An individual that has never been a STANYS member or membership has expired past the grace period should use the form on this page.
Has my membership expired past the grace period? When you apply for membership and you find your email is still in the system, you'll know your membership has not expired past the grace period. You can do a password recovery ("Forgot Password?"), log in to the website and renew your membership.
Pre-Service Member Students enrolled in an education program (under or post graduate) are entitled to a complimentary STANYS membership while enrolled. Each Membership is valid for one year. Once you join using the form below, an email by a college faculty member or a cooperating teacher verifying your eligibility must be received for finalizing membership activation. This verification can be sent to "membership@stanys.org".
Renewing Member To renew, members login on the website using the email address STANYS uses to communicate with you and a password. If you do not know your password, password recovery ("Forgot Password?") is available on the login page ( Log In link). If your email is not recognized, you are either not providing the email that we have on file or your membership has expired to the point that you need to join as a new member.
For assistance use our Contact Us Form.
Select your membership level of choice. The series of Next buttons will open "about you" pages which have required and optional fields. Filling in an optional field give us additional information which we can use to include you in specific networks/networking opportunities. You will have the option to select "Pay Online" or "Invoice Me". "Invoice Me" sends you an email with the information needed to pay by check.
Regular 1yr - $44.00 (USD) Subscription period: 1 year No automatically recurring payments Available to any classroom teacher at pre-school, elementary, middle/junior, high school, or college/university levels.
Retired 1yr - $23.00 (USD) Subscription period: 1 year No automatically recurring payments Available to anyone who has been a regular member for the previous five years, has taught for at least 20 years or is 55 years of age, and is retired. The annual rate is $23.
Retired 2yr - $42.00 (USD) Subscription period: 2 years No automatically recurring payments Available to anyone who has been a regular member for the previous five years, has taught for at least 20 years or is 55 years of age, AND is retired.
Associate 1yr - $44.00 (USD) Subscription period: 1 year No automatically recurring payments Available to persons who are employed by museums, government agencies, businesses, and community members who share the organization's interest in quality science education.
Associate 2yr - $82.00 (USD) Subscription period: 2 years No automatically recurring payments Available to persons who are employed by museums, government agencies, businesses, and community members who share the organization's interest in quality science education.
Pre-service Student - Free Subscription period: 1 year No automatically recurring payments Students enrolled in an education program (under or post graduate) are entitled to a complimentary STANYS membership while enrolled. Each Membership is valid for one year. An email by a college faculty member or a cooperating teacher verifying the student's eligibility must be received for finalizing membership activation.


Australian astronomers have an unconventional method for finding space debris using Top 40 radio and talk shows.
Australian astronomers are using Top-40 mixes over FM airwaves to help locate space junk orbiting around Earth. As your favorite pop hits and talk radio shows play, they bounce off thousands of objects orbiting the Earth which allows the team track the debris, with the help of the Murchison Widefield Array. Astronomers say they can detect about 10 pieces of junk simultaneously.


