PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man got a big surprise on a commercial flight from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, when he was stung by a scorpion while sitting in his plane seat. Jeff Ellis of West Linn said he was trying to sleep on a red-eye Alaska Airlines flight June 17 when he felt something in his sleeve and tried to brush it away. He said he felt the crawling again, looked down and saw the culprit. "I picked my hand up and said, 'Oh, my God. Pandora Jewelry
That's a scorpion,'" Ellis told KPTV. He said he grabbed the scorpion with a napkin and showed it to his girlfriend, but not before it stung him on the elbow. "At first I didn't believe him," said Suzanne Foster, Ellis' girlfriend. "But then I saw it. He held the napkin up for me to see, and I saw the tail wiggling. I pretty much jumped out of my seat." Foster called for the flight attendant as Ellis noticed his elbow burning. He said it felt like a bee sting. Two doctors on board checked out Ellis, while the flight crew called for medics to meet the plane at the Anchorage airport. The flight originated from Austin, Texas, where Alaska Airlines officials believe the scorpion got on board. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the airline has never had a poisonous creature on one of its flights before. Pandora Beads
Based on photos he took of the arachnid, Ellis believes he was stung by a striped bark scorpion common in Texas. Marshall Brooks, assistant manager at House of Reptiles in Tigard, Ore., said bark scorpions are more venomous than emperor scorpions, which are the type commonly kept as pets. He said most people will experience minor pain from a bark scorpion unless they are allergic, in which case the sting might cause anaphylactic shock. "He got stung because he threatened it," Brooks said. Pandora Charms
"Had he used something else to get it off with or just calmly tried to move it onto something else, it probably wouldn't have stung him." Ellis said he is pleased with how the flight crew and the airline handled the situation. He said the airline has offered him 4,000 frequent-flier miles and two round-trip tickets. "Never in a million years, would I have thought a scorpion would have been on an Alaska Airlines flight headed to Alaska," Ellis said. "Everybody I've talked to thinks it was incredible, unbelievable. I'm here to tell you, it was definitely there." MSNBC has suspended political analyst and Time magazine writer Mark Halperin indefinitely over a remark he made about President Obama Thursday morning.
Cheap Pandora Charms "Mark Halperin's comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable," said MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines in a statement. "We apologize to the President, the White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air." Appearing on "Morning Joe" this morning, Halperin, senior political analyst at Time and MSNBC and co-author of the 2008 election opus "Game Change," sought to characterize the president's demeanor at a press briefing the previous day. Pandora Bracelets
You can watch the video below--though the term Halperin uses to characterize the president is vulgar, as the partial transcript after the jump will also show: "Are we on the seven-second delay?" Halperin asked. "We have it. We can use it. Go for it. Let's see what happens," co-anchor Joe Scarborough replied. "I thought he was a dick yesterday," Halperin replied, sending the hosts into a brief moment of panic. Halperin apologized later on in the show and issued his own mea culpa hours later via MSNBC. "I completely agree with everything in MSNBC's statement about my remark," he said. Pandora Earrings
"I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it." You can watch a clip of Halperin's apology here: Halperin is the latest in a string of MSNBC suspensions this past year. Scarborough himself was suspended last November for violating the network's campaign contribution policy, as was Keith Olbermann, who left MSNBC several months later. Pandora Earrings Silver
More recently, Ed Schultz was suspended in May for calling pundit Laura Ingraham a "slut." And former MSNBC dayside host David Schuster also got a suspension in 2008 for complaining that Hillary Clinton had "pimped out" her daughter, Chelsea, on the presidential campaign trail. UPDATE 12:30 pm: Time also has issued a statement reprimanding Halperin: "Mark Halperin's comments on air this morning were inappropriate and in no way reflective of TIME's views. We have issued a warning to him that such behavior is unacceptable. pandora sets
Pandora BraceletsA man and his grandson spotted a body in the pond at Vanderbilt Park this afternoon. Homicide investigators have not yet determine how the man died or how long he had been in water. Denver police spokesman John White said the body was that of a Hispanic man. There were no signs of trauma or any other obvious signs of trauma. The man was not immediately identified and homicide detectives will work the case at least until the Medical Examiner's Office determines a cause of death, White said. The body was pulled from the pond near Platte River Drive and West Tennessee Avenue, west of Interstate 25, at about 2:50 p.m. Parker's new $21.8 million arts center will open Oct. Pandora Charms
28 with a performance of "Luma," a new-generation lighting concert that makes laser-light shows of old look like the vintage videogame Pong. The PACE Center — Parker Arts, Culture and Events Department — will be home to a wide range of local arts groups and international touring productions, but will perhaps most distinguish itself by commissioning new theater works right out of the gate. Unlike the nearby Lone Tree Arts Center, which opens Sept. 9 and will host productions that will first be presented by originating theaters like the Arvada Center and Creede Repertory Theatre, PACE is taking the unusual step of hiring the Aurora Fox to mount theater works just for Parker audiences. First up: "A Christmas Story" and "Annie. Cheap Pandora Charms
