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Tag: baseball
Diving Catch
Diving Catch.
In the United States, summer means baseball. That's especially true if your 13-year-old grandson is on a traveling baseball team. I was fortunate enough to accompany the team to a tournament more than three hours away. It was blazing hot and humid, but it was my grandson playing.
Of course, I always take my camera along. I was particularly pleased to capture this shot of Evan's diving catch to save both a hit and a run from scoring. You should have seen his uniform after he made the play.
"Diving Catch" is my Photo of the Week.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on July 6, 2017 July 4, 2017 Categories family, human interest, Photo of the Week, photography, VirginiaTags baseball, grandson, sports photography, youth baseball4 Comments on Diving Catch
Clinging to hope despite experiencing the dark side of baseball
First pitch.
Another Major League Baseball season has begun. As a devoted Cleveland Indians fan, I'm hoping this will finally be the year they win it all. I say that every year. But this year is different.
Coming off of last year's incredible run to the seventh game of the World Series, the Indians have a better than average chance of repeating as American League champions. That's true if everything goes as planned. Like most things in life, they usually don't. But Indians fans do what they have always done. We hope.
This year, however, my hope is less rosy, less enthusiastic. That has nothing to do with the Tribe's chances.
It's just that having attended my first ever World Series last year I saw the reality of professional baseball, the business end, the dark side if you will. I wasn't impressed. My naiveté hit a brick wall.
Our "regular" seats.
As a member of a group of season ticket holders, we had prime opportunity to purchase our seats for the playoffs. Only, the seats we were given weren't the ones we had during the regular season.
Our group discovered that Major League Baseball had confiscated our seats, and we had to purchase alternative seats two sections farther from home plate and twice as far from the field of play. MLB and the Indians treated other long-time season ticket holders similarly.
I didn't have to inquire too far into the system to realize why. Money. Our tickets were being resold to the highest bidder, meaning they sold for thousands of dollars each.
The tickets for the substitute seats we were assigned went for half as much, if we wanted to sell them, which I didn't. When I inquired of the Indians about the situation, I received no response.
I didn't let that spoil my enjoyment of the World Series. I was happy for the Chicago Cubs, the World Series champions. I was elated for my oft-beleaguered Indians for just making it to the World Series.
When Erik caught for the Phillies.
Still, a bad taste lingered in my mouth until the Indians signed the only professional baseball player I know personally, Erik Kratz. He's an acquaintance of our daughter's family. His son and our grandson played on the same baseball team and were in preschool together. Though I have seen him in those settings, Erik wouldn't know me from Adam.
Erik is 37 years old. That's ancient in baseball time. He is past his prime playing days. And yet, he keeps trying to make a major league team. This year it was with my Indians.
A sports writer chronicled Erik's long and windy path to the major leagues. Even after all these twists and turns, the ups and downs, the trades, and releases, the opportunities, and disappointments, Erik gave a very positive perspective about why he keeps playing baseball.
True to his faith, Erik shared a story of hope, determination, and dedication to both his career as a baseball player and his family. His story awakened me from my first world pouting.
If Erik could endure all the circuitous travels across the country, and the emotional ups and downs between major and minor league teams, I could certainly buck it up and give baseball one more try. Hope should always triumph over disillusionment.
I decided that I would not let the bureaucratic dark side spoil my lifetime love for the game. After all, this could be the year the Cleveland Indians win it all.
Hope is a true healer of all ills, especially for diehard Cleveland Indians fans.
Hoping for World Series fireworks in 2017.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on April 9, 2017 April 13, 2017 Categories baseball, human interest, news, photography, writingTags baseball, baseball fans, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, dark side of baseball, Erik Kratz, faith, greed, hope, Major League Baseball, MLB, scalping4 Comments on Clinging to hope despite experiencing the dark side of baseball
Baseball's playoffs have begun, minus Cleveland of course
The glory days.
Another Major League Baseball regular season is over. The playoffs have begun.
My favorite team won't be playing in the postseason again this year, despite the extended playoff schedule. The Cleveland Indians have packed it in once again. Even the most casual baseball fan knows it's not the first time.
The Indians have been in this position for most of their existence. The Cleveland club has only won the World Series twice. They came close in 1997. But 18 years later, it's still too painful to recall.
Yes, I am a diehard Cleveland Indians fan, though I do wish they would change their mascot. We have the Cincinnati Reds. How about the Cleveland Blues? That name would appropriately represent the feelings of Cleveland's fans this time every year.
Terry Francona and Rocky Colavito.
I would love to see the Indians win the World Series just once. To be fair, I was alive the last time the Indians won it all. Not that I remember it. I was a year old.
Like most other kids, I collected baseball cards growing up. In those days, we had to buy them one pack at a time and hope the flattened stick of bubblegum wasn't too stale. I spent a lot of nickels saving those cards.
I wish I still had them. The cards accidentally got pitched while I attended college.
My favorite Cleveland Indians were Rocky Colavito, Minnie Minoso, Herb Score, Bubba Phillips, and of course Lou Klimchock. He led the Indians in hitting in 1969 with a whopping .287 average.
I'd stay up late at night listening to Jimmy Dudley call the games on the radio. For some strange reason, he always seemed more excited at the beginning of the season than at the end. I think I know why.
I remember going to a doubleheader game on Father's Day against the dreaded and perennial powerhouse New York Yankees. The Indians had won the first two games of the series. We sat out in the left field stands in old Municipal Stadium. A standing room only crowd packed the cavernous place.
Hall of Famers like Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and the late Yogi Berra filled the Yankee roster. Cleveland won both games and swept the series. Our spirits were high.
Typical fan?
It seemed like every year the Tribe played their hearts out and built hope against hope that this might finally be the year. But once the Fourth of July rolled around, the Tribe did their annual swan song. By season's end, the Yankees were the American League champions. The Indians? Well, take a guess.
Keep in mind those were the days when the team that won the pennant in each league went to the World Series. It was all or nothing. It's been zip for Cleveland for too long.
Hopes rose again when Cleveland built a new stadium, affectionately called The Jake, now corporately named Progressive Field. Unfortunately, the Tribe still hasn't made much progress toward winning it all.
The Indians have gone to the playoffs a few times in the last two decades. But some of those winning teams were filled with shining stars bloated with egos and steroids. No names mentioned, however.
Since that era, the season has usually ended right on schedule for the Tribe. When that happens, just like this year, all faithful Cleveland Indians fans know what to say.
"Wait until next year!" We always do.
Better than a World Series win.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on October 12, 2015 October 13, 2015 Categories baseball, column, family, history, human interest, Ohio, photography, writingTags baseball, Cleveland Indians, humor, New York Yankees, wait until next year2 Comments on Baseball's playoffs have begun, minus Cleveland of course
Never stop running
Erik Kratz, right, when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013.
Erik Kratz is a catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. My wife and I like to watch him play whenever we can.
We cheer for the Cleveland Indians of course. We follow Erik for a selfish reason. He and his family are friends with our daughter and her family. Our grandson and Erik's son were in preschool together, and they played on the same baseball team.
We have spoken with Erik a few times while visiting our grandkids in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, where both families live. Like our daughter and son-in-law, Erik is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University.
The only time we got to see Erik in action was when he came out to warm up the pitcher between innings.
It would be a stretch for me to say that I know Erik. We know who he is, and watched his son and our grandson play. But because of the close connection to our daughter and her family, we like to watch when the Blue Jays are on television and Erik is playing, which isn't all that often. It's the price of being a backup player.
Recently, a game between the Blue Jays and the Twins was broadcast nationally. Erik got to start the game. On his first at bat, he popped the ball high in the air behind second base.
Both the shortstop and second baseman sprinted to catch the ball while the centerfielder, who was playing deep, ran in, too. The infielders arrived at the ball at the same time, and collided. The ball dropped, and Erik was safe at second, credited with a double.
Before the game with the Indians, Erik spoke with a friend of mine who just happened to go to high school with Erik's father.
My wife, who really knows the game of baseball, said enthusiastically, "That just goes to show that you never give up running." Neva was right on.
Too many times I've seen Major League players hit a sure double-play grounder, or a pop-up like Erik's, and the batter assumes the fielder will cleanly make the play. He gives up running hard, only to discover that the ball was bobbled or thrown away or, like in Erik's case, dropped.
But because the runner assumed the ball would be caught, the fielders had a second chance. Many times the batter was thrown out despite the miscue because he had quit running.
I thought a lot about what Neva said. Never quit running, not in baseball, not in any sport, not in a business, not in relationships, not in life. Regardless of the odds, keep on running.
My brother-in-law, who is my age, has gone through some traumatic physical issues in his lifetime, some even life threatening. But Bob has never given up. He always, always has kept a positive attitude no matter how serious the situation.
His determination, along with excellent medical care and a strong support group of wife, family and friends, have kept him running, metaphorically speaking. If he had given up, he likely wouldn't still be with us. But he is.
Erik Kratz.
I admire that in people. No matter the odds, they keep plugging on. Determination, goals, grit, desire, love, moxie, patience, encouragement all are ingredients in living a fulfilling, meaningful, useful life.
I'm glad my brother-in-law has survived another medical episode. His faith and determination surely helped him through, and will continue to do so during his rehab sessions.
I'm glad Erik kept running, too. As it turned out, he didn't score a run. But that really wasn't the point. He put himself in position to score. It was up to his teammates to bring him home.
So keep on running, just like Bob and Erik. Isn't that what life is really all about anyhow?
A game-winning hit by Erik Kratz
(June 23, 2014 update: The Blue Jays sent Erik Kratz to their AAA-minor league team, Buffalo, today.)
