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0.235843 | <urn:uuid:586b7eb3-960d-4547-80ba-78805eef00df> | en | 0.75225 | Boeuf Bourguignonne Recipe
Preparation Time10 MinCooking Time2 Hr 0 Min
Ready In2 Hr 10 MinDifficulty LevelMedium
Health IndexAverageServings4
MethodMain Ingredient
Vegetable oil - 4 x 15 ml spoons/4 tablespoons
Topside of beef - 1.25 kg/2 1/2 lb, trimmed of fat and cut into cubes
Streaky bacon100 Gram
Flour - 2 x 15 ml spoons/2 tablespoons
Red wine250 Milliliter
Beef Stock250 Milliliter
Bay leaves2
Garlic1 Clove (5gm)
Dried mixed herbs - pinch
Brandy - 3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tablespoons
Salt To Taste
Ground black pepper1
Small pickling onions- 12, peeled
Parsley - freshly chopped, to garnish
1. Preheat an oven moderately to (160°C/325°F or Gas Mark 3)
2. In a pan, heat 3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tablespoons oil and fry beef briskly until browned on all sides.
3. Drain and transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish.
4. Into the pan fry adding bacon until crisp and golden brown, then stir in the flour and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Simmer stirring in the wine, stock, bay leaves, garlic and herbs gently.
6. In a small pan, put the brandy warm through, then ignite and pour over the meat while still flaming.
7. Pour over the sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, then cover and cook in a preheated moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.
8. In a pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the onions gently until browned.
9. Drain thoroughly, add to the casserole and cook for a further 1 hour until the meat is tender.
10. Remove the bay leaves and if you wish to freeze the dish, do so at this stage. Cool the dish, leave in the casserole or pour into a rigid container. Seal, label and freeze.
11. In a freezer bag or foil wrap the casserole and then cover.
12. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
13. To thaw and serve: reheat from frozen in the covered casserole in the preheated moderate oven for 2 hours or until heated through.
14. Serve as indicated in step 12. | http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/boeuf-bourguignonne-4 | dclm-gs1-051610000 |
0.101687 | <urn:uuid:12455522-ed9d-4713-b9d5-9df8633acdf7> | en | 0.931438 | @article {Bell:2005-11-01T00:00:00:0003-7028:1340, author = "Bell, Steven E. J. and Fido, Louise A. and Speers, S. James and Armstrong, W. James and Spratt, Sharon", title = "Forensic Analysis of Architectural Finishes Using Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy, Part II: White Paint", journal = "Applied Spectroscopy", volume = "59", number = "11", year = "2005-11-01T00:00:00", abstract = "White household paints are commonly encountered as evidence in the forensic laboratory but they often cannot be readily distinguished by color alone so Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microscopy is used since it can sometimes discriminate between paints prepared with different organic resins. Here we report the first comparative study of FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy for forensic analysis of white paint. Both techniques allowed the 51 white paint samples in the study to be classified by inspection as either belonging to distinct groups or as unique samples. FT-IR gave five groups and four unique samples; Raman gave seven groups and six unique samples. The basis for this discrimination was the type of resin and/or inorganic pigments/extenders present. Although this allowed approximately half of the white paints to be distinguished by inspection, the other half were all based on a similar resin and did not contain the distinctive modifiers/pigments and extenders that allowed the other samples to be identified. The experimental uncertainty in the relative band intensities measured using FT-IR was similar to the variation within this large group, so no further discrimination was possible. However, the variation in the Raman spectra was larger than the uncertainty, which allowed the large group to be divided into three subgroups and four distinct spectra, based on relative band intensities. The combination of increased discrimination and higher sample throughput means that the Raman method is superior to FT-IR for samples of this type.", pages = "1340-1346", url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/sas/sas/2005/00000059/00000011/art00012", doi = "doi:10.1366/000370205774783232", keyword = "FORENSIC, PAINT, RAMAN" } | http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/sas/sas/2005/00000059/00000011/art00012?format=bib | dclm-gs1-051620000 |
0.143984 | <urn:uuid:5abb8c89-9db6-44c4-8652-8dfcdf9da3f9> | en | 0.940187 | March 14, 2014
Posts by tonia
Total # Posts: 29
The organic compound di-n-phthalate is sometimes used as a low-density manometer fluid. Compute the pressure (in torr) of a gas that supports a 517-mm columns di-n-butyl phthalate . The density of mercury is 13.53 g mL-1.
