Be Treated Like A VIP with the Festy Experience Comfort Zone Upgrade…For Free!We’ve teamed up with The Festy Experience to give away Four Weekend Comfort Zone Upgrade Passes to the festival! This includes a private bar in the VIP Lounge, in the Comfort Zone Lounge, Upgraded Bathrooms, Showers for the weekend, and a Side Viewing Deck for up-close viewing of your favorite bands!This contest is over.Rules and Regulations: Package must be redeemed within 1 day of the winning announcement. Entries must be received by mail or through the www.blueridgeoutdoors.com contest sign-up page by 12:00 Midnight EST on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 – date subject to change. One entry per person. One winner per household. Sweepstakes open only to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 years of age or older. Void wherever prohibited by law. Families and employees of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and participating sponsors are not eligible. No liability is assumed for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, non-delivered or misdirected mail, or misdirected e-mail, garbled, mis-transcribed, faulty or incomplete telephone transmissions, for technical hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connection, or failed, incomplete or delayed computer transmission or any human error which may occur in the receipt of processing of the entries in this Sweepstakes. By entering the sweepstakes, entrants agree that Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and their promotional partners reserve the right to contact entrants multiple times with special information and offers. Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes. Winners agree that Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and participating sponsors, their subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and promotion agencies shall not be liable for injuries or losses of any kind resulting from acceptance of or use of prizes. No substitutions or redemption of cash, or transfer of prize permitted. Any taxes associated with winning any of the prizes detailed below will be paid by the winner. Winners agree to allow sponsors to use their name and pictures for purposes of promotion. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. All Federal, State and local laws and regulations apply. Selection of the winner will be chosen at random at the Blue Ridge Outdoors office on or before Oct. 3, 2018 – date and time subject to change. Winners will be contacted by the information they provided in the contest sign-up field and have 24 hours to claim their prize before another winner will be picked. Odds of winning will be determined by the total number of eligible entries received. One entry per person or two entries per person if partnership opt-in box above is checked.
By Steven McLoud/Diálogo May 13, 2019 U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced the United States would be removing sanctions on Venezuela’s former intelligence chief, General Manuel Cristopher Figuera, in statements made at the annual U.S. State Department’s Washington Conference on the Americas, May 7. The previous week, Gen. Figuera joined Interim President Juan Guaidó, in support of democracy in Venezuela and sent a clear message to military leaders still working for the regime of Nicolás Maduro that there is another path should those military leaders decide to break ranks. “The United States of America will consider sanctions relief for all those who step up for the constitution and support the rule of law,” Pence said. “I hope the actions our nation is taking today will encourage others to follow the example of General Cristopher Figuera,” he added. In the wake of efforts Interim President Guaidó dubbed Operation Freedom, Gen. Figuera wrote a letter to the Venezuelan people saying it was time to “rebuild the country.” That letter was widely circulated on social media. A U.S. official later confirmed its authenticity. Gen. Figuera went on to say that “corruption had become so rampant that many high-ranking public servants practice it like a sport. The hour has arrived for us to look for other ways of doing politics,” Gen. Figuera wrote. On April 30, more than two dozen members of the Venezuelan military requested asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas, according to a spokesperson for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, echoed Pence’s sentiments stating that the Venezuelan military must decide if it supports the people or a “tyrant,” referring to Maduro. “Our legitimacy begins with the oath that each of us makes to protect our citizens and our constitutions,” said Admiral Faller on May 8 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, during a security conference with Central American Chiefs of Defense. “Fulfilling our oaths, no matter what, is our sacred duty,” he added.
