To many, this may not seem like a big deal. But since high school sports are all about kids, both those who play and those who cheer, it's important to them.
It seems to me that too many athletic directors and far too many principals are getting their shorts all in a bunch over student cheering sections at sporting events. Stop it.
Let me be clear: there is no place for profane or obscene chants. There is no place for calling out opposing players by name. There is no place for surrounding other team's fans or team buses after games and chanting nasty stuff. I have been critical of such nonsense in this space. Adults should be stationed near all student cheering sections, period.
I think that perhaps some folks, with the best of intentions, have gone much too far in limiting what kids can cheer and as a result, some kids have just given up. I received a letter from a student fan at an area high school who said his school has come down so hard with silly rules that he and many of his friends just don't bother going to the games.
I think there is nothing wrong with kids chanting, "Warm up the bus, warm up the bus," when victory is secured.
The same with chanting, "You can't do that, you can't do that," when an opposing player travels or commits a foul.
Ditto for chanting, "Fund-a-men-tals, fund-a-men-tals" when an opposing player makes a bad pass or turns the ball over.
And there is nothing wrong with making noise when an opposing player is shooting free throws.
Finally, I find nothing wrong with serenading a team with the "Na-na-na-na, good-bye" song at game's end when victory is in the bag.
I read where one school won't let their kids turn their backs or won't let their kids pretend to be reading newspapers when the other team is introduced. What, the kids' egos will be so hurt they will break down and cry? Good grief.
Hilarious -- and fun. I don't think anyone needed psychiatric care after the game.
Uhhh, no it wasn't. It was accurate.
These are competitions, these are exciting events. Fans are supposed to cheer, fans are supposed to make it a tough place for the opposition to play. What, we want everyone to applaud like they're at the ballet? The Central Connecticut Conference actually had -- maybe it still has -- a policy that encouraged fans to applaud for both teams at the end of a game.
Are you kidding me? It's not a performance of 'Phantom of the Opera.' It's a game with winners and losers. Losing should hurt and fans of losing teams should not be happy. Gee, get real.
A gym is not Mass at St. Pius, it's not two hours in a Christian Science Reading Room, and it's not study hall before final exams.
It's a competition. Who wins is important. There are scoreboards, after all.
And, it's OK now and then to express vocal disagreement with a referee's call. It's part of the game. Always has been, always will be. Just is.
Let the kids have fun and if some boys want to take their shirts off and paint the school letters across their chests -- what, we're scandalized???? -- or paint their faces with school colors, for heaven's sake let them.
None of this is bad sportsmanship. It's called having fun.
Prevent profanity, obscenity, personal attacks and pre- and post-game nonsense. But during the games, let the kids support their teams and have fun and stop acting like crotchety little old ladies and grumpy old men. See, I can say that because I'm 70 and I have a Grumpy hat from Disney World.
Please. Let kids be kids. MHS boys and girls teams and Xavier and Mercy are all home a lot this week. It would be great to see big, loud student sections supporting their teams -- all of which are solid, winning teams -- all week long.
A couple of thoughts about the looming pitch-count rules.
I think both the CIAC and the Legion are jumping the gun. I understand the attempts to safeguard young arms and I support that.
But limiting pitches is a bureaucratic nightmare. Unless every school is going to hire an adult to officially score and keep pitch counts -- and where is that money coming from? -- you can take to the bank that counts will be approximations. More than that, each coach will have to carry with him a laundry list of who threw how many pitches on what day and share that with other coaches.
And what happens during a game if Coach A says Kid A has thrown 55 pitches and Coach B says he has him for 53? It will happen, guaranteed.
Most importantly, in the story that ran the other day it is clear that there is no consensus among coaches about the proposed rules, either at the high school or Legion level. Methinks the powers that be in both high school and Legion need to sit down -- together with their coaches -- and go over all the ramifications of such far-reaching rules.
And just for fun, I have been and likely will be an official scorer at future amateur games. Am I now going to be required to keep pitch counts, something I have never done? If so, the words 'pay raise' immediately come to mind.
My reaction to the Legion decision to cut tourney games to seven innings is simple. I hate it, it makes no sense, it further downgrades the Legion program and serves to ill-prepare Connecticut teams for regional and World Series games, which are nine innings.
Not one Legion coach who contributed to the story knew the state Legion had already decided to cut the games to seven innings. Question: Does anyone talk to anyone here?
Go back to the drawing board, folks.
So where are they now? We tend to lose track of high school student-athletes after they graduate -- except for the big stars who go to high-profile schools in high-profile sports -- but there are many area kids who are doing very well at the collegiate level.
Middletown High alum DeAsia Lawrence -- who now goes by Ace --is playing basketball at Plymouth State and averaging 12.8 points per game, and former MHS player Rajeen Mayo starts for St. Joseph University in West Hartford and averages 11.9 ppg.
Mercy High basketball alums playing in college include Liz Falcigno at Albertus Magnus, Maura Fitzpatrick at Marist, Sofia Giansiracusa at WPI, Kendra Landy at Fairfield, Sheena Landy at Trinity, Jordyn Nappi at Eastern Connecticut State and Maria Wesleyj at Southern Connecticut.
Cromwell High former basketball stars playing in college include Janelle Harrison at the University of Hartford and Nicole Rojas at Stonehill.
Indoor track team alums from Xavier now playing in college include Jack O'Hara at Siena, Dan Hergott at Bentley, Zach Williams at Bucknell, Russell Stevens at Bryant and Jon Annelli at Fordham. Former Xavier swimmer Jon Brodeur is now swimming at Bryant.
Cromwell High alums participating in collegiate indoor track include Thomas Mantel at the University of Hartford, Erin Glynn at the University of Chicago, Callie Glynn at Boston University, Louis Tobias at Bucknell, Carly Orlacchio at the University of Vermont and Luke Grandpre at Southern Connecticut.
Former Middletown High soccer star Lily Smith graduated from Assumption early after again being named to the Northeast 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll based on her exemplary grade point average. Smith took her degree in accounting and immediately found employment at Aetna. Which is, I would suggest, the best news of all.
That's all the coaches have shared with us so far. When they tell us more about their alums, we'll tell you.
This is a busy week for the Middletown High boys basketball team ... after winning its 12th game in a row over a good Platt team Tuesday in Meriden, the Blue Dragons (12-2) got snowed out of their game with Plainville Friday.
MHS plays at home tonight with New Britain, is home Wednesday for the makeup game with Plainville and finishes the week with a game at Hartford Public at 4 p.m. Saturday ... not only does MHS return a boatload of good players next year, its junior varsity team is 11-2 ... that's called building a program.
Here's why you play the games... Simsbury, after a blowout win over Bloomfield, lost to lowly Southington Saturday in an absolute stunner ... and Bloomfield, which somehow remained in the Register Top 10 after getting hammered by Simsbury, lost again Saturday to RHAM.
What might be lost in Mercy's spectacular 16-1 season is that four of its starters are sophomores ... looks like Mercy will be hanging out a "No Vacancy" sign for the next few years ... the Tigers are home with Career of New Haven Monday for Senior Night, otherwise known as Destine Perry Night, 'cause she's the only senior player.
Middletown High's girls team has won four in a row and is now a 10-win team ... good for them .... the Blue Dragons play at New Britain Tuesday.
Hamden coach Jarrad Beck on Middletown's boys basketball team ... "That's an excellent team," he said. "I think it's one of the best teams in the state and I think they have been underrated." ... Middletown beat Hamden 79-61 earlier this season.
Middletown High's swim team (9-2) narrowly escaped an upset loss at the hands of Berlin last Friday, winning the last relay to clinch the team's ninth win ... Middletown has a challenging meet with Xavier Thursday at the Wesleyan University pool at the Freeman Center Thursday at 7 p.m. ... Xavier is 3-3 but swims a very tough Class LL schedule ... Xavier won the meet between the two last year.
Mike Kohs on his team's schedule: "Our division [of the SCC] is excellent what with Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame and Hamden," he said. "Those are all excellent teams and we love to play them. It makes us better." ... so far the Falcons are 2-3 against those teams with a visit to Prep coming up next week.
WCNXRadio.com, the local Internet station, will carry the Career at Mercy game Monday and the Shelton at Xavier game Friday ... some 580 devices logged on to the Mercy vs. Hamden game last Wednesday, according to information provided by owners Judy and John Clark.
Xavier's highly-regarded hockey team is 11-3 following a 5-3 win over Glastonbury Saturday ... the Falcons host South Windsor (7-5-1) Friday at Wesleyan at 7:15 p.m. ... the Middletown/Wethersfield/Rocky Hill cooperative team is 3-10, but 2-2 in its last four.
Speaking of unhappy parents, I have been told that there are unhappy parents at one of the state's high-profile boys (non-public) basketball programs ... seems some mommies and daddies are not pleased that junior sits on the bench while players from out-of-town play ... a media-type from the area -- the school is not around here -- said that the parents no longer sit together at games ... sigh ... hey, here's a thought: Maybe the kids who are playing are better.
Middletown High's Sam Fletcher is a girls soccer All-State selection ... we're late with that news, but congratulations nonetheless ... Middletown's wrestling team was 18-0 going into Saturday when it won a tournament at Bacon Academy, finishing far ahead of second-place New London ... Xavier's wrestling team split four out-of-state matches over the weekend .. we'd like to tell you how the team is doing overall, but Xavier has posted none of its results on the CIAC website ... I have asked, but can't tell you stuff I don't know ... swimming results aren't posted, either.
Pitchers and catchers report in 10 days.


