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Verification, Confirmation and Facts
By Dennis Balthaser
One of the most important factors in doing UFO research to me is being able to confirm or verify the many accounts given by individuals supposedly involved in the 1947 Roswell Incident. So-called "first-hand witnesses" have continually come forward with claims that they were here, or saw this or that, or were told something, when in fact after carefully scrutinizing their information, they were not involved as they publicly had stated. Several examples come to mind. Unfortunately many of them have passed on, and we may never know the entire truth. It is possible however to check records and documents in an attempt to verify the information made public. I will herein give you some examples of a few of those individuals that continue to make this research difficult.
Jim Ragsdale became popular in the mid 1990's with the promotion of a booklet and video of his account of the Roswell Incident promoted by the International UFO Museum and Research Center and published by Ragsdale Publications. Ragsdale died on July 1, 1995, and his accounts of what he witnessed remains clouded by several factors, most importantly being the fact that within the few years that he was interviewed (1993-1995), he gave two different accounts on signed affidavits about what he had witnessed. The location of his experience varied as well as what he saw. Consequently having two different affidavits created questions about his story, and the validity of his tale(s) may never be known. As with other so-called witnesses, Ragsdale's story for some has become part of the 1947 Roswell Incident, and is another account that may or may not have been factual, as stated. Unless a substantial amount of information can be obtained about Ragsdale's experience, I will leave it as not being valid in helping to resolve the Roswell Incident.
James Bond Johnson was the photographer for the Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper who took the pictures in General Ramey's office in July 1947 of the General, Col. DuBose and Major Marcel. There is, and has never been any dispute about the fact that he did take those pictures, which today are preserved in the University of Texas, Arlington Library. I had the good fortune of meeting Johnson and did an extensive interview with him about his involvement in 2001, as David Rudiak and Kevin Randle had previously done with him. Johnson for some unknown reason decided to elaborate on his involvement indicating he had given the paper to General Ramey that the General is holding in the photographs he took. Later Johnson indicated that perhaps he had not given the General that teletype, stating, "Obviously I was in error in that speculation". He also indicated that he rummaged through the General's office prior to General Ramey coming in to pose with the "debris", opening the packages brought in by Major Marcel and arranging the material for his photo shoot. (As a researcher and having been in the military, I have a problem with that comment). When I first talked to Johnson he admitted that he knew very little about the Roswell Incident, but it appeared that as time went on he believed he was more involved, later having to backtrack some of his earlier statements. I remain convinced that James Bond Johnson did take the photographs in General Ramey's office, but very little of his other involvement. I was honored when Johnson's son Jerry informed me that my interview with his Dad was distributed at Johnson's funeral for those attending the Memorial Service in March 2006.
Glenn Dennis, the mortician at Ballard Funeral home in 1947 has been interviewed hundreds of times and is still alive. I talked with Glenn daily during my 2-½ years as a volunteer at the UFO Museum between 1996 and 1998. His account has varied very little over the years, and Glenn is a witness that I wish would set the record straight while he still can. He has talked about the nurse at the base hospital that took notes during an examination of a recovered body and that she was transferred to Europe within days of the Incident, dieing in a plane crash. No record of that plane crash has ever been revealed. He gave several researchers a wrong name of the nurse, which after years of investigation produced no results, and finally admitted that he had given the researchers the wrong name to protect her. The "red-headed Captain" that supposedly threatened him while at the base infirmary has never been located. The drawing of an alien face and hands given to Glenn by the nurse at the officer's club has been lost and cannot be found according to Glenn. These statements are of utmost importance in helping to resolve some of the mysteries surrounding the Roswell Incident, so I'm hopeful that he will provide the truth while he still can, or at least leave it for us in the future. I really want to believe Glenn, but validation is needed and only he can provide that.
Frank Kaufman died February 24, 2001, after coming to Roswell in 1942 in the military. Surprisingly, Frank (who was born in New York City) stayed in Roswell after his military time serving on the Roswell Chamber of Commerce for 14 years. After the Roswell Incident research began "heating up", Frank also started heating up with many tales about his involvement, practically all which have been discredited since. I had breakfast with Frank on several occasions and it was his form of entertainment I suppose, to share one of his experiences with me and then stop when I questioned him, with a response like, "you're the researcher---figure it out." I remember one occasion when he and I and a few other researchers were filming a documentary at the Corn ranch site, (which he helped make famous), and I asked him to point to the exact location of the crash site and he crossed his arms and pointed in both directions. Frank provided researchers with a lot of documents, but never let us make copies and as we learned later, most were manipulated by him to make them appear official. Stanton Friedman was dubious of Frank's comments for years before many of us other researchers were. At a meeting in Frank's home in 1999, with Linda Moulton Howe, Don Schmitt, Stanton Friedman and myself after discovering that he had cancer, Frank finally admitted to Stanton that he had not gone to the crash site with Col. Blanchard or Major Marcel as he had proclaimed on many occasions in the past. Frank Kaufman was a master at deceiving some of us researchers and I'm sure enjoyed being such, but for now Frank is no longer a key figure in determining the truth about Roswell.
Lt. Colonel (not Colonel) Corso, in his widely read book "The Day After Roswell", co-authored with Bill Birnes, made some extreme statements about his involvement in the Roswell Incident, as well as about his military career. After reading the book my immediate response was, where are the references in the back of the book to all these claims---there were none? I met Corso several times before he passed away July 16, 1998 at the age of 83, and found him interesting and cordial, but not willing to factually support his many claims. In a sworn statement to lawyer Peter Gersten, Corso claimed to have been a member of the NSC (National Security Council). There are no records that he ever belonged to or even attended any of their meetings. When Gersten asked Corso if he wanted to change that part of his sworn statement, he said no. As to his claim about helping industry develop the integrated circuit, it's well known that Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments developed them in 1958, receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000 for that, BEFORE Corso joined General Trudeau at Army FTD in 1960. Corso claimed to have seen a body at Ft Riley enroute to Wright field in Dayton Ohio by truck, when all reports I've read over the years indicate the bodies were flown to Wright Field. Corso did have a distinguished military career and the book was an interesting read, but lacks any verification or support for the claims Corso made about his involvement with the Roswell Incident.
Fortunately there have been many and still are a few extremely respectable witnesses that were involved with the 1947 Roswell Incident such as Judd Roberts, Walter Haut, Major Jesse Marcel and his son Jesse Marcel Jr., rancher "Mack" Brazel and his son Bill Brazel, Loretta Proctor, Sheriff Wilcox and both of his daughters Phyllis and Elizabeth, and others whose accounts of their involvement can be verified. Time is however not on our side and the search for the truth continues. Information other than the truth must be discarded.
Website: www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email: truthskr@roswell.net
See Also: "Is Anyone Accountable for Records?"


Construction management students make use of an extensive range of resources as an important part of their course. These include state of the art surveying equipment, computer aided design software and a variety of online resources to support practical and theory work. There is a well-equipped design studio to support technical drawing and draughting skills.


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Alastair Reynolds. At Budokan. (Shine).
Jul 4, 2010 1 Comment on Alastair Reynolds. At Budokan. (Shine).Individual Stories, Reviews
Tags Alastair Reynolds
Getting Alastair Reynolds' name on a book cover is of course a Good Thing. However, I'm not so sure though that getting him to write a Near Future Optimistic story is a Good Thing, as his strengths are far future, galactic-spanning stories. And whilst it's Near Future, I'm not so sure about the Optimistic – after all it's a world in which Heavy Metal music still holds sway…
And if you think (like I do) that the likes of Kiss are the nadir of humanity, then a future in which Monsters of Rock are indeed just that, with the might Tyrannosaurus Rex re-created to serve up high octane rock, is hardly going to be an optimistic one. But Reynolds has his tongue firmly in his cheek as he looks at the lengths the rock industry will go to please their audience.
Alice Sola Kim. The Other Graces. (Asimovs July 2010)
Tom Purdom. Haggle Chips. (Asimovs July 2010).
One thought on "Alastair Reynolds. At Budokan. (Shine)."
Guy says:
What excuse could there be in 2010 to still be calling TRex a lizard? Feathered dinosaurs had already been in the news for over a decade and a half… Really took me out of the story.
The Best Science Fiction Stories and Novels : 1955 (ed T.E. Dikty, Frederick Fell Inc. 1955)
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2021 Edition (ed Rich Horton, Prime Books 2022)
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36 (ed David Farland, Galaxy Press Inc. 2020)
The Best Science Fiction of the Year, Volume 6 (ed Neil Clarke, Nightshade Books 2022

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Thomas Anthony Garcia
December 9, 1997 - March 20, 2021
Thomas Anthony Garcia was born December 9, 1997 in Fresno, California to Christian Cranston and Joseph Garcia. He passed away on March 20, 2021 in Fresno, California at the young age of 23. Thomas was pursuing a career as a song writer and a rapper. Thomas dealt with a lot of medical issues from the time he was born. He took it all with a smile. Never let it stop him from doing what he wanted. He played on the football and wrestling teams. Ran around playing and enjoying life to the fullest. He loved spending time with family, especially his beautiful children he loved more than life. Thomas is survived by his parents Christian and Joseph, God parents Marty LeBar Jr. and Shannon Leon, Children Xzavier and Anaveoh Garcia, Siblings Sara and Jojo Garcia, God brothers Elias, Virgil and Junior LeBar, God sisters Talia and Jewliana LeBar, Grandparents Richard Cranston and Gloria Hernandez, Aunts and uncles Michelle Green, Mike and Melissa Navarro, Katie Broadway-Beers, Vincent and Hilda Garcia, Fiance Destiny Fox and many cousins. He is preceded in death by his Great Grandparents Dave and Helen Schneider, Grandmother Susan Cranston and Papa Raul Leon.
Thomas Anthony Garcia was born December 9, 1997 in Fresno, California to Christian Cranston and Joseph Garcia. He passed away on March 20, 2021 in Fresno, California at the young age of 23. Thomas was pursuing a career as a song writer and... View Obituary & Service Information
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Take two hours to walk the path or a month of Sundays to experience it all.
Engaging tales of Newcastle's indigenous and convict heritage, culture and natural history weave their way along the track. Look for the yellow information signs that are the storytellers, helping you navigate the Bathers Way.
Sizzling barbecues set the scene for the perfect picnic lunch, enjoyed in one of the tree lined parks along the way.
For a gourmet delight, venture off the track and to nearby Darby Street, The Junction or the City Centre to sip on coffee and soak up the cafe culture till late.


