text:
MOVIE REVIEW- Co-'Host'?: Sci-fi flick not to be 'Mist'
Take that, South Korea! Challenging The Host for Creature Feature of the Year is The Mist, which proves once again Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) does Stephen King right.
After a freak storm a number of Maine neighbors– and a few "out-of-towners" (i.e., anyone who wasn't born there)– are trapped in a supermarket by Something Outside. They quarrel, they form factions and they get killed off one by one, usually for doing something stupid.
A mist has rolled down from the mountain– you know, where the Army has a base whose activities are top secret– and covered the town. Dan Miller (Jeffrey DeMunn) runs in, bleeding, as the mist reaches the store, babbling about "something in the mist" that grabbed someone.
What that something might be is suggested when a few men go out to the loading dock and open the door a few inches, enough for giant tentacles to come in and get grabby. Later, assistant manager Ollie (Toby Jones) notes, "The entire front of the store is plate glass," and soon that glass is covered with what look like giant locusts, then bigger, stranger flying creatures that attack the locusts. A few of each get into the store, wreaking havoc. Yet other creatures, including web spinners and a giant bug that causes earthquakes when it walks, lurk outside.
David Drayton (Thomas Jane), who's protecting young son Billy (Nathan Gamble), is the designated hero. The audience knows he'll do the right thing, thus anyone who disagrees with him is wrong. New third grade teacher Amanda Dumfries (Laurie Holden) becomes Billy's de facto babysitter while David's doing heroic things. If Mrs. Drayton, who was waiting at home, doesn't survive, she may do as a replacement.
David's next-door neighbor, litigious New York attorney Brent Norton (Andre Braugher) thinks the town is making things up to play a joke on him, and even when he's convinced there's real danger he insists on leading a group of fellow machos outside to face it.
Jim Grondin (William Sadler) can't think for himself, but he'll go along with anyone, as long as they're wrong.
The greatest danger to the larger group is Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a self-styled Old Testament prophet who sees the onslaught as God's punishment for sin in general, including abortion and stem cell research specifically. She knows right away, "It's death out there. It's the end of days." As their fear increases, more and more people follow her.
There's always time for young love, though not much in this case. Sally the bagger (Alexa Davalos) flirts with local soldier Wayne Jessup (Sam Witwer). Frances Sternhagen is on hand as an old schoolteacher because-– well, she's always nice to have around, even if she's not essential to the plot.
The story combines two classic sci-fi/horror staples, secret military projects, and science fooling with things man was not meant to tamper with.
Darabont lets things develop slowly to build suspense between action highlights and changes the ending from King's original novella so readers and non-readers can be surprised together. To his credit the movie doesn't feel as long or as cheesy as it is. f you like this kind of thing, this one's not to be "Mist."


text:
Compare exchange rates & fees when sending money abroad
Compare rates and fees for Travel Money and Cards
Exchange Rate Tables with 90-day Trends & Alerts
Calculate amounts and margins for any rate
Market Forecasts for Currency Rates
Setup the Rate Tracker to get 90-Day Alerts via email so that you can take advantage of movements in the market.
Handy currency guides with money saving ideas
Currency news for popular currency pairs
Currency country guides for travel and money transfers
Currency rate charts for periods upto 1 year
Reviews of FX Providers and Banks
When sending larger foreign transfers it is sometimes possible to negotiate a better rate
Update your BER.me profile & notification preferences
Tell us about your Foreign Transfer and we'll get our FX partners to get in touch with their Best Exchange Rate quotes. A registered BER.me account required.
Charts for all exchange rate pairs with trends and alerts for periods upto 1 year.
Exchange Rates |
Currency Charts & Trends
Calculate amounts and margins with the USD/LBP Converter.
View all Exchange Rates
Disclaimer & Terms of Service

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Product Category
Imperial Sands
Brush on brilliance with 114 shades of beauty. From nudes to pinks, reds and blues, a gorgeous glossy look is waiting for you. Offered in a variety of finishes - crèmes, shimmers, neons and glitters. TruGel™ soaks off easily in 10 minutes. Available in 14 mL / .5 fl oz
How to Use
FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY Directions: Mix well. Apply a thin coat of Gel Polish covering the free edge of the nail. Cure 30 seconds under LED lamp or 2 minutes under UV lamp. Repeat the process for a second coat.
Size:14 mL / 0.5 fl oz
Related Products


text:
"Stop this tuk tuk right now or I'll grab your keys" was one comment I screamed at a driver. There were many others. I estimate that we took more than a hundred tuk tuks in the few weeks travelling through South India and were treated to a plethora of scams and dishonest practices – but there is no better way to experience the towns and cities than to put you life into the hands of a tuk tuk driver.
Especially this driver – as it's yours truly
A tuk tuk which is known by the less colourful name of 'auto rickshaw' is basically a dirty two-stroke motorbike with three wheels with a hard plastic hood over to seat, well you'd think to seat two people but I did count seven in quite a few of them. Some are the driver's pride and joy which is evident in its adornments and cleanliness and some are simply a means to an end aka death traps. There are millions of them on the roads in India.
They are without doubt the cheapest and most exciting way to get about the urban areas and you can pretty much be getting into one, only ten seconds after thinking you might need one because in India a western tourist is simply a very sweet and sticky jam and the tuk tuks are extremely hungry wasps. However jumping into one and saying 'home James and don't spare the horses' might leave you disappointed because there are so many pitfalls and stresses once you step over the threshold to taking a ride, that it's worth knowing some of the latest dupes and scams that you can find yourself involved in and/or the victim of. It can be a great game to play of psychology and wits as long as it's not hot and you're not slightly tired or distracted otherwise you may fall folly to their little games – which seem to vary from city to city. We stayed in three cities and each one had its own unique scam amongst the universal ones.
In Mysore, it wasn't too bad. One day you could pay 100 rupees and the next 50 for the exact same journey of 3 miles but as it was 85 rupees to the £1, one at first feels no pressure to grumble but that will inevitably wear off. ALWAYS ask how much it will be to wherever you're going and when they tell you a price that you think is ok, repeat it back to them and get confirmation at least three times. Two times isn't enough. Tuk tuks have meters yet we only saw them in use on two occasion in all the tuk tuk journeys undertaken.
Once in a tuk tuk, most drivers will ask you where you are from. This is not asked to discuss your life or cricket but to know what language they need to scam you in. They are of course very low paid, work very hard and have enormous competition and they will try to sell a journey to every tourist spot in the area – which can be much cheaper and very useful if you actually want to see the places they are offering and in Mysore there are some wonderful places (watch this space for an upcoming Mysore guide blog) but most tuk tuk drivers haven't yet learned the English for 'no'. It is good to talk in a slow east European accent naming exactly where you want to go and then answering every question they broach at you with 'capotski' and a big smile. You'll get to your destination quicker. Always know where your destination is as they don't. Whilst in Mysore we were staying near the Pattabhi Jois yoga centre yet it was surprising to us how many drivers asked us where it was and when I explained to them that they in fact were the driver and we the western tourists they would pull over and ask locals who always checked us out and then had a chuckle with the driver in Tamil or Hindi or maybe it was east european but nonetheless it's a wonderful endeavour for anyone who has or is recovering from paranoid tendencies .
The driver stopped to run an errand
In Cochin, they have a different approach. On the whole they are friendlier here and speak much better English but will offer you a free trip or a very cheap one, at say 20 rupees, if you would only do them a favour and visit this shop or that shop as they get a petrol token from 'the rich Kashmiri owner' and all you have to do is look around whilst they wait outside. We did this the first time and the idea is that you are pressured into buying something to which the driver gets a percentage that adds up to much more than any fare he would have received. I assume he gets a little something for just taking you there. We were in Cochin nearly a week and virtually every single driver tried to get you into some shop which are always full of westerners trying their very best to say no as they delve for their purses and wallets.
In Bangalore, and I have to assume all bigger cities, it's a whole different ball game. They don't even hide behind friendliness. But above all they tell bare-faced lies and even go close to what could be construed as kidnapping in some countries.
One morning we decided, from our city centre hotel, to go to the huge Hare Krishna temple of ISKCON seven miles away but still in the centre of the city – Bangalore is huge and sprawling. I asked a tuk tuk driver how much it would be to go to the ISKCON place and he looked at me as if I was a talking cat. I said it slowly several times and added other words like K R I S H N A T E M P L E but to no avail. We were then ambushed by an astute, silk shirted, much younger driver who spoke perfect English and knew Mick Jagger who pulled us from this ride to his own tuk tuk admonishing the older guy in Hindi. He then explained that ISKCON is closed until 2pm. I said that the lonely planet guide says it's open all day, he assured us it was not but offered us a tour for only 100 rupees to see various temples. This he did – at first – but then it became a pressured set of stops to various emporiums. I had to demand quite strongly that he returned us. The ISKCON temple, of course, had been open.
The next day we decided to walk for a while before asking a kerb-crawling tuk tuk how much it would be to the botanical gardens, he said 20 rupees, we got in and off we went. Whilst driving, he told us that the gardens was closed until 2pm and he'd take us on a tour. I told him that it's OK, just take us to the gardens anyway at which point he stopped the tuk tuk on what can only be described as a six lane inner city motorway with cows and turned to me and said, 'no it is closed', I assured him that it was open to which he got a tad annoyed and so we exited the tuk tuk to his fury.
We were then immediately picked up by another one at 20 rupees. I explained that I don't want to go any shops, we just want to go to the gardens, he agreed then took a turn at speed and in totally the opposite direction before explaining to me that he was just taking us to his friend's shop. This was the point where the calmness my yoga training has brought me left the tuk tuk and was replaced by my training from the streets of Northern England. It could have got hairy but I didn't fancy a Bangalore prison so we left him still with his keys to his auto, shouting apologies back at us. I genuinely think it was the first time that he'd been challenged like this.
But now we were in the middle of nowhere and so we flagged another tuk tuk down as we were determined to see some bloody flowers before the day was out. He told us it would be 100 rupees. And here's a tip – a tuk tuk is cheap for a reason. This 100 rupee tuk tuk was intending to take us to our destination without us having to look first at wooden elephants and brass Buddhas. I did however, ten minutes later, utter, under my breath, 'for fuck's sake', when he flew past the entrance to the botanical gardens. I told him but he assured me he hadn't. Two miles further on and for the third time in an hour I forced a driver to stop. This one however was not, it turned out, scamming us, he was just completely clueless and realising his mistake and the time he'd now lost randomly pulled over and said, 'we're here' pointing to what was simply a front lawn in front of an average sized government building. This time I refused to leave the tuk tuk to which he hailed over a policeman and we both explained our disagreement with me having an ace card commonly known as a city map. The policeman gave him short thrift and 15 minutes later (the time it takes to do 2 miles in Bangalore) we were at the gates.
The gatekeeper mistakenly short-changed us, I say mistakenly in that he had deliberately short-changed us and that was his mistake.
I promised myself there and then that I will never return to Bangalore on purpose – though the gardens were lovely. They even had spit bins dotted about to stop the paths getting too gooey.


