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Itching to Fix Eczema? Tips on How Sufferers Can Ditch the Itch

Posted Oct 02 2010 3:05am
Guest Post by Geoff Graham of Grahams Natural Alternatives

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition with symptoms that include dry, itching and reddened skin patches. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed. Traditional treatment options include emollients (moisturisers), topical steroids (medicated creams) and oral antihistamines.

Most people with eczema find that their symptoms are worsened by common aspects of daily living, such as weather, household chemicals and stress. The following suggestions may help you to better manage your eczema and reduce the incidence of flare-ups.

Symptoms of eczema

• Moderate-to-severely itching skin (this symptom separates eczema from other skin rashes)
• Recurring rash -- dry, red, patchy or cracked skin. (In infants and toddlers, the rash usually appears on the face, elbows or knees. In older children and adults, the rash appears less often on the face, and more commonly on the hands, neck, inner elbows, backs of the knees and ankles.)
• Skin weeping watery fluid
• Rough, “leathery,” thick skin

Reduce skin irritation

People with eczema have hypersensitive skin. Irritants like heat or detergents can easily trigger a bout of eczema. Suggestions include
• Avoid overheating the skin; for example, wear several layers of clothing that you can remove instead of one heavy layer, and don’t put too many blankets on your bed. Avoid duvets.
• Don’t use perfumed bubble bath or ‘medicated’ bath products.
• Do not wash your hair in the bath.
• Wear soft, smooth materials next to your skin, preferably 100 per cent cotton. Avoid scratchy materials like pure wool, polyester or acrylic. You could try a cotton and synthetic mix material -- this is fine for some people with eczema. Remove labels from clothing.
• Some laundry detergents or fabric conditioners can lead to skin irritation. Rinse clothes thoroughly after washing.
• Always wear protective gloves when using any type of chemical or detergent. You might want to use cotton gloves inside the rubber or PVC gloves.
• Avoid chlorinated pools. If you really want to swim in a chlorinated pool, slather your skin beforehand with an oil-based product to protect the skin.

Be careful with all skin products

Suggestions include
• Remember that even hypoallergenic cosmetics can irritate your skin. Whenever possible, keep your face free of make-up.
• Avoid perfumes, fragranced skin lotions and strongly scented shampoos.
• When using a new cosmetic, try testing it first on a small, inconspicuous area of skin like your forearm. If you experience a reaction, don’t use the product at all.

Avoid allergens whenever possible

In some cases, eczema is thought to be an allergic reaction to environmental triggers. Some people with resistant eczema find it helpful to reduce exposure to a wide range of known allergens including
• House dust mites
• Moulds
• Grass pollens

In other cases, some people have received great results from desensitizing their bodies from these known allergens.

Kids and eczema

Eczema affects all ages. It usually appears in early childhood (in babies between two-to-six months of age) and disappears around six years of age. In fact, more than half of all eczema sufferers show signs within their first 12 months of life and 20 per cent of people develop eczema before the age of five.

Most children grow out of the condition, but a small percentage may experience severe eczema into adulthood. The condition can not only affect the individual sufferer, but also their family and friends.

General suggestions

Other tips to manage your eczema include
• Keep your fingernails short -- longer nails are more likely to injure your skin when you scratch.
• A well-ventilated house reduces the risk of mould and damp.
• If the water in your area is ‘hard’ (full of minerals) or alkaline, consider installing a water-softening device.
• Have a regular swim in the sea in warm weather whenever you can -- seawater is known to reduce the symptoms of eczema.
• Limited sun exposure -- for example, when swimming at the beach -- can help relieve eczema symptoms. However, sun exposure causes overheating, and it can also aggravate eczema, so don’t overdo it.

Eczema is not an easy condition to live with, whether it be yourself or a loved one. But there are more and more natural remedies and treatments available on the market for you to try. We don’t always have to use conventional drugs that may have nasty side effects to get results. In fact, using simple, old fashioned remedies from your grandma’s cupboard may just be the answer. However, keep in mind that every single case of eczema from person to person is different and what works for one may not work for the next. You may need to try a few products before you find the one that works for you!

Until next time... take care of your skin!
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Weather Forecast

Three waves of severe thunderstorms batter F-M area

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Three waves of severe thunderstorms batter F-M area
Fargo North Dakota 101 5th Street North 58102

UPDATED: 10:45 a.m.

Three waves of severe thunderstorms pummeled parts of eastern North Dakota, including the Fargo-Moorhead area, overnight, and authorities are just now getting into the field to assess damages.

"We're still looking," said Mark Ewens, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.

Ewens said when storms like this happen overnight, it's hard to know how much damage might have occurred until the morning when people get up and can look around.

Reports of a tornado touching down in Cass County's Reile's Acres last night turned out not to be true, said Jim Thoreson, Cass County Sheriff's Office chief deputy.

Thoreson said there were no damage reports there or in North River, where another tornado was reported.

Power outages were reported in Tower City and Buffalo. An arcing wire caused by a fallen tree branch was reported in Casselton, he said.

"We really were pretty darn lucky with three storms like that," Thoreson said.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation reported wind gusts of 67 mph around 4:40 a.m. near Buffalo in western Cass County.

Ewens said they also plan to check out possible wind damage in the Dazey area of Barnes County.

A woman who answered the phone in the Barnes County Sheriff's Office said they had not yet heard any official reports of damage in the county.

Additionally, National Weather Service meteorologist Len Peterson said it was not immediately known whether it was a tornado that destroyed a barn in the Balfour area in McHenry County.

Elsewhere in North Dakota, there were reports of baseball-size hail in Saw-yer and major street flooding in Drake. In Munich, wind gusting up to an estimated 80 mph uprooted trees 2 feet in diameter.

Weather Service officials in Bismarck and Grand Forks said they had no immediate reports of injuries.

A house at 404 4th Ave. N.W. in Dilworth was hit by lightning last night.

It smoked a little bit but with the heavy rain, did not catch fire, said Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist.

The lightning blew some holes in the roof, which had to be covered with tarp, he said.

The Weather Service estimates about an inch and a half of rain had fallen so far in Cass County as of about 8:30 a.m.

Ewens said this storm moved through the area in three waves: between 1 and 1:30 a.m., between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. and again between 6:30 and 7 a.m.

Emergency sirens woke many in the F-M area during the first wave of activity, warning of possible tornadoes. Rain, thunder, lightning and strong winds have continued, and the area is still under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

We're not out of the woods yet, either. There's still a thunderstorm threat for later today, Ewens said.


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Softball: Monday's Game Postponed Due to Weather

Monday, March 18, 2013

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College softball's home double header against Mt. Aloyisius scheduled for Monday at 3:30 p.m. has been postponed due to inclement weather.

The make-up date has yet to be determined.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Westminster is a top-tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 377 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.


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Will the proposed Jefferson Parkway toll road take Colorado commuters for a ride?

Golden mayor Jacob Smith
Mark Manger

For photos from Jared Jacang Maher's driving tour of Denver beltway, go to Read more on developing the Rocky Flats here.

Jefferson County has a bold vision for how to brand itself as a leader in the new green economy. Officials talk about smart development, open space, multi-modal transportation, renewable energy and progressive technology that will lessen our country's dependence on fossil fuels. So what's Jeffco's solution?

Another highway.

Not just any highway, either. The proposed $813 million Jefferson Parkway will be a high-speed tollway stretching some fourteen miles through the last undeveloped quadrant in the metro region. Boosters — Broomfield and Arvada primary among them — see the road as a catalyst for massive building growth in the area, potentially dumping billions into the local economy through high-end commercial and office development.

The Jefferson Parkway would also realize a long-sought dream: the completion of Denver's beltway. The first section of the highway that circles the city was laid down in southern Jefferson County more than twenty years ago, and the road has since crept piece by piece around the outskirts of Denver, leaving just one last section empty. But while the rest of the beltway plowed over open farmland and prairie, this section, between Highway 36 and I-70, holds three major geographic obstacles: the 6,000-acre Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, North and South Table Mountains and, most important, the city of Golden.

"Golden's contention from the beginning is that this has always been about development, not about transportation," says Jacob Smith, who was elected mayor in 2007; a major plank in his platform was fighting the beltway's incursion into Golden. The 19,000-resident town sits in a valley, and the most practical route for the road would be on top of Highway 6, just three-quarters of a mile from the historic downtown and a dozen or so yards from housing developments that would be cut off from the rest of Golden. A few years ago, Golden officials funded a study that suggested beltway enthusiasts could instead put their road in a tunnel under a portion of the town — at a cost of $200 million.