text:
Infinite Shuffle
204 – Fear of Men
Filed under: England, F — assman41 @ 11:48 am
When you hear Loom, the debut full-length release from Fear of Men, your first thought may be, "Oh, I'd always wondered what Dolores O'Riordan was up to nowadays."
As it turns out, she's still busy in her second stint fronting The Cranberries. But you'd be excused if you thought maybe she had started an indie-rock band on the side.
Actually, that's Jessica Weiss who's Lingering around like a Zombie. (I'm not proud of that last sentence.) Weiss' vocals bear a striking resemblance to those of O'Riordan — minus the Irish lilt — and mixed with a little bit of Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura.
The above track, "Luna", perfectly encapsulates what this band is all about — shoegazey instrumentation backing dreamy vocals that belie a melancholic tone.
Based out of Brighton, England, Fear of Men are officially a trio, with Weiss, Daniel Falvey (guitar) and Michael Miles (drums). Bassist Becky Wilkie joins the fray for live sets.
The group first pinged the indie radar in February 2013 with the release of Early Fragments, the aptly titled compilation of singles and B-sides. Only two songs — "Seer" and "Green Sea" found their way onto Loom. Among the other six tracks, there are several — "Doldrums", "Born" and "Spirit House" — that complement the recent release nicely. There are also a couple that never need to be played again — "Your Side" and "Ritual Confession". Then there's "Mosaic", which would be solid if they'd taken out the annoying sample recording that pops up a couple of times.
Loom came out in the U.S. last week, and the band is currently touring with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. They're actually in Chicago tonight at The Empty Bottle, which has the makings of a great show.
196 – Fitz and The Tantrums
Filed under: F, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 2:45 pm
I love Shazam. When it was first introduced several years ago, I thought mankind had reached the zenith of innovation.
"You can just point your phone in the direction of a song playing on the radio and it'll tell you the name and artist? What is this, Hill Valley, Calif., circa 2015?"
It was several years before I ever had a phone actually capable of downloading the app, but you can be assured that it was the first one I grabbed. Since then, I've used it in bars, restaurants, department stores, while driving in the car and even at a concert or two.
The best is when I discover a new band through it. But more often it's a song I've heard before but can't quite place. And sometimes, it turns out to be a band I do know but have deemed unworthy of my ears.
That was the case recently when, on two different occasions, I heard two catchy new songs on the radio and immediately headed to Shazam. Both times, it came back saying — much to my surprise — that the band was Fitz & The Tantrums.
That was one of the songs, "Out of My League", which is the lead single off their sophomore album, More Than Just a Dream, that came out last spring. It's a much more modern take on the neo-soul sound the group has been developing since bursting on the scene a few years ago.
If you listen to enough of the Los Angeles-based six-piece's music, you may notice something missing — guitars. That is by design. Founder and lead singer, Michael Fitzpatrick, expressly set out to create music without the ubiquitous instrument.
In an interview with Waster.com, he said:
"I wanted to see if we could create something that felt like it was full and rich and felt like it could be heard on the radio, without those guitars. … All of a sudden, it becomes more about the rhythm section, the bass and the drums and what the organ's doing. And it creates this really cool pocket for the vocals to sing in."
Fitz & The Tantrums' style has been described as "soul-influenced indie pop," which would be accurate nowadays. But when they put out their debut, Picking Up the Pieces, in August 2010, it was strictly soul, straight out of Motown.
That song, along with the single "MoneyGrabber", helped catapult the album out of obscurity and to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers chart in 2011.
The album isn't bad, but it's a bit of overkill, and the group starts to sound like a one-trick pony after a while.
The new stuff isn't that much of a departure from the original sound, but there's been enough of a makeover to make it much more palatable for a modern audience. So much so that Ellen DeGeneres was recently dancing to "The Walker" during a pre-Oscars commercial.
I suspect this group puts on a raucous live show. And it looks like they're still out on tour, with several stops in college towns and various festivals planned for the spring and summer.
160 – Foxygen
Filed under: F, Westlake Village Calif. — assman41 @ 1:28 pm
If you're like me, you can't get enough of the Rolling Stones. And you were super-excited to see them on the cover of last week's Rolling Stone magazine.
I'm just kidding. Other than an album's worth of songs from the '70s, I couldn't care less about the band. And the fact that they're the cover story in 2013 is a perfect example of why that magazine is worthless.
I only bring it up because of how much I was reminded of Mick Jagger's vocals while recently listening to the band, Foxygen.
That tune, "Waitin' 4 U", is from the band's 2012 album, Take the Kids Off Broadway. Hearing that makes one think that Jagger stepped into a portal back in 1973 and arrived in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2005 and decided to start a psychedelic indie rock duo.
In actuality, it was Jonathan Rado and Sam France who joined forces in Westlake Village, Calif., and set forth making several EPs full of experimental, avant-garde, garage rock.
The group's early work is an acquired taste. But on the recent release, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, which came out this past January, the band finally starts to put things together in a more palatable manner.
The song that's been getting a lot of love lately is "San Francisco".
In April, the group released Jurrassic Exxplosion Phillipic, an LP they recorded in 2007, to the public for the first time. It's a bit of a time capsule for the band, considering how much it's grown since then.
For now, it might be wise to stick to the newer stuff. Especially if you still long for the Rolling Stones' heyday.
146 – Film School
Filed under: F, San Francisco — assman41 @ 3:23 am
The most obvious element of the shoegaze scene is the fuzzy, distorted lo-fi feel that covers just about every song in the genre. But an aspect that is just as important, if not often overlooked, is the poppiness.
According to spell-check, that's not even a word. But it's definitely a key ingredient to any good shoegazer song. Because without it, you'd just be left with something closer to metal or punk.
One band that seems to value that pop element more than most is Film School. The San Francisco-based quintet can certainly stare at its Chuck Taylors with the best of them, but it also knows how to churn out a catchy hook.
Lead singer Greg Bertens (aka Krayg Burton) formed the band in the late '90s and has been its only constant ever since. With the help of members of the bands Fuck and Pavement, he put out Film School's debut, Brilliant Career in 2001.
Bertens had an entirely new cast of characters alongside him by the time the band put out a self-titled release in 2006. The album is full of great, indie rock songs with slow pacing, some dreaminess to them and definite shoegaze and post-punk elements. Besides the above-linked "Breet", other notable tracks are "Like You Know" and "11:11".
It wasn't until the release of Hideout the following year that Film School really turned the corner musically. And it's no coincidence that this transition occurred after great upheaval in the band's roster, when three members were replaced. The most notable addition was the band's first female member, bassist Lorelei (Plotczyk) Meetze, whose vocal presence helped give the band a totally different dimension.
On Hideout, the musicianship seems much crisper than earlier offerings, and it translates into several more standout tracks. The opener, "Dear Me", sets the stage for a livelier experience. It's followed by such other strong entries as "Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl", "Two Kinds", "Go Down Together" and "Plots and Plans".
Film School continued to build on their sound and, in 2010, produced their best album to date with Fission. There is no filler among the 12 tracks, and things once again start off strong with the opener, "Heart Full of Pentagons". Other notable ditties are "Meet Around 10", "Distant Life" and "Find You Out".
It's been 2.5 years since that release, and fans are psyched for some more music. But, judging from the band's website, there will be nothing new any time soon.
143 – Family of the Year
It's been almost two years since I saw them live at SXSW, but now seems like as good a time as any to talk about Family of the Year.
The indie-pop group from Los Angeles has roots in several different locales, particularly Massachusetts. Brothers Joseph and Sebastian Keefe were born in Wales and eventually moved to Martha's Vineyard. They were part of a couple of regionally well-known bands in the Boston area. Eventually, they and some bandmates moved to L.A., where they met Christina Schroefer, thus completing the core group that would become Family of the Year.
While occasionally dabbling in some different musical genres, the vast majority of Family of the Year's sound centers around beautiful male-female harmonies and pop-folk instrumentation.
That is the first track on the band's debut EP, 2009's Where's the Sun. It was originally titled "Down to the River" but was changed when it was included on Songbook, the debut full-length that was released later that year.
While the album was a nice starting spot for the band, it only had one other real notable track, "Let's Be Honest".
During the next two-plus years, the group put out a trip of EPs — Through the Trees, St. Croix and Diversity. The most notable track from these that wouldn't eventually make its way on a full-length in the States was "Chugjug", which was included in a 2010 Advil commercial.
Finally, in July 2012, the band put out its sophomore full-length, Loma Vista. With its tighter compositions, stronger harmonies and catchier tracks, the album stands as a notable step forward for the band.
Some of the better tracks are "The Stairs", "Diversity", "Hero", Everytime" and "Find It". But the best track here, and arguably the band's best to date, is "St. Croix".
Family of the Year were actually just in Chicago on Sunday for the final day of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival. Unfortunately, the show was sold out by the time I became interested in it.
With any luck, it won't be too long before they return to the Windy City.
141 – Fort Atlantic
Filed under: Athens Ga., F — assman41 @ 1:14 am
The musical pairing that is Fort Atlantic likely saw its stock rise within the last week after having its anthemic single, "Let Your Heart Hold Fast", playing during the climactic final scene of the most recent episode of How I Met Your Mother.
That's certainly how I came across the group, which is basically Jon Black, a singer, songwriter and musical jack-of-all-trades, paired with drummer Josh Cannon.
The duo came together in 2010 after Black had been tinkering in his new home studio in Athens, Ga., wrote a bunch of new songs and decided what he created was bigger than anything he could handle, so he called in Cannon for support.
With the help of New York-based mixer/producer Tom Schick, they put together a 10-track, self-titled album that was released in May of this year. For the most part, the disc is full of solid folk/rock-pop. But at times they dabbled with the laptops a little too much.
The first two tracks — "No One Will Know" and "Career Advice" — are good old folk rock. Then comes the aforementioned "Let Your Heart Hold Fast", which could easily be in consideration for everyone's song of the year if anyone else actually knew the album existed.
After the mostly forgettable "Up From the Ground", things go in a totally different direction with an artsy/experimental 8-minute-long "I'm Wrong", which is an instrumental for the first five of those minutes.
That's followed by "Movie Screen", a very slow, churning, powerful song that is almost ballad-like. Then on "New York Lights", Black brings things back to the folk side. Way back in fact, as he does his best Bob Dylan impression, right down to the harmonica.
Next is "My Love Is With You", which is more of a modern alt-country ballad, something that Ryan Adams might sing. Then they close with a couple more forgettable tracks — "The Wrecking Ball" and "There Is Love".
All in all, Fort Atlantic certainly have the potential to craft a great song, they're just a little to hit-and-miss. Black and Cannon need to figure out what kind of band they want to be and then stick with it rather than jumping all over the place on each record.
My new favorite website: Plixid.com
Filed under: A, B, F, H, T, W — assman41 @ 4:26 am
The last few months, it's been difficult to find reliable websites to download music for free. The old standbys, such as MegaUpload, MediaFire and FileTube, have either been shut down by the government or simply don't return any worthwhile results.
Rather than download RAR and ZIP files, I'd been forced go the torrent route and hope that Vuze would have the albums I was looking for. But that's generally hit or miss.
But a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon my savior — Plixid.com. Not only does this site provide reliable links to albums, it's also become an invaluable source for discovering new music.
The site adds one album every 15 minutes. They cover numerous genres and include a lot of new stuff — but there's also plenty of old albums.
Instead of sifting through everything, I stick to the Indie/Post-Rock/Post-Punk feed and have already found numerous gems. The highlight so far was The Darlingtons, who I featured in last week's post. But there's been enough good stuff to keep me busy.
Here are the standouts from the past few weeks:
Immediately at the start of "Hurry Hurry", the opening track the album, Nordo, I figured Air Traffic Controller had to be a side project for one of the dudes from They Might Be Giants. You cannot listen to that song and think of TMBG's "Birdhouse In Your Soul".
But as the album plays on, the similarities die down and are replaced with some rather catchy tunes. But in the way that one fan's "catchy" is another fan's "annoying."
With some quirky songs about "Field of Dreams" and "Star Wars", this group keeps things light while still churning out some solid tunes.
Heavenly Beat
When he decided to try his hand at the whole solo thing, John Pena decided not to stray too far from his bread and butter.
Pena has taken the electro-dream pop he helped create as the bassist for Beach Fossils and jazzed it up, infusing it with a new level of complexity.
The songs on the recently released Talent are the kind of dream pop catnip that could lull someone to sleep. But there is also a whole other layer of electro-pop that makes the music more engaging. It's this dichotomy that makes every track so enjoyable.
If you're anything like me, you'll be humming "It'll Be Alright" for at least a couple of days after your first hear it via Factories' debut album, Together.
The second track on the disc, this song is a perfect example of the heights this band can reach when its lyrics live up to the standard set forth by the sonic electro beats that permeate throughout.
The rest of the album is pretty solid, with such notable songs as "Canada", "Calypso", "Kamikaze", "Pressure", "No One Noticed Me But You" and the title track.
Here's one reason you may feel a little apprehensive using Plixid.com. Apparently, Heat Waves, the debut full-length release from Brainstorm, isn't officially out until Oct. 2. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying it for the past couple of weeks.
Oh well. I'm glad I was able to hear it early. The album is definitely solid, filled with catchy indie rock-pop ditties. But that description does not do these songs justice.
This Portland trio has an intoxicating mix of influences that work so well together — kinda like Vampire Weekend, except the two bands really don't sound anything alike.
Check out a few of their videos here.
If you prefer your shoegaze with plenty of fuzzy instrumentation, check out Westkust. Their EP, Junk, is so entrancing.
Trespassers William
The indie gods giveth, and the indie gods taketh away.
Shortly after downloading a few tracks by the group, Trespassers William, I've come to find out that they are disbanding. The September release of Cast, a collection of B-sides and rarities, will be the final output of the Seattle group.
After three full-length albums and two EPs, the group's two main members — Anna-Lynne Williams and Matt Brown — have decided to focus on their solo projects.
From what little I've heard of the group's music, I know that it will surely be missed.
110 – French Films
Filed under: F, Finland — assman41 @ 12:01 am
The Finnish fivesome known as French Films falls somewhere between Surfer Blood and The Drums on the indie surf-rock spectrum.
At times they sound like an indie-rock band with surf-rock influences; and other times they sound like a surf-rock band with indie-rock influences.
The above song is from their debut EP, 2010's Golden Sea, which consists of four tracks that lean more toward the beach than the garage. In addition to the title track, the disc includes "Lift Me Up" and the better-than-good "Dropout Jr.".
All of those songs, as well as a few from their 2011 full-length debut, Imaginary Future, can be found at their MySpace page, which is actually how I first discovered the band.
With 10 songs, including the previously released "Golden Sea", the full-length allows French Films to show off their depth as they bounce from The Drums to Jesus and the Mary Chain.
Some of the stronger tracks are "Living Fortress", "Escape in the Afternoon" and "Up the Hill".
Considering the band doesn't have a Wikipedia page, nor can it easily be found on Amazon, it might be awhile before French Films make their way to the States for any kind of lengthy tour.
Update threeplay
Filed under: C, F — assman41 @ 12:01 am
When I started this blog, I had grand visions of posting about a bunch of new and newish bands, then posting updates whenever they released a new album. Obviously, that hasn't happened yet.
But three bands that I wrote about in the past all happened to put out some solid releases at the start of 2012, and I had to make everyone aware of them. Coincidentally, all three were included in "threeplay" posts, so, it seems fitting that their updates would be part of another three-pack.
On their second album, fun. answer the question: "What would Queen have sounded like if they were an emo band?"
Nate Ruess' signature Mika/Freddie Mercury vocals are still ever-present throughout Some Nights. But this time around, they're complemented by some very strong, complex instrumentation.
The big single, "Tonight", which features some backing vocals from Janelle Monae, is a great, slow-building anthemic pop-rock song that has the potential to make some end-of-the-year lists.
The title track includes some harmonizing that conjures memories of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Other strong songs include "One Foot", "Carry On" and "Why Am I the One" and the bonus track, "Out On the Town".
On a less-than-positive note, in case you were wondering how annoying Ruess' voice would sound auto-tuned, just listen to "Stars" or "It Gets Better". It certainly couldn't get any worse.
Whatever made me originally think of Joanna Newsom is no longer present on First Aid Kit's latest album, The Lion's Roar.
The Sisters Soderberg have taken their folk roots and added several layers to create a richer, deeper sound. On several tracks, they channel their country-folk influences, especially on the big first single, "Emmylou".
It's pretty cool to hear a couple of Swedish girls in their late teens/early 20s name-checking Emmylou Harris, Graham Parsons and June Carter and Johnny Cash.
While that song will almost-definitely make my Best of 2012 mix CD, there are several other solid tracks on the album. They include the title track, "Blue", "I Found a Way" and "King of the World", which includes backing vocals by Conor Oberst.
Considering how much hype this album received — or at least on the indie scale of hype — I'm hopeful the band can parlay this into a bigger following.
Plenty of bands change their sound from one album to the next. That's just natural and to be expected. But the transformation that Cloud Nothings have gone through in less than a year is nothing short of amazing.
After two albums filled with lo-fi pop created on a computer in his parents' basement, Dylan Baldi hastily assembled a band and hit the road. And after playing countless shows, he apparently realized that his songs didn't lend themselves to very much improvisation in concert.
So he and his crew headed to Chicago and teamed with legendary producer Steve Albini to create an album full of songs that he could bend to his every whim whilst on stage.
The end result was Attack On Memory, an eight-song disc loaded with grungy, distortion-laced, shoegazing, heavy rock that harkens back to the early '90s.
Or, as a friend of mine simply described the new sound — "it's raunchy."
Personally, this album isn't exactly my cup of tea. It's too much fuzz and not enough heart. That being said, there are a few songs I dug, such as "Stay Useless", "Fall In" and "Our Plans".
I'm certainly not going to push this band aside. Baldi's output has been somewhat prolific thus far, and I'm eager to see in what direction he takes his band in the future.
86 – Foals
Filed under: England, F — assman41 @ 3:03 am
If there is one sub-genre of indie music that is hit-or-miss with me, it's electro. I'm not a huge fan of it, but if a band does it just right, then I can be reeled in.
There are several such bands that remain on the fringe of my musical universe — such as The Presets, Cut Copy, Golden Filter and Hot Chip, to name a few.
One band that seems to have found itself just inside of my orbit is Foals. The five-piece from Oxford has put out a pair of full-length albums since forming in 2005.
The debut in 2008, Antidotes, is reminiscent of Hot Chip and VHS or Beta, with a little Bloc Party thrown in. The pace of the album is breakneck, filled with the clamor of guitars, cymbals and vocals all delivered in a staccato manner.
It's something of an acquired taste, but there are some decent songs on there, including "Big Big Love (Fig. 2)", "Two Steps, Twice" and "Red Sock Pugie".
Foals – Red Sock Pugie
The disc actually debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and eventually went Gold there. As did their 2010 follow-up, Total Life Forever. That collection of songs is a little slower and deeper, but not by much.
The most noticeable aspect of the sophomore offering is that the songs are a little more complex and less similar to one another. It seems like more time and effort was put into crafting them, which is a clear positive for this album.
Some of the better tracks include "Miami", "Black Gold", "2 Trees" and "Blue Blood".
Foals – Blue Blood
Outroversion
The Sonic Medium
Albuquerque N.M.
Aliso Viejo Calif.
Anacortes Wash.
Athens Ala.
Athens Ga.
Baraboo Wis.
Barrie Ontario
Blacksburg Va.
Bloomington Ind.
Cumberland Md.
Duluth Minn.
El Paso Texas
Hartford Conn.
Irvine Calif.
Kingston Pa.
Knoxville Tenn.
Lafayette La.
Lake Worth Fla.
Lawrence Kan.
Long Beach Calif.
LouFest
Madtown Musings
Mobile Ala.
Newbury Park Calif.
Northampton Mass.
Olympia Wash.
Omaha Neb.
Oxford Miss.
Pasadena Calif.
Regina Saskatchewan
Sacramento Calif.
Stockton Calif.
Syracuse NY
Tampa Fla.
Tempe Ariz.
Virginia Beach Va.
Way-back Wednesdays
West Plains Mo.
Westlake Village Calif.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Checkout the official Night of the Prog Festival XIII Spotify playlist featuring this years lineup! Open the full post to access the playlist directly. We are looking forward to your feedback!
Nicly done !would be a little dissapointed if you did not do this.
Some these groups opend my ears.