" PACE is also commissioning longtime Denver theater producer Rick Seeber's latest in his series of popular music revues. "Country is the Music of Mainstreet" (titled after Parker's main drag), will take a western approach following previous Seeber efforts like "Beehive" and "8-Track: Sounds of the '70s." "We wanted to do something in our first year that is uniquely Parker, while also supporting original work," said executive director Jeannene Bragg. "Parker takes a great deal of pride in its equestrian history, and that history is right in line with country music. Pandora Earrings
" Visiting productions will include the Vienna Boys Choir, which last appeared in Denver in 2008, Ireland's "Celtic Nights: Journey of Hope," and the venerable touring comedy, "Defending the Caveman." Bragg is working closely with the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins and other area presenters to piggyback performances of touring works from around the world that might otherwise skip the Denver metro area entirely. pandora sets
Programming for children will include the Cashore Marionettes, "Gary Krinsky: Toying with Science," "Stunt Dog Experience" — a demonstration of, yes, pet tricks — and "Sign Stage's Stuart Little," which will present the familiar story of the spirited little mouse with a cast of both hearing and deaf actors who speak and perform sign language simultaneously. "We are very much committed to ongoing programming geared toward the special-needs and therapeutic communities," Bragg said. A central part of PACE's mission is to incorporate local talent, themes and interests, Bragg said. Pandora Earrings Silver
To that end, PACE has named four local artistic partners for the inaugural season, each of which will present at least two performances: The Apex Contemporary Dance Theatre, Colorado Wind Ensemble, Parker Chorale and Parker Symphony Orchestra. Separate performances by Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Ballet Ariel and Colorado School of Dance are also slated. The PACE Center will be otherwise available to rent for local, regional and national cultural, arts, scientific and educational programming, as well as community, business, classroom and social events. Pandora Charms Online
"Ours will be a multi-facility regional arts center that will offer a wide variety of family-friendly programming that really strikes a balance between supporting and developing local artists as well as presenting national and worldwide talent," Bragg said. Tickets for the first official "presented season" will go on sale in August, Bragg said. PACE will offer a variety of subscription packages, including a "build your own" mix-and-match option. The PACE Center will be anchored by a 500-seat auditorium with an outdoor amphitheater, as well as an art gallery, event room, dance studio, culinary kitchen and several classrooms.
Outside will be Harmony Park, a collection of weatherproof wind and percussion metal instruments for anyone to play. The PACE Center is being constructed through a 25-year municipal loan, with no tax dollars of any kind. Pandora Bangles
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Senate rebels jumped into Congress' cut-the-deficit competition on Tuesday, proposing to raise the age of Medicare eligibility to 67 and increase monthly premiums for millions of current beneficiaries. "We can't save Medicare as we know it," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., who authored the plan with Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. "We can only save Medicare if we change it," he added in an apparent jab at President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. Democrats reacted with criticism of the proposal, which Coburn said was designed to rescue the financially imperiled program and help the nation confront a "wall of debt." Republicans betrayed no sign of support either. tiffany cufflinks
If nothing else, the response underscored the difficulty of legislative free-lancing at a time the Obama administration and congressional leaders are struggling to negotiate a compromise that cuts future deficits and clears the way for an increase in the nation's $14.3 trillion debt. Without a debt limit increase by Aug. 2, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned, the government could default, risking calamity for the U.S. economy and serious effects worldwide. tiffany and co outlet
Republicans walked out of bipartisan talks last week but nevertheless said negotiations had been fruitful. In the days since, Obama has stepped up his personal involvement in the effort. After meeting separately with the Senate's Republican and Democratic leaders on Monday, he invited the Democratic leadership to a White House meeting on Wednesday. In the earlier talks, led by Vice President Joe Biden, key lawmakers had outlined a series of proposals to cut several hundred billion dollars over the next decade. Other proposed cuts were on the table, including nearly $1 trillion from the assumed end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials familiar with the negotiations say Republicans are reluctant to count that money toward any agreement, saying they want more tangible cuts in domestic programs before agreeing to vote for an increased debt limit. tiffany rings
Also in the way of an agreement is a partisan dispute over taxes, which Republicans don't want raised, and Medicare benefits, which Democrats don't want cut. Lieberman and Coburn were not nearly as reluctant, including both in their prescription for Medicare. "Nobody's going to like this plan, we understand that," said Lieberman, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000 but is now an independent who regularly picks spots to challenge his former party. tiffany earrings