The number sold
A grocer sell 84 oranges in one day. At the end of the day, the grocer has 1/3 as many oranges as he did at the start of the day. If n=the number of oranges the grocer has left at the end of the day, which of the equations could be used to determine the number of oranges left ...
the excetional child
sorry meant to say severe loss of hearing
the excetional child
could you check my answer please. a ssecere loss of hearing in a young child: a. is less detrimental to development than loss of vision. b. is more detramental than loss of vision. c. requires education in seperate facility for all school years. d. should not require specializ...
exceptioal children
assesment for young children: a.means gathering and recording info. the same thing as screening c.same as testing never appropriate i think it would be a
exceptional children
need help with this ? good teaching practices for exceptional children: a.stress typical development b.only occur in inclusive setting c.understand the connection between behavior and development. c.only occur in special settings. i said c. would that right
exceptional children
my answer was a.
exceptional children
appropriate social skills in young children:A.are aquired over time. b.are easily taught. c.cannot be taught. or c.arenot influenced by a childs temerament.
Joe drank 4 liters of water on Monday and 4 deciliters of water on Tuesday. How much water did he drink on Monday than on Tuesday?
math 8
10 choices of ice cream and 5 choices of toppings what is the probability that you get favorite ice cream and topping ?
i got the 4.8 but not sure where to take it from there they do give you a hint of testostrone is 100mg/1ml, i know i need to use demensional analysis but not sure how to lay it out this is the first time I have ever done it
milliliters pharmacy
it really is 2% of 240gm shown in mls
Rx: 2% Testosterone qs ad Petroleum Jelly 240gm How many ml of Testosterone is needed to make this compound?
For the given functions f ,g , and h , find fogoh and state the exact domain of fogoh . Please show all of your work. f(x)=e^x g(x)=sqrt x h(x)=2x^2+3x-35
Find the inverse of the function below. Graph the function below and the inverse function. Determine the domain, range, and asymptotes of the function below and the inverse function. Please show all of your work. and graph. f(x)=e^-x/2+4
Three different companies each purchased a machine on January 1, 2012, for $54,000. Each machine was expected to last five years or 200,000 hours. Salvage value was estimated to be $4000. All three machines were operated for 50,000 hours in 2012, 55,000 hours in 2013, 40,000 h...
write on the topic Acquire Immuno-Deficiency syndrome (AIDS)and submit a 3-5 page typed,APA style paper.Title and reference pages are seperate.The paper must include the folloing information:description of the condition/syndrome,onset and contributing factors,how it affects th...
Elementary Algebra
I need to translate to an algebraic expression. 3/10 decreased by the product of 7 and the difference of A and 4
need to show all work please help
a zip line consists of a pulley attached to a cable that is strung at an angle between two objects. in the zip line at the right one end of the cable is attached to a tree. the other end is attached to a post parallel to the tree. what is the measure of <1 and the the given...
Federal Taxation
In 2005 Russell acquired and interest iin a partnership in which he is not a material participant. The partnership was profitable through 2008, and Russell's basis in partnership interest at the beginning of 2009 was $50,000. Russell's share of the partnership loss was...
statistics 221
b. 35960
college Algebra
solve by the substitution method. 8x+3y=-40 x=48-7y THE ANSWER SHOULD BE AN ORDERED PAIR. PLEASE HELP ASAP
The way I fell about this question is no way. The reason I feel this way is that you can hurt their business as well getting on the web making comments to this company its not professional.
One supply-side measure introduced by the Reagan administration was a cut in income tax rates. Use an aggregate demand-supply diagram to show what the effect was intended. What might happen if such a tax cut also generated a change in aggregate demand? Draw your supply and dem...
Pages: 1 | http://www.jiskha.com/members/profile/posts.cgi?name=tonia | dclm-gs1-051630000 |
0.054212 | <urn:uuid:e967321b-7b0c-43c5-8788-a0e4dfd63b54> | en | 0.960394 | New Orleans Times-Picayune's Scores
• Movies
For 581 reviews, this publication has graded:
• 49% higher than the average critic
• 2% same as the average critic
• 49% lower than the average critic
Average Movie review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 War Horse
Lowest review score: 20 Emperor
Score distribution:
1. Negative: 41 out of 581
581 movie reviews
1. The real point of This is The End, however, is to make people laugh -- and it accomplishes that. Often, in fact -- and satisfyingly.
2. Open-ended and decidedly un-Hollywood, it is faintly dissatisfying, especially coming on the heels of such as engaging and crisply presented story. But it offers movie-goers a wonderful opportunity to roll it all around in their heads and discuss it, even debate it, as they drive back to that cozy little cult compound they call home.
