhone, and underwear with him — Chism walked to a nearby movie theater where he bought a ticket to an afternoon showing of Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine."
"We are devastated and heartbroken by the details of the horrific circumstances surrounding the death of our beautiful daughter and sister, Colleen," the Ritzer family said in a statement issued by a spokesman. "As a family, we continue to mourn Colleen's passing and ask that the media respect our privacy during this very difficult time."
An Essex County prosecutor stressed during a recent court hearing that there was no evidence that Ritzer engaged in any wrongdoing in her relationship with Chism.
According to authorities, Ritzer was reported missing to Danvers police at about 11:20 p.m. Oct. 22 when she did not return home and did not answer her cellphone.
Police found blood in a second-floor bathroom at the high school, prompting a search of the grounds and the discovery of her body shortly before 3 a.m.
Chism was picked up by police in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, when he was found walking north Route 1 in nearby Topsfield. He initially pleaded not guilty to a murder charge after his arrest that day.
Denise Regan, Chism's court-appointed defense attorney, declined to comment on the indictments when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.
Chism, a lanky teenager, was a standout on the school's junior varsity soccer team and described by fellow students as quiet and amiable.
"I wish I could say that you could tell that [Philip] was someone who would do something like that, but I can't," said Andrew Poland, a 14-year-old freshman who was the same history class as Chism and was a student in Ritzer's geometry class. "I don't know what snapped in him to do this."
Chism will face the murder charge as an adult, while his indictments on the rape and armed robbery charges were as a juvenile offender, and will initially be handled in Salem Juvenile Court.
An aggravated rape charge is brought when there is serious bodily harm to the victim, or when the rape was committed during another violent felony. Prosecutors have alleged that Chism sexually assaulted Ritzer with an object.
Chism is currently being held without bail in a Department of Youth Services facility.
More than 1,000 mourners attended funeral services for Ritzer held at Andover's St. Augustine Church on Oct. 27. During the service, Ritzer was lauded for seeing "the goodness in other people'' and as someone who considered teaching not just her job, but her calling in life.
Students at the high school remain shocked by the allegations, with some recalling Chism as a quiet student, who mostly kept to himself but did not show signs that he might be capable of violence.
"I just don't know why he would do that," said Alec Cianfrocca, a 15-year-old sophomore who was in Ritzer's geometry class and was visibly upset as he discussed the charges outside of the high school Thursday afternoon. "I don't like to think about it much, because it makes me upset."
John R. Ellement and Steven A. Rosenberg of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Wesley Lowery can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @WesleyLowery.


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This essay on family and faith is the third in a five-part series about the value of religion
"Congregations erect a sacred canopy of meaning over the great chapters of family life: birth, childrearing, and marriage." – W. Bradford Wilcox [1]
For all its progress and possibilities, our modern world has difficulty seeing beyond itself. Every age has to struggle against its blind spots. In ancient Rome, for example, the span of a person's influence was reckoned at 100 years. Within that horizon individuals could remember two generations back and care for two generations forward. Then, as the custom went, that influence stopped, and a new century, with new people and new concerns, would reset itself.[2] But lasting societies need a broader vision.
The pull of the present is strong, but so are the tugs to the past and the future. Family and faith – our two great bridges beyond the here and now – stretch far past 100 years, in both directions, and expand the purpose and meaning of our lives.
None of us is born a mere individual. We come to this world with a network of pre-existing ties, bonds and obligations. These family relationships shape our worldviews, instill our values and form our identities. And families of all kinds thrive when they join a community of believers. The benefits go both ways – churches strengthen families, and families strengthen churches.
Working together, family and faith reinforce norms of right and wrong, teach us how to love our neighbors and provide a support base where children and parents navigate life's challenges. In other words, family and faith keep us from being alone. They enlarge our circles of responsibility beyond the self and help us turn strangers into friends. Families then pass this spiritual and social capital across generations.
Marshaling extensive social science research, author Mary Eberstadt shows how closely these forces are intertwined. "Family and faith are the invisible double helix of society," she writes, "two spirals that when linked to one another can effectively reproduce, but whose strength and momentum depend on one another."[3]
This partnership can be seen at church on Sunday afternoons. Eberstadt points to broad sociological agreement that participation in the family rituals of "being married and having children is linked to higher levels of churchgoing and other types of religious practice."[4] Another factor is the effect children have on the religious lives of their parents. Sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox puts it simply: "Children drive parents to church."[5] It's a common story – kids grow up in a church, leave home for college and drift from the faith, only to return when they get married and have children. What explains this phenomenon? The decisions we make about our deepest beliefs and closest relationships are never simple. But Wilcox adds an important insight: "The arrival of a child can awaken untapped reserves of love, recognition of the transcendent, and concern for the good life."[6] These things matter because family and religion are among the most basic human institutions. When together, they connect society; when apart, society weakens.
The sacred relationships between kin and church, church and kin, tie us to the past, present and future. Such continuity helps us situate ourselves in this big universe. We find out who we are. The poet Wendell Berry gives expression to these aspirations: "The marriage of two lovers joins them to one another, to forebears, to descendants, to the community, to Heaven and earth. It is the fundamental connection without which nothing holds."[7]
The fortunes of family and faith will continue to ebb and flow, as they have in various periods throughout history, but experience shows they will do so joining hands. As the one rises or falls, so will the other. The course of history is not predetermined; it is chosen. And those choices have long trajectories – much too long, indeed, to fit in 100 years.
[1] W. Bradford Wilcox, "As the Family Goes," First Things, May 2007.
[2] See Remi Brague, "The Impossibility of Secular Society," First Things, Oct. 2013.
[3] Mary Eberstadt, How the West Really Lost God, 2013, 22.
[4] Eberstadt, How the West Really Lost God, 93.
[5] Wilcox, "As the Family Goes."
[6] Wilcox, "As the Family Goes."
[7] Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community, 1992.


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Aw shucks, sugar cube
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Note: Reviewed with a PS4 copy because fuck you if you play it on a non Sony console
Hideo Kojima is a fucking liar.
This isn't anything new, he's practically made a career out of being a liar. One of the best games of the PS2 era was marketed as one giant lie and was made by Kojima; and how many times has he said that the newest Metal Gear Solid is the last one he'll make. I remember hearing it after Snake Eater and then again after Guns of the Patriots and now here we are, after Peace Walker and Ground Zeroes, with what is probably the actual legitimate final Metal Gear Solid game ever made: The Phantom Pain. Considering the state of Konami, mainly that Pro Evolution is the only video game that'll bear their logo from here on out, MGS V: TPP might very well be considered the swan song of the entire company, let alone the MGS series as a whole. And considering it was marketed as the final link in the saga it's hard to picture a more apropos release from Konami.
Because like the common reaction upon learning that Konami was focusing on mobile and gambling, Metal Gear Solid V is horseshit.
Hideo Kojima is a fucking liar.
Metal Gear Solid V should have been something amazing, something truly spectacular. Say what you will about the series as a whole but the franchise has been memorable. Psycho Mantis is an iconic boss fight. Raiden is still one of the greatest rug pulls in video game history because it's a twist that ONLY works in the context of a video game sequel. The ending of Snake Eater has made idiots think that that game is great when it's actually only good. Even MGS 4 had the memorable final boss fight to serve as the coda to a game full of nonsense and underutilized mechanics. Love them or hate them, Metal Gear is not a series that players forget.
MGS V, to its credit, does open strongly. While not as out there as the opening to 4, Phantom Pain's opening moments offer an almost genre-bending experience that both serves as an introduction to the plot and a tutorial of basic mechanics. And that sense of awe continues into the first real aspect of the game. After the intro you're plopped into an area, given a few basic weapons and items, an objective, and that's all. Unlike the other games, Phantom Pain presents itself as an open world and that's both true and false. Yes, there is an open map to run around in but once missions start you're locked into specific areas and often funneled towards a certain destination.
The open world is both the most impressive and the least interesting aspect of the game. While the Ubisoft or Rockstar games can often be bogged down with having too much shit to do in their open worlds, MGS V has the OPPOSITE problem. It has nothing to do in its open world. When you're not doing a mission you can run around its two (yes, TWO) areas all you like but you'll soon come to realize that there's really no point in doing this.