Here's a view inside the box. I like the inside of things (especially purses) to be a light color. My eyes find things much easier on a light surface. BUT since I was using scraps I did not have any pieces of the lightest fabric to cover the bottom of the box so.... that's why I pieced a 4-patch for the center, then surrounded it with the silver to make it big enough to cover the bottom. Improvising, isn't that how we sometimes end up with our best designs.
I had never covered a box with fabric before so didn't have a clue where to start. The worst part about this project is the lid doesn't fit! It was a tight fit BEFORE I covered it which is the reason I chose this slippery thin fabric. This was a FUN project but don't see myself ever doing another one.
Hope your weekend allows you time to visit your mind and heart to think upon the ultimate sacrifices made by those in service to our country. Just one day out of the year to honor our loved ones, our ancestors, our friends who died in conflicts and wars -- not to honor war, but those that died in those conflicts and wars. Remember those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for this country and your way of life.
Who Is That Woman Behind Those Foster Grants?
This is a snapshot of my world today. When I saw it, it cracked me up so I grabbed my camera so I could share it with you. This dedicated quilter forgot to put her reading glasses in the sewing kit but wasn't about to let that stop her from quilting. So she grabbed her bifocal sunglasses and started stitchin'.
Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild. They are a relatively new guild having formed in 2010. But it seems this year it is growing in leaps and bounds, there were 5 new people at this months meeting. This was the second meeting for me. The meeting was held at Scrapbooks ETC in Mesa and there were enough attendees to fill their large classroom. The meeting mostly consisted of a hand embroidery workshop. Our instructor, Danny Heyen, shared lots of embroidery stitches with us. The picture above is a sample of the Lazy Daisy stitch with a couple of French Knots in the center of the flower. Back in the day... like 40 years ago, I did a lot of hand embroidery but haven't done much since. It was a nice refresher course and I'm inspired to find ways to embellish some of my work with floss and needle.
Yesterday as my hubby was coming home from work he stopped and bought three quick picks for the POWERBALL. This is not NORMAL behavior for him, playing POWERBALL. He does all his gambling in Vegas. But with the jackpot SO high I guess he couldn't resist.
He also stopped and picked up take out for dinner (I know... he's a keeper). So we eat our dinner which included fortune cookies, those are FUN little things. When I opened my fortune cookie and saw this I really was left speachless!
You know, every quilt has a story and this one is no exception.
Quilter didn't use up ANY of her fabric but still found a way to go SHOPPING for fabric. AND she now has a red, white and blue tablerunner that will work perfectly for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.
So... Have You Tried the Spoon Trick Yet?
In the past few weeks I have bumped into several quilters (also blog readers). The first topic they want to cover is, "Where have you been?". Turns out they've missed my blog ramblings.
WHO KNEW people were actually reading this stuff!
The next topic they want to discus is the spoon trick (unless they haven't tried it!). Turns out the spoon trick works with everyone's stove, pans and spoons. It never fails that if the person I'm talking with doesn't bring up the spoon trick it's cuz they haven't tried it.