© Bruce Stambaugh 2014.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on June 22, 2014 June 23, 2014 Categories column, family, news, Ohio, photography, writingTags baseball, Cleveland Indians, commitment, determination, Eastern Mennonite University, Erik Kratz, Toronto Blue Jays3 Comments on Never stop running
Three spring things
At long last, spring has officially arrived. Let's hope it is a spring to remember, just like the recent winter we'd like to forget.
We could use the emotional and psychological boost of spring's vernal offerings after winter's long, cold stranglehold on so much of North America. Winter was simply brutal.
Spring offers up its joyous splendor in so many ways. The greening of the yards and fields, the welcoming blossoms of trees, plants and flowers that gloriously unfurl intermittently the next few months. All are coaxed by spring's gradually warming temperatures that tend to also thaw our frosted emotive reservations.
Another springtime blessing for me is the start of baseball season. Baseball is in my blood, always has been, likely always will be. I admire the skills needed to be an all-around good position player, being equally proficient in the field and at bat. I marvel at the abilities of pinpoint pitchers, too.
Since my youth, I have faithfully and humbly followed the checkered history of the Cleveland Indians with both passion and annual disappointment. Count it as a masochistic character flaw.
As a youngster, I played baseball, and collected and traded baseball cards. That hobby was passed on to my son, who bought them by the box load, instead of the pack. I still have a few my cards. Our son still has a whole bunch of his, and his mother and I wish he would come get them.
I will confess, however, that with the recent revelations of steroids and the exorbitant salaries for playing a child's game, I have grown a bit disillusioned about Major League Baseball. It's lost its innocent appeal. Come opening day, however, I likely will be glued to the television, and I have already purchased tickets for several Indians games.
Between the official beginning of spring and baseball's first pitch of the new season, another more significant and meaningful event occurs in my life. My wife and I will soon celebrate 43 years of marriage.
That number alone is hard for me to contemplate. It seems like only yesterday that I accidentally stepped on her wedding train, rightfully earning my first finger pointing. We quickly got over that, but obviously I never forgot it. Neither has my wife.
The happy couple.
When you are married that long, there are too many other cherished memories to build on to allow the small, petty disputes to devalue a loving relationship. I feel extremely grateful for the multitude of positive experiences my wife and I have had together over the years.
Yes, like most every other couple, we have had our differences at times. I recognize that I haven't been the easiest person to live with. Even though she talks while walking away from me and I can't find my underwear in the underwear drawer, we somehow have survived.
I am not holding our marriage up as a model of perfection, because it hasn't been. We have, however, held on, embraced each other and each day as one regardless of the circumstances we encounter or what obstacles or disappointments have clogged the way forward.
Indeed, gratitude has far overshadowed grief. Our son and our daughter are grown, successful adults with loving spouses. We have three energetic, creative grandchildren and one ornery grand cat.
For 43 years, we have lived, loved and persevered. That accomplishment alone is more wondrous than any fragrant-filled garden, or even a magical, unlikely World Series win by the Cleveland Indians.
Perhaps some day fireworks will celebrate an Indians World Series Championship.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on March 23, 2014 Categories column, family, Ohio, photography, weather, writingTags anniversary, baseball, Cleveland Indians, Love, Spring, wedding anniversary4 Comments on Three spring things
The reality of being a forlorn Cleveland Indians fan
The view from our seats keeps you in the game.
I have always been a fan of the Cleveland Indians. It must be the masochist in me.
Cleveland was and remains geographically the closest city with a major league baseball team. It was only logical that I follow them. Loyalist that I am, I have remained a true fan through thick and thin. Believe me, there have been a lot of lean years in my lifetime.
In part, that's why I was a bit taken aback by the recent remarks of Indians' closer Chris Perez. The young relief pitcher, not one to be shy with his words, vehemently chastised the Cleveland fan base for not supporting the team. At the time, the Tribe, as they are affectionately known, was in first place in the standings and last in attendance in the major leagues. That displeased Perez.
One of my college roommates met me at Progressive Field for an Indians game.
In a sport where clichés are the standard, it's not how well you start the season, but where you end it. After winning 30 of their first 45 games last year, the Indians finished the season with a losing record. Like so many seasons before, their fast start melted with the summer heat.
Although I understood Perez' point, I don't think he comprehended the perspective of lifetime Indians fans. We have seen it all before. I doubt Perez knows about Max Alvis tripping over third base, turning a routine popup into a double. Or watching Tony Horton crawl back to the dugout on his knees after striking out on a blooper pitch. Or the embarrassing fiasco of "Ten Cent Beer Night." More to his point, the Indians have been in this position time and time again.
Over the years, the Cleveland Indians have done about as much diving out of first place as they have diving back to first base.
Take 1961. On Father's Day weekend, the perennial powerhouse New York Yankees were in town for a four game series. I watched the first two games on black and white television, and had tickets for the doubleheader on Father's Day.
Cleveland won Friday's game and then came back in dramatic fashion to beat the hated Yankees on Saturday 10-9. This was in the old Municipal Stadium, a cavern of a place that held 80,000 people. The Sunday games were standing room only. In those days, you could see two games for the price of one, which made doubleheaders so popular.
Fans stood five and six people deep behind the chain-linked fence, which arched the parameters of the outfield from foul pole to foul pole. The meshed fence then was not padded, which allowed the fans to see the action. Cleveland handily won both games, sweeping the series from the mighty Yankees.
Over the years, the Indians have had many good players like Shin-Soo Choo, only to lose them to free agency or trade them.
In the traffic jam outside the stadium, people were nearly delirious with joy. They were already celebrating as if the Indians had won the American League pennant. That proved slightly premature. By season's end, the Yankees had won the league with the Indians far down in the standings.
In the off-season, the manager was fired. Players were traded, and that pattern was repeated for the next 30 years with no better results. Try as they might, the Indians always fell flat. The reality for the Indians fans was first place at the 4th of July, last place by September 30.
Late in a recent game vs. Detroit, Justin Verlander was still throwing 102 m.p.h., possibly out of frustration. The Indians won 2-1.
Of course that all changed in the 1990s when the Indians built a new stadium, spent big bucks acquiring free agent stars and grooming outstanding players in the farm system. Tribe fans were hysterical when the Indians went to the World Series in 1995 and 1997, only to lose both times.
The Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948. Only the beloved Chicago Cubs have had a longer dry spell. And yet, there is no stigma to being a Cubs fan like there is cheering for the Indians.
I won't let that deter me, however. It's not yet July 4th. There's always hope, and of course, if this season goes as previous ones, always next year.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on June 7, 2012 June 11, 2012 Categories column, Ohio, photography, Uncategorized, writingTags baseball, Cleveland Indians, humor, postaweek2012Leave a comment on The reality of being a forlorn Cleveland Indians fan
Two lifetime experiences in one day
The view I had from the press box at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
I had looked forward to this day for a long, long time.
A reporter friend of mine asked me if I wanted to accompany him to a Cleveland Indians game with seats in the press box. Big kid that I am, it was a lifetime dream of mine to do so.
For years I had wondered what it would be like to sit in the press box to watch a baseball game. Last week, my dream came true with an unexpected bonus.
To get me through the press gate, my reporter friend, who will remain nameless for professional reasons, listed me as his photographer. Good thing I had taken my camera along.
My excitement settled soon after attaching the yellow press tag to my belt loop. Our planned first stop on my behind-the-scenes tour of Progressive Field was the playing field to watch batting practice and mingle with the players and coaches. But this game was the day game of a day-night double-header. There was no batting practice.
My regular seat at Progressive Field is just above my left shoulder, seven rows back.
Since I was actually standing on the playing field I wasn't all that disappointed. My friend took my picture in front of the Indians dugout and by the Indians on deck circle, which is directly in front of where I usually sit as a fan.
We headed into the Indians dugout. I sat in the shade on the bench a few feet from some player who had completely shaved his head. It was Justin Masterson, the starting pitcher for the Indians.
Soon we made our way down the tunnel and up the ramp to the players' clubhouse. We rubbed shoulders with several players, but passed them without speaking according to media-player etiquette. All in all, I found the locker room to be much less luxurious than I had envisioned.
I had a similar reaction when we entered the media dining room. It was spacious, but reminded me of a college cafeteria, only with a nice view. We signed in and paid for the buffet. Thoughts of the media being coddled began evaporating. Once I tasted the food, the memories of college continued.
Across the hall was the press box, curving left and right high above and behind home plate. Here, too, I was surprised. Instead of plush, I saw plain. The press box was more functional than cushy. There was plenty of room to work, but it really wasn't the best view from the third row where we were assigned to sit.
Reporters hard at it in the Progressive Field press box.
It was unexpectedly quiet, too. With deadlines to meet, the reporters simply minded their own business and watched the game.
The game moved right along until 1:51 p.m. when the press box itself began to move. I felt an obvious swaying east to west. I asked my friend if he felt it. Indeed he did.
Other reporters swiveled their heads with astonished looks on their faces. The press box rocked and rolled for 30 seconds, stopped briefly, then began again, only not as severely nor as long.
Someone checked on the Internet and said that the Pentagon was being evacuated because of an earthquake centered in Virginia. Here I was in my first and probably only major league press box and I had also experienced my first earthquake.
I had always wondered what a quake felt like. Now I knew. I felt both nauseated and exhilarated.
With those lifetime experiences realized together, I happily took my usual seat at the next Indians game I attended.
The view from my regular seat at Progressive Field is much improved over the press box.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on August 31, 2011 August 31, 2011 Categories column, photography, writingTags baseball, Cleveland Indians, earthquake, humor, postaweek2011, Progressive Field2 Comments on Two lifetime experiences in one day


