Figuring out what to pack for Disney World can be intimidating if you've never been to the parks before. There are so many things to consider that it may feel like you're drowning in luggage by the time you start your journey to Disney. But one of the best kept secrets of Disney World is to plan what you pack in advance. With this list, it will be significantly easier to figure exactly what you need to bring to your first trip to Disney this March.
The amount of luggage you bring on your trip depends mostly on how long you plan on staying. The longer you stay, the more you need to bring. That much is obvious to anyone going on vacation.
However, you should still try to pack as lightly as you can.
If you're going for a week, only bring the clothes and toiletries you need for that week. Overpacking for Disney means you have less room to bring back souvenirs. Whether you plan on buying merchandise or not, you'll inevitably end up bringing back something from your trip.
Even if it's the dog made of washcloths left on your pillow by the hotel staff, you'll want some space for miscellaneous items. That being said, it may be a good idea to bring a backpack just for these kinds of items. It'll make packing to leave a lot easier if you have a space dedicated to items you got at the parks.
March is a cooler month for Orlando, so packing clothes can be a little tricky. On average, you can expect the days to hover in the 70s, but the nights can get as cold as the mid-50s. Bring a few pairs of shorts and long pants. You can wear the shorts during the day and switch to pants when it starts getting cold. Alternatively, you can bring a hoodie or cardigan if you want to save extra space. One jacket will take up less space than three pairs of pants. It all depends on how well you and your family manage the cold.
Florida's weather is pretty unpredictable, so be sure to bring a small umbrella or a poncho with you. March especially sees shifting weather, going from hot and stormy to cool and dry—and everything in between. Bringing along some protection from the rain will really save you in the long run! Nothing is worse than getting soaked to the bone and having to buy new clothes.
It is also a good idea to bring a tote bag or small backpack with you to the parks. You'll want to keep your hands free when you're walking around. Not only is it tedious, but after a full day, your hands get sore from holding things. Holding a water bottle is a silly thing to be sore from, so a small backpack will really save your hands. Don't worry about having a bag when you go on rides; most have compartments built in, and if they don't, there are lockers for you to use.
Your hotel will likely be much colder than you expect. Of course, you can turn on the heat, but if you aren't in your room all day, you'll want to keep the air conditioner on so your room will be nice and cold when you get back. You'll definitely want snuggly pajamas to sleep in.
Because March experiences such swings in weather, it's always best to check what it will feel like the week of your trip. That's the best way to prepare your wardrobe for your vacation.
Because Disney World is so large, you'll want to invest in some sturdy footwear. If you already have a pair of shoes that can withstand a full day of walking, great! Be sure to pack them and maybe get some gel inserts for extra comfort. If you don't, you're going to need get some.
You'll be spending, at the very least, a few hours on your feet at any of the parks. If you stay in one park from the time it opens to the time it closes, you'll be there for close to eight hours—more if you stay for fireworks. Most of this time is spent waiting in line, meaning you'll be standing in one spot for extended periods. Sure, when you get on the ride, you'll be able to sit down, but the amount of time you spend sitting is drastically less than the time you spend standing or walking.
Tennis shoes are a solid choice, though they can get warm. If you can find a pair of sandals with extra support, that would be ideal. If not, a good pair of sneakers will do wonders.
Along with your hotel's pool, Disney also has two water parks: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Visiting these parks might not be on your itinerary to start, but it's still good to bring a swimsuit just in case. You'll definitely want it for the hotel pool.
The main parks also have sprinklers and misters scattered around for park-goers to cool down, so a swimsuit comes in handy for that, too. Plus, rides like Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids will get you pretty wet! All in all, it's never a bad idea to have a swimsuit ready so you aren't walking around all day in uncomfortable, wet fabric.
Remember, though, March has a low of mid-50s. Packing a pair of board shorts to go over your bathing suit may be a good idea to avoid getting chilly in the water. And don't forget cozy towels!
If you're bringing young children with you, a stroller can be incredibly helpful. It allows you to carry everything your child needs as well as miscellaneous items that may not fit in your backpack. Granted, maneuvering around the parks can be difficult if you're stroller is on the large side, but overall you'll be thankful for bringing it.
Your child will be thanking you, too. Walking around that long will tucker out your kids quickly; they'll get so tired, hungry, and possibly cranky, that they won't really enjoy their time taking in the magic. For a truly exceptional experience for all members of your family, bring a stroller.
Aside from obvious things like toothpaste and sunscreen, there are some toiletries you won't want to forget. Wet wipes will be your best friend during your trip. They have so many uses. If your child is a messy eater, a wet wipe provides an easy clean-up. If it gets too hot and you start to sweat, a wet wipe over your face will instantly cool you down. From brushing mud off your stroller to keeping your family clean, wet wipes are essential to a more comfortable experience in Disney World.
You'll also want to bring extra sunscreen. It's so tedious to go outside Disney's campus to buy sunscreen when you run out—plus the prices around Disney are usually inflated. It's cheaper and easier to bring along a second bottle just in case.
Disney World is a big place, and though it's rare for a child to go missing, it does happen from time to time. The staff is very helpful in those situations, but it's a good idea to give your child some form of identification. This doesn't item doesn't have to be anything extreme. It can even be a fun activity you do together before leaving for the trip. A simple name tag will be incredibly helpful to the staff if you do get separated from your child. It probably won't happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry!
While you don't want your vacation to be dominated by technology, you'll definitely want to have a camera with you to capture all of the special moments you and your family share at Disney. Alternatively, you don't necessarily need a camera if you're happy to take photos on your phone.
You'll also want to have at least one phone with smartphone technology to access some newer additions to the parks. My Disney Experience helps you plan your trip and keep your reservations in order while Play Disney Parks allows you to interact with the park through your mobile device. The more you discover in the park, the more you unlock in the game! It's a fun way to kill time waiting in line.
There are certain items you'll want to bring along to keep your kids happy. Bringing a few toys from home will put them at ease if they ever feel homesick. Of course, Disney World is the place where dreams come true, but everyone misses their own bed every now and again. Having some reminders of home can help get your child adjusted to being in a new place for a few days.
You might also want to bring a costume for them to wear in the parks. There's nothing better than meeting a character while dressed as that character. Seeing the joy on your child's face as they meet their hero will fill you with joy, and knowing you were able to make their experience that much better by bringing along their matching costume will make the trip all the more special.
While you're meeting their favorite character, you'll also want something for the character to sign! An autograph book will keep all their memories of meeting the characters in one place, and they'll love carrying it around with them. All the characters love to sign autographs, so you won't meet any strange looks or hesitation if you bring a book for them to write in! You can either bring a little notebook from home or get an official Disney autograph book at one of the shops, though that isn't necessary. A simple notebook and pen will suffice.
If you're going during the week of St. Patrick's Day, you may want to bring some green clothes or shamrock-related items. The World Showcase puts on a St. Paddy's Day celebration in the United Kingdom pavilion that your kiddos are sure to enjoy. And, of course, they've got some alcohol for the adults in your party, too.
When you break it down, it's easy to pack for a trip to Disney World. Taking into account the weather in March and how many days you'll spend there, packing for Disney is just like packing for any other vacation.
An empty backpack for items purchased at the parks.
Shorts and t-shirts for when it's warm.
Pants and sweaters for when it's cool.
An umbrella and/or poncho for when it rains.
Comfy pajamas for the chilly hotel room.
A good pair of shoes, most likely tennis shoes.
A small backpack or tote bag to bring to the parks.
A swimsuit and board shorts for when the water gets cold.
A stroller to keep your child comfortable.
Wet wipes for easy clean-up.
A name tag for your children in case they get lost.
Costumes to wear at the parks.
St. Patrick's Day items, if you plan on going when the celebration is going on.
With these items in mind, you'll be ready for your trip to Disney. It's always good to double-check the weather before your trip in case you need to switch out a long sleeve for a t-shirt. Overall, your luggage will mostly be clothing you can layer and small items that will ensure you have a comfortable time walking around the parks. After all, Disney is the happiest place on Earth—don't let yourself be uncomfortable in a place with that tagline!


Well not like an official award...but Chelsea Handler has named Bieber has her worst Chelsea Lately interview. Ever.
In a recent interview with Variety, Handler claims that the pop star arrived late and was overly flirtatious. She even went as far as to say the singer made her "feel like a child molester".
Handler has a new show on Netflix on which she tackles issues like race in America, all still in her unique Chelsea way. I personally can't wait.