This week's Cosplay Girl Of The Week is Black Widow. I really love this picture. I actually I got an email to visit this site Miracole.com where the picture was seen. Check out the site it's some great stuff. Anyway this is great look for Black Widow and it's an epic win. The model's name is Miracole. Very beautiful.


text:
New US airline coalition sides with Gulf carriers in 'subsidy' dispute
Shabina S. Khatri
Photo for illustrative purposes only.
In a sign of support for Qatar Airways and its Gulf competitors, a newly formed group of American carriers has sent a letter to the US government extolling global competition.
Saying the big three American airlines "don't speak for us," the new US Airlines for Open Skies argued that limiting Gulf carriers' access to domestic trade routes would actually damage the local economy and possibly lead to retaliation.
For the past several months, Delta, American and United Airlines have been petitioning their government to renegotiate an Open Skies agreement with Qatar's national carrier, as well as Emirates and Etihad.
The trade deal currently allows airlines, rather than government regulators, to determine the frequency and capacity of flights.
The group, called Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, claims that Gulf carriers have benefited from $42 billion in subsidies from their respective governments.
The three GCC airlines have all formally denied accusations of unfair competition, and the US government has said it will investigate the claims. Last Monday was the deadline to submit comments to the US Department of Transportation on the matter.
The new coalition speaking against the big three American carriers consists of four US passenger and cargo carriers – Atlas Air Worldwide, FedEx, Hawaiian Airlines, and JetBlue Airways (a codeshare partner with Qatar Airways).
The group "collectively transports approximately 42 million passengers annually, ships nearly 8 million tons of cargo, and employs approximately 350,000 people, 40 percent more people than the Big 3 combined," it said in a statement.
However, Dallas News cited government figures that showed 162,849 full-time equivalent employees working for the four as of May 2015.
That compares to 269,992 for American, United and Delta and airline subsidiaries identified by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the newspaper reported.
After filing its letter with the US government last week, Hawaiian CEO and President Mark Dunkerley said:
"The Big 3 do not speak for all, or even most, U.S. airlines. Our coalition believes that the United States should honor its Open Skies commitments, which opens markets for U.S. carriers, promotes competition on international and domestic routes, and facilitates U.S. exports."
The group also argued that the trade deal helps national security by facilitating the rapid movement of US military supplies around the world, including to the Middle East.
Report: Qatar must be more proactive to protect against cyber threats
Victoria Scott
Qatar launches National Museum logo and branding contest
Qatar in talks to join TotalEnergies' $27 billion energy project in Iraq: report
'This could've been us': Expert calls on Canada to follow in footsteps of green and wealthy Qatar
Qatar launches 'Al Fulk' warfare vessel in Italy
Salt into wound: Turkish sensation 'Salt Bae' to open restaurant in Tel Aviv
Guyana eyes Qatar for gas blocks exploration
Deliveroo Qatar reveals major milestones in its first 100 days
MIMH
Interestingly none of those companies stated here are in direct competition with the gulf carriers and would benefit if their domestic rivals were weakened. All's fair in love and open skies agreements it seems….
DavidRSS8
Reply to MIMH
Yep. Their direct competition are the big three, and their primary business is the domestic market.
Rob E.
Approx. 350.000 employees? Whereof 300.000 work for FedEx, being a courier company foremost, and not a passenger airline or how does one get to that figure?. And one of the 4 "airlines" being a codeshare partner of QR? Is this supposed to be taken for real?
Reply to Rob E.
When I saw the 350,000 figure I thought clearly FedEx's number includes their international operation, while the case here should be restricted to U.S. figures only.
JetBlue is a codeshare partner with QR since 2013.
Reply to Official
Listening to FedEx comments on this is like listening to Donald Trump's take on the issue… 🙂


Natalie Grant, Lauren Alaina and Jeff Foxworthy will join the 10th Annual T.J. Martell Foundation Nashville Honors Gala on March 26 at the Omni Hotel. Nashville star Charles Esten will once again host the event honoring outstanding community leaders that benefits cancer research. Honorees for this year's gala are Janet Ayers – Lifetime Humanitarian Award, David Poile – Spirit of Nashville Award, Frank Bumstead – Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award, Mike Smardak – Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award, and Dr. James Netterville – Medical Research Advancement Award.
The 10th Annual T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala is chaired by Danielle Bouharoun and David Kells, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Sondra and Doug Cruickshanks. The Nashville Honors Gala has raised more than $3 million since its inception in 2009.
Table sponsorships and tickets are available by contacting (615) 256-2002 or emailing tmoffat@tjmartell.org.


text:
Q: ReactJS Tutorial: Where does  come from? In this tutorial:
<Square/> is used here:

    class Board extends React.Component {
  renderSquare(i) {
    return <Square value={i} />;
 }

But where does <Square/> Html Element come from?
In the CSS of the tutorial code, there is indeed a "square" class. However, I then would expect a regular html element (for example a div) to have a class attribute. Furthermore  is capitalized while the css class is not. So I don't understand how this <Square/> Markup can work.