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I just finished the final revisions for book 2 of my upcoming Whispering Bay Romance trilogy. I absolutely love these books and I hope you do too! All three books will come out within 3 weeks of each other in Spring of 2015 and I hope to be able to share the covers soon. The books are all contemporary romances, and each features a different heroine and hero, as well as characters from my Bunco Babes novels.
The second bo ok in the series, THEN HE KISSED ME has a bit of a It's a Wonderful Life theme going. It's my favorite holiday movie and it's my heroine's favorite movie of all time and her absolute go-to comfort flic whenever she needs a pick-me-up. I have to admit, I decorate my Christmas tree while watching it to help get me in the mood. I think everyone has that special holiday movie that they absolutely have to see each Christmas, and this is without a doubt, my favorite. Plus, you know, there's Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and that awesome kiss they share while she's talking to another guy on the phone. Sigh! Go, Jimmy!
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The Road Trip Trilogy
by Matt Lubich
Fight terrorism…blow something up
TO: Tom Ridge
Office of Homeland Security/Washington, D.C.
MEMO: Report from the Heartland on Independence Day
HURON, South Dakota -- Enclosed, please find receipts for reimbursement of expenses incurred on the trip (June 26-29) to Huron, S.D. I agree that the "cover" of traveling with Lesli and the girls to Lesli's family reunion was perfect for my assignment of monitoring and reporting on the mood of the nation.
Do me a favor, okay? Let's not have any argument from the bean counters in the GAO about the cost of two nights of bowling at the alley next to the Dakota Inn where we stayed. What can I say? The girls like to bowl. Tell them Harper (my youngest) actually won two games. Tell them they're just lucky the taxpayers didn't end up footing the bill for admission to South Dakota State Fairgrounds Speedway, where they were running late models Saturday night. Add that I AM NOT attempting to get reimbursed for the Sturgis 2003 baseball hat (with flames) that I bought for my sports editor Martin B. Hamilton. Call it my patriotic contribution to the budget crisis.
Here's a joke to soften the accountants up (compliments of my 9-year-old Riley): You know that the pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota, right?…It's the only state that lets you shoot the state bird. If that doesn't work, tell them the one I told you the last time I was in Washington about Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and Bill Clinton walking into a bar together. I thought I was going to die when I told it then and President Bush laughed so hard that Diet Coke came out his nose.
All I can say, Tom, is that these are troubling times to be celebrating the independence of our nation. I still haven't seen any news on how you all worked out the problem with transportation of fireworks by rail. I read in late May that fireworks shows in smaller towns across the country were threatened because railroads are refusing to haul the stuff and firework companies can't figure out how to work with the new anti-terror laws.
It seems to me that in the face of being unable to stop the violence of terrorism, we've almost begun to try and Miss Manner it out of existence by banning anything that might anger, or offend, or injure with misuse. No doubt you've heard the news recently from Greeley. First they banned political parties from the annual Fourth of July parade (note to your profilers: add people wearing donkey or elephant pins and hurling Tootsie Rolls to the "detain and question" list for potential terrorists), and now, the Union Colony Fire Authority says you can't shoot fireworks that require lighting by a match or lighter. They say you can have poppers or snakes, but I'm not sure about that. You have to light those snakes. Maybe the idea is that you just put them out on the sidewalk, then come August, when it's 115 degrees, they'll ignite by themselves.
Greeley fire officials say it's not a matter of homeland security, it's a matter of safety. A spokesman was even quoted as saying that Greeley's approach to fireworks is "more progressive" than the rest of the state. That's probably the first time the words "Greeley" and "progressive" were ever used in the same sentence. A fireworks seller was quoted in the same story saying that Christmas tree fires burn down houses every year. Are we going to ban them next?
And I also hear that I better prepare for a full cavity search at DIA if I intend to shoot off fireworks and then fly, because the machines to detect explosive residue on suitcases and skin are going to go berserk. Apparently they've also had trouble in regard to people's golf shoes, because they're also designed to pick up traces of fertilizer. People with heart conditions have even had problems, because the machine picks up the traces of nitroglycerin from their tablets.
Tom, if this is the attitude that our government wants to project, then it's my advice that this Fourth of July the Office of Homeland Security post the following instructions on your web site www.Ready.gov — people should act like my dog Lucy and just stay inside under the bed and tremble.
If we as a nation can't celebrate our independence the way we want, then have President Bush go on national television tonight and announce that we've been defeated, we've officially lost the war on terrorism. That's what they want. Stopping the freedom of speech? That's like a nuclear strike on our whole society. Make us so afraid and frustrated that we bind ourselves in the chains of laws under the impression that we can legislate reassurance? No number of planes crashed into buildings can create that effect.
I've told you before, if you want to get a special ops team and have them track down Osama and send his mother his head in a box with a complimentary set of presidential cuff links included, count me in, that's my idea of fighting terrorism, but we're not going to break al-Qaida by banning sparklers.
And you know what, Tom? In all my travels this past long weekend I don't think I heard the word terrorism once. People are worried about their aging parents who are barely able to make it on a fixed income, facing the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. I heard about people who got laid off from their jobs, and are wondering what they'll do now without health insurance. But what I found most was a nation of hardworking people who are trying to do right, and most of all, simply want to celebrate and enjoy summer.
I sat there in a parking lot in Huron beneath the canvas awning of my father-in-law Merv's RV and watched family members like Lesli's uncle, Fred Behm, who fought for this country in World War II, sit and hold his great-grandchildren on his lap. How can you possibly make them understand the sacrifices he and his friends made for their independence? And how do you explain, how in some weird way, they fought for our right to shoot off fireworks and say and believe stupid things?
I sat and watched a family. Not forgetting all the disagreements over the years and all the jealousies and in-fighting, but by coming together, showing everyone (including themselves) the strength of unity that comes from a family. A strength that has helped them weather plenty of storms. It seems to me that we as a country can draw a lot of lessons from this simple tableau that no doubt will be repeated all over our land this coming summer weekend.
I know you paid me for a report, Tom, not for suggestions, but here's a little free advice: Mobilize the National Guards and have them go door-to-door in the next 24 hours handing out sparklers, then have President Bush call on Congress to pass emergency legislation that requires that at a prescribed moment this Fourth of July (have the eggheads in the National Weather Service tell you when it will officially be dark everywhere in the U.S.) everyone has to go outside and light one. We can call it Twinklers Against Terror or something catchy like that.
Let the combined light symbolize a candle of remembrance for those that lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks and for those servicemen and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let the spy satellites of all our enemies see the individual fires that burn in one blinding force, and think about that the next time they decide to try and scare us into submission.
Don't laugh. These base times call for primal responses. You've already tried war, right? In Santa Fe, N.M., since 1924, they've had an annual event as part of Fiesta that's called "Zozobra". Simply put, they build this 40 to 50-foot tall puppet out of lumber and muslin that is supposed to represent Old Man Gloom. At dark, they set him on fire and in essence burn away all the bad from the past year -- sending all the anguish, anxiety and gloom up into the heavens in smoke and embers. I propose we create a similar national cathartic event with Twinklers Against Terror.
And oh yeah, don't forget to make sure there's something in the emergency legislation about me getting reimbursed for the bowling.
Sometimes you have to go with the flow
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- It seems like the only people at the Cedar Lodge Motel right now are the cleaning women and me. As I lay by the pool alone, I can hear them in the rooms across the way talking in Spanish. The fact that I only understand about every 15th word makes the sense of solitude even more pronounced.
Every late afternoon, the parking lot fills with cars and the rooms become a hive of tourist activity. Last night, it was several rented SUVs full of what we finally decided were Russians; who sat drinking vodka out of the bottle at a picnic table in the motel courtyard until midnight. But every morning, everyone moves on -- except us.
This is not the vacation we planned. Lesli, the girls and I were to have gone on a 10-day houseboat trip to Lake Powell with her parents. Lesli's parents had went over early to get things ready. Wednesday, prior to our Friday departure, we got a call from Lesli's mom. Lesli's dad, Merv, had fallen off the side of the houseboat the night before, breaking four ribs and puncturing a lung. He was in the hospital in Grand Junction. The vacation, at least to Lake Powell, was off.
Scrambling, and desperately trying to benefit from the incredible staff we've built that would allow us to leave for an entire newscycle of the paper, we called travel agents trying to book everything from a couple days in Vegas to a package deal to Mexico. Nothing was coming together. We called a hotel in Glenwood, thinking a week at the Hot Springs pool might be nice. No luck. Another call to another Glenwood hotel. Same answer. Finally, and with a little voice in our heads wondering why they had rooms when nobody else did, we were able to book a week at the Cedar Lodge. Already I could picture the sign out front: Nobody killed here since Tuesday.
But first, we had to drive to Grand Junction. Merv was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon and insisted that he was going back to Lake Powell with Lesli and her mom, Danni, to load-out and close-up the houseboat. The girls and I would stay the weekend at the Grand Junction Super 8 and wait for their return, before heading back east to Glenwood for the week. Grand Junction had the added attraction that Paul Shockley, a former reporter for The Johnstown Breeze, is now living there — having thrown-in with a start-up daily, The Grand Junction Free Press, that is taking on the corporate-weasel-run-rag The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
While Lesli did the good-daughter thing and helped Danni unload an entire houseboat in 112-degree heat, the girls and I lived like junkie rock stars. We'd started the day late in the morning, wandering down the street to Denny's, then it was back to the pool for the afternoon before a stop at the vending machines, where we'd stock up on candy, chips, pretzels and pops and then glide into the evening lying on the beds watching Cartoon Network in a sugar and sun-laden stupor.
They made it back from Lake Powell. We made it to Glenwood, and on Tuesday, Merv and Danni headed back to Boulder, leaving Lesli, the girls and me to our first real "family" vacation. Just the four of us.
Despite my fears, the Cedar Lodge turned out to be a nice place, with a crystal clear pool and a seemingly endless parade of interesting humans to watch come and go. We toured the underground caverns in Glenwood. We rafted the Colorado River. We found a great go-kart track just outside of town, and we had fun. Oddly enough, we never made it to the Hot Springs pool. Things didn't turn out like we thought they would, but Merv could have fallen a couple of days later, when the boat wasn't at the dock, but out in the middle of nowhere. Anyone who has gone to Lake Powell understands that the last thing you want to have to confront in those desolate canyons is a medical crisis.
Things work out for a reason, reasons that you and I probably weren't meant to understand. Which brings me back to lying by the Cedar Lodge pool alone that one afternoon.
In 1986, I interviewed with The Glenwood Post for a reporter job. Trust me, I've sat talking with enough editors who didn't want to hire me to know that I likely had the job. Lesli (we were still unmarried at the time) went with me for the interview/trip. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to find work in Glenwood, and I called the editor before we left town to tell him I was taking my name out of consideration.
There have been times in the past nearly two decades, late nights of frustration and fear, where I've wondered what would have happened if I had been offered that job in Glenwood and had taken it. Honestly, in my less-than-stellar moments, I have held that decision against Lesli, and on more than one occasion, resented having made it.
Until this trip. You want to know what's next door to The Cedar Lodge? You got it, the offices of what is now The Glenwood Post-Independent, a corporate chain newspaper that would have likely run my skinny butt off long ago. Lesli kept encouraging me to go over and tell them my story. I thought about it, but only because I thought maybe they'd give me a free hat. More than likely, however, I figured they'd just call the cops about this unshaven weirdo in surfer short swim trunks and a tie-dye T-shirt who was waving a can of Guinness around and raving about some job interview he had a long time ago.
Life certainly hadn't turned out like I had thought it would back in 1986, but that is mostly an indication of how limited my imagination was back then. The girls took enormous pleasure in telling anyone who would stop long enough to listen that if I had taken the job in Glenwood, they would have grown up there instead of Johnstown. But what if taking the job there had meant that Lesli and I had never gotten married? The concept of a life now without them, or her, no matter "what could have been", seems a pale, hollow echo of what the four of us have created together.
At one point I thought fleetingly about going in to the Glenwood paper and telling them that I had changed my mind, that I wanted to be considered for the reporter position after all, but the sun was out, the pool was empty and mine to slide in and out of at my whim and thermostatic whimsy, and my illegal smile as John Prine once called it, was enough for me.
So I just laid there, the staccato Spanish of the chambermaids my background music, and waited for Lesli and the girls to get back from their hike -- to see what the rest of the day, and my life, would bring.