Proponents of the Jefferson Parkway balked at that, but they didn't give up on the idea of building the beltway. Their current plans have the road curling south from Broomfield, swooping over to Highway 93 and stopping right at the Golden city limits. It's like a traffic-loaded shotgun aimed right down Golden's throat — and a foreign company could very well have its finger on the trigger.

The message: There's the hard way, and then there's the beltway.

The battle of the beltway started in the early 1970s, when regional officials and environmentalists first faced off on plans to build a federally funded freeway ring around Denver called Interstate 470. Richard Lamm, who was elected governor in 1974, slammed the brakes on the project, arguing that it was an invitation for sprawl.

"I believed very passionately back in 1976 that I-470 was an institution out of the past, that we were already in an oil crisis, that it was inevitable that we would have continuing oil crises, and that for environmental purposes, the city of the future should be built around mass transit," says Lamm, who famously vowed to drive a "silver stake" through the heart of the proposed project.

Ultimately, only one portion of the hundred-mile beltway — Colorado Highway 470, which connected Interstate 70 to Interstate 25 — would survive as a wholly public link; it opened in 1985. But by then, beltway supporters were already working to create a new tool so they could build highways without having to resort to state or federal funding. And in 1987, the Colorado Legislature passed a law allowing local governments to form public highway authorities, pseudo-public entities that could condemn land, issue bonds and build roads — either by toll or by creating special taxing districts.

The next year, Extension-470 was born. Cities and counties in the southeast suburbs were able to convince voters to pass a $10-per-year vehicle registration fee that, along with tolls, would fund the twelve-year expansion of the E-470 tollway from its birthplace at the edge of C-470 near the soon-to-be town of Lone Tree, past what would become Denver International Airport, and on to the distant north end of I-25 in Broomfield.

The same strategy didn't work for a northwest link, though. The Western-470 Authority, comprising nine northwest cities and counties, wanted to complete the beltway around metro Denver — but in 1989, voters in Jefferson, Boulder and Adams counties shot down a vehicle registration tax proposal by a 4 to 1 margin.

Arvada City Councilwoman Lorraine Anderson was on the task force that helped create E-470 and was a key promoter of W-470. "In the west side of town, the citizens weren't as generous with tax support as the east side of Denver," she laments. "Back then, we were hoping we could complete it the same time as E-470."

With the rejection of that first W-470 funding plan, the opposition became even more organized. Smart-growth advocates cited the Highlands Ranch-style sprawl that the beltway had engendered to the south. Golden, which had always been lukewarm on the project, now shifted its stance to outright resistance — in marked contrast to Arvada's solid support for the beltway.

By the mid-'90s, Jeffco was at a stalemate. "You can call it W-470, the Northwest Parkway or Fluffy the Cat," then-Wheat Ridge city councilman Vance Edwards told then-Jefferson County Commissioner Michelle Lawrence in 1997 ("Blacktop Jungle," June 19, 1997). "But it just doesn't seem to die. Just when you think it's finally dead, it pops up again."

"Well," replied Lawrence curtly. "Fluffy has nine lives."

Fluffy got new life in 1999, when Broomfield (which became a county in 2001), Lafayette and Weld County spun off and created their own highway authority to build a section of the beltway from I-25 to Highway 36. The Northwest Parkway opened in 2003, funded through the sale of $416 million in bonds to investors hoping for a quick return. But once cars started hitting the pavement, it quickly became apparent that traffic projections for the toll road were wildly optimistic.

In a 2001 traffic forecast, transportation consultant Vollmer Associates had estimated that the Northwest Parkway would host more than 30,000 cars a day in 2004 and pull in $12 million in fees. In reality, the toll road's opening year saw about 7,500 vehicles a day, resulting in a puny $6.3 million take that year. Then-Northwest Parkway director Steve Hogan blamed the shortfall on everything from 9/11 to a slowdown in residential development. But naysayers argued that the parkway was a misconceived project from the outset, fashioned more for the highway and real-estate industries than the needs of actual drivers.

The Northwest Parkway Highway Authority tried everything from increasing tolls to advertising the road through radio and direct mail in hopes of raising traffic stats and income — but in 2006, the parkway still earned $10 million less than had been projected. After an attempt to restructure the debt fell through and the parkway's bonds had officially fallen to "junk" status, Hogan decided the only way to escape default was to put the toll road up for lease.

Portuguese tolled-motorway operator Brisa Auto-Estradas teamed up with Brazil's Companhia de Concessoes Rodoviarias to bail out the Northwest Parkway authority. Their $503 million investment paid off the debt and earned them the right to operate a small stretch of highway in the middle of the United States — and collect tolls on that road for the next 99 years.

But they hope the stretch won't stay small for long. To maximize their profit potential, Brisa and the Brazilian company built into the deal $100 million in incentives for the Northwest Parkway authority to push the completion of the beltway to Highway 93. A $40 million sweetener will go to Broomfield if the beltway extension is completed by 2020. If it is, Brisa will pay another $60 million toward the cost of building the beltway right up to Golden.

Back in 2001, Jefferson County and local municipalities commissioned engineering firm CH2M Hill to examine the best ways to improve transportation in the "Northwest Quadrant" of the metro area. The resulting report determined that improving arterial roads, particularly Highway 93 and Indiana Street, was the best way to handle traffic in the area — not building a freeway. But the next year, then-CDOT chief Tom Norton gave Fluffy yet another life when he authorized an Environmental Impact Statement to determine the best way to complete the beltway around Denver.

Golden officials viewed this process as biased from the outset. "By the way that they framed the question, they came out with a preordained answer," says land-use attorney John Putnam, who represents the town. "If the question is how do you move people as quickly from point A to point B, it's kind of a no-brainer to say you build a major freeway-type facility. What they ignored was an analysis of where people are really trying to go, where is the congestion and what's the best way to deal with the congestion."

Various Jeffco entities started funding highway feasibility studies, counter studies and counter-counter studies that ate up tens of millions of dollars and involved dozens of consultants and attorneys.

The state's EIS study continued until early 208, sucking up $15 million before new CDOT director Russ George, who'd been appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, determined that there was no money in the state transportation budget to complete the EIS and find consensus, let alone fund the beltway. In July, the study was canceled and the work done thus far released in a truncated "planning document."

But already in May, Broomfield had banded together with Jefferson County and Arvada to form the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority, with the goal of pushing the beltway to just outside Golden. Each jurisdiction contributed $100,000 and one member to the three-member JPPHA board: Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCasky, who's serving as the chairman; Arvada mayor Bob Frie; and Broomfield mayor Patrick Quinn.

The JPPHA's website invokes Ritter's Blue Ribbon transportation panel in noting how Colorado's transportation system faces a "quiet crisis." Since its gasoline-tax revenue has eroded to less than a third of what it was a decade ago, "the state faces an estimated $53 billion shortfall between now and 2035 just to maintain the existing state road system in its present condition," says the website. In this environment, new projects like the Jefferson Parkway would be roadkill were it not for the types of "public-private partnerships" and other "creative" financing options that Ritter slipped into his State of the State speech earlier this month.

"It was exceedingly clear that there was no money for any improvements in that area until after 2035," says Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman. "That's 28 years from now. There just isn't any money. The only reasonably viable funding source is a private partner that would be willing to do this under a toll road situation."

The JPPHA hired two firms, PB Americas and Stantec, to manage the Jefferson Parkway project; they were consultants on both E-470 and the Northwest Parkway. But while those highways were built with public bonds, the plan for this venture is to find a "private partner" willing to fund the entire infrastructure investment in exchange for a long-term lease to operate the Jefferson Parkway and collect tolls along the way.

While Bill Ray, deputy city manager of Arvada and JPPHA's interim director, says the authority hasn't gotten any formal queries from companies looking to build the toll road, there's definitely interest. "I certainly have a lot of people who hand me their business cards and say, 'When you guys get ready to do something, if you can give me a call, I'd appreciate it,'" he says.

The JPPHA has heard from several mega-investment consortiums in Europe, South America and Australia, and hopes to enter into formal discussions with interested parties this month; boardmembers are currently working to secure the preliminary approvals from local, state and federal transportation authorities that will allow them to seek proposals from investors. At that point, the JPPHA will get into detailed contract negotiations with would-be operators. Right now, the leading contender looks to be Brisa Auto-Estradas.

Broomfield has already earned heavy criticism for its $40 million incentive package from Brisa to push for the beltway's completion. "There is scrutiny on this board that is going to continue until the very end," Quinn told his fellow boardmembers at a December meeting. "We have Golden, that is going to watch everything we do."

