text:
HANG TIME, Texas — It might be time to change the name of Lob City to Titletown or Bannerburgh.
Either way the streaking Clippers are on the verge of moving into a rather exclusive neighborhood that merits quite serious attention. It's a ritzy place that comes with lots of shiny gold hardware.
When Chris Paul and his pals won back-to-back games over the Jazz to run it up to 17 consecutive wins, they squeezed into a tie for the ninth-longest single-season streak in NBA history.
With one more win tonight at Denver — No. 18 — the Clippers would take another step toward forcing themselves into the conversation as honest-to-goodness contenders.
Of course, the 1971-72 Lakers top the list with their all-time record 33-game win streak that many consider to be unbreakable. But of the eight teams currently ahead of the Clippers, five of them went on that same season to win the NBA championship and two others advanced to the conference finals. Only the 2007-08 Rockets failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
1971-72 L.A. Lakers
Streak: 33
Coach: Bill Sharman
Stars: Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich
Start: Nov. 5, 1971 (110-106 over Bullets)
End: Jan. 7, 1972 (120-104 to Bucks)
Record: 69-13
Playoff result: Won NBA championship
2007-08 Houston Rockets
Streak: 22 games
Coach: Rick Adelman
Stars: Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming
Start: Jan. 29, 2008 (111-107 over Warriors)
End: March 18, 2008 (94-74 to Boston Celtics)
Record: 55-27
Playoff result: Lost in first round
1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks
Streak: 20
Coach: Larry Costello
Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson
Start: Feb. 6, 1971 (111-105 over Warriors)
End: March 8, 1971 (110-103 in OT to Bulls)
Record: 66-16
Playoff result: Won NBA championship
1999-2000 L.A. Lakers
Streak: 19
Coach: Phil Jackson
Stars: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal
Start: Feb. 4, 2000 (113-67 over Jazz)
End: March 13, 2000 (109-102 to Wizards)
Record: 67-15
Playoff result: Won NBA championship
2008-09 Boston Celtics
Streak: 19
Coach: Doc Rivers
Stars: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen
Start: Nov. 15, 2008 (102-97 over Bucks)
End: Dec. 25, 2008 (92-83 to Lakers)
Record: 62-20
Playoff result: Lost in conference semifinals
1969-70 N.Y. Knicks
Streak: 18
Coach: Red Holzman
Stars: Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley
Start: Oct. 24, 1969 (116-92 over Pistons)
End: Nov. 29, 1969 (110-98 to Pistons)
Record: 60-22
Playoff result: Won NBA championship
1981-82 Boston Celtics
Streak: 18
Coach: Bill Fitch
Stars: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish
Start: Feb. 24, 1982 (132-90 over Jazz)
End: March 28, 1982 (116-98 to 76ers)
Record: 63-19
Playoff result: Lost in conference finals
1995-96 Chicago Bulls
Streak 18
Coach: Phil Jackson
Stars: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
Start: Dec. 29, 1995 (120-93 over Pacers)
End: Feb. 4, 1996 (105-99 to Nuggets)
Record: 72-10
Playoff result: Won title
2012-13 L.A. Clippers
Streak: 17
Coach: Vinny Del Negro
Stars: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin
Start: Nov. 28, 2012 (101-95 over Timberwolves)
End: ???
* 20 consecutive wins by 2011-12 San Antonio Spurs was split between 10 regular season and 10 playoffs and thereby does not qualify officially.


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subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Latin American Countries Band Together To Fight Growing Problem Of Investor-State Disputes
from the US/EU-take-note dept
As Techdirt has observed, investor-state dispute resolution (ISDR) is turning into a major weapon that corporations can deploy against nations in order to claim damages for some alleged loss of future profits as a result of government action -- for example, stricter health or environmental regulations. Last year alone, 62 new investment arbitration cases were initiated against nations, and a record award of $1.77 billion was made against Ecuador.
Given that fact, it is perhaps not so surprising to see that country leading a new alliance of nations affected by ISDR and aiming to fight back:
Leaders of several Latin American countries have set up a new coalition to coordinate actions to face the growing number of international legal suits being taken against governments by transnational companies.
As well as holding a conference on the subject, and creating an observatory to monitor cases, the countries agreed to set up a new regional arbitration center for settling investment disputes. This is designed to address one of the biggest problems with the current ISDR mechanism:
A ministerial meeting of 12 countries held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, decided on several joint actions to counter the threat posed by these law suits, which have claimed millions or even billions of dollars from governments.
"No more should small countries face law suits from big companies by themselves," said Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, at a media conference after the meeting which he chaired. "We have now decided to deal with the challenges posed by these transnational companies in a coordinated way."
The proposed centre is to provide an alternative to existing international tribunals which are seen as biased in favour of investors' interests.
The above article goes on to explain that there have been around 500 ISDR cases so far, with a high number involving Latin American countries: Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico have each had 20 to 30 ISDR actions brought against them.
The tribunals, such as ICSID (based at the World Bank in Washington), have also been accused of being mired in conflict of interest situations. Only a few arbitrators hear a majority of cases, with many of them also appearing as lawyers for companies in other cases, and some being board members of transnational companies.
A background note explaining the reason for the meeting said that arbitration proceedings and claims by European and US multinational companies against a growing number of states of the South have dramatically increased.
In other words, what seemed like a fairly minor issue when signing up to the investment treaties many years ago has since grown into a serious threat to many countries' finances and even sovereignty. That's something that both the US and EU would do well to remember when negotiating the TAFTA/TTIP agreement, which seems certain to discuss the possible inclusion of ISDR measures suffering from exactly the same problem.
These costly litigations, the majority of which were decided in favour of the investors, not only affect the States' fiscal situation but pose a serious challenge to their national jurisdiction and sovereignty, and compromise on-going development plans in Latin America and other regions.
This problem originated in the 1990s when bilateral investment treaties were signed by developing countries in the expectation of attracting foreign investments, but the negative consequences of such commitments have now become evident, said the note.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: ecuador, investor state dispute resolution, investor state disputes, isdr, latin america, tpp