A: Defining a class Square means it's available for use in your React JSX markup in the same scope. Don't confuse JSX with HTML though, they are completely different things. Read more about it here:
https://reactjs.org/docs/jsx-in-depth.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Development of a methodology for risk assessment of the earthquake-induced landslides.
Determination of soil parameters of subsurface to be used in slope stability analysis in two different precipitation zones of Sri Lanka.
Development of Education Program for Sustainable Development in Landslide Vulnerable Area through Student Community Service.


text:
Q: Rename existing cpt and taxonomy with new textdomain I'm developping a small plugin to rename existing custom post type from a theme (Divi).
I use this code :
add_filter( 'register_post_type_args', 'rename_project');
function rename_project( $args, $post_type ) {
    // Let's make sure that we're customizing the post type we really need
    if ( 'project' === $post_type ) {

        $singular = get_option('ncd_title_field');
        $plural = $singular.'s';
        $title = ucfirst($plural);

        $args['labels']['name'] = $title;
        $args['labels']['singular_name'] = $singular;
        $args['labels']['menu_name'] = $title;
        $args['labels']['name_admin_bar'] = $title;
        $args['labels']['add_new_item'] = __('Add ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['add_new'] =  __('Add new ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['new_item'] =  __('Add ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['edit_item'] =  __('Edit ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['view_item'] =  __('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['all_items'] = __('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['search_items'] = __('Search ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['archives'] = __('Archives ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['attributes'] = __('Attributes ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['update_item'] = __('Updates ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['view_items'] = __('View all ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['not_found'] = __('Not found ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['featured_image'] = __('Featured image ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['set_featured_image'] = __('Set featured image ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['remove_featured_image'] = __('Remove featured image ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['use_featured_image'] = __('Use featured image ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['insert_into_item'] = __('Insert','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['uploaded_to_this_item'] = __('Uploaded to this item','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['items_list'] = __('List ','nexus-collaborators-divi ') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['items_list_navigation'] = __('Navigation list ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['filter_items_list'] = __('Filter list ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['rewrite']['slug'] = $plural;
        $args['menu_icon'] = get_option('ncd_ico_field','dashicons-admin-post');
        $args['menu_position'] = 5;

        // Flushing the rewrite rules should make sure that you don't have to re-save your permalink structure
        flush_rewrite_rules();
    }//end if

    // Finally return or altered labels
    return $args;
}

add_filter('register_taxonomy_args', 'dp_register_taxonomy_args');
function dp_register_taxonomy_args($args, $taxonomy, $object_type){

    // If it's either the project_category taxonomy, we apply the new name
    if ('project_category' == $taxonomy && !empty(get_option('ncd_category_field')) ) {

        $singular = get_option('ncd_category_field');
        $plural = $singular.'s';
        $title = ucfirst($plural);

        $args['labels']['name'] = $title;
        $args['labels']['singular_name'] =$singular;
        $args['labels']['menu_name'] =$singular;
        $args['labels']['all_items'] =__('All','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['new_item_name'] =__('New ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['add_new_item'] =__('Add ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['edit_item'] =__('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['update_item'] =__('Update ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['view_item'] =__('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi');

    }

    // Or if it's the project_tag taxonomy, we apply the new name
    if ('project_tag' == $taxonomy && !empty(get_option('ncd_tag_field'))) {
        $singular = get_option('ncd_tag_field');
        $plural = $singular.'s';
        $title = ucfirst($plural);

        $args['labels']['name'] = $title;
        $args['labels']['singular_name'] =$singular;
        $args['labels']['menu_name'] =$singular;
        $args['labels']['all_items'] =__('All','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $plural;
        $args['labels']['new_item_name'] =__('New ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['add_new_item'] =__('Add ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['edit_item'] =__('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi') . $singular;
        $args['labels']['update_item'] =__('Update ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
        $args['labels']['view_item'] =__('View ','nexus-collaborators-divi');
    }

    // Finally return the taxonomy_args
    return $args;
}

I use an option page to save and retrieve the new name.
I also translated my plugin to French but I have a problem :
The labels of the cpt and taxnonomy renamed with my new textdomain are not translated but the translation is in the po file. Everything else works fine, except for these ones
I think it's because these labels are already configured with another textdomain.
Do you know how to correctly translate these labels ?


When going on to Google AdWords, I decided to go with something simple yet stylish. I wanted to look up the short-tail keyword jean jackets. There were a lot of different options that popped up once I began my search. When using the simple phrase such as jean jackets a lot of things such as; clothing, jean shorts, cheap jeans, vintage jean jackets, leather jackets, and etc. popped up as alternative keywords. The highest search on this short-tail was for leather jackets which had an average monthly search of 131,580, with a high competition rate and the suggested bid at $1.26. The keyword clothing took second place with the AMS of 81,020, with a high competition rate and the suggested bid at $1.11.
When doing keyword research, like the short-tail which was discussed earlier, the long-tail is 3 or more words, not as competitive as short-tail, and it has more insight for its users. When searching the long-tail keywords I used the phrase vintage jean jackets for women. This phrase helped to narrow down the search and it is a lot more descriptive. When typing in vintage jean jackets for women there was an AMS of 40, the competition was high, and the suggested bid was $1.67. This research was a little difficult for me to understand because I've never really looked into keywords or anything like that. Everyone uses them everyday but when you look into it it's cool to see everything broken down.
SERP is another thing we touched base on in class on Tuesday. The search engine results page is what pops up after typing something into the search engine. The name is pretty self explanatory when talking about the SERP. It is all of the results from which you are trying to research. The user intent is very important when it comes time for people seeking information. It is frustrating at times for people when using certain search browsers and it should be an easy process. The user intent is what exactly the user means by using the keyword.
The search query is everything put together. It is everything that has been searched for in the search box. During this research advernture I have learned that every word matters. Putting more information and detail into the search query will end with a more narrowed down result.
Learning how to use keywords is very important because it helps to see how things are searched for and other related searches. This process also allows users to see how the competition is and etc. I also like all the graphs that shows exactly what is searched for and the increase and decrease over time.


Kenneth SUMMERVILLE, Appellee, v. TRANS WORLD AIRLINES, INC., Appellant.
Before WOLLMAN, Chief Judge, BEAM, Circuit Judge, and FRANK,1 District Judge. Dayna F. Deck, St. Louis, MO, argued (Susan M. Andorfer, Swansea, IL, on the brief), for Appellee. Larry M. Bauer, St. Louis, MO, argued (Eric A. Todd, on the brief), for Appellant.
The district court entered judgment against Trans World Airlines (TWA) after a jury returned a verdict for Kenneth Summerville on his claims of race and disability discrimination. TWA appeals. We affirm judgment on the race claim without further discussion, see 8th Cir.R. 47B, and we reverse judgment on the disability claim for the reasons detailed below.
For several years, Summerville worked for TWA as an employee-in-charge. In that position, Summerville supervised and assisted the customer service agents who work in the airport gate area. These customer service agents have several responsibilities, including coordination of the boarding and deplaning of passengers. During Summerville's employee-in-charge shifts, he would oversee four gates at a time.
A collective bargaining agreement exists between TWA and its customer service agents, employees-in-charge, and zone coordinators. Under this agreement, employees on limited duty are restricted from working overtime and holidays. TWA also has a policy of restricting employees on limited duty from day-trading, which, in this context, refers to trading days of work with other employees. Summerville disagreed with TWA's decision to restrict him from working overtime and holidays, and from day-trading, so he brought a grievance under the collective bargaining agreement.
A System Board of Adjustment (System Board) was convened to arbitrate the grievance. After presentation of evidence by the parties, the System Board denied Summerville's grievance. In rendering its decision, the System Board made several factual findings, two of which are important to resolution of this case. First, the System Board determined that the collective bargaining agreement requires customer service agents and employees-in-charge to lift bags and wheelchair passengers. Second, the System Board determined that on holiday, overtime, and day-trading shifts, Summerville would not necessarily be able to work as a zone coordinator, but would need to be available to work as a customer service agent or employee-in-charge.
In addition to his grievance, Summerville also brought this action, claiming TWA engaged in unlawful disability discrimination when it barred him from working overtime and holidays, and from day-trading. To prove disability discrimination, Summerville must show he can perform the essential functions of the job. See Benson v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 62 F.3d 1108, 1112 (8th Cir.1995). TWA contends Summerville is barred by issue preclusion 3 from challenging the two System Board findings noted above, and that, with these findings, the district court should have granted its motion for judgment as a matter of law because Summerville cannot perform the essential functions of overtime, holiday, and day-trading employment.
We agree with TWA that the System Board decision precludes Summerville from arguing about the job requirements for holiday, overtime, and day-trading shifts. We defer to the System Board's fact-finding because the System Board has exclusive statutory authority to decide disputes, such as Summerville's, regarding the interpretation and application of the collective bargaining agreement. See Bowe v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 974 F.2d 101, 103 (8th Cir.1992). In addition, the traditional elements of issue preclusion are present because these fact issues are identical in both the System Board case and the present case; these fact issues were actually litigated before the System Board; resolution of these fact issues was necessary and essential to the judgment of the System Board; and the System Board's decision was a final, valid judgment. See Haley v. Retsinas, 138 F.3d 1245, 1248 (8th Cir.1998) (listing factors considered in application of issue preclusion). Thus, the System Board's findings preclude Summerville from arguing that lifting is not required of customer service agents and employees-in-charge, and that on overtime, holiday, and day-trading shifts, Summerville is not required to be available to work as a customer service agent or employee-in-charge.
Having determined which facts Summerville is precluded from challenging, we now turn to the question of whether TWA is entitled to judgment as a matter of law because Summerville cannot perform an essential function of his overtime, holiday, and day-trading employment. Essential functions are the fundamental duties of a job, not activities at the margins. See 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(n)(1). Essential functions are established by looking at: the employer's judgment as to what functions are essential; written job descriptions; the collective bargaining agreement; the amount of time spent on the job performing the functions; the consequences of not requiring the employee to perform the functions; and the work experience of employees in similar jobs. See 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(n)(3). We review the district court's denial of TWA's motion on the essential function issue de novo. See Douglas County Bank & Trust Co. v. United Fin. Inc., 207 F.3d 473, 477 (8th Cir.2000). In making our determination, we must view the evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to Summerville and reverse only if the evidence was insufficient to support the jury verdict. See id.
Summerville asserts judgment as a matter of law is inappropriate because he presented evidence that customer service agents and employees-in-charge actually performed little lifting of bags and wheelchair passengers, and, when these duties are required, other TWA employees are regularly available to perform these tasks for him. TWA counters that it views lifting wheelchair passengers and bags as an essential function of the customer service agent and employee-in-charge positions; that performing these duties is required by the collective bargaining agreement; and that on overtime, holiday, and day-trading shifts, Summerville must not only be available as a zone coordinator, but must also be available to work as a customer service agent or as an employee-in-charge.
The arguments in this case closely parallel the arguments made in Moritz v. Frontier Airlines, Inc., 147 F.3d 784 (8th Cir.1998). In Moritz, we affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Frontier Airlines on a gate agent's disability claim because the gate agent could not perform an essential function of her job-the boarding and deplaning of elderly and disabled passengers. See id. at 785-88. In opposing summary judgment, the gate agent argued that assisting these passengers was not an essential function of her job because she only assisted passengers for a few minutes each week and other employees were available to help perform this duty. See id. at 787. In contrast, Frontier Airlines viewed assistance of these passengers as an essential function of the gate agent position, and its employees were expected to perform a wide variety of duties, especially because Frontier Airlines was a start-up company with limited staff. See id.
Summerville's case is indistinguishable from Moritz. True, TWA generally may not encounter the same limited staffing problems as a start-up airline. But, in the situations at issue here, TWA does face similar short-staffing problems. In fact, TWA negotiated for the provision in the collective bargaining agreement that prevents employees on limited duty from working overtime and holidays because of the limited staff TWA has available on these shifts. Thus, we hold, as a matter of law, lifting is an essential function of Summerville's overtime, holiday, and day-trading employment.
Finally, Summerville could still prevail if he could perform these essential functions with a reasonable accommodation. See Benson, 62 F.3d at 1112. Summerville contends he can be reasonably accommodated by being allowed to work his zone coordinator job on overtime, holiday, and day-trading shifts. This argument misses the point. As noted, during these shifts, Summerville must be available to work customer service agent and employee-in-charge positions. Thus, we reject this contention, and TWA is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on Summerville's disability discrimination claim.
The district court judgment is affirmed in part and reversed in part, and we remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
2. Zone coordinator positions are considered employee-in-charge positions. However, to avoid confusion, when this opinion uses the term "employee-in-charge," it only refers to an employee-in-charge who oversees four gates at a time.
3. Under the doctrine of issue preclusion, a party is barred from relitigating an issue previously determined by a court of competent jurisdiction when the issue previously determined was necessary to the outcome of the case. See 18 James Wm. Moore et. al., Moore's Federal Practice ¶ 132.01 (3d ed.1997).