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text:
Disturbing details revealed in Paso Robles killing
By KAREN VELIE
An argument over the size of a medical marijuana growing operation took place before the shooting death of 34-year-old Benjamin Derrel Terra on Nov. 14. Sheriff's deputies arrested Nicole Honair Luxor, 61, in connection with the killing after a roughly 9-hour standoff.
Luxor and Terra had agreed to run a medical marijuana growing operation at a ranch that Luxor owned, a source told CalCoastNews on the agreement that the source not be named. At the Dancing Horse Retreat, Luxor bred and trained horses, hosted events and also conducted psychic readings.
Terra, who grew up in Morro Bay, was known as a mild-mannered environmentalist. He was responsible for growing, harvesting, processing and packaging a limited amount of marijuana at the ranch, the unnamed source told CalCoastNews.
But Luxor discovered that Terra was growing more than the two had agreed on, more than the medical marijuana rules allowed.
Sheriff's deputies seized about 150 pounds of marijuana buds packaged for sale with a street value of over $200,000 following the killing.
In an argument before the shooting, Terra hit Luxor, unnamed sources said. On Nov. 13, witnesses heard a loud argument coming from Luxor's home followed by three popping sounds, according to a police report.
The next day, on Nov. 14, Glen Kinford, a caretaker at the ranch, knocked on Luxor's door and said he was looking for Terra. Luxor led Kinford into her living room where he saw Terra's body on the floor. A sheet covered his face.
"That's not Ben, that's the devil that looks like Ben" Luxor said, according to the police report.
Benjamin Terra
Shortly after 3 p.m., deputies responded to a 911 call from Kinford reporting the body. Luxor, who reportedly appeared to be intoxicated, barricaded herself inside her home.
Deputies arrived at the ranch and were able to enter the home where they found Terra's body. Luxor then retreated to an upstairs bedroom and fired one shot from a Browning 380, officers said. No one was wounded.
Negotiators attempted to reach Luxor on her phone, but were unable to make contact. Deputies then fired tear gas canisters into the upstairs bedroom. Luxor responded by shooting somewhere between five and seven rounds outside of the home, according to the police report. Again, no one was wounded.
Just before midnight, after an almost nine-hour standoff, Luxor surrendered and deputies took her into custody unharmed.
Deputies booked Luxor into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. She remains in jail with her bail set at $1 million.
Don't miss local news stories, like CCN on Facebook.
Subjects: Medical Marijuana Paso Robles San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office
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Ethical journalism
Making such serious assertions about a murder victim based on am ANONYMOUS source is UNETHICAL! Ben certainly did NOT hit this crazy woman, she was armed, and intoxicated, those are poliece verified facts. He did NOT hit her several days earlier, because he was with friends in Low Osos and Morro Bay up until the day she killed him in cold blood! Claiming Ben was greedy? Who is this coming from, nicole the killer, we dont know, because the source is a secret!? Ben was the most giving, generous person, he loaned money to many, gave heartfelt gifts out of the blue and lived a humble, simple life. He enjoyed music, friendships, the ocean, and hugs. He cared deeply for people, and this was obvious by the packed house at his memorial. The author of this article is spreading gossip about a person who can't speak up to defend themselves because he is dead. It is not his fault he was shot.Ben was a good man with strong moral convictions. I challenge the author to prove your statements or retract your slander. I want to honor Ben's memory. We lost a wonderful person, and I speak for hundreds who knew him when I say that.
I really do believe in the healing aspects of pot and for those suffering with cancer I believe it should be just handed to them in whatever quantities they can sustain to get a little bit of an appetite and maybe some pain relief.
Beyond that the rest of the pot crowd wants to profit from it and get loaded. That's the entire agenda as far as I've seen.
It's sad that he lost his life and it's sad that she lost her life. Googling the yelp reviews from her business, it was easy to see that she had mental issues. Knowing that, one would wonder why he was involving himself in such a situation and attempting to exploit her. I can easily see a defense that involves the victim taking advantage of a mentally incompetent elderly woman. Those who rush to support this guy need to take into consideration that she was elderly and mentally incompetent. It is against the law to take advantage. Elderly Abuse. Sure, I believe he represented himself as a peace, love, and yoga guy, but remember; Everyone has two wolves. Growing 150 pounds of pot with this mentally incompetent woman certainly brought out that other wolf.
I wouldn't rush to support this woman, who has been nothing but trouble since she moved here from Southern California. She first ended up with county violations on her unapproved and illegal improvements for her property and spent a couple of years haggling with the County Planning Commission under the last name Bennett. There have been neighbor complaints with traffic and party noise late at night and abuse of right of way across neighbors property for group trail rides. The BOS voted to disallow most of her ambitious plan to turn her ranch into a little Disney land.
Elder abuse? Hardly.
It's not about supporting anyone. It's about looking at the facts realistically. The guy who got shot was illegally growing pot and using her to do that. His greed took over his common sense.
No, the facts are that this woman was paying Mr. Terra to grow pot on her property (a joint venture, no pun intended). Now, she says that he grew too much and he is no longer here to give us his side of the story.
jonhartz
What the hell are you talking about? She is very much alive, in jail. Barricading herself and shooting at cops is hardly the action of a poor old incompetent lady. Wolves? Are you high?
First, don't be so literal in your understanding of 'life'. Second, I can't imagine what your definition of poor mental health is if you don't consider barricading yourself and shooting at police a measure of incompetence. Like I said, it's sad he lost his life, but he played a part in that. He wasn't innocently walking down the road. Her battered face substantiates the witness who reported Terra hitting her. Now, the question of why she was hit is a different story. Perhaps self-defense? Perhaps he was stoned out of his mind? I wouldn't be throwing my lot in with someone who was suffering from mental issues, and I don't think people with reasonable judgement would. When a person is engaged in criminal activity, there is a strong chance that something undesirable will happen to them.
Really? So shooting at police, murdering a man and leaving his body on the floor, is your definition of poor mental health? I call it criminal and unlawful, immoral and unacceptable activity in a civilized society. I call it homicide and attempted homicide–just like the police and district attorney did in charging her.
Shooting at police, murdering a man and leaving his body on the floor does not sound like good mental health to me.
Yes, it certainly would be homicide and attempted homicide as well.
The victim was also engaged in criminal activity, which in all probability was what set off the chain of events that led to his demise.
Prohibition doesn't work …unless one's objective is to create and foster crime …and the cash-cow for authoritarian law enforcement.
Check out Portugal.
Who gives a crap about Euro-loser Portugal? No wonder they are so screwed up.
Vote Up-1Vote Down
Actually I found Portugal to be quite nice and calm. The locals were very pleasant and respectful. What did you think when you were(n't) there Mr. Hartz? Do tell.
This murder is exactly why we as a society do not need to get involved with Schedule 1 drugs in any way.
Despite all the sob stories and anecdotes about how good it makes sick people feel, non-addicts, most of us, know that "medical" marijuana is a scam to get pot legalized.
These are exactly the kind of people who are involved in this effort: thieves, murderers and the like. I fully expect the addicts to respond to this comment with all kinds of justifications for pot, which just shows how far they will go to support the habit, and illustrate the facts coming to light about how the use of this junk damages the brain.
I have seen the effects of this drug on friends and even family and it is not good. It destroys families, initiative and the will to simply get up and do something useful.
Yes, we do have enough trouble with people misusing alcohol so why do we have to add more poison to the mix? We do not.
Come on up to Oregon where you can just walk right into a store and buy it. There has not been one single problem with it in my city, not one. All the handwringing and claims of chaos have come to…..nothing
Hopefully that's enough encouragement to keep you in Oregon!
I don't need any reasons to STAY AWAY from your corruption filled little cesspool. Have a nice day.
mkaney
You're right, what we need to do is change the scheduling of marijuana. LoL It's nice that you accept the reality dictated to you by government classification systems.
shelworth
I wondered why her eyes looked like that in the mugshot.
Kidding, kidding! Nobody can take a joke anymore.
Citizen…a medical MJ recomendation amount depends on what the doctor thinks the person should/could use. I have personally seen a card that allowed 99 plants and 5kg (11lbs) of dried product.
No you haven't.
indigo1955
Interesting….to say the least.
Sounds to me like she was just growing marijuana.. Don't you have to have a license to grow medical marijuana–with a limit of 6 plants? And you're not allowed to sell the excess?
BeenThereDoneThat
If you have a card you can have 12 plants. 6 at maturity and 6 in grow cycle. You can't have all 12 at maturity at once. I don't use but know a couple growers that told me this is the numbers.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Filters: Keyword is Antiretroviral Therapy [Clear All Filters]
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Can Quitting be a Good Thing?
The to do list has piled up. The school has piled on more and your children's activities all have something immediately important to do today. There just isn't enough time, energy, or brain power to handle it all! The stress steams like a pressure cooker and you are ready to blow. Just at that moment, someone spills milk all over the table. You want to cry, shout, scream!! One deep breath and all of that stress is going to come out of your mouth. And then it occurs to you - Why are we doing all this?