text:
Periodically, someone tells me about the magic of PNG, how it's the ideal image format for the web, and that someday we'll all be using it on our sites instead of GIF. People have been saying this for years, and by now most of us have stopped listening. Sadly, flaky browser support has made PNG impractical for almost everything; but now, with a few simple workarounds, we can finally put one of its most compelling features to use.PNG? What?
The Portable Network Graphics, or PNG (pronounced "ping"), image format has been around since 1995, having cropped up during the now long-forgotten GIF scare, when Compuserve and Unisys announced they would begin charging royalties for the use of the GIF image format.
To provide GIF support in their applications, software makers like Adobe and Macromedia must pay royalty fees – fees which are passed down to the end user in the selling cost of the software.
When PNG appeared on the scene, web designers were ready to make the switch to the free, superior format and shun GIF forever. But over time, browsers continually failed to support PNG, and eventually most people started to forget about it. Today, nearly everyone still uses GIF habitually.
Which is a shame, because PNG makes GIF look pretty pathetic: it supports gamma correction, (sometimes) smaller file sizes, loss-less compression, up to 48-bit color, and, best of all, true alpha transparency.
To get why alpha transparency is a big deal, we must first understand one of the most annoying limitations of GIF.Binary Transparency: the Scourge of GIF
When it comes to transparency, GIF doesn't cut it. Whereas PNG supports alpha transparency, GIF only supports binary transparency, which is a big limitation and has a couple of important implications.
For one, a GIF image can either use no transparent colors at all or have one color that's completely transparent – there are no degrees of transparency.
And if a complex GIF does contain a transparent color, the background color of the web page must match the transparent color, or else the anti-aliased area around the transparent color will be surrounded by ugly haloing and fringing. If you've spent more than five minutes as a web designer, you know what I'm talking about.
The result is that any anti-aliased transparent GIF is inextricably tied to the background color of the web page on which it lives. If you ever decide to change that color, you must also change the GIF.
Miraculously, PNG doesn't behave that way. A PNG can be transparent in varying degrees – in other words, it can be of variable opacity. And a transparent PNG is background-independent: it can live on any background color or image. Say you want your navigation on monkeys-run-amuck.com to be 65% opaque so you can see through it to your orangutan background image. You can do that. A transparent anti-aliased "Gorillas, Chimps, Gibbons, et al" title that can sit on top of any background color or image? You can do that, too.So What About Browser Support?
By now, of course, we'd all be up to our ears in PNGs if browsers supported them reliably. But seven years after the format's inception, you still can't slap a PNG onto a web page like you can a GIF or JPG. It's disgraceful, but not as bad as it sounds.
It turns out that most of the latest versions of the major browsers fully support alpha transparency with PNG – namely, Netscape 6, Opera 6, and recently-released Mozilla 1, all on Windows; and, for the Mac, Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 6, Opera 5, Mozilla 1, OmniWeb 3.1, and ICab 1.9. Incredibly, PNG even works on Opera 6 for Linux, on WebTV, and on Sega Dreamcast.Now, what's missing from that list?
IE5.5+/Win, bless its heart, will, in fact, display a PNG, but it doesn't natively support alpha transparency. In IE5.5+/Win, the transparent area of your PNG will display at 100% opacity – that is, it won't be transparent at all.
Bugger. So what do we do now?Proprietary Code-o-Rama: the
AlphaImageLoader Filter
IE4+/Win supports a variety of non-standard, largely ridiculous visual filters that you can apply to any image's style. You can, for instance, fade in an image with a gradient wipe, or make it stretch from nothing to full size, or even make it swipe into place circularly, like a scene change in Star Wars.
A non-pointless gem among these is the
AlphaImageLoader filter, which is supported in IE5.5+/Win. When used to display a PNG, it allows for full alpha transparency support. All you have to do is this:
» (src='myimage.png',sizingMethod='scale');">
(Line wraps are marked ». –Ed.)
So the trick is to determine the user's browser and serve up the images appropriately: if IE5.5+/Win, then we use
AlphaImageLoader; if a browser with native PNG support, then we display PNGs the normal way; if anything else, then we display alternate GIFs, because we can't be sure that a PNG will display correctly or at all.
Using a slightly tweaked version of Chris Nott's Browser Detect Lite, we set some global variables to this effect that we can use later on.
// if IE5.5+ on Win32, then display PNGs with AlphaImageLoader if ((browser.isIE55 || browser.isIE6up) && browser.isWin32) { var pngAlpha = true; // else, if the browser can display PNGs normally, then do that } else if ((browser.isGecko) |» | (browser.isIE5up && browser.isMac) |» | (browser.isOpera && browser.isWin » && browser.versionMajor >= 6) |» | (browser.isOpera && browser.isUnix » && browser.versionMajor >= 6) |» | (browser.isOpera && browser.isMac » && browser.versionMajor >= 5) |» | (browser.isOmniweb && » browser.versionMinor >= 3.1) |» | (browser.isIcab && » browser.versionMinor >= 1.9) |» | (browser.isWebtv) |» | (browser.isDreamcast)) { var pngNormal = true; }
(Note for the faint of heart: complete source code for all the examples we cover is available at the end of the article.)Tactic 1: Quick and Dirty with document.writes
The simplest, most reliable way to spit out PNGs is using inline document.writes based on the above detection. So we use a function like this:
function od_displayImage(strId, strPath, intWidth, » intHeight, strClass, strAlt) { if (pngAlpha) { document.write('» width:'+intWidth+'px;» filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader» (src=\''+strPath+'.png\', sizingMethod=\'scale\')" » id="'+strId+'" class="'+strClass+'">'); } else if (pngNormal) { document.write('» width="'+intWidth+'"» height="'+intHeight+'" name="'+strId+'" » border="0" class="'+strClass+'" alt="'+strAlt+'" />'); } else { document.write('» width="'+intWidth+'"» height="'+intHeight+'" name="'+strId+'" » border="0" class="'+strClass+'" alt="'+strAlt+'" />'); } }
It's a time-tested method, but what if we want more control over our PNGs?Tactic 2: the Beauty & Majesty of Objects
When I told the programmer in the office next door that I was writing this article, he took one look at my code, glowered at me, and said, "Fool. Where's the abstraction? You need to use objects."
So now we have a JavaScript object to display PNGs. Here's how we use it:
var objMyImg = null; function init() { objMyImg = new OpacityObject('myimg','/images/myimage'); objMyImg.setBackground(); } #myimg { background: url('back.png') repeat; position:absolute; left: 10px; top: 10px; width: 200px; height: 200px; }
That's it. The cool thing about the OpacityObject is that we just pass it a DIV ID and an image path and we're done. Using the appropriate technique, it applies the image as a background of the DIV, and from there we can do whatever we want with it. Fill it with text, move it across the screen, resize it dynamically, whatever – just like any other DIV.
The trade-off is that it doesn't degrade as nicely. Netscape 4.7/Win/Mac and Opera 5/Mac, for instance, won't display an image at all. And it has another significant problem, which is this:
IE5/Mac only supports alpha transparency when the PNG resides in an
tag, not when it's set as the background property of a DIV. So PNGs displayed with the OpacityObject will appear 100% opaque in IE5/Mac. This problem is especially frustrating because IE5/Mac is the only browser which natively supports PNG and behaves this way. We've notified Microsoft about this apparent bug and hope for it to be fixed in an upcoming release.
But for now, these issues are the trade-off for flexibility. Obviously, choose the right tactic based on the particular needs of your project. Between them both, you can do pretty much anything with PNGs – like, for instance...Example 1: Translucent Image on a Photo
In this simple example, we see how the same 80% opaque PNG can be displayed on any kind of background: Translucent Image on a Photo.Example 2: Anti-Aliased Translucent Navigation with Rollovers
What a beautiful thing it would be, I'm sure you've thought from time to time, to create translucent anti-aliased images that work on any background. Well, check it out: Anti-Aliased Translucent Navigation with Rollovers.
Mouse over the images, observe the behavior of the rollovers, and click "change background" to see how the images behave on different backgrounds. Then view the source. There are a few things worth noting here:
- To preload the correct images, we create a variable called
strExt, which contains either ".png" or ".gif." As long as our PNGs and alternate GIFs use the same names except for the file extension, the browser will only preload the images that it's actually going to use.
- We create a class called
pngLinkand set the cursor property to "pointer." We pass that class name to the function when we call it, and the function applies the class to the PNG. The result is that the user's pointer turns into a cursor when he rolls over the image links, even though, in IE5.5+/Win, they're really just DIVs. (You might also want to add
"display:inline"to your PNG class, depending on how you're using the images, to make them display correctly in Netscape 6. (For details, see Better Living Through XHTML.)
- We also use a couple of rollover functions specifically for displaying PNGs. It turns out that, while it's possible to dynamically swap out PNGs using the
AlphaImageLoader, IE5.5+/Win has a tough time of it; it's damn slow, too slow for effective rollovers. What works better is to apply a background color to the DIV that contains the PNG – the color will shine through the transparent part of the image, and do it fast, too. When we call the function, we send along the name of the image to be displayed and an HTML color – IE5.5+/Win will display the color, and the others will display the image.
- Notice how those images even have drop shadows. You could stick any background image or color behind them and they would still look great, even if the PNGs were completely transparent. Is that cool or what?
In the first two examples, we used the quick-and-dirty function from tactic one. Now, we want our PNG to interact with other code on the page, so this time we display it with the OpacityObject.
But remember – there are drawbacks to this approach (see above), the most heartbreaking of which is that this example doesn't work perfectly on IE5/Mac. If that causes you pain, then there's always the quick and dirty function. Otherwise, read on.
First we create a DIV, give it an ID, and assign any style properties we want to it – height, width, font family, etc.
Then we pass along the ID of that DIV when we instantiate the OpacityObject. We pass along the image path, too, and now we have a DIV with a translucent background. Cool!
Next we put some HTML text in the DIV and apply another unrelated object method to it (this object has nothing to do with the OpacityObject – it could be any code you have lying around). Now we can move the translucent DIV around the screen. Wheee! Floating Translucent DIV with HTML Text Inside.
So there's a glimpse of what's possible with the OpacityObject. You hardcore CSS/DOM folks, go nuts.Variably Opaque-R-You
Download the source code for the object, functions, and examples we covered. All the code relies on our tweaked version of Browser Detect Lite, which is included as well. Variable Opacity Source Code.One PNG and One PNG Only
This is all very exciting, but, as with many achievements that get web developers excited, making PNG work in today's browsers simply shouldn't be this hard. You might consider signing the petition to persuade Microsoft to provide full PNG support in Internet Explorer. With any luck, this article will soon be obsolete.
In the meantime, post any ideas for improvements to this code in the discussion forum for this article. The PNG home site, for instance, talks about a few other obscure browsers that should support alpha transparency, but that haven't been verified yet. If you can verify any of these claims, or have any other valuable input, let us know, and we'll update the code accordingly.Resources
- PNG Home Site
AlphaImageLoaderFilter page on MSDN
PNG Behavior at WebFX, an alternate way to make PNGs display in IE. Involves using the runtimeStyle object. The downside with this approach is that it only correctly displays a PNG if it's displayed within an
tag, not if it's a CSS background image


