Thursday, May 31, 2012

[title]cabo - The Top Ten Reasons To Visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

By: justin j Price

Cabo San Lucas has become among the top vacation resorts in the globe! For the upcoming holiday, come to Cabo San Lucas and learn why this Mexican destination is so popular. Cabo is a favorite with all the rich and distinguished due to its deluxe accommodations and close proximity to the United States. Cabo is merely a brief flight away! Plan the upcoming holiday to Cabo and you'll enjoy a vacation of a life time. There are numerous choices for your holiday accommodations from top class resorts to private deluxe villas. There is anything for everyone in every price range and expense plan.
Here are the best factors to plan your Cabo Vacation now!
1)Cabo's Land's End and the well-known Arch - Cabo San Lucas is situated at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula which ends at the well-known arch. An amazing rock formation that has become a landmark that can be seen in pictures all over the world.
2)Luxury Villas, Resorts & Hotels - From first class Cabo San Lucas Resorts to private luxury villas, Cabo has luxury accommodations for every taste or budget. There are many Cabo San Lucas Vacation Rentals to choose from.
3)Cabo San Lucas Weather - Cabo is acknowledged for almost 350 Sunny days a year! We are virtually guaranteed the most perfect vacation weather in Cabo San Lucas.
4)Miles of Pristine Beaches - Cabo has miles of amazing beaches. People watch all the action at Medano Beach or isolation from it all at among the several secluded beaches.
5)Migrating Whales (on season Dec 15-April 15) - See nature at it's finest with all the migrating whales. Mother whales swim with their babys creating a great sight.
6)Action packed escapades - Cabo provides an range of exhilarating activities. From swimming with dolphins, parasailing, ATV tours, ziplining, Cabo has it all.
7)Outstanding Cuisine and Dining - Cabo is known for an abundance of top notch restaurants. From traditional Mexican to Thai and Italian, foods of all types could be found all over Cabo.
8)World Class Cabo Golf Courses - Cabo is well-known as one of the ideal golf destinations in the globe. Golf courses are made by well-known Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskop plus additional well-known golfers.
9)Unbeatable Cabo Deep Sea Fishing - Cabo is the marlin capital of the world. Even in the event you don't like fishing, a day out on the water complete with frolicking dolphins makes an memorable experience.
10)Mexican Service Culture - The laid back and friendly Mexican culture can keep us coming back to Cabo again and again.
Don't delay! Start planning your upcoming Cabo San Lucas Vacation today! There are numerous Cabo San Lucas Vacation Rentals to choose from. You will not be disappointed while you make out of Cabo one of your most memorable holidays ever.


About the Author:
Los cabos, Where is Los Cabos, Cabo, Cabo Restaurants, Cabo San Lucas Weather, Cabo San Lucas, Cabo San Lucas Activities, Things to do Cabo San Lucas

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Interpretation Services has Opened New Opportunity for All Job ...

The facilitation of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages is known as language interpretation. Interpretation can be of different type, such as, oral, written, sign etc. It is a medium to helps communicate better and convey the ideas and thoughts to a person who does not know the language. Interpreters often use software to help them translate the content from one language to the other.

An interpreter helps in converting one idea or thought from one language to the other. Suppose you know English but not French and wish to communicate with a person in French, you can quickly take help from an interpreter and get your thoughts translated into the said language. Thus the conversation becomes easy and quick. Due to globalization, to grow import and export business, you might have to communicate with people living at different parts of the world.

In such a situation if you face trouble in communicating, you can always take helps from the interpretation service providers and communicate well. Many agencies worldwide are involved in the business of interpretation services.

Interpretation services makes life easier for all those companies or organization who wish to grow in the market. Today if you do not know English, you can easily take help from such an interpreting company and get your work done quickly. Thus it has boosted the import and export business in the world. No one will face trouble in communication as far as we have such interpreting and translation services available in the market.

Such service centers have opened new job opportunities for many young and fresh graduates. It has developed as a field in which linguistic students can join after learning few major languages spoken across the world. Students who have a knack in communication and have studies international relations can also opt for such a field. It is forever growing with the demand of growth in business, foreign relations and communication as a whole.

Not only for the growth of business or communication, even the doctors, immigrants and lawyers need help from such services across the world. For example, often Malaysian Governments recruits Indian doctors in their towns, now for a person who was born in Delhi will not be able to speak or understand the native language of the people living in Sarawak. In such a situation, the interpreters help them in communication. Thus irrespective of your area of expertise or for professional benefits, anyone and everyone might need such assistance at any point of time.

Interpretation services are not an easy task. Hence if you wish to become an interpreter you may join a language translating school and learn a new tongue. To be an effective interpreter you must have extensive experience with interpreting and an in-depth knowledge of the subject area and should be able to integrate cultural preferences into their choice of words and phrases with only a split second to think about them.

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SimpleSignal Brings Mobile Enterprise Video Conferencing to Apple ...

simplesignal-logo.jpgSimpleSignal, a cloud-based Unified Communications and Collaboration provider announced today that they are bringing mobile enterprise video conferencing to Apple's iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android mobile devices. Their cross-platform video phone compatibility works across a variety of mobile, desktop and telepresence/video-enabled devices, via a WiFi connection or a 3G/4G network.

I've said in the past that I predict Apple iPads (& Android tablets) will be your next enterprise desktop phone because of their UC and video phone capabilities. SimpleSignal also believes tablets and other mobile devices will be game changers when it comes to UC. Hookflash is another interesting player in the mobile UC space.

According to SimpleSignal, "The seamless integration of iOS and Android operating systems into SimpleSignal's Unified Communications platform, coupled with the mobile video capabilities of these devices, means that advanced enterprise communications capabilities are no longer confined to the desktop."

"This new mobile video service is the biggest breakthrough in SimpleSignal history," said Dave Gilbert, CEO of SimpleSignal. "It's revolutionary to experience video conferencing with our customers connecting over their own mobile devices, as well as a variety of desktop and teleconferencing video equipment including Polycom, Tandberg, Cisco, InFocus, LifeSize and more."