Life can happen to us. We can get caught up in other people's to do lists for us. The school, other parents, our parents, in-laws, friends, our children's ever changing needs, and even our own ambition can create a to do list a mile long that even 60 hours in a day could not handle.
Our up bringing says if you quit you are a loser or lazy. The parenting blogs say you must have your child commit to a sport and stick to it. We think we have to do it all perfectly all the time in every way. We must not miss out on anything or anyone. We must perform at tip top shape and take care of everyone all the time, be everything to everyone. We must never stop! We must always complete every activity, be at every sporting event, say yes to everything, and never ever miss a thing. We must never quit.
What if we didn't? What if quitting was a good thing?
A recent news article (that I can't find now ;) talked about the pressure we have put upon our children to perform the best at all their activities, as if the purpose of the activity was to do well. In truth, this story said, that the purpose of activities when children are younger is to learn new and varied things.
Learning a sport helps with team building, social skills, and responsibility. Volunteering or having a new hobby all create opportunities to become skilled and grow self-esteem in an area they might not later on in life when the work they do must pay the bills. All of these things have value. It does not matter if they do them for a day or ten years. If the purpose is experience, then it matters.
What if your day was built less around the to do lists that other people put on you, and more about what you want to experience? What if you looked at your kids' school and activities as what they, and you, want them to experience? What if life was less like a race we are running to win, and more like a day to day journey we are taking together to enjoy?
What would your life look like then? Would you feel less pressure, guilt, or embarrassment if you just didn't go to that PTA meeting and instead went out to a picnic with your kids? Or how about soccer? What if you measured it on how much coordination your child was getting instead of how many goals?
Life can change instantly simply by changing perspective. I dare you, today, to quit one thing. Just don't do it! Say "Sorry, I'm going a different direction." And then do! Go do something that fulfills you, that brings joy to your kids, and unites your family.
And the next time you look at your to do list? Imagine what it would look like if all of that busy work was not so all mighty important and life was just about living. What would that look like?
Here's to simplifying and taking back control of our lives to be the journey it can be.
A proud quitter and lover of life!
One simple way to find peace.
The spring busy season has begun. Kids are in school plays and taking tests, spring break is giving some space at the same time less structure, and across most of America winter is still here even though Easter us upon us. The news has taken over many of our emotions, seeping into our schools, and causing us fear in places we had never thought before. It can be all overwhelming to say the least.
I was having one of those days a few weeks back. The weather was dark, there was some upset on the news, and some other upsets in my life. I was on the verge of dipping into darkness and fear. That's when I decided to take control of the day and stop living in the reactions of other people's dramas. I needed a pick me up and I needed one quick.
I shut off the screens, opened up the windows to breathe a breath of cold clean air, and turned on some music.
Within 2 songs I was dancing in the kitchen while doing dishes, arms raised, head bobbing. It felt sooo good! I lost all that noise of the day in the beat of the music and suddenly felt better.
The water on my hands as I rinsed a dish felt so smooth. The air felt calm. Life felt doable. I felt better. I felt peaceful, happy, balanced.
And that's when I realized music itself can be used as mindfulness!
Do you ever remember that feeling? The lost in the world, cannot be distracted, lose yourself in the melody, memories flooding back, hair in the wind, listening to your favorite song feeling? That feeling is mindfulness! That feeling brings you to a place where you are fully in this present moment, not in anyone else's drama or concerns or fears. You are free in that peaceful zone.
Music is in my blood. It is the core of me. And yet? I am a writer and an artist. My days are spent thinking and dreaming and writing. I have not played or sang in years. The house is quiet here when I work.
After that day I realized I need more music in my life. I need more of that feeling. I need more of the connection, that joy, that emotion, that love of the sweetness of those notes flying through the air into my heart!
Here's to more music, joy, and peace in our lives!
* We will be starting a new Possibility Path and The Possibility Path for Parents this June!! If you are ready to understand your children and your family at a deep level, feel more confident and prepared than you ever have before, and find direction in your life, then, schedule your free discovery call today with me!
PS - If you are looking for a great upbeat Mother's or Father's Day gift - my awesome brother John Proulx just came out with a new CD with song co-written and featuring Melissa Manchester - from the heart to yours!
** And for all my LA Peeps!!!
The sun is shining today and the temps have risen above 32 degrees. (The magic number for freezing as any northern climate resident knows!) The months have passed and spring seems to be right around the corner. It is a time of great joy for me. My hibernation period over. The stress of snow driving gone. I can relax into the easing of the thaw and greenery to come before the busy time of summer.
We are not back in West Michigan. (Family and familiar.) It is the home I love. It is the land I love and the land that loves me. But winter still does not. It hides me inside and keeps me down. It holes me up and chills me out. It's a necessary part of the rhythm of life. I do love the seasonal change. But the 5 months of winter up north here is a bit much for this sunshine girl to take!
So today when it hit 40 degrees, I felt free. I felt alive. I felt hope. I felt possibility again. It was a good feeling.
A better feeling? Knowing that with the warmer temps will come the thaw. The thaw that unfreezes the waters is just right around the corner.
There is something about open, flowing, lake water that frees my soul and calms me down like nothing else on this earth. Looking at the real estate prices of waterfront, it would appear I am not alone.
The waves come in, they go out. The movement, the constant change of color, of mystery, of aliveness in that motion acts like a rocking bassinet. I feel cradled. I feel supported. I feel safe. I feel loved in the simple act of looking at that water. Nothing else does this for me.
I love my sky. I love my woods. I love my open fields and I have even loved a few mountains in my life. But the water? The water is life. The water is everything to me.
Currently we live on a little lake, a pond compared to the giant water of our Lake Michigan. But it is water. And when the days stay above 40 degrees, and the sun comes again, that water too shall melt. And the waves will come and my spirit will soar, and I will be unfrozen again.
We all have something that feeds us, that calms us, that grounds and supports us. Mine is open, unfrozen, beautiful water. What is yours?
*Share your answers in our Mindfulness Mothers' Facebook Group!
To be or not to be - in Possibility Time!
To Be or Not to Be - in Possibility Time!
I was making out my to-do lists for the day, week, and month today when it suddenly occurred to me how much of my time is spent trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be when, doing what, and how it's all supposed to get done. In The Possibility Path, we call this "Focused Time." It means we have to put our head down and focus on this linear place and time and what our bodies (and children's bodies) are supposed to be doing at different points in time.
With after school activities, the new high pressure school situations, and life in general, we are torn into all these different places and times, forced to be in Focused Time all the time. It is exhausting.
As a mom in this world today, it's critical decision time all day, every day. The need to be "On" all the time can wear one down into a meltdown breakdown, anger, or depression. We are not built to be the super women our society expects! We need some down time to recharge and rebuild our energy reserves!
Yesterday it was 95 degrees outside, in fall, in Michigan. It was the end of a very long week. I could have gone into Focused Time and spent energy I didn't have. But instead, I choose to move into what The Possibility Path calls "Possibility Time." Possibility Time is when we let go of the to do lists and just be. We just walk, dream, do, but without a schedule, without a set agenda, without rules or must have's to dos.
It's what we mean when we tell kids to "Go out and play." It not only allows for creativity, but it opens up the relaxation factor of just being who we are. In Possibility Time we just are. We are not trying to be what others' want. We are not trying to do what we are supposed to do, we just are. We just do.
This time is critical for mental health in our world. We live in Focused Time so much we burn out. We melt down. Our kids do the same. They need the time to just unwind and let go. When was the last time your kids had unscheduled time? When was the last time you did?
We think in our modern world unscheduled time means lazy or unproductive, when in fact the greatest discoveries, inventions, and ideas come during these Possibility Times when we are able to just be who we are and tap into the possibility of being open and alive in what is, not what the to do list says it should be!
Yesterday we choose Possibility Time. We went to the beach. We walked along the channel, ate ice cream, and let our minds wander. We let ourselves dream. I relaxed. I recharged. I let it go. We laughed and were nicer to each other than we had been in weeks. It was exactly what we needed.
So today when I started focusing on making my lists, I smiled. Because somewhere in there I realized I needed to pencil in some Possibility Time. Because it is just what I need to make it through the rest of the week!
Join the fun! We are starting a new BIG YEAR doing the 28 Steps to Freedom starting on October 5th. If you are in Mt Pleasant, join the group at Red Bloom. If you aren't, start your own group or do personal program!