text:
Tagged: pitchers and catchers report
Forget snowballs…bring on baseballs!!
The time has come…
no more waiting.
no more counting down days.
no more watching old Packers game tapes from the 1990's to get me through winter.
no more cabin-fever.
no more anticipation.
The boys of summer are officially back.
I'm honored to share this wonderful day with all of my fellow baseball lovers across the U.S.A. (and Honest Abe, too). Happy 200th, BTW.
The annual rite of spring has arrived. Crack out the lumber and the pine tar. The bases and home plate. The cowhide and the ballcaps.
But, most importantly…bring on the ballplayers and their devoted fans. Without fans to fill the seats, the ballplayers and their respective teams mean nothing.
I hope and pray the 2009 season is fulfilling for me, personally. I have my goals in place and I'm ready. For me, it's been a helluva long offseason.
Coming off their first postseason appearance in 26 long, agonizing years, the Milwaukee Brewers look to encore last season's triumphant return to the playoffs with the entire offensive roster coming back fully intact.
Here's my projected 2009 Brewers lineup:
1. Rickie Weeks (by default)
2. J.J. Hardy (the most underrated SS in all of baseball)
3. Ryan Braun (absolute freak)
4. Prince Fielder (signed and looking in shape)
5. Corey Hart (you better rebound, buddy)
6. Mike Cameron (take a few pitches, wouldya?)
7. Third baseman (whoever wins this job, his name better not be Bill Hall)
8. Jason Kendall (I'll take his weak bat for that defensive prowess)
Here's my projected 2009 starting rotation:
1. Yovanni Gallardo (one of the top young pitchers in the game-remember his name)
2. Braden Looper (great signing)
3. Manny Parra (young lefty stud would be perfect in the 3 spot between righties)
4. David Bush (workhorse)
5. Jeff Suppan (where's that 2006 Cardinals form?)
I admit, before Looper was signed, I wasn't feeling warm and fuzzy all over. It's amazing how one relatively low-key signing can change all of that.
I think we're ready.
I'm sure-as-hell ready!
Here's to lots of home runs by the home team coming my way…!
Days left until "Happy" reports to Spring Training…


text:
A man who pretended to be from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and was charging companies to register under the Data Protection Act has been jailed for 20 months.
Christopher Williams of Hoole, Chester was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.
Many businesses must register with the ICO under the Data Protection Act (DPA). Registration costs £35 a year. Any company which is a data controller as defined in the DPA must pay the fee to the ICO.
Several people have been jailed in the past for charging significantly more than this to firms by posing as agents of the ICO.
Williams obtained over £400,000 by his fraud over a period of 15 months between December 2002 and April 2004.
Williams posed as an agent of the ICO, demanding between £95 and £125 for registration. He and an accomplice ran a number of agencies perpetrating the scam.
The judge in the case said that the ruse was "a well planned and sophisticated offence led by greed and cloaked in officialdom".
The ICO worked with Merseyside Police and Trading Standards officers to investigate the activity.
"We are very pleased with the outcome of this investigation," said Simon Entwisle, chief operating officer of the ICO. "The ICO will continue to work with other authorities to bring people to justice who try to extort money from businesses in this way."
Four men were jailed by Liverpool Crown Court earlier this year after running similar schemes. Francis Boyd obtained £400,000 over a 15 month period and was jailed for two and a half years in January. Three other men working with Boyd obtained a further £200,000 in the schemes.
Copyright © 2007, OUT-LAW.com
OUT-LAW.COM is part of international law firm Pinsent Masons.
Sponsored: Ransomware has gone nuclear


text:
Top-Rated Medical Bills Bankruptcy Serving Oakland County MI
If You're Looking For A Medical Bills Bankruptcy Serving Oakland County MI - Wolfson Bolton Can Help!
Bankruptcy laws provide tools to help debtors find financial relief. Wolfson Bolton can help you get that new beginning. Wolfson Bolton helps clients near Oakland County MI overcome the difficult bankruptcy process - bringing relief, peace of mind, and resolution. We approach your case with compassion, discretion, and empathy - helping you weigh your legal options and guid you through the complicated bankruptcy process. Seeing clients regain control of their financial future is the most rewarding aspects of our duties.
The Bankruptcy Code provides resources for debtors in crisis, but the options are complicated and the process is oftentimes painstaking. Wolfson Bolton focuses primarily on helping individuals and business work through bankruptcy. Our team has years of experience handling Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 cases. Wolfson Bolton's work has garnered positive reviews from clients and competing attorneys - making us one of the most prominent bankruptcy law firms in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Filing For Bankruptcy In Oakland County MI
The three most common filings are Chapter 7, 11, and 13. Each provides a different benefits, and an expert lawyer can help you navigate the filing and legal process to completion.
- Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 Bankruptcy can eliminate unsecured debts, helping you to get your financial situation in control. It is the most streamlined form of bankruptcy for consumers, making it a popular strategy. Chapter 7 provides the reprieve you need to focus on critical, late payments - like your home loan, car loan or lease payment. Choosing Chapter 7 also allows you to surrender a home, car or other secured property that you decide not to keep.
- Chapter 11 - This filing is often understood as "reorganization" and businesses can use it as a method to stay afloat until revenue picks up. A business owner can present the court with a financial plan to liquidate some assets and restructure other debt. The benefit is that you can stay afloat and creditors have a chance at compensation.
- Chapter 13 - People with a steady income can utilize this filing by creating a repayment plan. Your debts may not be closed out, but it gives you an opportunity to pay them down over time without your assets being seized. Essentially, it buys you time to get your financial life on track.
What Does a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Lawyer Do?
A Chapter 11 bankruptcy attorney helps businesses and individuals "reorganize" debts. After a debtor files a Chapter 11 petition, the debtor, creditors, and court work out a new plan for repaying the existing debts, which may include the debtor retaining most or all of the debtor's property.
What Does a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Attorney Do?
Our Chapter 13 Bankruptcy attorneys will help you keep any property that has sentimental value or is important to you and your family. This is possible with a payment plan that fits your budget, while factoring the value of the special assets you seek to protect. You pay what you can afford to pay while discharging what you cannot afford to pay. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy also consolidates all of your debts into a single monthly payment. Through your reorganization, creditors agree to accept a lesser amount and/or a longer term of repayment on your debts. Payment plans generally last approximately 4 years, depending on many factors.
Advantages to Hiring an Attorney for Your Bankruptcy Case
It's recommended that consumers considering bankruptcy first consult with bankruptcy counsel who can assist with the technical process. A single miscue, error or flaw in the filing and processing of your case may result in the loss of property, valuable assets, or loss of the bankruptcy discharge itself.
Judgements by the court may have a life-changing impact. An individual who chooses to file on his or her own, or with an inexperienced attorney, may encounter difficulties - including significant fines or, in egregious cases, federal imprisonment.
Advantages of Chapter 13:
- Keep assets that are important to you and your family
- Most debts are able to be discharged
- Have up-to five years to pay debts
- Can remove a second mortgage
- Cramdown an older car or investment property loan to the present value
- Prevents accruing interest
- Discharge debts related to divorce property settlement
What Does a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Lawyer Do?
A Chapter 7 attorney helps a debtor get a "fresh start." In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the debtor gets to keep certain exempt property, but the court orders the sale of all other nonexempt property. The debtor pays the creditors with the proceeds. The court can discharge many---but not all---debts under Chapter 7.
Every person's situation is different, and the Bankruptcy Code includes many complications. If you are facing a debt crisis, it is best to contact a qualified bankruptcy attorney. Wolfson Bolton has been handling bankruptcy proceedings in the metro Detroit area for over 17 years. We have the knowledge and experience to help you regain control of your financial life.
Why Choose Wolfson Bolton As Your Medical Bills Bankruptcy in Oakland County MI?
Scott A. Wolfson is the principal of Wolfson Bolton, serving Oakland County MI , Michigan. Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison College. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota Law School and received his law degree.
Wolfson Bolton is admitted to practice in all courts in Michigan, including the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Our attorneys include members of the Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and Consumer Bar Association. Wolfson Bolton gives each client the consideration and attention to detail they deserve.
Schedule Your Free, Initial Consultation Now!
When hiring your medical bills bankruptcy in the Oakland County MI area, don't hesitate to contact us for your free initial consultation! When you're faced with bankruptcy, you have resources! Wolfson Bolton helps you understand your options, so you don't have to worry about your future. With years of experience, we've helped many of your neighbors, friends, and family with their bankruptcy problems.
Manny - Small Business Owner:
Before: Manny owned and operated a small, local restaurant, serving his family's authentic cuisine from his native country. Unbeknownst to Manny, he was sued in state court for a debt that he had co-signed years ago. He was no longer in touch with the co-borrower, with whom he had a falling out. Although Manny did not receive notice of this lawsuit, court records indicate that he was served at a prior address. Due to his "failure" to respond in a timely manner, a default judgment was entered. The judgment creditor took swift action to collect on the judgment. Manny could not afford to challenge the validity of service at a prior address, and nonetheless, he had co-signed for the underlying debt. The creditor sought to freeze his bank account and seize his restaurant's equipment. Fearing the loss of his business equipment and assets, and needing to seek immediate relief, Manny contacted an experienced bankruptcy attorney for advice.
After: Manny was advised that he risked losing his business and/or the equipment he needed to operate his restaurant by filing for Chapter 7. Manny elected to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead, with a plan to pay the judgment creditor the total amount a Chapter 7 Trustee would recover if his business assets were liquidated. Manny worked with his attorney on this plan, which gave him five years to pay a portion of the judgment, while retaining his business assets. To Manny's surprise, the judgment creditor - the only creditor in the case - failed to timely file a proof of claim. As a result, Manny's case was closed and a discharge of his debts entered. Manny emerged from Chapter 13 in just six months, debt free, and with full ownership of his business assets.