Say, for example, you're out in the Afghanistan (ONE of the TWO WHOLE AREAS!) desert and you come across a guard post because this game is actually fucking Far Cry 2. Say you're feeling gleeful and you decide to just fucking blow it up. Guard tower, lights, comms system, the guards taken out of the picture, and the paltry collectible resources gathered. As soon as you return to that guard post the only thing that ISN'T back exactly as it was are the resources.
Nothing you do in the open world amounts to anything at all except that if you shoot guys in the head a bunch some of them might wear helmets because that's Kojima's idea of EMERGENT GAMEPLAY! This might not seem like a big deal to some but here's the ringer. With the way this game is structured (as in, FUCKING POORLY) you'll be coming back through the exact same areas over and over again and if you've found one way to get through an area flawlessly, that same tactic will work over and over and over again. The A.I. will follow the same routines, the guard layout will be exactly the same, and the only random part is whether or not it will rain or kick up a sandstorm.
The structure of the game is probably its biggest problem. No longer shackled to the tagline of 'tactical espionage action', Phantom Pain calls itself 'tactical espionage operations' which is a fancy way of saying 'a bunch of non related missions with vaguely similar objectives'. The very first mission of the game is rescuing a prisoner from an enemy base. The next handful of missions are rescuing prisoners from an enemy base.
There are two tiers of missions, Story and Side Ops. Side Ops are generally quick affairs where you go in and have a single objective and boom, done. These objectives number in about the fives. You save a prisoner, extract a skilled soldier, extract a container of resources, extract soldiers that are wearing body armor, rescue prisonerS that sometimes are from your pool of recruited guys or aren't. Oh, and mine clearing. And these side ops never have any difference. There's 150-some odd side ops made up of the same exact type and structure being carried out in the same exact areas you've been through before with the same exact guard patterns and rotations.
Story Missions don't often fare much better, just that since they are in controlled areas they can give the illusion of difference. The story missions are largely uninteresting and have nothing to do with the plot of the game. After you rescue the first prisoner the next mission in the story mission tab is destroying comm equipment...that magically gets undestroyed anyway. The argument could be made that it's a tutorial, but it's an ineffective one and what's the argument that the next four missions are all the same exact mission type? You only need one tutorial for 'you can capture soldiers with a balloon' and yet most of the missions consist of some variety of 'go to place, discover target is at different place, go to new place, take care of target'. That target can be a person, people, or a thing.
The game doesn't start bothering having meaningful missions until you've tired yourself of doing the same exact stuff, and then it tricks you into thinking that the missions to go to a place and find a thing are different than the twenty other missions just because this one has a tenuous connection to the narrative.
And by tenuous connection I mean "the mission ends and you get a literal Call of Duty thing where a faceless voice tells you that what you did means this while still images of in game assets bleep bloop past'.
Were I a betting man I would put money on Hideo Kojima wanting to make some kind of big budget episodic game. Every single story mission has opening credits (STARRING PUNISHED "VENOM" SNAKE, KAZUHIRA "BENEDICT" MILLER, REVOLVER "SHALAFUCKYOI" OCELOT") and ending credits for no reason whatsoever other than to flat out spoil you as the what the mission will include. Gee, thanks for telling me in the OPENING CREDITS that this mission will have an appearance by the SKULLS, Kojima, now I know the mission will suck ass instead of just guessing.
And it isn't just the fact that every mission has credits that I think Kojima wanted to do episodic shit, it's the fact that the game ends and then keeps going under the guise of it being a new episode. There's a Prologue then it segues into Episode One where you spend the majority of your time, and after a mission there's actual legitimate end credits and a resolution to an arc; then after the credits it's a 'NEXT TIME ON METAL GEAR Z' teaser. Just like an episodic game. But episodic games don't cost sixty fucking dollars.
They also don't release unfinished.
What MGS V does well is the part where you're on the ground. This is far and away the best playing MGS game because it plays like an actual fucking video game. Taking cues from modern Splinter Cell and shooters like Far Cry 3, MGS V allows players to legit approach things from how they want. MGS 4 sorta kinda teased this but it was still better and faster to use non lethal tactics. MGS V gives you way more options to just go fucking crazy and shooty. Every main mission has a rating attached and speed is by far the quickest route to S ranks, so if you run in and kill everything and know the route you can get an S rank just the same as if you go slow and get no alerts or kills. Pick your poison.
It's sublime stealth and I mean that. I personally rolled through the game with a silenced tranq sniper rifle and had little trouble and got my fair share of S ranks on a first go. There are tons of options at your disposal in the field and it's the first time there's true freedom in a game like this.
Which is why it's a shame that it's wasted on a game that is so utterly repetitive and dull as this one. The most fun I had was having my character infiltrate bases while doing side ops and blasting the song 'Gloria' (found on an in game cassette tape) on loop and pretending that my character was in some kind of Tarantino film wherein that song played over a shoot out.
With the gameplay being as refined as it is and the structure being what it is this game feels like the game for people who thought the problem with Metal Gear Solid was that the cutscenes got in the way. The series wasn't the best controlling until 4 came along but they weren't terrible; some of the CQC funnies in 3 were awkward but once you got the control layout down it was fine.
MGS V presents itself as gameplay first and to some that's probably enough to overlook how dull the mission-to-mission and general structure of the game truly is. But the focus on the gameplay means that the other part of MGS is gutted.
There's a plot in MGS V. I think. But it's presented terribly, told even worse, and is far and away the worst thing Kojima has written. And the motherfucker wrote MGS 4. Look, the stories in MGS have never been amazing, but they were nothing if not unique (except for 3 which is a bad Bond movie saved by the last half hour and 1 which is Metal Gear 2 with a budget) and at least tricked idiots into thinking there was depth beyond "NUCLEAR WAR AND WAR IS BAD" because characters would sit around talking about genes and memes and shit. MGS 2 is the only one I'd consider to have substance behind what's there on the surface and that's just one of the reasons why it's the best game in the series.
MGS V presents itself as the story of how after a nine year coma Big Boss wakes up and rebuilds his private army from Peace Walker because the ultimate end result of Big Boss is that Outer Heaven and Zanzibarland happen. There's some stuff about Cipher (Proto-Patriots) and the antagonist Skull Face (who sucks as a character) and a new Metal Gear (that is somehow the most impressive in the entire franchise despite being in the 80s) because of course there's a fucking robot.
Not to get into spoiler territory but the story is fucking garbage and it's not just because there's so little of it or that it ends halfway through or that it's literally fucking unfinished, it's just a shitty story even by MGS standards. The characters, if you want to call them that, are all flat and one dimensional and...boring. Ocelot, perhaps one of the more outlandish and yet interesting characters in the series, doesn't even remotely act like Ocelot; he's just kind of...there, doing nothing and sounding like Troy Baker doing his Last of Us voice. Kazuhira Miller is angry and that's all. Big Boss says little and all of what he says is pointless and adds nothing. Skull Face was more interesting back in Ground Zeroes when he actually did shit. Otacon's Dad is Otacon, But Worse. The mysterious supernatural antagonist that shoots fire is the fucking stupidest thing. Eli has no point in the story other than being a shit with a plot thread that goes nowhere because it's an unfinished game.
The only sort of redeeming figure in the story is Quiet, the silent sniper, and that's because she's the only one that has an arc. She stands out because fucking no one else does.
The game presents itself as the missing link in the saga and that's not exactly true. I'm not sure people realize that Big Boss' heel turn happened in Peace Walker so there's really nothing left. And hey, guess what, there's only fucking one thing that happens in this game that fills in any missing link between Big Boss-era MGS and Solid Snake-era MGA. AND IT'S NOT EVEN ANYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE FILLED IN. They could at least explain why Ocelot is known as Revolver Ocelot even though Revolver Ocelot was his FOXHOUND title and FOXHOUND isn't a thing in this game but nope. Motherfucker's name is Adamska, motherfucker introduced himself to fucking Big Boss. He's not Revolver Ocelot yet and he's not Ocelot just because he was part of the Ocelot Unit fucking twenty goddamn years ago fucking call him Adam god damn you. He fucking joined FOXHOUND in fucking 1999 god damn you.
Think of things that define MGS as a franchise and they're pretty much nowhere to be found in V. Codec? Replaced by cassette tapes so instead of seeing a face talking to us we get just voices that get drowned out by outside audio anyway (something that DIDN'T happen in Ground Zeroes) thus making them silly. Boss fights? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahhhaha hahahahahaahhaahahahahahah, there's one. Okay. Two. But one of them is a rehash of a better fight from a better game. Cutscenes? Fuck right off if you expect those. Moments of absurd Japanese bullshit in the face of serious shit? Well there's a tape of someone pooping and there are posters of models and that's about it.