Discussion in 'Triumph General Discussion' started by David Cooper, Nov 5, 2018.
JUST A WARNING, WE ARE TALKING CRASH HELMETS HERE PEOPLES, PLEASE DON'T MAKE THIS LIKE AN EPISODE OF EMBARRASSING BODIES!
Certainly not cheap but good to be different.
Thats the best one.... I like that!
There are some very cleaver artists out there that can do this.
I owned one that was supposed to be a Star Wars Stoomtrooper helmet?
However, unlike the other visors Dave has posted so far. Where the design is made up of 1000's of tiny dots of colour that you can see through. The painted bits on the visor were solid paint. Making it very hard to see out of!
Eventually I sold it to a lad who thought it was the boll#xs. As unlike myself he was a massive Star Wars fan. He tried it on & said he could see enough out of the visor. To make the lid usable.
I think it was a very bad case of cool over safety!
@Tucker 1963 it's your perfect lid!
Mind you, it may not be black enough?
What Was Your Most Pointless, Shite Or Funny Christmas Gift?


As a hunting object, the wild boar represents the most valuable and most tempting trophy for the hunter. This is explained not only by the fact that the wild boar gives tasty and valuable meat, combining the taste of pork and game, but also because hunting for wild boar is accompanied by certain difficulties and is a great sporting interest. A hunter must master the skill of applying the existing methods and methods of hunting wild boar, possessing endurance and courage, since even with the current state of hunting firearms hunting for wild boar is associated with a certain danger.
2. Hunting the boar with the dogs.


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Financing has been secured for the Goonumbla Solar Farm near Parkes. When complete the solar farm will supply more than 45,000 Australian homes, while avoiding the emission of 140,000 tons of CO2 per year. Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), part of Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and a leading global developer of renewable utility-scale projects, has closed the financing agreement. Located approximately 10km west of Parkes the plant will be connected to the national grid and produce approximately 195,000 MWh of clean energy per year. The plant is expected to commence operations in 2020. FRV foresees the creation of up to 150 jobs during the construction phase, 5 of which are expected to l remain once operational. Carlo Frigerio, Managing Director of FRV in Australia said "Goonumbla solar farm confirms FRV's positioning as one of the leaders in the Australian renewable market and our further reinforces FRV long-term commitment to Australia." "We are delighted to move forward to the next phase of this project which will create significant benefit to the local economy and support Snowy Hydro in their electricity procurement strategy". Fady Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, said "We are proud to be part of Australia's energy transition towards sustainability. "Undoubtedly, this agreement is another important milestone for FRV. We remain highly committed to the country and we plan to further expand our investment in the country during the coming years, playing a leading role in the development of the renewable energy sector". Snowy Hydro's CEO, Paul Broad, said "it was great to sign a solar offtake agreement with Goonumbla Solar Farm. Snowy Hydro's Renewable Energy Procurement Program was massively oversubscribed. More than 17,600 megawatts of projects were submitted through the competitive process and 888 megawatts of contracts were signed. Snowy Hydro selected those projects that offered competitive pricing and had credible pathways to commissioning in the next few years and enabled Snowy Hydro to construct an optimal portfolio of renewable offtakes." READ ALSO:
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August 15 2019 - 11:59AM
Funding secured for massive solar farm near Parkes
Financing has been secured for the Goonumbla Solar Farm near Parkes.
When complete the solar farm will supply more than 45,000 Australian homes, while avoiding the emission of 140,000 tons of CO2 per year.
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), part of Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and a leading global developer of renewable utility-scale projects, has closed the financing agreement.
Located approximately 10km west of Parkes the plant will be connected to the national grid and produce approximately 195,000 MWh of clean energy per year.
The plant is expected to commence operations in 2020.
FRV foresees the creation of up to 150 jobs during the construction phase, 5 of which are expected to l remain once operational.
Carlo Frigerio, Managing Director of FRV in Australia said "Goonumbla solar farm confirms FRV's positioning as one of the leaders in the Australian renewable market and our further reinforces FRV long-term commitment to Australia."
"We are delighted to move forward to the next phase of this project which will create significant benefit to the local economy and support Snowy Hydro in their electricity procurement strategy".
Fady Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, said "We are proud to be part of Australia's energy transition towards sustainability.
"Undoubtedly, this agreement is another important milestone for FRV. We remain highly committed to the country and we plan to further expand our investment in the country during the coming years, playing a leading role in the development of the renewable energy sector".
Snowy Hydro's CEO, Paul Broad, said "it was great to sign a solar offtake agreement with Goonumbla Solar Farm.
Snowy Hydro's Renewable Energy Procurement Program was massively oversubscribed.
More than 17,600 megawatts of projects were submitted through the competitive process and 888 megawatts of contracts were signed.
Snowy Hydro selected those projects that offered competitive pricing and had credible pathways to commissioning in the next few years and enabled Snowy Hydro to construct an optimal portfolio of renewable offtakes."
Police appeal for information after overnight stabbing
Family home destroyed by weekend fire
Shooting great reluctantly retires

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The cost of treatment with the HIFU device Liposonix to Body Space Slim & Beauty ranges from 1,000€ to 3,000 €. The price depends on body surface area and the amount of fat to be removed.


With such a wide selection of gear here at the 49ers store at NFL Shop, you can cheer your Niners on in style with all the latest San Francisco 49ers apparel. As the official online shop of the NFL, we are your trusted source for all San Francisco 49ers fan gear for men, women, or kids. No matter who it is you're shopping for, we offer everything you could need to make them look like the #1 49ers fan during the next big Niners game day. Browse usacheapnfl.com for officially licensed San Francisco 49ers jerseys, hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and any other apparel you could need to dress head to toe in your Niners pride. Also, if you're heading to the new Levi's Stadium, pack accordingly with 49ers tailgating supplies, car accessories, and any other merchandise you may be looking for. Or, if you're watching from home, deck your man cave out in everything 49ers, including collectibles, bedding sets, golf gear, pet accessories, and more. All of your 49ers merchandise, apparel and gear is available from some of the best brands, like Nike, Mitchell & Ness and more. Add this to exclusive online discounts and fast shipping, and it's easy to see why the official online store of the NFL is your top source for all San Francisco 49ers apparel and merchandise in 49ers gold, red, and white colors. Commemorate the San Francisco 49ers' rich history of 5 Super Bowl titles, 6 conference championships, and 19 division championships and cheer them on to continued success in the future with official 49ers gear and apparel! Pick up jerseys, apparel, and merchandise from your favorite Niners players like Colin Kaepernick, Carlos Hyde and your first round draft pick: DeForest Buckner.
Once you are in their back office they also have free games you can play as well. So if you are one of those game addicts that likes to play free games you could get a little value out of this. People String also offers rebate and cash back percentages usually around 3-5 percent on multiple categproes in their store from a lot of major retailers like Target, Hollywood Mega Store and the NFL Shop. From a custom-made design Sidney Crosby Rimouski jacket to a UNITED STATE hockey team jersey for a toddler, best cheap nfl jerseys. china nike nfl jerseys cheap. nfl jerseys for kids on sale. cheap nfl jerseys china paypal. nfl youth jersey. from antiques to old-time sporting activities like the 1980 U.S. hockey Olympics jerseys, nfl nike jersey cheap. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale. jerseys nfl wholesale. nfl nike jerseys china. nfl jersey kids. from Gretzky in the NY Rangers jacket to other imaginable authentic National Hockey Organization jerseys.


Development of an ELISA for measurement of BCAR1 protein in human breast cancer tissue.
Title: Development of an ELISA for measurement of BCAR1 protein in human breast cancer tissue.
Author(s): Grebenchtchikov, N.J. ; Brinkman, A.B. ; Broekhoven, S.P. van; Jong, D. de ; Geurts-Moespot, A. ; Span, P.N. ; Peters, H.A. ; Portengen, H.; Foekens, J.A.; Sweep, C.G.J. ; Dorssers, L.C.
BACKGROUND: High concentrations of breast cancer anti-estrogen resistance 1 (BCAR1) protein measured by Western blotting in primary breast tumor cytosols are associated with early disease progression and failure of tamoxifen therapy. The aim of the present study was to develop an ELISA to measure BCAR1 quantitatively in extracts of human breast cancer tissue. METHODS: A recombinant fragment of BCAR1 (the human homolog of murine p130Cas) was produced in bacterial M15 cells, purified, and injected into chickens and rabbits. The generated antibodies were affinity-purified and used for the construction of an ELISA. After validation, the results obtained with the ELISA were compared with Western blot findings on primary breast tumors. RESULTS: The detection limit the BCAR1 ELISA was 0.0031 microg/L, and the within-run imprecision (CV) was <20% at concentrations down to 0.004 microg/L. The within-run imprecision (CV) was 1.0-7.2%, and the between-run CV was 3.6-5.4%. There was no cross-reactivity with family member HEF1. The assay exhibited parallelism of results between serial dilutions and a mean recovery (range) of 96 (79-118)%. CONCLUSIONS: The ELISA measures BCAR1 in human breast cancer cytosols with high sensitivity and specificity. The assay can be used to confirm and to quantitatively extend previous semiquantitative Western blot data on the prognostic and predictive value of BCAR1 in human breast cancer; it can also be applied for other diseases.


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A LIVE Chat with Ted London and YOU
**UPDATE: Watch the replay of the live chat here and please feel free to keep the conversation going in the comments below.
We've wanted to host a live chat for some time. So we figured, what better occasion for a real-time conversation than the release of a new book that aims to change the conversation about doing business with the BoP? Please join us at 12 PM EST on Thursday, December 16, 2010, for a Webchat with Ted London, co-editor of the book Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid.
London, a Senior Fellow at the William Davidson Institute and University of Michigan Professor; and Stuart Hart, Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell University's Johnson School of Management, co-edited the book. London, Hart and the other writers including Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund; and Allen Hammond, Entrepreneur in Residence at Ashoka; investigate the idea of "fortune creating with the BoP" versus the more traditional "fortune finding at the BoP." This is more than a minor philosophical shift, but has substantial and long-ranging implications for how these businesses are conceived, funded and ultimately operate.
Although this transition is starting to take root for some businesses, this is very much a new concept. So we're hoping to pose some thoughtful questions to Ted about what it all means.
Please click HERE to attend the chat and/or to set an email reminder. If you're unable attend live, but would like to ask a question (or several questions – there's no limit) please send them to info@nextbillion.net and we'll get them ready to pose to Ted.
If you don't already own the book, it's available at major booksellers including Amazon. And if you're waiting for your book to arrive, but need a primer on the major issues investigated by the writers, check out the book's site here.