McCasky is careful to point out that the JPPHA's mission is simply to link the Northwest Parkway with Highway 93 — not to build a road through Golden. Completing the arterial is critical for transportation in the region, he says, as well as "critical to the economic competitiveness of the county." He cites a 2007 study by the Jefferson Economic Council, which found that completing the beltway would double economic development in the county over the next twenty years — raking in an additional $17 billion — and help make the county an epicenter for the renewable-energy industry.

"We have the National Renewable Energy Lab, the School of Mines — Conoco Philips moving in Broomfield. We have a wonderful triangle of high-tech alternative-energy opportunity," he explains. "There is a need to connect these major employment centers with a transportation arterial."

Both NREL and the Colorado School of Mines are located in Golden, of course. "It is deeply ironic," notes Smith, "and ironic in a disheartening way; it's not funny at all."

Smith has only lived in Golden for five years. He grew up in the Aurora suburbs and watched the construction of the E-470 portion of the beltway; he saw how it spurred development on the east side of the metro area. That sprawling growth was one of his motivations for founding the Center for Native Ecosystems, a Denver-based ecological advocacy group. If Jeffco truly wishes to redefine itself as part of the new green economy, Smith says, it shouldn't push for an outdated transportation model that encourages sprawl and auto-based development.

The Jefferson Economic Council study considered the impact of three areas along the proposed parkway route, and all the projections regarding jobs and housing were based on numbers "provided by the Jefferson Economic Council, developers, property owners and other stakeholders," according to the study. But the only developer and property owner listed in the reference section of the study is Church Ranch Development Company. CRDC owners Charles McKay and Gregg Bradbury, who gave $1,800 to McCasky's recent reelection campaign, own 365 acres in Broomfield adjacent to Rocky Mountain Airport that they hope to develop into housing and a corporate center, as well as 426 acres in west Arvada that will be the first to be developed into the 2,000-acre Candelas.

Beltways don't just bring housing, but the types of large-scale commercial and office development that can make or break a municipality. "The way that our laws work, they pit local governments and cities and counties against each other for sales-tax revenue," says Stephanie Thomas, an open-space advocate with the Colorado Environmental Coalition. "So everybody wants to have the next big development in their area because they have the sales-tax revenue."

The losers in the sales-tax game are the cities that can't land large retailers within their boundaries and have to watch their residents travel to other cities to spend money. When the Northwest Parkway came to fruition, various municipalities scrambled to build five mega-retail projects along the north I-25 corridor ("Malled!" October 20, 2005).

The JEC-funded study also determined that if the highway isn't built, the county would realize roughly half as much in tax revenues from future building over the next twenty years — $180 million with Jefferson Parkway versus $91 million without — because development would focus more on housing than commercial or office. The county is "a property-tax-supported entity," says Jeffco's Hartman. "And on a tax basis, that means that we get a lot less money, because commercial property pays three and a half times the property taxes."

Smith points to such comments as proof that the beltway isn't about traffic, but development. "So it begs the question: Is this appropriate for the state to build a new highway that isn't really about transportation?" he asks. "Yeah, it's maybe good for some people to make a lot of money, maybe even good for the county's coffers, but is that really the right role for the public at large?"

Smith's biggest concern with the Jefferson Parkway isn't traffic or development, however, but the plan to build it through a complicated leasing arrangement with a foreign corporation.

"Going to private market sounds so easy, so painless. It feels a lot like a low-interest loan or a credit card where you don't acknowledge the true cost," Smith says. "But free stuff isn't usually free. What happens with these privatization schemes when something goes wrong and the government and taxpayers have to pick up the pieces and bail out a highway that no one needed in the first place?"

According to Phineas Baxandall, a senior analyst with U.S. Public Interest Research Group who has written extensively about private toll roads, the proposed Jefferson Parkway financing plan is following the same route as the Northwest Parkway deal with Brisa, which was unprecedented in this country. "This is completely turning comprehensive planning on its head," he says. "Instead of the federal government doing block grants for local entities to ensure that the public interest is served, it's a private entity trying to overrule the town of Golden for something that has no connection to a larger regional, much less national, plan, but just doing it because it increases the profits on a particular road."

While toll roads built by public authorities are nothing new in this country, major pieces of infrastructure being leased to private corporations is a recent phenomenon. In 2005, both the City of Chicago and the State of Indiana leased public toll roads to foreign corporations in multi-billion-dollar deals. Brisa saw the Northwest Parkway as a good way to break into the lucrative U.S. market, and it's seeking more acquisitions in California and Texas, as well as in Colorado. But while such deals can look good to local governments in the short term, Baxandall argues that the public loses out in the long term. "What I don't think people quite understand is the built-in costs disadvantage that a private entity has because of its higher cost of borrowing," he says.

And while Richard Lamm now looks back on his pledge to drive a "silver stake" through the heart of the proposed beltway as needlessly confrontational, he cautions policy-makers that relying on more highways — particularly tollways funded by overseas corporations — is indicative of a country still looking in the rear-view mirror. "There's something metaphorical about America not having enough money to build its own transportation system and relying on foreign investors," says Lamm. "I think that the idea that we don't have the national will to build our own transportation and meet infrastructure needs is a metaphor, frankly, of a nation in decline."

But even if Colorado had the will to build its own roads, it might not be able to under the terms of the deals with foreign investors.

Last April, Brisa executive director Pedro Costa sent a letter to Broomfield, warning that a planned extension of West 160th Avenue could be in violation of the Northwest Parkway lease agreement, which prohibits building "Competing Transportation Facilities" that might diminish toll returns. As designed, the extension would essentially create a frontage road for the Northwest Parkway, allowing residents to drive between Lafayette and Broomfield without having to use the toll road or drive an extra two miles to use a state highway.

"We view this realignment and any discussion of any extension of West 160th Avenue as a probable Adverse Action," Costa wrote.

In 2005, the E-470 Authority invoked its own non-compete clause to force Commerce City officials to lower the speed limit and install more traffic lights on Tower Road near Denver International Airport as a de facto method of diverting cars to the toll road.

Smith points to such actions as proof that private tollways can discourage local governments from constructing or improving "competing facilities" (i.e., free roads). Such a non-compete is a "congestion guarantee," he says. "It's essentially a guarantee to the private investors that they're going to keep their own roads congested enough that people are willing to pay tolls on a private road."

He also cites studies indicating that future traffic demands will necessitate improvements along local arterials and Highway 93 heading to Boulder — improvements that could be quashed if the JPPHA signs a no-compete clause with a private tollway investor.

"They're trying to frighten people," counters Arvada's Anderson, who accuses Smith and other Jefferson Parkway opponents of making overblown claims about the no-compete clauses and resorting to "scare tactics." Arvada's main motivation for supporting the toll road has always been "to take regional traffic and keep it out of our neighborhoods," she says.

Jeffco commissioner and JPPHA chair McCasky insists that improving local, free arterial roads will actually be beneficial to a future toll road because they will increase access. But will private investors see it the same way?

"These are the sort of protections that an investor would want to see," says land-use attorney Putnam. "If they're buying this road, they don't want to see competition that would prevent potential cars from paying tolls on their road. They want to see that there's enough congestion, enough difficulty getting around on the free roads so that people always have to go on the toll roads."

"What we know is that private investors almost always insist on these things," Smith says. "And you've got Kevin McCasky and Kathy Hartman as lead champions on building this thing. Yeah, they're saying they don't believe in congestion guarantees, but at the same time they're saying let's go to the market and see what happens. They know that the market insists on congestion guarantees, so either they're setting themselves up for failure or they're holding open the option of congestion guarantees. Either way, it's crazy.

"The JPPHA wouldn't be able to impose a congestion guarantee on Golden," he continues. "But if I lived in Arvada, I would be very concerned."

On January 1, E-470 raised tolls by fifty cents, as did the Northwest Parkway. This was the second time that Brisa has raised tolls since taking over the Northwest Parkway a little more than a year ago; it now costs a driver $3 per trip to use the road.

At its meeting January 15, the JPPHA board will start developing the terms of whatever deal they'll offer a private partner in the Jefferson Parkway. With the Northwest Parkway, all the politicians who made the deal and the citizens who voted for them will be long gone, while their children and their children's children continue to pay tolls to a foreign corporation until Brisa's lease expires in 2106.

It could be just as long — if not longer — before all the concrete dust settles over the Jefferson Parkway.

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Robert Pattinson May Head Off to Morocco With Which A-List Babe?
Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
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Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson May Head Off to Morocco With Which A-List Babe?

The jury’s still out on Robert Pattinson’s rumored new girlfriend, Dylan Penn, and whether fans will accept her as Kristen Stewart’s replacement on R.Pattz’s arm. Now, though, there’s another Hollywood hottie in the running for Rob’s heart: Nicole Kidman.