His statement that Medicare can't be saved in its current form seemed a direct rebuttal to Obama, who said earlier this year that a House Republican proposal would "end Medicare as we know it" — something he vowed would not happen while he was in the White House. Coburn is a conservative Republican. But he challenged his party orthodoxy earlier this year when he said he was willing to include higher revenues as part of any deficit-reduction deal. The plan the two men outlined includes a gradual increase over the next five years in the monthly premium that seniors pay for doctor and other non-hospital services. tiffany bracelet
Aides said it would translate into a monthly increase of $15 to $20 initially. The age of eligibility would rise gradually from 65 to 67. For the first time, better-off seniors would be charged more money for Medicare Part A, which covers hospital care. The same group already pays more for doctor visits as well as for prescription drug coverage and, under the plan, would face even higher monthly premiums. A major source of savings would come from making sure seniors pay out of pocket for at least a portion of their care. tiffany necklace
To accomplish that, Lieberman and Coburn proposed barring insurance companies from selling Medigap policies that offer first-dollar coverage. The plan by Lieberman and Coburn would preserve Medicare as a government program, unlike a House GOP proposal that would require millions of future beneficiaries to purchase coverage from private insurance companies. Additionally, the plan includes a $7,500 limit on out-of-pocket costs for doctor or hospital coverage, a provision designed to protect seniors who face potentially catastrophic costs. According to the most recent report by the Medicare trustees, the giant program's insurance fund is projected to run out of money in 2024, five years earlier than last year's estimate. ___ Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this story. tiffany men's necklace
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and congressional lawmakers reached a deal Tuesday to propel three coveted free trade agreements toward a vote on Capitol Hill, though the ultimate fate of the pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama remained uncertain. Key lawmakers from both parties struck an agreement with the administration to extend aid for American workers displaced by foreign trade. Cheap Pandora Charms
The White House, acknowledging concerns from labor unions, had threatened to hold up passage of the pacts unless the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, or TAA, was renewed. But the process for ensuring passage of the trade deals and the assistance for workers was unclear Tuesday. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said he planned to attach TAA to the Korea deal, the largest and most desirable of the trade pacts, when his committee began discussing the agreements on Thursday. Pandora Earrings
But top Republicans balked at that proposal. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Finance Committee, said it was a "highly partisan decision" that "risks support for this critical job-creating trade pact in the name of a welfare program of questionable benefit at a time when our nation is broke." Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he would oppose any trade deal in which the worker assistance program was embedded. Republicans generally support both trade and worker assistance programs, so Baucus' move could put GOP lawmakers in the awkward position of either having to vote against issues that traditionally have GOP support or handing President Barack Obama a victory on a top priority.
Pandora Bracelets Baucus negotiated with House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and top White House economist Gene Sperling to reach a deal on the substance of the worker assistance. Their plan would make benefits available to service as well as manufacturing industries, provide money for retraining and make affordable health care available. Camp said in a statement Tuesday the decision on how to move the trade deals and TAA through the House was an issue for Republican leadership to determine. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the worker assistance program should be dealt with separately from the trade agreements. Obama frequently cites passage of the three trade deals as an economic imperative for the U.S. He has touted the pacts as an opportunity to open overseas markets to U.S. companies and make American products more attractive in the global marketplace. Pandora Charms
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday: "Now is the time to move forward with TAA and with the Korea, Colombia and Panama trade agreements." The pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce also urged lawmakers to move quickly to pass the pacts. "I urge members of both parties to seize a reasonable compromise and move the trade agenda forward," chamber president Tom Donohue said in a statement. "The time to act is now." The TAA program was expanded two years ago as part of Obama's stimulus package to include aid for more displaced workers, but the expansion expired in February. Pandora Beads
The extension agreed to in negotiations is smaller than the 2009 package and would continue through 2013. Administration officials said continuing TAA would be paid by spending cuts, though Camp's office said the details of where the cuts would come from were still being worked out. The U.S. signed the trade pacts with South Korea, Panama and Colombia in 2007 under President George W. Bush. But the then-Democratic-led Congress never brought the agreements up for vote, giving the Obama administration time to renegotiate areas it found objectionable. U.S. trade officials spent months negotiating outstanding issues on the pacts, reaching an agreement with South Korea in December. Pandora Charms