Hundreds of advanced calling features available at the mobile device level include:

  • One number for everything, including text/SMS
  • Instant video phone calls without a bridge
  • Multi-point video conferencing
  • Four-digit dialing between extensions
  • Swap calls between mobile and desktop phones
  • Call recording

"This is a killer app for the way businesses are being built in today's economy. No longer is business about a specific location," continued Gilbert. "Companies are being built virtually with no limitations on geographic location. It's now really more about unifying your network. Adding iPads, iPhones and Android devices through this new mobile video application is the final piece in the puzzle to doing just that."

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Microsoft patents asking your friends 'does my butt look big in this?'

Image

Microsoft has patented an online personal appearance adviser for those of us without a hotline straight through to Put This On's Jesse Thorn. Simply upload a pair of pictures of yourself in different hair, makeup and clothing choices and let the denizens of the internet vote on which one makes you look the best. Sounding similar to HotorNot and FaceMash, this patent purports to shift the emphasis to help the style-challenged choose a suitable wardrobe. We just hope the company built in some snark-protection -- or else we might see plenty of ingenues with ruined self esteem arrive at the opera in a dinosaur costume.

Microsoft patents asking your friends 'does my butt look big in this?' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments


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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Video: Obama, the master of ?twoosh?

Rocketeers obey NASA's moon rules

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Organizers of the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize say their contestants will abide by NASA's appeal to stay away from the Apollo landing sites. Other artifacts might be more accessible, though.

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BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 beta due soon?

Image

PlayBook product manager Michael Clewley has tweeted that users can soon expect to get hold of (beta) version 2.1 of its operating system at the "end of May." Given that it's the 30th now, the company has less than two days to ensure Mr. Clewley doesn't break his promise -- after all, tweets are as good as legally binding contracts. It'll arrive on your slate the same way that version 2.0 did; simply sign up online and it'll be pushed out as soon as its ready.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 beta due soon? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileSyrup, BerryReview  |  sourceMichael Clewley (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Dell XPS One 2710


There are more 27-inch all-in-one desktops on the market these days, but very few are worth big bucks. Some fall short on the visuals, while others fall short on the sound. The Dell XPS One 2710 ($1,999 direct) manages to put almost every technology and feature we're looking for in a compact and stylish chassis. And it has excellent performance, thanks to its new Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) processor and Nvidia GeForce (Kepler) graphics. If you're a media enthusiast, this is the desktop you're looking for. It's our new Editors' Choice for high-end all-in-one desktop PCs.

Design and Features
The newest XPS One gives up the previous two-peg leg and easel design in favor of a cleaner base and hinged arm design. The computer's internal components are built into the screen chassis, connected to the base via that hinged arm. The hinge gives the user a decent amount of tilt, accommodating most seated and standing positions. The base doesn't swivel, and there's no height adjustment, so it's not necessarily perfect, but you will get similar viewing angles as the HP Omni 27 ($1,249 direct, 4 stars) and Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,999 list, 4 stars). The screen itself is crisp and bright with decent viewing angles and 2,560 by 1,440 resolution. The screen is large enough to work as a mid-sized HDTV as well as a large screen all-in-one desktop PC.

There's an antenna jack on the back and built-in TV Tuner for over-the-air broadcasts. The HDMI-in port will work with settop boxes from your cable company, and the system comes with an IR blaster to control those settop boxes. The front panel has a touch-sensitive and backlit row of soft keys. The soft keys control onscreen functions like brightness, contrast, etc. The top-mounted HD webcam can be switched off with a physical switch, handy for the privacy-obsessed. You can also use the webcam for logging into the system, once the facial recognition software learns your face. Like other all-in-ones with screens that float above the base, you can store the keyboard under the screen when you're not using it.

Feature-wise, the XPS One 2710 has made quite a few intelligent choices. For one, Dell has jettisoned USB 2.0 ports entirely. Instead, this system has six USB 3.0 ports. This helps eliminate end user confusion, as there is no "wrong" port for your speedy external USB 3.0 hard drive (remember: USB 3.0 ports are still backward-compatible to USB 2.0 devices). One of the two side-mounted USB ports is a "Sleep Charge" port which will remain active even though the system is off. That way, you can charge your tablet or phone.

About the only nits I could find are that the USB 3.0 ports aren't colored blue as they are on many USB 3.0 hard drives. It's a minor nit, since all of the USB ports are USB 3.0, but the practice still bucks current usability trends. The HDMI-in port helps extend the life of the monitor even after the internal CPU is obsolete, and the system also comes with HDMI-out, which lets you extend the usable workspace in Windows with a second monitor.

The system comes with an internal power supply, so there's no power brick cluttering up your floor. Our review unit came with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, so you can use the less crowded 5GHz bands for better performance (though you need a router is also 5GHz capable to use if you want to use the 5GHz bands). There's an IR remote for the built-in TV tuner, and the slot-loading optical drive is a Blu-ray player, so you're covered for entertainment options. Speaking of entertainment, the XPS One eschews the trend of tinny speakers and low-volume level found on some all-in-one desktops like the Asus ET2700INKS-B062C ($1,499 list, 3.5 stars). The sound coming from the XPS One 2710 was forceful and distortion-free. Dell uses Waves MaxxAudio 4 sound enhancement (think Beats without Dre) technology, and it's very effective.

The system comes with no bloatware icons on the desktop when you first boot it up. This is good because you want less clutter, not more. The included 2TB hard drive is plenty for the average family user, and you can add more with the USB 3.0 ports (with an external hard drive). The 32GB mSATA SSD is a MiniPCIe-sized board that works with Intel's Smart Response Technology (SRT) to boot the system quickly, load apps quickly, and come back from sleep quickly. Essentially, the 32GB SSD acts like a hybrid drive with the 2TB main drive. You can't see the SSD in Windows as a separate drive, but you will feel the extra performance compared to a similar system without SRT. The XPS One 2710 comes with a standard one-year warranty.