text:
Lana Del Rey GQ Shoot: Singer Reveals Sordid Past (VIDEO)
Lana Del Rey is all grown up and ready to hit the big leagues after overcoming a sordid past at a very young age.
Many young stars make it into the business first, get mixed up in the wrong sort of scenes, and then somehow find themselves in rehab recovering from alcohol or drug related problems. But Indie pop singer Lana Del Rey has a different story to tell.
Despite being born wealthy, Del Rey faced troubles long before she made it into the music business. At the age of 14 she was sent off to Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut, to deal with alcohol dependency issues. Del Rey's history has gone on to make a strong impact in her music and is possibly the cause for her growing fame.
"I was a big drinker at the time. I would drink every day. I would drink alone. I thought the whole concept was so f------ cool," Del Rey told GQ of her childhood alcohol issues during a September interview. "A great deal of what I wrote on Born To Die is about these wilderness years. When I write about the thing that I've lost I feel like I'm writing about alcohol because that was the first love of my life."
Del Rey explained in the U.K. issue, due out in October, that those young years were some of the worst in her life.
"My parents were worried, I was worried. I knew it was a problem when I liked it more than I liked doing anything else," Del Rey recalled. "Like, at first it's fine and you think you have a dark side – it's exciting – and then you realize the dark side wins every time if you decide to indulge in it."
"It's also a completely different way of living when you know that ... a different species of person," the singer added. "It was the worst thing that ever happened to me."
Although some saw her as an unfamiliar face a year ago, her name began to draw attention, and Del Rey has now been named Woman of the Year by GQ.


text:
627 members2085 Comments 11 Likes
1515 members7519 Comments 40 Likes
974 members4873 Comments 32 Likes
Started Dec 30, 2010 0 Replies 0 Likes
Hi Ladies,I'm fairly new to the blogging scene and it turns out getting set up is WAY harder than I thought it would be! I thought I knew stuff about HTML but it turns out....I DO NOT! Anyways, I'm…Continue
Welcome to MBC
Hope you're having a great week. I just wanted to tell you about our new E-Zine that is dedicated to helping readers find good blogs. We have a whole page dedicated to Mommy Blogs. So drop by when you have time and check out the many features available to you at BOLD. And don't forget to request your FREE issue!
BOLD - http://boldlc.blogspot.com
Hi, just wanted to stop by and introduce myself and the blog I write. I am new to Mom Blogger's Club and still learning when it comes
to blogging. My blog is a combination of my life as a wife (the second
time around) and a mom of three kids whose ages range from 7 to 23 and
my home business. I would love to have you stop by and check it out: KLsCupboard.
I follow back all who follow me!
Hello Jen,
Check out my blog. We have a new childrens book soming out in a few months that Im sure your litle one would simply adore.
We are Angels of Inspiration. Check us out become a new follower read through our blog and share your thoughts with us in our blog. Check us out, cause we're coming!!!http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%...
I love your blog!
Hello and Welcome to MBC! I have been blogging for about 3 months now, so I am rather new also:) I stopped by your blog and am now following! I look forward to following. You can stop by and visit me at www.busymomibee.com and http://momibloggertips.blogspot.com
Have a Happy New Year!!
Hi, Just wanted to say hello and welcome to MBC.
Hi Jennifer! Welcome to the club and feel free to check out my blog: Swanky Baby http://swankybaby1.blogspot.com. I'm looking forward to checking yours out too!


text:
People living in the world's largest refugee camp will now be able to watch the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee has partnered with FilmAid International, an organization that brings film to displaced people across the world, to broadcast the games for almost 200,000 people living at the refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya, for the next 16 days, according to olympic.org.
The camp, located in the northwestern part of Kenya, was established in 1991. Many of the camp's residents are displaced from South Sudan.
U.S. & World
This year, there's a special connection between the games and those living at the camp.
Five athletes from the camp — all runners — are representing the first Refugee Olympic Team in Rio, including the team's flag bearer, Rose Nathike Lokonyen. Lokonyen, who is from South Sudan, arrived in the camp in 2002 and is competing in the Women's 800-meter, according to olympic.org.
Ten athletes overall — four women and six men — are competing in Rio for the refugee team.
Pope Francis sent the team a letter of encouragement, saying he hoped "your courage and strength find expression through the Olympic Games and serve as a cry for peace and solidarity."
The letter, written in Spanish, was dated July 26 and was released by the Vatican on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.


text:
Clinical Trials
A Dose Escalation Study of Tenofovir Alafenamide in Treatment-Naive Patients
Gilead Sciences
Information provided by (Responsible Party)
Gilead Sciences
First received: May 13, 2002
Last updated: January 13, 2014
Last Verified: January 2014
History of Changes
This study evaluated two doses of tenofovir alafenamide versus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir DF).
HIV Infections
Drug : Tenofovir DF
Drug : Tenofovir alafenamide
Phase 1
Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Phase 1/2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Active Controlled, Dose Escalation Study of the Safety, Tolerance, Pharmacokinetic,, and Antiviral Activity of GS-7340-02 in Antiretroviral-Naive Patients Who Are Chronically Infected With HIV-1
Further study details as provided by Gilead Sciences:
Primary Outcome Measures
Time-weighted average change from baseline through Week 2 (DAVG2) for HIV-1 RNA (log10 copies/mL)
[ Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2 ]
DAVG2 was defined as the time-weighted average between baseline value through the last available value up to week 2 minus the baseline value.
- Change from baseline in HIV-1 RNA (log10 copies/mL) [ Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2 ]
- Change from baseline in CD4 cell count (cells/mm3) [ Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2 ]
|Study Start Date:
|March 2002
|Study Completion Date:
|February 2003
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 2003 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator:
Tenofovir DF
Participants received tenofovir DF 300 mg for 14 days
Tenofovir DF
Tenofovir DF tablet administered orally once daily
Other Name: Viread®
Tenofovir alafenamide 50 mg
Participants received tenofovir alafenamide 50 mg for 14 days
Tenofovir alafenamide
Tenofovir alafenamide tablet(s) administered orally once daily
Other Name: GS-7340
Tenofovir alafenamide 150 mg
Participants received tenofovir alafenamide 150 mg for 14 days
Tenofovir alafenamide
Tenofovir alafenamide tablet(s) administered orally once daily
Other Name: GS-7340
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 65 Years
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria
- HIV-1 RNA levels greater than or equal to 30,000 copies/mL
- CD4 count greater than or equal to 200 cells/mm3
- Serum creatinine <1.5 mg/dl
- Hepatic transaminases less than or equal to 2.5 times the upper limit of normal
- Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL
- Adequate hematologic function
- Serum amylase less than or equal to 1.5 times the upper limit of normal
- Serum phosphate greater than or equal to 2.2 mg/dL
- Not pregnant
- Prior treatment with antiretroviral therapy
- Immunization within 30 days of study entry
- A new AIDS defining condition within 30 days of study entry
- Receiving nephrotoxic agents, probenecid, chemotherapeutic agents, corticosteroids,
Exclusion Criteria
Contacts and LocationsChoosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision.Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00036634
Locations Show More
|United States, California
|Stanford Positive Care Program
|Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
|United States, Illinois
|Protocare Trials Chicago Center for Clinical Trials
|Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60610
|United States, New York
|Rockefeller University Hospital
|New York, New York, United States, 10021
Sponsors and CollaboratorsGilead Sciences
More Information
More Information
|Responsible Party:
|Gilead Sciences
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00036634 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|May 13, 2002
|Last Updated:
|January 13, 2014
Keywords provided by Gilead Sciences:treatment naive
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on June 02, 2020
This information is provided by ClinicalTrials.gov.