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UH Forensics Team Records
The U.H. Forensics Team Records contains newspaper articles, schedules of tournament events, correspondence, tapes, and photographs relating to the U.H. Forensics Team between the years of 1956-1973. Typically the newspaper articles describe the team's performance at various national tournaments.
University of Houston (Organization)
Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis
10.5 Linear Feet
During the 1960s, the U.H. Forensics Team was considered as one of the top rated teams in the country, defeating teams like Harvard in 11 debates while only losing to them 4 times. In 1969, the U.H. debate team won 137 of the 159 debates that they participated in with Dr. William English winning coach of the year. Following the 1969 season, Dr. English spoke about team members Mike Miller, a political science junior, and David Seikel, a political science senior, and said that the two held the "best record of any intercollegiate debate team ever." He then added, "There probably never will be a better team."
The U.H. Forensics Team Records arrived at the archives in very good order, which has been maintained where possible. The collection consists mainly of newspaper clippings directly related to the organization and to the debates that it participated in, however there are a small number of photographs, tournament results, and tapes of the National Debate Tournaments from 1956-1966 also found in the collection.
For preservation and access reasons the collection has been re-boxed and re-foldered. New folder titles conform, as closely as possible, to original folder titles, except when the original was obviously incomplete, incorrect, or confusing. Original folder and item order has been maintained whenever possible. Exceptions were made when folders were obviously misfiled or when no order was apparent.
Guide to the UH Forensics Team Records
Mikaela Selley, Samantha Herber, and Bobby Marlin
UH Forensics Team Records. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. To cite a specific item from this collection, please consult the most recent edition of your style manual for the proper formatting. See the Citing Special Collections Materials page for more information. https://findingaids.lib.uh.edu/repositories/2/resources/203 Accessed January 18, 2020.


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var app = require('express')()

var lambda = require('./lambda.js')

var multer = require('multer')
var upload = multer({ storage: multer.memoryStorage() })

const BUCKET_NAME = 'gonzalorey-test-bucket'
const IMAGE_NAME = 'elmo-face.jpg'

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
	res.send('hello world')
})

app.get('/lambda', (req, res) => {
	lambda.analyzeImage(BUCKET_NAME, IMAGE_NAME, res)
})

app.post('/lambda', upload.single('image'), (req, res) => {
	lambda.uploadImage(BUCKET_NAME, req.file, res)
})

app.listen(3000, () => {
	console.log('Listening on port 3000!')
})

app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
	console.error(err.stack)

	if(err) {
		res.status(500).send('Something broke!')
	}
})

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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San Fernando Valley is een verstedelijkte vallei in het zuiden van Californië in de Verenigde Staten. De meeste plaatsen liggen ten noorden van Los Angeles. In de vallei wonen ongeveer 1,7 miljoen mensen. De plaats Los Angeles ligt niet in het gebied, maar veel randsteden van deze miljoenenstad wel.

Geschiedenis
De Tataviam, ook wel Fernandeño genoemd, waren een groep Indianen, die al ruim tweeduizend jaar in de vallei woonden, voordat de Spanjaarden zich in 1797 in het gebied vestigden.
In de 19e eeuw vond de Mexicaans-Amerikaanse Oorlog plaats. Dankzij een verdrag, dat in dit gebied werd ondertekend, eindigde de oorlog in 1847.

Geografie
De San Fernando Valley wordt in het noordwesten begrensd door de Santa Susana Mountains, de Simi Hills in het westen, de Santa Monica Mountains in het zuiden, de Verdugo Mountains in het oosten, en de San Gabriel Mountains in het noordwesten.

Door het gebied loopt de Los Angeles River. Een andere belangrijke waterweg in het gebied is de Tujunga Wash, die ontspringt in de San Gabriel Mountains en naar het oosten stroomt. De rivier komt uiteindelijk ook uit in de Los Angeles-rivier.

In het zuidoosten liggen de steden Burbank en Glendale. Hidden Hills en Calabasas liggen in het zuidwesten, en San Fernando, een stad die volledig ingeklemd tussen Los Angeles ligt, ligt in het noordwesten. In de vallei ligt ook Universal City, de plaats waar het filmbedrijf Universal zijn films opneemt. De Mulholland Drive, een weg in het gebied, markeert de grens tussen de vallei en het gebied waar onder andere Hollywood is gelegen.

In de 20e eeuw vonden diverse dodelijke aardbevingen in het gebied plaats. In 1994 vond de Northridge aardbeving plaats; in 1971 de Sylmar aardbeving.

Economie
In het gebied zijn vele bedrijven gelegen, en het is daarom economisch gezien een zeer belangrijk gebied in de Verenigde Staten. Er liggen onder andere opnamestudio's voor belangrijke televisie- en filmbedrijven als CBS, NBC, The Walt Disney Company, ABC en Warner Bros.
In het gebied waren ook veel lucht- en ruimtevaartindustrieën gevestigd, waaronder Lockheed, Rocketdyne en Marquardt. Veel van deze bedrijven zijn verhuisd naar gebieden met een beter politiek klimaat.

In de vallei is tevens een grote pornografie-industrie ontstaan, al vanaf de jaren zeventig. Volgens HBO wordt minstens 90 procent van alle legale pornografie uit de Verenigde Staten, geproduceerd door of in studio's in San Fernando Valley. Hierdoor verdiende deze de bijnaam "Porn Valley". Ook is AVN (het grootste vaktijdschrift voor pornografie) in deze regio gevestigd. De meeste studio's zijn gevestigd in Chatsworth, Van Nuys en Canoga Park.

De huizen in het gebied behoren tot de duurste van het land. Een gemiddeld huis met twee slaapkamers en een badkamer kost gemiddeld meer dan 600.000 dollar.

Klimaat
Net als in Los Angeles Basin, kent het gebied droog en zonnig weer. Het zuidwesten van de vallei is gelegen op ongeveer 15 kilometer van de Grote Oceaan. Daardoor kan het in de zomer heter zijn dan in Los Angeles Basin, en in de winter kouder. In de plaats Woodland Hills is de hoogste temperatuur van het gebied gemeten, namelijk 49 graden Celsius in 2006. De laagste temperatuur werd gemeten in Canoga Park, namelijk -8 graden Celsius in 1989.
In de vallei kan het af en toe behoorlijk regenen, en in de winter is er meer kans op sneeuw dan in Los Angeles Basin. Vooral in de zomers heeft men in het gebied last van hoge concentraties smog. Dit heeft te maken met de omringende gebergten, waardoor de smog blijft hangen.

Geboren
 Jacqueline Obradors (1966), actrice

Dal in Californië
Los Angeles County

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Friday I introduced this wood pattern accent wall in a post, but today you're getting all the hairy details. This project cost about $40 in wood, $35 paint, $75? Priceless! Also, it probably took about 15 hours from start to finish, mostly because I was making it up as I went along.
The accent wall I just dreamed up during my lazy summer days. I think my husband would love for said ideas to stop! Ha! It all begins with the planning….
Go with the width: Because it's 210″ wide, I decided to make the diamonds 21″ wide. Aesthetically the symmetry of the width is more important than the height… meaning that if the triangles at the bottom hit at a weird spot it doesn't look that weird, but the width will really stand out.
Mark the middle carefully: take into account the wood width with starting your first strip.
Play around with the angles on your miter saw. I chose a 30″ angle. I thought the sharper angles looked softer, a little more feminine. If I was doing this in an office or kitchen I think I would have preferred more of a 45″ angle for a stronger, more square pattern. Just a preference, choose what you like!
Ted talks or a great book on tape!
And finally the fun part, execution.
Pre-paint your wall and boards. It might need an extra coat of paint after, but it will save a lot of time at the end.
Make two patterns, one with the exact length and one angles of the boards inside your diamonds. My diamonds are 21″ apart so my first pattern is 19″ long, with 30″ angles on each end. The second pattern has 30 degree angles on each side.
Begin nailing the boards with the center board and working your way out. Check each board is level and even with your pattern pieces. When applying brad nail the board a couple of times to hold the position. Then double check the angles, level, and fit before securing it down.
If your board isn't long enough for the whole length cut a 45″ angle at the end so that the second board you add for length can attach smoothly.
Hang long lines of boards, then cross over the other direction, cutting boards to size as you go. If you have measured correctly all the cross pieces should be the same length, saving tons of time in measuring and cutting.
When you intersect at the end with the wall, the angle can be a little tricky. It's clearly beyond my math ability, so I brought in the big guns to explain, my twelve-year-old. What I needed was a 60 degree angle, but my miter saw can't cut it, so I put together two 30 degree pieces to do the job. It's 180 degrees, right? Add up all the negative angles until you get to 180, actually simple math: 60 + 60 + 60 = 180. Again my math teacher Mr. Blanch was right, I should have paid attention.
Last step is sanding where needed (if you bought pre-cut boards, you shouldn't need to sand) and caulking until daylight is done. Then, repaint another coat if needed… I had to repaint. And viola! Done!
What do you think? Happy Creating!
Easy Shadow Frame – for like ever.