August EOM is Dulce Tripp - Blakeman Transportation, Inc.
Congratulation to Dulce for earning Employee of the Month for the Month of August!
I would like to nominate Dulce for EOM. Every week, week in, and week out, Dulce is consistent in her job duties. Dulce is always the first person to jump up and ask if anyone needs help. She has done an outstanding job, not only in her job duties, but in striving to help other divisions. Dulce on a weekly basis, has helped every division in this company. . . As all of you know, training a new person is a little stressful. This division has been training new people since around September of last year. Dulce has always kept a positive attitude through the whole training process.


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text:
American Express Company logo
American Express, one of the world's largest credit card companies, has been caught up in a recent scandal regarding an anti-trust lawsuit between merchants and the three major credit card companies: American Express, Visa, and MasterCard. The controversy started to come out after 12/22/14, when Keila Ravelo was arrested on charges that she conspired to defraud two law firms and a client of millions of dollars. Her former partners at Wilkie launched an internal review of her work and found certain documents that pertained to the case In re AmEx Anti-steering Rules Antitrust Litigation on 2/16/15. They reported their findings of the communications and the two lawyers' collusion was exposed. In fact, Gary Friedman, who was supposed to be representing the merchants involved in the case, told Attorney Keila Ravelo, who represented MasterCard, in one of his communications with her, to "Burn after reading."
The two lawyers who were basically setting up an outcome that would heavily favor American Express, initially got the outcome they wanted in the case, but when things about their illegal communications came to light, the approving decision was undone by a federal judge. In his final ruling, Judge Nicholas G Garoufis disapproved of the settlement between American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and the Merchants. What it comes down to after parsing the legal document is this; any merchant that accepts American Express may not impose differential surcharges on the use of any Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card unless and until American Express permits such surcharges. Any merchant that accepts American Express can't impost parity surcharges on the use of all credit cards unless American Express permits it.
As Gary Friedman put it, "AmEx's fantasy resolution of all this litigation is a world where merchants are free to surcharge AmEx cards, but only if the merchants surcharge Visa and/or MasterCard at the same level." This seems kind of strange coming from a lawyer who is supposed to be representing the merchants in the lawsuit. It looks like American Express and the two lawyers were in collusion to get the best deal out of the case and leave everyone else out in the cold, especially the merchants.
Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO of American Express since 2001
The Stakeholders in this are the Upper Management of American Express, Kenneth I. Chenault: Chairman and CEO. James P Bush: Executive Vice President and CFO. Mark D. Gordon: Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Douglass E Buckminster: President, Global Network and International Card Services. L. Kevin Cox: Chief Human Resources Officer. Ashwini Gupta: Chief Risk Officer and President, Risk & Information Management. Other Stakeholders are the merchants in general and the merchants who brought suit against AmEx in particular. They would have had to pay a larger swipe fee. The consumers who would have to pay higher surcharge fees to offset the expense to the merchants. And of course, competing credit card companies Visa and MasterCard, who were left out in the cold by the collusion between AmEx and the two lawyers Gary Friedman and Keila Ravelo..
Maximize profits for the company shareholders above all else; spending money on things like charity, or employee bonuses, or anything that does not increase company profits is considered stealing by the Individualist. However, one must act within the constraints of the law. For the most part, the Individualist would approve of American Express's efforts to get the best possible deal for themselves and therefore maintain and even boost company profits. As their methods were entirely illegal, however, the Individualist would ultimately reject the conclusion that American Express is an ethical company.
Visa, MasterCard, and American Express logos
Maximizing the most happiness across the maximum proportion of the population, including your happiness. Also, strive to maximize the happiness for the maximum amount of time. Ten years down the road rather than ten months, in example. While there is partial success for American Express for the Utilitarian, in that they were working to maximize happiness for themselves, their stake holders, and probably those consumers who only have an American Express card, the company fails to meet all the guidelines for being ethical according to Utilitarianism due to the fact they did not act to maximize happiness for the merchants or those consumers who don't hold an American Express card.
Actions that are sprung from the Good Will (right choice for the right reasons), rationality, and the autonomy of the individual. The Formula of Humanity states that the individual should always be treated as an end, and never just the means. Because of the way American Express colluded with the two lawyers Friedman and Ravelo, and because they were acting only to benefit themselves, the Kantian would not view American Express as ethical. Because information about what the case settlement would mean for consumers who would have to pay larger surcharge fees to offset merchant swipe fees was not made available to the general public to ensure rational decision making, the autonomy of the individual is not respected here and so, again, the Kantian would view them as unethical.
The functionality and good virtues that make up a person also help them to relate and flourish within a community and with people in particular. The good virtues such as courage, honesty, justice, compassion, fairness, and kindness are what help the individual flourish within a society. Vices such as greed, dishonesty, and selfishness are the anti-thesis of these virtues. The Virtue Theorist would not find American Express to be ethical. The actions of American Express, which broke laws put in place to protect the national market place within our society, serves to undercut and undermine the good virtues within us to flourish within this society. If those who seek dishonest and illegal methods of obtaining what they want succeed, why should I then be honest and just? This does not help society, or the people within society, maintain an optimum level of good virtues, ergo, they are unethical.
Ethics Justification
In summation, my thinking is much along the Virtue Theorist's. You cannot lie, break laws, and make backroom deals in order to make yourselves more profitable, but turn around and condemn people who, by dint of birth and socio-economics aren't able to do similar things that break the law and get away with it, I hope one of them has the wit to say, "Why are you so surprised? I thought I'd try following in your footsteps." You are not helping society flourish, you are not helping to make the nation a better place through business. You are just in it for the money, and nothing degrades the health of a society than those who by their actions show they believe themselves to be better than others.
The New York Times, August 4th 2015, by Rachel Abrams, "Judge Rejects Settlement in American Express Case" http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/business/dealbook/judge-rejects-settlement-in-american-express-case.html?ref=topics
The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 30th, 2015, By Robin Sidel, "A Bentley, Secret Emails and a Credit-Card Antitrust Case. The Strange Life of Lawyer Keila Ravelo" http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawyers-offstage-actions-threaten-antitrust-pact-1440970174
NASDAQ.com, September 1st, by Dow Jones Business News, by Robin Sidel, "Lawyer in Visa-MasterCard Antitrust Pact Got Confidential Information from Rival" http://www.nasdaq.com/article/lawyer-in-visamastercard-antitrust-pact-got-confidential-information-from-rival--update-20150901-01288
Justice.gov, AmEx Opinion [legal document pdf] filed February 19th 2015 "Case 1:10-cv-04496-NGG-RER Document 619" http://www.justice.gov/file/342121/download
Business Travel News, August 10th 2015, by Elizabeth West, "Attorney Misconduct Derails Amex-Merchant Settlement" http://www.businesstravelnews.com/Strategic-Sourcing/Attorney-Misconduct-Derails-Amex-Merchant-Settlement/?ida=Government&a=proc
Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, Ruling of Nicholas G Garoufis, [Legal PDF Document] filed August 4th 2015, "Case 1:11-md-02221-NGG-RER Document 658 ; In re Am. Express Anti-Steering Rules Antitrust Litigation, 11-MD-2221" http://www.schlamstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/123111008846.pdf
Business Insider, August 31st 2015, by Jacob Shamsian, "A lawyer's alleged double life could screw up one of the biggest antitrust settlements in US history" http://www.businessinsider.com/keila-ravelo-could-jeopardize-antitrust-credit-card-settlement-2015-8
Business insider, September 2nd 2015, by Jacob Shamsian, "One of the biggest antitrust settlements in US history just got one step closer to collapse" http://www.businessinsider.com/keila-ravelo-could-jeopardize-antitrust-credit-card-settlement-confidential-information-2015-8
Bloomberg Business, February 19th, 2015, by Christie Smythe, "American Express Loses Anti-Trust Suit Over Merchant Card Rules" http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/american-express-loses-antitrust-suit-over-merchant-card-rules
Reuters, September 29th, by Alison Frankel, "Disgraced plaintiffs' lawyer Gary Friedman on why his leaks shouldn't topple the largest antitrust settlement in U.S. history" http://blogs.reuters.com/alison-frankel/2015/09/29/disgraced-plaintiffs-lawyer-gary-friedman-on-why-his-leaks-shouldnt-topple-the-largest-antitrust-settlement-in-u-s-history
U.S AND PLAINTIFF STATES V. AMERICAN EXPRESS CO., ET AL. [Department of Justice.gov], http://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-american-express-co-et-al