text:
A typical scenario consists of an external event being generated, which, again, boils down to a function call into the class's public interface. Based upon the event being generated and the state machine's current state, a lookup is performed to determine if a transition is required. If so, the state machine transitions to the new state and the code for that state executes. At the end of the state function, a check is performed to determine whether an internal event was generated. If so, another transition is performed and the new state gets a chance to execute. This process continues until the state machine is no longer generating internal events, at which time the original external event function call returns. The external event and all internal events, if any, execute within the caller's thread of control.
Once the external event starts the state machine executing, it cannot be interrupted by another external event until the external event and all internal events have completed execution. This provides a multithread-safe environment for the state transitions. Semaphores or mutexes can be used in the state machine engine to block other threads that might be trying to be simultaneously access the same object.
Event Data
When an event is generated, it can optionally attach event data to be used
by the state during execution. Once the state has completed execution, the event
data is considered used up and must be deleted. Therefore, any event data sent
to a state machine must be created on the heap, via
operator new, so
that the state machine can delete it once used. In addition, for our particular
implementation the event data must inherit from the
EventData base class
(see Listing One). This gives the state machine engine
a common base class for which to delete all event data.
Listing One: The EventData class
#ifndef EVENT_DATA_H #define EVENT_DATA_H class EventData { public: virtual ~EventData() {}; }; #endif //EVENT_DATA_H
Creating event data on the heap may seem like a needless step, but it allows a pointer to the event data to travel through operating system message queues until it arrives at its destination. At that point, the data will be used by the state machine and subsequently deleted. This eliminates the need to send the entire data structure through the queue when just a pointer will do. It's also another reason that event function calls do not return data, such as a status code. When the event finally arrives at its destination, the call being made may have been initiated from a different task, or even a different processor, such that a synchronous return code will have no meaning to the calling thread.
State Transitions
When an external event is generated, a lookup is performed to determine the state transition course of action. There are three possible outcomes to an event: new state, event ignored, or cannot happen. A new state causes a transition to a new state where it is allowed to execute. Transitions to the existing state are also possible, which means the current state is re-executed. For an ignored event, no state executes. However, the event data, if any, is deleted. The last possibility, cannot happen, is reserved for situations where the event is not valid given the current state of the state machine. If this occurs, the software faults.
In this implementation, internal events are not required to perform a validating transition lookup. The state transition is assumed to be valid. You could check for both valid internal and external event transitions, but in practice this just takes more storage space and generates busywork for very little benefit. The real need for validating transitions lies in the asynchronous, external events where a client can cause an event to occur at an inappropriate time. Once the state machine is executing, it cannot be interrupted. It is under the control of the class's private implementation, thereby making transition checks unnecessary. This gives the designer the freedom to change states, via internal events, without the burden of updating transition tables.
State Machine Implementation
Two base classes are necessary to use a state machine object:
StateMachine and
EventData. A class inherits from
StateMachine to obtain the necessary mechanisms to support state transitions and event handling. The
StateMachine class also contains various preprocessor macros to ease implementation of the state machine. To send data structures or classes to the state functions, the structure must inherit from the
EventData base class.
I first present a look at the internals of the
StateMachine class. Then
I show how to use it correctly.
StateMachine is the base class used for
handling state transitions (see Listings Two and Three).
Any class implemented as a state machine inherits from this class. The interface
is contained within three functions:
void ExternalEvent(unsigned char, EventData* = NULL) void InternalEvent(unsigned char, EventData* = NULL) virtual const StateStruct* GetStateMap() = 0
Listing Two: Defines base class for state machines
#ifndef STATE_MACHINE_H #define STATE_MACHINE_H #include <stdio.h> #include "EventData.h" struct StateStruct; // base class for state machines class StateMachine { public: StateMachine(int maxStates); virtual ~StateMachine() {} protected: enum { EVENT_IGNORED = 0xFE, CANNOT_HAPPEN }; unsigned char currentState; void ExternalEvent(unsigned char, EventData* = NULL); void InternalEvent(unsigned char, EventData* = NULL); virtual const StateStruct* GetStateMap() = 0; private: const int _maxStates; bool _eventGenerated; EventData* _pEventData; void StateEngine(void); }; typedef void (StateMachine::*StateFunc)(EventData *); struct StateStruct { StateFunc pStateFunc; }; #define BEGIN_STATE_MAP \ public:\ const StateStruct* GetStateMap() {\ static const StateStruct StateMap[] = { #define STATE_MAP_ENTRY(entry)\ { reinterpret_cast<StateFunc>(entry) }, #define END_STATE_MAP \ { reinterpret_cast<StateFunc>(NULL) }\ }; \ return &StateMap[0]; } #define BEGIN_TRANSITION_MAP \ static const unsigned char TRANSITIONS[] = {\ #define TRANSITION_MAP_ENTRY(entry)\ entry, #define END_TRANSITION_MAP(data) \ 0 };\ ExternalEvent(TRANSITIONS[currentState], data); #endif //STATE_MACHINE_H
Listing Three: Implements StateMachine class
#include <assert.h> #include "StateMachine.h" StateMachine::StateMachine(int maxStates) : _maxStates(maxStates), currentState(0), _eventGenerated(false), _pEventData(NULL) { } // generates an external event. called once per external event // to start the state machine executing void StateMachine::ExternalEvent(unsigned char newState, EventData* pData) { // if we are supposed to ignore this event if (newState == EVENT_IGNORED) { // just delete the event data, if any if (pData) delete pData; } else { // generate the event and execute the state engine InternalEvent(newState, pData); StateEngine(); } } // generates an internal event. called from within a state // function to transition to a new state void StateMachine::InternalEvent(unsigned char newState, EventData* pData) { _pEventData = pData; _eventGenerated = true; currentState = newState; } // the state engine executes the state machine states void StateMachine::StateEngine(void) { EventData* pDataTemp = NULL; // TBD - lock semaphore here // while events are being generated keep executing states while (_eventGenerated) { pDataTemp = _pEventData; // copy of event data pointer _pEventData = NULL; // event data used up, reset ptr _eventGenerated = false; // event used up, reset flag assert(currentState < _maxStates); // execute the state passing in event data, if any const StateStruct* pStateMap = GetStateMap(); (this->*pStateMap[currentState].pStateFunc)(pDataTemp); // if event data was used, then delete it if (pDataTemp) { delete pDataTemp; pDataTemp = NULL; } } // TBD - unlock semaphore here }
ExternalEvent generates an external event to the state machine using as arguments the new state and a pointer to an
EventData object, if any. The
InternalEvent function generates internal events using the same set of arguments. The
GetStateMap function returns an array of state-function pointers which will be retrieved by the state engine when appropriate. This function must be implemented by the inheriting class since it is pure virtual. However, macros are provided to implement this function for us, as I will demonstrate shortly.


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A deer that was spotted with an arrow through its snout earlier this month was caught Saturday night, and the arrow was removed, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Susan Darrah first took took pictures of the five month old buck on her 10-acre farm in Rockaway Township and notified the DEP of its plight.
After authorities made several attempts to spot and catch the deer, it finally returned to her property in the early evening Saturday to feed on some corn she had put out.
"He got a perfect shot," Darrah said of the DEP agent who shot the deer with a tranquilizer.
The deer ran a few yards before collapsing from the drug, and then agents unscrewed the arrowhead and removed the shaft, Darrah said.
According to DEP spokesman Larry Hajna, the arrow had pierced the deer's nasal cavity and did not damage any organs.
After the deer's wound was treated with antibiotics, it was released.
"He eventually got up on wobbly legs," Darrah said. "He headed back to the woods."
Hajna said its chances of survival are "excellent."
It might help that they painted the deer's tail purple, to match the purple coloring in Darrah's hair.