A glass of Golden Ale beer from The Exchange Brewery, named Canadian Brewery of the Year. (Photo courtesy of The Exchange Brewery).
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO — Robin Ridesic, founder and CEO of The Exchange Brewery in Ontario's Niagara Region, is making a name for herself and her brewery with a unique style that is lighting up the industry and catching the attention of beer enthusiasts across North America.
Not a small feat for a brewery in a region known primarily for wine and waterfalls.
There's no question women are playing a larger leadership role in the demanding craft brewery field. While it isn't new to see female brewery owners it is fair to say that Ridesic has captured the attention of the Niagara Region — which features 13 breweries — with her unique blend and bold approach.
For years people have travelled to Niagara looking for the best drinks in Canada, and usually those drinks are of the grape variety. These days, visitors will find some of the nation's top-rated beers are close to where icewine and pinot noir are produced. Many will be surprised.
In fact, when you step into Exchange, you might be forgiven for thinking you are in a winery. The Belgian-style beers and ales stand out not only for taste, but for the bottle designs that feature a distinctly European feel and at first glance almost resemble wine bottles.
But that's where the comparisons to wine end. Within moments of walking in and experiencing the premises it becomes clear that you are in a brewery. Exchange houses a 10-barrel brewhouse with five large fermenters and eight serving vessels. Their ales spend a range of time maturing in this oak to develop their distinctive and complex flavours. One thing I liked about Exchange was its tasting room, a relaxing and classy spot to chill out with friends before dinner or a play at Shaw Theatre. The beers are also totally different from what I usually drink. Perhaps Ridesic's biggest achievement — besides the awards Exchange Brewery is winning — is the success she has had expanding the tastes of thousands of old-school beer drinkers.
Don't look now, but many of those old-schoolers are starting to take notice. In May, Exchange Brewery received the Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes for three of its signature beers at the 14th annual Ontario Brewing Awards. These awards came just a few weeks after the Exchange's big wins at the 2017 New York International Beer competition in February; making 2017 an already successful one for the brewery.
Ridesic credits head brewer Sam Maxbauer for making the type of beer she envisioned when she decided to launch Exchange. The beers take several months to years to create because of the amount of time they need in the barrels and Ridesic understood that the learning process to make the beer would also take a long time. The unique style of "wild and funky" beers that Ridesic dreamed of creating in Canada needed a special brewmaster and when she discovered Maxbauer in the United States she knew she had her man.
Maxbauer says Exchange's goal is to appeal to every type of beer drinker while at the same time pushing people to try something new.


Register or subscribe to read: "Is the Gulf's M&A banking boom over?"
Is the Gulf's M&A banking boom over?
The Banker's merger and acquisition figures for 2017 show the end of the Gulf's buying spree and a sharp increase in activity from Africa and the Levant. James King reports.


WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump fired high federal government lawyer Sally Yates on Monday after she took the extraordinarily rare step of defying the White Home and refused to defend new travel restrictions focusing on seven Muslim-majority nations. Just remember to do a bit of research on the web site simply to make sure that they've credibility in terms of travelers. It's Digital System for Travel Authorization provided beneath VWP and its objective is to additional ease the visa conditions for travelers making use of below the VWP. A tour, then, isn't only travel however it is travel with the purpose being pleasure or interest.
Travel brokers can guide tickets most well-liked by a passenger to travel to a particular destination. Cruise strains allow you to travel in a cruise ship, which is able to run on a particular course depending on the variety of days or the package deal you might have paid for. If you are fascinated about visiting the Archeological Museum of Mykonos, tickets can be found for under 2 Euros.


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Home Blog 2013 GIFF Preview
2013 GIFF Preview
Seven may be a lucky number, but it also appears to be the tipping point for the 2013 Gasparilla International Film Festival. Compared to previous years, this year's GIFF line-up is one of the most solid in the festival's history with commercial fare and independent and local gems slated for screening.
The seventh annual festival is the largest film festival in Tampa, and this year's schedule is solid and promising. The opening night film Empire State (Dito Montiel, 2013) stars Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, and Emma Roberts, and is indicative of the festival's growth. Other noteworthy films not in competition include The Iceman (Ariel Vromen, 2012), Olympus Has Fallen (Antoine Yuqua, 2013), and Disconnect (Henry Alex Rubin, 2012). However, its commitment to independent and Florida-based production is still present. Pharmboy, directed by Lawrence Feeney, was written, produced, and screened in Pasco County within ninety days, a testament to filming in a welcoming community.
For those not from the Tampa area, Gasparilla is Tampa's version of Mardi Gras, based on a regional legend where the pirate José Gaspar invaded the City of Tampa. It is the region's own celebration of Spring, complete with marathons, food and & art festivals, and since 2007, GIFF.
The majority of the screenings will be held at Tampa's most prestigious theaters, beginning with the Historic Tampa Theatre on opening night, the Cinebistro at Hyde Park on Wednesday and Thursday, and then Muvico Centro Ybor throughout the rest of the festival weekend.
Some of the special screenings will include the previously reviewed Dead Dad (Ken Adachi, 2012), Masks (Andreas Marshall, 2011), an independent German Giallo throw-back, and Ginger and Rosa (Sally Potter, 2012).
The documentary competition this year tends to point towards a musical theme with three films about music's legacy and even its future. AM Mayhem (Randall Rehak, 2011) explores the rise and fall of a radio station dedicated to the hip-hop and its mysterious demise. Detroit once featured the Historic Grande Ballroom and Louder Than Love: The Grade Ballroom Story (Tony D'Annunzio, 2012) discusses impact of the venue and the musicians and acts that passed through its hallowed halls. Poster Boys or: The Art of Mobile Recording (Patrick Burke, 2013) chronicles the journey of two musicians who embark on a quaint tour with ambitions to record an album on the road, but rely on poster sales to scrape by. Although screening out of competition, the music theme continues with Killer B3 (Murv Symour, 2011) which chronicles the rise and sound of the Hammond Organ.
GIFF 2013 has gained the momentum to become a festival with gravitas and its independent selections and larger fare point towards a more mature festival.
2013 Gasparilla International Film Festival
Florida Film
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↑ Nuttall, John & Anne (2008). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 2: England (3rd ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. ISBN 1-85284-037-4.
↑ "Survey turns hill into a mountain". BBC News. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
↑ "A Mountain is a Mountain - isn't it?". www.go4awalk.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
↑ mountain at dictionary.reference.com. Accessed on 3 February 2013.
↑ Wilson, Peter (2001). ''Listing the Irish hills and mountains'' in ''Irish Geography'', Vol 34(1), University of Ulster, Coleraine, p. 89.
↑ What is a "Mountain"? Mynydd Graig Goch and all that… Archived 30 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. at Metric Views. Accessed on 3 February 2013.
↑ "What is the Difference Between a Mountain and a Hill?". www.wisegeek.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
↑ "Blackstrap Provincial Park". Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 19 February 2011.


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Home Sentinel BIz Local Business Mechanic dances his way into a clean victory as Aurora garage owner...
Mom & Pop
Mechanic dances his way into a clean victory as Aurora garage owner and husband
AURORA |Between the dizzying spins, sensuous slinks and almost constant hip shimmies, salsa dancing can be provocative for those with some semblance of rhythm. At least, that's what Edgar Leon thinks.
"That's the type of dancing that gets you in trouble sometimes," he says with a bashful grin.
Nelson Garcia works on a brake inspection March 16 at Auto Pros. Owned by Edgar and Reneé Leon, Auto Pros LLC was named Small Business of the Year for 2014 by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.(Photo by Philip B. Poston/Aurora Sentinel)
But despite Leon's impish thoughts on the titillating power of salsa, the Latin dance has been anything but troublesome for the Aurora mechanic. It's how he met his wife and business partner, Reneé, in 1999.
"We met one night through dancing, and now here we are, 16 years later," Edgar said.
Well, make that 16 years, two daughters, one business, and now, one Aurora Chamber of Commerce award later.
The Leons are the owners of Auto Pros, an automotive repair shop on North Airport Boulevard in East Aurora that was recently named small business of the year for 2014 by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.
"To me, it's more of a validation of what we do," Edgar said of the award. "This award is more of 'hey you're doing a good job, just keep doing what you're doing.'"
Following years of Edgar working in garages throughout the metro area and doing side repairs for friends and family, the Leons opened Auto Pros in April 2013. And since turning out their first customer on April Fool's Day two years ago, the couple has steadily gained a customer base, added two more operating bays, and hired another mechanic — something that gave the formerly single-handed Edgar a much needed break.
But neither Edgar nor Reneé expected such robust growth, even with a customer base that is about 95 percent referrals, according to Reneé.
"We went with the stereotype thinking, 'it's going to take a year to get your feet under you, and then five years to be really solid,'" she said. "Well we haven't hit the five years yet, but in our first year we were on our own and stable."
Working on corporate vehicle fleets as well as recent approval to maintain cars and trucks owned by the city of Aurora have been major boons to business, according to Edgar.
There were just over 700,000 service technician and mechanic jobs in the U.S. in 2012, with another 60,000 expected to be added by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That expected 9 percent growth rate for automotive repair positions is just under the national average for all jobs through 2022.
A native of El Salvador, Edgar studied to become a mechanic in his home country through a relative financing his education, but he always detested the grimy nature of the work. Upon taking his trade to the U.S., he said he vowed to change the hackneyed cliché of the filthy, bilking repair shop.
"We want to change that stereotype that there is unfortunately in this industry," he said.
To achieve that, the Leon's have focused on cleanliness — and it shows. After moving into an adjacent garage attached to their original location last year, there's nary an oil stain on any of the floors below the shop's four bays. And Edgar's cuticles — surgically unsoiled and lacking any semblance of grease — follow suit.
"I didn't like how dirty you get in this industry, and I didn't want to have my fingers and nails all dirty all the time," Edgar said. "So I decided that I'm going to change all this, and I'm going to change the stereotypes of mechanics. And for us to get that award I think that means we are doing what it takes to change that."
Aurora residents for the past decade, the Leons said they appreciate their recent recognition from the Aurora Chamber, and already on the hunt for a third mechanic, are looking forward to furthering their impact both on the local economy and community.
"Unfortunately, because we are just a small shop right now, our impact is a smaller footprint, but it's setting the stage — it's presetting for when things can grow and we can do more," Reneé said.
aurora chamber of commerce award
auto pros
edgar leon
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Bridget Slaten
Great couple and a great business! Congrats to AutoPros! well deserved award!


A caricature of Jim Gibson's opponent Dina Titus fields questions about a check from Enron at a press conference.
In the cartoon, Enron is subtley analogized with the Emperor of the Dark Side.
Dina Titus goes in for the killing blow.
After haulting her attack on Enron in exchange for cash, Titus turns her fury to the more publicly hated Jar Jar Binks.