Dead dads, Tiger Beat cops and Super Stocks
PUEBLO, Colo. -- Saturday, Aug. 23, was the 12th anniversary of my dad's death. I marked the occasion by traveling back to my hometown for the stock car races.
Some sons and fathers have football, others hunting, for my dad and me it was the races. My sister and I grew up sitting next to him in the stands at tracks from Pueblo to Denver. A former driver briefly himself, he quit before we were born but retained his love for the sport -- and passed that affection on to us.
When he died, he was cremated. We split his still-warm ashes up into plastic baggies. The majority were poured into a stream in the mountains above Pueblo -- where my aunt who was murdered was scattered -- and where someday my mother will be too. Part of my share went into a pottery glaze that my mother-in-law, Danni, used to make me a coffee cup that I now keep my pens in at the office. The rest, I took a week after his death to the races in Pueblo. Longtime family friends Bob Wright, another former driver, his wife Theresa and their kids accompanied Lesli and me. We sat amid the noise of the engines and laughed and cried and talked about my dad. At the end of the evening, after everyone left, I sprinkled his ashes in the stands.
Ever since, I've made the drive down to Pueblo on the weekend closest to my dad's death and went to the races. Most years I've gone alone. I prefer it that way. I don't have to feel like I need to make small talk, and I can sit with my thoughts and commune with my father.
Lesli had to work all weekend, so my daughters went to Pueblo with me Saturday morning. My sister broke her ankle recently and is on crutches. On top of that, her husband likely came down with West Nile last week and was just barely getting back on his feet. Trying to give them a bit of rest, I offered to take my 5-year-old nephew, Jack, with us. While I went to the races, the three cousins could hang out with Granny Carol. I found several years ago, when I went back to Virginia with my family to where my aunt had lived and died, that small children have a very large capacity to chase away the gloom and the ghosts.
We arrived in Pueblo mid-afternoon. Mom and the kids took off for Mineral Palace swimming pool, leaving me sitting in my dad's old easy chair, surfing channels on the television.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Thinking they had forgotten something, I opened the front door to my mom's house, only to see what I thought at first was a Pueblo Junior Police Cadet. I know I'm getting old when the cops start looking this young. This one looked about 15.
"Is James Turner here?" he said brusquely.
"Nobody named James Turner lives here," I said.
"Is your name James Turner?" he asked aggressively. About this time, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that another officer was standing around the edge of my mother's house in the driveway.
"No," I said slowly, still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Can you show me some identification to prove that?" he said. I pulled out my wallet and showed him my license. As if he didn't think I could hear him, he told the other officer, "It's not him.
"We just received a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at this location," the young cop said. By this time, the other officer was standing with him. I then noticed that their police cruiser was parked about a half-block away at the corner. Here it is, 105 degrees, they're wearing body armor and dark blue uniforms, and they expect me to believe they're responding to a 911 call and going to walk to the house. Obviously, they were trying to serve a warrant on some guy named James Turner, and for whatever reason, thought he was here, or at least that I knew him.
"Nobody here called 911," I said.
"Whose house is this?" the young cop said, cutting me off.
"My mother's."
"Does she have a boyfriend named James Turner?"
It's never likely a good idea to laugh while cops are trying to interrogate you, but this was getting pretty weird. The thought of my 68-year-old widowed mother having a felon boyfriend just seemed funny.
"No," I said. "She doesn't. Look, do you want to come in and look around?"
They came in. While the young one went from room to room and then down in the basement, the older one stood and watched me. You could tell that he knew this had been a mistake. I just stood there with the channel changer still in my hand. I started to surf. The young one came back upstairs and went to the bedrooms. You'd have to know the layout of my mother's house, but she has what is obviously a hall closet just next to her bathroom.
"Is this a closet?" the young cop asked, putting his hand on the knob.
I came this close to saying, "No, it's the door to a parallel universe," but the only thing I could think was that if I got an attitude, I was going to get arrested and I wouldn't get to go to the stock car races. So I kept my mouth shut, and told him yes, it's a closet.
James Turner wasn't in there.
It was obvious that both of them by this time knew they had the wrong house. But standing there, staring at the skinny hippie in the tie-dye tee shirt with the goatee and earring, you could just tell that they figured I had to be guilty of something. After about 30 seconds, when I didn't pull a gun or a bong out of my pocket, they simply said "okay" and left.
The police have a horribly dangerous and thankless job, but you know what? They should be treated with the same respect they show others. One "sorry"…a single smile and a "Hey, guess this will be a good story to tell your mom"…and you wouldn't be reading this. Certainly at least, these two wouldn't be coming off as badly as they are. In retrospect it's pretty clear that the young cop was new and the older cop was a training officer. In my opinion, he's not doing his young partner any favors letting him think this is the way you deal with people. Someday, he's going to run into someone who doesn't like cops, who would love nothing better than to take one on, and he's going to find himself in a possibly deadly situation just because he thinks saying thank-you would ruin his command presence.
After my visit with Pueblo's finest, I headed to I-25 Speedway. I talked with co-owner Randell White. I explained why I was there and told him I wanted to put up $100 for the winner of the super stock main event in memory of my father. My only request was that the announcer talk about what I was doing, and why I was doing it. He and the announcer readily agreed, thanking me for the gesture. The announcer added that I could even come down on the track after the race and present the check myself to the winning driver.
In a day already filled with weird happenstance, I also found out that Amy Wright, Bob and Theresa's oldest daughter, was now the head judge at the track. Luckily, she was there to vouch for me — that I wasn't some yahoo, well, maybe I was a yahoo, but a yahoo that does in-fact own a newspaper and does in-fact have a dead father who I used to go to the races there with.
Del Sparks, the announcer, made a half-dozen mentions of who I was and what I wanted to do over the course of the evening. Most importantly, he talked about my dad and his love of racing. Unfortunately in our society it isn't enough to merit public recognition to just get up every morning for 30-plus years and haul a mail bag and raise a family, but finally, a dozen years after his death, my dad, Art Lubich, heard his name boom out over the speakers of the race track where he used to sit on hundreds of summer nights with his son and his daughter.
The super stock main was what I can only describe as heaven-sent. The guy that led the race for the first 18 of the 20 laps was someone my dad and I used to watch race. My dad didn't like him. The guy in second-place is sort of the next generation of another driver my dad had no use for either. I figured my dad wouldn't like me handing a hundred bucks to either of them, but he'd understand.
Then, the guy in second got into the back bumper of the guy in first as the cars came out of turn two, spinning the leader out. The guy in second then went on to win the race amid boos and cheers. When he pulled up in front of the start line for the trophy presentation, the guy who had been leading roared up next to him. I was still going to present the check, I decided, but first I was going to wait until the fight was finished.
All the other cars had left the track when they decided to bring them all back out, take the race back to lap 18, send the guy who had "won" to the back of the pack, and run the last two laps. At the restart, the guy now in second tried to get underneath the original leader on the backstretch and they crashed together, taking both of themselves out. The race was stopped to clear away the carnage. I pulled my cell phone out and dialed my home number. Sleepily, Lesli answered.
As they ran the last two laps I screamed a running commentary into the phone over the roar. It was just like when I was a kid, I told her, when I actually cared who won the race and my dad and I would boo the evil Ronnie McDowell, who I once described as Darth Vader in a yellow Chevy Camaro, and cheer on my dad's old buddy Lou Willschau. Bobby Regester from Cripple Creek won the race, and while people were still yelling, cursing and clapping, I shouted that I loved her to Lesli and hung up the phone, making my way to the track.
"I'll explain it later but I'm going to write you a check for a hundred bucks," I yelled above the noise to the sweating young stock car driver as we shook hands and I had my picture taken presenting him with his trophy. He loaded up and left before I could get to the pits to do that, so I gave the check to Randell White. Another driver had suffered a heart attack earlier in the evening while racing and had crashed into a group of cars going flat-out. He was now on a respirator in the hospital, but was expected to live. The drivers, including Regester, had already agreed to donate their prize money for the night to his family to help with the medical costs — about $6,000 all totaled. Sixty-one hundred if you counted the check from The Johnstown Breeze I wrote.
If you look closely at the picture, you can see a 10-year-old kid inside the body of a 42-year-old man. People tell him all the time that he looks like his father did when he was young. They hold several other things in common: they both smoke; it killed one of them, and if he doesn't smarten up and quit, god help the other. They love their wives, they love their two children, and despite the fact that they yell too much, they're trying to do their imperfect best for them. And one other thing…
They love stock car racing.
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A few years back, I realized that I was going to make three trips over the summer – traveling to South Dakota with my wife Lesli Bangert and our two daughters for Lesli's family reunion; a vacation to Lake Powell with Lesli, the girls and her parents; and my annual pilgrimage to the stock car races in Pueblo, Colo., in memory of my father. It'd be interesting, I thought, to write about all three trips as a sort of trilogy and see what if any common thread there was between the pieces. What I found was a picture of our country and myself in these modern times. If there was any common thread, it was family.
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Army leaders say there's no drawdown in costs as U.S. troops leave Afghanistan | Fayetteville Observer
December 17, 2014 - News
By Drew Brooks Military editor
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – U.S. Army leaders in Afghanistan have squeezed as much savings as they can from the war, and they say a smaller troop presence will not necessarily translate to less money spent.
As U.S. forces continue to leave Afghanistan, they are being replaced in many cases by civilian contractors, said Col. Dwayne Harris, who oversaw financial management for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.
Harris, who has a similar role at Fort Bragg for the 18th Airborne Corps, said the Army has hit a wall in the Afghanistan drawdown because of fixed costs related to its current footprint – 25 bases of varying size that will remain through the end of the year.
"We're sort of at a point of diminishing returns," he said. "Unless we start closing huge bases like (Kandahar Airfield), we're not going to gain any more efficiencies out of this budget."
Harris said there is "no direct correlation between a reduction of U.S. troops and a reduction of the budget."
He said any savings from a smaller troop presence are negated by the added contractors, who are in Afghanistan to fill gaps created by having fewer troops.
He described the added contractors as "buying back capacity."
"As we take U.S. troops out, we're also taking capability out, and that capability has to be augmented in some way, shape or form," Harris said.
In January 2012, when there were 91,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, the ratio of service members to contractors was roughly 1:1, officials said.
By the end of the year, that ratio is expected to be 1:2.4, meaning that for the 9,800 U.S. troops expected to stay in Afghanistan, there will be roughly 23,500 civilian contractors.
Col. Ken Dyer, who oversaw retrograde, redeployment and material reduction for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said the contractors are needed to help maintain equipment and perform other important tasks the remaining troops simply won't have the manpower to tackle.
"The mission's changed. … That contract support is going to continue to play a critical role," Dyer said. "You can't separate the military logisticians anymore from defense contractors. We're very much integrated."
Besides, he said, there are simply some things commercial partners do better than the U.S. military.
Harris said there is a misconception the transition to a smaller U.S. presence in Afghanistan will result in a sort of "peace dividend."
"That's just not the case," he said.
He said the 18th Airborne Corps is a good steward of taxpayer money.
Since February, when the corps deployed to form the core of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Harris said, he and others worked hard to find those savings.
The end result, he said, was that the U.S. military spent about $5.9 billion there in 2014, despite originally having a budget of about $8 billion. Harris said much of the savings was identified early.
"The budget was probably overestimated for the amount of things we needed to get done here," he said. "We had about $2 billion more than we needed. We returned that money."
Harris said it is important for the leadership to take those savings out of the budget immediately and get it in the "hands of people who can use it."
"I'm sure that money made its way to other operations that you know about around here," he said.
Harris does not want to imply that his job was easy or that savings were easy to find.
He said uncertainty in Afghanistan – including the drawdown, presidential elections, and the signing of agreements between U.S. forces and the new Afghan government – led to some unexpected expenses.
"From a budgetary standpoint, it's almost impossible to plan for those things. How could you know?" he said. "You can never sit back, relax and say, 'Hey, I think we've got this.' Every single day represents another opportunity for things to go wrong."
When Operation Resolute Support begins in the new year, Harris said, the U.S. budget in Afghanistan will likely be about half the budget officials had at the start of 2014, or about 60 percent of what they actually spent over the course of the year.
via Army leaders say there's no drawdown in costs as U.S. troops leave Afghanistan | Fayetteville Observer.