Dell XPS One 2710

Performance
The new quad-core Core i7-3770s processor in the XPS One and the SRT-optimized drive setup garner high scores on the benchmark tests. The XPS One leaves older systems like the Apple iMac, HP Omni 27, and HP TouchSmart 620-1080 3D ($1,899 direct, 4 stars) in the dust on the PCMark 7 benchmark, which measures whole-system performance. Likewise, the new Nvidia GeForce GT 640M GPU helps the XPS One gain playable scores on Crysis (70 fps) and Lost Planet 2 (46 fps) at medium settings. While the XPS One does well at the 3D tests, the AMD Radeon HD 6970 in the iMac helps it stay on top at 3D tests. The Dell XPS One rivals the iMac on multimedia tasks, however. The Dell's 1:09 time on our Handbrake video encoder test and 2:53 on the Photoshop CS5 test are quicker than the iMac and HP Omni 27. Suffice to say the XPS One is one fast desktop PC.

The last Editors' Choice for high-end all-in-one desktops is the HP TouchSmart 610-1065qd ($1,789.99 list, 5 stars). Though that system has a touchscreen and innovative tilt mechanism, both technologies aren't really necessary for the type of user that wants the best multimedia enjoyment desktop on the market, which is what the Dell XPS One 2710 represents. The XPS One 2710 gives the entertainment enthusiast great sound, sparkling video, a plethora of media sources (Internet streaming, Blu-ray, downloads, OTA TV tuner), an attractive chassis, plus the power to create her own media content. The target point changes from time to time, but for now, the high-end all-in-one desktop to beat is our new Editors' Choice, the Dell XPS One 2710.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Dell XPS One 2710 with several other desktops side by side.

More Desktop Reviews:
??? Dell XPS One 2710
??? Cyberpower Gamer Xtreme 4000SE
??? Asus ET2700INKS-B062C
??? Dell XPS 8500
??? Acer Aspire AX1930-UR10P
?? more

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Japan is key for oil prices

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Truth in Revolution

Truth in Revolution

Will hopefully be a fun story effected by everyone's choices, it is about government and rebellion in its core, but is also a story about the people involved

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Truth in Revolution?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.


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Monday, May 28, 2012

Denver parade salutes service, sacrifices of veterans for Memorial Day

Logan Sullivan waved at the passing parade, holding his miniature American flag in front of him as he inched his way toward the servicemen and woman who walked by.

When his father, T. Sgt. Matthew Sullivan, called him back, the 4-year-old took a seat on his father's knee while his dad explained the different uniforms and pointed to the polished cars.

"Today is letting him understand they are people you need to remember and give praise for what they've done," Sullivan said. "This isn't just a barbecue weekend."

The Memorial Day Remembrance Parade made its way through downtown Denver on Saturday, before wrapping around Civic Center. Families and veterans were scattered along the sidewalks along Broadway, between 14th and

World War II veteran Lloyd K. Tokheim, right, salutes Brg. General Sal Villano after receiving 3 medals for his service, during the Thirteenth Annual Veterans Memorial Day Tribute in downtown Denver, CO, Saturday, May 26, 2012. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post (DP | Craig F. Walker)

13th avenues.

"We must pause to give thanks to the men and women who have given their lives and continue to fight," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said before the parade began.

Sullivan, who has served 13 years in the U.S. Air Force and is currently stationed at Buckley Air Force Base, said more people should have been at the parade and ceremonies Saturday.

Before the parade, families of the men and women killed in action placed roses next to photos of their loved ones during the Wreath Remembrance Ceremony at the Colorado Veterans Monument in Lincoln Park.

The guest speaker, Col. Pat Blassie, commander of the Air Reserve Personnel Center at Buckley Air Force Base, spoke to the crowd about the importance of each story of every lost hero.

Blassie's brother, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was killed in 1972 during the Vietnam War. Her family was told that her brother was killed in action and his body was never recovered.

"We tried to go on with our lives in so many ways," Blassie said.

Twenty-six years later, Blassie and her family learned that her brother's remains were interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Years after Michael Blassie's remains were returned to his family in St. Louis, his sister continues to tell his story.

"Each hero has a story," Pat Blassie said.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com

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Nodules acne treatment - Health and Fitness

nodules acne treatmentThis herbal pill is filled with herbs that hold the means to organically purify the liver through this diet. Lastly, Drinking loads nodules of water is very important. It manifests as severe ulcerating acne with redness, fever and pain in the joints. They suppress hormones called androgens which are responsible for excessive oil production. issaquah 3. For more serious cases there? s a lot to choose from starting with herbal and medical preparations to antibiotics that treatments eliminate bacterial infections and drugs like Accutane that is considered to be the most potent solution for acne. For better or worse, our society has placed a burden on women to appear perfect, no matter what their age. Infected acne does often require specialist treatment and you are wise to visit a dermatologist for proper diagnosis. The choice of opting for natural ingredients will take you a long way nodules acne treatment and get rid of the possibility of acne once again. They are two of the most important reasons why acne is found in the acne first facial area. Botanical extracts in the formulas leave skin soft and supple without the redness that accompanies most other acne treatments. When clothes are tight and a person sweats, the moisture gets trapped on the skin just the same way as dirt does. A breakout takes place after your pores get blocked from the production of excessive amounts of sebum by your oil glands. There nodules acne treatment is no require to go out of your way to stay away from any a single meals. Washed clothes could irritate people? s skin because of the chemicals in the detergent. Consider daily exercise to boost the body? s immunity. If you are fed up of trying gels, pills and lotions then there are few tricks to solve this acne problem ? 1. If the make up products are left to linger on the skin, it will lead to the clogging of the pores and thereby more and more blackheads treatment and pimples. You don? t want to have a scaly and dry skin, now would you? Skin experts and dermatologists believe that there is no single cause of acne. But you may not lose hope and continue trying various products issaquah acne treatments till the time a particular product seems to work on your acne. Visit the Acne Skin Care Guide. For some people, it may last for a month, but for others, it acne may last for a lifetime. Essentially which means, this method might not be because of everybody. You have to choose gentle herbal cleansers and moisturizers for the face. That is where I also learned that many people believe they have acne, but they are actually only suffering from skin conditions that are related to acne, by simply balancing the skin PH value you can heal that condition.