Just kidding, you guys. The 46-year-old mother of four and wife of Keith Urban isn’t vying for Robert’s affections. She and the Twilight star are just starring in a movie together! Well, likely starring in a movie together. As Nicole explained to E! News, the details are not “all signed, sealed and delivered.”

Once everything gets ironed out, though, it’s likely Nicole will replace her pal Naomi Watts in Queen of the Desert, a historic drama about archaeologist and spy Gertrude Bell which also stars Robert as British Army officer T.A. Lawrence. Filming will take place in Morocco, where Nicole says she’s ready to face down Edward Cullen’s legions of fans.

“That’s OK. I’ll be ready,” she tells E! News about the expected droves of R.Pattz-ers she’s bound to meet in Africa. She adds: "I think they'll have a tough time finding us over there in Morocco, won't they?"

Oh, how she underestimates the power of the internet in the hands of rabid Twi-fans. At least she says she’s a fan of the series.

“I’ve seen the Twilight movies, yeah,” she told E! before revealing, “I haven’t read the books though.” Nicole, fair warning: That may be a problem for some of Rob’s, um, more devoted supporters.

Source: E! News

Elisabeth Kramer is an Assistant Editor at Wetpaint Entertainment and our resident Downton Abbey expert. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!


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Albright Plans School Visits As Superintendent

June 19, 2013

Despite a busy schedule, which includes regular commutes from Braxton County to Wetzel County, Dennis J....

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It looks like something from a sci-fi movie, but the device lets surgeon Heather Evans see her work like never before.

Evans is one of about 5,000 explorers chosen to test Google Glass. She won the chance with a tweet she entered in an online contest.

"It was just an opportunity to discover not just a new product, but a new way of interacting with people," said Evans, assistant professor of surgery, UW Medicine.

The device's eye-level screen projects info right into the wearer's retina, which could allow doctors to instantly see charts or lab results. It also lets users record and transmit exactly what they’re seeing.

"The design allows for hands-free use and control of the device, which in the operating room, obviously, is quite important because of sterility," Evans said.

While she's only testing it, Evans believes it will be a great way to document surgeries.

"Instead of having to write that down, or dictate that, or type it in after the case is over, I immediately have a record of what happened," Evans explained.

It could also be useful for training. Evans has used it to instruct another surgeon while looking at video recorded from the device.

"The idea is to be able to coach someone, to be able to watch what they're doing through their own eyes," Evans said.

Some downsides, however, include patient privacy, and interacting with the gadget can be a distraction during surgery.

Still, Evans is excited about the possibilities.

"Immediately, as soon as I put the unit on and started taking photographs and video, there was this sense of wonder," Evans said.

If all goes well, it could be the future of recorded medicine.

Ironically, when Evans won the contest, she had to buy the Google Glass device for $1,500. The device is expected to be available for sale next year.

It has a five megapixel camera, 16-gigs of storage, can respond to voice commands, and allows the user the ability to control the device by winking their right eye.

DOWNLOAD and VIEW medical blueprint


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State police are searching for the suspect of a Saturday night hit-and-run crash in Schuylkill County.

The crash occurred around 9:25 p.m. in the 100 block of West Main Street when an unknown white male operating a 2002 maroon Hyundai Elantra at a high rate of speed swerved out of his lane and struck a parked car unoccupied on the shoulder of the roadway, according to police.

The operator of the Hyundai exited the vehicle and fled on foot traveling south. His vehicle sustained heavy front end damage. The parked vehicle received minor passenger side damage.

Witnesses describe the driver as a white male wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to call the State Police Frackville barracks at 570-874-5300.


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In an effort to move forward in the midst of the scandal Penn State officials have announced plans to renovate the building where Jerry Sandusky sexually molested boys.

A university spokesman said plans to renovate the Lasch Football Building were drawn up shortly after Sandusky's arrest in November.

Construction won't start until all legal proceedings in the case are over.

The building was the scene of a 2001 allegation in which then-graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, saw Sandusky abuse a boy in the shower.


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No, the big left-hander wasn't yelling at shortstop Eduardo Nunez, whose two-out throwing error gave Hicks a chance to bat. He was angry with himself.

Hicks homered in the third inning for three of the Twins' eight runs against Sabathia and Minnesota beat the New York Yankees ace for the first time in six years, 10-4 Sunday.

"Guys are going to make errors," Sabathia said. "It's up to the pitcher to make pitches."

The Yankees had too many mistakes to overcome in dropping their second straight to the Twins. The series loss was New York's first in the Bronx to Minnesota since 2001.

New York made two errors that led to five unearned runs. They also hit into four double plays - two on baserunning blunders by Zoilo Almonte - in making it plenty easy for the Twins in the teams' final game before the All-Star break.

The fans let New York know their displeasure, booing relentlessly after the Yankees fell behind 8-1 in the fourth.

"That was probably one of the uglier games I've seen in this stadium for sure," Vernon Wells said. "Just anything we did wrong came back to bite us."

Minnesota is 9-31 at New York since 2002, and they've had even less success against Sabathia (9-8), going 0-11 in 12 games - including the postseason - after beating him on July 29, 2007.

Sabathia gave up a season-high for runs - only three earned - and matched his low of four innings this year in 88-degree heat.

"I've been not pitching very well," said Sabathia, who matched a career worst for losses at the All-Star break (2008). "I look forward to the break and pitching better in the second half."

Ichiro Suzuki homered among his three hits in his 2,000th major league game. Robinson Cano added an RBI single for New York, which goes into the break 51-44.

"I think we just need to be more consistent, we got to stay out of stretches where we don't score runs," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We have to be more consistent offensively and if we do that, we're going to have a shot."

Rookie Kyle Gibson (2-2) benefited from the sloppy play to earn his second win in four career starts. He pitched five-plus shaky innings, yielding three runs - two earned - on five hits and four walks.

"It was a battle. It was really humid, pretty hot out there," Gibson said. "The situation of being in Yankee Stadium, being in the heat , facing a good lineup, it all piles up."

Minnesota improved to 3-7 on a 10-game road trip and is 39-53.

"Things went our way and that hasn't happened here in a long time," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Lyle Overbay couldn't handle Ryan Doumit's two-out hot shot to first base with the bases loaded in the fourth for an error to let in two runs to make it 8-1. The previous batter, Justin Morneau, hit a popup in between the mound and second base that was just out of a lunging Sabathia's reach. Sabathia slid on his knees after missing the ball as Jamey Carroll scored.

"The bloop over the pitcher's head was incredible," Gardenhire said.

In the third, Morneau, who came in batting .128 against Sabathia, hit a short fly to right that hit off second baseman Cano's glove for a double. Nunez made his error two batters later and Hicks connected for a 5-0 lead.

Sabathia shouted and Nunez took off his glove and held his hand on his hip as Hicks rounded the bases with his eighth homer of the year.

"I was rushed, it was a slow ball and he was fast," Nunez said. "Feel sad for my teammate CC. He did everything he could do today and making an error, it's bad."

In the first inning, Almonte burst off first base on Cano's sharp liner to right and was doubled off to end the inning. The rookie tried tagging up on a routine fly to left field in the third but was out at home by several feet.

Almonte reached on second baseman Brian Dozier's fielding error and advanced on Cano's RBI single that made it 5-1 and a groundout.


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Hamilton Leithauser - FUV Live - 2014

Hear an FUV Live session with Hamilton Leithauser tonight at 9.

You may know Hamilton Leithauser as the vocalist and guitarist for the band The Walkmen, who are currently on “extreme hiatus” as of this year. But Leithauser had no intention of taking a break from writing, and thus recorded his first solo album, Black Hours, which is being released today. Leithauser recently stopped by Studio A to perform some of his new songs and to talk with me about the inspiration for the new album.

[recorded: 04/15/14]

More from the FUV Vault:


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Our Verdict
A sound of valve-y warmth and intimacy, but not an all-round champion
Intriguing specification
smooth, unthreatening and well-integrated sound
Has a comfort zone it can’t be coaxed from
unnecessarily long-winded volume control(s)
Reviewed on

With a few minor caveats, we were big fans of Fatman's original iTube valve dock – the juxtaposition of the MP3 format and valve tech is appealing, and in the iTube it was executed to winning effect.

This mkII version is built to the same template - amplification, auxiliary inputs and volume control in one box, iPod dock in another – but features increased power (now 25 watts per channel) and a USB input for listening directly to a computer via the Fatman’s DAC.