This Blingee ranked number 1 in the Best Anime Blingee competition. View the final rankings or Enter current competitions now!
This Blingee scored 1270 points in the Best Anime Blingee competition. View the final rankings or Enter current competitions now!
17 graphics were used to create this "anime girl with red hair and green eyes" picture.


Before we even knew if Finn was going to be a boy or a girl, I had started planning his nursery. I had such fun choosing themes and little details for the other two, I wanted him to have a space that was all his own too, whilst keeping his room simple and light. It began as a grey white and yellow colour scheme, but evolved as I found more little items that I couldn't resist. The final nursery isn't as co-ordinated as some, but everything was chosen especially for it, and I love his space.
At nine months, we have decided it is now time for Finn to upgrade the Snuzpod for his big cot and for the last few nights he has been sleeping in here. He seems happy in his own room (although he still calls out for a visitor and some milk every night).
When we moved into our current house, we were pregnant with Archie, who we thought may be our last child and the bloke and I both had jobs outside the home. Over the past three years our family has grown by an extra member, and both the bloke and I have changed jobs so that we both work from home. Combined, this has meant that Finn's nursery is a multi purpose room, and opposite the cot is a desk where we can work during the day. This isn't a long term solution, but for now the room is big enough and Finn is small enough for it to work.
The lighting isn't great along the back wall, which is why some of the photos look a little less white than others. I love the calmness of the room, the subtle pops of colour and the little features that make it Finns. Whilst we paid for most of the items pictures, there are a few things that were sent to us to help complete the nursery and I am very grateful as they are exactly what I was looking for.
I think this theme is completely unisex and as we have kept most of it quite plain, it should be easy to update as Finn grows too.
Aw it looks great! I love the cloud theme too although I'm struggling to find it in girly colours prints!
What a BLOODY GORGEOUS room! I really love those little pops of colour.


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Laurier football: 'Win every day, in everything we do'
Laurier football: 'Win every day, in everything we do'
Strong donor support can help improve Laurier's impressive program
What is Laurier football? It's the roar of the crowd as the Golden Hawks rush the field. It's a night under the lights while watching fireworks explode in celebration. It's flyovers and high flyers. It's passion, connections, wide eyes and even wider smiles.
New Era, Higher Expectations
In 2013, Ontario University Athletics all-time passing yards leader Michael Faulds took over the coaching duties of Laurier's varsity football team. Under his leadership, the team went from 1-7 in 2013 to 7-1 in 2016, topped off by bringing home the eighth Yates Cup in Laurier history.
But the biggest accomplishment achieved under Faulds' watch to date is 13 Academic All-Canadians, players who boast a more than 80 per cent academic average. With a genuine focus on equipping players with the tools, knowledge and confidence needed to thrive beyond field, Laurier's Athlete Academic Success Program provides players with academic support, mentorship and practical skills development. The program is ensuring student athletes graduate at a higher rate than the rest of the student body. This, combined with important skills developed on the field — tenacity, resilience and teamwork — will help young players distinguish themselves well beyond football.
Funding Laurier Football
Laurier's annual football budget is less than half of other Ontario University Athletics schools. Laurier football receives funding from the university and students, while some other schools don't. This should put the program ahead of its competition, but Laurier falls behind in donor support.
With strong donor support Laurier can grow its programs to recruit aggressively with maximum scholarship support; offer players attractive facilities; benefit from more full-time coaches and coaching support; use-cutting edge technology to improve performance; help student-athletes secure part-time employment; and offer dedicated athletic therapy and meals after practice.
In true Laurier style, the program has worked hard to compete with less. However, the competition for players across the country is fierce. To address critical needs, a group of former Golden Hawks has come together with a goal of generating a $5 million football legacy endowment fund by 2020.
"We have an amazing group of alumni who want to solidify Laurier's standing as a school with both a championship football culture and the ability to develop highly successful student-athletes," says campaign chair John Glassford, a Golden Hawks defensive lineman from 1973 to 1976.
We need you to be a catalyst for the team. Your help will close the funding gap and cement Laurier's standing as a school that offers an elite football program. You can make a gift online anytime or contact Laurier's Dan Robert at 519.884.0710 x3177 or drobert@wlu.ca for more information about the football legacy endowment fund.
Preparing for pro – and beyond


•Wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move easily so you can increase your stride and heart rate.
•Consider shoes that have proper treads to reduce the risk of slipping on ice or wet floors and allow you to walk faster and more comfortably.
•Try to carry smaller bags; the weight of your purchases can add up quickly.
•Try to carry bags on both sides to maintain balance. Awkward, one-sided carrying can result in a sore back or a slip and fall.
•when waiting for parking spaces or in long lines.
•Take a parking spot farther from your destination and walk the extra distance.
•While waiting in line-ups, practise posture exercises for your stomach, back and bottom muscles.
•If you are shopping with company, share the loads. Help your shopping mate and they can help you.
•Know where you want to go and buy the heaviest and awkward gifts last.
•Consider getting a locker or taking your packages back to the trunk of your car regularly as a way to increase your exercise and reduce your carrying load.
•Don't forget to plan breaks and lunch times.


Jerome Baker with the Miami Dolphins rookie class, shakes hands with 7th and 8th grade students from Forest Glen Middle School in Coral Springs. The Dolphins partnered with United Way of Broward County and EverFi, to honor students who participated in the Character Playbook program, an education initiative focused on youth character development and building healthy relationships.
Sixth-grader, Olivia Moore of Forest Glen Middle School in Coral Spring, takes pictures of members of the Miami Dolphins rookie class. The Dolphins partnered with United Way of Broward County and EverFi, to honor students who participated in the Character Playbook program, an education initiative focused on youth character development and building healthy relationships.
The Miami Dolphins partnered with United Way of Broward County and EverFi, to honor students of Forest Glen Middle School who participated in the Character Playbook program, an education initiative focused on youth character development and building healthy relationships.


Rick Tomen, climate science and service manager for the National Weather Service, Alaska region, talked about the unusual 2013 Alaskan spring, and how it impacted migratory bird species.
In the spring of 2013 Marilyn Romanovsky, an adjunct professor in the department of Neural Biology, Physiology and Behavior at the University of California, Davis, was on-site in the remote foothills of the Brooks Range, North Slope, Alaska.
She describes the snow-bound conditions, and how birds were getting stockpiled along the Alaska Canadian border. Eventually the birds did make their way through the snowy passes.
Even once the snow has cleared enough for migratory birds to nest, they still face challenges like unpredictable weather and spring storms. Associate professor at the University of Edinburgh Dr. Simone Meddle studies how songbirds have adapted their physiology to Arctic weather.
Alaska hosts birds from all over the world. Over 200 bird species have been recorded in one corner of Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Many birds – species which over-winter in warmer climes – migrate to Alaska every warm season to breed.
They undergo a challenging task. Migration calls for high energy expenditure, as well as an intermixture of instinct, skill and cognitive ability. Once the birds arrive they face a ticking clock. They must court, breed and form pair bonds, build a nest, lay and incubate eggs, hunt, feed their hatchlings, then gain enough fuel to make the long distance return flight.
All this occurs during the very brief window of Arctic summer.
Jesse Krause, PhD student at the University of California Davis, is part of his university's Birds and Seasonality project. Part of what Team Bird is studying is how global climate change impacts the cyclical events that happen every year in the Arctic (i.e. snow melt, plant growth, and insect emergence) and how those changes are affecting Arctic-breeding birds.
Smith's Longspurs winter in the South Central Plains states, then fly north, arriving at their destination in northern Alaska during the first week of June. For songbirds like the Smith's Longspurs, Lapland Longspurs or White Crowned Sparrows, nest building takes a few days at most. Then the birds lay 4 to 5 eggs over 4 to 5 days. Incubation averages 12 to 14 days, and then nestlings remain in the nest for at least 9 days before they are ready to begin hesitant flight. Young fledglings will travel and feed locally in small groups watched over by adult males before they are ready to set off on a long migration south.
Dr. John Wingfield, University of California Davis professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, talks about the Smith's Longspurs patterns witnessed by the Birds and Seasonality project in 2013.
To be successful, migratory birds must attain synchrony. They must arrive in the Arctic when there is enough liquid water and available food to support them and when their necessary nesting habitat is available (not buried in snow). Once their young hatch, they must be able to obtain plenty of food to feed them; nestlings need to be strong enough to fledge and fly on their own before winter nears again. Nestlings eat mainly arthropods (insects, spiders, or tiny crustaceans), protein rich food sources that help them achieve high growth rates. Parents bringing nestlings food make up to 30 trips per hour back and forth to the nest, and they have to bring plenty of food for hungry mouths. If the birds' timing is off, their young will hatch too early or too late in the season to survive.
Jonathan Perez, a graduate student at the University of California Davis, works with John Wingfield. He witnessed an early spring melt in 2012, then a late one in 2013.
White Crowned Sparrows nest in shrubs, while Lapland Longspurs nest atop the open tundra. Research into such diversified organisms helps paint a picture. What happens when permafrost across the Arctic thaws, releasing ancient organic matter, carbon, and nutrients? What happens as plant biomes shift their ranges north, and shrubs like dwarf birch overtake the lichen and moss of the tundra?
Ashly Asmus, graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Arlington, talks about the importance of plants and bugs.
As insect populations and their emergence times alter due to changing vegetation and temperature regimes and tiny sea creatures are impacted by warmer and more acidic ocean water, how will birds react? How do shorebirds adjust when the coastal wetlands they use for staging (resting and feeding) and nesting become inundated with saltwater?
We are already seeing responses among bird populations. 177 out of of 305 bird species tracked in North America now overwinter with population centers an average of 35 miles [56 kilometers] further north than past records. Some species' winter centers of abundance have shifted northward more than 100 miles [160 kilometers].
Jesse Krause talks about the extreme weather events which are projected to increase as the Earth warms.
Migration isn't easy; it means calling more than one place home. Breeding grounds, stop-over sites used along migration pathways, and wintering grounds – all provide essential habitat to migratory birds. Somewhere the birds call home, you can be sure that conditions will change. Even the best times for migration are changing, but no one can pencil in updates to avian calendars.
Marilyn Romanovsky explains why Team Bird is so focused on migratory populations.