Related Post Nodules acne treatment

Garlic has antibacterial properties and with regular use, your pimples will disappear without a mark. It typically begins after puberty and from thereon, once While inflammation is one of the bodys most powerful tools, it can sometimes go haywire and not go away or turn off when the Like treatment Vitamin C, green tea is a great antioxidant. Certain proteins combined with copper peptides provide enzymes that give body energy to the In a moment, you will find out the answers Does Aloe Vera Heal Acne? Getting rid of your acne can turn out to be Maculae A macula is a red spot on the skin left behind by an acne lesion. Over the counter medications are not as effective

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Union-Toronto FC, Sums

First half_None.

Second half_1, Toronto FC, Koevermans 3, 88th minute.

Goalies_Philadelphia, Chris Konopka; Toronto FC, Milos Kocic.

Yellow Cards_Gaddis, Philadelphia, 11th; Pajoy, Philadelphia, 29th; Morgan, Toronto FC, 30th; De Guzman, Toronto FC, 43rd.

Referee_Juan Guzman. Assistant Referees_Brian Poeschel. Steve Taylor. 4th Official_Daniel Fitzgerald.

A_18,227 (20,000)

___

Philadelphia_Chris Konopka, Carlos Valdes, Gabriel Farfan, Sheanon Williams, Raymon Gaddis (Michael Lahoud, 37th), Michael Farfan, Kai Herdling (Antoine Hoppenot, 65th), Brian Carroll, Freddy Adu, Danny Mwanga (Josue Martinez, 83rd), Lionard Pajoy.

Toronto FC_Milos Kocic, Doneil Henry, Adrian Cann, Ashtone Morgan, Jeremy Hall, Julian De Guzman, Torsten Frings, Luis Silva (Nick Soolsma, 70th), Joao Plata (Danny Koevermans, 63rd), Ryan Johnson, Reggie Lambe (Richard Eckersley, 54th).

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The minimum changes needed are: 1. A Clean Slate to cancel debts?starting with real and not judicial people. It is debt that needs to be cut not public sector jobs?needed now more than ever?

1. A Clean Slate to cancel debts?starting with real and not judicial people. It is debt that needs to be cut not public sector jobs?needed now more than ever?and the benefits of the poor?a very efficient form of Keynesian effective demand.

.
2. Reactivation of the 1571 Law against Usury?and don?t assume you know what usury is because hardly anybody does. This provided for citizen arrests of usurers by their victims and triple fines for those found guilty. The Doctrine of Usury would also eliminate more than three quarters of financial transactions and close down many exchanges?see the writings of Rev. Henry Swabey and Professor R.H.Tawney at http://historyofusury.blog.co.uk

.
3. Lincoln?s Greenbacks?ie public issue of money?see The Lost Science of Money by Stephen Zarlenga for an accurate description of this successful experiment in public money. This would be phased in to replace the bank debt money destroyed as prudent companies and individuals pay off their debts and government increases capital adequacy ratios first by doubling to Chinese levels (0.15) and then by annual increments to much higher levels?perhaps 0.80 instead of the present 0.08. This can be done with or without the Bank of England Company approval. The Sovereign has the power and should use it.

.
4. Appointment of a Bank Commission?directly analogous to the Charity Commission?to issue licenses to all banks practising fractional banking and credit creation in excess of its deposits and shareholder capital against criteria which (as with private schools requesting charitable status) require the Bank Commissioner to audit the accounts and ensure that the bank operates in the public good. This is the way to deal with the two great scandals of present banking practice: excessive remuneration for doing the job of accountants; and the chronic mal-distribution of credit on the basis of invisible private criteria instead of visible public criteria.

.
This programme could be phased in over the course of a 5-year parliament. The unions should insist that this programme is in the Labour Party?s next manifesto.
And this was once Tory policy too?read Iain Macleod?s 1961 biography of Neville Chamberlain on the Birmingham Municipal Bank set up in 1916 and the Conservative Party?s solution in 1923 until forced to withdraw the proposals by the bankers, the City of London and their usual threats.

.

?

1
The Frontispiece was one of three posters
produced by the British Government?s Ministry of
Information on the eve of war in 1939.
The other two were ?Freedom is in Peril? and ?Your
Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution
Will Bring Us Victory?.
Two and a half million copies of the Keep Calm
and Carry On sheets were printed to be
distributed in the event of a German invasion.
1 Such threats were not peculiar to Great Britain as is clear from Arthur Schlesinger?s Age of Jackson.

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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Rondo lifts Celtics over 76ers into NBA East finals

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) ?

Rajon Rondo scored 18 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Celtics won the decisive game seven

Boston Celtics? Rajon Rondo shoots during game seven of their NBA Eastern Conference second-round series on May 26. The Celtics punched their ticket to the finals with an 85-75 victory over Philadelphia behind a ?triple-double? by Rondo.

The Boston Celtics punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals with an 85-75 victory over Philadelphia behind a ?triple-double? by Rajon Rondo.

Rondo scored 18 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Celtics won the decisive game seven in the Eastern Conference second-round series.

The Celtics will have little time to relax. They will open the best-of-seven Eastern conference finals in Miami against the star-studded Heat on Monday night. That winner will face San Antonio or Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics led by three points when Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 remaining.

Rondo scored Boston?s next nine points as the Celtics stretched their advantage to double-digits.

Rondo scored 11 points in the final quarter and notched his ninth career playoff ?triple-double?.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Boston fans began chanting ?Beat the Heat!?

Andre Iguodala scored 18 points for Philadelphia

Philadelphia 76ers? Andre Iguodala (R) and Boston Celtics? Paul Pierce during game seven of their NBA Eastern Conference second-round series on May 26. Iguodala scored 18 points for Philadelphia, which had eliminated injury-plagued top seeds Chicago in the first round.

Celtics veteran Kevin Garnett, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds, echoed the sentiment.

?Let?s do it!? Garnett said of tackling the Miami team led by NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

It will mark the third straight post-season that the Heat and Celtics meet.

Boston won in five games in 2010 in the first round and the Heat won in five last year in the second round.

Brandon Bass scored 16 and Pierce ended with 15 points and nine rebounds for Boston.