No one could successfully argue that the British Virgin Islands aren't exotic…but perhaps the most exotic of this jeweled cluster of islands is Virgin Gorda. Famous for her volcanic landscape and laid back yacht clubs, Virgin Gorda lives up to her reputation as the Queen of the Islands.
A strong hold for famous pirates and their ill-gotten gains in the 1500's, the island was christened by Christopher Columbus as Virgin Gorda, meaning "Fat Virgin" because of it's shape. Thanks to it's rocky outcroppings, the island is said resemble a lady lying on her side. Virgin Gorda is the third largest island in the British Island chain at 10 miles in length and 2 miles in width, but she remains rustic, quiet and unspoiled, despite her size.
Virgin Gorda's vibe is truly unique. The laid back feel of the life and people on Virgin Gorda make it the right choice for a quiet and tranquil vacation. Accommodations on the island vary from modest to luxurious, so no matter the budget, there's a place for you. Are you a boat lover? Then Virgin Gorda is your Nirvana, as it is home to some of the most outstanding yacht clubs in the world. Neighboring islands include tiny Saba Rock, and Richard Branson's Necker Island, so you never know who you might see on a barstool next to you.
To get to Virgin Gorda, you can fly or arrive by boat. Flights are available from St. Thomas and it takes only 40 minutes. The ferry from Road Town on the island of Tortola makes four round trips a day, so you won't have any trouble catching a ride. Or, you can make Virgin Gorda your main destination on your private St. Thomas boat rental.
There are several ways to get around the island. There are open-sided safari buses that travel along the island's main road, which can take up to 14 passengers. Car rental services are a great choice if you prefer to drive. And finally, boat charters will take you from one tourist spot to another with style.
The Baths on Virgin Gorda are the first place you should visit when coming to the island. Home to the island's best beaches, the area's main attraction is the series of natural pools formed by giant granite boulders. The rock grottoes are filled with seawater that allow exceptional snorkeling, or private pools for soaking.
If you love to hike, there is a 15-minute trail from The Baths to Devil's Bay National Park. The Virgin Gorda Peak National Park offers hiking paths that crisscross the park's large stretches of undeveloped land. It takes 20 minutes to reach the peak where you can marvel at the idyllic views of the sweeping bays and the countryside below. If you want an unparalleled view of the island, there is a tower at the summit that you can climb. On the south side of the island, hike to the Copper Mine ruins, which are now protected by the National Park Service.
There are so many things to see and do on Virgin Gorda. With the island's laid back feel, gorgeous beaches, exceptional snorkeling sites, secluded hiking spots, and historic ruins, you can be sure to get the vacation experience you're after.


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Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine now 95 per cent effective
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ: BNTZ) has demonstrated efficacy of 95 per cent following Phase 3 trials.
Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics, and the vaccine is effective in adults over 65 years of age in 94 per cent of cases.
There were 10 severe cases of COVID-19 observed in the trial, with nine of the cases occurring in the placebo group and one in the vaccinated group.
The pharmaceutical company has developed a specially designed, temperature-controlled thermal shippers using dry ice to maintain temperature conditions of minus 70°C.
Pfizer says these containers can be used for 15 days by refilling with dry ice, and each includes a GPS-enabled thermal sensor to track the location and temperature of each vaccine shipment across their pre-set routes.
"The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic," Pfizer chairman and CEO Dr Albert Borula said.
"We continue to move at the speed of science to compile all the data collected thus far and share with regulators around the world.
"With hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected every day, we urgently need to get a safe and effective vaccine to the world."
Pfizer is expecting to produce 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.
Earlier this month the Australian Federal Government announced it had secured 10 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine candidate.
Australia has also secured 40 million doses of the Novavax nanoparticle vaccine and 51 million doses of a vaccine candidate developed by CSL (ASX: CSL) and the University of Queensland.
Updated at 10.00am AEDT on 19 November 2020.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As I think you'll agree, innovation and forward thinking converge in the digital hub of Atlanta.... its home to more than 13,000 high tech companies and one of America's most wired cities. Atlanta is also not foreign to excellent conferences and seminars that bring together thought leaders and top executives from leading, innovative tech companies.
That being said, I'd like to invite our readers to mark your calendar for Digital Summit 2011 taking place May 16 & 17 in Atlanta at the Cobb Galleria. Digital Summit expects hundreds of Internet executives, online marketers, entrepreneurs, web strategists, bloggers, and corporate executives to attend the conference which will feature over 30 sessions and close to 100 speakers.
New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, Gary Vaynerchuk, will join the speaker line up as keynote this year. Gary Vaynerchuk, the best-selling author of Crush It! and The Thank You Economy, is known as the "King of Social Media" having initially leveraged social media tools to build Wine Library TV -- his video blog about wine that garnered over 90,000 daily viewers and became the most downloaded podcast on iTunes in the Food category.
Vaynerchuk will anchor a high profile speaker line up at Digital Summit which includes more than 70 Internet thought leaders and innovators who will be discussing the latest trends and best practices in areas such as social media, mobile strategies, online video, cloud computing, real-time analytics, online advertising, online reputation management, ecommerce, usability, geolocation and email marketing among many others.
Thanks and see you all in May!


The hindered diffusion and binding of proteins of different sizes (lysozyme, BSA and IgG) in an agarose gel is described using adsorption kinetic and diffusional data together with an experimentally determined pore size distribution in the gel. The validity of the pore model, including variable diffusion coefficients and porosities is tested against experimental confocal microscopy data. No fitting parameters were used in the present model. The importance of knowing the gel structure is demonstrated especially for large proteins such as IgG. Experimental confocal microscopy data can be explained by the present model. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


2016 was an extremely positive year for the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, confirming and consolidating the relaunch set in motion the previous year.
"The Foundation," comments director Paolo Manera, "took steps to expand and strengthen the region's proposals and to confirm our Film Commission as an essential subject for the development of Piedmont".
A total of 125 productions received support in the region: 16 feature films for cinema, 8 TV dramas, 15 shorts, 20 documentaries and 66 commercials, news reports and video clips. Activities which engaged members of the trade in the region for over 60 weeks of preparation and 125 weeks of filming, with the involvement of numerous local professionals.
The system created employment opportunities for 566 professionals and local technicians, plus 150 local actors and around 5,000 extras, making a total estimated economic return for the region of around € 15.6 million.


The Osijek tram system is operated by the City Transport of Osijek (GPP Osijek) and serves the city of Osijek, capital of the Slavonia region of Croatia.
The Osijek network is the only Croatian tram system still in existence outside Zagreb. Services have operated continuously since the first horse-car tram line was opened in 1884 (connecting the railway station and city square), and the first electric tram ran in 1926.
The present network consists of two lines which intersect in the city square (Trg Anta Starčevića) and the fleet consists of refurbished Tatra T3 PVO vehicles and some newly acquired second hand DUEWAG GT6. During the Croatian War of Independence, five Tatra T3 streetcars were destroyed and two female drivers were killed in 1991/92.
There is also an old Škoda tourist heritage tram, which can be rented for special occasions. The tram dates back to the start of electrical operation, back in 1926.
All tracks are at 1000 mm (metre gauge) width. There are three terminal loops, and two loops used rarely only when shorter route service is provided. There is also an inner city loop for the part of line 2, which connects the main railway station with the city centre. Unlike line 1, which is double track in its whole length, line 2 is composed of a loop segment, a double track segment and the remainder being single track with passing loops. At the main vehicle depot (Remiza) there is a track triangle structure used regularly for turning tramway vehicles when starting and/or ending service.
In November 2014, Line 1 was extended from Višnjevac Sjever to Višnjevac Okretište.
A 2018 reorganization of public transport which abolished the tariff union between GPP and the private transport operators reintroduced the city centre circulator, connecting the main square and the city's railway station. Popularly known as the "Kolodvorac" (lit. Station-runner), the line previously existed until 2008, when it was abolished.
This page was last edited on 11 June 2018, at 05:27 (UTC).


Alien Hardware is a collection of 72 other-worldly surfaces you may expect to find in a non-human craft. Materials are organic/metallic and deep space 'weathered'.
Each texture has an option with or without ambient highlight.