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Home Sport Soccer
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates with team mates Andy Robertson, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho following their side's victory the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United at Anfield on December 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The unsung heroes of City & Pool who will decide the Premier League title
Alan Murphy
Some of the best attacking players the Premier League has ever seen will go head-to-head at the Etihad this week when Manchester City and Liverpool meet in what could prove to be a title decider.
But it is the form and presence of a defender, who has all the attributes to be one of the greats, which will be one of the key factors in the outcome of the game between City and the Reds on Thursday night — and the title race, according to Kevin Kilbane.
"The one thing obviously missing from Virgil van Dijk's game since he moved to England is trophies and medals and he has not played enough games at the very top level yet," said Kilbane, writing in his Irish Mail on Sunday column.
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk has been called the 'Rolls Royce of Defenders' Pic: Reuters
"Judging by his progress and the way he has taken to playing in the Liverpool backline, he does have the ability to be up there with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Pallister, Tony Adams … in fact, name any top quality central defender and van Dijk could be as good as him in the long term.
"I have heard van Dijk described recently as the Rolls Royce of defenders and watching him in the Liverpool side over his first year at Anfield he has been very impressive. Along with the keeper Alisson Becker, he has clearly made a massive difference to Jurgen Klopp's team.
"The player who makes a difference for Manchester City, who can be the unsung of Pep Guardiola's team is Fernandinho and the City boss will be desperate for the midfielder to be fit to face Liverpool," added Kilbane.
Manchester City's Fernandinho has been a consistent presence for the club Pic: PA
"City are a better side when Fernandinho plays. With his ability to keep possession and start attacks, he is an important player, but it is also his defensive duties which are so essential.
"Fernandinho is clever and when he doesn't think he is going to win the ball, he is happy to make the foul rather than let an opponent get beyond him. There is more responsibility on him to play that role in the three-man City midfield.
"He may be primarily there to stop the opposition but he is a very good footballer who brings much more to the City team and he was one of their most consistent players under Manuel Pellegrini.
Liverpool face Manchester City on Thursday. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
"As well as being the man who often starts the attacks and can provide assists for others, he has real energy and is a great striker of the ball so he is able to weigh in with goals, too."
FBL-ENG-PR-MAN CITY-MAN UTD
Manchester City v Brighton and Hove Albion - Premier League
Manchester City v Huddersfield Town - Premier League
Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League
69700921_manchester-city%27s-brazilian-midfielder-fernandinho-r-fights-with-chelsea%27s-spanish-midfield-copy
Manchester City v Crystal Palace - Premier League
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal with Fernandinho of Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on May 6, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dave Thompson/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk (9). VVD is a perfect signing, just aside from the fact that £75m is a lot of money. Regardless, Van Dijk has completely changed how the team defends. Klopp's side have gone from sloppy defenders to ironclad stoppers with the Dutchman in the team.
Liverpool FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League
Virgil-van-Dijk-Wolves
SSC Napoli v FC Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Group C
Burnley FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Huddersfield Town v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Key battles: The duels that will decide Liverpool v Manchester United
'I've been here five years…they cannot be' — Klopp bristles at Man United suggestion
Alex Ferguson has surprising take on Liverpool ahead of epic Man United clash
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The Toughbook 19 features a 10.1″ LCD capable of up to 6000 nit in direct sunlight, and is powered by Windows® and a standard voltage Intel Core™ i5 vPro™ processor. Integrated options include a 5MP camera, backlit keyboard (emissive or rubber), and a multi touch + digitizer LCD that can work with any type of glove. In addition, a 6-foot drop & IP65 certified design with a full magnesium alloy case, helps to ensure that the Toughbook 19 will stand up to the most rigorous environments.


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PM News Brief: Abortion and the West, Angels Landing permits & below normal snowpack throughout the region
Published December 3, 2021 at 6:56 PM MST
Courtesy of Zion National Park
People planning to hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park on or after Apr. 1 will need to buy a permit. This story and more in Friday evening's news brief.
Friday evening, Dec. 3, 2021
Omicron variant reaches Utah
Utah health officials announced the state's first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant Dec. 3. The newest "variant of concern" has spread rapidly around the world since it was first discovered in South Africa late last month. The state health department said the person is an "older adult," lives within the Southwest Utah Public Health District and recently returned to Utah from travel in South Africa. The individual and close contacts have been cooperating fully with quarantine and testing guidelines, officials said. State epidemiologist Leisha Nolen said it is not surprising the omicron variant was found here. She noted the discovery of the case should not change the way people should protect themselves, but reinforces that the virus should be taken seriously. Read the full story. — Jon Reed
How to improve Utah's gender equity
Utah has ranked as the worst state for women's equality for four years in a row in analyses from the personal finance website Wallethub. Susan Madsen, the director of Utah State University's Utah Women and Leadership Project, published a paper this week with suggestions to improve the state's ranking. They include electing a woman to represent Utah in the U.S. Senate, increasing the percentage of women who receive graduate degrees and decreasing the wage gap. Read the full story. — Sonja Hutson
Managing hikers on Angels Landing Trail
People planning to hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park on or after Apr. 1 will need to buy a permit. The seasonal lottery for those permits opens Jan. 3, and visitors can also enter a different drawing the day before they hope to hike the trail. It costs $6 to enter and $3 per hiker if chosen. Park officials put this new system in place to cut down on crowding and address safety concerns. Zion is the third busiest national park in the country, and this year has seen over 4.5 million visitors. — Lexi Peery, St. George
Region/Nation
Snowpack is below normal throughout the region
December has arrived, but in much of the West snowfall has not. Snowpack numbers in every part of the Colorado River basin are lower than average for this time of year. In most of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, snowpack is only around a quarter or a third of normal. Numbers are slightly better in Colorado and Wyoming, which have about half as much snow as normal. Climate scientists say there's plenty of time left for conditions to turn around, but they're watching these totals closely. Low snowpack can have serious repercussions for the Colorado River. Water that supplies 40 million people throughout the Southwest starts as winter snow in the Rockies. — Alex Hager, KUNC
What overturning Roe would mean in the West
Activists on both sides of the abortion debate are gearing up for a Supreme Court ruling that could undermine Roe vs. Wade, which grants a constitutional right to abortion. If the ruling is overturned, there could be a sharp contrast of responses in the West. In Colorado, Democratic lawmakers announced plans for a bill that would strengthen abortion rights. Meanwhile, Utah and Idaho have trigger laws that would quickly implement bans on most abortions if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Joshua Wilson, a political science professor at University of Denver, anticipates women in conservative states would brave long distances to Colorado, Nevada or New Mexico. — Robyn Vincent, Mountain West News Bureau
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At Pirelli's restaurant in Rome, chef Barbara Lynch ate what was, for her, the perfect carbonara: The sauce was bright yellow from fresh eggs, and each rigatoni hid cubes of fatty guanciale. In Boston, where Lynch has five restaurants, she set out to master the dish. Her yolk-heavy recipe is beyond creamy—without cream!—with a heady mix of peppercorns (you can substitute black pepper for all and it's still great). It's unlike any clumpy carbonaras you've had. The tricks? She omits most of the egg whites; their water thins the sauce. Too much cheese overthickens it, so she gradually adds Pecorino while tossing the pasta until she hits the right consistency (the sauce should be loose enough to drag the pasta through). Lynch was right: It's a pasta worth mastering. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
Cook guanciale in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fat renders but guanciale is not browned, about 5 minutes. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. Transfer guanciale to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add egg yolks and egg to bowl; whisk to blend.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
Immediately add rigatoni, 2 Tbsp. pasta cooking liquid, and 1 tsp. guanciale drippings to egg mixture; toss to coat. Working in 3 batches, gradually add ½ cup Pecorino, stirring and tossing to melt between batches. Add 2 tsp. black pepper; toss until sauce thickens, adding more pasta water by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls. Garnish with Pecorino.
Made this just now (doubled the recipe) with bucatini pasta like the video shows and man oh man was this good. The absolute only substitution I did was use 1lb. of bacon instead of the guanciale. Family I made it for loved it as well. Very indulgent and rich.
Made this recipe last night! It was my first time making carbonara, but I was excited for the challenge. This recipe was rather easy and fairly cheap to make. I ended up doubling the amount of pancetta (ultimately settling for 1/2 lb. for 4 servings). I also took note from SweetPea7 from San Francisco and added 2 zucchini and a container of cherry tomatoes, of which we halved and squeezed out the juices. This was an excellent recipe and made me excited to try more diverse pasta recipes in the future!
Honesty this recipe changed my mind about carbonara - this recipe was the first pasta recipe I tried when I started learning how to cook and I never looked back. I have made this ateast 20 times since then and it's the number 1 requested dish from my partner. I always make it exactly to the recipe (mayyybe with a bit more pancetta or bacon from time to time) - because you can't really improve on perfection.
You know, I'm not generally a fan of fussy measured-by-weight rather than volume ingredient listings, but with grated cheese, it just makes sense. It's sold and packaged by weight. It's much easier to simply eyeball your half pound hunk of cheese and grate off 1/4 pound (for example) than to grate it and stuff it into a measuring cup.
I have made this so many times with using bacon. It really is the best. Easy and quick to make.
Easy peezy carbonara yummyara. Agree w/ NYC Alex. Made once exact to recipe- delish. Just made again w/ twists: bacon, once rendered - 1 tsp fat to cook on high 1/4" cubed 1 sm zucchini & 1 sm yellow squash till starting to brown, then kernels of 1 ear of corn. I could see tossing in some cherry tomatoes at the end to make a blt+c carbonara subbing Z for L.
This is the best starter carbonara recipe. Make sue your eggs are room temperature before you whisk them in. It will minimize clump-age. Clump-age = egg clumps, btw.