The original remote control, with its mystifying deployment of a ‘volume up’ button to the left of ‘volume down’, is included (plus there’s an unnecessarily complicated rigmarole involved in getting maximum volume from the Fatman which concerns duplicated volume controls), and the mkII gains some rather florid decoration – but otherwise it’s business as usual.

With some price-appropriate third-party loudspeakers attached and with a Lossless file of Mazzy Star’s Ride It On playing, the Fatman delivers the sort of smooth, slightly soft sound its hybrid-tube technology would seem to promise.

Treble has benign sparkleLow frequencies are generously proportioned, if not the tautest, and there’s plenty of expression and reasonable detail revealed in the midrange. At the top end there’s benign sparkle.

More after the break

Switch to Fatman’s own speakers (included in the £400 price, although if you pay anything like that much money you’re not really trying) and the glossy, unthreatening thrills just keep on coming.

Integration is good, stereo imaging and focus is impressive and there’s reasonable dynamic headroom on tap too.

Try as they might, though, the bespoke speakers can’t bring any more bass discipline to bear than the best third-party partners. This smoothness and low-end waywardness easily becomes a rather cloying over-politeness, mind you, and music that requires meaningful attack will find precious little assistance here.

But if your taste is to the velvety and benign, then, you could do a lot worse than investigate this reworked Fatman.

See all our dock system Best Buys

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• Samsung PS59D6900
Our Verdict
While the price suggests a bargain, the so-so picture quality might put you off
extensive features including wi-fi
impressive smart features
excellent colour
Lack of clarity and detail to images
motion issues
poorer-than-average sound
Reviewed on

Yes, we did a double-take, too. With a shrewd bit of shopping, this 59inch plasma TV really is that cheap.

In anyone’s book this looks like a bit of a bargain, and you could be extremely tempted to jump to the conclusion that this is a ‘no-brainer.’ Well, can you just hold that thought?

The attraction of the Samsung is made all the stronger because of its feature set. On paper, this is far removed from the realm of stripped-down budget TVs.

Four HDMI inputs are dotted along the side of the screen, and one of which is ARC-enabled – so you can channel the TVs sound into the HDMI output of a compatible home cinema amp.

Good spec, but iffy pictureThe PS59D6900 doesn’t sacrifice anything in terms of smart functionality, and the inclusion of integrated wi-fi makes connecting to Samsung’s extensive Smart Hub portal all the easier.

More after the break

From here you can use all manner of streaming services from the internet, access content stored on devices on your home network and keep up to date with all your social media accounts.

Even the TVs appearance doesn’t let the side down. It’s relatively slender by plasma standards, with a brushed-effect bezel and a clear trim running right along the edge.

Touch-sensitive controls are tucked away on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, making for a neat and attractive-looking set.

Picture quality is a let-downIt’s just a shame that the picture quality doesn’t really hit the mark. We aren’t expecting the world from a 59in TV costing this much, sure, but we still have standards that need to be met.

The D6900’s colour balance is its main strength – its ability to paint vivid yet natural hues during Avatar should be applauded – but there’s plenty of room for improvement elsewhere.

Black levels are just about OK by cheap plasma standards and there’s a lack of realism to images compared with rival screens.

It also seems as though the screen is covered in a haze, which robs the picture of clarity and depth. During the closing chapters of X-Men: The Last Stand, the picture lacks contrast and vibrancy. Poor motion handling tooMotion isn’t handled especially well either, and there’s more than a hint of instability during fast-paced action.

Standard definition broadcasts from the Freeview HD tuner are watchable, if a little on the grainy side. The step up to high-definition content helps firm-up the edges, but there’s still the odd twitch with movement, and there are still traces of on-screen noise.

A surround sound system or soundbar of some sort is a must with this set, as the built-in speakers sound splashy, bright and devoid of any real bass.

We also noticed a buzzing sound eminating from the screen. This isn’t unheard of when talking about plasma TVs, but it was more noticeable on this model.

If you’re looking for a huge-screen television on a budget, then the Samsung fits the bill. Unfortunately, the trade-off for something this affordable is a drop in picture quality.

See all our TV Best Buys

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Friday, June 26th, 2009

Pasta Tritato

This is a pasta dish I made up one Sunday afternoon when we had practically nothing in the fridge and I was too shattered (OK hungover) to walk up to the shops…

From our fridge, I grabbed the handful of mushrooms, half a red bell pepper, a somewhat shriveled onion, packet of bacon and the remainder of a pot of basil dip which was a left-over from the Saturday night before drinks and nibbles.

I don’t really know what to call this pasta but needless to say, it is one of the best left-over meal successes I have ever had. It’s a real winner flavour-wise and has received rave reviews from everyone I have cooked it for (including the In-Laws so that’s gotta be a good sign right?) It’s super easy to make, the only prep required is to finely chop all the ingredients before cooking – hence why I have decided to call it, for the sake of this blog; ‘Pasta Tritato’, which I believe in Italian this means; ‘chopped’ or ‘minced’.

It combines great textures; the crispy bacon, earthy flavours of the portobello mushrooms, crunch of the red peppers and nutty consistency from the basil/pesto dip. I also add in some dried chili flakes to add a little little kick. All the above elements work really well together.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Serves 4 people

1 Spanish onion

8-10 slices of bacon or pancetta – fat trimmed

4 portobello mushrooms

1 large red bell pepper/capsicum

250g chunky style basil dip*

Pinch dried chili flakes – optional

Maldon sea salt or similar, freshly ground black pepper

400g spaghetti or fettuccini (100g per person)

Freshly grated parmesan to serve

*Note: I use the Australian brand; ‘Wattle Valley Chunky Basil Dip with Cashew & Parmesan’ in this dish, but any chunky style basil dip would work. I have also made it at times using a jar or good quality regular pesto – it works just as well.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - -

1: Finely chop the onion, bacon/pancetta, mushrooms and capsicum into very small pieces.

2: Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and sautée the onions until soft.

3: Add the finely chopped bacon to the onion and fry until browned and crispy.

4: Add the mushrooms and peppers, a good pinch of salt and black pepper and continue to cook over a low-medium heat for approx. 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally. Add in the basil pesto half way through and chili if desired.

5: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add a splash of olive oil and cook the pasta as per the manufacturer’s instructions, drain.

6: Combine the cooked ingredients to the pasta and toss together.

7: Serve with fresh grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

3 Responses to “Pasta Tritato”

  1. July 2, 2009 at 10:58 am

    Well I made this pasta this evening and it was fantastic! Don’t be fooled by the day to day ingredients, the flavours of all these together pack quite a punch! My guests loved it. We decided it was quite like a very tasty pizza pasta. This recipe will definitely be one of my easy, fail safe tasty meals. Yum!

  2. May 3, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    Hi, I wanted to tell you that I made your Mushroom & Bacon Spaghetti with Basil, White Wine and Cream Sauce (I used linguine) and it was soooo good. I like my pasta and I’m pretty set in how I like it and my sauces for it, so it takes a lot for me to say that this is one of my new favorite pasta dishes. Thank you so much!

  3. Miss Prue
    February 14, 2013 at 4:04 pm

    Made this without the bacon and with fresh chili. Yum yum. Partner complained their wasn’t enough of it so shall double recipe next time!

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Million Dollar Quartet, the jukebox musical featuring the music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis opened at the Noel Coward Theatre on 28 February (previews from 8 February 2011).

Former Coronation Street star Bill Ward plays legendary music producer Sam Phillips, and is joined in the cast by Ben Goddard (Jerry Lee Lewis), Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash), Francesca Jackson (Dyanne), Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley).

Joseph Pike talks to Malarkey, Ward and Hagen about portraying some of the biggest names in 20th century music and popular culture on stage and about the history of rock and roll.

Million Dollar Quartet is inspired by the actual event that took place on 4 December 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis where, in an move masterminded by Sun Records’ founder Sam Phillips, brought Elvis Presley back to the recording studio that launched him to stardom and had him play with the other musicians he had discovered.

The musical features 20 rock ’n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits all taken from the back catelogues of the quartet members including: "Blue Suede Shoes", "I Walk The Line", "Fever", "Great Balls of Fire", "Hound Dog", "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On".

It has a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux and was originally directed and conceived by Floyd Mutrux. The has scenic design by Derek McLane, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound by Kai Harada and musical arrangement and supervision by Chuck Mead.

Million Dollar Quartet is produced in the West End by Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, John Gore, Thomas B McGrath, Joseph Smith and Michael McCabe.