Mac users can finally get in on the fun of The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan today. Turbine has announced that the beta version of LOTRO's Mac client is now available for download.
You can download the LOTRO Mac beta client here.


DIY Life Hacks & Crafts : The post #101 How To Get Rid of Belly Fat appeared first on 1000 Life Hacks.
The post #101 How To Get Rid of Belly Fat appeared first on 1000 Life Hacks.
Diy Crafts Ideas : DIY idea: Floral gift presentation.


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http://www.ghananewsagency.org/
MMDAs must support to scale up CHPS - Regional Health Director
By Bertha Badu-Agyei, GNA
Koforidua, Feb 28, GNA - Dr Charity Sarpong, Eastern Regional Health Director, has appealed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to help scale up Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds within the region.
She said CHPS continued to provide critical interventions in accessing quality healthcare in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths, yet it lacked the necessary infrastructure to strengthen its operations and offer quality healthcare delivery.
Dr Sarpong said out of the 849 CHPS zone demarcated for the region, 614 were functional, but lacked infrastructure, adding that plans were advanced to ensure that, the remaining CHPS zones were functional by the close of 2017.
Addressing the regional annual health performance review meeting in Koforidua on the theme, "Strengthening Health Systems", Dr Sarpong said the Region recorded 104 maternal deaths out of 61,095 deliveries.
She said in order to reduce further maternal deaths, her outfit had set up a maternal and neonatal audit implementation and tracking committee, which collates all the audit reports and identified common trends and challenges to be used for decision making.
Dr Sarpong said, the Passion, Innovation, Commitment, Compassion and Accountability for Maternal and Neonatal Health (PICCAM) Strategy launched in 2015 to reduce maternal deaths and stillbirths, had also built the capacities of healthcare staff in the areas of life saving skills, use of pantographs, maternal and prenatal audits as well as emergency obstetric and neonatal care to be able to address complications and emergencies in maternal care.
She noted that whereas the regional health indicators improved in 2016, the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) indicators were not too good as they experienced occasional shortage of vaccines such as yellow fever and BCG resulting in low immunisation coverage in 2016.
Dr Lovelace Senaya, a retired Director of Health, said the CHPS concept was the flagship programme of the Ghana Health service (GHS) in providing healthcare to people in the communities and called for more attention and resources to the sub districts.
Source: GNA Story (http://www.ghananewsagency.org/health/mmdas-must-support-to-scale-up-chps-regional-health-director-113758)
© Ghana News Agency


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Q: queryLocator - Use date variable First off, I am not sure how to properly refer to this type of SOQL query. I am working on a batch process and this is the step where you build the query.
What I am having trouble with is putting in a variable that represents a date that is 60 days ago. Can someone tell me the proper way of doing this? Every time I try and execute this code I get an error related to the date variable.
global Database.QueryLocator start(Database.BatchableContext bc) {
        date d1 = system.today()-60;
        string ds1 = d1.format();

        return Database.getQueryLocator(
            'SELECT Account_Benefit__c, Account_ID__c, Employee__c, Employee__r.Latest_Term_or_Audit_Date__c, ' +
            'Grand_Total_Premium__c, Name ' +
            'FROM Employee_Benefit_Summary__c ' +
            'WHERE Employee__r.Account__r.Separated_EE_Auto_Zero_Benefits__c = TRUE ' +
            'AND Employee__r.Latest_Term_or_Audit_Date__c < ' + ds1 +
            'AND Grand_Total_Premium__c != 0'
        );
    }

A: Two options:

*

*Create an instance of Date, based on today, then subtract 60 days from that date. AddDays is a bit misleading, since you can add a negative number of days to the date.
Date.today().addDays(-60);

*Use the LAST_N_DAYS date literal. This can be used to select a period of time (via =), or a period before or after the given period of days (via < or >).
Latest_Term_or_Audit_Date__c < LAST_N_DAYS:60

Personally, I prefer LAST_N_DAYS, since you don't have to do any formatting, but you might need that date for something else.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Plugin for Leaflet to display markers along a route at equivalent distances.

## Example

[demo](http://adoroszlai.github.io/leaflet-distance-markers/)

```javascript
// use defaults
var line = L.polyline(coords);

// override defaults
var line = L.polyline(coords, {
	distanceMarkers: { showAll: 11, offset: 1600, cssClass: 'some-other-class' }
});

// show/hide markers on mouseover
var line = L.polyline(coords, {
	distanceMarkers: { lazy: true }
});
line.on('mouseover', line.addDistanceMarkers);
line.on('mouseout', line.removeDistanceMarkers);
map.fitBounds(line.getBounds());
map.addLayer(line);
```

## Options

 * **offset**: distance in meters between the markers (default: 1000 (= 1 km))
 * **showAll**: the zoom level at which all distance markers will be shown -- zooming out once from this level will remove approximately half of the markers (default: 12)
 * **lazy**: postpone adding the markers until Polyline.addDistanceMarkers is explicitly called (default: false)
 * **cssClass**: CSS class to set on marker icons

## Requirements

 * [Leaflet.GeometryUtil](https://github.com/makinacorpus/Leaflet.GeometryUtil)


Georgia's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program, as defined in the Rules of the Department of Community Health, Medical Assistance, Chapter 111-3-8, began May 3, 2006.
Important: No action to recover assets (including homes or property) will be taken while the member, member's spouse or qualified children are living in the home. Estates valued under $25,000 will not be subject to recovery.
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1993 requires states to develop and implement an estate recovery program.Georgia is one of the last states in the United States to implement an estate recovery program.
Members of any age who reside in a nursing facility, intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, or other medical institution.
Members who are age 55 or older and who receive nursing home or home and community-based services.
Individuals who apply for Medicaid and who may be subject to estate recovery will be advised of this program prior to determination as Medicaid eligible. Eligible members or their authorized representative will be asked to sign an acknowledgement form before receipt of Medicaid services.
Expenses incurred by Medicaid for any service provided in a long-term care facility or in the home, when provided as an alternative to institutionalization, will be subject to estate recovery. These services include nursing facility services, personal care services, home and community-based services, hospital services and prescription drug services.
The heirs may seek a hardship waiver from estate recovery if recovery of assets will show, through clear and convincing evidence, that such action subjects them to undue hardship.
For more information, contact Georgia's Medicaid Estate Recovery Office at 770-916-0328.
Because the office receives a large volume of inquires regarding Estate Recovery, questions or requests for information can also be sent by e-mail to GaEstateRecovery@dch.ga.gov. Inquiries sent by e-mail will be responded to in the order of receipt.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein shall not constitute legal advice but should be used for informational purposes only.


Finding a new pair of comfortable shoes can be challenging, since many companies rarely consider orthopedic support when designing for the latest trends. Find the freshest in trendy orthotic shoes from popular brands like New Balance, BearPaw and Klogs at Orthotic Shop. From hard to find wide widths to footwear designed for diabetics, we'll help you find new orthotic shoes in a fashion-forward style you'll love. Whether you're relaxing on a well-deserved vacation, or preparing to take to the track for your workout, make sure you'll look as great as they feel. Don't be forced to make the decision between comfortable shoes and trendy footwear when Orthotic Shop makes it easy to have both.
Spenco Brighton Women's Slide Orthotic Sandal. This style has your bases covered. The simplistic, yet classic upper pattern is accented by double buckle straps for the added adjustability. The contoured EVA footbed and molded +5mm midsole allow for the right amount of support, while balanced with the best possible cushioning. Like all Spenco® Footwear, the Total Support® Footbed gives an unmatched level of comfort and support.
Spenco Fusion 2 Dipped - Women's Recovery Sandal. Spenco's simplest, kick-on/kick-off sandal yet, the Fusion 2 is your go-to sandal for after workout recovery or just kicking around the house. Waterproof and antimicrobial to help reduce odor.
Spenco Hampton Suede Women's Comfort Sandal - Free Shipping. The hampton sandal is perfect in every way. Whether it's the soft patent pu leather upper strap- The full pu leather lining- or the ergonomic soft rounded toe post- this style will certainly make your summer wish list. The new and improved +10mm heel height is complimented by a simple yet classic rubber cup sole that is ideal for any summer occasion. Like all Spenco footwear- the total support footbed gives an unmatched level of comfort and support.
Spenco Oasis Slide - Women's Supportive Sandal. You see style and comfort, we see the Oasis Slide. Soft nubuck upper straps, self-adjusting toe loop, silky smooth suede footbed, and floral printed linings make this style an effortless choice. Like all Spenco® Footwear, the Total Support® Footbed gives an unmatched level of comfort and support.
Spenco Solstice Slide Women's Supportive Casual Shoe. This is not your standard Siesta Slide any more. We have gone to great lengths to evolve and improve an already successful and loved style. The new Solstice Slide has Spenco's proven +5mm heel height, giving greater cushion and support. While the upper is now made with a classic 10 oz. Sail Clothe Canvas, giving it the classic twist it needs. Like all Spenco® Footwear, the Total Support® Footbed gives an unmatched level of support and comfort.
Bearpaw Viola Women's Wedge Slide Sandal. Lighten up your warm weather style in this strappy T-bar sandal in faux leather and snake finishes. Cushioned EVA footbed and rubber wedge outsole delivers unique style and comfort in each step.
Bearpaw Noelle Women's Wedge Slide Sandal. Easy to wear twin straps faux leather slip-on sandal with cut-out detailing. Cushioned EVA footbed and rubber wedge outsole delivers unique style and comfort in each step.
Bearpaw Nadine Women's Strappy Comfort Sandal. Strappy, stylish, stunning. Soft faux leather features slip-on entry with adjustable hook and loop fastened instep and vamp straps for the perfect fit. Microsuede footbed on a cork wrapped midsole and sculpted TPR outsole.
Trotters Nella - Free Shipping. A little height from the flat form- lightweight bottom. Buttery soft leather wraps the foot in luxury. Unique stretch sling back strap adds stability. Our wonderful memory foam foot bed cradles the foot while providing super support all day long.
Whether you're preparing to take on the board room, or hitting the beach for a weekend getaway, find the latest in fashionable shoes at Orthotic Shop. Choose from a variety of hard-to-find sizes and widths from top brands like OluKai, Sanuk, and Vionic Orthaheel to find the perfect fit for your feet in styles you'll be proud to wear.
Our new arrivals section makes it easy to view the latest styles, as we carry trendy orthotic shoes for both men and women. Feel the difference that orthopedic shoes can make without being forced to sacrifice fashion. Working with the industry's leading manufacturers, we're constantly updating our catalogue with the latest in new orthotics so you can find a pair of comfortable shoes to replace or update your aging footwear. If you're looking for the latest in orthopedic technology, Orthotic Shop is where you'll find it.