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Accueil | Vie de l'unité | Actualités | Séminaire LARIS - 23 janvier 2020
Séminaire LARIS - 23 janvier 2020
Séminaire LARIS - Firoozeh HAGHIGHI
14h00 | B106 | Polytech Angers - Université d'Angers
Optimal maintenance policy for a system subject to shocks and degradation under uncertain parameters
Firoozeh Haghighi
It is of great importance to avoid a failure of a system when its failure during actual operation is costly and/or dangerous. In such a situation, it is wise to replace the system before failure as a preventive maintenance policy. We studied the problem of optimal maintenance policy for a single-unit system which is subject to shocks and degradation. The shocks could be fatal or effective and arrive in accordance with a counting process. The degradation path follows a non-decreasing arbitrary function and the impact of effective shocks on the degradation of system is considered through the virtual age concept. First, a degradation-threshold-shock model is developed and then, under uncertain model parameters, a rolling horizon algorithm is proposed to obtain a dynamic optimal preventive level of degradation while taking to account the number of receiving shocks and theirs magnitudes, as well as the current damage of system at each pre-specified inspection time. Policy updating is done based on the rolling horizon approach via Bayesian method.
Keywords: Condition-based maintenance, General degradation path model, Long-run cost rate, Random Shocks, Rolling horizon approach, Virtual age
Firoozeh HAGHIGHI is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science at University of Tehran, Iran. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Statistics from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, in 1995 and 1998. She also received her PhD degree in Statistics (specialty: Reliability) from University of Bordeaux II, Bordeaux, France in 2004. Firoozeh HAGHIGHI has published more than 38 papers in journals and conferences proceedings. Her research interests are Accelerated life testing, Degradation models, Competing risks, Maintenance and Quality control.
http://laris.univ-angers.fr/fr/vie-unite/actualites/seminaire-laris-23-janvier-2020.html


Automotive Compliance Consultants — listed among the published by SubPrime Auto Finance News as well as the published in AuSM — has a new owner, according to a news release distributed on Tuesday.
KPA Services, a provider of environmental health and safety (EHS), HR management, and F&I technology-enabled services and software as a service (SaaS) solutions, announced the acquisition of Automotive Compliance Consultants (ACC), which provides a comprehensive dealership compliance program combining software and in-person consulting, with an emphasis on F&I, privacy, fair lending, and EHS compliance.
KPA has more than 30 years of experience working with multiple industries, including dealerships, collision/repair, manufacturing, insurance brokers, distribution, food and beverage, and transportation to provide EHS, HR management and F&I solutions. KPA provides clients with online, onsite and on-call resources to effectively train staff; protect assets, reduce losses and avoid penalties; enhance HR workflow; and achieve environmental, safety and HR compliance.
The companies highlighted ACC's extensive dealership F&I expertise and client base coupled with KPA's 6,000 dealership clients, creates an organization with compliance and workflow solutions for the dealership market.
Officials explained the combined company can provide clients with the benefits of an expanded team of over 100 EHS, F&I and HR field experts located throughout the U.S., who bring an average of more than 15 years of regulatory experience. This knowledge base is designed to complement the combined company's online dashboards, SaaS-based data analytics solutions and closed-loop audit processes.
Automotive Compliance Consultants president and CEO Terry Dortch added, "Joining forces with the KPA team is a great move forward for ACC.
"Our vision has always been to provide a turnkey compliance solution for dealerships. The additional expertise, content and development resources that KPA brings will result in an unmatched compliance program for the dealership client," Dortch went on to say.


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Carry bats, not 'gats,' MLB warns
By George A. King III
February 21, 2010 | 5:00am
TAMPA — Memo to all Major League Baseball players: Leave your guns at home.
A new policy from Commissioner Bud Selig's office bars anyone in MLB from bringing firearms and other deadly weapons into locker rooms or on road trips.
Notice of the policy was tacked on the walls of every spring-training clubhouse Friday. Aside from guns, the prohibited weapons include "explosives, daggers, metal knuckles, switchblade knives and knives having blades exceeding five inches."
Athletes packing heat became a hot-button issue in December when NBA star Gilbert Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton drew pistols on each other in the Washington Wizards' locker room. Both players were suspended for the season and pleaded guilty to gun charges.
While MLB publicized its policy last week, it was drawn up before the Wizards showdown.
But Yankee ace CC Sabathia said yesterday at the team's Tampa spring-training facility that he's never seen firearms around the locker room.
"I think they are just trying to be safe," said Sabathia, adding that he owns a gun.
"It's registered in New Jersey. I don't take it with me. I leave it at the house," he said.
But Sabathia was carrying a pistol when he was held up at gunpoint in 2002 near a Cleveland hotel and robbed of $44,000 by two former Cleveland State basketball players. He didn't say whether he drew his weapon during the incident.
Yankee closer Mariano Rivera also said he's never noticed a firearm in the clubhouse and insisted he doesn't require one.
"I have never seen a gun," Rivera said, "I don't go places where you need to carry those things."
At the Mets' spring-training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., closer Francisco Rodriguez said guns are more of an issue in Latin America than in the United States.
"I've never heard of anybody — not on my team or somewhere else — doing that here," he said. "In winter ball [in Latin America], it's different. They've got permission, and they bring it in the locker room and put it in a safe.
"But here? No."
Additional reporting by Mike Puma in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
george.king@nypost.com
NAACP elects its youngest chairman


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POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
Management and budget department
Minnesota state colleges and universities system (mnscu)
2009 Subd. 2 Amended 2009 c 93 art 1 s 27
1996 135A.046 Amended 1996 c 463 s 41
1994 135A.046 New 1994 c 643 s 65
135A.046 ASSET PRESERVATION AND REPLACEMENT.
Subdivision 1.Purpose.
The legislature recognizes that postsecondary governing boards operate campus physical plants that in number, size, and programmatic use differ significantly from the physical plants operated by state departments and agencies. However, the legislature recognizes the need for standards to aid in categorizing and funding capital projects. The purpose of this section is to provide standards for those higher education projects that are intended to preserve and replace existing campus facilities.
Subd. 2.Standards.
Capital budget expenditures for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) projects must be for one or more of the following: code compliance including health and safety, Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, hazardous material abatement, access improvement, or air quality improvement; building energy efficiency improvements using current best practices; or building or infrastructure repairs necessary to preserve the interior and exterior of existing buildings; or renewal to support the existing programmatic mission of the campuses. Up to ten percent of an appropriation awarded under this section may be used for design costs for projects eligible to be funded from this account in anticipation of future funding from the account.
Subd. 3.Reporting priorities.
Each postsecondary governing board shall establish priorities within its Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement projects. By January 15 of each year, it shall submit to the commissioner of management and budget and to the chairs of the higher education finance divisions, the senate Finance Committee, and the house of representatives Capital Investment Committee a list of the projects that have been paid for with money from a higher education asset preservation and replacement appropriation during the preceding calendar year as well as a list of those priority projects for which Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement appropriations will be sought in that year's legislative session.
1994 c 643 s 65; 1996 c 463 s 41; 2002 c 393 s 53; 2009 c 93 art 1 s 27; 2009 c 101 art 2 s 109


BALTIMORE, MD — The first beers from 1623 Brewing, Hefeweizen and IPA, are now available in cans and on draft in Central Maryland locations through a distribution partnership with Chesapeake Beverage. This family owned, community driven craft beer brand plans to release additional beers in Maryland later this year before opening its first production brewery in Maryland's Carroll County in 2019.
1623 Brewing Hefeweizen and IPA are available in canned 12 oz. 6-packs and on draft at select establishments in the Westminster area. Two more year-round brands, Pilsner and Stout, will be released in Maryland in November and December, respectively. Learn more about the beers at 1623brewing.com/beers.
Contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com with any media inquiries about 1623 Brewing.
1623 Brewing is a family owned, community driven craft brewery that calls both Maryland and Colorado home, where owners and cousins Mike and Sandy McKelvin, and Zac Rissmiller operate each home base of the brewery— 1,623 miles apart. The brewery's tasting room is slated to open in Maryland's Carroll County in 2019, and in the meantime 1623 Brewing cans and draft offerings are available in Central Maryland. Learn more at 1623brewing.com.
The post 1623 Brewing Launches Distribution; Beers Now Available In Maryland appeared first on CraftBeer.com.