3. The result is a documentary that is as interesting as it is irresistible.
4. It wasn't until Gibney's film was already largely shot that the truth caught up to Armstrong.
5. The sort of movie you should go see with someone you love. You should also hold their hand during the movie. And be thankful that that hand is there.
6. Both taut and satisfyingly relevant, it presents a portrait of a compromised elections system -- one that should give the left wing, the right wing and the fringe-dwelling nutjobs something they can all agree on. Namely: We're in deep doo-doo.
8. There isn't a whole lot of nuance in writer-director Rachid Bouchareb's unapologetically political movie. As such, it doesn't take much brainpower for a viewer to stay a step or two ahead of his plot the entire way.
9. Rarely is an actress asked to do so much with so little -- and even rarer does that actress succeed as well as Clarkson does.
10. That character flaw makes for some great shock-fueled laughs in Lewis' film -- Giamatti does full-on comic rage as well as anyone.
11. An up-tempo and upbeat concert documentary that celebrates, rather than mourns, the last hurrah of a pop-culture touchstone.
12. Slowly becomes a thoughtful and interesting deconstruction and demythologizing of American celebrity.
13. Has potential to be fun and meaningful, but it's not exactly a novel idea. In fact, it feels like a literary-minded "Lars and the Real Girl," the 2007 dramatic comedy that starred Ryan Gosling as a man who falls in love with a sex doll, and which coasted along on its charm and smarts.
14. The result is a movie that, in its best moments, is delightful. It does lose a significant amount of steam halfway through -- likely due in part to its two hours of running time.
15. If you're a mom or dad bringing your own little primates to the movie, that's a good thing.
16. There's a certain triteness to the overarching message -- secrets will keep us apart, and the truth will set us free -- but the kind of sweetness and earnestness that's on display in City Island makes such quibbles easy to forgive.
18. Some of those detours are fun ideas - like Marty's O. Henry-esque tale of the Amish psychopath. Mostly, though, they feel out of place, like so much filler that distracts from the half-developed main story. Call me crazy, but I need more from my movie.
19. Watching it, one gets the feeling that Coppola knows these vampiric types all too well. What unfolds feels like a cross between "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Natural Born Killers," and a film that is far more disapproving than glamorizing of the go-go-go Los Angeles lifestyle -- but fascinating nonetheless.
20. The truth, however, is that for much of Soderbergh's film, it's all as yawn-inducing as its premise.
21. Spurlock banks on his charm and likability -- and it's that charm and likability that make The Greatest Movie Ever Sold so much fun to watch.
22. It's all good, goofy fun.
23. Visually stunning.
25. Making it even more intriguing is the fact that the whole thing is, extraordinarily, inspired by a true story.
26. Beautifully shot, but terribly dull.
27. Is Premium Rush a two-wheeled "French Connection"? No, not by a long shot. (Although it does include a racing-beneath-the-el-train homage.) But when it comes to lightweight, synapse-free action fare, Premium Rush delivers.
31. Billed as a dramatic comedy, and it lives up to that billing, even if it tends more toward chuckles than guffaws. In other words, one thing it's not is "It's Complicated," Streep's previous -- and often riotous -- relationship dramedy.
32. Unfortunately, Franklin isn't quite as successful at capturing the depth of the traditions for which Anaya's source material is so well known.
36. Along the way, Krokidas' story becomes a touch schizophrenic, at times a coming-of-age story, a love story, a crime drama and a literary drama. It's hard to say which it functions as best, as none are given too much time to germinate before Krokidas moves on to the next.
38. It's fun, and it's funny, and -- the best part -- it comes carrying a "yeehaw"-inducing sense of a treasure found.
39. The movie is quietly affecting, as Rush offers a moving and rewarding yarn about the need to move on in the face of personal tragedy, and about the strength of human connections.
41. What Monsters University fails to do, though, is to scare up any real emotion.
42. What it does have going for it are its lead actors -- Brand and Hill both know exactly how to deliver a punch line -- and a lead character who represents one of the best bits of rock 'n' roll satire since "This Is Spinal Tap."
43. With Knuckle, Palmer offers a thorough -- and extraordinarily compelling -- portrait of the Travellers.
44. A better title: "Coco Before She Was Interesting."
45. It's sadly and tenderly honest -- and so are Hansard and Irglova, as they generously and matter-of-factly open up to the camera.
46. Built as it is around horrifying moments of intimate violence, the stark British drama Tyrannosaur can be a hard movie to watch. At the same time, though, it's hard to stop watching once it gets going.