text:
package org.latlab.util;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;

/**
 * Converts a collection to another collection of different type
 * @author leonard
 *
 */
public class CollectionConverter {
    /**
     * Converts a collection of {@code From} items to collection of
     * {@code To} items using the specified converter.
     *
     * @param <From>        type of items converted from
     * @param <To>          type of items converted to
     * @param collection    original collection
     * @param converter     converts the items from {@code From} to
     *                      {@code To} type
     * @return              an array list holding the converted type of items
     */
	public static <From, To> ArrayList<To> toArrayList(
			Collection<From> collection,
            Converter<? super From, To> converter) {
		ArrayList<To> result = new ArrayList<To>(collection.size());
		for (From f : collection)
			result.add(converter.convert(f));
		return result;
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Nickolas "Nick" James Crelly
Nick Crelly, 81, Passes Feb. 24th
Nickolas J. Crelly, well known resident of this city passed away early Monday morning, February 24, 1941, bringing to a close a long and useful life. Mr. Crelly had not been feeling well the past few weeks and his condition due to his advanced age was such that he was unable to recuperate satisfactorily. A sudden heart attack proving fatal at about 3:00 a.m., Monday morning, February 24th.
Mr. and Mrs. Crelly came to Niobrara county in 1911, settling about 15 miles southeast of Node where they continued to make their home until about five and a half years ago. A thrifty, industrious man, Mr. Crelly was a good neighbor and friend and thru-out his years in the community gained a host of fine acquaintances. On September 28th, 1940, he and Mrs. Crelly celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary at their home here in Lusk.
Funeral services were held this (Thursday) morning at 10 o'clock at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Lusk, with Father Andrew reading the requiem mass. Interment was made in the cemetery at Van Tassell, Wyoming. Casket bearers were Tom Pfister, Mike Keuster, Andrew McMaster, Harry Burham and Frank A. Barrett.
Nickolas James Crelly, son of Thomas and Mary Burke Crelly, was born in Benton County, Iowa, March 8, 1859 and passed away at Lusk, Wyoming, aged 81 years, 11 months and 21 days. He was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Fretz, September 28, 1880, there being six children born to bless this union, five of whom survive toghether with his widow. The children are Tom, of Keystone, Iowa; Mrs. Porter Slattery and Mrs. Mary Muters, both of Spencer, So. Dak.; Mrs. Florence Grimm of Lusk; and Phil, of Atlanta, Idaho.
Mr. and Mrs. Crelly moved from Iowa to Spencer, South Dakota in 1903, remaining there eight years, then moving to Niobrara county, Wyoming in 1911 where they have resided since.
Nick Crelly was a good husband and a kind and throughtful father. Throughout his long life he worked hard and took an active interest in the welfare of his home community. Blessed with a fine home and children his was a life of happiness and contentment over a period of many years. Although past nearly 82 years of age he was quite active until his last illness, walking several blocks to town almost every day during the year.


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So glad they got there safely. I cherish each day too. My son just turned 14 and I am not sure where the time has gone.
I enjoy the list of activities your son and you did together. I raised 2 girls, now both college grads (how can that be?!) and we enjoyed similar breaks but our list was a little different.