Andre Iguodala scored 18 points for Philadelphia, which had eliminated injury-plagued top seeds Chicago in the first round.

Iguodala drained a three-pointer from the left corner with just over four minutes remaining to pull Philadelphia within 71-68.

Pierce then fouled out, but Rondo made sure the Sixers couldn?t take advantage.

?Rondo wants to run the team,? Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ?He?s a great quarterback. But tonight, obviously with Paul fouling out, he had to take charge of the team.?

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics during game seven of their NBA Eastern Conference second-round series

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics during game seven of their NBA Eastern Conference second-round series on May 26. The Celtics won 85-75.

The Sixers shot just 35 percent from the field as guards Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday combined to shoot 7-for-26.

However, the young Philadelphia team pressured Boston defensively.

Boston?s Ray Allen missed five three-point attempts before finally making one from the top of the arc early in the fourth quarter, taking Boston?s lead to 60-54.

Philadelphia held on, but every time they closed the gap the Celtics found an answer.

After Garnett came up with a steal, Rondo?s layup gave Boston a 73-68 lead. After a Philadelphia miss, Rondo made a long jumper as the shot clock ticked down.

His next shot was a clear three-pointer and gave Boston a 10-point lead, 78-68, with 2:09 to play.

Philadelphia didn?t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

?He did what he had to do,? Holiday said of Rondo. ?When Paul Pierce went out, I?m thinking ?Man, let?s go?. But Rajon Rondo, he came through for his team. He put his team on his back.?

Despite his clutch play when it mattered, Rondo was unhappy with his performance early in the contest, particularly two early turnovers that he said contributed to two quick fouls on Pierce.

Rivers said that was typical of his point guard, and he was pleased that Rondo was able to shake it off.

?He?s so hard on himself,? Rivers said. ?I thought he really fought himself tonight and won, and that was huge. It was a big step for him.?

?

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Japan?s Lay Judge System and the Kanae Kijima Murder Trial

Japan?s Lay Judge System and the Kanae Kijima Murder Trial

Philip Brasor

However one feels about the death penalty, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that its application in Japan is arbitrary. At a mid-April symposium hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Japan and the EU Institute in Japan at Waseda University in Tokyo, former Justice Minister Hiraoka Hideo publicly denounced his successor Ogawa Toshio 's decision to have three men on death row hanged on March 29, saying that the government needs to discuss the matter more before continuing with executions. The fact that Hiraoka on principle did not sign any execution orders during his tenure while Ogawa, in accordance with a very different set of values, approved three soon after assuming office shows that choices regarding life-and-death are governed by personal whim. Don't forget, these two men belong to the same political party, the ruling DPJ.

At the same symposium, Kaido Yuichi, the secretary general of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, called for a change in judicial rules in relation to the two-year-old lay judge system. At present, a death sentence can be delivered if the majority of the 9 judges?six non-professionals and three professionals?vote in favor of it and one of the majority is a professional judge. The JFBA, which has called on the government to launch a public debate on abolishing the death penalty, says that death sentences should only be validated if the decision is unanimous.

When the lay judge system itself was being debated, one prominent lawyer who opposed it, Takayama Shunkichi, claimed that it was being pushed by the government to "streamline courtroom procedures" so that prosecutors could gain faster convictions, since there were provisions that take into consideration the limited time the average person could spend to sit for a trial. These provisions require judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers to participate in pretrial meetings to determine what will be discussed in court and what evidence is permitted. Takayama said such conditions automatically favor the prosecution, because once the evidence has been determined in the pretrial phase nothing can be changed, added or subtracted. A defendant cannot recant in court a confession he or she may have made under duress. As a practicing defense attorney, Takayama has said that of the twenty-odd cases that he has won over the years, ?none involved trials of less than three years.?

All of these issues were addressed either directly or indirectly during the recent trial of Kijima Kanae, who was convicted of killing three men and sentenced to death. The trial lasted 100 days, making it the longest one since the lay judge system started. More significantly, the prosecution presented only circumstantial evidence, thus forcing the lay judges to not only decide if someone is guilty but also send that person to death row based mostly on conjecture. In contrast, the even more infamous 1998 ?Wakayama curry poisoning,? which also involved a defendant who was convicted and sentenced to death based solely on circumstantial evidence, took four years. There are other parallels. Like Kijima, Hayashi Mayumi remained almost completely silent during interrogations. More significantly, both cases were hallmarked by the media's blanket coverage of the crimes, much of which actually preceded the suspects? arrests. Some reporters who had already been following the Kijima case implied that she was responsible for the deaths of a number of men she had allegedly led on with promises of marriage. At least three of these men died under conditions that looked suspicious: two in identical circumstances involving the use of burning charcoal, and a third in a house fire. The former were initially ruled suicides, the latter an accident. Kijima's initial arrest in 2009 was for fraud, but after the media connected her to the deaths of several men she supposedly had affairs with, she was eventually served arrest warrants for the murders of three. Kijima reportedly took cash from them, and prosecutors cited money as the motive in all three alleged murders, an aspect of the case that the media had covered in lurid fashion as a "black widow" story intensified by a blatantly sexist angle which questioned how such an unattractive woman could be so successful as a gold digger. By the time the trial started last January everyone in Japan with access to a TV or broadband connection knew the tale and most were likely convinced of her guilt.

Sensational coverage of the ?black widow?, using a high school photograph of Kijima Kanae

In April, NHK ran a special hour-long program about the trial. According to the law, lay judges cannot discuss afterward what they talked about in closed chambers, even with family, so in order to get some idea of what might have taken place the producers found six people who had served as lay judges in the past and provided them with court records and materials. They used these materials and their experience to recreate what the lay judges at the Kijima trial might have gone through before reaching their guilty verdict and death sentence.