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Ski Chalets For Sale In Meribel Town Centre
Distance to Slopes / Nearest Ski Lift5 minute walk
Distance to Shops5 minute walk
View all Chalets in Meribel
View all ski properties in Meribel
Six spacious bedrooms, five fitted bathrooms
150m from the ski lift via a new escalator
Balcony, great views, covered parking
Close to town centre & public transportation
Skiingproperty.com is delighted to present these two ski chalets, occupying a fantastic plot, only a short walk from the middle of the village. Plans are also in progress to build a brand-new escalator right outside the building, meaning the ski lifts are just 150 metres away.
What is Meribel, French Alps like?
Located in the Three Valleys, the world-famous Meribel resort is situated in the center of the ski area. The Three Valleys is the world's largest ski area, with more than 600 km of interconnected slopes and 120 km of cross-country skiing. Meribel, which is made up of three main villages, has very strict guidelines in terms of new building, retaining the authentic architecture and heritage of the resort.
Where are these Chalets in Meribel, French Alps?
Their dominant, elevated location of these chalets means they boast unimpeded, panoramic views of the valley that you can enjoy from the terraces and balconies provided by the residence.
The chalets are also just a few minutes' walk from the centre of the village. Owners can find stores, restaurants and all the facilities only 600 metres away. Last but not least, an exclusive private ski bus to the residence will carry the owners to the area of Rond Point des Pistes and the rest of the resort.
What are these chalets like?
This hamlet-style set of ski properties for sale in Meribel consists of two chalets and 44 apartments, including a choice of spectacular penthouses. Although the buildings will be brand new, their chalet-style facades will mimic the resort's traditional architecture.
In the form of a balcony or a terrace, all of the properties benefit from exterior space and these chalets benefit from stunning cathedral ceilings in the living areas. Finally, these wonderful homes enjoy mountain views overlooking Roc de Fer, thanks to their smart orientation and dominant position.
Also included is a ski locker, a cellar and underground parking, as well as access to a wide variety of on-site services, including a wellness facility, a concierge service and a private shuttle bus service offering transfers to and from the ski lifts to the village centre.
Property summary:
As new-build homes, prospective owners would also benefit from 2-2.5 percent lower notary fees, and will also have the option of recovering 20 percent VAT from the purchase price of the property if they plan to rent out their property while not in use.
With real estate prices in Meribel often reaching up to EUR 30,000 per sqm for similar properties in the resort, especially in the highest sections, this new-build project with panoramic views and near the village is competitively priced, averaging just EUR 17,767 per sqm.
Chalet prices:
Six bedroom chalet, from 289.50m2, priced at 4,250,000 euros.
Five bedroom chalet, from 428m2, priced from 7,495,000 euros.
Two bedroom apartments, from 71m2, priced from 1,395,000 euros.
Three bedroom apartments, from 92m2, priced from 1,500,000 euros.
Four bedroom apartments, from 131m2, priced from 1,980,000 euros.


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"Silent" Refugee Crises Get Limited International Attention
Despite the major focus by media and publics on a handful of refugee crises around the world, displacement situations worsened during 2018 in a number of countries that received much less attention, including the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan—where unending conflict, new displacement, rising starvation, and an Ebola outbreak made already complex situations even more dire.
Sweden: By Turns Welcoming and Restrictive in its Immigration Policy
Swedish asylum policy has taken a restrictionist turn since the country received a record-breaking number of asylum seekers in 2015 and after electoral gains by the nationalist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats pushed the governing coalition to a harder line. Still, other aspects of the country's migration policy remain welcoming, as this country profile explores.
Trump Administration's Unprecedented Actions on Asylum at the Southern Border Hit Legal Roadblock
The Trump administration's latest effort to narrow the ability to apply for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a legal roadblock within days of implementation, as has been the pattern for much of its immigration agenda. This article examines the actions on asylum, which alongside deployment of active-duty military to the border, are among measures taken to seek to reduce the flow of Central Americans to the United States.
The Emerging Crisis: Is Famine Returning as a Major Driver of Migration?
Despite long study of famine, there is a remarkable lack of research about the linkages between mass starvation and migration. Among the unanswered questions: Does migration mitigate starvation or worsen it? With famines returning, most notably in war-torn Yemen, after a period of decline, the need for knowledge is essential. This article examines the causes and migration patterns of great famines from the 19th century onward.
Sessions: The Trump Administration's Once-Indispensable Man on Immigration
In less than two years as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions oversaw wide-reaching changes to the U.S. immigration system. Even as the zero-tolerance policy, fights with "sanctuary" cities, and DACA termination might be more visible, Sessions' enduring legacy may be his muscular use of a little-noted authority, which he wielded to significantly reshape immigration and asylum policy by referring immigration cases to himself.
Internal Labor Migration in India Raises Integration Challenges for Migrants
Internal migration spurred primarily by employment and marriage helps shape the economic, social, and political life of India's sending and receiving regions. Labor migrants face myriad challenges, including restricted access to basic needs such as identity documentation and social entitlements. This article describes the barriers to integration that labor migrants face, and details the policy environment surrounding their integration challenges.
Assessing Immigrant Integration in Sweden after the May 2013 Riots
This article explores the underlying causes of the May 2013 riots across several Stockholm suburbs that have high proportions of foreign-born residents, and asks whether rapid increases in the size of Sweden's immigrant population or the government's integration efforts played a central role.
Responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Conversation with T. Alexander Aleinikoff, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff talks to MPI about the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and the role of UNHCR in assisting countries that have taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees. One looming concern: how will UNHCR and other actors change their refugee crisis-response models and mechanisms to adapt to this and future emergencies?
The High-Level Dialogue: Sizing up Outcomes, Implications, and Future Forms of Engagement on Migration and Development
The recent special session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, labeled the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (HLD), was the UN's second-ever discussion devoted solely to international migration. This article examines the implications and outcomes of the HLD, identifies some of the issues that garnered widespread support, and assesses whether the international community is inching toward greater multilateral engagement on migration.
Mapping West Africa's Migration and Land-Management Crisis
Land is the basis of nearly all economic activities from farming to financial speculation on cotton production — in and along the periphery of an internationally protected park that spans parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Recognized as the "W" Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in 2002, this vast territory and surrounding areas are experiencing a land-management crisis in which seasonal and long-term migration has played a major role. This article examines these challenges through the use of reflexive maps, which capture data relating not only to migrants' paths and motivations, but also the social values and knowledge that they carry with them.
Immigration Enforcement in the United States in 2006
In 2006, Department of Homeland Security immigration officials made over 1.2 million apprehensions of immigrants at points of entry along the U.S. border and within the United States. MPI's Aaron Terrazas examines the most recent data on immigration enforcement.
Filipino Immigrants in the United States
The 1.6 million Filipino immigrants residing in the United States in 2006 accounted for 4.4 percent of all U.S. immigrants. MPI's Aaron Terrazas examines their socioeconomic characteristics, where they live, and the size of the Filipino-born unauthorized population.
Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States in 2006
In 2006, 1.1 million Vietnamese immigrants resided in the United States, accounting for 3.0 percent of all U.S. immigrants. MPI's Aaron Terrazas examines their socioeconomic characteristics, where they live, and the size of the Vietnamese-born unauthorized population.
Indian Immigrants in the United States
The 1.5 million Indian immigrants residing in the United States accounted for 4.0 percent of all U.S. immigrants in 2006. MPI's Aaron Terrazas examines their socioeconomic characteristics, where they live, and the size of the Indian-born unauthorized population.
Chinese Immigrants in the United States in 2006
In 2006, about 1.6 million Chinese immigrants resided in the United States. MPI's Aaron Matteo Terrazas and Bhavna Devani examine their socioeconomic characteristics, where they live, and the size of the legal and unauthorized population from China.
Alternative Immigration Reforms Follow Failed Legislation
MPI's Aaron Matteo Terrazas reports on the decision to increase enforcement of existing immigration law, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, employment-based green cards, and more.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Eludes Senate, Again
MPI's Aaron Matteo Terrazas reports on the death of the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill, employment visa suspension, delays to land and sea border entry passport requirements, and more.
Senate Immigration Bill, Attacked from All Sides, Gains Second Chance
MPI's Aaron Matteo Terrazas, Dawn Konet, and Julia Gelatt report on the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill, Iraqi refugee resettlement, temporary changes to U.S. passport requirements, and more.
After Long Negotiations, Senate Takes Up Immigration Reform Again
MPI's Dawn Konet and Julia Gelatt report on the beginning of new Senate debates on immigration and the events leading up to this debate; a breakdown in negotiations over a U.S.-Canada program for land-border crossers; TPS extensions; and more.
Congress and White House Release Competing Proposals for Immigration Reform
MPI's Dawn Konet and Julia Gelatt report on the Strive Act and a White House plan for immigration reform, the delay in implementing Real ID requirements, the Child Citizen Protection Act, and more.


text:
Q: How can I search a pattern and extract the value behind it I am a newbee in python. I am trying to pull data (XXXX) out from a text with a pattern PDB:XXXX. The XXXX varies, but it is exactly what I want.
Since the data all contain PDB:, I use re.findall() to search and get this pattern. But this only gave me a list of PDB:. How can I get it to include the XXXX???
this is my code:
text = 'blah...........
        PDB:AAAA
        blah...........
        blah...........
        PDB:BBBB'

etc.
r = re.findall("PDB:",text)

and the output gave me:
['PDB:', 'PDB:']