text:
package org.assertj.core.api.exception;

import org.assertj.core.annotations.Nullable;

public final class PathsException extends RuntimeException {
  private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

  public PathsException(final String message, @Nullable final Throwable cause) {
    super(message, cause);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity Recovering from Computer Glitch
This self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of images taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager on Feb. 3, 2013. The portrait was taken at the rock target "John Klein," where the rover collected the first ever bedrock sample of Mars using its drill on Feb. 8. (Image credit: ASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is on the road to recovery from last week's computer glitch and could be back in action as early as this weekend, mission officials say.
Curiosity went into a protective, minimal-activity "safe mode" last Thursday (Feb. 28) when its handlers swapped the rover over to its backup computer. They made this switch after noticing a problem with the flash memory on Curiosity's primary "A-side" computer.
But the rover's respite may be short-lived. Curiosity came out of safe mode Saturday (March 2) and began using its high-gain antenna again a day later, so the 1-ton robot may soon resume its quest to determine if Mars has ever been able to support microbial life.
"We're out of safe mode and are back with an operable high-gain antenna, which is one of the big steps in the recovery," said Curiosity project manager Richard Cook, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. [Curiosity Rover's Latest Amazing Mars Photos]
Cook cautioned, however, that much work remains to be done. Engineers are still configuring the rover's backup "B-side" computer for surface operations, an activity that should take another few days.
And the Curiosity team still isn't sure what caused the A-side glitch in the first place. They hope to turn the A-side computer on again Wednesday (March 6) or so to take a look, Cook said.
"We really can't tell [the cause of the problem] without turning it on and trying to read the memory locations that look like they were corrupted," Cook told SPACE.com.
One possible cause is an impact by a high-energy charged particle called a cosmic ray. Curiosity's gear is radiation-tolerant, but that doesn't mean it's impervious to all such damage.
"We certainly have seen similar types of behavior in other pieces of memory on other missions as well as MSL," Cook said, referencing the official name of the Curiosity rover's $2.5 billion mission, the Mars Science Laboratory.
Cosmic-ray damage is usually transient, he added, so the problem on the A-side may disappear when the computer is cycled back on. Even if the glitch is more permanent, the rover team can probably still "map around it" and bring the A-side back up, giving Curiosity two functional computer systems once again.
"The prospects are very good," Cook said.
If the memory problem on the A-side is not a serious one, Curiosity could resume science operations as soon as this weekend, or perhaps early next week, he added. If the issue is more substantial, the team will have to devise a workaround and reconnoiter after that.
Curiosity landed inside Mars' huge Gale Crater last August, kicking off a two-year surface mission to investigate the habitability of the area. It's already found many signs of past exposure to liquid water, including an ancient streambed. The car-size rover is the most complex and capable robotic explorer ever sent to another world, NASA officials say.
FollowMike Wall @michaeldwall. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. This article was first published on SPACE.com.
What is a satellite?
Axiom Space: Building the off-Earth economy
Terrestrial planets: Definition & facts about the inner planets and beyond


A car is not a small investment by any means. When you buy a car, you expect that it will run well on the inside and look great on the outside. Some of the responsibility for keeping your car looking nice falls to you as the owner. Auto body paint can be a serious issue when a car starts to fade or is involved in an accident. Use the following tips to keep your car's paint looking brand new for as long as you own the car.
Did you know that experts recommend washing your car weekly? If you are going to wash your car this often and prefer using automatic car washes over hand washing, then make sure you take your vehicle to a touch-less car wash rather than a standard one. The contact between your car and the brushes can wear down your auto body paint and cause damage quickly.
Each time you wash your car, dry it with a microfiber towel that's made for car paint. Drying helps to not only protect the paint, but can also make your car look cleaner and avoid nasty water spots that can set into your paint after a while. We recommend using a microfiber towel as opposed to a chamois because the microfiber is gentler on your vehicle's paint than cotton towels – or even chamois towels.
After washing your car, it's time for the polish. Actually, experts recommend polishing your vehicle about once a year. Polishing brings out the shine in your car by adding luster, but it doesn't protect it like wax does. If you own a darker color car, adding polish will really bring out the shine. We recommend using a high-quality polish such as Mothers California Gold Micro-Polishing Glaze.
To add the polish, pick one section of the car to start on. Apply the polish to a foam application pad and begin polishing the car using a circular motion. When you notice a haze start to appear, it's time to wipe it off. We recommend using a microfiber towel.
If you are going to use a machine polisher, make sure that you use exactly the right type for your car. Pay special attention to the pad, polish and technique that you use. Using a machine polisher the wrong way can leave marks on your car that can cause the paint to look awful when the sun hits it.
This is a must – make sure you keep up on regular maintenance. What's regular maintenance you ask? For starters, we recommend waxing your car at least three times a year or at least every 6 months according to Mike Bumbeck of Automedia.com in his article "Top Ten Car Care Tips" over at the Kelly Blue Book Website.
Choose the correct wax color for your car, and apply and remove it carefully and completely. Waxing your car helps to restore color and gloss to your auto body paint, and prevents fading. Waxing your car can also make your car appear shinier, and bring back that brand-new car look. Some brands of wax we recommend are Mothers California Gold Synthetic Wax and Turtle Wax ICE Premium Care Liquid Wax.
These waxes are Polymer-based and synthetic and usually provide longer protection and are super simple to use when it's hot and sunny.
In addition to regular washing and waxing, make sure you hose off the winter salt and grime that comes with winter weather. And don't forget to wash underneath your car too!
No Laundry Soap or Dish Detergent!
When you wash your car, avoid using a household detergent or cleaner. These household cleaners will strip away the wax on your car and could permanently damage the car's paint. Instead, purchase a cleaner that is specifically made for cars in order to keep your paint looking new and preserve the beauty of the paint job. We recommend Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash. It won't strip the wax off of your car and it will lift dirt and grime gently away from the body.
Remove any oxidation or contaminants with a detailer's clay. Use the clay with your car wash soap as you are washing your car to remove additional particles that may damage your car that may not be visible to the average eye.
In between washings, you may notice that your car has a tendency to gather dust, especially in the summer months. Purchase a car duster and keep your car dusted of any dirt particles each time you drive. A relatively inexpensive duster that really does a great job is the California Duster. When you park your car after driving, simply pull out the car duster and make a quick swipe over the car. This will stop any dirt or particles from setting into the paint before you have a chance to wash your car.
By using the right ingredients and performing regular aesthetic maintenance, you can ensure that the paint of your car looks brand new for years to come. With a big investment like a car, you want to be sure to get your money's worth by performing regular and thorough maintenance.
For an improved look, bring your car to one of our 2 auto body shop locations in Aston and Malvern, Pennsylvania. You can also use our online quote form. We'll freshen up your paint job and restore your vehicle to its original, show room condition. From touch-ups and spot painting to overall paint projects, Badell's Collision has the experts you deserve when it comes to preserving your car's paint.


EXPRESS SPORT brings you every player who could miss the Manchester derby.
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been plagued with injury woes in recent weeks.
And as many as 15 players could be forced to miss the derby tomorrow evening as a result.
Click through the gallery above to find out who could be watching the clash from the sidelines!