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text:
|2007-09-21, 02:33
|Link #82
Taking in Life's hits
Join Date: Jul 2007
I've considered that, but the Generic Discussion thread is pretty much all over the place. Having another thread that focuses on second-impressions would be better. It will also bring more scrutiny to seemingly trivial things that ended up hinting at more things that would have otherwise been overshadowed by unrelated discussions. Hopefully, bringing a much more different perspective of the series as a whole.
Like on episode 3, the invitation card that Konata got shows that Yui was married to Kiyotaka Narumi, the same name as the brother of the protagonist in Spiral.
|2007-09-21, 02:39
|Link #83
♪~ Daydreaming ~♪
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Italy
Compile it well enough and I'll move it as the first post of the new thread.
Last edited by Pellissier; 2007-09-21 at 11:45.
|2007-11-16, 13:54
|Link #85
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Moe Land
Age: 38
Hey guys the new PS2 game of LS is out. Can we have a game section for this? I've ordered mine already from my friend going to Japan to get me a copy after seeing the Konata's Love Box. Seems like It's SEBASTIAN (Shiraishi) your controlling. Not sure yet...but it looks like a sim game from the screens, also I need help I can't read Japanese Kanji. When I get my copy I'll post how the game works till then.
I don't have a DS and it's SO DAMN HARD to find a copy of the MOE DRILL game...
|2007-12-16, 04:26
|Link #86
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: New Zealand
Another request for a video game thread, please. As well as the DS games, the PS2 game is edging closer to release (think Achilles and the tortoise). And of course there's Lucky Star no Mori, the ultimate in fast-paced immersive 3D
|2008-02-10, 15:46
|Link #87
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Yeah PS2 game is surprisingly solid, even though the storyline is a complete disconnect from the overall Lucky Star feel. Still, the characters mesh well with the story and there's lot of light exploration of character for each of the girls.
Not sure if there's going to be a lot of people playing it, but I'd vouch for a thread. There sure is a lot to talk about in it.
|2008-02-10, 18:48
|Link #88
My Otome~
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Poland
Age: 31
well - on animereactor, like every year, are nominations for the best anime of year (2007)... I think fans of LS should know about it, so new topic would be a good idea
link: http://forum.anime-reactor.net/viewf...943c799222a67d (only registered users can vote)
Last edited by T4K3Y4; 2008-02-11 at 00:42.
|2008-02-16, 17:24
|Link #89
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boulder
Thread Formation Request. Titled: "Lucky Star: The Sappho Factor(?)"
Please consider this thread a "catch all" for all posts having to do with this subject and this is the leading page seed. Thanks for your consideration!
Topic: "Lucky Star: The Sappho Factor(?)"
Hi All!!
I was enjoying the catchy tune of "100% Nai Nai Nai" sung by Kagami (awesome! Get it!) and after glancing at the lyrics and -- well, I guess you really can't escape one of the most popular draws Lucky Star has and that's the shoujo-ai angle, regardless your feelings on the subject. So I guess we might as well explore it.
Of course there's the Minami-Yutaka thing, but personally I think that's really a red herring tease putting us on the same fantasy ride as Hyouri because I just don't see any real moves going on here. Konata and Kagami are different animals because you can see sprinkled around the series coy hints (in Konata's case sometimes not so coy) of some wild wishful feelings going on planted by Kyotoanimation's honchos. It's fun being teased like this, and for me Kagami is a schizoid case of wanting and denial. I mean the way Kagami's wailing and whining to God in "100% Nai Nai Nai" for having separate classes from Konata is both funny and a little heart-wrenching in a way. Kaggie's protesting way too much and deep for a simple brief separation of close friends. I mean this poor girl's seriously HURTIN' for clingy, and where there's smoke there's fire. And I think Konata's all too willing to blaze!
So why don't they "catch"?
Well, I guess outside it not being a "after prime-time" show, I'd like to think there's a kind of unspoken "chicken" game going on between these two. Kagami's a real puzzle because she's smart, pretty, outgoing, yet there's not even a casual boyfriend. Either she puts them off or isn't turned on (maybe that's the definition of a Lucky Star girl?). Kagami sees herself as a (somewhat snooty) upright example of proper feminine behavior and sensibilities, yet her mindless libido's being tickled by a lazy midget weirdo geek who she regards as below her level. That Kagami even bothers giving Konata the time of day much less spending quality time with her so is crazy and telling. Like what keeps her bouncing back to Konata who really abuses her so? How long would you stick with someone ALWAYS copying your homework and makes some pretty cruel cracks about you in public? Is she just a pig for punishment -- or is there more? We know Kagami cares a lot about Konata because she's always on her case and from that tender concert seat swap. Could Kagami actually envy Konata? Konata is super-athetletic, equivalently intelligent or maybe even more (capable of cramming weeks of work in one nite and still make good exam grades), and unabashedly aggressive. Konata lucks out in the manners department -- but that can be adjusted with a little "love". Now if Kagami is actually boy-shy, then Konata is a perfect substitute "boyfriend" for her to imagine hanging around with.
As for Konata (chuckle), Konata, in my opinion is amoral to indifference on this front; Soujuion's adult games and casual attitudes have early corrupted her mind to at the least find boys her age immature and boring. This might cause a bizzare side of effect that if it weren't for her early rapt interest in games she'd been hopping more beds than hop-scotching by middle school. Konata kinda reminds me of a cat toying with a mouse, and that mouse is Kagami which keeps popping out of its mouse hole to get whacked by the cat again and again, and I think the mouse senses the cat's 'interested' in playing more dangerous games and anxiously (and hypocritically) dodges it each time. I think what's notable is there're very few scenes where Konata and Kagami are truly alone in a situation where no one could walk in on them to fan up their simmering fires. I think Kagami would start feeling awkward pretty quick "trapped" with Konata so. A very dangerous scene could've been them being all alone in that summer bath house scene at the beach with Konata pushing her mock-coquette teases on a blushing flustered Kagami. It would be interesting who's left standing on a desert island!
While Kagami's eggshell pride's pretty much all that's keeping her from getting all gushy in front of Konata, I don't see any inhibitions on Konata's side at all in a yuri relationship; maybe she's just bidding her time or is too involved in games to crack the ice or is just to plain lazy to right now. But I think if Konata did a serious hit on Kagami (and she toys with that idea a lot), Kagami would tip over once all her sputtering denial got vented. I can also see Kagami, once over that hump, trying to refine Konata to her classy level -- she'd like that since it doesn't work with Tsukasa. I can't second-guess the writers, but I've a sneaky suspicion they planted this subtle insinuation.
Sadly tho', I think it'd be a rather brief shallow relationship since Kagami might well wish a deeper more serious relationship while Konata might likely take it as new kind of game/sport. Konata just doesn't come across to me as being emotionally developed or deep enough to appreciate the finer details of sharing one's innermost feelings (her dad's fault). I think at best it'd be a "yuri fling" which Kagami would quickly get over with passions and curiosity sated, and returning to see Konata the same old way.
Anyway that's my rambling take on the issue guys. I'm wearing my asbestos jumpsuit! Thanks for letting me push my iPhone's warranty!
|2008-03-13, 02:32
|Link #90
Sky Warrior
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Age: 38
Lucky Star Marriage Prospects Thread.
A year or so ago, there were two fun threads in the Mai-Hime/Mai-Otome forums called the "Marriage Prospect" pages.
They're still there, take a look. It is basically a tongue in cheek look at how good life partners the Guys/Girls of a series would be if you go to an anime world.
Each character is described as thus:
Warrior Skills:
Housekeeping Skills:
Father/Mother Material:
I propose we do a thread like this for the Girls and Guys of Lucky Star.
If permitted, let the fun begin!!
|2008-03-20, 10:41
|Link #91
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boulder
Having Lucky Star Folks Drop By
Hi All!
Is there some way to get Lucky Star artists or writers to drop by (even anon) on these pages and do comments and remarks? Who would we contact to do this? KyotoAnimation or their agents?
|2008-03-20, 10:45
|Link #92
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
|2008-03-20, 18:51
|Link #93
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boulder
Request for a "Translation Please" Thread
It'd be nice to have a page where Japanese fans here can help translate short takes of L*S we find here and there, like http://i26.tinypic.com/2ebair6.jpg for example. Not to translate whole mangas, but just a sentense or two for us great unwashed who haven't taken the time to learn Japanese!
Thanks to anyone who heeds the call!
|2008-03-25, 03:44
|Link #95
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Besides, the writers and artists are probably terrible at English anyway. This really isn't a request for thread though... your question really belong over in the Q&A thread.
As far as translating manga bits... there is a scanlation project (also a copyright violation) for Lucky Star and I believe they've translated the first 20 chapters or so (check the manga thread). Rather than a "translation please" thread creation, I'd say just put requests for manga samples in the L*S Manga thread.
|2008-03-28, 15:01
|Link #96
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boulder
Authoress of "Kanata: Totally Dead??" and "Kanata's Dream"
|2008-03-28, 15:19
|Link #97
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
General Chat > General Chat Thread Index > Could Someone Please Translate This?
|2008-05-05, 13:00
|Link #98
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 38
Please start a thread for the new Lucky Star OVA adaptation
The announcement is here:
|2008-05-05, 16:12
|Link #99
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Lucky Star (OVA), Expectations and Speculation thread created.
|2008-06-08, 03:51
|Link #100
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boulder
Lucky☆Star Fan-Fiction Critique Section
Hi All!
Okay, this might sound sneaky and blatantly self-serving, but one way to gin up some heat and banter around here is why not have a L*S fan-fiction stroke-and-flame section to remark, coo and tear apart L*S fanfics from Fanfiction.net and whatever strange sites these works might be hiding while everyone's waiting for (maybe over-hyped) OVAs with bated breath? I mean if Murder Mystery and Pocket Travelers has already "legitimized" fantasy and way-out plots in the L*S universe, then a lot of good fan-fiction along those lines are just as quasi-canon and should be as appreciated and recognized.
After all, many KA writers and artists cut their teeth doing fan-fics themselves!
Just a thought! Have a safe day!
"Miyuki's Spaced-Out Secret":
"The Yamato Effect":
|Thread Tools


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I guess I've gotten the itch again. UGH. It must be that time of year, when it needs a scratch. I will look back on this post and hate myself I'm sure, but alas, here's the training plan for the ARKANSAS MARATHON ON MARCH 4!
I'm pretty excited about it and am looking forward to going out of state for my first out of state marathon. I've created this training plan based loosely on my work schedule and what is feasible for me. I can't run that much, bottom line. I get burnt out, give up and hate my life. I like running but long distances are really draining, difficult and hard for me. I feel like this is a good mix to give me lots of much needed rest. All the days are flexible as well, especially the Saturday/Sunday days. If I cannot run on a Saturday, I will switch my long run to Sunday and it will be what it is. I don't mind running after a long run the next day, it does help loosen up the muscles.
I also am considering running LA again.. I mean I will be fairly trained and it's much easier to knock out two than to only do one and then take time off and train again… Maybe that's just me, but I want to be at 10 marathons by the end of the year next year and right now I'm at 8, so two more next year. (click on the spreadsheet if you want to see it bigger)
I do have just a bit of speed work in there and I'm actually looking forward to the whole training round. I'm hoping the excitement and glitter don't wear off too quickly but I have a ways to go to ramp up my mileage. I think this will work best for ME that that's what matters. :) Two 20 milers and a lot of gym and rest time should make me one happy tiger come March 4.
Just please don't let this happen again.
and let's have more of this during this training session!


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Jupiter is up all night long by month's end.
That's because on Friday night, October 28, Earth passes between the Sun and Jupiter. In this alignment ('opposition') Jupiter rises at dusk and sets at dawn. Already, Jupiter is a late evening object rising just after 8:30 pm on October 1. Face east at the appropriate time and look for the brightest thing there—that'll be Jupiter. Once up, Jupiter remains up the rest of the night, so the King of Planets continues to dominate the western pre-dawn sky.
|photo credit: Undertow851
Venus begins to emerge from the Sun's glare late this month. Look for it low in the west southwest in twilight, especially as Halloween approaches. This is the beginning of Venus' apparition as evening star; it gets higher and easier to see for the rest of this year and is spectacular for about the first half of 2012.
Mars is now a bit higher in the east at dawn.
It has now brightened to rival first magnitude stars such as Regulus in Leo. As it moves through dim Cancer and towards Leo, Mars is quite identifiable. Saturn is behind the Sun and invisible. It is directly in line with the Sun on October 13. We thus say Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on that date.
Antares, brightest star of Scorpius, the Scorpion, sets in the southwest during twilight, with the 'teapot' of Sagittarius to its upper left. Meanwhile, the Summer Triangle is virtually overhead. As the stars of summer shift to the west, those of autumn fill the eastern sky. Watch the Great Square of Pegasus rise in the east. Note that we look towards the center of our galaxy when we face between Scorpius and Sagittarius. When facing the Great Square or especially south and east of that, we face out of the plane of our galaxy, a direction where there are fewer bright stars.
|photo credit: Ed Bierman
That's why the large expanse of sky rising under Pegasus seems devoid of bright stars.
For this reason, ancient Babylonians designated this broad area of sky as the 'Celestial Sea', and filled it watery constellations. The only bright star in this whole expanse of our sky is Fomalhaut in the southeast, which marks the mouth of the Southern Fish. Between the 'teapot' of Sagittarius and Jupiter (in Aries, the Ram), are three dim zodiacal constellations—Capricornus, the Sea Goat, Aquarius, the Water Carrier, and Pisces, the Fish. The giant sea monster Cetus rises under Pisces.
|Moon Phases in October 2011:
|First Quarter
|October 3, 10:15 pm
|October 11, 9:06 pm
|Last Quarter
|October 19, 10:31 am
|October 26, 2:56 pm
Saturday, October 8, is our annual Astronomy Day at the George Observatory.
|photo credit: Space Ritual
Come join us anytime from 3 to 10 pm. On Astronomy Day, it is free to look through even the main domes at George. Before dusk, we will have solar observing, Expedition Center simulations, outdoor and indoor presentations (beginning at 4) and many other activities! On most clear Saturday nights at the George Observatory, you can hear me do live star tours on the observation deck with a green laser pointer. If you're there, listen for my announcement.