I've said little about the other part of the game, Mother Base. It's largely pointless. You extract dudes, numbers go up, you find one hidden thing on one platform and realize nothing special exists on any other and sigh in disappointment because this big hyped feature is fucking nothing. Oh and then taking cues from fucking free to play phone games you have to wait hours for the base to expand or for weapons to be made; but fucking free to play phone games have the decency to count time even when not playing. In MGS V if something takes four hours to finish that's four hours of play time, not four hours of 'turn the clock ahead to finish' or 'turn the system off overnight to finish'. At most you're going to have to leave the game running for hours while sitting in the helicopter. Fucking Dragon Age 3 did this shit better.
Mother Base is poor.
MGS V feels like Peace Walker but in larger form and like Peace Walker, MGS V is a bad game. Okay, let me clarify.
If MGS V were made by Ubisoft or was the first in a hopefully new IP, it'd be a begrudging three out of five. But since this has Metal Gear Solid on the box, suddenly it's this amazing thing even though it's a game where the only thing it has going for it is that it plays like a game made in 2015 should play. MGS 4 had more interesting mechanics with its opposing factions thing in the first two chapters than anything MGS V brings to the table.
MGS V is an okay game. But MGS V is a shit awful Metal Gear Solid game.
So I give it a 2 out of 5.
And if this is the grand finale of the franchise then Konami was right to cut ties with Hideo Kojima.
Because Hideo Kojima is a fucking liar.
How dreamlike to see my x-sisters, outside the context of a Papa Song dome. They sang Papa Songs Psalm, over and over; background hydraulics underbassed that sickening melody. But how jubilant they sounded! Their Investment was paid off. The voyage to Hawaii was under way, and their new life on Xultation would shortly begin... Watching them from the hangway, I envied their certainty about the future.
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This free pattern for the Ruby Slip is a special gift for all my blog readers! It has a gorgeous lace bodice and flattering bias cut skirt, and is easier to sew than it looks. Remember to download the instructions too, where you'll find the sizing, yields, cutting and sewing instructions.
I designed the pattern sheet with the pieces overlapping "Burdastyle style". It means less pages to print and stick together, but it also means having to trace your size off. I thought saving the grade nest for further use would be a good idea as Ruby is a great gift to make for your friends too!
Update: When the Ruby Slip pattern was first released I hosted a sewalong which covers some of the sewing techniques in greater detail and includes some helpful photos. You can follow the links below for each stage:
4 – Making a Full Bust Adjustment


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I have kept a constant drumbeat going now that what we are dealing with in education, Preschool–higher ed, and the hoped for changes elsewhere in all social institutions and practices are related to hoped-for transformations toward government-led collectivism. That seems so shocking and painful that it is easy to dismiss. It is perfectly understandable to feel that way, but the incessant drumbeat now has cymbals joining in and we are building toward a crescendo. Time spent ignoring these planned transformations simply increases the damage they are doing and the extent of the future clean-up. We really are dealing with educators, politicians, professors, and social planners who are determined to enact "forward-looking transformative practices that are needed to enact history in the present."
That's what Quality Education and Redesigning Curricula are all about. It is thus hugely alarming that a video surfaced this week of the director of the MIT Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program giddily bragging about the extent of the planned transformation. http://www.edge.org/conversation/reinventing-society-in-the-wake-of-big-data I don't share his optimism that the acknowledged potential for evil to be the engineered result is unlikely because there is no central place for a dictator to get at individuals. Of course there is. That's the new purpose of all these transformational practices in education that MIT is deeply immersed in. It is also the purpose of all the interest coming out of the UN in media cooperating on how it portrays, or ignores, daily events. UNESCO now uses the term Media Education as a means of advancing to what it euphemistically calls Scientific Humanism for a reason.
Alex Pentland, the talkative star of that troubling video where he says George Orwell was simply not imaginative enough of the possibilities, is also involved with the United Nations Global Pulse Initiative. GP began in 2009 and "serves as a laboratory through which the UN System and its partners are discovering how to harness the power of Big Data to meet the challenges of global development in a Post-2015 world." http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/GP%20Backgrounder-General2013_Sept2013.pdf So again I am not theorizing about what is going on here. I just have more sources and an intensive understanding of what is involved and how it is interconnected. I have already written about that post-2015 troubling agenda and how much it looks like what Uncle Karl envisioned as the human development society.
If the phrase little c communism still strikes us as off-putting, imagine my horror at reading Pentland's new visionary book Social Physics which openly proclaims the intention to "reinvent our current economic, government and work systems" and having "Reflections on Primitive Communism" being a cited article supporting his vision. Say What? indeed. Likewise, the Sakhalin Declaration we looked at in the last post is just an update conference to the vision of the global common future laid out at the World Summit in Geneva in 2003 for "Building the Information Society: a global challenge in the new Millenium."
It is to be "people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented" and the place to start for realizing this "common vision" is to "focus especially on young people" and the "opportunities provided by ICTs." Yes, that is acknowledged as mind arson in the last post, but then Pentland is pushing social learning precisely because it makes people more susceptible to peer pressure that will change future behaviors. Brave New World should perhaps be retitled as Education to Promote Bullying by Governments, Cronies & Communities: the 21st Century Great Transition, Like It or Not.
Those are some of the background facts and declared intentions undergirding all this talk of changed instructional practices and curricula and measuring assessments to look for a poorly-understood Student Growth or Achievement. Orwell may not have been imaginative enough, but he was spot on about the use of unappreciated definitions of words to obscure intentions from the general public. This quote is taken from a 2006 article in Theory & Psychology called "Embracing History Through Transforming It." It provides the rationale for Quality Education and Deep Learning and Social Learning and all these other transformative practices we have uncovered. It is the essence of the DiaMat process being pushed in education and the article says so.
"what is placed at the center is not the child alone and not even the classroom practice existing here and now, but rather the dialectical co-authoring of development and history by each and every individual child (and teacher) with the rest of humanity (including its past and present generations), through collaborative activities that continue and simultaneously transform history. [Now we can appreciate all the group projects or the emphasis on real world, authentic problems]
In this case, the students and teachers, instead of being de-individualized by seeing them as part of humanity, are in fact empowered to a larger degree than in any other, more individualistically based visions of education because taking the dialectical view of history means the ineluctable agency and responsibility of people, including each and very individual, as actors who together create society and history itself and are created by them."
Boy, that's a long sentence, but the sentiment could not be more clear. It also fits perfectly with the visions described above, in recent posts, and where I am going. That's why there is a global need for a new vision of education and why its nature is obscured with Orwellian terms like Quality Education or Excellence. Remember I said I would talk about why subject-matter and content remain important to radicals who have no use for the transmission of knowledge? Because real knowledge empowers the individual mind (explained in detail in my book) and reenforces the existing social institutions and practices? Instead, according to Professor Seth Chaiklin, "subject-matter instruction should contribute to humanization, through personality development" and teachers and curricula designers should "consider how it could be used to work for those ends."
"Teaching should aim to develop understandings of the central topics in a problem area" according to these CHAT and Marxist theory of development theories of education being imposed on us. Those understandings then act as conceptual lenses to interpret daily experiences in ways likely to fuel a personal belief in the need to take action to transform present reality. A/k/a act on history to change its course. It's why facts are not important, but relationships among topics are. So the emphasis in a 1st Grade Math Lesson is on "More and Less" and "Some and Few." Words that can come to correspond to a physical reality that should be changed in a world where economic justice is to be sought. The calculator can add or multiply, but it cannot become a Change Agent of History. Hence the need to change.
One of the most common terms now used to illustrate the need for classroom changes is the oft-proclaimed need for students to be 'engaged.' Now I always interpreted that term as social and emotional learning through experiential activities, but Pentland's book helpfully tells us it is more alarming as a goal. Here is his quick definition of 'engagement' from the book's Glossary. "Engagement is social learning, usually within a peer group, that typically leads to the development of behavioral norms and social pressure to enforce those norms."
See where the title comes from now? Now "social learning consists of either: (1) learning new strategies (e.g. context, action, outcome) by observation of other people's behavior, including learning from memorable stories [which of course need not be true, only emotionally impacting]; or (2) learning new beliefs through experience or observation."