A stunning 200 meter leisure tower with rides, extreme activities, observation galleries, together with a 21st century Entertainment Centre incorporating immersive rides, restaurants, cafés, sponsor areas, merchandising, and a 140 bed hotel.
Overlooking the River Irwell, the landmark £70 million project will see 300 luxury riverside apartments ranging from 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. The impressive build will be spread over 33 floors and will be finished to a high standard.
The site is ideally located within the much regarded Georgian Quarter within Liverpool Centre and Falkner Street predominately comprises Grade 2 listed Georgian Townhouses interspersed with more modern development where permitted.
One Wolstenholme Square is located at the Liverpool city's retail, leisure and commercial and is just a short walk from all the city has to offer.


or else what good am i?
thread down through the spine.
a little better next time…..
beneath the pale screen light.
begin to liquify in the east-bay heat.
ashes somewhere more peaceful than you were.
having already spent my years grieving you.
that painful monument to the potential you wasted.
until I'm ready to lay down beside you.
to the hell we shared.


Attempted mobile phone post: On the plane (American Flight 1825 from ORD to SFO). We are late because of a drain problem on the aircraft (a 737). The good news is that the heavy weather, which everyone is talking about, hasn't made an appearance yet. The other good news is that I'm experiencing postmodern traveler's Nirvana–I have a window seat with an empty middle seat next to me. That's all for now–let's fly.
Chicago Weather Center: Detailed, newsy blog with good historical statistics from WGN (Chicago Channel 9) weather staff.
WILL BE PROBABLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM TUESDAY NIGHT.
One sometimes has occasion to wonder what it would be like to deal with this climate again (after the storm blows through, a pretty good cold snap if forecast, with highs in the single digits later in the week). As a kid, news like this would prompt anticipation, excitement, exhilaration–even beyond the prospect of getting a day off of school. Now, part of me would love to see the show; but I'm thinking more of snow blowing sideways and wondering how quickly the airport will become a mess once it starts coming down tomorrow afternoon.
That's the external fuel tank from a 1989 space shuttle mission, a picture my brother-in-law Dan happened across while we were discussing shuttle history (and he was correcting my memory on a couple of fine points, such as the fact the first during the first four missions, the shuttle was equipped with ejection seats). The subject came up while we were remembering the Challenger disaster in 1986 (a subject another friend brought up on Facebook).
Anyway, I'm always a sucker for a good space program picture, and this is one. Not to over-romanticize, you could look at this and say it's simply part of a wasteful industrial process (the external tank is jettisoned and partially disintegrates as it falls through the atmosphere into the Atlantic). There's more to it, for me: a picture from an untamed place that holds unlimited promise, a picture of our civilization reaching to extend its understanding and its capabilities.
Sure, we have lots of problems here at home (that blue background–what a beautiful place). It's always seemed to me we ought to be able to extend our reach out there and do the work we need to do down here, too.
Of course, there's snow, and then there's snow. Below is a shot from my brother John, in Brooklyn, where they had their second foot-plus snowfall in a month yesterday. Atmospheric in a whole different way.
The Missouri River just south of Chamberlain, South Dakota (about 150 miles west of Sioux Falls).
In some part of my mind, I pleasurably anticipate travel. But I don't like planning for an airline trip or packing for it. I don't enjoy dealing with the virtual and physical gauntlet air travel forces us to run. I don't relish facing the group unhappiness that greets you at the gate and accompanies you as long as you're in the isolated world of your flight. No, I'm not enamored of any of that.
But from the moment the plane leaves the ground to the moment it touches down, it's hours of visual poetry (assuming of course I have the window seat I want).
The approach to O'Hare, just west of the airport.
I'm leaving the Bay Area, sunny, highs in the high 60s every day while we start to break a collective sweat about our nearly rainless January, and traveling to Chicago on Thursday for a long family-visit weekend. The weather in my hometown? Well, it may get above freezing when I'm there, with daily chances of snow. I'm not sniveling. Yet. However, I realize that my winter wardrobe is really a coastal Northern California winter wardrobe–something you might break out in the Midwest's early fall. I guess we'll see how it, the wardrobe, and I hold up.
The weekend before last, we went to see the Coen Brothers' "True Grit." I liked it, and liked it more than my date, who insisted the 1969 version with John Wayne was more compelling because it depicted a deeper emotional connection between Mattie Ross, the young girl bent on bringing her father's killer to justice, and Rooster Cogburn, the old manhunter she hires for the job.
That line did not jump out at me in the Coen Bros. remake. And I don't know whether it's in the 1968 Charles Portis novel that the movies are based on. [Update: In the novel, Portis has Ned telling Mattie: "I have never busted a cap on a woman or anybody much under sixteen years but I will do what I have to do."] But like many others I've found comments from online, I thought "bust a cap" and variations like "pop a cap" were more recent coinages. Talking to my movie-viewing partner and speculating on the origin, the one clue I could come up with that would support a 19th century origin was the percussion cap–part of the firing system of guns before the advent of cartridges (a.k.a. modern-day "bullets," including primer, powder and projectile in one integral unit).
To bust or pop a percussion cap–that would make a certain amount of sense. What's the evidence that the phrase actually arose during the percussion cap era as opposed to the late 20th century gangsta era?
The source of choice is Google Books–mostly because it allows you to search phrases by date (the caveat: the search only returns sources in print that have made it into Google's database. Still, that gives some idea of when terms have gained currency). A search for "bust a cap" and variations shows the phrase appearing rarely (fewer than 10 times a decade) up to about 1940, occasionally (say 10 or 20 times a decade) up through 1960, and becoming increasingly common (dozens or hundreds of mentions a decade) since.
The oldest documented reference I turned up? It comes from 1865 and was published the following year in "The Index to the Executive Documents of the United States. First Session Thirty-Ninth Congress." Among many other papers, the volume contains the proceedings of two courts-martial held in the occupied South during 1865. The cases are harrowing and involve circumstances unthinkable in the southern states, and unusual anywhere in the country, before the Civil War: white defendants being held to answer for the murders of black victims. The first case involved a former slave who allegedly stole a horse and was shot and killed by the horse's owner (the verdict: guilty of manslaughter; sentence: 10 years in a northern prison).
I was near the railroad crossing, and Columbus Reese was crouching behind the bushes, about seventy-five yards from me, close by the railroad track; I heard him pop a cap, and heard Nellie say, "Yes, I see you are trying to shoot at me." … Reese then appeared to be putting another cap on his gun, at the same time hastening after her. I hallooed to bim, "Quit, don't do that," but he made no reply, but ran after her into the pine. … I then heard the gun fired, and saw him, after firing, turn round and stop. Nellie screamed two or three times, but I could not see her where she stood. Reese came back out of the pines and asked me to shoot my double-barrelled gun into her head to make sure that she was dead.
The post-script (by way of a footnote in "The Papers of Andrew Johnson: September 1865-January 1866"): Johnson at first approved the hangings. But after receiving appeals for mercy for both defendants—and despite the patently false confession of Reese and the judge advocate general's opinion that "if the law does not take the life of such a monster of crime as this [Reese], then it is believed that the penal code has been enacted in vain"— he blocked the execution. History, so far as I can consult it on my laptop, doesn't record what happened to Brown. Reese went on to once more bust a cap—this time in a bar-room brawl in which he killed a man.
Fort Bragg, Pudding Creek in the foreground.
Our son Thom set up a weekend for us in Fort Bragg over the weekend–the beginning of Mendocino County's annual Crab and Wine Days. The centerpiece event of the weekend was a crabcake cookoff in a big white tent on Fort Bragg's Main Street. Attendees tried the various crabcakes on offer from local inns and eateries and voted on their favorite, then did the same for wines from county vintners. I will admit that after a while one crabcake seems much like another to me, but I did manage to savor and vote for both a favorite crabcake and a wine I thought was pretty good (neither my palate nor my appetite was improved by a mid-respiratory tract cold I seem to have come down with as soon as my time off from work started).
Much of the Mendocino Coast is given over to high-end tourism. Driving up Highway 1, you pass one small settlement after another that were once logging and fishing outposts and are now mostly given over to expensive inns and restaurants. A few places on the coast–Fort Bragg is one–are in the midst of a transition from dependence on timber and fisheries to tourism and nouveau agriculture (the latter term embracing both viticulture and winemaking and the not-legal marijuana industry). Fort Bragg's past is everywhere, from its fishing port on the Noyo River (source of the crab harvest) to the barren, cleared parcels on the water side of the coast highway that used to house mills.
Anyway. What I forget in what might seem a bleak recitation of economic realities is the utter beauty of the place. Thom got reservations in The Beachcomber, a motel just north of town. Nice place, dog-friendly and not outrageously expensive, but its principal amenity is that it abuts parkland and beaches and looks right out on the Pacific. When Kate and I got there Friday night, we went out for a walk on the paved trail behind the place. Heading south into town, the path crosses a trestle over Pudding Creek, one of the few streams on this part of the coast said to still have a viable wild coho salmon run. Didn't see any fish–this would be steelhead time, if any are showing up–but I saw plenty of opportunity for night-time picture experiments.
If graciousness were in my playbook, I'd say, "Go! You Packers! Go!" and wish them well in bringing home the bacon to old Green Bay. But that's a big if. Instead, I'll note that the sum total of my media experience for the game was turning on CBS Radio when we got back in range (we were driving home from a weekend outing to the Mendocino coast) and hearing, "So the Packers will move on to the Super Bowl, beating the Bears 21-14." Which only left the suspense of how well or badly the game was actually played. I come away from the game stories I've seen feeling like the Packers needed luck to get out of there with the game and the Bears supplied it. Not a bitter disappointment–the Bears were clearly not a great team, but they were entertaining on their better days. It would have been a great story to see the third-string quarterback bring 'em home.
make every play clear the way to victory.
And let them know why you're wearing the crown.
A touchdown, Packers, Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!
Fight, and bring the bacon home to Old Green Bay.