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Tag: CBCA shortlist
2018 CBCA Shortlisted Early Childhood Books #2: Boy, I'm Australian Too & Rodney Loses It
Since the CBCA shortlist was announced I have been blogging about the 2018 shortlisted books and am now concluding with the Early Childhood books (in two parts). You may find some of the ideas across the posts helpful for Book Week this month.
Boy by Phil Cummings, illustrated by Shane Devries (Scholastic Australia)
Boy is a morality tale about conflict and misunderstanding; understanding & communicating. It covers issues of deforestation, fighting and living in harmony and peace.
The trees on the mountain are destroyed by a powerful dragon, which illustratively evolves from threatening to cute during the tale.
People are blaming others and fighting. Boy can't hear the fighting but perhaps he can understand the situation better than anyone because of his hearing loss.
Might the boy be unnamed because the book is aimed at all boys or for all children?
The digital illustrations are an unusual colour palette of mauve, brown and blue tones.
The endpapers could be copied and used for the card game 'Happy Families'.
The cover is tactile, with the word 'BOY' written in sand. Boy communicates by drawing pictures in sand. Children could write an important question in the sand (sandpit or sandtray) e.g. 'Why are you fighting?' alongside a picture.
Children could further develop awareness and affirmation of the hearing impaired. This could include learning some Auslan and also saying 'Thank you' 'with dancing hands' like Boy does.
I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh (Scholastic)
Children could look at the endpapers to see how the children at the start become adults by the end. They could draw themselves as a child and then as an adult, imagining a possible future.
Onset and rime in the rhyming text include 'day/stay' 'small/all' 'yet/vet' 'far/star' and 'strife/life' (others are more difficult for very young children).
Many countries are represented in the book e.g. Syria, China, Afghanistan and Italy.
The refrain, 'How about you?' could be answered by readers and they could also suggest which countries are not represented; which Australian capital cities and other places are mentioned and what are some missing Australian places?
Children could show or make flags for countries represented by students in the class or school.
The story settles into a rhythmic security to precede a chilling page:
Sadly, I'm a refugee –
I'm not Australian yet.
But if your country lets me in,
I'd love to be a vet.
Australia's refugee situation is political, and far more complex that this, but I'm Australian Too will no doubt influence children's attitudes towards refugees.
Rodney Loses It! by Michael Gerard Bauer, illustrated by Chrissie Krebs (Omnibus Books)
The title has a double meaning and the book is humorous in words and pictures.
It's unusual that readers are able to see the missing pen and other objects, a mark of slapstick. Rodney Loses It! is slapstick in book form.
The illustrative style is cartoon-like; lively, bright and shows active body language.
The writing shows good word choice and maintains a successful rhythm.
Children could compare the endpapers, which are different.
Rodney loves drawing but loses his favourite pen, Penny.
The illustrations show the pen and other missing items.
The message or moral is that we can love doing things but not get around to them because of distractions.
In the story, Rodney could have used other colours but he was fixated on one pen and one colour so he missed out on doing what he loved.
Children could draw pictures like Rodney's or make Rodney using play dough and LED lights for his eyes or pen.
ABC Science: The Surfing Scientist
Posted on August 12, 2018 Author Joy LawnCategories Book News, Book Reviews - Childrens and Young Adult, Joy LawnTags #ByAustralianBuyAustralian, Book Week, boy, CBCA shortlist, children's picture books, I'm Australian Too, Joy Lawn, Rodney Loses It!
War and the CBCA 2016 Shortlisted Picture Books
War is a recurring theme in the 2016 CBCA shortlisted books and dominates the picture book category.
Ride Ricardo Ride by Phil Cummings, illustrated by Shane Devries (Omnibus Books, Scholastic Australia) has an Italian war setting, where the soldiers are portrayed as menacing shadows. It particularly looks at the relationship between Ricardo and his father, who work together on Ricardo's bike (a major symbol in the book).
The illustrations include panels superimposed over larger digital paintings and strategic cropping of heads, and it looks to be influenced by the artwork of John Brack.
Suri's Wall by Lucy Estela, illustrated by Matt Ottley (Penguin Random House) has the inevitable sorry pairing of war and refugees.
Suri is treated with suspicion by the other children who live with her behind the wall because she is tall. But her height enables her to look over the wall to see the devastation beyond. However, she tells them tales of very different settings inspired by imagination and beauty. Themes include occupation, difference, imagination, resilience, compassion and hope. Books with similar issues and themes are The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis, The Wall by William Sutcliffe and The Kites are Flying by Michael Morpurgo.
Flight by Nadia Wheatley, illustrated by Armin Greder (Windy Hollow Books) has already been shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary awards – the Patricia Wrightson prize. It begins with a small family fleeing into the desert to escape persecution, which parallels the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus fleeing to Egypt. It shows how "an ancient story becomes a fable for our times". The merging of the Biblical story with a contemporary refugee tale has been more than seven years in the making with prominent author Nadia Wheatley (My Place, Papunya) writing many drafts.
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Bruce Whatley & Eric Bogle (Allen & Unwin) is a confronting anti war cry. It is a ballad as a protest song – and is not for young readers. It's about Gallipoli, although written in response to the Vietnam War. It is structured around the Eric Bogle song, as well as Waltzing Matilda.
The illustrations could be compared with Whatley's illustrations for Jackie French's The Beach they Called Gallipoli (digitally manipulated photos & pen in watercolour and acrylic collages). Here the illustrations feature searing line drawings, allusive blood splotches and are dominated by the narrator soldier's direct gaze.
One Step at a Time by Jane Jolly (who wrote Tea and Sugar Christmas), illustrated by Sally Heinrich (Midnight Sun Publishing), explores the repercussions of land mines in Burma. The illustrations are reproductions of hand coloured lino prints. Panelling (panel strips) and movement lines are used effectively across the cover and elsewhere. Repeated motifs of elephants and other symbols make decorative borders but the underlying issue in this book is not pretty.
My Dead Bunny by Sigi Cohen, illustrated by James Foley (Walker Books) is not a war story in the conventional sense, although it is raising heated views. It is a zombie rabbit tale, told with over the top humour and rhyming couplets: "I poked at Bradley with a stick – his fur was muddy, damp and thick, and in his final resting place, the worms had tried to eat his face". The illustrations are in digital comic style using a predominately black and white colour scheme with sparing touches of lime and orange.
Posted on June 3, 2016 Author Joy LawnCategories Book News, Book Reviews - Childrens and Young Adult, Joy LawnTags #ByAustralianBuyAustralian, CBCA, CBCA shortlist, Picture Books, war
YA at the SWF: Vikki Wakefield and the Best and Worst Years of our Lives
Last week I spent three days with four top YA writers at the Sydney Writers Festival. We travelled from Roslyn Packer Theatre at the Wharf in the city, to Parramatta Riverside Theatre and our third day was at the Chatswood Concourse. These enormous venues were filled with secondary students from schools in Sydney and further afield.
Our two international author guests were John Boyne (Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Boy at the Top of the Mountain) and Michael Grant (Gone, Front Lines) and one of our Australian authors was Claire Zorn whose publication of her new novel One Would Think the Deep was rushed forward in time for the SWF.
Our other Australian writer was Vikki Wakefield.
Vikki Wakefield spoke about how being a teenager can be the best – or worst – years of our life. Vikki spoke honestly and vulnerably about once being voted the girl least likely to succeed, failing high school but learning to discover the extraordinary in life.
She lives in the Adelaide Hills and loved horses when she was growing up. She has written some short film scripts and does party tricks, one of which she demonstrated on stage after a request by the audience.
Her novels are mainly for mature YA readers.
Her first two YA novels All I Ever Wanted and Friday Brown have won awards and Friday Brown was shortlisted for the prestigious Prime Minister's Award and CBCA award.
One girl in the audience declared that Friday Brown changed her life.
I think that Vikki must be nocturnal and I'm guessing that she always refused to go to the movies at the cinema and would go to the drive-in instead. Drive-ins feature in Vikki's latest novel Inbetween Days.
Vikki sets this novel in an Australian town, with the thought provoking name of 'Mobius'.
The main character is 17 year old Jack (nickname for Jacklin) who's left school and her life seems pretty meaningless but she hopes for a better future.
Jack tries to keep her secret relationship with Luke alive. But she really wants to be loved both privately and openly.
Jeremiah seems to offer love but can he cope with Jack?
Vikki creates Jack as being vulnerable yet tough, knowing yet naïve.
Can Jack summon enough self-esteem, resilience and drive to turn her life around?
Vikki's writing has an understated tone and style that seems particularly Australian. Her characters act like young Australians do and incidents occur realistically, such as the events in the derelict drive-in theatre and in the nearby forest, which are surprising without hyperbole.
Inbetween Days (Text Publishing) has just been shortlisted for the CBCA awards. Congratulations to Vikki for her vulnerable writing and authentic characters.
Posted on May 25, 2016 Author Joy LawnCategories Book News, Book Reviews - Childrens and Young Adult, Joy LawnTags #ByAustralianBuyAustralian, All I Ever Wanted, Australian YA, CBCA shortlist, Friday Brown, Inbetween Days, SWF, vikki wakefield
Children's Book of the Year
It is the time to celebrate the CBCA Books of the Year: a plethora of excellent books. No one will be be surprised that Shaun Tan's inimitable Rules of Summer has won Picture Book of the Year. From a visual literacy perspective, it excels in composition – what is put where and how distance and depth is created; salience – what is most prominent on the page; juxtaposition – contrasting elements such as light and dark and texture; and symbolism. Congratulations to Bob Graham and Nick Bland for their Honour awards in this category. Graham's Silver Buttons was always a contender with its consummate celebration of the 'everyday' and Bland's award for King Pig, a fable about selfishness, power and redemption, also reflects his enormous popularity. Such a shame that Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood's peerless The Treasure Box wasn't recognised, and Danny Parker and Matt Ottley's brilliant Parachute may have fared better in Early Childhood.
The judges got the awards in the Early Childhood category absolutely right. The Swap by Jan Ormerod and Andrew Joyner uses subtle humour and retro illustrations to look at sibling jealousy and love. I'm a Dirty Dinosaur is a rhythmic swamp romp by Janeen Brian, illustrated with pencils and mud by Ann James. Banjo and Ruby Red is a tale of farmyard friendship by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood.
Book of the Year: Younger Readers is an unusual shortlist, particularly because only five of six possible books were shortlisted so a fine book for this important primary age-group was omitted. Catherine Jinks, a well-regarded writer, won the category with her Victorian gothic, A Very Unusual Pursuit. No surprises that the award-scooping My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg is an Honour book but less expected is Dianne Wolfer and Brian Simmonds' Light Horse Boy, which many would have shortlisted in the factual Eve Pownall category. It is disappointing not to see Julie Hunt's Song for a Scarlet Runner receive an Honour but it has been acclaimed in other awards.
Some of my personal favourites missed out in the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, particularly the well designed, Meet … Captain Cook by Rae Murdie and Chris Nixon but due regard to winners Christopher Faille and Danny Snell for Jeremy, which explains the life of a kookaburra at a perfect level for very young readers and Honour recipients Peter Gouldthorpe for Ice, Wind, Rock, which tells the important story of Mawson, and the commendable Welcome to My Country by Laklak Burrarrwanga and family, which has also been acknowledged in an outstanding new YA novel, Nona and Me by Clare Atkins.
Wildlife by Fiona Wood is a completely deserving winner of the Older Readers category and Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near and The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn are meritorious Honour awardees.
(See my previous posts on Older Readers and Eve Pownall)
Posted on August 19, 2014 May 6, 2016 Author Joy LawnCategories Book News, Book Reviews - Childrens and Young Adult, Joy LawnTags A Very Unusual Pursuit, Book of the Year, CBCA, CBCA shortlist, I'm a dirty Dinosaur, Jeremy, Nona and Me, Parachute, Rules of Summer, The Sky So Heavy, The Swap, Welcome to My Country, Wildlife