text:
Jonathan Grace necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 73 diseños de 18 diseñadores freelance.
Merchamp Optical Ltd, based in Dublin, have been in the business of selling high quality designer frames for 18 years. This site is being developed as a catalogue site so they can showcase their latest stock from a wide variety of top designers.
We have already come up with a wireframe, which you can find below from the url located under 'resources'. This wireframe is a rough guide of what we want the site to look like, and does not have to be adhered to strictly. In fact, if you need to change something on the guide then please feel free to do so.
Please check general feedback and other users feedback throughout the contest.
Merchamp Optical Ltd
We want a design that's cool, contemporary, sexy and easy on the eye. We want a design that the user sees and thinks, 'This is a cool looking site I must come back here'. Unless absolutely necessary, the font in the site all around should be arial, as we want to be using as much system text as possible. This includes headings etc, as we need to think about accessibility. The site has to make the site clear and easy to use. Each page in the site must be the same width (1000px) and there can be some variation on the height if needs be. We also like symetrical designs where sections have widths and heights (but more widths) that have nice round numbers and common aspect ratios (no ections 13 x 37px please). We want designs that flow naturally and are flexible to change.Resources
http://www.fintekweb.com/merchamp-siteplan.pdf - The wireframe for the site that we have put together as a guide.
We want three PSD files delivered without any of the images layers flattened. It will be our job to put these into XHTML and apply JS and CSS as needed.
From the pdf containing the site wireframe, the following three pages need designs:
-- Home
-- Viewing Brand
-- The Company
Sites we like:
http://www.emporioarmani.com – Great use of colour. Stylish and pulls off the dark colour so well. (see the sunglasses section under products as well)www.style.com – A little cluttered but we like the use of colour here and the overall mood of the site.http://www.louisvuitton.com - not sure about the music! but the layout is nice and simple and looks cool. http://www.dolcegabbana.com/ - Not mad on the layout but I like the mood it sets and the colours they use. http://www.net-a-porter.com/
- Looks good and has that thing about it that turns people into something like a kid in a candy store when they visit.
We don't want a site that requires flash for any part of it to function. This is going to be put together in valid XHTML and CSS to make it as accessible, usable and lightweight as possible.
We don't want the use of colours that are too strong or garish. We find that these are distracting for the user.


text:
(SVOTS) - Father Ilie Toader, a member of the theological faculty of Buzau, Romania, is writing a doctoral thesis about St. Vladimir's Seminary. He visited the Seminary during the course of a month, during September and October 2010, to perform his research. Dr. Peter Bouteneff, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at SVOTS, spoke with him about his project, about the Seminary, and about his expectations and findings.
Fr. Ilie, tell us about your project, your doctoral thesis.
In 2007, when I was admitted in the doctoral program at the Bucharest Faculty of Orthodox Theology, I decided, with the consent of my director, Rev. Prof. Dr. Viorel Ioniţă, to write my thesis about the contribution of St. Vladimir's to contemporary Orthodox thought. The provisional title of my thesis is "St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and its contribution to modern Orthodox thinking." I was able to come and visit here, at the invitation of Fr. John Behr, for the purposes of completing my research, using your library and meeting with your faculty and students.
What provoked your interest in our seminary?
While a student, I was taught—and always imagined—that Dogmatics and Church History were completely distinct subjects. I was therefore very struck when I read Fr. John Meyendorff's Byzantine Theology, because it is a dense analysis and synthesis that is at the same time dogmatic and historical. Soon after that I discovered Fr. Schmemann's works. And I realized that both writers belong to a common and enriching tradition. Reading more about them I was able to locate the epicenter of this remarkable tradition at Saint Vladimir's Seminary. Then I also read Fr. Florovsky and others. I saw more and more a common thread, one that had to do with understanding "Tradition." Florovsky, through the "neo-patristic synthesis," Schmemann through the revitalizing of the liturgical Tradition, Meyendorff, through his writing about "living" or "dynamic" Tradition. These approaches were each distinct but had a common perspective—this is one of the greatest contributions of St. Vladimir's.
Does St. Vladimir's have a particular reputation among your colleagues in Romania? Are there particular supporters and critics?
Myself, I knew that St. Vladimir's is representative of North American Orthodoxy and one of the most prestigious and prolific centers of education and spirituality in contemporary Orthodoxy anywhere. Would I agree that SVOTS is representative? Probably not.
As for serious critics, in fact I found that it's more here in America, than elsewhere, that St. Vladimir's has detractors! In Romania almost no one has this spirit of criticism of this Seminary. Of course, some of the theology faculty in Romania haven't heard of SVOTS. Among those who have, the ones I spoke with have this idea that SVOTS is very open in its outlook. For some, this quality of "open" is a very positive thing; for others, that same quality is not so positive.
What were your expectations of the life and ethos of the Seminary before you came? And what has your impression been now that you are here?
Before I came I had a "Romanian" image of the Seminary: I imagined it as a large and cold institution, where faculty and students meet together only in the classroom, in the morning, and then everyone leaves the building "lifeless." What I found here is both smaller than what I expected, but also much more communal, on the part of both faculty and students. I was also surprised at many of the activities that students do here as part of their training: hospital visitation, prison ministry, et cetera.
I was very surprised to find such a heterogeneous body of students, coming from very different ethnic and religious backgrounds—Indians, Serbians, Albanians, Armenians, Americans, et cetera, and born-Orthodox and converts—and yet proving to be a numerous and friendly family. But the place that had the biggest impression on me, the place which struck me as the heart that gives cohesion and strength to this family most of all, and where I could really feel the living memory and legacy of your predecessors, was the chapel. When I saw you—professors and students—serving together, taking Eucharist together, praying together, I felt myself connected to your past and present, to your Tradition.
Some who come here from Eastern Europe, like yourself, are surprised that in many places in North America, the people receive Holy Communion at nearly every Divine Liturgy, whether or not they have confessed the same day or the day before.
As a student of history, I look back to the writings of the Holy Fathers, like St. Justin Martyr in his first Apology, where the evidence is that everyone communed at every liturgy, and, even more, those who were absent for various reasons had Holy Communion brought to them by the deacons. And I read Fr. Schmemann's writings on this subject, and agree with this. So I am completely supportive of this practice, and will try to be an ambassador for it in Romania. Yet, while I was here with you, I had to remain faithful to the actual position and practice of my Church.
Are there other things you feel you have learned here, not just about the Seminary?
By coming here, I learned a lot of things, concrete and abstract. The concrete ones will be reflected in my doctoral thesis, so let me tell you more about the others. First of all, this is my first major work in the field of Church History and I realized how difficult is the task of a historian. A "scientific" approach to history can easily obscure the facts. For example, If I go back to Romania and say simply that St. Vladimir's is a Seminary founded in 1938, with a number of outstanding personalities and with its own Press; or if I reduce Fr. Schmemann only to his life and works—no matter how dense and precise the data of my thesis will be—I will fail to present the real place and contribution of St. Vladimir's to American and worldwide Orthodoxy. So, the historian's mission is more creative than simply gathering and collating information.
Do you have any feelings or hopes for Orthodoxy in America, or for the Seminary, that you'd like to share with us?
One thing is that I think that Orthodoxy in the world today needs more communication between the spiritual, educational, and cultural centers of the Orthodox world. Another impression: as I come to know the Seminary and its context better, I understand better the importance of your contribution. You had to struggle here to survive here in America in a way that we, in the more homogenously Orthodox context of Romania, have not. We struggled as well, of course, under communism, but in my opinion we have lost more believers after the Revolution (in 1989), because we lack a clear sense of mission to our own people. We haven't woken up to this new reality, this missionary imperative. It's very different here in the U.S., where there are not so many Orthodox Christians.
I hope that you at the Seminary will continue to grow and develop yourselves in the same direction as you have done since 1938, following the goals of your founders: you have students from all over the world; you bring Orthodoxy all over the world through your books, alumni, and professors; you have always represented Orthodoxy in the ecumenical or inter-Orthodox dialogue. I think there are enough reasons for me to hope that in 2038, at your centenary, all of Orthodoxy will be speaking about St. Vladimir's Pan-Orthodox Theological Seminary!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Great interview with St. Vladimir's Seminary historian
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Chen, Royals working toward one-year contract
Deal would include mutual option for '15; Santana less likely to come back
KANSAS CITY -- That didn't take long. Scant hours after MLB.com reported Bruce Chen's chances of returning to the Royals looked good, the left-handed pitcher was headed back to Kansas City.
Chen is believed to have agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals, although he has to undergo a physical examination before the deal becomes final.
"The only thing I can tell you is we're working toward an agreement and nothing is final at this point," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said early Thursday afternoon.
Chen wasn't talking very much, either.
"I really can't comment on anything," he said on Thursday afternoon.
Chen's representatives, however, apparently leaked news of the agreement to news media Thursday morning.
Reports were the deal was worth at least $4.25 million. Included was a $3.25 salary for 2014 plus a mutual option for 2015 for $5.5 million with a buyout of $1 million. Also part of it was a possible $1.25 million in performance bonuses.
Chen earned $4.5 million last year. And he did earn it, working the bullpen in the first half and then swinging into the rotation for the second half. Together he was 9-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 34 games (15 starts).
At 36, he remains one of those seemingly ageless left-handers with talent, knowledge and guile.
The Rangers and the Orioles were also among teams interested in Chen.
But Chen had spent the last five years with the Royals, leading them in victories in three straight seasons, and was never shy about his high regard for playing in Kansas City.
"I enjoyed my time there, I met my wife there and it's a very good organization. I think 2014 can be a very special year for the Kansas City Royals," he said in an interview Wednesday night.
That's because the Royals made a run at a Wild Card berth in 2013.
"That was some of the most fun I've ever had," Chen said. "A bunch of guys just coming together with a common goal and we were all working hard. We didn't care about numbers for us, we just cared about winning. It went right down to the last week so I definitely think the team's on the right track."
Chen was one of two successful pitchers from the 2013 Royals that were on the free-agent market. Ervin Santana, who pitched much better than his 9-10 record indicated, is still unsigned and he's not likely to follow Chen back through the Royals clubhouse door.
Although Santana's rumored wishes have supposedly come down from five years and $100 million to four years and $60 million, just one year at $15 million or so would push the Royals' projected payroll to about $100 million for 2014.
That's extremely unlikely. Anyhow, there are some big-money suitors sniffing around the Santana camp.
Santana also has raved about how much he liked his one season in Kansas City. But apparently he wasn't giving any discounts to stay.
Meanwhile, Chen was believed to be headed for Kansas City to take his physical. If that goes OK, he might be welcomed back during Royals FanFest this weekend.