Well, no wonder lectures, sequential worked-out illustrations of math or science problems, and textbooks generally are now deplored. No wonder the great works of literature are treated merely as a means for making a transformative point. Making beliefs the focus and wanting them to be malleable to change, plus peer pressure to follow the always excitable herd, are so much more transformative in their potential as instruments for change.
Next time we will zero in on how Soviet psychology developed the use of instruction and curricula to create a Systematic Development of Orientation Towards Future Action. From the last psychologist (died in 1988) to have regularly worked with Lev Vygotsky.
No I am not going to sign off with Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. That phrase would really date me wouldn't it?


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(Parenting.com) -- By the time you hear your child's early-morning stirrings, you've probably already worked out for 90 minutes, meditated for 30, and enjoyed a healthy, balanced breakfast, which of course included a low-fat pomegranate smoothie. Why, there's nothing left to do besides jog happily over to your beloved offspring's room, sweep him out of bed, and shower him with all the joyous light, wonder, and oneness you're feeling with the universe.
Stop laughing. Why are you laughing? Oh, so this sounds a tad unrealistic to you? Yeah, okay, it is. But, wow, imagine having even a fraction of this energy. It would sure beat being woken by a frantic first-grader five minutes before you need to be at the bus stop.
Happily, there is a lot you can do to boost your stamina, aside from the basics we all strive for: to eat well, sleep eight to nine hours a night, and exercise regularly. These tips can't replace those basics, but especially on the days when you have no choice but to compromise on one or all three, they can keep your behind from dragging on the pavement.
Don't Skip Breakfast Or any other meal. "Skipping meals literally starves the body -- it's like running the car on empty," says Marlene Merritt, a nutritionist, practitioner of Eastern medicine, and founder of the Merritt Wellness Center in Austin, Texas. "Forty percent of your blood sugar is used for brain function, so if you're not eating enough, you can't think clearly, never mind doing anything else."
Besides, waiting long stretches between meals means your blood sugar stays low for too long, says Merritt. That fires up your adrenal glands, which start pumping out a hormone called cortisol to bring it back up. When those glands are overworked, you feel fatigued and crave sugar and coffee, which leads to even more ups and downs. The remedy: Eat a little something every three hours.
Parenting.com: Foolproof guide to food portions and serving sizes
Pack Away More Protein Many women don't get enough, says Jonny Bowden, a certified nutritionist who wrote The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy. Protein staves off fatigue by helping to stabilize your blood sugar and keeps you alert by stimulating the neurotransmitter dopamine. It elevates your metabolic rate during the day, too, so your energy stays up. Too little protein, especially combined with an excess of refined carbs, is a recipe for the slumps. Bowden advises scaling back your carb intake by replacing a serving or two with something protein-rich, like low-fat cheese. Another good choice: Go nuts. Knowing you've got them in your purse might make you less inclined to buy that muffin at Starbucks.
Parenting.com: Doing the drive-thru? Eat this, not that
Drink a Lot Of water, anyway. If you're dehydrated, "your cells can't function their best, and everything gets slowed down," Bowden says. Coffee is fine, as long as you don't go crazy with it. One cup a day in the morning, and maybe an iced tea in the afternoon, won't interfere with your ability to hit the sack at night. Or better still, make caffeine work for you by sipping small amounts throughout the day -- one recent study showed that doing this may optimize its ability to keep you alert, without interfering with your body's natural sleep/wake cycle.
Reward Yourself "When I have things I don't want to do, I think of how much less pressure I'll have once it's over. And I make a deal with myself that if I suck it up, I can have a manicure later, go shopping, or see a movie with a pal," says Mandi Abdell, a West Palm Beach, Florida, mom of six.
Aim Low Take your standards down a notch. Of course, no one's suggesting you compromise on health or welfare, but almost everything else is fair game. "Survival is the number one goal, followed closely by some kind of basic hygiene," says Alice Domar, a mind-body specialist and author of Be Happy Without Being Perfect. Many moms, she says, typically set unrealistic goals, like having a sparkling kitchen or a flawlessly turned-out kid. Perfectionism is an energy suck -- so's the guilt you feel when you fall short. Manage your expectations in the first place and you'll have reserves when you need it, like when your child accidentally upends a jar of Indian beads.
Parenting.com: Need a break? 51 mini-vacations
Buy Bins Getting some simple containers, smacking labels on them ("Hats and Gloves"), and tossing stuff in can give you a surprising boost. Simply being in a calmer environment saves you mental energy, says Lisa Zaslow, founder of Gotham Organizers, in New York City. "If you're looking at a pile of things strewn around the house, your eyes are taking in that visual stimulation and your brain is processing it all," she says. Put those scattered items into a single bin and what happens? "Your eyes just take it in as one unit," she notes. "There's less for your brain to focus on." Cubbyholes and low-hanging hooks can encourage your kids to do some of the cleaning, which is a definite energy saver (for you, anyway).
Let Dad Do It "Wrong" Your husband volunteers to take the kids to the playground so you can sleep in, the lovebug. Next thing you know, you're "just checking" that he isn't letting your 3-year-old con him into wearing her tutu outdoors. One word for you: Chillax. "He doesn't have to parent the way that you do," says Domar. Besides, if you spend all your time fretting, "you're not napping or reading a book, which would help your energy," says Domar. Instead of recharging, you're alert and aware -- and probably a little peeved.
Show Your Lobes Some Love According to Chinese medicine, when you stimulate your ears, it's a wake-up call for your other organs, too. So give your whole ear a gentle rubdown. This is also supposed to redirect your energy upward to your head, which is a good way to perk up because "fatigue often makes you feel like all your energy is dragging downward," says Merritt. While you're at it, grab a handful of hair and gently pull your scalp, then release. Repeat with a different handful until you've done your whole head. This should take two minutes, and will stimulate blood flow, giving you a lift.
Parenting.com: Easy, fast, healthy recipes
Hang Out With Your Homegirls Although spending time with friends seems like a luxury, the stress you'll relieve in doing that will restore untold energy. What's more, it's fun, and you deserve it. "It's widely accepted that friendships contribute even more than family relationships to positive feelings and, as a result, psychological well-being," says Rebecca Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Make some time to get together, or if you can't, just call! Either way, you'll get a bigger charge than from texting or e-mailing.
Try a One-Minute Exercise We asked Tanya Becker, cofounder of Physique 57, in New York City, to share one from her just-out 30-Minute Full-Body Workout DVD. Short and intense, this power plié with alternating heel raises will give you an adrenaline rush: Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and toes slightly turned out. Lower your seat toward knee level, keeping your hands on your hips. Lift your right heel off the floor (imagine you're wearing stilettos) and lower it, then lift and lower your left heel. As you alternate heels, add in a pulse by bending your knees a few inches up and down. Keep your spine straight. Repeat 30 times, or until your thigh muscles are feeling shaky.
Parenting.com: 10 quick, doable mom exercises
Lock Yourself In Your Car Yeah, you may get a few "there goes that crazy mom" stares in the school parking lot, but who cares? Think of the energy. "Most moms don't get five uninterrupted minutes," says Merritt. "Turn off your phone -- off as in really off, not on vibrate, which you can still hear -- sit in the car, and take ten deep breaths, focusing on the emblem on the steering wheel." This is meditation, which only means focusing on something other than your own thoughts. "If it feels good, do another ten," she says. If the police come and try to tow your car, put your key in the ignition and head home. Luckily, there's no law against driving while relaxed and energized.
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Why does my phone stop during upgrade?
Upgrade stops midway.
Connection between the PC and USB driver can be lost, causing the upgrade to stop.
How to fix
Please disconnect the PC and cell phone. Take out the battery and place back in.
Try again in Recovery mode.
When the symptom persists, please visit the service center for technical assistance.


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Escape From Mount Stupid: Counter-Strike
With Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coming out later this year, we decided to take a detailed look at one of the most popular online shooters ever made. Lock and load.
With Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coming out later this year, we decided to take a detailed look at one of the most popular online shooters ever made. Lock and load.
National Entertainment Collectibles Association announces agreement with Portal, Half-Life maker for toys, action figures, board games, accessories, and apparel from studio's stable of IP.
We have a chat with the team leader of PMS Asterisk* about the popular eight-year old Warcraft 3 mod, as well as sexism in pro-gaming.