My desired output should be something like
['AAAA', 'BBBB']

A: You need to use """ to quote multi-line strings in Python. Also, to get a specific subset of the matched pattern, you need to use capture groups (the parentheses in my regular expression below).
import re

text = """blah...........
        PDB:AAAA
        blah...........
        blah...........
        PDB:BBBB"""

results = re.findall(r"PDB:(.*)", text)

print results #['AAAA', 'BBBB']

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Anuszczyk: of South Dartmouth, Saturday, May 26, 2007, Edward J., 69. Husband of Carolyn (Cygan) Anuszczyk. Calling hours are 4 to 8 p.m. tonight at MACHNOWSKI—SCHICK FUNERAL HOME, 472 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home, followed by a Mass at 9 in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Beals: of Pittsfield, formerly of New Bedford, Thursday, May 24, 2007, Helen Mary (Nassar), 86. Widow of Frederick Beals. Visitation will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the WILSON CHAPEL, 479 County St., New Bedford, followed by a Mass at 10 at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Collins: of Shrewsbury, formerly of New Bedford, Saturday, May 26, 2007, Linda E. (Nielson), 69. Wife of John R. Collins. Calling hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the BRITTON-SHREWSBURY FUNERAL HOME, 648 MAIN ST., SHREWSBURY. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in Saint Mary's Church, 640 Main St., Shrewsbury. Burial will be in Mountain View Cemetery, Shrewsbury.
Dubois: of Fairhaven, formerly of Dartmouth, Friday, Friday, May 25, 2007, Cecilia Lauretta (Brodeur), 92. Widow of Leo Dubois. Visitation will be 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. Wednesday at ROCK FUNERAL HOME, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. A funeral Mass will follow at 10:30 at St. Mary Church, Dartmouth. Burial will be in Rural Cemetery.
Furtado: of New Bedford, Friday, May 25, 2007, Rosa (Morgardo), 91. Widow of Alfredo Furtado. Calling hours are 5 to 8 p.m. tonight at PERRY FUNERAL HOME, 111 Dartmouth St., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home with a Mass at 10:30 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery.
Galligan: of New Bedford, Monday, May 28, 2007, Janice (Lipsett), 60. Mother of Kimberly A. Vieira. Calling hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the SAUNDERS-DWYER HOME FOR FUNERALS, 495 Park St., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday from the funeral home, followed by a Mass at 10:30 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church. Burial will be private in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Lopes: of New Bedford, Friday, May 25, 2007, Joseph S., 86. Widower of Eleanor M. (Enos) Lopes. Calling hours are 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the AUBERTINE-LOPES FUNERAL HOME, 129 Allen St., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home, with a Mass at noon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery.
Marote Jr.: of New Bedford, Saturday, May 26, 2007, Gabriel O., 84. Husband of Emma (Andrade) Marote. Calling hours are 5 to 7 p.m. tonight at ROCK FUNERAL HOME, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home, with a Mass at 10 at St. John the Baptist Church. Burial will be in Rural Cemetery.
Mello: of South Dartmouth, Friday, May 25, 2007, Evelyn (Perry), 83. Widow of George F. Mello. Calling hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME OF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE AT DARTMOUTH, 230 Russells Mills Rd., Dartmouth. The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Thursday from the funeral home, followed by a Mass at 10 in St. Mary's Church, 783 Dartmouth St. Burial will be in Rural Cemetery.
Pelland: of Acushnet, Friday, May 25, 2007, Maurice L., 76. Husband of Shirley (Boucher) Pelland. Calling hours are 4 to 8 p.m. tonight at the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME OF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE AT FAIRLAWN, 180 Washington St., Fairhaven. The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home, with a Mass at 10 at St. Mary's Church, Main Street, Fairhaven. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery.
Perry: of New Bedford, Saturday, May 26, 2007, Alice (Cambra), 92. Widow of Hildebert Perry. Calling hours are 5 to 8 p.m. tonight at the WILSON CHAPEL, 479 County St., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Calvary Bible Church, 1100 State Rd., Westport. Burial will be in Rural Cemetery.
Sylvia Ribeiro: of New Bedford, Friday, May 25, 2007, Aninha Theresa (Pina), 62. Wife of James C. "Hat Man" Ribeiro. Calling hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the PERRY FUNERAL HOME, 111 Dartmouth St., New Bedford. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday from the funeral home, with a Mass at noon at Our Lady of the Assumption Church. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery.