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What She's Having Recipe

USER RATING: Not Yet Rated
Ingredients you need
  • 2 Parts Absolut Citron
  • 4 Parts Orange Juice
  • 1 Part Amaretto
  • Grenadine
How to make a What She's Having Pour in Vodka, then fill with the orange juice. Add the amaretto which should mostly sink to the bottom. Splash in some grenadine to cloud the center of the drink. Serve without mixing or stirring. Type of drink Cocktail Recommended glass Parfait Glass

Candy Cane Shot Glasses
Candy Cane Shot GlassesAdorable, yummy cups are made of 100% delicious, edible, minty candy.

Pear Mimosas Sparkling Cranberry Blush Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail Punch Frosty cocktail Cranberry Carousel Rittenhouse Inn Wassail Punch Future Freeze Star of night Cruzan Holiday Punch Cranberry Gin Fizz
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Tia Mowry Writes Open Letter to Her Sister Tamera Praising Her as a Mom

by Melissa Willets on January 03, 2013
author Melissa  Willets

Melissa Willets

About the Author

Melissa Willets is a mom of three girls, one of whom is a newborn. She writes about pregnancy, parenting, home, health, and beauty. She loves running and drinking red wine - but never simultaneously.

About the Blog supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

Tia and Tamera Mowry share the joy of baby Aden's birth

Twin sisters Tamera and Tia Mowry share the same face, the same show, and now the same role as mothers. Tamera gave birth to her first son, Aden, in November and her twin was there to share her joy of welcoming an amazing new life into the world. Now, Tia has written an open letter to Tamera praising her strength and courage in the delivery room as well as how naturally motherhood comes to the star mama.

"You handled your birthing process with such grace and beauty. While doing so you looked so beautiful," Tia pens on their blog, Tia and Tamera. She goes on to say that watching Tamera birth her son was like looking in a mirror, as she delivered a baby a year prior.

That sentiment is actually kind of amazing. Imagine watching your identical twin go through something as intense and beautiful as having a baby and having it remind you of yourself. I'm not sure I'd want to see myself give birth. I'd be too critical, thinking, "Ugh, I need some mascara or something."

But Tia found the experience to be humbling and life-changing. In fact, she writes that now the sisters have more in common than ever, saying "I am so happy you get to experience one of the greatest things that could ever happen to you."

I agree with Mowry's assessment of having a baby. The days my daughters were born were without question the best days of my life. There is no joy on earth that even comes close to holding your baby for the first time. Friends tried to prepare me for what motherhood would feel like but I could not possibly have imagined the experience until it happened to me.

Meanwhile, I have a younger sister and can only imagine how proud I would feel if she welcomed a baby into the world. Having gone through it myself, I know how much courage and strength it takes to go through labor and delivery. I'm also pretty sure that like Tia Mowry, I would love that baby just as much as my sister would!

If you have watched a friend or family member give birth, how would you describe the experience?

Photo credit: Nikki Nelson/


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Early Teen Smoking Blamed on the Movies

by Alpana Patel-Camilli on July 18, 2012
author Alpana  Patel-Camilli

Alpana Patel-Camilli

About the Author

Alpana Patel-Camilli has worked as a medical professional in the radiology field for the past 25 years. She has written technical reports and articles for clinical protocols in MRI, Computed Tomography, and other medical imaging modalities. Alpana is an active mother of a precocious toddler and has contributed to various publications focused on women's health, multicultural motherhood, children's nutrition, and early childhood literacy.

About the Blog supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

Cigarette Ash Teen Smoking

Think about your favorite movie or your child's favorite movie. Are any of the characters in the background or the foreground smoking a cigarette? A new U.S study reported in Pediatrics claims that movies with images of people smoking cigarettes entice and encourage teen smoking.

The latest research is based on a report released by the Surgeon General in early 2012 stating that, "The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a casual relationship between depictions of smoking in movies and the initiation of smoking among young people." According to the Chicago Tribune, James Sargent, the lead author of the study called the lure of cigarettes in movies, the "cool" factor. "The more they see it, the more they start to see ways that (smoking) might make them seem more movie-star," he said.

The study also shows that 60 percent of movie smoking exposure comes almost entirely from PG-13 movies. The statistic shocks me! That means more children are exposed to these images before they can comprehend how smoking can adversely affect their young bodies.

Scientists conclude that if a movie contained any smoking scenes, it should earn an R rating. The effect of onscreen smoking is not that different for PG-13- and R-rated films, but young kids are more likely watch PG-13 movies. Thus, if smoking scenes earn an R rating, the number of children who try cigarettes would decrease by 18 percent, which is small but significant.

I can't deny that the interesting and mysterious characters in movies often smoke cigarettes. I understand the appeal it can hold over young people. I was once that young person, a teen smoking in college, discussing poetry, and trying to look cool. The bad habit lost its appeal on me after several bouts of bronchitis. I was one of the lucky ones. I escaped the long-term addiction.

I cannot imagine my daughter choosing to smoke. I hope that she will not be tempted by scenes in movies. I can only try to instill certain values, like positive self-esteem that she can rely upon in the face of temptation.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons


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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Throwback Attack: Timbaland & Magoo Feat. Missy Elliott & Aaliyah "Up Jumps Da Boogie"

With Aaliyah on the hook and two verses each from Magoo, Timbaland, & Missy this is probably a favorite posse cut of mine. It's just really silly rhymes and it's genuine feel good playful rap that you really don't see anymore in today's era which defines playful rap as talking about swag and material things. Playful rap is SUPPOSED to be about ANYTHING because it's sorta freestyle in every type of way, but I digress, here's the video from 97

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Vendors › Pimlico Design Gallery

Pimlico Design Gallery

643 Dupont St.
Toronto, Ontario M6G 1Z4

Filed Under: Home & Garden, Shopping

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White walls and white shelves display well-curated and aesthetically pleasing design items, decor objects, lighting, art and more. Find unique items by a roster of Canadian and international contemporary artists such as handblown glass, ceramics, serveware, vases, and photography. Open daily.

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Letters to the Editor

Community: Water Festival future in doubt

Every spring since 1992, WSU Beach Watchers have sponsored Penn Cove Water Festival in Coupeville. The original Water Festival began in the 1920s and ended in the 30s. Revived in 1992, the present-day festival is comprised of two key components: educational activities and exhibits in town, and Native American canoe races at Captain Coupe Park.

After the event, lead organizers of various parts of the event meet to evaluate the festival and determine its future. We have held two meetings since May 10 and have a third scheduled for Monday, July 21, at 1 p.m., in Island County meeting room 131 (adjacent to the WSU Extension Office), and we invite community input.

Many Whidbey volunteers and organizations contribute to the festival, but the Beach Watchers have been the key organizers. As most of you know, Washington State University Beach Watchers is a volunteer program. The WSU Extension mission is education, and the Beach Watchers focus on helping people make educated choices about the use of our land and water resources.

The Beach Watcher organization is spread thin, both monetarily and in terms of personnel. We are a non-profit group and depend on support from a variety of organizations, businesses, and individuals. Some of the serious questions we are addressing are:

Does Beach Watchers have the resources to continue the festival?

Are there others who will partner with us to continue the festival?

Is entertainment an essential part of the festival?

Do we continue to invite craft vendors?

Are the Native American races essential to the festival?

If you would like to take an active role in determining the Penn Cove Water Festivals future, please attend our next meeting on July 21. Your input is welcome in letter or e-mail form as well. Letters may be mailed to Roxallanne Kelly Medley at 701 NW Madrona Way, Coupeville, WA 98239; email to rmedley@whidbey.net.

Roxallanne Kelly Medley

Coordinator, Penn Cove Water Festival

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Traveling to Whistler, British Columbia

We're located on Canada's West Coast, just two hours north of Vancouver by road. The stunningly scenic journey through the Sea to Sky Corridor is the perfect start to a mountain vacation, and getting here is a breeze with access to several international airports, a range of airport transfers and our Whistler-based Travel Consultants ready to book it all for you.

So, how do I get to Whistler...

Whistler Air Helicopter

From Overseas/Cross-Country?

Fly into a major airport including Vancouver International (YVR), Seattle (SEA) or Bellingham (BLI) then transfer to Whistler.

Rocky Mountaineer Climb Train

From Vancouver?

There's options for getting to Whistler by road, rail and air from downtown Vancouver or the airport. Explore and book them here:

Sea to Sky Highway Drive

In My Car?

The Sea to Sky Highway is a scenic mountain highway. Prepare for the drive with directions, road conditions and seasonal safety tips:

Canadian Exchange Rate

Whistler Olympic Plaza Concerts

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Event Calendar for Whistler

Take a look at the calendar to see what's on - a busy event calendar means there's sure to be something that tickles your fancy.