All six agreed that the real lay judges in the case had their work cut out for them since the prosecution's entire argument rested on three pieces of circumstantial evidence and a motive that made sense but had to be inferred since there was no confession. The mock lay judges went through each item with tortured thoroughness. The two men who the defense claimed committed suicide had died from asphyxiation caused by charcoal stoves. Prosecutors say that Kijima drugged them and lit the stoves herself. They claimed that the fact that one of the victims did not have charcoal on his hands when he was found dead proved that he didn't kill himself because he obviously hadn't handled any charcoal. But the mock judges surmised that if he had killed himself he could have wiped his hands prior to lighting the charcoal. Prosecutors also submitted as evidence surveillance camera footage showing that Kijima visited the home of the third victim hours before his house burned down. The man was killed in the fire and the prosecution's claim was that she started it. The mock judges didn't see how the footage decisively showed a connection between Kijima's visit and the fire.

They eventually reached the conclusion that the prosecution's case was based on a very sloppy police investigation, but that didn't necessarily mean they didn't buy it, because the motive put forth by the prosecution had become too easy to believe: Kijima had extracted money out of these men on the false pretense that she might marry them and once they found out she wouldn't they would surely demand the money back, so she killed them. NHK did not mention the media's role in planting this notion in the public's mind over a two-year period, but the prosecution's closing argument exploited the notion with a metaphor: When you wake up in the morning and see snow on the ground where there was none the day before, you know for a fact that it snowed during the night. In other words, the judges should know just by looking at all the circumstances in the case what happened. They don't really need anyone to prove it.

In the end, the mock judges assumed that the lay judges who actually tried the case had reached their conclusion because something had nudged them "out of the gray area" presented by the evidence and into a "black area" of a conviction. What provided that nudge they couldn't guess, though film director Suo Masayuki, who acted as a commentator on the program, implied that the professional judges "who have everyday experience in this situation" may have been the decisive factor. In essence, the pre-trial publicity had placed the burden of proof on the defense attorney, who had to show that his client didn't murder the three men. As far as the death sentence went, the mother of one of the victims was allowed to testify during the trial, and she asked for the harshest possible punishment.

The conclusion reached by the show?s commentators was that there are still problems with the lay judge system but that its value as a platform for judicial participation has been proven, if only by the dedication that lay judges have demonstrated. Nevertheless, NHK had illustrated the confusion that lay judges feel when confronted with the responsibility of interpreting the law and deciding a person's fate. They are told definitively that they must only consider the facts presented to them, but they are also encouraged to go with their gut, to reach a verdict based on which story they think is the most plausible. Was the prosecution's narrative more believable than the defense's? One of the mock judges, remembering the real trial she judged last year, a trial that ended with the accused sentenced to death, broke down in tears because she didn't know anything for sure. Jurors are told they shouldn't convict if there is a shadow of a doubt, but for the mock judges the entire process was darkened by doubt.

At the end of the program NHK interviewed one of the real lay judges in the Kijima case. He wasn't allowed to discuss the decision in detail but admitted it had been "difficult to make a clear judgment." And in the end there was "no option but to convict. We did what we were supposed to do."

Philip Brasor is a Japan Times columnist. He blogs at PhilipBrasor.com.

Recommended citation: Philip Brasor, "Japan?s Lay Judge System and the Kanae Kijima Murder Trial," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 10, Issue 22, No 2, May 28, 2012.

Articles on related subjects

? David T. Johnson, Covering Capital Punishment: Murder Trials and the Media in Japan

? David T. Johnson, War in a Season of Slow Revolution:Defense Lawyers and Lay Judges in Japanese Criminal Justice

? Jeff Kingston, Justice on Trial: Japanese Prosecutors Under Fire

? David T. Johnson, Capital Punishment without Capital Trials in Japan?s Lay Judge System

? Lawrence Repeta, Transfer of Power at Japan?s Justice Ministry?

? David T. Johnson and Franklin E. Zimring, Death Penalty Lessons from Asia?

? David T. Johnson, Early Returns from Japan?s New Criminal Trials

? Mark Levin and Virginia Tice, Japan?s New Citizen Judges: How Secrecy Imperils Judicial Reform

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Navy begins assessing fire-damaged sub - KWQC-TV6 News and ...

By DAVID SHARP
Associated Press

KITTERY, Maine (AP) - Those who have spent time on Navy submarines will tell you that few combustible materials are aboard. But don't tell that to the firefighters who rushed to the USS Miami when a blaze swept through the billion-dollar nuclear-powered submarine.

"It's like going into a chimney," said Portsmouth Naval Shipyard firefighter David Funk, who described insulation and wiring fueling a smoky fire that became hot enough for aluminum to burst into flames.

On Friday, two days after the blaze began, workers at the shipyard finished pumping fresh air into the fire-damaged sub, allowing Navy investigators to enter to begin the first damage assessment. It remains to be seen whether the submarine can be salvaged.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, both members of the Armed Services Committee, visited the shipyard Friday and met with its commander. They thanked a small contingent of firefighters, including Funk, who battled the blaze as the sub's metal hull trapped the heat inside.

Three Navy teams were dispatched to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to investigate the incident, the senators told reporters.

The blaze started early Wednesday night at the shipyard where the sub was being overhauled. A handful of shipyard workers were in the forward compartments where the fire began while the sub was in a dry dock, Collins said.

The fire wasn't extinguished until the next morning. More than 100 firefighters responded from more than a dozen agencies as far away as Groton, Conn., and South Portland.

Eric Wertheim, a U.S. Naval Institute author, characterized the USS Miami fire as a financial disaster, with the potential loss of a submarine that cost $900 million to build, but not a true disaster like the losses of the USS Scorpion and Thresher, nuclear subs that sank during peacetime with a loss of their crews.

"It's important to put it into perspective," Wertheim said. "It could've been a lot worse."

The USS Miami fire damaged the torpedo room, crew quarters and command and control areas in the front of the submarine, but the nuclear propulsion components at the back of the sub weren't harmed.

One defense analyst suggested that the repairs would be so costly that the 22-year-old sub would be scrapped, a scenario that would be similar to the USS Bonefish, a diesel-electric sub decommissioned and scrapped after a fire at sea in 1988.

Vice Adm. Kevin M. McCoy, commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, told U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe that he's hopeful that the ship can be repaired. He said that many vital components escaped damage because they had been removed for the 20-month overhaul and that salvage parts are available from previously decommissioned Los Angeles-class subs.