Financial magazine's crowd-sourced list of candidates to make massive impacts in next year features Valve CEO in recognition of Steam's hold on PC digital distribution.
Gabe Newell keynote address discusses the company's service-oriented approach, reveals Team Fortress 2 comic being made by the developers.
Half-Life 2 creator adds Orange County-based developer of Left 4 Dead to further Southern California, console market expansion.
One wild rumor out of Hollywood has the Kill Bill director bringing Gordon Freeman to the big screen. Is it too good to be true?
Parties settle long-standing beef out of court, because as of August, VUG will no longer distribute any Valve titles, and cybercafe rights revert to the developer.
This week: Counter-Strike: The Movie, From Russia with Love: The Game, EA: The Next-Gen Plan, Cell Processor: The Speed, Troika: The Closure, Sony PSP: The Download Service, Nintendo Revolution: The ...
Judge rules that VU Games is "not authorized" to distribute Valve games in cyber-cafés; other claims, amount of damages remain at issue.
One of the world's largest and most comprehensive gaming tournaments descended on San Francisco. GameSpot was on the scene, bringing you close to the action. Check out this feature for ...
The first day of the international tourney sees in-game carnage surrounded by eerie silence; Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, and America clash in early competition.
Valve's upcoming patch for Condition Zero will add two new player models, new maps, and more.
The counterterrorists always win after you read our walkthrough to Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. The guide includes weapon tips, and strategies for each map in the Tour of Duty. You also ...
Valve Software announces that its single-player version of Counter-Strike is now available for purchase via its Steam content delivery system.
Valve sets up preorder option for anxious Counter-Strike: Condition Zero gamers; offers price break to current CS owners.
The long, long-awaited sequel to Counter-Strike will ship to stores on March 23. Finally.
What's the status of the single-player version of Counter-Strike? Find out in this interview with Valve Software.
Valve's Jess Cliffe reveals Counter-Strike sequel has gone to production … where it has been put on hold.
Valve details reasons behind the new Counter-Strike developer switch, confirms game has gone gold.
Latest Counter-Strike may storm shelves as planned, in mid-November.
Ritual releases new information on its single-player Counter-Strike game. New screens inside.
A feature-length documentary focused on competitive gaming will be first shown at the CPL Championships next week.
Ritual gives us a closer look at the upcoming single-player Counter-Strike game that's been reworked from the ground up, but is nonetheless scheduled for next spring.
Valve announces that Ritual is now developing the new Counter-Strike game instead of Gearbox Software.
Sources indicate that the target release date for Sierra's upcoming action game has been pushed back to early 2003.
Sierra's upcoming single-player action game based on the team-based shooter Half-Life: Counter-Strike is on track for release later this year. Exclusive screenshots inside.
We take an up-close look at the next Counter-Strike game.
Sierra won't be showing Tribes Fast Attack, Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, or Homeworld 2 at the 2002 Electronic Entertainment Expo next month.
We've got new details on this unique first-person shooter from the makers of Half-Life: Opposing Force.
The publisher will ship Valve's team-based shooter in the second quarter of 2002.
Valve Software launches a new official site for Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, its upcoming squad-based shooter.
Take a look at the upcoming single-player action game in development at Gearbox.
Valve's upcoming single-player version of the popular Half-Life-based multiplayer shooter jumps to a new developer.
A single-player version of Counter-Strike is in the works at Valve Software.
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NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig, accusing them of pursuing "vigilante justice" as part of a "witch hunt" designed to smear the character of the Yankees star and cost him tens of millions of dollars.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for what it alleges was a relentless campaign by the league and Selig to "destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez."
The suit was filed during the first week of hearings in the grievance by the Major League Baseball Players Association to overturn the 211-game suspension of Rodriguez imposed by MLB on Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball"s drug agreement and labor contract. The suspension stemmed from baseball"s investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic, headed by Anthony Bosch.
A decision on the grievance by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz is not likely for several months.
Albert Pujols also filed a lawsuit. The Los Angeles Angels slugger sued Jack Clark on Friday over comments on a local radio show accusing the three-time NL MVP of using steroids.
The lawsuit between former Cardinals stars was filed in Circuit Court in St. Louis County, where Clark lives. It seeks unspecified damages and asks for a determination and declaration that Clark"s statements are false.
MLB issued a statement Friday that called Rodriguez"s actions "desperate" and said his suit was in a "clear violation" of the confidentiality provisions of the Joint Drug Agreement between MLB and the union.
Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz shot back in a statement of his own that the league"s violation claim was "preposterous.
"Many of the bases for the complaint filed by Mr. Rodriguez last night arise from MLB"s willful and persistent violations of those very confidentiality provisions over the past six months and beyond," Berkowitz said.
The suit claims Selig and MLB tried to smear the three-time AL MVP reputation to "gloss over" Selig"s past inaction on performance-enhancing drugs, which the lawsuit said had turned the "Golden Age of Baseball" into the "Golden Age of Steroids."
The lawsuit, calling baseball"s probe "faulty and prohibited," said Selig hoped to redeem himself and secure his legacy as the "savior" of America"s pastime at the expense of Rodriguez.
"Taking down Mr. Rodriguez would vividly demonstrate that Commissioner Selig had learned from the errors of his previous explicit or tacit tolerance of steroid use," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claimed MLB is paying Bosch $5 million in monthly installments to buy his cooperation. Federal and Florida state prosecutors are probing Bosch.
"Such are the lengths that Commissioner Selig and MLB have stooped to in their witch hunt against Mr. Rodriguez — paying and protecting someone under investigation for providing steroids to minors," the lawsuit said. It also accused Selig and the league of intimidating witnesses and providing cash for evidence and testimony.
Joyce Fitzpatrick, a spokeswoman for Bosch, denied the allegations against her client.
"Mr. Bosch is cooperating fully with Major League Baseball. He did request that security be provided because he feels his life is in danger," she said. "However, the allegation that he was paid for his testimony is absolutely untrue. He hasn"t received $5, let alone $5 million."
The lawsuit said two potential sponsors — Nike Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. — have terminated negotiations with Rodriguez for potential sponsorship contracts and Rodriguez"s voice work as a hero for an animated movie, "Henry & Me," has been cut. The movie chronicles the Yankees" history and features baseball stars, past and present.
There are two legal claims made in the suit, that MLB and Selig interfered with Rodriguez"s existing contracts and that they interfered with his prospective business relationships.
Baseball"s "gratuitous leaks and public statements concerning Mr. Rodriguez"s alleged actions have ensured that Mr. Rodriguez will not secure any endorsement contracts in the future," the lawsuit said.
The suit accuses the league and Selig of planting negative stories about Rodriguez in the media and trying to muddy his name and "intentionally and maliciously" subject him to a trial in the public arena.
"MLB"s public persecution of Mr. Rodriguez has known no bounds," the lawsuit said. It said the league had repeatedly breached confidentiality itself and "went as far as to place negative news stories about Mr. Rodriguez — one of the league"s best players — on his very own website."
The actions, the lawsuit said, were "consistent with Bud Selig"s goal of cementing his legacy as the commissioner who cleaned up baseball."
In its statement, the league said none of the allegations "is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner"s investigation."
The court papers noted that Rodriguez"s suspension was four times the length of the other 13 players suspended this year in connection with the Biogenesis probe and far longer than the 50-game penalty for a first positive drug test.
The lawsuit said the suspension will cost Rodriguez tens of millions of dollars in salary from his contract with the Yankees. As part of the $275 million, 10-year contract, he is owed $25 million next year, $21 million in 2015 and $20 million in each of the final two seasons. He also can earn $30 million in bonuses for reaching milestones.
Rodriguez said in a statement his lawyers were "doing what they need to in order to vindicate me and pursue all of my rights."
He said he still looked forward to separate arbitration proceedings and "for the day to come when I can share my story with the public and my supporters."


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Yours truly with Jack Fleck in May.
MIKE LUPICA OF THE DAILY NEWS says Y.E. Yang's upset of Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship "was Jack Fleck beating Ben Hogan at Olympic in 1955, only it was more than that."
Comparisons to Fleck's upset are understandable, which, at the time, was reported by sportswriters as the greatest golf upset since amateur Francis Ouimet beat British professionals Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline.
Yang's achievement will certainly go down in golf history. Tiger, holder of 14 major championship titles, was a perfect 14 for 14 when leading a major after 54 holes. Yang did the unthinkable. He flat outplayed Tiger in the final round, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to win the Wanamaker Trophy. It was a jaw-dropping performance.
