So many food and drink deals these days involve downloading apps and jumping through hoops.This one’s a snap.If you are attending any one of the San Jose Sharks games from now through the end of December, you can get craft beers, glasses of wine and cocktails for half-price.All you have to do is show up early — at least 30 minutes before face-off. That’s it! No other strings attached. It’s called Happy Hour at SAP Center, and the promotion by the Sharks and Aramark will apply to … read more
20 May 2015The Afromontane forests of the Southern Cape, most of them part of the Garden Route National Park, are up for a listing on the World Heritage List. The list is compiled by Unesco, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.The International Union for Conservation of Nature received a nomination in March 2014 to double the existing World Heritage site. The current site is 557 584 hectares and includes Table Mountain National Park, Agulhas complex, Langeberg complex and the Garden Route complex.If approved, the extended site will include the Wilderness area, state forests and mountain catchment areas which form a chunk of the Garden Route National Park, an open access reserve spanning more than 155 000 hectares from Wilderness to Tsitsikamma.According to Jill Bunding-Venter, the park’s general manager, at least 119 recognised fynbos vegetation types will be added to the existing site of both endemic and/or threatened fynbos species.Green Flag trailsMeanwhile, two hiking trails in the Knysna forest, which is also part of the Garden Route National Park, have received Green Flag status. Perdekop, a 9.5km nature walk, and Olifants, in Diepwalle, hiking trails were accredited by the Hiking Organisation of Southern Africa earlier this month.The Green Flag a global benchmark for hiking trails and criteria include conservation status, health and safety measures, cleanliness and maintenance, sustainability, management and others.This comes a few days before the world marks International Day for Biological Diversity, or International Biodiversity Day, celebrated each year on 22 May. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2000 to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.According to the UN, this year’s theme, Biodiversity for Sustainable Development, reflects the importance of efforts made at all levels to establish a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda for the period of 2015-2030, and the relevance of biodiversity for the achievement of sustainable development.Biodiversity can refer to genetic variation, species variation, or ecosystem variation within an area. The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of six globally recognised plant kingdoms. It is the smallest of all six kingdoms and is rich in biodiversity with 8 700 plant species and high endemism: 68% of its plant species are confined to this kingdom that is just 90 000km2 in size.The kingdom consists of the five biomes, namely: fynbos, renosterveld, succulent karoo, sub-tropical thicket and afromontane forest. Fynbos is the dominant vegetation, and 80% of the kingdom consists of fynbos.The megadiverse countries are a group of countries that harbour the majority of Earth’s species and are considered extremely biodiverse. Conservation International identified 17 megadiverse countries in 1998. All are located in, or partially in, tropical or subtropical regions. South Africa is ranked third after Brazil and Indonesia in terms of plant diversity.SAinfo reporter read more
Denying allegations that protesters were killed in police firing in Darjeeling on Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there was “deep rooted conspiracy” behind the current unrest.She also said the State government had been informed of a “terrorist connection” to the current violence. The Chief Minister was addressing the media at the State secretariat after a meeting with various community council chiefs from Darjeeling. Representatives of 15 development boards in the district were also present. “Police did not fire; that is absolutely wrong. They, the GJM, started firing,” Ms. Banerjee said. On the “terrorist connection”, she said the “underground North-Eastern insurgency groups are connected” to the movement in Darjeeling. Calling for cooperation between the Centre and the State on the issue, the CM said, “I think the Centre and the State government must work together here and the Centre should extend full cooperation.” She also urged the Centre “not to encourage them (GJM).” read more