"He said, 'We've built submarines, so we can fix them as well,'" said Snowe, who also toured the shipyard Friday.

The intensity of the fire, the lack of lighting, the thick smoke and the metal hull that turned the submarine into an oven all contributed to a difficult blaze for firefighters to extinguish.

Unlike a house fire, there was no way to vent the fire by knocking out windows or using axes to create an opening, and all the smoke billowed from a small number of hatches that firefighters had to use to enter the sub.

"It was pretty intense, a lot of heat, a lot of smoke," Funk said. "It's a steel-hulled vessel. It's basically like going into a chimney into a black void that's superheated and trying to find the seat of the fire and get it put out."

The blaze was so blistering hot that a firefighter could only remain in place for minutes before being replaced by another firefighter, a leap-frogging technique that continued throughout the night until firefighters got the stubborn fire under control.

All told, the firefighters rotated 75 times to battle the fire, using 3 million gallons of water, nearly filling some compartments, Snowe said.

Two members of Funk's fire department were hurt. One had a broken foot, and another had a back injury, he said.

Funk, who left his post at the shipyard on Friday for the first time since the fire started, said he's thankful it wasn't worse.

"It's a miracle that nobody got hurt bad," he said. "Frankly, it's a miracle that nobody got killed."

___

Follow David Sharp on Twitter at http://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

$499900 :: 3220 Duncan DR, Lake Oswego OR, 97035 ? Lake ...

Property Photo

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4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
Home size: 2,743 sq ft
Lot Size: 11,325 sq ft
Property Type: DETACHD
MLS Number: 12669298
Community: Westlake

Buyer to verify schools. Class, style & sophistication. Main floor master bedroom. Updated baths. Newer appliances in remodeled kitchen with corian. Hardwood floors. Loft. Vaulted Ceilings. Private yard with 2 decks. Wet bar lower lvl fam rm. 4th bdrm used as media rm. Excl.theater projector. Incl. theater screen, washer & dryer

Listed with RE/MAX Equity Group


Brought to you by Chris Larsson, Coldwell Banker Seal. Call me today at 503-683-2897!

The content relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX program of the RMLS? of Portland, Oregon. All real estate listings are marked with the RMLS? logo, and detailed information about these properties includes the names of the listing brokers. Listing content is ? 2009 RMLS?, Portland, Oregon.


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Friday, May 25, 2012

'On the Fly' show puts Southwest in prime time

TLC/George Lange

Southwest Airlines employees, from left: Captain Armin Irvani, Rose Dunn, Joshua Pumphrey and Julia Bell are featured in the new TLC series, "On the Fly."

By Tanya Mohn, msnbc.com contributor

With Memorial Day weekend almost upon us, kicking off the summer vacation season, travelers may want to check out a new show for a taste of what hurdles could be ahead.

"On the Fly," a new reality series that takes viewers behind the scenes of modern air travel, is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 24, on TLC, the television network that is part of Discovery Communications.


The series, based on unprecedented access to Southwest Airlines and taped at 11 airports across the country, details many aspects of the flying experience ? from buying tickets to loading luggage to landing safely ??and features both everyday and unique encounters with travelers as well as airline employees.

Why would people be interested in watching what many consider a necessary but often unpleasant experience?

?It?s great to eavesdrop,? said Howard Lee, senior vice present of production & development for TLC. ?Airports are complete microcosms, and each of them has stories and frustrations,? he said. ?They are incredibly relatable. We were able to capture that.??

The two first episodes, ?Delayed and Enraged? and ?I Want to Leave This Place,? which will both air on Thursday, switch back and forth between several airports and reveal both visceral and upbeat encounters: some very angry passengers with no-holds-barred venting about delays and missed flights (the wrath is often not sugarcoated, so beware of some colorful language); how customer service representatives deal with challenging situations, like a passenger who has a mysteriously bad body odor or another who may have been drinking a little too much before boarding.

Both episodes include touching and uplifting stories: a college student who attempts to fly with his pet fish (he claims he managed to get it through security) and a young man, flying in disguise to avoid the notice of his flight attendant girlfriend, so he can surprise her midflight with a marriage proposal.

Customers and airline personnel come across as real and unedited.

?I have the most-hated job here,? said an employee who works in the lost and damaged baggage area. ?I grew up in a family of five, so there?s always someone screaming at someone,? another worker said, but with a smile. Crystal, a young customer service agent at the Denver airport, explained why she often likes to wear a flower in her hair: people are a little bit nicer when she does.

Do things like this actually happen?

Yes, said Lee, the TLC executive. At the airports where shooting took place, Southwest employees were all notified in advance. Customers were taped as events naturally occurred; their permissions were secured after the taping. No one appeared without authorization, and nothing was staged, he said.

Lee said the success of the stories that were captured on tape was due to the broad access by Southwest, an airline that is widely regarded for it distinct corporate culture and customer service.

Daily operations at Southwest were previously the subject of television series in 2004-2005 when ?Airline? ran for three seasons on A&E. The earlier show focused predominately on customer service at the airport, but the new production will be broader and will include many more employees: maintenance workers, providers of drink and food, pilots and flight attendants.

?I applaud Southwest for their willingness to offer transparency into what goes on behind the scenes to fly people to so many destinations,? said Sharr Prohaska, clinical associate professor, Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University. ?Through educating the public, Southwest may create even a greater appreciation for why they have maintained?such an outstanding reputation? with travelers.

?What a great idea ? a reality show that puts the 'real' into focus,? Prohaska said.

Dustin P. Smith, vice president of communications for TLC, said all 13 episodes have been shot and some are currently in post production, but it was too early to know if the series will be renewed. The series, produced for TLC by ITV Studios America, is scheduled to run through July 12.

Readers can take an early sneak peak online at TLC.com/OnTheFly.?

More on Overhead Bin

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Texas farmers use business wile to weather drought

ELKHART, Texas (AP) ? Linda Galayda hauled water and flagged down truck drivers to ask about their hay. She sold calves and young cows and made her son leave their East Texas family ranch for a job in San Antonio.