Green Lake, Whistler

Whistler Itineraries:
Get Inspired

The mountains have something for everyone, from adventure to escape. Our itineraries will help you get inspired and excited for your vacation.

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Whitecaps face Islanders in rematch of finalists - 24 Hours

By BOB MACKIN The Buzz: It’s the rematch of the United Soccer Leagues’ First Division final Saturday in Puerto Rico where the Islanders host the Vancouver Whitecaps (4 p.m. www.usllive.com). Thanksgiving: The Whitecaps, led by two Charles Gbeke goals, beat the Islanders at Swangard Stadium 2-1 on Oct. 12, 2008. The Islanders were the USL Commissioner’s Cup winners for finishing atop the regular season table with a 15-6-9 record. History: The Whitecaps have a 5-1-4 historical edge against “the orange troupe,” including 2-1-2 at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, P.R. Nick of time: Among the Isles’ newcomers is Nick Addlery. The 2008 Whitecap will be looking for a big showing against this ex-club. “Nick is a good player, he unfortunately didn’t manage too well here last year,” said Whitecaps’ head coach Teitur Thordarson. “He has been playing for the Islanders for the wintertime and doing very well.” Austin City Limit: The Whitecaps end the two-game road trip Tuesday when they become the second opponent for Texas’ First Division newcomers, the Austin Aztex.


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View Full Version : white sox=my 90 year old polish grandma

01-15-2004, 10:11 AM
Yes sox fans she is the whitesox, she clips coupons and only goes after the necessities, and only splurgies once a year,

compare that to the white sox spending practices and you will see the similarities,

my hgrandmother constant complains also about the lack of people seing her

i.e attendance complaints from Jerry, and KW

my grandmothers leg is notin the best of health but she getaround fine and gets done whats needs to be but unless she wins at hte gambling boats she will never really prosper,

sox chances of winning are about equal to that

do you haveany realtives you can compare to the white sox as well

01-15-2004, 12:24 PM
THAT is HILARIOUS. The Old Lady/Weak Sisters of
Baseball (Pirates, Reds, Brewers, White Sox to name a few)
are the Teams that Get MUGGED by by Villain/Thug type Teams (Cubs, Yankees are excellent examples) when they go to the Bank to make a Deposit or Withdrawal, and end up losing
their Good Productive Players for Little or Nothing in Return

01-15-2004, 01:19 PM
thanks hangar

01-15-2004, 01:55 PM
Well, he's not actually my relative, but Reinsdorf does bear a striking resemblance to this Uncle:


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Westhaven Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. was founded February 17,1996. Contrary to most business developments, Westhaven was developed out of faith and a commitment to service. All of the partners had prior experience in the funeral home and insurance business. However, we had not considered ownership of a funeral home.

We considered it a divine intervention that such an opportunity was presented to us. The owner of the building, formerly Breland Funeral Home, who was interested in expanding and relocating approached us to determine our interest in purchasing the building.

By faith and prayer we began the process in developing a business plan. With our personal investments, savings and loans from other financial institutions, Westhaven was conceived and developed into an operation where our motto is: "Professional Service You Can Depend On." Meeting the needs of the community Westhaven has been a six (6) year success.

Additionally, Westhaven offers innovative service and amenities including the Westhaven Choir, which offers benefit performances throughout the community, at churches, funerals, hospitals, nursing and personal care homes. - Read More

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Media centre

New study estimates 151 000 violent Iraqi deaths since 2003 invasion

News release

A large national household survey conducted by the Iraqi government and WHO estimates that 151 000 Iraqis died from violence between March 2003 and June 2006.

The findings, published today on the web site of the New England Journal of Medicine, are based on information collected during a wider survey of family health in Iraq, designed to provide a basis for the Iraqi government to develop and update health policies and plan services.

The estimate is based on interviews conducted in 9345 households in nearly 1000 neighbourhoods and villages across Iraq. The researchers emphasize that despite the large size of the study, the uncertainty inherent in calculating such estimates led them to conclude that the number of Iraqis who died from violence during that period lies between 104 000 and 223 000.

"Assessment of the death toll in conflict situations is extremely difficult and household survey results have to be interpreted with caution," said study co-author Mohamed Ali, a WHO statistician who provided technical assistance for the survey. "However, in the absence of comprehensive death registration and hospital reporting, household surveys are the best we can do."

"Our survey estimate is three times higher than the death toll detected through careful screening of media reports by the Iraq Body Count project and about four times lower than a smaller-scale household survey conducted earlier in 2006," added Naeema Al Gasseer, the WHO Representative to Iraq.

The study found that violence became a leading cause of death for Iraqi adults after March 2003 and the main cause for men aged 15-59 years. It indicated that on average 128 Iraqis per day died of violent causes in the first year following the invasion and that the average daily violent death toll was 115 in the second year and 126 in the third year. More than half of the violent deaths occurred in Baghdad.

"Some homes could not be visited because of high levels of insecurity and more people move residence in times of conflict. These factors were taken into account in the analysis as they may affect the accuracy of the survey work," said Salih Mahdi Motlab Al-Hasanawi, Minister of Health of Iraq. "Nonetheless, the survey results indicate a massive death toll since the beginning of the conflict."

Besides deaths, the Iraq Family Health Survey tracked health indictors such as pregnancy history, mental health status, chronic illnesses, smoking habits, sexually transmitted infections, domestic violence and heath-care spending patterns.

Another notable finding of the survey was that a worryingly low 57% of the women surveyed said they had heard of AIDS. That compares with 84% of women in Turkey and Egypt, 91% in Morocco and 97% in Jordan.

For more information, please contact:

Emma Ross
WHO Department of Communications
Tel.: +41 22 791 1492
Mobile: +41 79 475 5534

Fadela Chaib
WHO Department of Communications
Tel.: +41 22 791 3228
Mobile: +41 79 475 5556


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Penname:MaliLupusReverto (Jo)
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New!Who fan, particularly of Ten. Am a big fan of all characters but have a soft spot for Ten, Rose and therefore Ten/Rose. I don\'t believe Doomsday is the end of their story and, while I\'ll join and enjoy every one of the Doctor\'s new adventures, I\'ll always be waiting for Rose to return.
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Doctor Who and its accoutrements are the property of the BBC, and we obviously don't have any right to them. Any and all crossover characters belong to their respective creators. Alas no one makes any money from this site, and it's all done out of love for a cheap-looking sci-fi show. All fics are property of their individual authors. Archival at this site should not be taken to constitute automatic archive rights elsewhere, and authors should be contacted individually to arrange further archiving. Despite occasional claims otherwise, The Blessed St Lalla Ward is not officially recognised by the Catholic Church. Yet.

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Penname:Elfire Spirit (Kirsty)
Member Since:2005.10.30
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Stories by Elfire Spirit [2] Favorite Stories and Series [1] Favorite Authors [0]
Favorite Authors
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other

Doctor Who and its accoutrements are the property of the BBC, and we obviously don't have any right to them. Any and all crossover characters belong to their respective creators. Alas no one makes any money from this site, and it's all done out of love for a cheap-looking sci-fi show. All fics are property of their individual authors. Archival at this site should not be taken to constitute automatic archive rights elsewhere, and authors should be contacted individually to arrange further archiving. Despite occasional claims otherwise, The Blessed St Lalla Ward is not officially recognised by the Catholic Church. Yet.

Script for this archive provided by eFiction. Contact our archivists at help@whofic.com. Please read our Terms of Service and Submission Guidelines.


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Human Resources

Working Hours

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Policy Information
  • Issue Date: August 1, 1992
  • Primary Contact: Director of Human Resources
  • Responsible Member of Directorate: President and Director
  • Responsible Office: Human Resources
Policy Information

I. The Institution's official business and operating hours are 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. Regular full-time employees are generally scheduled to work a 40-hour week, usually 8 hours each day.

II. The Institution recognizes the need for and benefits of alternate work schedules and/or locations for some Institution staff who have legitimate personal needs which may conflict with the normal operating schedule of the Institution. To accommodate those special circumstances and to provide a framework within which the major activities of the Institution can continue to be accomplished with a minimum amount of disruption, a flexible work policy has been established. The following guidelines apply for regular full-time employees:

A. Requests should be in writing to the supervisor and reflect a legitimate personal need that cannot be met within the Institution's regular operating schedule;

B. Employees should indicate the period of time for which flexible work arrangements are being requested;

C. Determinations regarding whether to permit an employee to work on an adjusted schedule are made by the supervisor;

III. Providing staffing, work load and building safety/security issues have been addressed to the supervisor's satisfaction, the employee can continue on a flexible work schedule until the agreed upon end date.