Watching the video now, it’s as if Griffin knows his fate.“We’ve been blessed with incredible ownership that was willing to do whatever it took to keep this group together, and to add to this group,” Griffin told TNT’s Ernie Johnson. “They love each other like brothers and that’s what we were trying to create from the beginning.”It’s someone else’s turn to keep it going.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next MOST READ “If no one appreciated you Griff I did, and hopefully all the people of Cleveland!” James posted. “Thanks for what u did for the team for 3 yrs! We got us 1(trophy).”On Tuesday, Gilbert met with former All-Star guard Chauncey Billups about a job in Cleveland’s front office, a person familiar with the talks told the AP on condition of anonymity. Billups, who has known Gilbert for years, does not have any executive experience so it’s unlikely he would replace Griffin. It’s more likely Billups would serve as an operations president and serve alongside a new GM.Griffin’s impact on the Cavaliers can’t be understated. While he did have the luxury of having James and All-Star guard Kyrie Irving on the roster to build around and Gilbert’s deep pockets, he pulled off the blockbuster trade for Kevin Love, fired coach David Blatt and replaced him with Tyronn Lue. He also plugged holes with veterans such as Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Kyle Korver.No, not everything worked out. Griffin, though, nurtured a championship culture and helped deliver Cleveland its first title since 1964.James may have carried the Cavaliers. Griffin built them.There were growing signs in recent months that Griffin’s run as GM would end after three seasons. First off, Gilbert has never signed any of his previous GMs to an extension, electing to move on to the next person in his chain of command once their contracts expired.Unlike Lue, Griffin did not receive a contract extension last summer as Cleveland basked in the glow of its championship. Griffin was among the lowest paid top executives in the league, and while he didn’t publicly complain about his salary, the fact that he wasn’t rewarded by Gilbert was a large crack in a foundation that was splitting apart quickly.Griffin did all he could to please Gilbert, but there didn’t seem to be much reciprocation. When Atlanta and Orlando asked permission to speak with Griffin about their open GM positions during the playoffs, Gilbert denied it, depriving Griffin from some options in case things didn’t work out in Cleveland and stripping him of whatever leverage he had.Griffin had fretted over the Cavaliers’ maddening inconsistency in the second half of the regular season, but the team found its stride in the playoffs and swept Indiana and Toronto in the first two rounds. Cleveland then took down top seed Boston in five games to win its third straight Eastern Conference title and earn a third matchup with the Warriors.Afterward, before the Cavaliers were presented with their silver conference trophy, Griffin had to be talked into joining the players on the podium. World’s 50 Best Restaurants launches new drinking and dining guide What else is new?This is a team that has flourished amid disorder, and the Cavaliers are in disarray again days after having their title snatched by Kevin Durant and the Warriors. Just last week, Gilbert had said he was happy with the direction of the team and didn’t envision sweeping changes. But he and Griffin’s vision for the future didn’t align and they mutually agreed to separate.“We are now at a point where the fit is not right for us to continue with one another,” Griffin said in a statement that sounded like something he might say about a player being released.The timing of Griffin’s exit couldn’t be worse. The Cavaliers are preparing for Thursday’s draft without any picks and they are reportedly exploring trades to land either Paul George or Jimmy Butler in an attempt to add another All-Star and close the gap on Golden State.And they may need to placate James, who praised Griffin while seeming to take a swipe at Gilbert late Monday on Twitter . After mending their relationship following a messy split in 2010, James and Gilbert may have more work to do.ADVERTISEMENT Heart Evangelista admits she’s pregnant… with chicken In this file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin speaks at a news conference in Cleveland. Griffin have decided to part ways following three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said in a statement Monday, June 19, that the Cavaliers will not extend Griffin’s current contract when it expires June 30. APCLEVELAND — Nothing ever seems good enough for Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.Not a championship. Not three straight appearances in the NBA Finals. Not a rapt fan base. Not being forgiven by LeBron James.ADVERTISEMENT He’s demanding. A fearless, risk-taking, casino-owning gambler. Those attributes have made him a billionaire businessman, a tough boss to please and the reason why the Cavaliers are in a current state of chaos.Following a loss to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals and facing a pivotal offseason for his franchise, Gilbert decided Monday to part ways with general manager David Griffin, the architect of the most successful run in team history.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutoutGilbert, who has gone through four GMs in 12 years in Cleveland, made the risky move as the Cavaliers are trying to revamp their roster while James’ free-agency clock is ticking down toward next summer when his contract expires.There’s confusion in Cleveland. LATEST STORIES 1 dead in Cavite blast, fire WATCH: Firefighters rescue baby seal found in parking garage Lakers to ship Russell, Moz to Nets for Lopez Jordan delivers on promise: 2 Cobra choppers now in PH Heart Evangelista admits she’s pregnant… with chicken View comments What ‘missteps’? Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss PLAY LIST 02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Lacson: SEA Games fund put in foundation like ‘Napoles case’ read more