text:
Tag: nordic combined
Olympic sports writing: 2004-2015
Selected features and interviews, plus coverage from several Olympics:
Dec. 1, 2015: US college sports are a factory for Olympic medalists – but for how much longer? (The Guardian)
Nov. 7, 2015: Speed skating: can the US team shine after the failure of Sochi? (The Guardian)
Aug. 30, 2015: Why Serena Williams, not Ronda Rousey, is the world's most dominant female athlete (The Guardian)
Aug. 12, 2015: Golf doesn't need the Olympics, and the Olympics don't need golf (The Guardian)
Dec. 15, 2014: Break up the Olympics! (SportsMyriad)
Oct. 12, 2010: Women's Ski Jumping Tests the Grudges of Olympic Leaders (Huffington Post)
Oct. 7, 2009: Women's jumpers still hoping for flight in 2010 Games (USA TODAY): Shot video on a ski jump ramp, recorded audio interviews
Sept. 19, 2008: Journalism, cynicism and the Olympics (Mostly Modern Media)
Aug. 20, 2008: China beat: Handball, war, sanitation, etc. (Mostly Modern Media)
2014 medal projections (SportsMyriad)
New U.S. medal contenders (OZY)
Action, edge … Olympics! (OZY)
Curling: You know you want to try it (OZY)
London 2012 (all Bleacher Report unless noted)
Live blogs: USA-Japan women's soccer, swimming
Marti Malloy matches Ronda Rousey's judo medal feat
Caster Semenya forces Olympic community to rethink gender
10 biggest disappointments in London
USA's rising stars who could win gold in Rio
Vancouver 2010: Nordic sports and biathlon (all USA TODAY)
Feb. 12, ski jumping: Three U.S. jumpers qualify for Saturday's medal round
Feb. 13, ski jumping: Swiss ski jumper takes first gold, USA fails to reach final 30
Feb. 13, biathlon: Kuzmina pockets biathlon gold for Slovakia in women's 7.5K
Feb. 14, biathlon: France's Jay wins Olympic biathlon 10K; weather takes toll
Feb. 14, Nordic combined: Two moves impact U.S. gold, silver in Nordic combined
Feb. 15, cross-country: U.S. women increase visibility, profile in 10k cross country
Feb. 15, cross-country: U.S. skier Freeman laments mistakes in 15k; Cologna wins
Feb. 16, biathlon: Germany's Neuner cruises to gold in women's biathlon pursuit
Feb. 17, cross-country: Randall rises in women's cross-country sprint, men slip
Feb. 18, biathlon: Biathlete Tim Burke, U.S. team perplexed by performance
Feb. 19, news: Women's ski jumpers wish they were Olympians, not spectators
Feb. 19, cross-country: Norway's Bjoergen wins women's 15K pursuit for 2nd gold
Feb. 20, ski jumping: Switzerland's Ammann lands a golden quad ski jump
Feb. 20, cross-country: USA's Freeman has blood sugar crash in cross-country pursuit
Feb. 21, biathlon: Tim Burke feels biathlon's cruelty in men's 15K mass start
Feb. 21, preview: Cross-country ski team's sprint is no easy race to the finish line
Feb. 22, cross-country: U.S. women post best-ever result in Olympic cross-country
Feb. 23, Nordic combined: U.S. men's team pockets first medal in Nordic combined
Feb. 24, feature: At Whistler, there's just no party like a biathlon party
Feb. 25, cross-country: Norway's Bjoergen adds to bounty with cross-country relay gold
Feb. 25, Nordic combined: Demong, Spillane give USA 1-2 finish in Nordic combined
Feb. 26, biathlon: After disappointing Olympics, U.S. biathletes look forward
Feb. 27, cross-country: U.S. women pleased after 30K cross-country experience
Feb. 28, cross-country: Northug adds to medal bounty with gold in cross-country 50k
Beijing 2008: Everything, especially soccer (all USA TODAY)
Aug. 6, soccer: Norway still a thorn in U.S. side after winning opener 2-0
Aug. 9, badminton: American falters on badminton's big stage
Aug. 10, soccer: American men's soccer team settles for 2-2 draw with Dutch
Aug. 10, soccer: U.S. women's team to face New Zealand in critical match
Aug. 11, soccer: Yellow-card suspension is a 'horrible feeling' for Adu
Aug. 12, fencing: Smart's 'stupidity' results in sabre loss for the U.S.
Aug. 12, canoe/kayak: Slovakian gets single canoe slalom gold
Aug. 12, soccer: U.S. women rout New Zealand to reach quarterfinals
Aug. 12, badminton: U.S. badminton team faces Chinese team, home crowd
Aug. 12, soccer: Upset benefits U.S. women's soccer team
Aug. 13, wrestling: U.S. wrestlers lose weight and first-round matches
Aug. 13, soccer: Short-handed USA men KO'd from Olympic soccer tourney
Aug. 14, fencing: U.S. women get team sabre bronze; Ukraine is upset winner
Aug. 16, boxing: USA boxer Estrada eliminated by Brit in Round of 16
Aug. 16, boxing: U.S. boxers, coach struggling with judging, each other
Aug. 17, shooting: Last shot sinks American again
Aug. 17, fencing: Smart's heroics help U.S. men's team sabre to silver
Aug. 17, soccer: U.S. women not taking Japan lightly in soccer semifinal
Aug. 18, triathlon: Australia takes women's triathlon, Bennett fourth
Aug. 18, soccer: USA secures rematch with Brazil for gold
Aug. 19, feature: Eight venues, one day: An Olympic odyssey
Aug. 21, soccer: Weight lifted with U.S. soccer victory, gold
Aug. 22, modern pentathlon: Sheila Taormina leaves lasting impression in her final Games
Aug. 23, soccer: Argentina beats the heat and Nigeria for Olympic soccer gold
Aug. 23, handball: Iceland eyes gold medal in handball (includes interviews with Iceland's president and first lady)
Aug. 24, water polo: USA collects silver, Hungary wins gold in water polo 14-10
Aug. 24, soccer: Gold medalists return home as new pro league awaits
Torino 2006 (USA TODAY)
Sports Scope blog (through Wayback Machine)
Athlete interviews (all USA TODAY)
Feb. 14, 2005, Nordic skiing/biathlon: Geologist defies age for run at two Olympic sports
Feb. 25, 2004, water polo: Think Shaq's job is tough? Get in the water with Bailey
March 12, 2004, diving: Platform diver sets sights higher and higher
April 2, 2004, sailing/windsurfing: Mistral class takes sailing to the extreme
April 4, 2004, walking: Clausen walking tall to third Olympics(includes Bryan Cranston reference)
April 30, 2004, synchronized swimming: Wit keeps serious swimmers in sync
May 14, 2004, triathlon: Kemper's reality: Swim, bike, run, get to the airport, eat Krispy Kreme
Posted on June 13, 2016 September 8, 2017 Categories olympic sports, work portfolioTags badminton, beijing, biathlon, boxing, canoe/kayak, cross-country skiing, curling, diving, fencing, golf, handball, judo, london, modern pentathlon, nordic combined, sailing, shooting, ski jumping, soccer, sochi, speedskating, synchronized swimming, tennis, torino, track and field, triathlon, water polo, wrestlingLeave a comment on Olympic sports writing: 2004-2015
Sochi recap: Nordic combined, team event
Three Nordic combined powers raced together for the bulk of a 20-kilometer relay, with Norway's Joergen Graabak continuing his breakout Games by holding out for gold. The USA wasn't able to mount a challenge, rallying to finish sixth.
Date: 20-Feb
Sport: Nordic combined
Event: Team (four jumps determine start intervals for 4x5k cross-country relay)
Medalists: Norway, Germany, Austria
SportsMyriad projections: Germany, Norway, France
How U.S. fared: The USA took silver in this event in 2010, with its Golden Generation at its peak, and followed up with a third-place run at last year's World Championships. But the team was not great on the large hill. Todd Lodwick was seventh in his group with 99.9 points. Taylor Fletcher also was seventh, continuing his struggles on the hill with 92.5. Bill Demong had a nice one at 108.0, also seventh in his group but keeping pace with the strong jumpers in his group. Bryan Fletcher got 97.2, ninth in the last group.
The team is full of solid cross-country skiers, but those jumps would give them a gap of 1 minute, 52 seconds behind the leaders.
Bryan Fletcher led off the cross-country relay and pulled the USA ahead of Russia into seventh place, but he lost five seconds to the leaders. Todd Lodwick, who sat out the cross-country phase of the individual races to rest his injured shoulder, lost nearly a minute and fell back to eighth.
The bright spot was Taylor Fletcher, who posted the fastest third leg of any of the competitors. He pulled back ahead of Italy into seventh.
Bill Demong, the only U.S. man to win Nordic combined gold, went hard in the final leg despite the great distance. He moved up into sixth and held off the Czech Republic.
What happened: Austria moved into the lead with the best jumps of the second and third rounds — Christoph Bieler and Mario Stecher. But a weaker fourth jump left them behind consistent Germany.
Norway had been back in the pack, but Haavard Klemetsen finished with the best jump of the day.
After the jumps, the time intervals were set: Germany first, Austria seven seconds back, Norway 0:25, France 0:35.
The fleet-footed Magnus Moan brought Norway back into the mix immediately, ailing normal hill champion Eric Frenzel held on for Germany, and the top three hit the first exchange within a second of each other.
That lead pack stayed within a second of each other through the second leg as well, and they put more distance on fourth-place France.
In the third leg, the leaders were still cozy with each other, at one point all standing up and looking like they were out for a nice stroll in the warm weather. They put the hammer down in the last kilometer, with Norway's Magnus Krog trying to put some distance on the others. But the gap from first to third only grew to 1.7 seconds. France, though, was more than a minute back, far too much for Jason Lamy Chappuis to pull back.
The three contenders in the last leg — Joergen Graabak (Norway) was the large hill winner, Fabian Riessle (Germany) was the large hill bronze medalist, Mario Stecher (Austria) is a six-time Olympian. Through another four kilometers, no one attacked. Could Stecher keep up with the young guys on a final sprint?