Since the meeting is being held close to Silicon Valley, a major theme in 2019 will be the interaction of digital technology and supportive care. We aim to partner with major technology companies involved in oncology. Other themes are New Treatments / New Toxicities, Sexual Health, Biosimilars, and Cancer Survivorship.


This loose fitting graphic tank is a staff favorite for a reason! The comfy fit, super soft fabric, and hi-lo hem combined with the cute design create the perfect little tank for summer! Pair it with your fave boyfriend shorts and some cute sandals for an adorable weekend look!
Small 28" 36" 50" 22"
Medium 30" 40" 52" 22.5"
Large 32" 44" 58" 23"


Natural Gas contract for March delivery gained 2.97% to $4.965 at international market. The commodity rebounded from yesterday low of $4.78 on change in environment.
Heating fuel gains as weather is changing from mild to colder as winter storm is expected to come at Eastern U.S. There could be heavy snow fall that may lower the temperature below average and increase demand for energy source.
Today Energy Information Administration will release storage data at 1530 GMT. According to forecast the storage may shrink by 234 billion cubic feet, a little above previous fall. This will be the 13th sequential fall in Natural Gas storage and 3rd lowest of this year.
After data release we may see commodity trading near to $5.38 but it may retreat from the resistance of $5.4.
Natural Gas remains in high demand during the period of November to March. The present season is expected to be the coldest one since 1994. In this season Heating Fuel withdrawals were above five years average. In fact all energy commodities gained in last month on high demand for heating fuels. S&P GSCI Index for Energy commodities gained by 4.67% in one month.
We are expecting that Natural Gas may not make a new high in this season as winter days are near to end. High production at U.S. may drive commodity in surplus and drag down prices to the month low.


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County's Emergency Management Director Resigns, New Coordinator Named
Bob Cofoid announced his resignation Monday night as the director of Putnam County's Office of Emergency Management.
Cofoid shared the news by reading a prepared speech Monday night during the Putnam County Board meeting.
"I've enjoyed 20 years plus of being part of the emergency management and worked with very capable staff," Cofoid said, and the past years have given him opportunities to learn, gain knowledge and build relationships.
He said he's pleased to help during the transition time and work as a volunteer in the future.
"I'm very grateful and thank you," Cofoid said.
He stated the letter was dated Nov. 28 and his last day as coordinator was Dec. 1.
Cofoid was honored with a certificate of appreciation by the board.
"I want to thank you for all the years of service you've given to the county," said board chairman Steve Malavolti.
Under Cofoid's leadership, the county was able to receive grants that helped the office, Malavolti said.
"The county board thanks you for a job well done and your devotion to service the county," Malavolti said.
Chauntelle Biagi-Bruer will take over as coordinator; she previously held the assistant coordinator position.
With the start of the new year and new budget, the Emergency Management office will be only be open one day a week for the public, Malavolti said.
With the new budget, the coordinator's salary went from $18,819 to $15,000 a year. The assistant coordinator's salary went from $10,140 to $3,819 a year.
There were additional cuts, but the office saw a total cut of $46,140.
Cofoid declined to say why he's resigning.
He remains the county's death investigator.


I read this morning about Lot in Genesis after the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. As a result, Lot was afraid & lived in a cave with his daughters. His daughters had lost their husbands in the destruction of Sodom & they concluded that there weren't any men through whom they could perpetuate their family. From this, they decided to get their dad drunk & get pregnant by him. As a result, they had 2 boys – Moab & Ammon.
Whenever I hear this story it just seems totally crazy until I noticed this morning that Lot was afraid & decided to live in a cave. When we make decisions controlled by fear, the outcomes undercut our potential & distort the results that we could have in our lives. We're supposed to fear & honor God – the end.


We provide a wide choice of breakfast dishes to suit all tastes, including kippers and home made pancakes You can have a choice of cooked and continental breakfast, Your host is a keen and accomplished cook and uses the best quality produce available. Breakfast is served in the dining room at individual tables.
As a visitor to Anstruther there is much to see and do in this area. The coastal path will take you through the picturesque villages of East Fife. Each of these villages has its own special atmosphere and there is a small maritime influence in all of them. You can walk part of the route and return by bus. The bus stop is beside the house.
This area used to be a busy fishing port and the Scottish Fisheries Museum is an extremely popular visitor attraction.
The Isle of May is extremely popular with our tourists. The small island lies 7 miles east of Anstruther. There are daily boat trips to the island, booking in advance is advised.
There are a number of national trust properties in this area, namely Kellie Castle, Falkland Castle and Hill of Tarvit.
Scotland's Secret Bunker is only 3 miles north of the town. It is a former government nuclear war headquarters for Scotland.
The new Byre Theatre in St Andrews hosts a variety of shows and events, it is only a 9 mile drive from Beaumont Lodge.
The Auld Kirk in St Monans was built in the 13th century, it stands in a unique setting by the shore.
Ellie and Earlsferry are 5 miles west of Anstruther, it offers a mile of golden sand, water sports are available.
Crail is to the east of Anstruther it must be the most photographed harbour in Scotland. Cambo gardens is situated a few miles north of Crail.
There are many delightful eating places in and around Anstruther, including the Cellar and Peat Inn which are both Michelin star establishments, booking is advisable.
Room only rates are available, please contact me for further details.
Check in is from 4 - 7pm, however if you wish to arrive earlier or later please notify me, we are flexible, but wish to ensure someone is here to greet you on your arrival.


The theme of FerMUN 2013 was ICTs as the way forward in Development, Peace and Prosperity? More than 350 delegates were split in nine committees, including a Historical Security Council. The first of our conferences at ITU, its success paved the way for the partnership the club has today with the Union.
Enforced detainment and "ghost" prisoners.
Is E-Agriculture the way to ensure world food security?
Questioning the benefits and disadvantages of irrigation canals and in water sensitive areas.
Regulating the pollution caused by the electronic storage of information.
The disposal of electronic waste.
Protecting existing telecommunication infrastructure in countries suffering from political instability.
The legitimacy of government and targeted killings.
Should internet access be considered as Human Right?
Should an international legislation be put in place regulating social media platforms?
Could the development of an online education system ensure access to an education for all?
Implementing ICTs as a necessity for economic development.
The issue of the increasing amounts of endangered species due to overfishing and other biodiversity loss.
The issue of cash crops in less economically developed countries.
Using ICTs to create equal opportunities among men and women.
Satellite imaging – a useful tool in development?
ICTs in order to achieve greater empowerment, equality, education and employment for girls.