IV. Because of the demands of scientific research, many of the staff, including scientific and marine personnel, must observe special work schedules and/or arrangements, on both short- and long-term bases. These arrangements should be set up by the supervisors as far in advance as possible so that employees can have adequate time to arrange their

V. Periodically Institution-sponsored activities and functions are held during normal working hours. These events could include meetings of standing committees, lectures, CPR and First Aid classes. Employees are encouraged to attend such activities, staffing and work load permitting. Arrangements should be made in advance with the supervisor.

Should you require assistance in the interpretation  of this procedure, please contact your Human Resources Representative.

Last updated: May 7, 2008


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Pepper Keenan on the Upcoming Down EP, ‘Down IV—Part Two,’ and the Possibility of Reuniting with Corrosion of Conformity

by Jeff Kitts
Posted Apr 8, 2014 at 4:13pm

Guitar World recently caught up with Down guitarist Pepper Keenan to discuss the group’s upcoming EP, Down IV—Part Two (on sale May 20), the departure of longtime guitarist Kirk Windstein, and the possibility of a reunion with his Keenan’s former band, Corrosion of Conformity.

When did you start working on the upcoming Down IV—Part TwoEP?

We were touring a lot, and we did a bunch of killer shows in Europe and the band as a whole was very excited about where we were heading. And then we had some issues with Kirk [Windestein] and him wanting to focus more on Crowbar—and that happens sometimes in bands, you’d be a fool to deny it.

We were just going in separate directions, and that’s okay—I mean, we only wanted the best for Kirk, but Down wasn’t going to waste one second, and he understood that. But I understood where Kirk was coming from—Crowbar is his baby.

So, during that period, me and Jimmy [Bower, drums] and Pat [Bruders, bass] were just in the jam room constantly, coming up with ideas and running them past Phil [Anselmo, vocals] to make sure that we were all on the same page. And then basically our ace in the hole became Pat.

He had been in Crowbar all these years, but he never really had a chance to write much of anything. And he started coming up with some amazing ideas, and that took some of the pressure off of us. We do it pretty old-school—just beatin’ it out in the jam room.

What are some of the pros of doing four consecutive EPs?

Usually when you do a full length album, the record company throws it out there and maybe you get a couple of months out of it—but we wanted to do something that would stretch that out for a couple of years. Down likes to tour a lot, and doing the EPs will allow us more freedom to do that and get more music out to our fans more frequently.

Plus we have different types of songs in this band, and doing EPs will let us bring out some of those songs that didn’t fit on an album before. Like the next EP will probably have more campfire-type, acousticy songs. It’ll give us an opportunity to show a different side of Down without having to do another whole album, or take those few acoustic songs and jam them into full album. We just like the idea of splitting the material up into four EPs and making it work to our advantage.

From a songwriting perspective, what did it mean to lose Kirk Windstein?

I knew we were losing something, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I just knew that something was going to be gone. I’m pretty prolific when it comes to riffs and songs, so it wasn’t that much of a concern—but Kirk and I had been doing this together for 20 f---ing years, so that aspect of it was gone.

How did your stage manager, Bobby Landgraf, come to be Kirk’s replacement in the band?

We were gonna go on a nationwide search for guitar players and all that, but sometimes that ends up biting you on the a--. The truth is we’re really not the easiest band to get along with—we kind of have our own language and way of doing things—so we wanted someone we knew we could hang out with, and Bobby was right there. After we got him in the game, everything started rolling. It reinvigorated us to have some new blood in the band.

We’re happy as clams right now. Everybody’s heads are clear—nobody’s stumbling around, and we’re ready for the next couple of years for sure.

The new EP isn’t a huge departure from the first one.

No, it isn’t, but that was kind of the intention. I think it’s really gonna shift on the third and fourth EPs. The first one we just kinda ham-fisted it out, and the second one has a little more trickery going on—the riffs aren’t quite so simple and easily digestible, and at the end there’s this little acoustic thing that I think is gonna fly into the third EP. There’s some really crafty guitar stuff happening on this EP that we’ve never ventured into before.

Your last recording with Corrosion of Conformity was 2005’s In the Arms of God. Are you open to reuniting with C.O.C.?

I talk to Woody [Weatherman, guitar] and Mike [Dean, bass] about it often, and it’s definitely on the radar—but those guys are fully capable of doing it as a three-piece on their own for now, and they have been for a while. It’ll happen sooner or later, but only when I could give C.O.C. the utmost respect and attention that it deserves. But the truth is, doing both of those bands full-time is too much.


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Man Who Hired Prostitute Ends Up Calling Police

By: Lindsey Rogers Email
By: Lindsey Rogers Email

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) -- A prostitution case in Manhattan had a bizarre twist when police say the suspect ended up calling them out of fear.

On April 24, 2013 between midnight and 2 AM, Riley County police say 23-year-old Justin Williams, a homeless man from Manhattan, was staying at his friend's trailer at the Red Bud Estates on Farm Bureau Road and hired a prostitute for $400 from

After they had sex, officials say Williams did not have the money to pay the woman and was scared that there would be some sort of retaliation against him so he called the cops.

The incident remains under investigation. Both Williams and the alleged prostitute, 19-year-old Sharon Polk from Topeka, are listed as suspects in the case.

631 SW Commerce Pl. Topeka, Kansas 66615 phone: 785-272-6397 fax: 785-272-1363 email:
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Councilman Archer Announces Resignation, County Transition

By: 13 News (Posted by Josh Mabry)
By: 13 News (Posted by Josh Mabry)

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)-- A Topeka city councilman has set his last day in office as he transitions to a new role with Shawnee County.

Bob Archer will resign his Dist. 7 seat on Jan 13. He'll take his oath the following day as a member of the Shawnee County Commission.

Archer informed the city clerk's office of his decision Wednesday in a letter. City ordinance requires council members to resign if they take another elected office.

Dist. 2 Rep. John Alcala was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives. He hasn't said yet when he'll leave the council.

Below is Bob Archer's resignation letter:

Date: December 5, 2012

Brenda Younger
City Clerk
City of Topeka
215 SE 7th Street
Topeka, KS 66603

Re: Resignation as Councilmember

Dear Mrs. Younger:

As required by Sec. A2-28 TMC, I do hereby submit my resignation as Councilman effective January 13, 2013.

I was elected in 2009 largely due to a promise to bring civility, respect, and teamwork to the Council. I believe I have kept that commitment.

I am particularly proud of my assistance in the consolidation of the City and County Parks and Recreation departments. Also, I have helped successfully fight against property tax increases and wasteful City spending.

Most important, I have worked hard to serve my constituents. Recently, one of my constituents wrote an e-mail that simply said… “You help people.” I think that’s the most important thing any elected official can do.

Bob Archer, CPA

Cc: Mayor Bunten
Jim Colson, City Manager

631 SW Commerce Pl. Topeka, Kansas 66615 phone: 785-272-6397 fax: 785-272-1363 email:
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Fiery Crash to Keep Hwy. 24 Traffic Tied Up for Week

By: 13 News
By: 13 News

A stretch of Highway 24 through Topeka will continue to see slowdowns through the rest of the week because of a traffic accidents.

Westbound Hwy. 24 over the Goodyear Rd. overpass will be reduced to one lane while crews work to repair damage to the guardrails. The lane reduction could last even longer if it's determined additional work is needed.

Authorities got the call around 6:30 Monday morning that a car had gone off the road on the overpass, bounced between both guard rails and stopped in the middle of the road, ejecting one person.

Two others were caught inside when the car caught on fire but witnesses pulled them out.

All three suffered serious injuries.

The west-bound lane was closed entirely until about 3 p.m. Monday to begin repairs.

If you have any information on the crash, call the accident reconstruction team at 368-9551.

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Analysis Shows Medicaid Expansion Would Cost KS $1.1B Over 10 Years

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - State health officials released an analysis Friday showing Medicaid expansion under federal health care reform legislation would increase Kansas costs $1.1 billion over the next 10 years.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the study also showed state general fund expenses for Medicaid would go up $513.5 million over the next 10 years without the expanded coverage.

KDHE contracted the firm Aon Hewitt to do the independent analysis. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gives states the option to expand Medicaid coverage to qualified people earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level, regardless of parental status or medical condition.

“We look forward to working with the State Legislature in the coming weeks to discuss the findings as the members deliberate the impact of expansion,” KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer Robert Moser, M.D., said in a statement released with the report's executive summary.

KDHE says it will release Aon Hewitt's full report with a detailed assessment next week.

631 SW Commerce Pl. Topeka, Kansas 66615 phone: 785-272-6397 fax: 785-272-1363 email:
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