Nov 10, 2004 (CIDRAP News) – The current shortage of influenza vaccine has generated new support for proposed federal legislation introduced last January that would make the production of flu vaccine more financially attractive, according to sponsors of the bill.Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, announced recently that their proposed Flu Protection Act of 2004 has won endorsements from the American Public Health Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).In a news release, Bayh and Craig expressed hope that Congress will act on the bill in its lame-duck session, which begins next week. They also said the number of sponsors for the bill has doubled to ten since the loss of flu vaccine from Chiron Corp. in October triggered the current vaccine shortage.Among other things, the bill directs the government to buy any flu vaccine doses that manufacturers can’t sell by the end of the flu season.”It’s a buy-back plan,” Meg Keck, a spokeswoman for Bayh, told CIDRAP News. “It takes away the economic disincentive that the manufacturers currently face if they produce a surplus. Right now they have to eat that cost.”The legislation, Senate bill 2038, also offers a 20% tax credit for the cost of building or expanding vaccine production facilities, Keck said. The measure also directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a contingency plan for dealing with future vaccine shortages and to run an annual public education campaign on the importance of flu vaccination.Bayh and Craig said they wrote letters to Senate leaders and the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to take up the legislation so that appropriate steps can be taken in time for next year’s flu season. “The plan is ready, the support is growing—Congress needs only to act to protect the American people from another flu season nightmare,” Bayh said in the news release.Keck said the bill was introduced last January in the Senate Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. She noted that last year’s flu season arrived early and concern about vaccine supplies had died down by January. The bill remained in committee because “there wasn’t a sense of urgency at the time,” she said.Keck said she is not aware of any particular opposition to the bill. “I think it’s a straightforward, fiscally responsible way to make sure we won’t have another flu vaccine shortage,” she said. She noted that Craig is the only Republican sponsor or cosponsor of the bill.Bayh’s news release said the legislation also calls for increased government-industry cooperation to provide accurate estimates of the amount of vaccine needed each year and authorizes funds to encourage the creation of more vaccine producers.The bill calls for the CDC director to contract with manufacturers each year to produce the amount of vaccine the CDC thinks will be needed. If any of that supply remains unsold by the end of the flu season, the CDC would pay for it at a mutually negotiated price, the bill specifies.Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson has said he supports the idea of a government guarantee to buy flu vaccine in order to protect manufacturers from losses if the demand for vaccine is overestimated. Phone calls to HHS to ask about the department’s position on Bayh’s bill were not returned in time for this story.A companion bill, HR 3758, has been introduced in the House by Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., and has 13 cosponsors.See also:Library of Congress’s Thomas site for information on and text of Senate bill 2038 (search “S 2038”)http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html
Original, different, authentic… The Plitvice Phenomenon is a new tourist resort in the heart of the Plitvice Lakes National Park.The Plitvice Phenomenon phenomenon is a tourist resort that spreads over 142 thousand square meters in the area of Plitvice Selo, and consists of nine wooden houses with elegant apartments and a top restaurant in the luxury segment.Garden with indigenous plants, outdoor gym, morning yoga, children’s playground, emphasis on local and conservation of natural resources, no noise and crowds – so it looks like a real vacation as imagined in the company Potestas which after Hotel Park in Split and luxury Villa Petra on Brač, and now they have opened a new tourist facility on Plitvice.Plitvice Lakes, top service and accommodation as well as the philosophy of returning to nature, is exactly the concept that is guided in the Plitvice Phenomenon. As they point out, what others call a trend is a lifestyle. “The construction of the resort took several years to meet strict environmental regulations. This was extremely important to us given that we are located in the heart of one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. House by house was built by the best local craftsmen with the highest quality local materials. In order for such projects to be successful, the synergy of investors with the local environment and responsible behavior towards the environment is very important.