text:
Illegal transfer? Anti-Parkway plaintiffs make their case
Kenneth Shirley is not excited about the prospect of returning stockpiled materials for the Meadowcreek Parkway project. A construction engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation, he told a Charlottesville courtroom that $400,000 has already been spent on supplies.
"You can't return them like a pair of pants to Wal-Mart," Shirley testified Tuesday, May 19, in the trial that pits his Department against a determined band of local citizens who argue that last year's transfer of a nine-acre stretch of land from the city of Charlottesville to VDOT was illegal.
Jennifer McKeever, representing the plaintiffs, argued that the city sold the public land to VDOT illegally by evading a three-fourths supermajority vote required by the Constitution of Virginia for selling public land by settling for a 3-2 vote. The transfer was also approved by a 4-1 vote by the city's School Board last May. McKeever argued that $43,120 VDOT gave the city represented a sale.
However, according to Spencer Dejarnette, a representative from VDOT and witness for the defense, the funds– intended for landscaping around the project– represent a permanent easement, not a sale.
And Lori Pound, an assistant attorney general defending VDOT, argued that the land was transferred from one public use to another, and no sale occurred.
Judge Jay Swett, presiding over the hearing in Charlottesville Circuit Court, said that the transfer could be problematic and an issue requiring further exploration, citing an Attorney General's opinion from 2004.
The plaintiffs contend that if the Parkway is completed their property values will decrease, and the level of noise, pollution, and traffic in their area will significantly increase.
From the City's point of view, City Attorney Craig Brown and Pound argued that the plaintiffs, which include a citizens group called the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, had insufficient personal injury to sue.
McKeever countered by saying that the plaintiffs' residency in the North Downtown area of Charlottesville and their individual participation in the North Downtown Residents Association grants them standing. Association president Collette Hall, for instance, said she had not missed a public hearing on the project.
"I feel like the sixth city counselor," Hall testified.
To expand their case, the plaintiffs introduced eight witnesses, including Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris, who testified that he opposed the roadway when Council voted on it last June.
VDOT attorney Pound argued that the state's injury would far exceed that of the plaintiffs' and stopping the project could cost VDOT as much as $20,000 a day. Of the $11.8 million budget for County's stretch of the Parkway, whose construction began in February, $1.4 million has already been spent, including the $400,000 for materials.
(The controversial Meadowcreek Parkway is slated for construction in three separate portions: Albemarle County's 1.4-mile part, the city's one-third mile stretch through McIntire Park, and the interchange at the Route 250 bypass and McIntire Road.)
Following the hearing, which lasted over six hours, Coalition member Stratton Saladis expressed optimism about his side's chances.
"I would bet on us," Saladis said. "But just barely."
Fellow plaintiff and Sierra Club chapter president John Cruickshank seemed pleased with the judge's handling of the hearing.
"He took our case very, very seriously and made a sincere effort to get all the information he needed to make a decision," Cruickshank said. "Any decision he makes, we'll accept it."
To a point. Cruickshank also said there could be more potential legal action, including taking the case to federal court. "This is round one," Cruickshank said. "Round two will be the main event."
The judge gave no indication of when he might rule.
47 comments
Another sign that this city is being ruined.
Agatha, You are correct. Your
view will eventually prevail.
What a selfish and selfserving push these short-sighted people have to move this "monster" through.
This is a directive of the misguided COUNTY and COOPERATING/ASSOCIATED members- CITY COUNCIL AND THE CHAMBER OF COM., AND ALSO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA.
What a joke! Very few places in America exhibit such foolishness about development. I'd imagine that the detractors are very narrow-minded, vocal minority.
I agree. Build it. Seems to solve a lot of transportation problems in the urban area. It's too bad its supporters have not been as vocal.
Perhaps we should all drive thru ther North dowtown residents neighborhoods on our way downtown honking our horns every few feet in protest to their protest.
Or perhaps we could simply eminent domain their homes and turn the entire neighborhood into a park.
Perhaps Mr. Mcintire would be pleased that his donation will nused as a parkway to make charlottesville a better place to live and work for thousands.
This road has been on the drawing board for decades. No ones rights are being trampled here.
This is a disgraceful project. And no things are only gonna get worse on Park Street. And in an even bigger slap to locals, they hire a VA-Beach surveying company? Who's great idea was that? Next thing yah know they are gonna turn the Covenant School into a rest stop.
even if they win this the round the federal govt can eminent domain the land and make it a federal rd.
you cannot fight city hall.
All of that said.. the road needs to be built. Get over it.
We have enough development. Keep the PARK a PARK! A YMCA is one thing, but a freakin' highway will destroy the whole area. I agree with Connie above - if you want more "development" move somewhere that has lots of it. We aready have the hideous Wendell Wood stripping as much land as he can and radically removing every living thing on the land he develops. Enough already.
This isn't equivalent to developing Hollymeade, Seminole Square, Albemarle Place, etc. It's being used to alleviate traffic problems that already exist. You won't be shopping at the Home Depot on the MC Parkway.
If you want lots of beautiful land, it's real cheap out in the surrounding counties. Enjoy wasting your money though. It's not like schools, social security, or welfare couldn't use it.
I hoped you'd ask. How about my own 6 year study making that run? I've worked up 29 since late 1998, and commuted from downtown/Belmont (reverse commute, thank goodness) for 6 of those ten years. I have three options for my drive home to Belmont.
If I take Proffit to Route 20, it takes around 35 minutes, god forbid I get caught behind a slow vehicle as there is no place to pass. Also, Proffit is very twisty, and even though I love it, there are plenty of people who are terrified of that and won't use it to commute. This is fine, since, as I noted, it's not able to handle many commuters.
As another option, I can go all the way down 29 to 250 and head east toward Pantops. I don't think I have to tell anyone here how much I hate driving down 29 south. Once on the highway, I get stuck doing 35MPH for no reason whatsoever. I know Covenant is there; why it doesn't get a normal school zone like every other school is far beyond my comprehension.
Lastly, I can take Rio Rd to 250. Most of this drive is wonderful. Until it shortens to two lanes, twists back on itself, and requires me to take a left hand turn onto 29 while traffic stacks up on a bridge that at least one truck has already tried to bring down that is. I'm glad I don't have to keep going downtown anymore, and I can see why folks in that neighborhood would be behind the construction of the Parkway.
So we've established Rio Rd is the best way from north to Downtown, except for one fatal flaw. I just had a great idea though! We could build a road in between where Rio narrows that would terminate at 250 and McIntire, have four lanes to move traffic smoothly, and get traffic out of that neighborhood! Sounds great to me. This is to say nothing for the days when there is an accident on the two lane portion of Rio and traffic absolutely snarls, like that time a guy flipped his Ranger in the twisty part.
But please, tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. After all, I'm not doing a study.
Don't know what the answer is, but this town has a huge traffic issue for how relatively small it is. The problem is that 250 and 29 make an "x" through the town and are really the only ways to get anywhere short of circling the entire city (although a bypass would be a nice thing up 29). There are no back ways since rio, etc. are just as busy and often take longer. I think anyone who travels from the University up 29 or towards Pantops around 5-7 pm knows exactly what I mean. The city grew and so did the numbers of students, but the roads never did out of preserving history, etc. This might not be the best traffic solution, but some alterations need to be made eventually as the area continues to attract more people.
Too funny:
Your last sentence especially piqued my interest. The people screaming that this isn't the best solution are doing it with an ulterior motive. Don't believe them. It's the only solution, if people still want to live in the county and commute into the city.
JR: Perhaps we are on the same side of the issue on this one: I am not sure this is really the solution, at least for long term traffic relief.
Jim: Though I frequently had to drive from Belmont up 29N,by all the means you mention, I am still not convinced this was the answer. I spoke out about it in 2000, for logical reason, and feel no differently today.
Yes, this will alleviate SOME congestion on the RIO section. For now. But ultimately if you create a flow, it will just keep filing until its full. In a few years, traffic will be as bad on this little segment, and we will have sacreficed a very important park for it. The time has come to accept we need another by-pass like 250, and that no commercial development can be done off of it, lest we look like the 'by-pass' around Warrenton. Its also time we accept new life styles.....
It would be nice to have access to an engineering study, but it's hard to doubt that it got done, and was listened to. Just hoping the real world experience gives some weight to my opinion there.
The County should take more responsibility in channeling traffic the county generates.
At this point the County is obviously taking advantage of the city.
Remember the 3 party agreement first the western by-pass, second meadowcreek parkway, third the eastern by-pass. Does anyone think the county will put roads through their neighborhoods ?
Mequa Shore: LOL. Was I measuring the comparative values of Parks as to which would be the best to destroy. I don;t think so, and I would defend Meade, Tonsler, and yes, even Washington Park from such a fate. parents need places to walk their kids so they can throw a baseball, or frisbee with the dog, especially when we look at the amount of noise and business we are assaulting ourselves with.
And Frankly? It seems to me a lot of the people causing the traffic problems are people who thought they were too good to live in the City, and wanted their controlled suburban life in Forest lakes. Why should city residents have to give up their park for that? Move in town if you don't like the commute.
I agree we need to resolve this by getting better elected leadership. Norris stood up in court against this road and now we need to elect Fenwick to support him and get this over. Let the county build their portion of the road.
And how about preserving the park at Ragged Mt. If you've never been there it's the most beautiful place to hike and only 2 miles from town. They plan to destroy the contiguous woods so important to wildlife and build 5 miles of roads, realign the wonderful winding Reservoir Road that leads to Camp Holiday Trails for major dam building equipment and build a 112'dam that will destroy 54,000 trees in this wonderful natural area. If we can't agree to save McIntire
Park let's at least agree to dredge for our water supply and not destroy this.
Y'all may be missing the point. The policy decision whether or not to build belongs to our elected representatives. And they decided already to build it. A bad decision, a wrong and short-sighted decision, a decision which will effectively destroy a park, and as well, saw our city in half with highway traffic like a chain saw running from Route 29 to Route 64 right through our middle. But City Councils of yesteryear made this stupid decision.
If the Coalition to Preserve McIntire had put its limited money but tremendous energy, enthusiam and sincerity into bringing anti-parkway voters to the May Democratic caucus? Only 1,500 Democrats determined who our City Councilors are. There would now be a majority on Council to stop the parkway.
Instead they're in court. All a judge can decide is whether or not the law was followed; he cannot and will not try to decide whether or not the road was a good idea. Does the law require a 3-2 vote or a 4-1 vote for a 40 year easement? A pretty abstruse issue and its questionable whether Parkway opponents who are not City Councillors are even the right parties even to raise it. The judge's decision is likely to be narrow focused, and disappointing for those who hope he'll stop the parkway.
Jeff wants us to dredge Rivanna rather than destroy trees at Ragged Mountain. Personally I'd like to revisit the Buck Mountain reservoir--there are Albemarle County rich landowners leasing for next to nothing land bought us taxpayers for a reservoir. They use but pay no property taxes on hundreds, even thousands of acres. In any event we should focus on the elected representatives, not on judges, in deciding these things.
Jeff,I don't have a study or an exact vote, as a yes/no vote hasn't been put forth on a city ballot. BUT with all of the signs, uproar I'm observing: to SAVE McINTIRE PARK, My bet is more in Charlottesville do agree the project should be stopped. Of course, more in the County want the project to move forward, but that shouldn't matter. McIntire Park isn't county land.
I agree, It is the few who live on or near Park Street,city that go along with the road.