48. Boasting a rich look and an engrossing storyline, it's the rare "to-be-continued" film that doesn't leave its audience feeling cheated.
51. The film's message -- about how the Internet is sabotaging our real-life relationships -- doesn't resonate with absolute clarity, but Disconnect does a much more effective job than anyone could hope to do in 140 characters or less.
53. More seriously -- and substantively -- "A Late Quartet" was a quiet but thoughtful meditation on the power, and the necessary pain, of human connections. By comparison, Quartet is a flimsy bit of cinematic puffery that takes every obvious path on its way to its even more obvious "seize-the-day" message.
55. While this nouveau Fright Night does a reasonable job of maintaining the fun spirit of the original film, between the blood splatters and vamp stakings, it never builds on what the original had to offer -- and thus never quite makes a convincing case for its own existence.
56. His (Andrew Dominik) film delivers when it matters, especially with its crystallizing final lines. Not only do they wrap a bow on what ends up being a treatise on the uglier side of capitalism, but they stand among the most memorable closing lines in recent Hollywood history.
58. As engrossing as The Young Victoria is, this isn't a movie that will stay with you very long. Mostly that's because Blunt's character does little by way of evolving.
59. As with most Ferrell projects, there's nothing profound going on in The Other Guys. It's just a bit of good, stupid fun, had at the expense of an uber-formulaic genre that has long been ripe for the spoofing. But it also works.
62. It's a lovely bit of blood-pressure-lowering cinema that never betrays its simple conceit.
63. A solidly entertaining and largely engaging film that, even with its faults, functions as a singular -- albeit melancholy -- tribute to a tragic American icon.
64. While you're watching it, it is cozy and enjoyable, the same way a sleeping cat in your lap is cozy and enjoyable.
65. Yes, there are higher-profile films out there this year, and there are films with more resonant messages. But there are few that include so many captivating performances in such an involving story.
69. The result isn't just the best new romantic comedy released so far this year, but one of the best comedies, period.
70. Directed by someone you've never heard of and starring actors you won't be able to place, there's only one reason for a movie such as the locally shot Last Exorcism to exist: to scare the bejeezus out of you.
71. It's also the kind of movie that, for all of its smarts and huggability, stumbles every so often. Usually that happens when it's trying just a bit too hard to be cute, such as in its occasional surrealist, animation-assisted segments.
72. What we're left with is a love-it-or-hate-it film. Those determined to resist its deep-seated romanticism - or its operatic approach - will probably emerge from the theater as miserable as the film's characters. But those who are willing to give into it, and who want to take a grand cinematic voyage, stand to be greatly rewarded.
73. But lowbrow or not, it is, like, totally tubular in its own right. To the max. Fer sure.
74. Roenning and Sandberg never dig deeply into the real, underlying motivating force behind Heyerdahl's voyage aboard the Kon-Tiki -- the name of his visually unimpressive but ultimately seaworthy raft -- other than relying on the fact that he wanted to prove his theory correct.
75. Normally a reliable screenwriter, Sayles probably gives his audience too much credit with regard to its knowledge of what is one of the lesser-known chapters in America's military history. As a result, even with its modern parallels, Amigo makes for dense, slow-going viewing.
76. Cera exudes a geeky charm and tender vulnerability that's hard to resist -- probably because he's far easier to relate to for most of us than we'd like to admit.
77. In other words, Iron Man 3 -- once more delivering a satisfying combination of humor, action and dazzling set pieces -- provides everything fans of the franchise expect.
79. 42
Aesthetically, Helgeland's film -- while highly polished -- is straight-forward stuff, hewing so closely to the prescribed genre conventions as to border on unimaginative.
80. Their story, as told by Pooley, also is a touching and quietly meaningful one, built around themes of tolerance, self-acceptance and unconditional love.
81. If there's a prevailing problem with director Richard Loncraine's bit of period fluff, it's that many of the characters encountered along the way are a touch too cartoonish to resonate meaningfully with audiences.
82. Easily the most enjoyable animated film of 2013 so far.
83. Ted
Unapologetically raw -- and very funny.
84. Perhaps the best thing about The Five-Year Engagement is that it signals a touch of maturity creeping into the House of Apatow.
85. It's all fairly standard rom-com stuff.
86. The whole thing is such a rare visual treat -- such a tres magnifique cinematic spectacle -- that those flaws are easy to overlook. Jeunet's film is hard to resist.
89. By the time The American is finished, it feels like one great big pointless exercise. With George Clooney on the poster.