“Points out Jozo Tomaš, director of Potestas.It is important to point out that this is not a classic hotel, concreting the space, but the Tourist Resort Fenomen Plitvice is characterized by 3 existing but renovated houses and 5 new houses with 18 accommodation units decorated in indigenous style that fit into the space and the whole ambience, which can accommodate 42 people on basic beds, ie a maximum of 55 people.Each of the houses was named after Plitvice Lakes, so the houses in which the accommodation units of this magnificent building are located are called: Veliko jezero, Galovac, Vir, Okrugljak, Gradin and Burget, while the auxiliary facilities are also named after the vegetation that adorns our most visited National a park like Betula, Pinus and Fagus (Fagus- beech, Pinus- pine and Betula- birch). “The cottages are modern and luxuriously equipped to provide our guest with complete comfort and relaxation, they contain a kitchen, air conditioning, satellite TV, mini bar, safe and many other facilities that raise the offer of the Phenomenon to the highest level.”Says Tomaš and adds that they also offer the service of a concierge who offers guests personalized tourist services, ie the organization of personalized tourist experiences such as a private picnic at the top of Veliki slap.Also, the tourist resort offers additional facilities such as hiking, cycling, horseback riding, children’s playground, outdoor gym, bowling alley, shooting range, barbecue area and others. It all started in 2008 with the purchase of land with three dilapidated houses that were later renovated, and the property was used until then exclusively for private purposes. “Considering the already mentioned natural beauties of Plitvice Lakes and the beauty of the property itself, we decided to build accommodation facilities that will be integrated into the environment and stand out with the quality of accommodation and services we offer. The importance of this project was also recognized by the EU, which subsidized funds from the Structural Funds. Note that this is the second project of the company Potestas doo which is co-financed from the EU structural funds (the first project was the renovation, construction and upgrade of the Park Hotel in Split)”Tomas pointed out.
Apart from the Plitvice Phenomenon enriching the tourist offer of Plitvice Lakes accommodation capacities and raising it to a higher level, the Plitvice Phenomenon with its restaurant Kozjak strives to be marked as an unavoidable place on the gastronomic map not only of Plitvice Lakes, but of the whole of Croatia. The combination of traditional Lika cuisine based on fresh seasonal ingredients with a modern way of preparation is a card they play on, which is logical because authenticity is what people travel for and that is exactly what tourists want to experience and taste.”Certainly this is right away from the noise and hats, a place where we can reconnect with nature and with ourselves, experience the typical hospitality of Lika, authentic, and yet adapted to the luxury market segment and guests who appreciate nature and want sustainable tourism. Tomaš emphasizes and concludes that the project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Funds, while the total value of the project is HRK 39.255.327,67, and the EU’s share in project financing is HRK 10.000.000,00.In the meantime, there is no need to worry about it. ”Accommodation prices in the peak tourist season range from 2.800 to 6.000 kn per day, which clearly shows that this is a high category of the Plitvice Phenomena Resort. They employ 25 employees, mostly from Lika and the surrounding area, which is extremely important for the local population to work, and they are an example to other young people that it makes sense to stay and develop continental tourism.The Plitvice phenomenon is a luxury tourist resort that Plitvice certainly deserves. See more about the whole concept here
Big heart, little money”Naples is a city with a tremendous resilience to suffering,” Mayor Luigi de Magistris tells AFP.EU statistics show about two out of five risked poverty in 2018 in the city of 2.2 million.A UN study found that a third of the Naples’ 15- to 29-years-olds either had no job or had dropped out of school that year.The black market economy thrives, as well as the accompanying crime.An estimated 3,500 Neapolitans have so far asked for food aid under a coronavirus relief program launched last month.The two street artists and others like English language tutor Teresa Cardo decided that something more substantial — possibly more personal and immediate — needed to be done.They lowered their first baskets, explaining the idea in a little note.”We started by putting a piece of bread, a bag of pasta, a box of peeled tomatoes,” Cardo says.”And two hours later, the basket was completely full.”The mayor is understandably proud. “Naples is a city with a big