Sadly the city does not have any advocacy from its own representative D. Toscanno, to Save McIntire. This predicament is very telling and also very concerning.
In the Parkway issue, Funny how some current councilors just throw up their hands and cast blame on former boards for the problem. As they are leading now, THEY COULD change course and work to stop the project.
I blame the 3, council who are not open to changing their mind. In fact they will never be forgiven unless they do change their minds. Julian T. is only the first to fall from the pedestal. The other 2, Brown, Huga will be next.
When the traffic gets so bad that there is total gridlock , and the road gets built because the tide turns against you naysayers all that you will have is the ability to say "well it was a gallant fight"
It is too bad that you don't just put all of your time, effort and money into buying property and donating it to churches to be used as private parks for all.
Perhaps there is a compromise... they could put a rest stop on the parkway with a starbucks, a vegan market and an abortion clinic. That should make you happy.
So someone who lives in the county but works in the City makes the road something the county needs but not the city?
I guess the city should just give any tax revenue generated from businesses by county-living, city-working employees to the county, huh?
If businesses can't get their employees downtown, they will relocate. And the city will slowly die... the Federal Government moved their biggest facility out of downtown 8 years ago. What if the head cheeses of SNL, Lexis-nexis, etc decide that rather than expand in the city, it would be easier and more pleasant to move to a new campus out in the county since the traffic stinks.
The George Washington Bridge isn't NJ's problem just because more people commute into the city than vice versa...
These are a few acres on the edge of a park on a golf course that is so busy that the last time I played it, there wasn't an attendant, just an "honor box" for players to pay.
This entire thing should be left up to the majority of the people. In this case, the majority of the city residents.
What is the current breakdown, 50% for, 50% against? If so, this is a problem and worthy of debate.
Otherwise, if it's 80% for and 20% against, the road should be built.
Why is all of this so hard to understand?
solr... it is not majority rules... it is governmental responsibilty. The government created a master plan and people invested in developemnt based on that. They now have a reasonable expectation that government will uphold its end of the bargain. These landowners paid taxes for decades and deserve reasonable accomodations from government. THe people that have owned houses here.. even for 100 years could not have has a reasonable expectaion that all of the vacant lots would remain that way forever.
Developers can sue FOR the road and have done so elsewhere for access to sewer and power.
I don't think you intended to strengthen my argument, but thanks. If you think that all of those spots will be residential units, and that they'll be snapped up just for being in the city and walkable, AND that they're going to be developed anytime soon, well that's a pretty strong assumption. There is an abundance of condos for sale in town that are sitting empty, waiting for someone to move in.
The fact is, if you want to live in the city, and you have a job, you can live in the city. If you want to live in the county, you can move out to the county. All the condos in the world won't make the latter group happy, and we need to get them in from the county to work everyday. I see these people every day waiting to get into town whether I take Rio or 250. When there is a solution (of sorts), it needs to be done. This is why I can't understand the sentiment on reasons other than preservation of green space. I can only speak for myself here; but I don't see how you don't do it.
Just a thought,
Does anyone remember when Rio Road was closed for a few weeks for major repairs a while back?
Traffic was bumper to bumper pretty much from Route 33 and Route 29 to Barracks Road.
Jim, I have to wonder if you ever go out after you get home from work. Your statement above, "there's nothing more that can be built up downtown really." It's simply so mistaken that it seems you can't possibly be talking about Charlottesville.
There are two large lots on Water Street which are hard to miss. There is a huge parcel which extends from before the old coal tower all the way to Meade Avenue. There are two warehouses on East Market Street that are perfect sites for redevelopment into fairly large mixed use buildings. One of them is even unoccupied.
There are any number of places along West Main where infill projects could easily go, not the least of which is the obvious Amtrack station parking lot. There is the U-Haul lot right up the street, another large vacant lot along 10th Street, an old car dealership which is very underused for its location, and a vacant lot right next to it. Further along there is a very large lot just before JPA. Any of those could be built on today with no loss of anything historic and little or no opposition. There are many many more sites that I could list with little difficulty.
Many of the rabid pro-parkway crowd seem to want to label the opponents of the road as somehow being stuck in the past or necessarily opposed to growth or change. Nothing could be farther than the truth for me and I'm sure many others as well. The city will develop over time. Those lots I listed will be built upon. We will have a much more dense urban core. Building that city as a walkable city, with parkland that is accessible to residents is the smart way to develop it for the future.
The endless sprawl of suburbia is a vision for the past which is simply not going to be workable in the long term. Building roads to encourage that at the expense of unreclaimable parkland is a shockingly short sighted approach to planing that is such a bad idea that it is amazing to me that it is even being considered.
Why don't we just build 50-story buildings that have apartments and offices, with a grocer on the main level, and restaurants at the top? Then, no one would ever have to even go outside, and the parkway would be pointless.
Build up, not out?
I don't see the point in wasting anymore time with this argument for the following reason: we disagree fundamentally over whether the parkway would help. What do you do about that? It's being built anyway, it's beautiful outside, and it's a holiday weekend. I know I've been taking this too seriously, and I suspect I'm not alone.
Go enjoy the nice weather! I know I will the minute the clock turns 7.
The entire road system is crap in the city and county. It was designed to placate the nye sayers and not to make an ideal road system. All you nye sayers have created this problem. Good job you morons.
Jim, I don't recall writing anything to suggest that those places would be developed soon. I do recall your assertion, one of several that I take issue with, that ââ?¬Å?there's nothing more that can be built up downtown really." I only chose to address that in what I wrote. Clearly, your statement is far form accurate.
I'm not sure what you meant by "This is why I can't understand the sentiment on reasons other than preservation of green space." I will just assume that you were trying to get your thoughts down before you lost them and that you had to sacrifice communication in order to achieve that. I and many others who are opposed to the parkway are in fact trying to preserve green space. I thought that had been made pretty clear.
You have actually strengthened one of the main arguments that opponents of the parkway have repeatedly advanced, that it will be a temporary solution at best. If the parkway were to alleviate traffic problems, it would further encourage people to move to the county and commute into town. That is the sprawl many fear will be accelerated. You are suggesting that it be accomodated. I am suggesting that government play a leadership role by considering what is best for the future and discourage it. What's best for the city is to keep its prize parcel of parkland and make it easier for people to live in the city than it is to commute in.
The idea that the parkways is even going to alleviate traffic problems in the fist place is ludicrous. I have spent many afternoons slowly making my way from the intersection at Hydraulic and 29 to the Free Bridge and beyond. Traffic is backed up the whole way almost every day. There is simply nothing the parkway is going to do to change the number of cars on the roads at that time of day. It may make the trip slightly shorter when there is no traffic, but the rest of the time it isn't going to. As soon as it gets slow, and sooner for the one that want to play smarter than the crowds, Park will be the short cut of choice, just the way all the side streets off of Park are now. Those cars will be feeding back in at the on-ramps and clogging things even more as they merge. The slow traffic out of town will be just as slow as before if not worse, but we will have one less park.
Yeah, once UVA moves out to the county it will all be downhill from there.
Cars are here to stay no matter what the greenies would like. This aint Copenhagen folks with bicycles and reliable clean mass transit...Build the damn road! I also noted the other day the WVIR story about economic losses in Cville and Albemarle while Greene, Louisa, and Waynesboro all enjoyed increases even in a down economy. One of the reasons is the absolute lack of foresight for 40 years on PROPER roads for a growing area. NOBODY wants to go into CVille or the county urban ring. I would MUCH rather go to Waynesboro or even Short Pump. Traffic there is a heck of lot better. Go ahead, bankrupt Cville you idiots.
Brian, You just opened conversation on an interesting proposal.
Hire more workers from Charlottesville in the city. Sounds good to me.
Let the county find jobs for its' own workers.
From what many observe, the county is having real problems. Downtown Chville is looking better, and Barracks RD looks vibrant. The county strip malls look sick and cheaper by the minute. Poor planning for sure. The county dug its own grave.
For me, I'm GLAD the SPY agency is gone, and away from Downtown. Let the County have it! Maybe the fed govt will finally revive the buying power in the county!
The city will survive, and without the PARKWAY.
How would you propose to do this? Require city businesses to hire people who only live in the city? Sounds difficult to do, I don't know about the legality, and then what do you do when the employee in a condo downtown gets married and moves to Forrest Lakes? Fire them? What if (gasp) they need to recruit someone from outside the area? Do they then have to move into the city?
Remember that the businesses are the ones who do the hiring and the employees choose where to live. Without changing our form of government, how could your plan be put into place? Also remember that the businesses are always free to relocate.
Brian, Actually I realize there are obstacles, hurdles. I do want the city government to advocate for Charlottesville FIRST and FOREMOST. Just ain't happening so far.
Until there is a merger with the county, I expect more accountability from the city in this regard.
tater salad, your ignorance is staggering. You apparently know nothing about this project or its history. Congratulations.
Google is your friend, hon. Go ask your Mommy how to use it.
Growing up on University Circle near Rugby Road in a gentler time, I was allowed to roam on foot or by bicycle all around the area.
Occasionally I would see Paul Goodloe McIntire leaving his residence on Rugby Road to take the air. He was always cordial to a young neighbor when we met, and we sometimes stopped to chat.
We citizens are very fortunate to have had this generous man for so long in our midst.
I wonder now if he is turning over in his grave at the thought of how his foresighted gift of land, a potentially lovely park, might be raped by a parkway and a YMCA sports facility.
Agatha ââ?¬Å?Gay" Hathaway
Albemarle County
This letter appeared in the Daily Progress
May 7, 2009
"Very few places in America exhibit such foolishness about development" that's why they've become such hellholes. If hideous development is what you want, there are hundreds of places in Northern Virginia alone where you can have that.
The Parkway simply isn't going to do anything about traffic problems on Park Street, which is what it's main supporters hope for. Mr. McIntire would be disgusted at how his gift has been received.
The cool part is that at the end of the day the road will be built and all of your beyyaching whining and wasting of money will have been for naught.
If the Federal Government were to use eminent domain to acquire the land that would guarantee that the road does not get built. Why you ask? Section 4-F. Look it up.
Not a single parkway supporter has offered a traffic study demonstrating that the new facility will alleviate congestion. If anyone out there knows of a study I would love to read it.
I wouldn't bet on it !
TortFeezer: "a very important park"
Is that like a "very important episode" where we learn how to keep Timmy off of drugs? Or maybe Tonsler, Meade, or Darden Towe are just the second-class citizens of the park community?
I'm not sure that this road would really encourage that much more development. I mean, projects are approved up and down and all around 29 without the parkway cast in stone, and there's nothing more that can be built up downtown really. Making Rio easier would probably cut some of the traffic off 29, making 29 to 250 east an easier trip, and 29 to 250 west easier as more cars are getting off at Rio.
I wouldn't dismiss any of your analysis out of hand, but let's face it, its completely anecdotal. Local governments can pay lots of smart engineering type folks to go and run the simulation models and (with some degree of accuracy) figure out whether the road will meet any of its transportation goals. If one of those goals is congestion mitigation on the regional road network it would probably make sense that somewhere along the way somebody got paid to study the project's impact on congestion. If they did I just don't know where that study is at and I've asked.