The pact would boost U.S. exports by $11 billion a year, according to the administration. Deals were struck this spring with Panama, one of Latin America's fastest-growing economies, and Colombia. The administration says a final pact with Colombia will boost U.S. exports by more than $1 billion per year. All three agreements need congressional approval. Labor unions and key Democrats continue to have deep concerns in particular over the deal with Colombia, a country considered extremely dangerous for union organizers. While Colombia has agreed to implement an action plan for protecting worker rights and ending violence against union groups, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, said Monday that he would oppose the trade deal if it did not include specific language committing Colombia to carry out those steps. _____ Associated Press writer Jim Abrams contributed to this report. Pandora Jewelry
tiffany jewelry outletMosgiel pool 'a priority' A new multimillion-dollar aquatic centre in Mosgiel - servicing Dunedin's entire southern catchment - is emerging as a preferred option from a review of Dunedin's swimming pool needs. The expanded aquaticcomplex - which could cost up to $10 million - would likely be built on a new site if approved by Dunedin city councillors, replacing the dilapidated Mosgiel community pool. tiffany & co outlet
It was one of three priority projects identified by the Dunedin City Council's aquatic services working party, which would report to councillors next month, working party chairman Cr Colin Weatherall said. The other two projects identified were an upgrade for Moana Pool and possibly a new swimming facility at Logan Park or the Forsyth Barr Stadium, he said. No decisions had yet been made, or time-lines or budgets set, as the working party prepared a list of priority projects and indicative costings to present to councillors next month. tiffany and co outlet
The need for public consultation and funding meant construction - if approved - would be at least "a year or three" away, he said. However, the pressing demand to expand stretched swimming facilities in Dunedin - and the desire to save money - meant a new Mosgiel pool and Moana Pool upgrade could proceed at the same time, if efficiencies could be achieved. A Logan Park or stadium pool was seen as the third-placed priority at this stage. tiffany outlet
Mosgiel Taieri Community Board and working party member Martin Dillon welcomed the progress. The board had been lobbying for a new pool, and he hoped a new facility could cater for Mosgiel residents and people across Dunedin's entire southern catchment, including Green Island, Fairfield and South Dunedin. Mosgiel's community pool was dilapidated, with just one six-lane 25m pool and a small paddling pool, and "past its use-by date", he said.
tiffany rings "I call it the horse trough - that's all it is." The city's need for at least one new pool was a "forgone conclusion", and it made sense to build it in Mosgiel, he said. "That's where the growth is. It's flat, it's easy to get to, it ticks all the right boxes." The pool site was considered too small for redevelopment but other council-owned properties in Mosgiel could be suitable. tiffany earrings
The board would begin discussing preferred sites if councillors agreed to progress the project, Mr Dillon said. In 2009, the council's annual plan hearing board was told a new swimming pool could cost up to $10 million. The council's working party was created after a report by consultants SGL Group New Zealand, prompted by public feedback about existing facilities, last year recommended investment to address overcrowding. Cr Weatherall said yesterday there was "no doubt" new facilities were needed, and that meant more than one new pool. tiffany bracelet
A new Mosgiel pool would need to be somewhere between the size of the existing pool and Moana Pool to cater for swimmers and aquatic sports groups.
Handbag maker Mulberry reveals surging profits LONDON (AFP) – British luxury handbag maker Mulberry said Thursday that annual profits more than quadrupled, as the group celebrated its 40th anniversary with stunning sales growth and eyed more global expansion. cheap tiffany and co
Pre-tax earnings rocketed by a staggering 358 percent to ?￡23.3 million ($37.6 million, 26.6 million euros) in the 12 months to the end of March, Mulberry said in a results statement. Sales jumped 69 percent to ￡121.6 million pounds in its 2010-11 financial year, as international revenues leapt 145 percent.
The London-listed firm, which has 86 stores and concessions around the world, has also doubled its production of women's handbags to meet demand. "Mulberry has increased sales by 69 percent year-on-year and delivered a step change in profitability," said Godfrey Davis, group chairman and chief executive, in the earnings release. cheap tiffany and co jewelry
"Strong demand in all markets has continued into the new financial year and the outlook for the Mulberry brand is positive. "While we remain cautious about the global economic environment, we are focused on accelerating our international expansion." Over the past year, Mulberry opened nine new stores around the world, at locations in Beijing, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Sydney. And Mulberry, which was founded in 1971, has also opened up a new flagship store on New Bond Street in central London.
tiffany uk New store openings are also lined up for Amsterdam, Bangkok, China, Germany, Korea and New York over the next 10 months. The group will meanwhile expand capacity by 30 percent at its factory in Somerset, southwestern England, in a move which will create 50 new manufacturing jobs. And in a boost for investors, Mulberry said it would lift its shareholder dividend by 82 percent to 4.0 pence per share. tiffany uk shop
In morning London deals, the group's share price rallied 8.3 percent to 1,445.80 pence. The standard version of Mulberry's top-selling Alexa handbag, named after British television presenter Alexa Chung, retails for ￡785 in Britain. tiffany necklace