About 200 miles southeast of her, Bob and Darlene Stryk heeded lessons from a dry spell 16 years ago and kept their 130-year-old farm afloat by selling higher-priced, specialty products like raw milk and cheddar cheese before the drought forced them to make their most difficult decision yet.

The drought that parched the vast Texas landscape, sucking dry ponds, lakes and reservoirs and severely damaging soil and grasslands, traumatized farmers and ranchers, who ? like their ancestors who survived the Dust Bowl and the dry spell of the 1950s ? will tell tales about the drought for generations.

The drought of 2011 cost $7.6 billion in crop losses, the most ever recorded, and forced ranchers to slaughter millions of animals, cutting Texas' cattle herd to its smallest size since 1952.

Now, as they try to recover and plan for the future, Galayda and Stryk share their stories, offering a peek at life during the worst one-year drought in Texas history.

___

For months, Galayda lived in constant fear for her "girls," the herd of cows that hark back to her late father. There was no grass or hay. Two springs that flowed even during a decade-long dry spell in the 1950s ? which serves as Texas' drought barometer ? dried up. Wildfires raged just two miles from the rolling hills of the 7-7 Ranch in Elkhart.

Even now, after the fires are out, Galayda's hand clenches when she talks about the helplessness and all-consuming fear of knowing an uncontrollable blaze could rip across the 2,500 acres she ranches, destroying generations of work.

"We've all heard stories about droughts of years past, but this one was," Galayda pauses, searching for the perfect word.

"Awful."

It took every ounce of business acumen ? much of it acquired during the 25 years she pounded the New York pavement in stillettos as a vice president at today's Macys ? to make it through last winter with a herd.

This time, instead of designer heels, Galayda wore Wranglers and cowboy boots when executing her carefully conceived business plan. First, before the spring of 2011, she looked over the livestock. Cows that weren't pregnant, heifers ? or young females ? with the smallest deficiency and other any less-than-perfect bovine was sold.

In the spring, excessive wind sucked the last moisture from the soil. The rain stopped. Grass disappeared. And there was no hay in Texas.

"I actually flagged down trucks that were carrying quality hay ... and asked them 'Where's this hay coming from?'" Galayda said with a laugh, recalling how she stopped drivers bringing hay to her neighbors to see if she couldn't get some as well.

Trucks rolled in, sometimes in the dead of night. Galayda's husband, Gary, unloaded bales at 4 a.m. The entire family ? sons Christopher and Scott Crawford, and his wife, Rebekah, pitched in. The ranch spent all the cash reserves, about $140,000, to buy hay. Scott dipped into his savings. Christopher got a job in San Antonio.

The family got rid of more animals, losing money as calves were sold early and at lower-than-normal weight. Heifers normally used to restock were also sold.

By August, the heat was so intense, with weeks of 100-degree days with no rain, that Galayda and two cowboys began work at 4:30 a.m., relying on their horses to get them through the pitch black safely. They moved cows to smaller pastures, trying to decrease the distance the animals had to walk to hauled-in water. By 10:30 a.m., it was too hot to work.

"The cows were grazing at night ... if they grazed at all," Galayda said.

Finally, in January, it rained. The creeks, ponds and lake refilled. The cows gave birth. The grass grew green.

Things were different, though. Some calves came later. A few got sick. The vet blamed anything odd on the drought.

"Everything was just not as it normally is," Galayda said. "You can help her (a cow) so much, but nothing, nothing takes the place of green grass."

This spring, the rain has slowed. Galayda's herd is smaller ? down to about 370 head from a pre-drought high of 500 ? but she is cautious, not yet ready to restock. The land, she believes, needs to heal. She does, too.

"I don't think anybody's back in a position yet to say this is over with."

___

On the Stryk Jersey Farm, in Engle, Texas, the situation also was tense.

By fall, the hay barn was empty ? a first in Darlene and Bob Stryk's 26-year marriage. And the pond was mud, also a first since the Stryk family purchased the farm in 1882.

Every three or four days, they filled a 1,500-gallon water tank for the heifers. Each time, they prayed the well wouldn't dry up too.

They already knew drought.

It nearly ran them out of business in 1996. Then, hay was expensive, and milk was cheap. Darlene Stryk took a "town" job, wandering around the state with a cow in a truck, teaching children about dairy operations. Bob Stryk worked as a mechanic. Their debt was enormous. Something had to change, or all would be lost.

They cut their herd from 140 dairy cows to 25 and launched Strykly Texas Cheese, covering blocks of cheddar shaped like Texas, jalapenos and cowboy boots with wax by hand to fill gift baskets. As the business grew, they gradually built their herd back up to 60 head.

A neighbor's bull jumped the fence, and a small beef herd was born.

Each year, though, milk sales failed to cover the animals' feed costs, and they had to transfer money from the burgeoning cheese business to make up the difference. So, in 2006, they got a state license to sell raw, or unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk, to a niche market of people often interested in organic products and buying directly from farms.

Despite the health risks associated with drinking unpasteurized milk, which can contain harmful bacteria, the Stryks were confident in their business plan. They drink their own milk and undergo rigorous state inspections to keep their license.

Within three years, the Stryks, able to earn about double by selling directly to consumers rather than wholesalers, stopped selling to large dairies. They started making their own cheese. They sold grass-fed beef.

Then, in 2010, the rain stopped again. Grass dried up, and hay prices skyrocket. It was time, again, to decide.

"We had to sell all our beef cattle because it was either feed the Jerseys, who were able to produce milk daily and give us financial security, versus a beef herd, which you only sell a calf once a year," Darlene Stryk explained.

A week later, it rained.

"And basically, it's been raining ever since," Darlene Stryk said with a touch of irony. "We rolled the dice, and Mother Nature won once again."

Now, the pastures are green. The creeks are full, but the land is still fragile. Cattle prices are rising, and they too aren't yet willing to invest in a beef herd that will cost more than the one they sold.

They are thankful for the steady sales of raw milk and cheese that saved them. It was, they believe, customer loyalty, the intimacy created when people buy their product directly from the farm, that kept them afloat this time.

"We would not be in the dairy business if it had not been for the retail raw milk permit," Stryk explained.

And so, they wait, and heal along with the land.

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Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com//RamitMastiAP

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