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With Lake Michigan and an abundance of rivers, there are a lot of neat things to find along the shorelines in and around Chicago.
And, if you are willing to drive for an hour or two, central Illinois and some of the surrounding states have even more exciting rockhounding destinations.
Rockhounding Near Chicago (A Visitor's Guide)
Lake Michigan Beaches in Chicago, IL
Distance from Chicago: within the city limits
What you may find: zebra mussels, slag, granite, crinoids, petoskey stones, jasper, stromatoporoids, honeycomb corals, syringopora, agates.
The shores of Lake Michigan are a great place to start rockhounding around the city.
A lot of the beaches designed for public swimming have sand dumped onto the shores periodically, covering rock access.
Also, it is best to search during low tide, as more of the shore will be accessible.
Some good beaches to check out are Montrose, Kathy Osterman, and Loyola.
Elmhurst Quarry in Elmhurst, IL
Distance from Chicago: 20 miles (approximately 30 minutes by car)
What you may find: limestone, granite, agate.
This is a privately-owned quarry, owned by the Elmhurst-Chicago Stone Company.
Half of the quarry is used for flood control purposes with very limited public access.
They do have rare tours of this portion of the facility, so be on the lookout for that.
The other half of the quarry is in use, with some tours for the public available.
Lafarge/Conco Quarry in North Aurora, IL
What you may find: bornite, calcite, chalcopyrite, pyrite.
Located beside the Fox River, this quarry has a lot of potential for interesting discoveries.
This land is privately owned by the Conco Western Stone Company, so access to the quarry may be limited, but people have reported the staff there to be kind and helpful.
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, IL
Distance from Chicago: 46 miles (approximately 1 hour by car)
What you may find: agate, dolomite, basalt, conglomerate fossil stones.
The park ranger of this beach in Zion has been quoted saying that the shores are full of agates.
This has been a contested statement by some rockhounds, while others have confirmed their word.
This park is 6.5 miles of coastline with some dunes and marshlands.
Since the area is so large, it is broken down into the North and South area, with designated parking lots for each spot.
So, you can break up your rockhounding trip into two parts if the many miles of the shore seems too daunting.
This is a great public park to travel to if you are looking for some unique rocks.
Along Mazon River in Grundy County, IL
Distance from Chicago: 67 miles (approximately 1.25 hours by car)
What you may find: fossils (Tully Monster).
Avid rockhounds in Illinois frequently talk about the Mazon River and the fossils that can be found there.
The abundance of the Tully Monster fossil has made it the state's official fossil.
Tullimonstrum, nicknamed Tully Monsters, lived in muddy estuaries around 300 million years ago.
There may be other interesting finds along the shore of the river, but the forums are all abuzz about the fossil possibilities.
Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area in Braceville, IL
This is a public park along the same Mazon River previously mentioned.
This area is used mainly for hunting and fishing.
This may be a good stop on your rockhounding journey, especially if you are already interested in looking for fossils along the Mazon throughout Grundy County.
Quarry Lake Park in Racine, WI
Distance from Chicago: 85 miles (approximately 1.5 hours by car)
What you may find: gem crystal, fossils, calcite crystals, marcasite crystals, agates.
Racine is a small town seated beside the coast of Lake Michigan.
They have a lot of convenient public beach access as well as lots of quarries around for rockhounding.
Quarry Lake Park is just one example of a stop in Racine for rockhounds.
This is a former quarry turned into a swimming area, so it is best to go in the summer to get the full enjoyment of the park in addition to finding some neat minerals.
Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, IL
What you may find: slag, sandstone, agate, chert.
This is a popular tourist destination in the state of Illinois.
With giant sandstone canyons and many large waterfalls, there is a lot for a geology enthusiast to see here.
There are long hiking paths with clear indications, and it is highly encouraged to stay on these trails.
There is also a creek that runs through the park.
This is a large lot of land, with a lot of areas to explore, and a lot of treasures to find.
Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby, IL
Right next door to Starved Rock is the beautiful Matthiessen State Park.
If you are headed down to Oglesby to check out Starved Rock, be sure to hit Matthiessen before heading home.
Starved Rock is the most widely-known, and, because of this, many tourists and nature enthusiasts miss out on all that this park has to offer.
Pilgrim Haven in South Haven, Michigan
Distance from Chicago: 120 miles (approximately 2 hours by car)
What you may find: lightning stones, unakite, epidote, quartz, petoskey stones.
This public park has miles of pebbled-beach shore access alongside a beech-maple forest.
The area is very open and there are a lot of diverse areas to explore and find neat treasures.
They encourage people to try to stay on the concrete paths going to and from the shoreline to prevent erosion of the forest and surrounding grasslands.
There is also a trail going through the woods for more nature exploring and discovery.
Big Pine Creek in Rainsville, IN
Distance from Chicago: 115 Miles (approximately 2.25 hours by car)
What you may find: sphalerite, barite, fossilized wood, siderite, marcasite, pyrite.
This is a sizeable creek, with around 7.5 miles in length between the Rainsville Bridge and Twin Bridges.
The water levels of this creek are said to fluctuate pretty frequently, so it is advised to go rockhounding there when it is drier, mostly in the summer.
In the rainy seasons, the creek is used for some challenging whitewater canoeing, so it is best to rockhound during a time when the canoers are out of your way and the water levels are more agreeable.
If you are willing to make the drive out here, the experience can prove to be rather rewarding, as there is a lot that can be found here.
Pier Cove in Fennville, MI
Pier Cove is a public beach with lots of shore access and a small creek that leads into the lake.
This location is best known for its lightning stones, also known as septarian nodules.
Pier Cove itself used to be a village but is now a ghost town, making it possible to find some long-abandoned historic artifacts in the area.
Forget what the forums say about the Chicagoland area and how it is a bad place for Rockhounds.
There are plenty of opportunities to discover rocks, minerals, fossils, and more.
Follow the shorelines and embark on an exciting journey!
See also: 11 Types Of Rocks You Find In Illinois
Rockhounding Near Oklahoma City, OK
Rockhounding Near Des Moines, Iowa
Rockhounding Near Cleveland, Ohio
Types of Rocks Found In Ohio
Types of Rocks Found In Indiana
Types of Rocks Found In Mississippi
Rockhounding Near Kansas City, Missouri
Types of Rocks Found In The Badlands
Categories Rockhounding, Illinois Post navigation
Rockhounding Near Tucson, AZ: 12 Places To Hunt Rocks, Crystals, and Fossils


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Voting for Trump's election lies may cost Rick Scott dearly | Steve Bousquet
Rebekah Jones, Florida's fired COVID-19 dashboard manager, to turn herself in on FDLE warrant
Florida Lottery Results
Central Florida man shoots home intruder dead after 'bizarre' crime spree
Orange County reopens COVID vaccine appointments for 'limited' days
Ken Shamrock battles age, self-confidence in return to MMA
Ken Shamrock has spent a lot of time trash-talking his opponent, Kimbo Slice, before their Bellator battle June 19. But Wednesday during a media conference call, he focused more on his own journey, and his struggles with age and self-confidence.
At 51, the former UFC champion hasn't fought professionally in more than four years. He sounds a lot like a latter-day Rocky Balboa, coming back to prove something to himself.
"Most of the time, up to this point, I've been the lion king," Shamrock said. "I'm the guy who can handle anyone. But the last couple of years [of fights], I struggled and didn't perform the way I wanted to. Coming back tested me more than ever before. It taught me humility to be in a gym and realize you're at the bottom of the barrel.
"Now that I'm here, I'm a different human being. I'm more appreciative of the opportunity, of the people who train so hard and the people who struggle. My ability was always just a natural thing. [I was good, but] I always put in hard training to make me great. I didn't have that anymore. I had to scratch for every single inch every day not to get my [expletive] kicked."
The Shamrock vs. Slice fight was scheduled to happen in 2008 before a fight-day injury forced Shamrock to back out. We talked with Slice last week about the rivalry that has continued between the fighters since then. According to Bellator MMA President Scott Coker, the seed for the upcoming rematch was planted last October, when Shamrock made an appearance at a Bellator fan festival.
"I saw Ken at Fan Fest, and I told him I hadn't seen him in a long time and he looked in good shape," Coker said before addressing Shamrock directly. "The first thing you said to me is, 'I want to fight that guy. Think he'll fight me?' And you pointed at [old rival] Royce Gracie. And I thought to myself, 'You still want to fight? We've still got Kimbo, they've had issues. Hell yeah, let's do it.' And both of them jumped at the chance."
Shamrock still looks ripped – a recent photo he posted on Twitter even led to whispers about steroid use. Coker said both Slice and Shamrock passed prefight drug screenings.
Shamrock said he's at or near his fighting weight of 213 pounds, which means he'll be giving up 25 pounds or more to Slice.
"I'm satisfied with where I'm at," Shamrock said. "I planned three months of training to put on weight, and the biggest I ever got was 215. Because of my past experience in open weight classes … my weight has never been a disadvantage."
Shamrock said he's never worked harder, but getting ready for Slice has also reminded him of the joy that MMA brings to him.
"I enjoy sparring," Shamrock said. "I enjoy preparing, game-planning, setting strategies. I enjoy the journey, and there's no better feeling than accomplishing that journey. I'm going to live this thing as long as I can live it, and enjoy it as long as I can."
"Bellator: Unfinished Business" is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at 9 p.m. on Spike TV.


In 1991, there were exactly nine known planets in the entire universe - the planets orbiting our Sun. Nobody knew for sure whether planets were incredibly rare, or incredibly common. Now we know of more than 4000 planets, in over 3000 planetary systems. Some of these planets and planetary systems are weird, and some seem to be a lot like our Solar System.
I'll talk about how astronomers discover planets around other stars, and about my work in a research group that has discovered about a dozen extra-solar planets using a technique called 'gravitational microlensing'.


With the current economy, many consumers are concerned about costly repairs, especially when purchasing a big-ticket item such as a flat screen television, appliances or other electronics. Sales of extended warranties on computers, for example, are on the rise, according to the Service Contract Industry Council, a trade association.
Extended warranties usually cost between 5 and 20 percent of the purchase price of the product, but most experts agree they are not worth the cost. Why? Most manufacturers' standard warranty includes labor for 90 days and parts for six months to a year and covers most repairs. According to Consumer Reports, most products don't break down within the timeframe that extended warranties cover (usually 2-3 years after the standard warranty expires). You need to weigh the cost of fixing an item versus the cost of the extended warranty.
Don't forget to check with your credit card company to see whether it offers extended protection. Some companies offer to extend or even double a standard warranty at no additional cost if you charge the purchase of the item on your credit card.