heart,” he says.But he also laments the various social distancing measures designed to keep people away from each other as much as possible.The mayor wants the old Naples back.”I miss it very much, because in general for human beings but even more so for Neapolitans, it is absolutely against our nature not to hug, not to shake hands.” Angelo Picone lowers a wicker basket full of food to the ground on a rope, leaning over his rustic balcony, verdant with pot plants.”If you can, put something in. If you can’t, take something out,” Picone, a Naples street artist, merrily hollers to bemused passersby in the alleyway below.Picone’s simple message is resonating in a country trying to feed a growing number of poor during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has officially killed nearly 200 in Naples and more than 15,000 across Italy in just over a month.It has also shattered the Mediterranean country’s economy and left millions at least temporarily unemployed.This makes the hanging “solidarity baskets” and foldout tables laden with food — everything from bread and bananas to boxes of milk and tins of sardines, as well as hot dishes — all the more important at one of the most surreal moments in the city’s history.”This is a special sign of solidarity,” Picone says. “The basket is there. It ensures anonymity.” Topics : For a song Yet Naples’ unrepressed romance is in the spring air at even the dourest of times.A slender young man wearing a black coat and a loose scarf breaks into song for no apparent reason.A few smiling women on the nearby balconies of squat pastel buildings shout “bravo” and applaud after he finishes with a hand-waving flourish and takes a bow.The young man then sticks his hand in the food basket and walks away with a cheeky bounce in his step.The performance was his personal contribution in exchange for the food.Picone speaks with nonchalance about how he drew his inspiration from a city doctor who did something very similar for the poor a century ago.According to local legend, doctor Giuseppe Moscati held out his hat at the end of his consultations.Patients were not obliged to pay and dropped in as many coins as they could afford.The good doctor was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1987.”We are fortunate that in Naples we feel like we need to help each other out,” says Gennaro, a street artist like Picone.A person wearing a facemask pulls two bags of cookies from the wicker basket and holds them aloft in self-deprecating celebration.
Advertisement Advertisement Metro Sport ReporterWednesday 15 May 2019 9:40 amShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link1.3kShares Comment Edu is a leading candidate for Arsenal’s technical director role (Picture: Getty)Former Arsenal star Edu has confirmed he’s held talks with the club over becoming their new technical director.The Brazilian is the Gunners’ first choice for the role now that Monchi has decided to return to former club Sevilla.Edu spent four years with the club between 2001-2005 and he’s currently serving as the technical director of Brazil.Arsenal will have a budget of around £40m this summer should they fail to win the Europa League and they want a structure in place behind the scenes to maximise resources.ADVERTISEMENT Emery will have a budget of around £40m should Arsenal fail to win the Europa League (Picture: Getty)Edu, though, has revealed that any talks over the role will have to wait until next season as he’s focused on Brazil this summer.AdvertisementAdvertisement‘I had a conversation with Arsenal. There’s an interest,’ said Edu.‘I was very clear: ‘I am 100% focused on the Copa America. I’m not speaking about absolutely anything because of the Copa America.‘If, by any chance, you [Arsenal] want to speak to me after the Copa, propose something after the Copa, I will make myself available so that we can talk. As for now, I am fully focused on the Copa.’More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing ArsenalArsenal had hoped to make an appointment ahead of the transfer window but if Edu is to be the man then the club are prepared to wait.The Brazilian has experience in a director of football role with Corinthians and would oversee recruitment at the Emirates.MORE: West Brom star Chris Brunt trolled by Aston Villa substitute Jonathan Kodjia after sending off Edu confirms talks with Arsenal over technical director role but wants to focus on Brazil job
Turkey has a history of powerfulearthquakes. Over 17,000 people were killed in Aug. 1999 when a 7.6-magnitudequake struck the western city of Limit. Around 500,000 people were madehomeless. In 2011, an earthquake struck theeastern city of Van and the town of Ercis, killing at least 523 people.(Reuters) Rescue workers search on a collapsed building after an earthquake in Elazig, Turkey on Jan. 25. REUTERS/SERTAC KAYAR The 6.8-magnitude quake shook Elazigprovince, around 550 km (340 miles) east of the capital Ankara. It was followedby dozens of aftershocks.