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Christmas Ornament Collection
Celebrate the holiday season with Christmas Ornament. Marathon's exclusive Holiday Photoshop designs created by our award-winning design team. The design collection has a wide variety of Bella shape options and customizable features.
Special Note: Holiday greeting card sample packs are available for a small $7 shipping and handling fee. The sample pack features our 7 signature papers, coating options, and some new shapes(click here to request your sample pack). We have also created an unbranded website with all of the Holiday greeting card designs, the site is located at www.UpscaleCards.com The site is a perfect way to show your clients the many options available(Ipad, iPhone and tablet compatible).
The Christmas Ornament Collection includes:
4 color combinations
14 sizes and shapes
When you purchase the design template, you will be sent an email with your receipt and a link to download the Christmas Ornament Collection. You will also receive a separate email with your coupon code for the value of the design collection(expect delivery of coupon code 24-48 hours after purchase). The coupon code can only be used in Marathon ROES. http://www.marathonpress.com/download-marathon-roes/
Design Templates are not to be shared or redistributed in any manner. Design Templates are a digital product and due to the nature of the product, all sales are final. Please email firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions prior to purchase.


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Two days after naming a new chief executive, shares of Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU) fell close to 11% on Thursday as the yoga apparel maker issued a disappointing outlook that seemed to take analysts by surprise.
Continue Reading Below
The Vancouver-based company blamed the tepid full-year view on slower-than-expected traffic and supply chain issues that have plagued the apparel company since the March see-through pants debacle.
Shares of Lululemon fell 10.5% to $61.31 in recent trade, pushing them down about 20% on the year.
The women's sports apparel company once again lowered its fiscal 2013 revenue outlook, now anticipating sales between $1.605 billion and $1.61 billion, down from $1.625 billion and $1.635 billion previously, and below the Street's view of $1.64 billion. Full-year earnings per share are estimated between $1.94 and $1.96, mostly under the consensus view of $1.96 a share.
For the fourth quarter, it estimates earnings of 78 cents to 80 cents a share on revenue between $535 million and $540 million, both weaker than the 84 cents and $572 million being predicted by analysts.
Analysts still seemed taken off guard by the guidance.
Canaccord Genuity analyst Camilo Lyon said the brokerage was "perplexed" by the change in same-store sales trends implied by the outlook, which would imply a significant, disproportionate structural shift in the business.
Lyon also said the outlook could be overly cautious in the wake of the new CEO arrival.
UBS (NYSE:UBS) analyst Roxanne Meyer said she continues to believe Lululemon remains one of the best long-term growth strategies, though she sees limited margin expansion.
In a statement, Lululemon CEO Christine Day spoke of 2013 as a year of "challenges, learnings and growth" for the business.
"While our outlook for the fourth quarter is being impacted by both macro and execution issues, I believe that the investments we are making in the business combined with the team in place create a strong platform for growth in the years ahead," Day said, who will step down at the end of the fiscal year.
Day is being replaced by Toms Shoes president Laurent Potdevin.
Despite the weak outlook, Lululemon pulled off a solid third-quarter performance, having reported a 20% increase in third-quarter sales of $379.9 million, which topped average analyst estimates of $376 million in a Thomson Reuters poll.
Same-store sales, a key growth metric, increased 5%.
Net income was $66.1 million, or 45 cents a share, up from a year-earlier profit of $57.3 million, or 39 cents. The results topped the Street's per-share view of 41 cents.


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Sandi Soendker
Managing Editor
You gotta be kiddin' me.
By a majority of 5-1, the justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled June 2 that police officers in the Buckeye State can issue speeding tickets based on visual estimates of speed and without any other form of proof such as radar.
This is one of the most inconsistent decisions to come down from the bench in years.
One trucker e-mailed me an interesting suggestion that this boneheaded decision is ready-made for that "Mythbusters" show on the Discovery Channel. I am totally on board with such an episode.
We want to see the popular TV show people set up a test on a major highway through Ohio with two teams of Ohio police. One team uses radar; one team just uses eyeballs. Let them guesstimate the speed of a dozen cars, a couple motorcycles and a couple dozen semi trucks. Let's see if those Ray-Banned eyeballs can be trusted to detect speed crimes and are accurate enough to write a ticket for a serious violation that could contribute to a trucker losing his CDL.
I am not saying that some cops do not have such superpowers, for I do believe in Dirty Harry. But would it not be realistic to consider that not all officers have the same spatial acuity?
The judges ruled that the practice is allowed as long as an officer has been trained and certified in visual speed estimation by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. I wonder what kind of training they get there. What kind of extensive training could there be for visual speed estimation? Maybe a few hours out on the highway guessing speeds and then you get a signed certificate?
For truckers who regularly roll through Ohio, we recommend that you consider changing your paint, stripes, driving habits, etc. that may give the illusion that you are going fast.
Ditch the flames and racing stripes and don't lean forward on the wheel, even if your back needs a rest. If your wife or girlfriend is riding with you, tell her not to hang on at roundabouts as if she's at Six Flags. If your dog likes to travel with its head out the window, ears flapping madly in the wind, you'll have to keep the windows up in Ohio.
Pissing off cops for any reason while you're there is not a good idea either. LL
Editor's note: In this issue of Land Line, Associate Editor Dave Tanner reports on how this ruling came about. See his story on Page 38.


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When you have
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you may have
physical symptoms that have no obvious cause.
PTSD also may raise your risk of having other medical conditions.footnote 1
Having other conditions like
depression or
anxiety with PTSD also may result in having more
physical symptoms.footnote 1
Physical health
problems and mental illness can occur together in a number of ways:
When you have a physical illness and a mental illness, it
can be much harder to cope. Being sick can impact every area of your life. It
can change how you think and feel about yourself and your relationships. It may
affect your ability to work and enjoy life.
It's possible that
your mental illness and health problems aren't related. If you have PTSD and
also get sick, this doesn't always mean PTSD is the cause of your
Getting the right treatments for PTSD and other health
conditions is the best thing you can do. Talk with your doctor and your family
about how you can cope with your health problems.
For more
information, see the topic
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
CitationsJanowski K (2011). PTSD and physical health. A National Center for PTSD fact sheet. Available online: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/ptsd-physical-health.asp.
ByHealthwise StaffPrimary Medical ReviewerAdam Husney, MD - Family MedicineSpecialist Medical ReviewerJessica Hamblen, PhD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Current as ofMay 3, 2017
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May 3, 2017
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Jessica Hamblen, PhD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
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Last modified on: 8 September 2017


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Coca-Cola has put out "clear targets" for long-term growth, and the company has "met or exceed" them three years in a row, CEO Muhtar Kent told CNBC on Tuesday, after the soft drink giant released better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings but missed on revenues.
"In a world where you have this kind of volatility," he said, "to be able to deliver results of growth in earnings … cash … market share … and volumes, we're pleased."
Coca-Cola posted fourth-quarter earnings excluding items of 45 cents per share, up from 40 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Analysts had expected Coca-Cola to report per-share profits of 44 cents on $11.53 billion in revenue, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. Revenue was slightly short of those estimates, though still rising to $11.46 billion from $11.04 billion a year ago.
(Read More: CNBC's Earnings Central)