Through this golf blog and my golf travels over the last two years I've become well acquainted with Jack Fleck and his story. In fact, we've become friends. I've heard Jack's story first hand and I've read most of what has been written about the 1955 U.S. Open.
It's always difficult to compare golfers from different eras, but here's what I can tell you.
Coming into the 2009 PGA Championship, Yang had a golf pedigree that easily eclipsed Fleck's resume. Yang beat Tiger and a strong international field three years ago at the HSBC Classic in China. He also won the PGA Tour's Honda Classic earlier this year.
And Fleck? "He had never won a caddies tournament," Tommy Bolt told me last year. OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. An Iowa muni pro, Jack was playing the first of two make-or-break seasons on the PGA Tour in 1955. His best finish in a tour event was eighth. He had played in two U.S. Opens, missing the cut once and tying for 52nd.
Ben Hogan wasn't Tiger Woods, but he was certainly the Tiger of his era. Coming into the 1955 U.S. Open, Hogan had won four of his previous six U.S. Opens. (He didn't play in 1949 because of a near-fatal car accident.) After the accident that was supposed to end his career, Hogan — playing in no more than seven events a year — won six majors in five seasons.
As Lupica points out, Hogan was more at the tail end of his career in 1955 than Tiger is in 2009. But Hogan was still the prohibitive favorite in the U.S. Open. When he completed play at the Olympic Club five shots ahead of Sam Snead and Tommy Bolt, NBC-TV and national radio announced Hogan as the winner, the first five-time U.S. Open champion.
Then something other worldly happened. Jack, a virtual unknown who was still on the course, birdied two of the last four holes on a brutal layout to tie Hogan. It included sinking a dramatic 7-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. The next day the man who had never won a caddies tournament beat Hogan in an 18-hole playoff, 69 to 72, denying Hogan his record fifth U.S. Open. It was front-page news across the country and Jack was an instant celebrity.
Greatest pro golf upset? I still give the nod to Jack, an unproven player who beat the greatest of his era on a bigger golf stage, the U.S. Open.
Neil Sagebiel (aka The Armchair Golfer) is the author of THE LONGEST SHOT: Jack Fleck, Ben Hogan, and Pro Golf's Greatest Upset at the 1955 U.S. Open, which publishes on May 22 from St. Martin's Press (Thomas Dunne Books). Learn more and pre-order at book page, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – The commercial cargo ship Dragon returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Sunday, bringing back nearly 2 tons of science experiments and old equipment for NASA.
SpaceX's Dragon splashed into the Pacific, just five hours after leaving the orbiting lab.
"Welcome home, Dragon!" the California-based company said via Twitter.
After a one-month visit, the SpaceX cargo ship was set loose Sunday morning. Astronaut Steven Swanson, the station commander, released it using the big robot arm as the craft zoomed more than 260 miles above the South Pacific.
"Very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science, equipment and maybe someday even humans back to Earth," Swanson told Mission Control.
The SpaceX Dragon is the only supply ship capable of returning items to Earth. The others burn up on re-entry. This was the fourth Dragon to bring back space station goods, with 3,500 pounds aboard; it came down off Mexico's Baja California coast.
NASA is paying SpaceX and Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. to make station deliveries. Orbital is next up, next month. Russia, Europe and Japan also make occasional shipments.
SpaceX also is competing for the right to ferry station astronauts, perhaps as early as 2017.
The Dragon rocketed to the space station on April 18 with a full load and arrived at the orbiting lab two days later.
Following Sunday's splashdown, a ship is to carry the Dragon to a port near Los Angeles, and then it will go to a SpaceX factory in McGregor, Texas. Critical science samples will be hustled off at the port for quick return to NASA.


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Major renovations at Eglin Hospital near completion (GALLERY)
EGLIN AFB — Major renovations at Eglin Hospital are nearing completion and likely will be ready to open this summer.
See a gallery of artist's renderings and construction photos. >>
The $67 million project to update the hospital, which was built in 1967, broke ground last June.
The hospital has gotten busier over the past 10 to 20 years and has created a need for more capacity and capability, said Col. Gianna Zeh, commander of the Air Force's 96th Medical Group, which oversees the hospital.
About 91,000 active-duty service members, veterans and their families are eligible to receive care at the hospital. That's up from 89,000 just eight months ago, she said.
In the past few years, the F-35 program at Eglin, the relocation of the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and an ever-increasing number of retirees have brought a lot of new patients.
"The Emerald Coast has attracted lots of people," Zeh said.
Eglin was awarded the funding to renovate 145,000 square feet of the roughly 500,000 square-foot campus in 2011 as part of a stimulus package.
The full project is set for completion by the end of 2014, but most of the major renovations should be ready by the end of the summer.
The emergency department will be relocated to the front of the hospital for easier access, and will add four beds to bring its total to 18 and increase its capacity by 20 to 30 percent, said Capt. Michael Creasy, a project manager with the Air Force's health facilities division.
It will include modernized exam and treatment rooms, and should open by the end of July.
The new design, including its proximity to other units such as immediate care and radiology, will allow patients to be processed faster and move through the system more efficiently, Creasy said.
Two new operating rooms also will be added and should open by the end of June, increasing capability by 40 percent, he said.
One will be used primarily for neurosurgery. That will allow the hospital to perform neurospine surgery and to add a neurosurgeon to the staff. The second operating room will be a state-of-the-art hybrid design that features diagnostic as well as surgical capabilities.
The hospital also will add a nephrology, or kidney, department that can offer acute dialysis treatment. That department as well as renovated specialty clinics should open by the end of July.
The pain management center, located in a trailer, will move into the main building to be near the physical therapy department. As well as traditional narcotic treatment, the center offers alternatives such as chiropractic care and acupuncture.
In addition to serving the increasing number of qualified beneficiaries in the area, the renovations also will help serve the new needs of the types of patients who are visiting the hospital more, including those who have been wounded by improvised explosive devices and those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Orthopedic amputee care, something the hospital is seeing more of since the arrival of the 7th Special Forces, will be increased so wounded patients do not have to travel to other hospitals for treatment, Zeh said.
A sleep study center also has been added to help with post-traumatic stress and other disorders, but staffing has yet to be secured.
"We want to focus on patient-centered care to make our patients feel engaged in their care and make their experience better," Zeh said.
The Aerospace Medicine Squadron, which is charged with making sure active-duty airmen are ready for combat and deployment, will get a new annex building.
"Everyone has to be ready to deploy, to go to war," Zeh said. "If not, we need to figure out what is wrong with them and get them back to where they need to be."
The new facility, which should open in September, has been certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines by the U.S. Green Building Council. The contractor, J.E. Dunn, qualified for the certification by selecting energy-efficient systems, using eco-friendly and locally produced materials, and practicing environmentally friendly cleanup and disposal methods, Creasy said.
A renovated and relocated minor procedure suite should open in July.
The remainder of the renovations, which will include a new Women/Child Center of Excellence, should open in 2014.
The entrance to the main lobby will be closed from July through October while it is rebuilt. A three-floor staircase is being built and all the adjacent units will get a facelift, Creasy said.
Zeh said she was happy with the progress of the project.
"There have been minimal delays in construction and we've been able to continue services throughout. Those are really our main goals," she said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.


text: Imagine in the subject, if your bigger element of manufacturing manufactured by farmers becomes ruined by insects, weeds and pests: what would be their aluminum issue? You will go along with me that absolutely nothing might be much more frustrating on their behalf than this. So hurting of the never wanted unwanted pests is naturally… Continue reading Agrochemicals Supplier


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Everyone in Pennsylvania who cares to watch will soon bear witness to a slow-motion collision that's been more than two years in the making.
Two opposing forces are about to meet in a way that could be most unpleasant for Gov. Tom Corbett:
– In this corner, Corbett's campaign pledge to selfish voters and ideological purity-testers to never raise taxes;
– And in this corner, the long-deferred transportation infrastructure maintenance backlog responsible for merely shaking our cars to pieces when its not increasing our risk of travel-related death and injury.
And like most 15-round heavyweight bouts, the outcome was to be predictably decided in the early rounds, even if it took a couple years for the fight to get under way.
There is simply no way to responsibly govern a state as large and expensive as Pennsylvania without keeping all of one's options open for revenue generation. Promises notwithstanding, there was always going to be a moment of reckoning for Corbett when it came to tax increases.