text:
I finished the South Carolina page. I hope those of you with South Carolina roots will find it helpful. I've done no research in this state, so welcome advice on good sources. Whenever I look for material on the web, I'm struck by how difficult it can be to navigate sites. A number of reasons contribute to this: poor website design, ambiguous language, hurried readers such as myself, who don't take time to read what is there. It is easy to become confused or overlook important pages. I try to give important links within a site on my Guides pages, but it is too unwieldy to do so for everything.
A case in point is the South Carolina Department of Archives and History Digital Collections page, which is linked to from their main page, where it advertises "Archives' Documents and Images Online". This page specifies a number of projects: Confederate pension applications 1919-1938 , insurance file photographs 1935-1952, grand jury presentments 1783-1877, national register of historic places and a collection named "curiosities". Then mention is made of a current project -- the scanning of colonial plats.
At the top we are told that all of these collections can be searched in an index, and indeed, clicking on most of them takes you to the index page. A link to the index is also provided at the top.
Once on the index page, however, we are pleased to discover that in addition to the collections named on the preceding page, there are also files of criminal journals 1769-17776, legislative papers 1782-1866 and will transcripts 1782-1855 and a mysterious index to a mysterious "multiple record series 1675-1929." and plats for school land grants 1784-1868-- presumably not the colonial plats listed on the front page. Not listed as being included in this index are the grand jury presentments, the colonial plats or the curiosities.
Underneath the chart of included topics is a table of boxes. We can choose to click Help - - Copies - - SCHAH Hme -- Search Page -- Corporate Names -- Document Types -- Locations -- Topics -- Series List.
Well given a good database, any blue blooded genealogist is going to click the most attractive link: Search Page. Once on the search page, we can search all databases or select individual databases from a drop down list. Missing from the drop down are the grand jury presentments database, colonial plats and curiosities but when I search all databases for individuals named Smith, the first hit I get is one for what appears to be a colonial land grant -- is this the plats?
More clicking on the links at the bottom of the page gives me more -- and better -- information, but it is still confusing. By this time, I'm long past ready to give up. Rather than try to figure it all out, I elect to just do the search, on all databases, and collect what information I get with gratitude. I never do know exactly what I'm searching or if I'm missing something, but I hope that by cutting a wide swath, I'll get most, if not all, of what is offered.
I'm certainly not going to fault web page designers for not coming up with a perfectly clear navigation system, that anticipates my every whim and pops an answer up just when I need it, although I do make a plea for web designers to take time to test, edit and revise sites, so material is presented as clearly as possible. The point I take from all this is that it often takes a great deal of time and effort to understand the whole of what a website offers. If I want to benefit from the site, I must spend the time and make the effort.
And as do most sites, this site has a clearly marked link "CONTACT US". Whenever I've done so, I've always received prompt, courteous and knowledgeable answers to my question. I highly recommend adding this step to those above.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Guide to Researching South Carolina Ancestors is now finished
Posted by Bobbie at Wednesday, February 07, 2007
1 comment:
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
New Video – Laura Wilde – Sold My Soul; Australian Powerhouse Singer Is Crashing Ted Nugent's North American Tour
~Debut Album Sold My Soul Out Now~
The ferocious debut—Sold My Soul—from Laura Wilde, the 22-year old hard rock import from Down Under (Melbourne, to be exact) was enough to land her on the upcoming Ted Nugent tour. Wilde is exactly that. She's a hard-charging take-no-prisoners balls-to-the-wall rocker who wrote it all, sang it all, played lead guitar, bass guitar and drums on this, her gritty, powerful debut. Totally fearless, citing such influences as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joan Jett, and Dave Grohl, Wilde intends to knock out crowds on her leg of the upcoming tour.
"It's truly an honor to be invited to tour the USA and I feel so privileged to be selected by such an established rocker, exclaims Wilde. "I promise to crank it up to 11 and shake the foundations before Ted brings the house down."
Playing her signature Flying V electric guitar (created specifically for her), Wilde writes the kind of songs that dig down deep into the essence of what makes rock'n'roll so timeless. Her music is bred of the pure mono-maniacal aesthetic that fueled all the greats from Chuck Berry on. "I am really proud to finally present my debut album Sold My Soul. It is mostly an expression of the thoughts and feelings I experienced in my late teens. This album is almost an emotional journal touching on my dreams, wishes, lost loves and the adventure of growing up. It is an introduction to the body of work that I am really excited to share with my fans over time, a taste of things to come."
On stage, Wilde boils with raw, passionate energy, with all the fire and brimstone of an artist who has truly sold her soul to the music. "If you have the spirit of rock'n'roll pumping through your veins," she says, "resistance is futile. You have no choice but to succumb to its power. It makes you crazy, it gives you the courage to do things you would never dream of doing. Rock'n'roll is heaven and hell combined, but it's what I love and I'll fight for it to the end."
Laura Wilde, at 16, was playing bass professionally. Her bottomless capacity for guitar knowledge manifested itself at 17 during a well-timed job at an instrument store. She suffered through one year of college to please her parents ("I found the environment to be too suppressive and conservative," she says). At 18, her amazing chops landed her in recording studios as both a bassist and a guitarist for a plethora of major names. Her looks certainly didn't hurt as she wound up as a fixture on television (Australia's Got Talent, as a presenter and part of the house band). Still, all she wanted to do was rock.
Now, with the release of Sold My Soul, a video of the title-track single, and a series of dates with Ted Nugent, America will get to see what Australia already knows. Laura Wilde is the real deal. She will rock your socks off.
Laura Wilde Tour Dates
*April 26 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
*May 4 Phoenix, AZ The Celebrity Theatre
May 26 Hollywood, CA Rock For Animals / Hard Rock Cafe
*June 10 Fayetteville, AR Arkansas Music Pavilion
*June 12 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Theatre
*June 14 Mankato, MN Vetter Stone Amphitheatre
*June 15 Medina, MN Medina Entertainment Center
*June 16 Tama, IA Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel
August 16 Hollywood, CA Whisky A Go Go (with Great White, Faster Pussycat, Bullet Boys, Pretty Boy Floyd)
Laura Wilde website: http://www.laurawilde.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/laurawildemusic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurawilde
YouTube: http://youtube.com/laurawildemusic
saw her in Durham NC opening for Nugent. She's eye candy but I've heard beeter sound coming from local girl bands. Perhaps they needed a sound test? it was distorted and had a garage band quality
She is really crap


text:
Friday, February 29, 2008, 20:30 - French Language, Popular Latin Phrases, Mottos, Slogans, Heraldry, Symbols and EmblemsMade a new little list:
Posted by Administrator
Posted by Administrator
French phrases used as heraldic mottos.
French phrases adopted as mottos, in my opinion, have slightly different connotations, as opposed to the Latin ones. They have a certain air of chivalry and perhaps a distinctly feudal sense of duty and allegiance. Or, perhaps, Latin mottos better represent the aspirations and ideals of the well educated religious and academic elite, while French mottos are more indicative of the warrior culture of the Middle Ages. It is my belief, of course, that it is not a bad idea to start learning a language by noticing that you may already have some knowledge of it. Mottos are exactly the kind of thing that can be known to people who otherwise are clueless about the actual grammar or vocabulary of a given language.