Stecher started to make a move on the uphill but couldn't get away, and the others left him on one of the last turns. Graabak was out front through the stadium, with Riessle on his tail. The German anchor picked the finish lane next to the Norwegian and flung himself at the line, but he was 0.3 seconds behind.
Posted on February 20, 2014 Categories olympic sports, winter sportsTags 2014 olympics, nordic combined, sochi 2014Leave a comment on Sochi recap: Nordic combined, team event
Sochi recap: Nordic combined, large hill
Is this Nordic combined or short-track? The second Nordic combined event of the Olympics came down to a pack finish, a wreck and some surprising medalists.
Event: Large hill – one jump that determines start times for the 10k cross-country race
Medalists: Joergen Graabak (Norway), Magnus Moan (Norway), Fabian Riessle (Germany)
SportsMyriad projections: Eric Frenzel (Germany), Wilhelm Dinifl (Austria), Jason Lamy-Chappuis (France)
How U.S. fared: Defending champion Bill Demong hasn't been in winning form over the past couple of years, and he needed a good jump to be a contender. He didn't get it, going more than 20 meters behind the top guys to start 38th, 2:18 back.
All four U.S. athletes were set to start in a pack — Bryan Fletcher 27th (1:59 back), Todd Lodwick 30th (2:01 back), Taylor Fletcher 35th (2:13) and Demong.
Lodwick, as he did in the normal hill event, opted not to start the cross-country phase. And Taylor Fletcher, as he did in the normal hill, started climbing through the field. He finished 20th, two ahead of brother Bryan. Demong was 31st.
What happened: Germany's Eric Frenzel was supposedly sick. He didn't seem sick on his jump, taking the lead. Behind him: Norway's Haavard Klemetsen (8 seconds back), Austria's Bernhard Gruber (22), Japan's Akito Watabe (33), Jason Lamy-Chappuis of Montana via France (33), Norway's Joergen Graabak (42) and the ever-dangerous Magnus Moan of Norway (45). Lurking: Germany's Bjorn Kircheisen (1:03).
Grbuer quickly closed the gap, within one second at the 1.5k mark. Lamy-Chappuis and Moan also were surging. After one lap around the 2.5k course, it was a seven-man pack with the top seven from the ski jumping. By 4k, it was 10, with Kircheisen and fellow Germans Fabian Riessle and Johannes Rydzek joining the fun.
That pack stayed together without incident through 7.5k, when Watabe slipped. The silver medalist in the normal hill scrambled to get back in the race.
Frenzel finally fell off the pace on the last lap, surely ailing a little. Kircheisen took out fast on that climb and led at 9k, but the Norwegians shot past him. With five racers attacking the same curve in the stadium, Rydzek tumbled.
Norwegians Graabak and Moan dueled for gold, with Graabak taking it by 0.6 seconds. Then the two Germans, with Riessle 1.6 seconds back and Kircheisen 2.1. The other contenders trickled in 10 seconds later.
Graabak had never won a World Cup event. Riessle matched his best-ever World Cup finish.
The team event is yet to come, and don't bet against Norway and Germany for the podium.
Posted on February 18, 2014 Categories olympic sports, winter sportsTags 2014 olympics, nordic combined, sochi 2014Leave a comment on Sochi recap: Nordic combined, large hill
Sochi recap: Nordic combined, normal hill
Soft snow, hard race. Eric Frenzel had the best jump and seemed to be toying with the field through much of the cross-country race, finally turning on the turbo for the last 200 meters for the win.
Event: Men's normal hill (one jump from normal hill, 10k cross-country race)
Medalists: Eric Frenzel (Germany), Akito Watabe (Japan), Magnus Krog (Norway)
SportsMyriad projections: Jason Lamy Chappuis (France), Eric Frenzel (Germany), Mikko Kokslien (Norway)
How U.S. fared: Bill Demong and Todd Lodwick were part of a big medal breakthrough in 2010. They're back but a bit older and banged up, along with the younger Bryan and Taylor Fletcher. The aim here is a team medal.
Lodwick, the 37-year-old six-time Olympian, had a decent jump. Demong's was slightly better. Bryan Fletcher, who has a World Cup win, is better at skiing but was still disappointed in his jump. Taylor Fletcher, who has a World Cup podium, also is better at skiing but took himself completely out of the picture with his jump, placing last by a wide margin.
Athletes' jumps determine when they start the cross-country race. Demong would start 1:33 back, followed quickly by Lodwick (1:34). Bryan Fletcher would start 1:44 back. Taylor Fletcher was all alone, 2:34 back.
Lodwick opted not to race the cross-country stage. Demong pulled across in 24th, 1:49 back. B-Fletcher was a few seconds later in 26th. T-Fletcher passed a lot of people on the course and and placed 33rd, which bodes well for his leg in the all-important team event to come.
What happened: The first jumper, young Russian Evgeny Klimov, sat in first place through 44 jumpers. The contenders, including defending champion Jason Lamy Chappuis, all clustered behind him.
Then came the second-to-last jumped, Japan's Akito Watabe, who flew past everyone. Literally. He flew 100.5 meters. And then the favorite, Germany's Eric Frenzel, went 2.5 meters better — a magnificent 103 meters. That gave Frenzel a six-second lead over Watabe and a 30-second lead on the other contenders heading into the race.
The balmy weather, comfortably over 50 degrees (or 10 degrees, for those who prefer Celsius) softened the snow on the race course.
Frenzel let Watabe join him in a two-man lead group. But they weren't able to put much time on the chase group. Norway's magnificently named Magnus Moan, who started 48 seconds back, caught up with the contenders and led the chasers — 17 of them, including the major players, to within 20 seconds at the halfway mark.
By 6.5k, the chase group was within 13 seconds, but it was much smaller. Defending champion Jason Lamy Chappuis had fallen off the pace.
But Frenzel and Watabe turned up the pace. Through 9k, the gap was still 12.5 seconds. And still eight or nine skiers were aiming for at least bronze.
Frenzel waited patiently to make his move until the two leaders reached the stadium. Then he blew away from Watabe, leaving time to celebrate as he crossed the finish line. Watabe was still comfortably in silver, 4.2 seconds back. Norway's Magnus Krog, who started more than a minute back, sprinted to bronze (8.1 seconds back) ahead of Italian contender Alessandro Pittin, who hung his head in that most painful of spots — fourth place, 1.2 seconds behind Krog. Moan was fifth, and the rest of the field trickled in from there.
Posted on February 12, 2014 Categories olympic sports, winter sportsTags 2014 olympics, nordic combined, sochi 2014Leave a comment on Sochi recap: Nordic combined, normal hill
2014 medal projections: Jan. 14 update
Time for a few tweaks given the results (and untimely injuries) of late — and when you add it all up, we have a new leader:
Alpine skiing: Lindsey Vonn's absence shakes things up a bit and pretty well insures the USA won't come near its total of eight medals in 2010. Ted Ligety (third overall) and Mikaela Shiffrin are still favorites, and Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal (second overall; downhill and super-G leader) is still as dominant as ever.
Men's downhill: Erik Guay (CAN) up to silver, Klaus Kröll (AUT) down to considered, Adrien Theaux (FRA) up to considered
Men's giant slalom: Alexis Pinturault (FRA) up to bronze, Manfred Moelgg (ITA) down to considered
Men's slalom: Mario Matt (AUT) up to silver, Ivica Kostelic (CRO) down to considered
Men's combined: Pinturault up to gold, Ligety up to silver, Svindal up to bronze, Kostelic down to considered
Women's downhill: Vonn out, Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) up to gold, Tina Maze (SLO) up to silver, Tina Weirather (LIE) up to bronze, Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden (SUI) up to considered
Women's super-G: Vonn out, Anna Fenninger (AUT) up to gold, Tina Maze (SLO) down to silver, Lara Gut (SUI) up to bronze, Julia Mancuso (USA) down to considered
Women's giant slalom: Jessica Lindell-Vikarby (SWE) up to considered
Women's slalom: My medal picks are currently 1-2-4 in the World Cup standings. They'll stay put.
Biathlon: Andreas Birnbacher (Germany) has been sick, so we won't knock him out of the projections just yet. Not too many surprises on the men's side, though France's relay team needs to improve. The surprise in the women's competition is the Czech Republic's Gabriela Soukalova, who's leading the World Cup standings. France's Marie Dorin Habert has a ruptured tendon in her ankle, so we'll remove her from consideration.
Women's sprint: Soukalova (CZE) up to bronze, Olena Pidrushna (UKR) down to considered
Women's pursuit: Soukalova up to silver, Valj Semerenko (UKR) up to bronze, Andrea Henkel (GER) and Pidrushna down to considered
Bobsled: The early-season races in North America have skewed the current standings toward the U.S. and Canadian teams. The men haven't done as well in Europe. Manuel Machata isn't getting many opportunities for Germany, and Latvia's Oskars Melbardis isn't in great form.
Men's two-man and four-man: Drop Machata from considered
Women's: Elana Meyers (USA) up to silver, Sandra Kiriasis (GER) down to bronze, Cathleen Martini (GER) down to considered, Jamie Greubel (USA) up to considered
Cross-country skiing: Dario Cologna (SUI) is trying to come back from ankle surgery. We'll leave him in for now. A couple of other skiers have skipped the odd World Cup event or the entire Tour de Ski, so the World Cup standings from this season aren't that meaningful. One surprise: American Simi Hamilton won a freestyle sprint.
Women's sprint: Denise Herrman (GER) and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) up to considered