text:
About The Underground
LaFayettetionary
FiSDOP
Gi—-t
Good Christian Man™
Local Books & Media
"Gift to Sheriff"
Follow-up to Stocking Full of Guns. Read that before this, if you haven't already.
Two weeks ago the Underground reported on rumors about misuse of funds donated to Walker County Stocking Full of Love, a charity operated out of the Walker County Sheriff's Office.
In brief, the organization lacks accountability because it has never registered with the IRS. Multiple eyewitnesses have observed money spent inappropriately during the last several years. The biggest abuse reported concerns Deputy Bruce Coker, SFL's CFO and Treasurer, using charitable funds to purchase a shotgun as a gift for Sheriff Wilson, the charity's CEO.
Attempting to be responsible, the Underground sat on these reports for two years while trying to track down more verification or hard evidence. An LU contributor put in an Open Records request to Stocking Full of Love this June, seeking financial records from 2009-present. Those records would confirm or disprove the stories, but Sheriff's Office employees only partially filled the request by sending bank statements without copies of cleared checks.
A second request was made in July, asking for cleared checks. This request was delayed for nearly a month in violation of state law. The delays and lack of cooperation strengthened suspicions that the men behind Stocking Full of Love had something to hide. We ran the rumor as such on Monday July 30th, 12 hours before Election Day, so voters would at least be aware of what had been said.
On Election Day the Sheriff's Office finally put about half of the records requested – cleared checks from July 2009 through September 2010 – in the mail. Breaking the law by waiting a month to partially fill the request ensured the information wouldn't be made public before people turned out to vote, shielding the Sheriff's reelection campaign and Deputy Coker's failed effort to become Chief Magistrate Judge from flack related to abuses at Stocking Full of Love.
Considering what the released files contain, they were right to fear what voters might think.
2009 STATEMENTS | 2010 STATEMENTS | 2011 STATEMENTS | 2012 STATEMENTS
CLEARED CHECKS JULY 09-SEPTEMBER 10 (Second Request Partially Filled)
The biggest concern, Coker's purchase of a shotgun for the Sheriff using funds meant for children's Christmas presents, is verified beyond a doubt by check 940. GT Distributors of Rossville isn't a toy store or a general retailer, they're a distributor of weapons and equipment for public safety and security – and the $829.95 check says "Gift to Sheriff" right on its memo line.
According to some, Coker claims to have later reimbursed the amount using "SWAT Team money," but between February 2010 (when the gun was purchased) and March 2012 (when released bank statements end) there was no deposit matching the price of the gun. There were several larger deposits, so it's possible the amount was somehow paid back – but there's no definitive proof of that in these records. And even if it were refunded, the initial misuse of funds is still unethical and possibly criminal.
Beyond the shotgun purchase, what else is in Stocking Full of Love's shared bank records?
Tens of thousands of dollars spent at Big Lots, K-Mart, Walmart, Dollar General, Fred's, Family Dollar, and several wholesalers all appear to fit into the organization's core purpose of supplying toys for children. The biggest check written during the period available for review is $9,815.55 marked "Toys For SFOL" made out to Powell's Auction in LaFayette [check 930].
Like most non-profits, Walker County Stocking Full of Love also conducts fundraisers on a regular basis. Thousands spent on food, hats, and shirts fit with that purpose, as does $3,927 [checks 906, 978] for "Trophies & Awards" presumably for the organization's annual car show. (Nevermind the trophies were purchased from Coker's Trophy Shop, owned by Bruce's brother.)
Other transactions don't have any obvious link to fundraising or purchasing Christmas gifts.
Between July 2009 and September 2010, Stocking Full of Love spent $125.90 for flowers at Ensign Florist in Rossville [checks 941, 951, 963], $99.80 at Boquet Shop [check 984], $257.33 at Aldi grocery store in Fort Oglethorpe [checks 946, 945, 954, 957, 967, 971], and $158.95 at Shop Rite [checks 956, 982]. Most of the checks to grocery stores were small, enough to buy one or two people a meal, or a few boxes of donuts for the office – not the kind of numbers expected for a fundraiser or event. During the period there was also $500 [checks 924, 935] designated simply for "Petty Cash" – more unaccountable money that could have ended up as office donuts or somebody's lunch.
$2,500 paid to Modern Woodmen [check 912] also has no connection to Christmas gifts. Modern Woodmen is a fraternal organization providing personal insurance (health, life, dental) and investment services to individuals, not businesses or organizations like SFL. Even more curious, Modern Woodmen gave Stocking Full of Love a $5,000 donation two days before Stocking Full of Love wrote Modern Woodmen the $2,500 check. That looks like a financial tit-for-tat that might be of interest to the IRS.
A number of unexplained checks written to individuals raise similar concerns.
David Murray was paid six times in fifteen months, checks worth a total of $749.29 [checks 913, 921, 943, 952, 958, 973] – only one of which [$46.08] was noted as a reimbursement, for "supplies #390 420." Research finds two David Murrays living in the area, one in Rock Spring and the other in Ringgold, with no information publicly available for either individual.
Sharon Lands, one of the organization's check signers and SFL "vice president," was paid $857.34 [checks 897, 910, 919, 959, 986], plus an additional $39.98 to "reimburse – supplies" [check 965] in August 2010. Lands owns Land's Old Fashioned Bakery in Rossville, has a daughter? Mitzi working at the Sheriff's Office, and is described as a big supporter of Sheriff Wilson.
Stocking Full of Love's other check signer, besides Lands and Coker, is Margie Sisson – the organization's legal secretary. During the 15-month period available for review, Margie's husband John was paid $170.50 [checks 901, 962] while Margie received $385.20 [check 916]. The Sissons were also reimbursed $143 for "freezer" and "CD Players" [checks 915, 972]. John is a trustee and legal CEO of Oakwood Baptist, where Steve Wilson is a deacon and the toys for Stocking Full of Love are distributed.
Bruce Coker apparently feels the organization has plenty of accountability with three check signers and an unnamed board of directors "deciding" about every dime spent. But there's no accountability when check signers and board members are getting payments and have business or professional ties to each other: Two of the three check signers are getting checks from the group, another signer writes checks to businesses owned by his family members, two check signers work for (or have a child working for) the Sheriff, and someone rumored to be a board member has gotten payments [check 925] and possibly flowers from the group. Most of these payments may have a legitimate explanation, but that's a lot of inside dealing and conflicts of interest involving people who should keep distance between themselves and the organization's finances.
And all three check signers agreed to the $829 present for Wilson. That negates any claim they might make about financial accountability or independence, because there's absolutely no way to justify the gun purchase within the stated mission of Walker County Stocking Full of Love. That decision raises all kinds of red flags and justifies any criticism or questions directed to the organization's leaders. If they didn't object to that transaction, what would they object to?
Buying the Sheriff a present isn't inherently wrong, and there are plenty in the county who would line up to throw a few bucks in the "Sheriff Wilson Shotgun Fund" bucket. But if Stocking Full of Love is going to buy gifts and favors for the Sheriff, his employees, or his friends, it should be advertised as such so people know who and what they're contributing to. Change the name to "Steve Wilson Present Fund" or "Friends of the Sheriff Foundation" with no claims of being tax-exempt and there's no complaint, but the current name and stated goals aren't compatible with shotguns, flowers, food, and random payments for the organization's leaders.
Not only has Stocking Full of Love been promoted as a charity solely for children, it's been pushed as a group where all money raised, without overhead expenses, is spent on SFL's core purpose: buying Christmas gifts.
In August 2010, six months after the shotgun was purchased, Bruce Coker and former Walker Sheriff's Deputy Dick Dingler (another rumored member of the SFL board) appeared on the Tommy Jett radio show to talk about upcoming fundraisers for Stocking Full of Love. Dingler at one point said everything donated to the group goes to gifts, and Coker didn't correct him.
"Every dime raised goes to that, there are, there is nobody that's paid with [uninteligible] members of the stocking full of love, our books are open to the public at any time, the county auditor audits our books on an annual basis." -Deputy Dick Dingler, Tommy Jett Radio Show, 08/06/10
"Every dime" to Christmas presents means no shotgun purchases. It also means no t-shirts, no hats or BBQ for fundraisers, no trophies, no groceries, no unexplained payments to Modern Woodmen, no freezers, and no "petty cash." Dingler and Coker's claims of no overhead – much less no abuse – are wildly false. Those statements are a slap across the face of every school group, church choir, biker, civic group, car show participant, and volunteer who ever helped raise money thinking "every dime" would go to buy Christmas for children instead of weapons for the Sheriff and flowers for his friends.
Plenty of charities mishandle money. Hardly a year goes by without some report of nonprofit leaders skimming off the top or preachers misleading people about finances. But this isn't just some charity, this is an organization run by members of law enforcement who should know the law better than anyone else and be ethically beyond reproach. This is also an organization that uses resources, supplies, employees, and office space from the Walker County Sheriff's office, funded by our tax dollars. That makes Stocking Full of Love the last place where this kind of thing should happen, and that's why so many in the community have trusted SFL for so many years without bothering to check financial records. But that trust and lack of due diligence has apparently enabled the abuses examined here.
In these discussions, Sheriff Wilson has mostly been left out. He doesn't sign checks, doesn't seem to directly have his hands in the till, and doesn't appear to make decisions about how money is spent – but Wilson did accept the shotgun gift even though he had to know it was purchased unethically. He's also still Stocking Full of Love CEO, and has been for sixteen years. That's longer than Coker has even worked at the Sheriff's Office. Ultimate responsibility for any shenanigans or lack of oversight at Stocking Full of Love should fall on his shoulders.
Last week sources close to the Sheriff's Office said Coker resigned as Stocking Full of Love treasurer, or at least offered to. He should resign, or be removed if he tries to retain the position. But whether he stays or goes, his role at SFL isn't the root of the problems uncovered. The core problem here is, as noted, a lack of accountability for everyone involved with the organization. Walker County Stocking Full of Love isn't registered with the IRS so there are no annual reports filed, their financial records are difficult to access (as LU contributors learned), and its board of directors/check signers apparently have very low standards regarding acceptable use of donated funds.
Despite Dick Dingler's claims to Tommy Jett, the county auditor apparently doesn't include Stocking Full of Love financials in its annual review. SFL isn't broken down into a separate category or mentioned at all in the county's 2010 or 2011 audit report, and SFL doesn't have its own line in the county budget. If the auditors did actually look at SFL books without red-flagging any of the abuses or concerns highlighted here, then their audit is pretty useless.
Instead of attacking the Underground for bringing these issues to light, the Sheriff should take immediate steps to change leaders at Stocking Full of Love, have the organization audited, and begin taking necessary steps to have it recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the IRS. He should also step down as the organization's CEO and transition it away from leaders with political or law enforcement interests that might come into conflict with the group's stated core mission.
But Wilson isn't going to do that, for the same reasons SFL was allowed to misuse funds in the first place – he knows Walker County voters give him and his office a free pass on wrongdoing because of his undeservedly spotless reputation.
There's more to Stocking Full of Love than what's presented here. Considering what's inside the 2009 and 2010 records they finally released, what's in the 2011 and 2012 files that haven't been released? More of the same, or something worse? Available bank statements show slight drops in donations during 2010 and 2011 compared to 2009, and a decrease in spending during 2011 – so hopefully additional records would show fewer unnecessary transactions conducted to save money for the kids. But if that's happened, why did they refuse to disclose the remaining information requested?
YEAR CREDITS DEBITS DIFFERENCE
2009 $60,783.91 $64,056.69 -$3,272.78
To get to the bottom of this, a proper, thorough investigation should be conducted by a "mainstream" media outlet or government agency with more resources and authority than possessed by the LaFayette Underground. That's not likely to happen, but it should – not just for SFL donors, but for the safety and security of everyone in Walker County.
Since the public doesn't fully know where the money goes or where it all comes from, who's to say some criminal or illegal operation hasn't (or won't in the future) made a generous donation to Stocking Full of Love in an attempt to buy favor from the Sheriff or his employees? Not to say they would cooperate with bribery, but the potential for that kind of activity to ever occur under any sheriff should set off alarm bells across the state. That's the main reason why SFL should be separated from the Sheriff's Office and overseen by people with no connection to law enforcement or the court system.
Until substantial changes are made and deeper investigations are done, the people of Walker County should be wary of this organization and stop assuming its finances are handled properly just because of who's in charge. Donors to any organization should do due diligence, checking financial reports and verifying claims before contributing to a cause.
Over the last 24 years Walker County Stocking Full of Love has done some good things, has helped many families with Christmas, and that's not in doubt. But more could have been done, and could still be done, if money was being spent in the way it should be – the way it's always been claimed to be. The only way to make that happen is to hold the organization and its leaders accountable, at the ballot box (ship just sailed on that one), socially, and financially.
Should you stop supporting Stocking Full of Love? No. But the community should stop giving the organization money. SFL supporters who want to be sure their gift actually goes to children should shop for toys themselves, buy items the group needs, and donate them directly to the Sheriff's Office shortly before Christmas. That's less convenient for group volunteers, but there's really no other way to give without enabling SFL leaders to help themselves (or their relatives, or their employees) to a portion of what's received.
Ultimately the blame for this scandal falls not just on leaders at Stocking Full of Love and the Sheriff's Office, but on the voters and citizens of Walker County who have for too many years taken for granted that people are what they claim to be, and do what they claim to do. Until we, and our neighbors, stand up and start asking questions, abuses like this will continue to go on behind closed doors.
Category: Charities, Churches, & Nonprofits, Walker County / Tag: Bruce Coker, christmas, David Murray, Dick Dingler, Margie Sisson, Sharon Lands, Steve Wilson, Stocking Full of Love, Tommy Jett, Walker Sheriffs Office
Previous Post << Candidate Q&A: Tax Commissioner
Next Post >> Daily Update: September 5, 2012
Facts Help said: 2012.08.14 12:10
Modern Woodmen of America has a $2500 matching fund program: http://bit.ly/NB5zwk.
It appears SFL was paid $5000 instead of the $2500 so they had to reimburse Modern Woodmen.
LU said: 2012.08.14 22:28
That still doesn't make sense. Maybe it's an innocent mistake but I'd like to hear an explanation of it.
According to a former employee of the Walker County Sheriff's Office, the Stocking Full of Love board was (in 2009) George Deer (treasurer until he retired from the SO and Coker took over), Sharon Lands, Margie Sisson, Russ Martin, and Linda Martin. There have been some changes made since then.
— LU
steve ellis said: 2013.01.27 20:49
if crooks were in jail they would be there to because that would buy a lot of toys or food for people who really need it, that shows there true heart towards concerns of the needy and under privileged, they are heartless except for there self
Worst Nightmare said: 2013.03.11 22:39
Fuck Steve Wilson and fuck the Lafayette Underground! May all of you rot and burn in hell after dying slow, painful deaths!
Anonymous said: 2013.08.12 22:05
Clarifying- "Mitzi" is not Sharon Lands daughter.
Campbell Charged With Embezzlement
Update: Apr. 12, 2017
Update: Apr. 9, 2017
Update: Mar. 26, 2017
Update: Mar. 7, 2017
Underground Updates are posted Mon-Wed-Sat. Sometimes.
Follow LU on Facebook or Twitter for the latest posts, including today's breaking news.
Tweets by @lafayettelu
Jonathan Long on Campbell Charged With Embezzlement
LU on Campbell Charged With Embezzlement
ATof3 on Campbell Charged With Embezzlement
The Colonel on Campbell Charged With Embezzlement
Correy Harris on Update: Aug. 23, 2016
dmartin12 on Update: Apr. 9, 2017
Sheilane on Update: Jun. 23, 2016
Support LU: shop at Amazon.com
Site not affiliated with or sponsored by the City of LaFayette.