After launching the stylish off-roader Duster , the Indian subsidiary of French carmaker Renault is all set to launch entry-level saloon Scala before Diwali.According to reports, the Scala, which would be launched early November, is likely to be priced slightly higher than Sunny that sells in the Rs 6-8 lakh range. Similar to its year old cousin Nissan Sunny, the Scala would sport 1.5 litre diesel power train delivering 84.8bhp. The new saloon is expected to sport minor modifications in headlamp, tail-light, bumper and grille. Besides, the company may later also introduce the 1.5 litre petrol option. It may be noted here that since it ventured into India in May 2011 with premium saloon Fluence, Renault had made a promise of a five-product portfolio in 18 months. From the mere 1,500 cars that the company sold last year, the company expects to grow to 30,000 cars this year, of which nearly half the volume is expected to be contributed by the Duster. With sales in Europe declining and half of Renault’s sales now generated from overseas markets, India, along with China and Brazil, will be among Renault’s top 10 markets worldwide. With Agency inputs read more
September 15, 2008 A long-standing mystery has finally been solved. Alum from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s will remember this beautiful painting. It was on display on the back wall of the original Arcosanti café in the Crafts III building for many years. A long-standing mystery has finally been solved. Alum from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s will remember this beautiful painting. It was on display on the back wall of the original Arcosanti café in the Crafts III building for many years. The painting was done by artist and alumna Paula Wittner, commissioned in 1977 by alum Russ Adams. It disappeared in the mid 1980’s. Apparently it was stored in Phoenix and the storage company had gone out of business. It reappeared in Prescott, at Drake Station Trading Company. Their owners, trying to trace the origin of the painting, got in touch with Paula Wittner just recently. This prompted Russ Adams and Paula to visit the new owners and they are now in negotiation to buy the painting back. See all the exciting details in an article by reporter Bruce Colbert, Lost painting turns up in Prescott Prescott Daily Courier – Prescott, AZ, USA “When Mary (Hoadley from Arcosanti) called me and said my painting was found, I was just totally floored,” Rus Adams, the painting’s original owner, … [Photo: Cosanti Foundation & text: sa] read more
Categories: Frederick News,News 30Jul Rep. Frederick part of local delegation to discuss Project TIM in Washington, D.C. Local officials urge support for major industrial development State Rep. Ben Frederick helped represent Shiawassee County at a meeting with White House officials on June 26 to discuss efforts to bring jobs to the region. Also representing the area were Congressman John Moolenaar, Dr. Brian Boggs of the Durand City Council, Durand City Manager Colleen O’Toole and Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership CEO Justin Horvath. County Commissioner Brandon Marks coordinated the meeting.Under discussion was a proposal by NewSteel International dubbed “Project TIM,” which would place a large steel production facility on land within both Vernon Township and the city of Durand. The proposal would mean thousands of direct and residual jobs in Shiawassee County and throughout Michigan.The visit to the White House included discussions with the Assistant to the President and Director of Trade and Industrial Policy Dr. Peter Navarro, wherein the implications of Project TIM for national security, greater domestic steel production, mining, shipping and the creation of thousands of professional trades jobs throughout Michigan were outlined.“The potential for local high wage jobs and opportunities in Mid-Michigan cannot be overstated,” Frederick said. “I’m grateful that Dr. Navarro was willing to meet with our group and consider ways the federal government can help ensure this major jobs possibility becomes a reality in our area.”“This was a great opportunity to come together with local, state and federal officials to discuss the possibilities for the City of Durand’s economic expansion,” Boggs said. “The project would be a game changer for the county as a whole.”Under consideration are various financing options to help make the project a reality. Continued interaction is planned between local, state and federal officials in the coming months.PHOTO INFORMATION: Following their White House meetings were, from left, Durand City Manager Colleen O’Toole, SEDP President and CEO Justin Horvath, Rep. Frederick, Dr. Brian Boggs and County Commissioner Brandon Marks. read more