text:
Cannabis Business Info Since 2011
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When setting cannabis retail prices, covering expense is priority No. 1
By Solomon Israel
July 18, 2021 - Updated December 17, 2021
Women, minority execs show few gains in U.S. cannabis industry, according to the latest data from the MJBiz Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Report. Get your copy here.
Calyx + Trichomes, a licensed retailer in Kingston, Ontario, relies on a high-volume strategy to make up for limited margins in a competitive market. (Photo courtesy of Calyx + Trichomes)
(This story appears in the July issue of MJBizMagazine.)
Whether they're shopping in a newly legal market and comparing prices against illicit-market marijuana or weighing prices between a variety of regulated stores in a more mature market, cannabis consumers can be highly sensitive to pricing.
Retailers don't always have much leeway to set their own prices, which might be heavily influenced by supply and demand as well as other external factors.
Even so, using a variety of overlapping price strategies can help a marijuana store win customers by appealing to their wallets while keeping the balance sheet in the black.
Cost approach and market approach
One common method for pricing products involves finding a balance between the "cost approach" to pricing and the "market approach," explained Daniel Sabet, an accounting and finance manager with Los Angeles-based cannabis industry accounting firm GreenGrowth CPAs.
Starting with the cost approach, a retailer tallies up the non-fixed costs of obtaining and selling a given product—taking into consideration things such as wholesale prices and transport costs—then marks up the product to establish a profit.
As a starting point, Sabet suggested a 100% retail markup.
"Let's say you're buying flower from a distributor or from some other wholesaler, and that product's cost to you is $50. You'd want to sell that in the store for at least $100," he said. "If you can't price it at that point, then it's just not a good buy at all."
After determining that initial markup, Sabet said, retailers can move on to the market approach to see if there's room to increase the price. That process involves finding prices for the same product from multiple competitors, then averaging that price across the group to determine what consumers are willing to pay.
Sabet said he has encountered marijuana retailers who can afford to have lower markups and slimmer profit margins, but those stores tend to be high-volume businesses. "The store was always packed, and the average ticket price was fairly high," he said.
Compensating for limited margins
Calyx + Trichomes, an independent Canadian retailer with one location in Kingston, Ontario, is an example of how a high-volume strategy can work in a limited-margin environment.
Like all regulated cannabis stores in Ontario, Calyx + Trichomes can source its products only from a single wholesaler, the government-operated Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). The OCS is also the sole online seller of legal recreational marijuana in Ontario, meaning it competes directly against the stores it supplies. (However, most legal cannabis sales still take place at private-sector stores.)
The OCS wholesale operation sells products to private-sector stores at a 25% markdown from what its online retail division sells to the public, before taxes. That means Ontario retail stores such as Calyx + Trichomes can't mark up prices very far before getting beaten by OCS pricing.
"It doesn't leave us a lot of room to have promotions or sales," Calyx + Trichomes founder and CEO Jennawae McLean explained. "We can really only have sales if there's something we absolutely need to get rid of."
Calyx + Trichomes relies on a heavy sales volume to make up for its limited markups.
"We're just a very high-volume store; we sell about four times more than the average store in Ontario," she said. McLean's store also includes taxes in its prices.
"Our price, after tax, beats what other stores are pricing after tax. The price out the door is always beating (competitors) by usually around 10%."
McLean believes it's easy for cannabis consumers to comparison shop online. When prices change, she said, customers notice quickly.
Calyx + Trichomes offers customers a price-matching guarantee. For one week, a rounding error in the retailer's internal pricing spreadsheet resulted in all the store's prices being 20 cents (25 Canadian cents) lower than they should have been.
"When we caught the error that we made, we bumped it back up to the original price that it was supposed to be," McLean said. "I swear, I fielded six or seven different emails and phone calls (from) people complaining about our prices shifting all the time, and it was a quarter!"
Considering illicit-market dynamics, supply and demand
When comparing your store's prices to your competitors', don't forget that your competition goes beyond other licensed, regulated establishments. The illicit market also counts, advised Kris Krane, president at Phoenix-based 4Front Ventures and its Mission Dispensary retail stores in Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan.
"You're trying to pull in customers—whatever customers you can get—and the whole name of the game in these early, adult-use markets is getting people to convert from the illicit market to the legal market," he said.
The price dynamics of unregulated cannabis vary widely across the United States, Krane added.
"If you're trying to set pricing strategy in a lot of the East Coast, or even in Midwest markets, (illicit-market pricing is) going to be a bit less of a factor, in part because the illicit-market pricing in the eastern part of the country tends to be a lot higher."
Cannabis pricing strategy might also need to change as a given legal market matures over time. In jurisdictions with limited cannabis business licenses, Krane said, producers and retailers have more room to keep prices high as the regulated market launches, when legal production is outweighed by demand.
"But as production ramps up, as more licenses are granted, as more stores come online, then that pricing will start coming down and you'll start capturing the rest of that market,"
In Massachusetts, Krane said that efficient, vertically integrated production has allowed 4Front to reduce its retail prices.
"Right now, we routinely have $30 and $35 eighths on the shelves in Massachusetts, where most of our competitors are still selling
$50 eighths," he said.
Even retailers who can't control the costs of their own production via vertical integration can pursue favorable contracts with third-party producers, Krane said. That could include exclusive relationships with producers to bring in high-margin products or forming a "symbiotic relationship" with a new cultivator who agrees to offer favorable prices in exchange for guaranteed bulk sales while they ramp up their business.
"That way, they don't have to go out and do all the work of finding wholesale buyers right when they first open, and you can then get product (for less) that you can sell a little cheaper on the shelves," Krane said.
Tiered pricing gives options to consumers
Modern consumers expect a range of pricing options. In many consumer packaged goods categories, tiered pricing takes the form of good-better-best.
"By companies offering a 'good,' a 'better' and a 'best' product, it means that they can appeal to all types of customers looking for all types of products," said Liz Connors, director of analytics with Seattle-based cannabis data-analytics firm Headset, who has researched the use of good-better-best price models by marijuana retailers.
"It allows us to extract that value from the consumer," she said. "You pay for the thing that's worthwhile to you."
The good-better-best pricing model isn't necessarily limited to three tiers. In a December 2020 report, Connors found evidence of a five-tier price hierarchy among 3.5-gram cannabis flower offerings in Canada's competitive Alberta retail market. The report categorized these tiers as ultra-value, value, core, premium and ultra-premium.
Going above five pricing tiers may be counterproductive, warned Connors. "I think five is common; seven is relatively uncommon," she said.
"When we start to get that many tiers, we start to run into a paradox of choice on one end," she said. "We have too many things to choose from, and we have trouble deciding when we're given too many choices."
Regardless of the exact number of price tiers a store offers, Connors highlighted the importance of offering customers a range of prices as a market matures. "When a market's very young, there's so much demand and so little supply that it doesn't matter what you're offering, everybody's going to buy it," she said. "But when you start to get to a point where things are becoming saturated, that's where you need to have a way to stand out to attract the right consumers."
Tiered pricing can also help offset declining prices as a market gets more competitive and price competition gets more intense.
"Adding a premium or a core product means that you don't have to compete in that price war," Connors said. "Usually, the only person that wins in a price war is the consumer. It's never the business."
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This section is designed to help you care for your 2CV.
You will find that the front of the door will become quite, if not very, rusty. The best solution is to remove the door and place a small bead of Mastic down this vulnerable joint.
However, in the short term, a small squirt of liquid grease. I am using Wurth HHS2000 and the small straw which is supplied to lubricate this area.
This should be carried out every six months especially entering Autumn/Winter.
You will be surprised how rusty the boot hinge and lower window grey hinge can become when not kept oiled/greased.
To remove the boot lid, open it so that it points at your chin, pull towards you and slide left or right.
Lubricate the 'silver' double hinge heavily and put a small film of oil/grease on the grey metal.
Some of you will find one of the hinges rusting and falling off. There is no remedy, just a new boot lid or new grey piece (Citroen Part Number AZ84424a). Similarly continue with your spray and liberally coat the area as seen in the photograph.
It is very important to keep the 2 front doors and boot lock well lubricated.
Another tip is to always unlock the whole car and not just the driver's door. Keep the locks on the move, and lubricated, and they will not give you any problems.
There is an added problem with the bootlock as it can accept rain directly into the keyhole.
If your seat is not removed from your 2CV on a regular basis you will find that your seat bolts sieze up.
Spray them regularly and work the bolts backwards and forwards.
Both these pictures are self explanatory, just a small squirt up the threaded area of the metal lamp housing and another small squirt up the plastic female tube ensuring that the Philips screw gets a good dousing of lubricant.


We went cherry picking on Sunday. It is the beginning of cherry season but the kids leave to Pretoria on the 8th and we wanted to fit it in before they go. It is quite a long drive and it made me grateful my mom talked me out of driving up to them for Christmas. The colder windy day gave me the perfect excuse to wear my new hat I knitted for myself. I so seldom knit for myself so it was nice to enjoy something I made.
We went to Klondyke Farm in Ceres. Titus loved the cherries and ate them with great gusto, there were even a few cherry stones in his nappy the next day. He would cry if Yme did not feed him them fast enough.
That looks like tremendous amounts of fun!


Tanning Mom Patricia Krentcil Used To Be Hot!
TMZ has gotten their hands on some old pics from when the notorious Tan Mom was trying to break into modeling.
There are some doubts about whether the face has been photoshopped onto a hot body. TMZ's "experts" say it has been airbrushed, but the head appears to belong to the body.
Well, what do you think? If that's really her, it's absolutely tragic to see what she has become. This should also be a warning to everyone else not to over-tan.


We have yet to find a location for caving (spelunking) in Vermont. Do you know of a cave or cavern in Vermont? Please recommend a location for caving in Vermont. Adventurers from around the world will benefit from your submission.


High Temperature Cooling Tube - Tube Methods, Inc.
An industrial client approached Tube Methods to fabricate high temperature cooling tubing. We began by prototyping the tubing through an exhaustive research and development process. Our final design replaced the original platinum metal with a special stainless steel material that resulted in an 80% savings.
After we arrived at the design, we put the tubing through an extensive fabrication process which included end forming, EDM wire, bending and forming. The tubing was then flattened into an oval shape and bent and drilled again, according to the customer's specifications.
The final products had outside diameters of .252″, wall thicknesses of .020″ and lengths that ran from 4″ up to 32″. Throughout the fabrication process, we were able to hold tightest tolerances of ±.001".
Product Description This high temperature cooling tube was converted from precious metal tubing with extensive fabrication and high scrap rates to a finished part made 100% by Tube Methods. This resulted in a large cost savings as well as a more consistent part.
Overall Part Dimensions Wall Thickness: .020"


My aunt and uncle live up in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. A few days before my cousin Weston's graduation, they started planning a big graduation party. After buying all kinds of food to prepare for the big day, my aunt noticed that the pièce de résistance, a special berry ice cream Weston loved, kept going missing from the freezer.
Knowingly, my aunt accused my uncle of eating it all. He denied all of her claims and even offered to replace the missing desert.
The day before the party, the family set everything up. In early spring the animals come out of hibernation and when these animals wake up they are hungry. In case any critters started snooping around, when my aunt set up all the food on the porch she made sure it was covered.
With preparations completed, everyone went to bed excited for the next day. Late that night, my aunt woke up to the sound of something stirring downstairs, but my uncle was lying next to her in bed. Afraid, she sent him down to investigate the porch.
Minutes later he returned, swearing he saw nothing on the porch, but still the noises continued. Armed with a tennis racket, my aunt went downstairs with my uncle into the kitchen, where they found an adult female black bear. My uncle ran through the house to open the front door in hopes of coaxing the bear to leave. Even though someone had forgotten to latch the back porch door, all the food on the porch was untouched. Later that night she found her way out of the house and everyone went back to bed.
In the morning, with the family all excited for the big ceremony, my aunt suddenly noticed that the freezer door was open. The bear did find something she wanted. An empty carton of ice cream was left on the front lawn.
"Smiles For All is the best!"
-- Unknown men's room graffiti artist.
"The Big Milkshake is hysterical."
-- Somebody who owes The Big Milkshake Money.
"Our audit uncovered many funny stories and videos on www.SmilesForAll.com."