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Firearms and My Future
"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive . . ."
-- Taken from The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
So many of us spend our lives in dead-end, low paying jobs just to pay the bills. Sometimes it seems easier to maintain the status quo rather than take a leap of faith and try something new. Especially if that something new involves our dreams, our deepest desires. I speak from experience. After a string of boring, low paying, unfulfilling jobs I had taken a position as a store manager for Blockbuster Video. It seemed like easy enough work for average pay. Best of all, the job landed in my lap so I didn't have to go hunting for a job and put myself out there to look for what I really wanted to do and risk rejection.
I was working on a Wednesday in January of 1997. My day-shift employee had not shown up for work that day. A man came in and took advantage of my being alone in the store that day and robbed me at gunpoint. I was laying face down on the floor in the back of the store, with my hands behind my back and a gun pointed at the back of my head. My life flashed before my eyes. I hadn't done anything with my career or my life that I felt passionate about. I didn't have anyone in my life that I really cared about. Except for when I went and volunteered at some of the local AIDS service organizations, my life consisted of marking time, waiting on the next day to pass by, then the next and so on.
"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life . . ."
-- From Still Mostly True: Collected Writings and Drawings of Brian Andreas
We've all heard the expression "It took someone pointing a gun at my head to make something happen." Well, in my case it did. I took two weeks off for post-traumatic stress disorder at the recommendation of the therapist I saw after the incident. I worked with her and -- through counseling and talking through the issues in my life -- I decided that it was time to move on and finally make a change. I looked at my life and what I felt passionate about. I really enjoyed what I did as a volunteer, educating and advocating for people in need that had difficulty being heard or noticed. It was decided! I would get my masters in social work. I began applying to graduate school and was accepted into the Social Work Masters Program at the University of Georgia. I took a bold step, quit my job at Blockbuster and got financial aid to pay for school. Flash forward four years and here I am, working in a job I love, helping empower, and educate persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
"I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream and an angel in black tights came to me and said, 'You can start any time now,' and then I asked 'Is this a sign?' and the angel started laughing and I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there's no laughter, I know they're not for me . . . "
-- From Mostly True: Collected Writings and Drawings of Brian Andreas
I guess the purpose of this tale is to pass on to you that you don't have to wait for someone to put a gun to your head to make a change in your life. Is it fear that is stopping you? Confront the fears that are keeping you from doing what you most want to do with your life. Not enough time? We can always find time for the things we really want to do. Not enough money? Everyone has heard the saying "Do what you love and the money will follow." However, It doesn't necessarily mean that if you do what you love, tons of money will fall into your lap (though, it could happen!). What it truly means is that if you put yourself and your dreams out there and begin to pursue them, the finances, resources, and support you need will become available. When you go about pursuing your dream, it is important to realize that dreams do not become reality without a cost being associated. For example, I pursued my dream of getting a masters in social work. But in order to pursue that dream, I had to change the way I lived my life, curb my spending habits and learn to live on a student's budget. I also had to curb my social activities and skip the movies and television shows to read, research, study and write papers.
"The secret is not in your hand, or your eye, or your voice, my aunt once told me. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn't make it any easier . . ."
-- From Still Mostly True: Collected Writings and Drawings of Brian Andreas
"We spend most of our lives working. We might as well find an occupation that fires us up and engages our heart. When you find work you love and have the courage to pursue it, success is certain to follow. We are all here for a special purpose and we all have unique gifts and talents. Discover your calling and have the self-discipline to follow it."
-- Taken from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma
"In my dream the angel shrugged and said, 'If we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination' and then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand . . ."
-- From Still Mostly True: Collected Writings and Drawings of Brian Andreas
Remember that the world is there for the taking. Try not to be afraid to take the first step . . . then once you have taken that step enjoy the journey!


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ECR4Kids 24" x 36" Rectangular Activity Table, Standard Legs w/ Ball Glides (Gray Top/Green Edge) Review by our chair experts
Ideal for use in classrooms, playrooms, churches, recreational centers, and at home, the ECR4Kids adjustable activity table provides a versatile and fun space for kids to work or play. The double-sided laminate tabletop is easy to clean and sanitize between science experiments and snack time, and it features rounded edges for safety. Standard table legs adjust in 1-inch increments from 19 to 30 inches to accommodate growing children, and they feature composite ball glides that are great for carpeted floors. Upper table legs are powder coated tubular steel and lower legs are chrome plated. Matching school stack chairs are sold separately. ECR4Kids adjustable activity tables have achieved GREENGUARD [GOLD] Certification for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. They are also CPSIA-compliant for safety. With a concentration on the Pre K-12 sector, ECR4Kids offers a wide range of products from tables, chairs and desks to cots, mats and a variety of storage cases in solid wood as well as scratch resistant double-sided laminate.
Chair Details
- Institutional quality 24 x 36-inch rectangular adjustable activity table made of stain-resistant and easy-to-clean double-sided laminate with rounded edges for safety
- Ideal for use in classrooms, preschools, daycares, kindergartens, playrooms, churches, and recreational center environments, as well as at home
- Standard table legs feature powder coated tubular steel; adjust in 1-inch increments from 19 to 30 inches high; composite ball glides great for carpeted floors
- Matching school stack chairs sold separately; stack chairs available with either composite ball glides or self-leveling nylon swivel glides
- GREENGUARD [GOLD] Certified for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage; suitable for use in environments such as schools and healthcare facilities
ECR4Kids 24" x 36" Rectangular Activity Table, Standard Legs w/ Ball Glides (Gray Top/Green Edge) Chair Review
Chair Price: $289.44
Sale Price: $148.67
Chair Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 weeks


text:
The following represent the highest priorities for funding at this time:
Student Scholarships
Over 90 percent of all students at SMU receive some form of financial aid. With education costs on the rise, it is imperative that we continue to raise scholarship funds to attract the best and the brightest students in all programs within the university. Currently, many SMU students graduate with student loans in excess of $80,000. These same students are committed to their future roles as health care professionals and are prepared to make significant personal sacrifices in order to complete their degrees. Your scholarship gift enables SMU students to focus more on their education with less concern about amassing debt. Named scholarship funds are available with gifts of $25,000 or more.


text:
This spring, as farmers hit the fields, Farm Industry News editors will hit the road to bring you the latest news about products, trends and technologies changing this farm industry.
Editor Karen McMahon just returned from a week-long trip in Puerto Rico, the new hotbed for seed breeding that is changing what U.S. farmers plant.
Here are just a few of the other stories we'll be covering these next few months.
New tire launches: In April, Titan Tire and U.S. newcomer Mitas Agricultural Tires will hold media events to unveil new farm tire technology. Titan will hold its event in Des Moines, where it will give us an in-depth look at the tire market, including industry trends and new advances in technology and compounds to combat soil compaction and the growing problem of stalk puncture. Mitas Agricultural Tires, based in the Czech Republic, will officially become what it says is the third manufacturer to produce radial agricultural tires in the U.S. by opening the doors to its new factory in Charles City, Iowa. Farm Industry News will bring you along on a tour of the plant and formal press conference.
What's next in farm machinery: In May we'll bring you inside the world of agricultural engineering by attending the 27th Annual Ag Machinery Conference in Waterloo, Iowa. At previous conferences, we broke stories about telemetry and Tier 4 diesel engines, which have changed the course of farm vehicles. Hot topics being discussed this year include hybrid and electric drives; advancements in plastics, metal and adhesives; and new developments in biofuels and biolubricants.
What's new at AGCO: This will be a busy year at AGCO based on the number of media invites. The first is to an April ribbon cutting and tour of its fourth full-service parts center, this one located in Independence, Mo. AGCO says the center will improve order processing, parts delivery, phone ordering and technical support in North America.
In June, we'll take you to the grand opening of the Intivity Center, part of AGCO's tractor and sprayer factory in Jackson, Minn. The center will feature interactive displays, animation of futuristic products, videos, and a collection of historical artifacts of its Massey Ferguson and Challenger brand equipment.
Later this summer, AGCO plans to hold several field days for media to showcase some new products and give us the chance to test them out. Also, expect to get an up-close look at its high-tech Fendt tractors made in Germany.
Bookmark this webpage on your browser and check back here to get your own personal ride-and-drive of all the new farm vehicles and equipment.


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Germany "Horrified" That Google's Collecting Publicly-Available Data
from the your-new-world-order-has-a-pretty-rainbow-logo dept
German authorities launched a new fit of privacy hysteria last week after discovering that Google's Street View cars are not only taking photographs -- they're recording the publicly-available router MAC addresses and SSIDs seen as the cars travel past Wi-Fi hotspots. UK and European politicians had already been up in arms about Americans wandering the streets taking pictures of citizens and completely non-secretive government buildings, and now Germany's data protection chief is supposedly "horrified" by the discovery that Google is also collecting public wireless hotspot data. Of course a number of companies and individuals (like Skyhook Wireless and war drivers) have been doing this exact thing for years, but because it's Google -- somehow hysteria reigns.
Neither German authorities or those covering the story seem able to say how precisely an aggregate collection of public data will be used for nefarious purposes. The assumption simply is that Google has somehow figured out a way. The Register for instance informs readers that Google's "uniquely cavalier approach to privacy" and "potential ability to cross reference the information raises additional concerns." Yet the report seems unable to tell readers what those concerns are, instead just assuming that Google must be doing something mischievous, and quoting CEO Eric Schmidt as saying users "shouldn't worry about privacy unless they have something to hide." Of course what Schmidt actually said in that interview with CNBC was somewhat less sinister:
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. But if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines like Google do retain the information for some time, and we are all subject to the Patriot Act, and it is possible that that information may be made available to the authorities."
Though Schmidt does veer awfully close to the surveillance state meme of "if you don't have anything to hide you've got nothing to worry about," in context he's simply saying the obvious: that if you want information kept private -- don't share it -- given public data these days is collected and by proxy easily accessible to law enforcement. With the outcries over Street View taking photographs of your front door, there's nothing being collected that users can't already see should they walk by. With Google's collection of Wi-Fi data, there's again nothing being collected that isn't publicly available. MAC addresses (and in this case we're just talking about hotspot MAC addresses) are changeable, and users can hide their SSID if they don't want the world to see it.
That said, how the aggregate data is used by such a large corporation is very important, and people should push Google to be as transparent as possible -- but there's a difference between asking reasonable questions about Google's data collection practices and just assuming the worst possible scenario. Google isn't publishing this data -- and two different blog posts explain how much data they're collecting, why it's being collected, and how it's being used largely to aid in GPS triangulation and local search. Though clearly from there they'll feed this data into the heads up displays of Google shock troops clad in black gunmetal body armor -- who can then carry out Google's master plan of taking over the planet using your Linksys details.
Filed Under: germany, google street view, privacy
Companies: google