- Purified water. Available in the Lodge.
- Transfers to / from Iquitos and Lodge.
Then, continue our trip down the Amazon, until gats Sinchicuy treek, where a Yagua community has established. The Yaguas are one of the most ancient ethnic groups of the Amazon rainforest, discovered by Francisco de Orellana on his first Amazon River exploration. Visiting these friendly people will let you know their customs, see their unique apparel made of palm fibers and even try their "pucuna" or blowgun.
After lunch. We get ready to navigate up stream to visit a Local village where we can find a fish farm to see and feed the Paiche ( largest fresh water fish), to see caiman and giant lilies pads (VICTORIA REGIAS).
Then continue navigating to Visit to a Rescue Center, Sanctuary of Amazonian animals where you will be able to see the famous Anaconda, boa constrictor, Matamata prehistoric turtle, alligators, some species of monkeys such as the spider monkey, the wooly monkey, capuchin monkey, some species of Sloth, and species of exotic birds such as toucan, macaws, etc.


text:
Home > Faculty > Vodyanoy Vitaly
Vitaly J. Vodyanoy, MS, PhD
Professor of Physiology
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology
Director of the Biosensory Laboratory
vodyavi@auburn.edu
Dr. Vodyanoy joined the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. Dr. Vodyanoy received his M.S. in Physics from Moscow Physical Engineering Institute in 1964, and his Ph.D. in biophysics in 1973 from Agrophysical Research Institute, Leningrad, USSR. He has been a member of the faculty in the Institute of Semiconductors and A.F. Loffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Leningrad, USSR. He had worked at the Department of Chemistry, New York University and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine.
Elected to the rank of NAI Fellow, 2013
National Academy of Inventors – "Excellence in Innovation Award", 2013
FacultyRow List of SuperProfessors – 2012
B.F. Hoerlein Memorial Endowed Faculty Research Award – 2011
Auburn University Alumni Professor – 2007-2012
Nano 50 Award presented by NASA – 2007 for the Dual Mode Fluroescence (DMF) module for the optical microscope.
R&D 100 Award by R&D Magazine – 2007, for the Dual Mode Fluroescence (DMF) module for the optical microscope and in 2006, for inventing an optical microscopy-imaging system.
Auburn University Creative Research Award – 2005
Auburn University Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lecturer – 2005
Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence – 2000
Research Interest:
Sensory physiology, receptors, cancer cells, biosensors, cell membranes, monolayers and bilayers, molecular recognition, olfactory receptor neurons, nanoparticles, biopolymers, bacteriophages, primo-vascular system, and light microscopy. The major research aims are to determine the initial chemoreceptive events in the animal olfactory system and to find out how is odorant information translated into electrical events in the olfactory receptor. The work involves zinc metal nanoparticles that we found strongly enhance olfactory sensory neuron responses to odorants. Another focus of our research is centered in structural properties of primo nodes, vessels, and capillaries that are being characterized by a high resolution light microscopy. We presume that knowledge of the primo vascular system, that may represent acupuncture meridians, offers advances in medical science comparable to the progress generated by the lymphatic system's discovery. We also work with a novel cell preservation process and biopolymer which is non-toxic, water-soluble, allows for the storage of samples without refrigeration. Finally, we are developing biosensors that are based on bacteriophages targeting pathogenic bacteria.
Vodyanoy-VJ-Publications