Now, according to the unelected, out-of-state anti-tax zealots to whom Corbett made his no-tax-hike pledge, the governor has already broken his promise twice. (First with his policy to pursue sales taxes on out-of-state Internet vendors, and again for the 'impact fee' on Marcellus Shale natural gas drillers.)
Third time's the charm, they say, with his reported plans to uncap the Oil Company Franchise Tax. That would allow the tax to be applied to the entire wholesale price of gasoline, instead of a $1.25 per gallon limit now in effect.
Doing so could yield up to $2 billion annually – supported proportionately, according to gas consumption, by those who use and therefore damage roads the most – to fix our roads and support public transport. It was a key recommendation of the governor's transportation advisory commission, which completed its work almost a year ago.
And now, for this long-delayed and sensible decision, Corbett will be excoriated by ideologues for raising taxes, and smeared by Democrats, who will point to Corbett's shattered tax-hike promise as a good reason not to trust him on anything.
Already, the insiders and chatterers are falling all over themselves over the semantics of 'tax hike' and quibbling over the possible political fallout – apparently forgetting that the priority here is solid roads for personal safety and commercial activity.
Maybe Corbett deserves it. He's the one, after all, who traded short-term gain with a fantasyland campaign promise for long-term headaches once the reality of governance could no longer be avoided.
Or maybe we should all give the guy a break. Perhaps his newfound apparent pragmatism bodes well for a move away from solving our revenue problems by selling state resources to the highest private sector bidder.
— Digital First Media: Public Opinion of Chambersburg


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Golden anniversary: Jack Riley led U.S. to Olympic hockey title in 1960
"Once bitten, twice shy," goes the popular maxim.
But anyone who knows Jack Riley knows that hardly describes the 89-year-old hockey legend.
So why then did the Marstons Mills resident turn down an invitation this year to appear in Vancouver to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first United States Olympics hockey gold medal won by the 1960 team he coached?
You must turn the clock back eight years to the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, a mere 800 miles from Squaw Valley, Calif.
"Our team was invited to Salt Lake City, but the 1980 gold medal team lit the torch and we were sitting out in the boonies in the stands," says Riley. "They didn't even acknowledge us; they gave us tickets to go home the next day. We were all teed off for lack of recognition."
But that was just the first bite.
The second came on New Year's Day this year at Fenway Park during what is becoming a National Hockey League tradition – hockey in major league parks.
The Cleary brothers, Bill and Bob, Dick Rodenheiser and Riley – all born and bred in Massachusetts and prominent on the 1960 team – were invited as special guests and told they would be interviewed on television at a between-periods intermission.
"Bob Costas was going to a commercial break and referred to Herb Brooks [coach of the 1980 team and one of the last players cut from the 1960 squad]; we thought it was a lead-in to our interview but we never went on; the '80 team was interviewed," says Riley.
So now although Riley's been invited to Squaw Valley for the 50th anniversary Feb. 28.
"No way I'm going out there after the way we've been treated," he says. "I was offered tickets to Vancouver but turned them down; the Clearys did, too, because of the way we were treated."
Avoiding a mutiny
In 1959, Walter Brown, the original owner of the Boston Celtics and a force behind the development of hockey in the U.S., was head of the Amateur Hockey Association and arranged for Riley, hockey coach at West Point at the time, to be coach of the 1960 Olympic team.
Riley had played in the '48 Olympics in Stockholm when the U.S. finished fourth. The U.S. led the Games in goals, having defeated Italy 31-1 and Poland 23-4. Riley scored the winning goal in the 4-3 win over England, but Canada won the gold medal.
The United States started playing hockey in the Olympics in 1920, and while 1960 was the country's first gold medal, often overlooked is the fact that the 1952 and '56 teams both took home silver. "We were depicted as bumbling, but we had a veteran team that was underestimated," says Riley. "I picked the best guys I could find."
But trouble followed. There was an East (Boston) vs. West (Minnesota) rivalry; players from those areas dominated the team and they didn't like each other.
Riley informed Brown he had decided to add the Massachusetts' Cleary brothers to the team and cut Herb Brooks of Minnesota just weeks before the Olympics started. He told me, 'OK, but if you lose, don't come back.'
"The 11 players on the team from the West voted mutiny; it wasn't a happy ship," says Riley, who had a team meeting and convinced them to stay on. "I used a lot of profanity," he said smiling.
The West players shunned the Clearys and during the final exhibitions refused to pass the puck to the high-scoring Easterners.
But Riley took command of the team. To ease the tension, he formed Red, White and Blue lines instead of the normal, first, second and third lines.
A strong believer in the importance of team conditioning, Riley saw it pay off in the third period when the U.S. outscored its opponents, 20-4. It also helped that the Cleary brothers combined for 12 goals; Bill Cleary had 14 points in the seven games.
McCartan sparked key victory
Riley's training rules were simple: "When you see me drink and smoke, you can do it. The players thought it was a good deal; what they didn't know was that I never drank or smoked. I would have kicked them off the team if I caught them."
After upsetting the Czechs 7-5 and demolishing Australia 12-1 in the preliminary round, they opened medal-round play with a 6-3 win over Sweden.
The game that made people – including its coach — believe in this team was its 2-1 upset of gold-medal favorite Canada as goalie Jack McCartan made 39 saves. "He was my MVP," says Riley.
That was followed by a 9-1 dismantling of Germany, setting up the crucial game against the Russians, who were the dominant team in the late '50s heading into the 1960 Games.
After the teams swapped leads, Billy Christian of Minnesota knocked in a rebound with 5 minutes remaining and all the U.S. needed was a tie or win against the Czech team it had beaten nine days earlier.
Figuring that it would be Canada vs. Russia for the gold medal, the schedule-makers had the U.S. playing Czechoslovakia at 8 a.m. and the "Championship Game" at 4:30 p.m.
"We went to church at 7 a.m. When we got to the arena, there weren't many people in the stands, but more than 9,000 were there by the end of the first period," says Riley.
The U.S. trailed 4-3 when Rodenheiser, Riley's all-time hero on that team, forced a Czech penalty by absorbing a vicious hit. In those days, a player sat in the penalty box the entire length of the penalty instead of coming out when the opposing team scored. So when the U.S. netted the tying goal, the Czech stayed in the box, and the Americans scored twice more to make it 6-4 before the teams were back at full strength. The U.S. added three more in the final minutes to win the gold medal going away, 9-4.
Standing at attention for the "Star Spangled Banner" was the ultimate thrill for Riley. "We didn't think about medals, just winning. The team captain [Kirrane] was on the podium and they gave him all 20 medals, and he handed them out to us. I got the medal in a box and put it in my pocket. In my heart, I never thought we'd go 7-0."
On the flight back to New York, the pilot announced that the coach of the Olympic championship hockey team was on the plane and everybody gave Riley a standing ovation.
"When I arrived back at West Point, four MP cars greeted our car and took us to the hockey rink. The whole corps of cadets came out to party at the hockey rink; the only one who didn't come was the track coach because he said we didn't celebrate when his team beat Navy the previous year," Riley joked.
That was what Riley and his 1960 Squaw Valley Miracle team had hoped for in Salt Lake City and Fenway Park. Riley's not shy, but he was not to be thrice bitten.
The Register
The genesis of a book
Two years ago, Harvey Shapiro of Centerville was waiting in a long checkout line at Stop & Shop in Marstons Mills. He noticed the man behind him had an 'A' for Army baseball cap on and they started talking.
A year later they made plans to write "1960: Miracle at Squaw Valley" and have spent 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. most Tuesdays at Riley's house.
"I'm a people writer and storyteller and Jack is so shy and demure," Shapiro laughs.
The 405-page self-published book was handwritten – Shapiro doesn't have a computer – and sent to an editor in Connecticut with the artwork and page layout. He expects to have the finished product by Feb. 28, the 50th anniversary of the real Miracle on Ice.


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Is the Housing Crash 'Bottoming'? (The short answer is no)
From SoCalBubble.com:
The T2 Partners paper provided by More Mortgage Meltdown can be downloaded here: (This is a VERY interesting POWERPOINT, I recommend it – Eric)
Comments From Mark Hanson (1) The Field Check Group, May 5, 2009
California housing – at the low end – is 'bottoming' mostly because: a) median prices are down 55% from their peak over the past two years, thereby making the low end affordable; b) foreclosures have temporarily been cut by 66% through moratoriums reducing supply; and c) demand is picking up going into the busy season.