LOCKPORT – Oscar Lawton Wilkerson earned the chance to train as a military pilot during World War II, a rarity for black men in those days.
Wilkerson, 88, also known as "Wilk," didn't join his Tuskegee Airmen comrades in combat when he finally earned his wings. Those pilots would become legends for their wartime accomplishments, disproving prejudices about black men in the military.
But Wilkerson experienced the same limitations imposed on those pilots during the war and after it. He shared those experiences Thursday with the Lockport Rotary Club.
He was there with Gary Niehaus, chairman of the Lockport Veterans Commission, who also told the Rotarians of a veterans golf outing this September.
"I'm not here planning to be the guy who made the legend; I'm trying to help perpetuate it," Wilkerson said.
The Markham resident dreamed of flying at the age of 12 when he lived in Chicago Heights. The dream became a reality when Wilkerson graduated from high school in 1944 and joined the U.S. Army Air Force. He trained in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Wilkerson earned his wings soon after, but never got to fight because World War II ended. He wasn't disappointed. He just wanted to fly.
Wilkerson showed a documentary film produced and directed by Jeff Fisher and Cory Hooper to the Lockport Rotarians that detailed the lives and struggles of the Tuskegee Airmen during the war.
The film showed how the Tuskegee Airmen helped to prove that black people could perform any duty in the military. They became the catalyst for integration of the armed services.
"Before there was a civil rights movement, the Tuskegee Airmen were the civil rights movement," said Ken Rapier, Chicago "Dodo" Chapter member, in the film.
However, many after the war – including Wilkerson – wanted to work as commercial airline pilots, but couldn't because of rampant prejudices against black people at the time. Wilkerson would go on to work as a bus driver, insurance salesman and with NBC radio in Chicago.
After Wilkerson spoke with the Rotarians, Niehaus discussed the third annual veterans golf outing at 9 a.m. Sept. 5 at the Woodbine Golf Club in Homer Glen. The event honors veterans and is free to all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are at least 21 years old.


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NYC cleared to check for high-salt menu warnings
By Peter Romeo on May 27, 2016
A court has cleared the way for New York City health officials to start fining local chain restaurants $200 for failing to flag high-sodium items on their menus with a warning icon.
Enforcement of the nation's first salt-warning requirement had been blocked by an appellate court in February after a legal challenge was filed by the National Restaurant Association.
The association told local media that it intends to appeal yesterday's reversal of the court's initial decision. Enforcement of the salt-labeling requirement is set to begin on June 6.
The mandate applies to local branches of chains with at least 15 units nationwide. The warning icon, a salt shaker, is required for any menu option that packs more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium, or what the Food & Drug Administration recommends as the maximum daily intake for an adult.
The NRA has argued that the measure is illegal because it was imposed by the local board of health rather than passed by any legislative body. It has also blasted the measure as arbitrary since it applies only to chain restaurants.
Although the requirement applies only to restaurants within New York City's five boroughs, operators elsewhere have expressed concern that other areas may follow the city's lead. New York was the first jurisdiction to ban trans fats and mandate menu labeling, measures which have been copied by municipalities and counties across the continent. Menu labeling will become a federal requirement sometime next year.


Fun, friendly, freestyle dance classes!
Come join our thriving dance school as we expand our Selby branch!
We are delighted to be offering classes on Saturday mornings at the Bubwith Sports and Leisure Centre.
Please visit our website to find out more about our school and see what we offer!
Contact Hayley for further information, to register your interest or sign up!
Interested in adult classes? Please let us know!


This post is part of our Future of Business series where we interview the leading founders and executives on the front lines of their industry to get a better understanding of what problems the industry is facing, what trends are taking place, and what the future looks like.
1.) What's the history of Gridscale? Where and how did you begin?
During the last 15 years we, the founders Michael, Torsten and myself gathered a lot of experience in the hosting and cloud market working at other cloud providers. In 2014, it became apparent to us how complex and complicated most cloud products were from a user perspective, let alone the pricing models. They were far away from being transparent and are hard to understand. Our partners, customers and employees enjoyed using these products less every single day, mostly driven by their non-intuitive interfaces. We felt the urge to enable users to use Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) without having to make a diploma beforehand!
We realized that the positive development of the IaaS and PaaS (platform services) market would be a great chance to make our vision of an easy-to-use, intuitive, highly available and flexible cloud service become reality. We then founded gridscale (www.gridscale.io) in September 2014 and built an architecture that combined all the features users were looking for. gridscale went live in late 2015. We managed to develop a solution that is now able to offer the best performance at the best price in the market with the ease-of-use and flexibility users were looking for.
2.) What specific problem does gridscale solve? Who are you solving it for?
We are fortunate that we solve a number of problems with gridscale, many of which we already talked about. However, in the last year, we went a step further. We did not only look at what problems we could solve for users, but also resellers and agencies. Here we found that there was no cloud computing solution that could offer the management of multiple tenants in one solution, also with respect to the setup of individual prices and features or central billing for their customers. You have to imagine that e.g. agencies who deliver web projects for their customers go through a lot of pain. They are faced with a large number of infrastructure contracts with different contract durations, often with limited flexibility when it comes to resource scaling, a jumble of access rights, and so on. In other words – it's a mess!
3.) What is your solution to their problem?
With gridscale, you can combine exactly the resources, such as CPU cores, RAM and SSD storage, that you need and pay per minute – no more being bound to predefined packages! Beside offering our intuitive core product, we developed what we call "partner panel" for resellers and agencies. The partner panel allows the management of customers in a central place. These partners can now determine the prices and features for their customers and also benefit from high-end features such as private MPLS. The solution also enables our partners to appear as the IaaS provider themselves as they are able to benefit from our white label solution. This is especially of interest to system houses who are not only the IT-consultants for companies but also offer their own software and hardware solutions. State-of-the-art technology solutions such as gridscale not only help them to protect and grow their business by offering modern IT solutions, but also create brand awareness.
4.) How big of an opportunity is this?
The market growth in this space is significant. The global IaaS market was estimated at $16bn for 2015, which doesn't even include the PaaS market. In Europe, the market was estimated at €2bn at the same time with a CAGR of 30%. Despite the large players, such as AWS or Azure, the market is very fragmented, hence new players with the right value proposition have great growth potential.
5.) What's the future of cloud computing?
More and more companies are discovering that cloud computing provides IT departments with much more flexibility and autonomy. IT departments will no longer be dependent on other internal departments, e.g. to get IT resources for a new project. This leads to a tremendous acceleration of development processes and to a much higher innovative power of companies. It will not be as painful anymore as it is today for companies to simply try something new and stop the project in case of failure or dislike. Overall, we will experience much greater agility of IT.
Along with this, however, we will also encounter security gaps and problematic handling of personal data more frequently. High agility and the high development speed has the downside that the quality of the development may suffer. The increasing number of development frameworks lead to developers delivering excellent results within a specific framework, but at the same time no longer understanding the full stack (including the system environment). However, the system environment is very important for a developed application to run safely.
Hence, technologies such as container virtualization (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes, Nomad, etc.) are increasingly being used, right up to the serverless environment. These approaches to infrastructure promise a solution to the security-critical system environments.
6.) What are the top tech trends you're seeing in cloud computing?