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My 1st Silhouette Project~ Re Purposed Canvas
and I think to myself what a wonderful WORLD!
One of my favorite quotes from my favorite song!
I seen an idea over on Pinterest from Brassy Apple
Go check out her project....it ROCKS!!!
This is a 3 foot $150 Target canvas..........
I found it at a thrift store for around $20 about 4 years ago.
I thought it was time for an update but instead of replacing it…
I decided to Re Purpose it using my NEW Silhouette!
Easier said than done!
I have never owned any type of cutting machine so for me
it was a little confusing to use…..
My plan was to cut words, stick them to the canvas,
paint over the canvas and peel words off to reveal quote.
Silly me assumed that vinyl came with the Silhouette….
so I had to use printer paper……
good thing because I had so many mistakes
that I would have ruined all my vinyl!
Because my canvas is so big I had to cut one letter at a time..........
I cut each word in a different font.......
then used a spray adhesive to attach paper to canvas
See?? What a mess!
Lots of trail and errors with this first project!
Just checking my letter placement…..BUT
I think IF I had white vinyl I might have stopped here…
I like this look!
I used my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey
Because I love the chalky with the glossy quote.
I started in the corner just to make sure this was gonna work
I just used my craft knife to remove the letter
Yep….I think this is gonna work!
Time to paint to rest of the canvas…..
I worked in sections so I could pull the letter off while the paint was still wet
This makes it easy to remove any leaks with a q-tip
This just gives you an idea of how BIG this canvas is!
and there you have it…….
Still trying to figure out this Silhouette
but I'm kinda a slow learner with new gadgets….
Check out all the places I party!
18 comments:
- Ashley said...
holy cow!! it looks great...you made me feel better seeing all that paper on the floor...i've had my silhouette since september and i do good just to cut out a monogram...its just so confusing to me...i've watched videos and read everything i could find...thanks for sharing
ashley @creating love & joy
- December 14, 2011 at 6:02 PM
- StephanieRuth said...
What an awesome idea! You are so creative.
- December 14, 2011 at 7:40 PM
- gail said...
I LOVE your HUGE canvas. Oh my, it is big, isn't it?
You did a great job. I really like the way you went about it, revealing the canvas underneath. :)
Hint: I use ugly contact paper (I buy on clearance) for things like this, never waste good vinyl for temporary projects.
- December 14, 2011 at 9:12 PM
- Ginger said...
Looks awesome! :) So glad you finally got a Silhouette! Yay! I was scared of mine, too when I first got it. I've never cut paper with mine...very clever to use paper for the stencils.
Ginger @ gingersnapcrafts.com
- December 14, 2011 at 9:16 PM
- Ange said...
This looks great! I like how the color pops out from behind the great quote! Nice job!
- December 14, 2011 at 9:58 PM
- Janet said...
AWESOME!!!! I'm not a speedy one with new gadgets either, but you sure made it work. And, like me, for something new you take on a big, complicated project. LOL I still have to do copy & paste to put anything into my blog.
- December 15, 2011 at 7:30 PM
- L2L said...
Ohhhh I love this. I have a canvas painting of a flower vase sitting on a table i think the phrase Bloom where you are planted would be perfect!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
- December 16, 2011 at 10:59 PM
- Jennifer said...
Oh wow! That is cool! What a fantastic idea! Your floor looks like mine has looked all week after cutting fabric, paper, vinyle, you name it. I finally cleaned it all up tonight! Crafting isn't neat that's for sure!
Scissors & Spatulas
- December 16, 2011 at 11:12 PM
- Brassy Apple said...
I love that you tried it and shared it! thank YOU!
I love the way it turned out!
- December 21, 2011 at 9:19 PM
- Dara Lynn said...
I think this turned out fantastic!!! What a wonderful repurpose!!!!!!! I have owned my Silhouette for 2 years now...at first ...it is a little overwhelming but now I can't craft without it...just keep at it!!! I will give some advice with the vinyl....to start out...try the black flocked first... you will LOVE it !!!
- January 3, 2012 at 5:24 AM
- amy & lisa said...
I really love this!! I did a few canvases at Christmas for gifts and I will say it was hard for me not to stop once I had my letters on also. I was not sure I wanted to paint over everything. :) But I did, and they all turned out very nice. I used brush on paint and also tried spray paint.
- January 19, 2012 at 7:57 PM
- PinkLadyFreedom said...
You could have used freezer paper. You iron it on and there would be no leaks and it comes off pretty easy... I use this for screen printing tee shirts but you can use it on pretty much anything! :)Thanks for the tutorial!
- January 24, 2012 at 8:07 AM
- Stacey said...
YES!!! I am so happy you posted this. When I saw the original on the other website I got super excited and I lay in bed dreaming of my finished project. I knew 1 thing for sure. I was going to paint over my letters in grey! Now I have a complete vision. I am going to buy a painting from a second hand store and go to town. Thanks again for posting.
- February 16, 2012 at 11:54 PM
- shaunnaRooskie said...
i love the way this turned out & really like your take on this project - over an already painted canvas - i have so many ideas running through my brain right now!!! thank you for sharing and good luck with your Silhouette - hope it's gotten a little easier for you - its definitely tricky at first but still SO worth it! thanks for sharing this awesome tutorial :)
- April 13, 2012 at 4:10 AM
- Smith said...
What an awesome idea! Thanks so much for sharing. I never thought of doing it this way! Too cool! roygroething.com | Checkout roygroething silhouette portrait
- June 8, 2013 at 12:23 AM
- Wendy May said...
I love this whole project! Love the painting you picked, the letters/fonts, and the lyrics. Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I have to make a "Sunshine" one for my nieces room. I'm just going to go for it!
- August 28, 2013 at 2:03 PM
- Tyelinda Baumgardner said...
I love it. Its beautiful. Makes me feel like I can do hearing some of the struggles you went thru. Thanks for sharing.
- January 1, 2014 at 10:13 PM
- Nermine Ayman said...
شركة تنظيف بجدة
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة
شركة رش مبيدات بجدة
نقل عفش جدة
شركة مكافحة الحشرات بجدة
شركة تنظيف شقق جدة
شركة عزل خزانات بالظهران
شركة نقل أثاث بالخبر
شركة نقل أثاث بالدمام
شركات فى المملكة
تخلص من الحشرات
نقل وتخزين الأثاث بجودة عالية
جلى البلاط والرخام
نظافة المسابح
- June 11, 2014 at 9:05 PM


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Letter to the House Natural Resources Committee for mark-up of forest county schools legislation
September 26, 2007
Dear Representative:
On behalf of NEA's 3.2 million members, we urge you to support H.R. 3058, the Public Lands Communities Transition Act, scheduled for mark-up in the Committee on Natural Resources today. This important legislation will provide critical funding to ensure that schools located in timber-dependent rural areas have secure funding into the future. Actions in committee on this issue may be included in the NEA Legislative Report Card for the 110th Congress.
H.R. 3058 would authorize transition payments similar to those provided by the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-393), which are critical to the survivability of over 775 rural counties and 4,400 schools near national forests in 42 states across the country. The Secure Rural Schools and Communities program has made a real difference for schools in rural, timber-ependent counties, by ensuring them a consistent funding stream. Prior to implementation of this program, schools in heavily timbered counties were in crisis, experiencing dramatic reductions in funding. The program has restored critical educational services for students in rural schools and prevented the closure of numerous isolated rural schools.
Unfortunately, P.L. 106-393 expired at the end of 2006 and is currently operating on a one-year extension. Failure to provide a more permanent solution for these schools and counties, like the transition payments offered by H.R. 3058, would be devastating. Remote rural areas already struggle to attract teachers and public service employees -- they simply cannot afford the lack of security that failure to act on this legislation would create.
Again, we urge your support for H.R. 3058. We look forward to working with you to create more secure futures for rural schools in timber-dependent counties and to ensure great public schools for every child.
Diane Shust, Director of Government Relations
Randall Moody, Manager of Federal Advocacy