But the moratoriums are ending and the number of foreclosures in the pipeline is massive – they will start showing themselves as REO over the near to mid-term. The Obama plan held the foreclosure wave back, creating a huge backlog and now the servicers are testing hundreds of thousands of defaults against the new loss mitigation initiatives. We presently see the Notice of Defaults at record highs and Notice of Trustee Sales back up to nine-month highs – there is no reason for a loan to go to the Notice of Trustee Sale stage if indeed it wasn't a foreclosure. However, the new 'batch' are not only from the low end but a wide mix all the way up to several million dollars in present value.
Because the majority of buyers are in ultra low and low-mid prices ranges, the supply- demand imbalance from foreclosures and organic supply will crush the mid-to-upper priced properties in 2009. We already have early seasonal hard data proving this. As the mid-to-upper end go through their respective implosions this year and the volume of sales in these bands increase as prices tumble, the mix shift will raise median and average house prices creating the ultimate in false bottoms. We also have data proving this phenomenon.
After a year or so the real pain will occur when the mid to upper bands are down 40% from where they are now, and the price compression has made the low to low-mid bands much less attractive – the very same bands that are so hot right now. Rents are tumbling and those that bought these properties for investment will be at risk of default (investors have been buying all the way down). Investors have just started to get taken to the woodshed from all of the supply and this will get much worse. Mid-to- upper end rental supply is also flooding on the market making it much better to rent a beautiful million dollar house than putting $300,000 down and buying.
After investors are punished — and with move-up buyers gone for years – it will leave first-time homeowners to fix the housing market on their own. Good luck and good night. Five years from now when things look to be stabilizing, all of these terrible kick-the-can-down-the-road modifications that leave borrowers in 5-year-teaser, ultra-high-leverage, 150% LTV, balloon loans will start adjusting upward and it will be Mortgage Implosion 2.0. These loan mods will turn millions of homeowners into over-levered, underwater, renters and ensure housing is a dead asset class for years to come.
Due to a confluence of events including a national foreclosure moratorium and near-zero sales in the mid to upper end during the off season, the broader housing data show signs of stabilization. Taken in context, it is a blip. There are no silver linings or green shoots in housing whatsoever other than by these first-time homeowners – former renters – who now find it cheaper to own than rent. This is a very good thing, but it only applies to a small segment of the population and will not be able to support the market. In addition, the first-time buyers who come out of the rental market put continuous pressure on rents.
Our data shows that the mid-to-upper end housing market is on the precipice of the exact cliff that the market fell off of in 2007, led by new loan defaults. What happens to the economy when you hit the mid- to-upper end earners the same way the low-to-mid end was hit with the subprime implosion? We will find out soon enough. When we look back on housing at the end of 2009, anyone that made positive housing predictions this year will not believe how far off they were.
In summary, today we are only in the middle innings of an enormous wave of defaults, foreclosures and auctions that is hitting the United States. We predicted in early 2008 that it would get so bad that it would require large-scale federal government intervention – which has occurred, and we're not finished yet.
One Response to "Is the Housing Crash 'Bottoming'? (The short answer is no)"
Yeah, the government is big on false propaganda. Everything is about appearaces, rather than facts or reality. Thanks for this article


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(CNN) - Ann Romney's plane made an emergency landing in Colorado on Friday, a spokeswoman from Mitt Romney's presidential campaign tweeted.
"All okay. Thank goodness," the spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, wrote on Twitter.
[tweet https://twitter.com/andreamsaul/status/249253896319537152%5D
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
Saul added the cause of the emergency was apparently "an electrical fire" after the cabin of the plane filled with smoke. Romney's plane was headed to Los Angeles but landed in Denver, where it was met with emergency vehicles on the runway.
Ann Romney's press secretary, Sarah Haley, was also on the plane.
An official with the Federal Aviation Administration said no injuries were reported on the plane, which was on its way from Omaha, Nebraska.
"A Canadair Challenger 601 charter flight operated by World Wide Jet, diverted to Denver today at about 2:40 p.m. MDT after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. The flight was en route from Omaha, NE to Santa Monica, CA. The aircraft landed safely on runway 35L and passengers exited the aircraft via stairs on a taxiway. No injuries were reported," Laura J. Brown, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs with the FAA, said in a statement.
A Secret Service official confirmed the incident.
"We can confirm that a plane carrying Mrs. Romney and two Secret Service personnel did make an emergency landing about 4:25 ET. It was at the Denver airport," the official said. "Basically what we understand there was some type of smoke in the cabin. All personnel were safe."
The official could not say who else was on board.
Campaign spokesman Rick Gorka said Mitt Romney spoke with his wife on the phone and is set to take the stage at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
Unrelatedly, the emergency landing came days after Romney's campaign canceled an event in Colorado on Sunday due to investigations of a plane crash at the Pueblo airport. The campaign said they did not want to "interfere" with the investigation.
- CNN's Rachel Streitfeld, Kevin Liptak, Ashley Killough and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
She wanted to pit stop at a Mormon temple so she could practice her cult before she continued on.
She needs to be on this upcoming season of REAL HOUSEWIVES of BEVERLY HILLS showing off her castle style mansions and designer dresses. That's exactly where she belongs to. This delusional woman must have paid a good amount of money to those poor backstage women to use as her props. Just go back to your mansion and get a life!
She said "STOP IT,just stop it" and the crew went into emergency landing procedures.
@Diane your are so funny.
The Obama campaign obviously had something to do with this. Obama's goons crawl all around every major airport and have access to tamper and sabotage airplanes.
Yes, I am saying it. I think the Obama camp tried to kill Ann Romney.


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When it comes to genetic code, researchers prove optimum isn't always best
Imagine two steel springs identical in look and composition but that perform differently because each was tempered at a different rate.
A team of researchers including a Texas A&M University molecular biologist has shown that concept—that the speed of creation affects performance—applies to how a protein they studied impacts an organism's circadian clock function. This discovery provides new insights into the significance of the genetic code for controlling the rates at which critically important proteins are synthesized, and could lead to better understanding of cancers and other diseases.
"Living organisms' inner clocks are like Swiss watches with precisely manufactured spring mechanisms," said Matthew Sachs, a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Biology. "For example, if you fast-temper a critical spring, the watch may be unable to keep time, as opposed to slow-tempering it. It's not just about the composition of the components, such as which alloy is used. It's about the manner in which the components are made. Our research says the genetic code is important for determining both composition and fabrication rate for a central component of the circadian clock, and that the fabrication rate also is critical. And that's essentially a discovery."
The research was selected for Advanced Online Publication (AOP) in the prestigious journal "Nature."
The team, which is led by Yi Liu, a researcher in the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, was perplexed when it found a paradoxical result years ago: that optimizing the use of codons (a sequence of three nucleotides that form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule) specifying an essential biological clock component actually abolished the organism's circadian rhythms.
The group's research indicates that the protein in the fungal genus Neurospora they studied, frequency, performs better when the genetic code specifying it has non-optimal codon usage, as is normally found. However, when the genetic code is deliberately altered so that codon usage is optimized, clock function is lost. The reason for this is that non-optimal codon usage slows translation of the genetic code into protein, allotting the frequency protein the necessary time to achieve its optimal protein structure. The team's results also demonstrate that genetic codons do more than simply determine the amino acid sequence of a protein as previously thought: They also affect how much protein can be made as well as the functional quality of that protein.
"We found that less is more, in many cases," Liu said.
Because many genetic diseases are the result of improperly functioning proteins, Sachs says knowledge about how proteins are made and why they have impaired functions is critical to understanding almost all diseases.
"Understanding gene expression is crucial for understanding cancer and other diseases, because ultimately many of these processes involve either mutations of genes or altered expression of genes," said Sachs, who was asked by Liu to help on the research because of his translational expertise in Neurospora.
More information: www.nature.com/nature/journal/ … ull/nature11833.html
Journal information: Nature
Provided by Texas A&M University


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Nate Anderson /
Deputy Editor
Nate is the deputy editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees long-form feature content and writes about technology law and policy. He is the author of The Internet Police: How Crime Went Online, and the Cops Followed. His first computer was an Atari 600XL with a tape drive and so little memory that it could be filled just by typing in programs from magazines.