text:
Unemployment benefits may rise
Posted by Savvy Consumer - March, 2012
By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director Right now, the federal minimum wage rate applies everywhere except in states that set higher minimum rates, where 18 states have minimums higher than the federal rate and 23 have the same requirement. Some jobs, such as on small farms, are exempt from minimum wage rules. Last month, the minimum wage automatically rose in eight states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — that index it to cost-of-living increases. USA Today recently produced this helpful chart on state-by-state minimum wages. There's been some recent activity in states around the country to raise the minimum wage; bills were introduced to boost the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 in New York and from $8.25 to $9.75 in Connecticut, indexing further increases to inflation. Seven other states —New Jersey, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Missouri — are also weighing basic wage increases. The National Employment Law Project, an organization that does advocacy and research on behalf of the working poor, says the federal minimum should be raised to $10 to make up for the failure to keep pace with inflation in the 1970s. Since the recession began, the inflation-adjusted salaries of low-wage workers have fallen 2.3 percent. About 1.8 million of the US's 73 million hourly workers earned the federal minimum wage in 2010 — many in the retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors — but the fact is that people earning a bit more than minimum wage will see their compensation rise too. Noting that low-wage workers spend nearly all of their extra income, the Economic Policy Institute estimates such an increase would generate an extra $20 billion in economic output and 160,000 jobs. Business groups typically oppose minimum-wage increases because they have to pay more in compensation and benefits. But this dance occurs every time the minimum wage goes up and business usually goes along with it. They come around because they understand ultimately that the more people at the lower end of the economic spectrum earn, the more they spend on the necessities – groceries, utilities, transportation, clothing etc – all of which stimulates the economy and is ultimately good for business. NCL's Florence Kelley wrote the first minimum wage laws in the United States, and she was right - these protections have proved critically important for those who work hard but earn the least.


text:
Are Private Electricity Grids Fuelled by Renewable Energy the Future for Communities? | RenewableEnergyWorld.com
By Andrew Spence, The Lead
Connecting new housing estates to their own private electricity grids fuelled by renewable energy is the cornerstone of ZEN Energy's plan to put power back in the hands of consumers.
The company has launched ZEN Communities – an "end to end" service from power generation through to networks and retailing to deliver low cost renewable energy direct to entire communities.
ZEN Energy Director of Innovation Richard Turner founded the company in South Australia 11 years ago and has overseen its evolution from solar panel installer to Australia's first dedicated "community energy provider."
Turner said ZEN had teamed up with Greensmith Energy Management systems, which last year delivered a third of the energy storage market in the U.S., including the largest system in the world – big enough to power a regional township.
"Suddenly we've got relatively new technology that has come down dramatically in cost to the point where we can build a renewable power station at a township level which takes the form of shipping container sized batteries – you might have five or six or 10 of these in a row," Turner said. "It's almost going back to the future – back 100 years to the old township-based power supply."
South Australia is cementing itself as a world leader in green energy as companies begin cracking the code to make renewables commercially viable.
Nearly a quarter of houses in South Australia have installed rooftop solar panels, making it one of the highest penetration rates in the world. It is also the largest producer of wind energy in Australia – the state's 1.5 GW ofwind energy represents almost half of the country's capability.
South Australia made headlines around the world when it was announced that the state – 'a place with the population of West Virginia' – had been powered by 100 percent renewable energy for an entire working day.
Turner said ZEN's community projects could range in size from single homes to townships up to 20,000 properties.
He said solar, wind, biomass, biowaste or hydro power could be generated within the community and moved around the mini-grid to where it was needed or stored for later use.
"It's all about optomizing the best natural mix of resources in an area that we can harness to produce the lowest cost power, then we balance that off with energy storage," he said.
ZEN's first pilot project will begin next year at a housing development in Melbourne.
Turner said the communities would be much easier to set up in green field sites where there were no connections to existing power networks.
"We have to get to these new developments before they turn dirt because we have to get a distribution exemption to build a private network," he said. "There's about 100,000 homes already in the pipeline from developers who have approached us wanting to use this model for new housing developments; so our aim is to get this community model right and then potentially take them to other countries. We've got that many inquiries already from around the world; it's ridiculous but we've still got a lot of work to do in Australia with our pilots."
He added, "within a couple of years you'll see them in full swing probably all around the country."
ZEN appointed high-profile Australian economist and national climate change review author Ross Garnaut as its chairman last month.
"He quite clearly understands where energy markets are heading and as a result of that he's become the chairman of ZEN," Turner said of Garnaut. "We've got a very heavy hitting board and we've brought these people in to give us the leverage and the ability to work with the utilities and develop this new energy sector. To make this a reality you've got to bring the right people in."
He added, "Ross Garnaut sought us out; he said there's a real opportunity to do this community power and ZEN is best placed to make this a reality."
Turner said South Australia was perfectly placed to be at the forefront of renewable energy advancements.
"Adelaide's a smaller city," he said. "We've got a very entrepreneurial population – we've just had to be to survive – we also have the best renewable energy resources in the world in terms of solar and wind and we also have very high power prices because we are on the end of the eastern power grid. All the elements add up to be the perfect storm here in South Australia to develop these sorts of technologies."
This article was published under a Creative Commons agreement by The Lead South Australia.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/12/are-private-electricity-grids-fuelled-by-renewable-energy-the-future-for-communities.html
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text:
People are getting bee tattoos to show solidarity and raise money for Manchester victims
It's called The Manchester Tattoo Appeal
Caitlin Hughes
An appeal has been launched by Manchester tattoo artists to raise money for the victims of, and families affected by the Manchester suicide bombing.
Artists are offering tattoos of a bee for £50, using the iconic symbol of Manchester to show solidarity after the attack.
This Sunday I will be raising money for those affected by this tragedy… please email me at sambarbertattoo@gmail.com to book! Please share! And any artists wanting to take part just repost! #manchestertogether #standtall #staystrong
A post shared by Sam Barber (@sambarbertattoo) on May 23, 2017 at 4:34am PDT
The appeal was originally started by artist, Sam Barber, who is based in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. She said on Tuesday:
"I woke up this morning to find out what had happened and I was in complete shock. My heart sank reading about the casualties and all those affected, I felt helpless, like 'what can I do?!'
"I was born in Manchester and have lived here my whole life, same as generations of my family. It's a city close to my heart. We are strong and caring people here in Manchester and will prevail, if any city can get through a time like this it is ours. We will not be divided."
This is a couple of Manchester bees I did today. I am fully booked for the appeal on Sunday. I have managed to accommodate a few of my regular customers outside of Sunday's event but could I please ask, if you are not booked in with me for Sunday and wish to have a Manchester bee tattoo to please seek out a studio participating in the appeal that has spaces available. I'm busy with my regular tattooing outside of Sunday. I'm getting many requests for different days and different prices. You will be able to find a studio with your preferred day and price range. I understand there is a Facebook group with a list of participating studios. As I do not have Facebook I cannot help you any further with that. Thanks to all that are coming Sunday and thanks to all who have asked who I cannot accommodate, I hope you get booked in somewhere. You are all fabulous. #WeStandTogether #mcr #manchesterbee #manchestertattoo #manchesterbeetattoo #manchestertattooappeal
A post shared by Ginny (@ginnytattoos) on May 24, 2017 at 3:39pm PDT
She explained that the worker bee was an "obvious choice" as it's printed "all over the city, on bridges, pavements, lampposts, bins, buildings and even in our coat of arms, and it is now seen as a proud emblem for people of Manchester."
There has been a massive response from the tattoo community, with not only studios throughout Greater Manchester pledging to take part, but studios as far as Australia declaring their support, making the Manchester worker bee tattoo a global tribute.
My Manchester bee? The money I paid is all going towards the Manchester Terror Attack victims❤ #prayformanchester #manchester #manchesterarena #mancunianbee #tattoo #newtattoo #beetattoo
A post shared by Chloe Durrington (@chloeldurrington) on May 23, 2017 at 10:45am PDT
Tattoo artists including Sam and Chorlton-based tattoo parlour Sacred Art will be coming together on Sunday 28th and Monday 29th to tattoo bees, with an expected 1,700 people planning to visit Sacred Art alone. The manager, Vent Brewer said:
"I think people just don't know what to do, and they want to do something. They want to give, but they don't know where to give, and they don't know who to give to.
"The bee and getting this tattoo will make people feel as though they're making a contribution towards a peaceful resolution.
"The response has been overwhelming. I'd like to see a load of people outside the studio on Sunday morning feeling as though they're part of something. I think its easy to feel detached with something like this and I think that's why some people actively pursue ways of making a contribution."
One from a while back that seems pretty fitting right now. Proud to be a tattooist and growing up in Manchester it's overwhelming to see the acts of kindness, and offers of help from everyone today. A little goes a long way. There are still studios with spaces on their fundraising events, look for Manchester Tattoo Appeal on Facebook. ?? #manchesterbee #Manchester #quick#Bury #manchestertattooappeal @quickdrawtattoo_bury
A post shared by Emma Mowbray (@mowbles) on May 23, 2017 at 1:39pm PDT
We spoke to Dominique Skolosdra, a Newcastle student from Manchester, who got the tattoo yesterday. She said: "Obviously the project was started by the tattoo artists in Manchester, but They were too busy for when I'd be down, so one in Newcastle did it for me.
"In the midst of a tragedy I found it incredible to look at what an amazing and supportive city I come from. Of course natural instinct from anyone would be to provide help to any of those affected. I saw a few posts by tattoo artists in Manchester saying they'd take £50 donations in return for the workers bee. An avid lover of tattoos and one that would forever hold a significant meaning I knew that was exactly how I would help. The demand seemed insane for the weekend so I managed to get it done in the city that I studied free of charge and then we donated the money to the JustGiving page online.
"Proud and blessed to see the people of Manchester and all over the world coming together in such a dark time. One love."
"This is Manchester. We do things differently here." #manchestertattooappeal **hello hello urging anyone who wants to get involved to contact their nearest tattoo artist to see If they're willing to help out as I know a lot of places have high demand. The Manchester Workers Bee Tattoo in return for a £50 donation towards helping those affected by the tragedy this week. This can be sent through JustGiving.com. Big up to @inkslingerstattoonewcastle for being the best as always. One love Manchester ?**
A post shared by Dominique (@__dollllll) on May 24, 2017 at 7:53am PDT
For information on where you can get your bee tattoo, please visit the Manchester Tattoo Appeal Facebook page. Studios from all over the country are taking part, including Manchester, York, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Belfast and Derbyshire. All money raised will go to the victims of, and families affected by the Manchester suicide bombing.
This is why there are no sex scenes on Love Island 2019
Hayley Soen
They are keeping them secret from us!!!!
The Love Island Trash League: Which Islanders need to get in the bin?
Tom Haynes, Hayley Soen, Lucy Woodham & Maddy Mussen
Lucie tried to rip up the Fury family. Bin
This is what the Casa Amor Islanders do, according to their LinkedIns
Stevie's dad endorses him looool
We can guess exactly how long it's been since you last had sex
Don't believe me? Take this quiz and prove me wrong