text:
Midtown West, New York City Reiseführer
Midtown West Zusammenfassung
- Close proximity to both Times Square and the Theater District, yet a bit removed from the crowds
- Central Park
- Incredible views of the city from both the "Top of the Rock" at Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building
- Live recording of various TV shows, including Saturday Night Live, the Today Show, and the Late Show with David Letterman
- Close access to every major subway line from most areas
- Some of New York's best restaurants at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle
- Designer shopping along 5th Avenue and at the Time Warner Center
- Vibrant nightlife, gay clubs, and a variety of top-tier restaurants in Hell's Kitchen
- Expensive parking, even for New York
- Large office buildings, mostly; not the charm of many downtown neighborhoods
- Far from hip downtown nightlife; cabs downtown can be expensive
- Some areas around Central Park and Times Square can be congested with foot traffic
What It's Like
Outside the dazzling marquees of Times Square, Midtown West is made up of numerous smaller neighborhoods, each of which has its own character and appeal. West of Times Square, superb restaurants line 9th and 10th Avenues in the once-seedy, now revitalized Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Across town, there are tourist must-sees like Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, the famous 5th Avenue department stores, as well as Bryant Park, with its free ice-skating rink in the winter and free classic-film screenings in the summer. At the northern boundary, marking the start of Central Park, there's Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center's boutiques and acclaimed five-star restaurants. South of Times Square, the Knicks and Rangers play at Madison Square Garden, fashion designers seek samples in the Garment District, tourists perch atop the Empire State Building to overlook the city, and locals bustle between bi bim bap restaurants and authentic karaoke joints in Koreatown.
Where to Stay
As Midtown West is such a large and diverse part of the city, choosing the right hotel largely depends on what you'd like to do. Some of the most prominent (and most expensive) hotels in the city line the southern border of Central Park -- the Jumeirah Essex House, the Ritz-Carlton Central Park, the Plaza, and the Mandarin Oriental among them. There are more affordable choices as well, but in this part of Manhattan, if you don't want to pay top dollar you'll have to sacrifice something -- in the case of 6 Columbus and the Hudson Hotel, that's room size; in the case of the Salisbury or the Wellington, it's services, cleanliness, and up-to-date furnishings.
Farther south, the hotels are clustered around Times Square; for most visitors, a little distance from the tourist frenzy is a welcomed advantage to saying in Midtown West. East of Times Square, you'll find some of the most attractive (and most expensive) options, such as the sleek and sexy Bryant Park Hotel and the historic hotels along the flag-lined strip of West 44th Street known as "Club Row" (the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Sofitel, among others). South and west of Times Square, closer toward the parking lots, the Greyhound Bus Depot, and the tunnel traffic coming in from New Jersey, there are more affordable options, but these hotels often come at the cost of convenience -- they are much farther from the subway stations, tourist attractions, and restaurants. Even farther south and farther west, there are a select few hotels close to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. East of the convention center, closer to the Flatiron District and Murray Hill, a number of hotels are also concentrated near Penn Station (a major transportation hub that services Amtrak), Madison Square Garden (home of the New York Knicks and Rangers), and the Empire State Building; all three of these areas are a bit dull, comparative to elsewhere in New York, but they are still fine alternatives to paying top dollar to stay in the core tourist zones.


text:
Billionaire investor Peter R. Kellogg and IAT Reinsurance Co. Ltd., the Bermuda-based insurance company his family owns, are suing the Internal Revenue Service for refunds of $186 million in taxes and interest they paid after the IRS revoked IAT's tax-exemption retroactively. In court documents, Kellogg and IAT claim IRS officials were "unduly prejudiced" against them by a "politically charged atmosphere" created by journalists and that the IRS arbitrarily timed the revocation to maximize the taxes owed and "punish" them.
The IRS also disallowed IAT's deduction of $1.3 million in business and personal travel expenses for Kellogg in 2000 and 2001. IAT argues its board properly authorized payment for Kellogg's personal travel since it "recognized the need for Mr. Kellogg to travel privately because of his status including being listed by Forbes magazine." Forbes estimates that Kellogg, 70, is worth $2.7 billion. He ran Wall Street's top market maker, Spear, Leeds & Kellogg, until engineering its sale to the Goldman Sachs Group in 2000 for $6.5 billion.
Kellogg's use of a 501(c)(15) tax exempt insurance company to shield hundreds of millions in capital gains from tax was first exposed in a March 2001 Forbes cover story on the proliferation of edgy and over the edge tax shelters, Are You A Chump? Back then, the law limited the tax exemption to companies writing no more than $350,000 a year in premiums, but did not cap the investment income or assets exempt insurers could have. So in 1999, Forbes reported, IAT wrote $3,330 in premiums, earned $179 million on its investments and ended the year with $330 million in assets. (Full disclosure: I was the author of that Forbes article.)
The loophole got even more attention in April 2003 when The New York Times published a long story on 501(c)(15), also featuring Kellogg. David Cay Johnston, the author of that article, also singled out Kellogg in his December 2003 book, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everybody . (Johnston is now a columnist for Tax Analysts and lecturer at Syracuse University Law School.)
Kellogg's assertions about the IRS' bias and political sensitivity are contained in three previously unreported refund lawsuits he and IAT filed in the Court of Federal Claims at the end of April---before the public disclosure that the tax exempt division had improperly singled out 501(c)(4) exempt applications from groups with "Tea Party" in their name for extra scrutiny.
IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge noted the agency "is prohibited by federal law on commenting on specific taxpayer cases and situations" and also "does not generally comment on on-going court cases or pending litigation. " But she e-mailed a general statement that's gotten a lot of use of late: "The IRS stresses audits are based on the information contained on the tax return and the underlying tax law – nothing else. Politics play no factor in audit selection."
A spokesman for Kellogg and IAT referred calls to his lawyer who did not return a call and email requesting comment. But the lawsuits themselves are rich in detail about IRS actions they characterize as "arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion.'' While the government has not filed its answers, the story line that emerges from Kellogg's and IAT's claims is one that IRS watchers will find plausible and sadly familiar: the agency knew for years that Congress had created a troublesome loophole, but did nothing until public attention was focused on the problem. Then, it came out swinging.
Congress originally created the 501(c)(15) exemption in 1954 for small mutual insurance companies, such as those established by some farmers' groups. Mutual insurers with gross receipts of less than $150,000 were tax exempt; those with receipts of $150,000 to $500,000 were taxed only on investment income. In the Tax Reform Act of 1986, while it was busy closing other loopholes, Congress opened this one wide, ostensibly in the interest of simplification. The 1986 law amended the exemption so investor-owned, as well as mutual insurers could qualify and set a new $350,000 limit for complete tax exemption---with the limit applying only to new insurance premiums received, not investment income. (Insurers writing $350,000 to $1.2 million in premiums could elect to be taxed only on investment earnings.)
A 1989 "continuing professional education" article published by the IRS' exempt division pointed out the potential for significant tax losses from the untaxed investment income of insurers with less than $350,000 a year in premiums and said the Treasury was considering asking Congress to fix the legislation. But it didn't make such a request and the law wasn't finally changed until 2004, when Congress restricted the exemption to insurers with no more than $600,000 a year in total revenues, including investment income.
Enter Kellogg and his tax savvy advisers. Back in 1986 he had put $10 million of capital into each of two insurance syndicates--- IAT and SLK—and for a year wrote reinsurance on the New York Insurance Exchange, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to compete with Lloyd's of London. His syndicates were writing no new business (but still on the hook for older long tail claims) when advisers from insurance broker Johnson & Higgins (now part of Marsh & McLennan) and accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) helped him to reincorporate the syndicates in Bermuda and make a special Section 953(d) election (available to insurers) to be taxed as a U.S. entity---namely a tax exempt 501(c)(15).
Notably, in the process of converting to a tax exempt, Kellogg also pumped more capital into IAT bringing its total to $32 million, including reserves of $16 million. An IRS tax exempt law specialist questioned why so much capital was required for an insurance company writing less than $350,000 in business a year. But ultimately, nothing in the 1986 law barred even an overcapitalized IAT from tax exemption and it was granted 501(c)(15) status in 1993. (SLK had $17 million in capital when it became tax exempt and added another $8 million in 1996, at the request, it says, of Bermuda regulators. It became a subsidiary of IAT in 2000.).
Concerns about the big dollars flowing into supposedly small tax exempt insurers were shared within the tax exempt division and with the public through a 1994 exempt division continuing education article, titled The Blitz Since '86. It detailed two lines of problems that had developed with 501(c)(15)s: One was the use of captive tax exempt insurance companies to siphon off profits from auto service contracts and other seller warranties---which later came to be known as Producer Owned Reinsurance Corps., or PORCs. (The IRS "listed" PORCs in 2002 as an abusive transaction subject to certain anti-tax shelter rules and penalties---a controversial designation it removed two years later.)
The other problem identified in 1994: liquidating insurers that were writing no new policies but were sheltering huge investment income. In other words, IAT and SLK. "It is doubtful that Congress intended to exempt companies earning millions in investment income,'' the article observed. And it detailed a possible line of legal attack: If a liquidating insurance company was generating more income than necessary to pay its claims, the "excess" investment activity "may be viewed as non-insurance business. If over half of the organization's business is excess investment activity, then the organization is not an insurance company." It was those very grounds that the IRS apparently used--- in 2008---to yank the exemptions from IAT and SLK retroactively, after it finally started auditing them in 2004 and 2003, respectively.
In their refund claims, IAT and Kellogg assert the audits were prompted by the work of unnamed reporters. The claims assert: "The journalists, who made a number of material mistakes in their articles, correctly noted that the Code provided for' tax-free build up of investment gains within an exempt insurance company, and bemoaned the fact that IAT could legally defer taxation." (The complaint does not specify what those mistakes were.)
The journalists' attitude, the document asserts, "adversely influenced" both the audits and the "technical advice memorandums" issued by IRS lawyers on the propriety of the insurance companies' tax exemptions. Those opinions resulted in the revocation of IAT's and SLK's tax exempt status as of Jan. 1, 2000---a date the suits contend was designed to "punish this taxpayer." Moreover, the refund claims assert that officials in the appeals division believed IAT and SLK had a strong legal case, but when the insurance companies' lawyers tried to sit down with top IRS executives who could settle the case, their "efforts failed in part because of the political circumstances surrounding the case.'' (The papers do credit appeals officers with wiping out penalties of more than $50 million that the auditors had proposed.)
When it finally did get around to auditing them, the IRS concluded IAT and SLK weren't really insurance companies in 2000 and 2001 and revoked their tax exemption as of Jan. 1, 2000. (IAT clearly got back into the business of writing insurance at the end of 2001 with its purchase of Harco National Insurance Co.and subsequently other insurers. The IAT Group had total assets of $2 billion, as calculated under GAAP, at the end of 2010.)
The IRS finding that IAT and SLK weren't legitimate insurers in 2000 and 2001 made all the capital gains they had taken in 2000 and 2001 taxable. Moreover, under the arcane rules that govern taxation of offshore insurers, it meant that their 953(d) elections to be taxed as U.S. insurers were revoked too, as of Jan. 1, 2001, and the IRS could levy taxes on that day on the unrealized gain on assets IAT and SLK held on December 31, 2000. (For tax geeks: this relates to Section 367 of the code and the fact that IAT was deemed to have transferred all its assets from a domestic to a foreign corporation on Jan. 1, 2001.) In IAT's case that came to $147 million of built in gains on stock in Goldman Sachs, Advest (later sold to The MONY Group) and other positions. Significantly, if the the exemption had been revoked back to the early 1990s, when it was granted, that special tax on built in gains would have been outside the statute of limitations.
The refund lawsuits insist that IAT and SLK never stopped being insurers and always intended to start writing coverage again, when the pricing environment improved. (They even claim Kellogg was heeding the wisdom of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, who has cautioned insurers against writing policies which could lead to a loss, long term, just for short-term cash flow.) Moreover, the lawsuits argue, IAT shouldn't be subject to a retroactive revocation of its tax exemption, since it didn't mislead the IRS to get it exemption. The IRS apparently concluded that IAT misled it by failing to disclose it "did not intend on writing any new insurance business,'' an allegation IAT and Kellogg call false, and immaterial anyway, since the IRS was granting 501(c)(15) status to liquidating insurers.