Figure skating: Most of the pre-Sochi competition is complete aside from the European Championships this week, so the projections won't change much. The Four Continents will only have a couple of Olympians in action. But qualification and national championships have made things interesting. Ashley Wagner placed fourth, and her inclusion is mildly controversial. Evgeni Plushenko on the fringe of Russia's plans, Japan's Miki Ando retired after missing out an Olympic berth, and projected gold medalist Mao Asada was third in Japan's championships. At least defending gold medalist Yuna Kim won handily in South Korea after skipping the Grand Prix season. Gracie Gold's score from U.S. Championships would be the highest in the world this year, but would international judges be as generous?
Women's: Gracie Gold (USA) considered. Miki Ando (Japan) out. Considered list now specifying the likely Russian skaters: Adelina Sotnikova and Julia Lipnitskaia
Freestyle skiing: The X Games and World Cup events may still shake things up.
Changes in aerials
Men: 2010 World Cup champion Anton Kusnhir (BLR) missed the 2012-13 season and has come back with a win in Deer Valley and another podium. Countryman Alexei Grishin, the 2010 gold medalist, is making a comeback and was third in Deer Valley. They're up to considered.
Women: We'll see who makes China and Australia teams. USA's Ashley Caldwell and Emily Cook up to considered.
Changes in moguls
Men: Medal contenders are 1-2-3 in World Cup. No change.
Women: No change, though Miki Ito (JPN) is trying to come back from a knee injury.
Changes in skicross
Men: Dave Duncan (CAN) up to silver, Andreas Matt (AUT) up to bronze, Chris Del Bosco (CAN) down to considered, Filip Flisar (SLO) down to considered
Women: Katrin Mueller (SUI) up to considered
Changes in slopestyle
Men: Waiting for U.S. team announcement to shake things up.
Women: Kaya Turski (CAN) is fighting a knee injury. Devin Logan (USA) up to considered
Changes in halfpipe
Men: Watching health of Torin Yater-Wallace (USA). Justin Dorey (CAN) up to considered.
Women: Roz Groenewoud (CAN) had — you guessed it — knee surgery. We'll see how she recovers. Devin Logan (USA) up to considered — yes, in two events
Luge: They've run seven of nine World Cup events this season, so that should be enough to give us a clearer picture. Still a whole lot of Germany.
Men: David Möller (GER) up to silver, Dominik Fischnaller (ITA) up to bronze, Andi Langenhan (GER) down to considered, Chris Mazdzer (USA) up to considered
Women, doubles, relay: No change
Nordic combined: Most medal contenders are having solid seasons, particularly World Cup leader Eric Frenzel (GER) and Jason Lamy-Chappuis (FRA).
Normal hill: Mikko Kokslien (NOR) up to bronze, Bernhard Gruber (AUT) down to considered
Short-track speedskating: No change. We'll keep an eye on the Euro championships and make sure all the picks are healthy, but the major pre-Sochi competitions are long complete.
Skeleton: Feeling a little more bullish on Matt Antoine (USA) but not quite moving him up into the medals.
Men: Tomass Dukurs (LAT) up to bronze, Frank Rommel (GER) down to considered
Women: Shelley Rudman (GBR) up to bronze, Marion Thees (GER) down to considered
Ski jumping: He used to look like Harry Potter. Then he looked like Trevor Horn. Now he's back — Salt Lake/Vancouver champion Simon Ammann (SUI) was third in the Four Hills. And 40something Japanese jumper Noriaki Kasai is fourth in the World Cup. In women's, we're still holding out hope for the rehabbing Sarah Hendrickson (USA).
Men's large hill: Simon Ammann (SUI) up to bronze, Noriaki Kasai (JPN) up to considered, Anders Jacobsen (NOR) down to considered
Women's: Irina Avvakumova (RUS) up to bronze, Carina Vogt (GER) up to considered, Coline Mattel (FRA) down to considered
Snowboarding: Just did the picks 14 days ago; no point in changing anything until after the X Games.
Speedskating: These picks were also recent, and the European Allround Championships didn't give us any reason to change.
No changes in curling or ice hockey, and no changes are likely unless we have a sudden wave of injuries or other changes.
Posted on January 14, 2014 Categories medal projections, olympic sports, winter sportsTags 2014 olympics, alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross-country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, luge, nordic combined, skeleton, ski jumpingLeave a comment on 2014 medal projections: Jan. 14 update
2014 medal projections: Nordic combined
Updated Jan. 14
In 2010, USA TODAY dispatched me to Whistler Olympic Park nearly every day. The biggest story I was supposed to follow: The USA looked likely to get its first medal in Nordic combined, the sport in which athletes test themselves on the ski jump and the cross-country course.
They did indeed get that first medal. Then their first team medal. Then their first gold.
And it's a fun event to watch. The cross-country race start order is determined by the ski jump results. The farther back you are in the ski jump, the longer you have to wait while the leader leaves you in the dust.
The bad news: The USA is nowhere near that strength this time around. Two-thirds of the old guard is still around — Bill Demong and Todd Lodwick put off retirement a little longer — but they're not top contenders. That said, the team can still be in the mix — Demong, Lodwick and the Fletcher brothers (Taylor and Bryan) were third in the World Championships. Each Fletcher has had a moment or two of World Cup success.
Away we go …
LARGE HILL/10k RACE
Gold: Eric Frenzel (Germany)
Silver: Wilhelm Dinifl (Austria)
Bronze: Jason Lamy-Chappuis (France)
Also considered: Bernhard Gruber (Austria), Mikko Kokslien (Norway), Akito Watabe (Japan)
2013 World Championship top 8: Frenzel, Gruber, Lamy-Chappuis, Watabe (Japan), Hideaki Nagai (Japan), Denifl, Sebastien Lacroix (France), Magnus Moan (Norway)
2010 Olympic medalists: Bill Demong (USA), Johnny Spillane (USA), Gruber
NORMAL HILL/10k RACE
Gold: Jason Lamy-Chappuis (France)
Silver: Eric Frenzel (Germany)
Bronze: Mikko Kokslien (Norway)
Also considered: Bernhard Gruber (Austria), Alessandro Pittin (Italy), Akito Watabe (Japan)
2013 World Championship top 8: Lamy-Chappuis, Mario Stecher (Austria), Bjoern Kircheisen (Germany), Frenzel, Haavard Klemetsen (Norway), Taihei Kato (Japan), Marjan Jelenko (Slovenia), Christoph Bieler (Austria)
2010 Olympic medalists: Lamy Chappuis, Bill Demong (USA), Alessandro Pittin (Italy)
TEAM (LARGE HILL/4x5k)
Gold: Germany
Silver: Norway
Bronze: France
Also considered: Austria, Japan, USA
World Cup Nation Cup 2012-13 top 8: Germany, Norway, Austria, France, Japan, USA, Czech Republic, Slovenia
2013 World Championship top 8: France, Norway, USA, Japan, Austria, Germany, Italy, Finland
2010 Olympic medalists: Austria, USA, Germany
World Cup 2012-13 top 8: Eric Frenzel (Germany), Jason Lamy-Chappuis (France), Akito Watabe (Japan), Bernhard Gruber (Austria), Magnus Moan (Norway), Tino Edelmann (Germany), Mikko Kokslien (Norway), Wilhelm Denifl (Austria)
Wilhelm Denifl (Austria): Career-best eighth in 2013, his 14th World Cup season. Never been to Olympics in all that time. Better on large hill, including third behind Gruber and Frenzel in 2013 World Cup event.
Tino Edelmann (Germany): Several World Championship medals, two in individual events. Top 10 in the last four World Cup seasons.
Eric Frenzel (Germany): 2013 World Cup champion. 2011 World Championships: 1st and 3rd. 2013 Worlds: 1st and 4th.
Bernhard Gruber (Austria): Best World Cup season finish is fourth. But he has an Olympic medal and a World Championship medal.
Jason Lamy-Chappuis (France): American-born. 2010 gold medalist; World Cup champion three straights years (2010-2012). Second in 2013 World Cup. Gold and bronze in individual events in 2013 World Championships.
Björn Kircheisen (Germany): Third in 2003 and 2006 World Cups. Fifth in 2012, 11th in 2013. Three-time Olympian. Several scattered World Championship medals.
Mikko Kokslien (Norway): Second in 2011 World Cup; third in 2012.
Magnus Moan (Norway): Silver and bronze at 2006 Games. Second overall in 2006 and 2009 World Cups; slipped to 12th in 2011 and 2012 but has a few wins.
Alessandro Pittin (Italy): Seventh in 2012 World Cup, buoyed by three straight wins at same venue (normal hill). Competed little in 2013 World Cup season.
Mario Stecher (Austria): Going for fifth Olympics. Individual World Championship silver medals in 1999 and 2013.
Akito Watabe (Japan): Second in 2012 World Cup, third in 2013.
Posted on December 4, 2013 Categories medal projections, olympic sports, winter sportsTags 2014 olympics, nordic combined1 Comment on 2014 medal projections: Nordic combined
Olympic sports roundup: Aug. 27
What did you miss while you were making Facebook photos superimposing Ted Lange's face on a hurricane tracking map? Read on.
– Basketball: The U.S. Under-17 women didn't have much trouble with anyone at the World Championships. The 3-on-3 tournament was a little tougher. Literally. After beating France in the final 17-16, Chiney Ogwumike had this to say:
In the end, it's better to be physical than to play like girls.
– Snowboarding: Already time for 2014 qualifying! And Kelly Clark is dominating the halfpipe.
– Rugby: The U.S. men qualified for the 2013 Sevens Rugby World Cup with a few dominating wins, then lost to Canada in the qualifying final. (The U.S. women had already qualified.)
– Nordic combined and other insane endurance events: Billy Demong won a running, biking, river-crossing and mud-traversing race in Utah.
– Archery: Miranda Leek won the women's recurve in the SoCal Showdown with an X in the shoot-off.
– Wrestling: Zain Retherford won the 63kg (138.75 pound) freestyle at the Cadet World Championships.
The Team USA wrap has more on bowling, beach volleyball, equestrian, baseball, triathlon, water skiing, sprint kayaking and track cycling.
Posted on August 27, 2012 Categories olympic sportsTags basketball, nordic combined, rugby, snowboardingLeave a comment on Olympic sports roundup: Aug. 27