Think you don't have to worry about rabies? Unfortunately, you do!
As recently as this month, two cases were reported in Utah after exposure from a rabid, dead bat. Although the prevalence of rabies has declined dramatically in the United States, there are an estimated 55,000 human deaths annually from rabies worldwide.
Many of us just know that we vaccinate our pets for rabies. However, what is rabies, really? How is it contracted and what are the symptoms? Here's 10 surprising facts about rabies including symptoms.
Rabies is a contagious virus. People usually contract rabies from a bite or broken skin after exposure to an alive or dead animal. The virus travels from the wound to the brain, where it causes swelling, or inflammation.
Here are some facts you may not know about rabies.


Stevenage manager Darren Sarll was delighted with his side's first Sky Bet League Two win of the season as they beat Luton Town 2-1 at the Lamex Stadium.
Striker Matt Godden struck a 95th minute winner, his first league goal, after Connor Hunte had cancelled out Cameron McGeehan's first half opener for Luton.
On the manner of the victory, he said: "I don't think it's going to do much for the longevity of my receding hairline.
"I made lots of comments about the quality of people at this club and you only get those type of results with a quality of person.
"I just felt they did what we expect them to do.
There were plenty of backs to the wall moments and Stevenage defended resolutely against the side who were top of the table at the start of the day.
"The minute I saw that [dying for the cause type-play] I felt a little bit of a celebration that my boys were back and we were fighting because first half I thought we started well but it took too long after that to really imprint ourselves on the game," he said.
The half-time introduction of winger Tom Pett improved the hosts attacking threat.
"We want that from Tom Pett every week, why should we expect any less?," added Sarll.


Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. And beyond its incidence as a country, and as a relevant actor of the existing tension in the Middle East, Israel can be seen as the symbol of a controlled global power. A global power that bases its strategy on minority groups of Jewish origin, who form an "orderly and under the same principles" structure that controls the industrial, technological, military, financial and media networks of the planet, according to the president of Republicans Abroad in Spain, James Levy.
Israel has a population of not more than ten million inhabitants and is one of the smallest countries in the territory. However, it has an influence that affects governments, countries, productive economic systems, central banks, financial centers, nuclear arsenals and industrial military complexes around the world. And although it seems an exaggeration, it is enough to see the directory of the 50 largest companies in the world and the most powerful banks, and the common factor is that the most important management positions are controlled by people of Jewish origin.
These executives become like that, for the American case, in the sector that makes the biggest lobby: the Zionist lobby. This group supports and legitimizes the existence of Israel, not only as a state surrounded by Arab countries in the Middle East, but as an exporting country of human capital and a center of global innovation. The defense, agribusiness and financial sectors score as global innovators according to the most recent publications of GPS World, the University of Haifa, Technion and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the latter leading the publications and patents on the subject.
This pressure lobby, which not only acts in the private sector but also in the government, is also credited with the permanent strategic objective of imposing the military agenda and the political and geopolitical interests of the government and the State of Israel in US foreign policy, said Levy. In addition, Levy said that this lobby influences decisions that concern not only the region but other geographical locations.
In the case of the United States, which is the place where the notoriety of the issue is relevant, the pro-Israel lobby works on all levels of US institutional power: White House, Congress, Pentagon, State Department, CIA and intelligence community agencies, among the most important. This information is verifiable when looking at the contractual groups that have the greatest ties with the US government, as well as the origins of people with a good working status. The result: the Jewish population managed to intrude deeply into the most deprived power circles of the US political agenda.
Actually, the muscle of the pro-Israeli lobby is in its financial power, because through this it exerts direct influence on the internal and external policy of the United States. In addition, it is the leader of the most important groups who decide the financing of the political parties, of the candidates, whether local or federal and even presidential. Also its center of power is located in the most important financial center: New York. The banks, in which the Jews dominate in managerial and managerial positions, have their center of operation in Wall Street, as well as in the most relevant countries of the financial sector: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico.
Under this idea of economic power, the Jews have managed to benefit the Israeli state by giving it muscle in areas where not only force is important, even in a region where hostility is daily.
Translated from "Israel: más allá de un Estado judío"


Title. I'm trying to use dolphin to connect a wiimote and can't because a wii game must be running. My goal with dolphin isn't to use it for wii games so does anyone have a solution or workaround?
Why would you want to connect a Wii Remote to Dolphin without running a Wii game?


text:
DISC JOCKEYS
New Music Review
One last slow week before the deluge of new releases begins its regular gush. Given the prominence of the film "Dreamgirls" over the holiday season, it only makes sense that Diana Ross, whose life is the obvious inspiration for at least some of the film's pastiche, would crawl out of the woodwork. It's unlikely, however, that "I Love You" are words she would say to anyone associated with the movie, or the stage show that inspired it. Still, Ms. Ross is legendary, and her new album features covers of, shockingly, love songs by Joe Cocker, Berlin, Heart and others. "I Love You" is intended (according to her publicist) as "Diana's personal offering to honor celebrations of love, from the glance of your first true love, through the joy of children, and love everlasting."
A more surprising comeback arrives courtesy of America, the early '70s hitmakers now best known as the band that sounded exactly like Neil Young on that one song ("Horse With No Name") and George Harrison on that other one ("Sister Golden Hair"). "Here & Now" is a new LP, produced by Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne and James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, that features songs written by contemporary indie groups such as Nada Surf and Maplewood (members of both groups appear on the album, along with Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller and, uh, Stephen Bishop). America '07-style sounds pretty fresh, but still kind of '70s AM radio. A nice combination.
The unimpeachable Rev. Al Green is also back with "The Definitive Greatest Hits," a two-disc collection of hits and favorites, while Portland, Ore., indie popsters Stars of Track and Field offer this week's freshest blood with the catchy, rocking "Centuries Before Love and War."
Also New This Week
The Smithereens: "Meet the Smithereens!" (Beatles covers)
Stacie Orrico: "Beautiful Awakening"
Sarah Vaughan: "Music for Lovers"
Dinah Washington: "Music for Lovers"
Joe Williams: "Music for Lovers"
Nancy Wilson: "Music for Lovers"
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