text:
Actually, this recut by IGN probably makes the story even worse. At least in the original, we know the little girl dies, and the focus then becomes the struggle. Here, the payoff of that struggle is a child's death.
Is this too depressing? Check out G4TV's reverse chronology set to zany saxophone and slapstick sound effects. That oughta cheer you right the hell up.


text:
Published on
This homework covers Threshold Voltage, MOS Band Diagram, and MOS Capacitance-Voltage Analysis.
The homework material presented here was part of Illinois ECE 440 course taught by Professors:
- K.C. Hsieh (course director)
- Eric Pop
- Matthew Gilbert
- Logan Liu
- Jean-Pierre Leburton (course director)
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:


text:
Cylinder components for passenger cars
Modern engines place greater requirements on cylinder components than ever before: higher operating temperatures and pressures as well as higher speeds with simultaneous limitations on emissions. All of these factors have made it necessary to create innovative concepts and materials that offer a higher performance than anything that has come before. This also entails thinking in systems and overall interrelations. By optimally tuning components, additional reserves of performance can be tapped.
The MAHLE cylinder components product range includes components such as piston rings, piston pins, connecting rods, and cylinder liners, as well as bearings and bushings.


text:
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Posted by Contextual Learning on Wednesday, June 01, 2011 1:00 AM
At the Twin Cities West Cluster Meeting: Front row: Karsten Nelson, Pam Stalheim-Lane, Adam Morton, Javen Swanson, Chase Smith. Back row: Scott Donnelly, Scott Simmons, Nile Sandeen, Jason Van Hunnik, Kelly Chatman, Caleb Crainer.
At the Twin Cities West Cluster Meeting: Front row: Brad Doty, Pam Stofferahn, Jay Carlson. Back row: Michelene Vertlautz, Susan Debner, Marla Amborn, Mark Becker, Betsy Hoium, Steve McKinley.
At the Southwest Minnesota Cluster Meeting, held at Earthrise Farms outside Madison, MN: Front row: Louis of Earthrise Farms, Amy Martinell, Denise Broveak, Sister Kay, Sister Annette, and Melissa of Earthrise Farms. Middle row: Jackie Braun, Amy Juel-Palmer, Paul Shumaker, Steve Rasmussen, James Muske, Deanna Boynton, Jonathan Boynton, Paul Idstrom. Back row: Rich Hall, Keith Long, Kendall Stelter, Wayne Kopitzke, Bob Chell, Randy Keillor, Dave Larson.
At the Southeastern Minnesota Cluster Meeting: Michelle DeBeauchamp, Karl Korbel, Matt Magera, Genna Couch.
At the Twin Cities East Cluster Meeting: Lynda Thompson, Luther Dale, and John Klawiter.
At the Twin Cities East Cluster Meeting: Lyle Belleque and Richard Mork.
On May 10-11, new internship supervisors attended a training session at Luther Seminary. Here Pastors Trisha Boese of Trinity, Vermillion, SD, and Eric Strom of Rock of the Foothills Lutheran, LaVerne, California, enjoy quiet conversation during a social hour at President Bliese's home.
Tags: photo album, clusters, Contextual Learning
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text:
Claudia Hayes-Hagar, a long-time art educator who was a part-time lecturer at Hope College in art and education for 14 years, died on Sunday, August 7, 2011, at age 59 following a battle with cancer.
She joined the Hope faculty in 1997, teaching courses in art and education with an emphasis on elementary art instruction in addition to teaching in the West Ottawa Public Schools.
Hayes-Hagar was a 1974 graduate of Hope, where she majored in art education. She had also done graduate work at Harvard University and Grand Valley State University in art education and curriculum development.
She spent most of her career as an elementary art teacher. She was at Reeths-Puffer Elementary School from 1984 to 1989 and then with the West Ottawa Public Schools, retiring from Waukazoo Elementary School in 2010.
Initially after graduation from Hope she was with the Life Consultation Center of Ottawa County Community Health for three years, first as a volunteer coordinator and recreation therapist, and then as supervisor of education and recreation. Prior to teaching at the elementary level she was also an adult activities supervisor with Kandu Industries in Holland.
Her activities included many years of involvement with the Holland Area Arts Council, most recently as a volunteer and member of the board.
Survivors include a grown daughter and son, Annie and Jonathan.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, August 14, at 2 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel on the Hope College campus.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Dykstra Funeral Homes -- Northwood Chapel, Holland, Michigan.


text:
Unity House project begins
The Front Door resource center at North Central will help the community
TROY — Unity House broke ground this week on a community resource center that is expected to help revive the North Central neighborhood.
"It will be a resource center for that community. It's right at the entryway to North Central on a bus line," Unity House CEO Chris Burke said in an interview.
The 36,000-square-foot facility will be called The Front Door. It's under construction at 2431 Sixth Ave.
Services will include emergency housing assistance, mental health, housing, employment training, a thrift store and a food pantry.
"This is an incredible milestone for Unity House and all the volunteers who work tirelessly to make it one of the most important organizations in the area. Their contributions to residents and their value to our community simply cannot be measured," Mayor Lou Rosamilia said in a statement.
"The importance of The Front Door is twofold in that there will be a new 'one-stop visit' physical presence for those in need of assistance that is easily accessible and expansive in the services provided," said Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, D-Cohoes, in a statement.
The city is undertaking several initiatives to improve the North Central neighborhood, which has some of the poorest areas in the city.
Burke said Unity House is pleased to be playing a role in helping the neighborhood. He said space will be available for community meetings and other functions.
About 2,500 families are expected to be served annually at The Front Door, Burke said. He estimated this would be at least 10,000 people.
The Front Door is expected to open in the fall. Burke said the building would cost $5.5 million to construct. He said that $4 million has been raised so far.


text:
Ford's Panther platform will finally ride into the sunset this August after 32 years in production, but one Crown Victoria owner decided it was just old enough to take it off-roading at Hell's Revenge in Moab, Utah. Jeep who?
On the off-road difficulty scale of 1 to 4, Hell's Revenge ranks as a 4+, and frequently eats drivetrains of the four-wheel-drive vehicles that attempt it. Yet the Vic clomps around the slick rocks with apparent ease — until the approach halfway through the video above that would test the trail rating of most people's britches.
In a time where even basic off-roaders often get tarted up with unnecessary gadgetry, a Crown Vic crossing the desert looks as anachronistic as a Conestoga wagon. To the unknown driver, we gladly offer a full endorsement of your man card, which you should laminate in case your Panther flips on those rocks.
Thanks Chad!


text: Natal is a modern city, clean and safe, with large green spaces. The many beaches along the coast are each fascinating in its own way. They range from the amusing Ponta Negra and Praia dos Artistas to the more pristine as "Praia da Pipa", where you can see the dolphins.