Sixteen people were killed in Elazigand four more in the neighboring province of Malatya, Turkey’s Disaster andEmergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Saturday. Around 920 injured werein hospitals in the region, it added. ELAZIG – A powerful earthquake struckeastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least 20 people. 
The Batesville and Centerville Bulldogs Swim Teams squared off in a duel meet.Girls Score. BHS 106, Centerville 77.Girls are 6-1 on the season.Boys Score. Centerville 101, BHS 67.Boys are 1-2 on the season.Individual Event Winners:Girls. Emily Gutzwiller 200 IM, 100 breast; Mary Poltrack 100 back, 500 free; and Taylor Villani 200 free.Boys. Nathan Hall 100 fly, 100 back; Drake Main 200 IM; and Damien Pelo 100 breast.Courtesy of Bulldogs TJ Greene.
Indianapolis, In. — The top consumer advocate in Indiana says up to 3.8 million Hoosiers had personal information compromised in the Equifax data breach. Consumer Protection Division director Betsy Isenberg says it’s up to residents to take steps to protect their information.Consumers can complete an Equifax security freeze here or access the state website to place a “freeze” on credit here. Using the “freeze” option does not protect your personal information but will protect your credit if someone tries to access it.Isenberg urges consumers to limit shopping online while using a public Wi-Fi can increase your risk of being compromised. She also says great care should be used when sharing personal information online.Equifax has changed the terms of service post-breach, the terms now says the non-arbitration agreement applies to credit monitoring only, not to the breach.
Hull boss Steve Bruce paid tribute to the influence of Shane Long on his side’s Barclays Premier League survival fight as the striker came back to haunt his former club at the KC Stadium. Bruce said: “The two strikers came in at just the right time and have given the whole club a boost. “We didn’t play well today by any stretch of the imagination but if you have got that bit of quality at the top end of the pitch they can create something and they will always be a handful with the attitude they’ve got.” Long was barracked by the visiting Baggies fans for his part in the penalty incident, falling under the challenge of Craig Dawson in the box in what television replays suggested had been minimal contact. Jelavic’s penalty was saved by Baggies keeper Ben Foster but Rosenior was on hand to head home the rebound and and score his first senior goal since October 2009. Bruce added: “Shane is never going to dive – he’s as genuine as they come. But when you move as quickly as he does, you are going to go over with the slightest little tap “It might be a soft penalty but Chris Foy is close and maybe he’s seen and heard some contact.” West Brom boss Pepe Mel criticised the penalty decision and said he believed his side should have been awarded one in the second half when James Morrison fell under a challenge in the box. The result leaves his side three points and two places above the drop zone and fighting to restore the feelgood factor generated by last week’s win at Swansea. Mel said: “I think it was a bad decision by the referee, and in the second half there was the same situation in the other box and the referee missed it.” Mel refused to blame Long for the penalty incident and insisted the defeat was not made any harder to take by the fact that a former player was so instrumental in his side’s demise. Mel added: “Shane Long is a good professional and he is a striker for Hull City. “For us it is about playing with attention and hard work and it is the same for us whether it is against Shane Long or any other players. Shane only wants the best for his team and I think it is normal. “I always believe we are capable of winning a game but today it was not possible. But Fulham lost, Palace lost, Cardiff lost and Sunderland lost. There are now four teams beneath us and the next game is a big one for us.” While Mel faces a major challenge rousing his players for what promises to be a tight relegation run-in, Bruce is now convinced his side is within touching distance of safety with one more win likely to preserve top-flight status for at least another year. Bruce said: “I’ve said all along I think 10 wins is going to be enough and now we have to do whatever it takes to see it through. We have still got a little bit to do and we certainly won’t be taking anything for granted.” Long won the penalty which led to the Tigers’ opener for Liam Rosenior then fired home the second himself to secure a 2-0 win over struggling West Brom. The Ireland international had surprisingly been allowed to leave The Hawthorns in January when Bruce also brought in former Everton striker Nikica Jelavic. Press Association