90. What Kwapis does do, however, is nicely handle the film's whale of an emotional payoff.
91. One gets the feeling that Thompson left a lot on the table with The Jeffrey Dahmer Files, that it could have been something more, something bigger, something elaborate. And that may be true. But the film that Thompson did choose to make - one that is both simple but effective -- is fascinating in its own right.
92. As well-shot and well-acted as it is, one can't help feeling there's a good movie in there somewhere. Unfortunately, it's buried beneath such an avalanche of extraneousness and artistic posing.
93. After watching the bailouts, the bank foreclosures and the Bernie Madoffs of the world dominate headlines, Michael Moore is mad as hell, and he's going to try to make you mad as hell, too.
94. A reasonably well-made biopic, with crowd-pleasing moments, but one that -- despite that title -- isn't really about the animal.
98. With its immensely likable cast elevating the material, Judge extracts just enough ironic chuckles to rescue the movie from being written off as an assembly-line comedy.
• 61 Metascore
• 40 Critic Score
Disappointingly, all of "Jealousy's" promising narrative turns go nowhere. [3 July 1998, p.L28]
100. Dawson, who to this point has largely built her career playing supporting characters, seizes the opportunity to stand center-stage, all but taking over the film.
101. Gilroy -- who earned writing credits on all four "Bourne" films -- doesn't miss when it comes to the most important task at hand: He takes a well-worn concept and makes it feel new, and without sacrificing its sense of familiarity.
103. The casting is perfect, and the resetting of the story to China allows for a satisfyingly cinematic retelling.
104. It's his film's metamorphosis into something else -- something every bit as dark, and every bit as intriguing -- that will keep viewers planted in their seats, and, at times, perched on the edges of them.
105. 9
106. It is small, it is smart, it is quirky.
107. What the Duplasses end up with is a film that is amusing at times, a touch repetitive at others, but one that never quite shakes the feeling that it is something of an unfinished thought. And perhaps something they've also grown beyond.
108. Not the deepest stuff, but thought-provoking all the same -- and entertaining to boot.
109. And therein lies one of the film's most glaring problems. Perhaps that vilification of Big Agro will resonate with farm folk, but it's not the sort of thing that will have many city slickers -- even those who sympathize with the little guys on this issue -- exactly sitting on the edge of their theater seat.
111. One only wishes they were able to deliver these performances in a movie that felt more like a true celebration of Mandela's life -- and less like homework.
112. RED
• 60 Metascore
• 50 Critic Score
This latest enterprise - 70-odd minutes of purposeful navel-gazing directed by Steven Soderbergh - isn't quite as searching or provocative as Gray's prior big-screen outings, "Swimming to Cambodia" and "Monster In a Box." [16 May 1997, p.L25]
115. While it's enjoyable enough to watch, there's no slam-dunk takeaway here.
116. Celeste and Jesse Forever isn't a movie many people will outright hate, but if this is the most original romantic comedy that Hollywood can muster, forever can't come soon enough.
117. To be fair, in its best moments, The Best Man Holiday is more enjoyable than even a well-wrapped steam iron, functioning as it does as passable light entertainment -- but only just.
118. It keeps things light and entertaining. And for $8 admission, that's never a bad investment.
121. Perhaps the best thing about Seeking a Friend is that it never ceases to surprise, as Scafaria's script consistently defies Hollywood convention in the most congenial ways.
122. Stone is generally given to deep thinking -- eternal fates are on the line. Not only does that lend the riveting and intense Savages a certain gravity, but it's also what separates his film from, say, your favorite Guy Ritchie movie. Here, we find an appealing depth amid the appalling violence.
126. Ends up being a reasonably gripping story of political intrigue, international corruption and one woman's determined fight for justice.
127. Yes, Apatow's film has its peaks and valleys -- just the way life does -- but it stands alone nicely on its own, a satisfying comedic riff on life and all of its absurdities.
128. A movie with undeniable melancholy underpinnings, but Bertuccelli wisely avoids overdoing the drama to nurse cheap tears from her audience.
129. It's an uplifting, even enchanting, smile-inducer.
130. Not, in other words, a happy story. It is not a story of redemption or healing or finding happiness amid the despair. It is about reaping what one sows. But, damn, those performances. Damn, that dialog. Damn, that's good stuff.
131. Alas, in Cronenberg's hands, it just comes across as cold and lifeless and exhausting.
133. There's an overly episodic feel to it all, as Curtis and company seem happy merely to float along from gag to gag.
134. What we end up with is an arm's-length film that feels more haunted than haunting -- and one that audiences will want to forget rather than remember.
135. Ends up being the kind of movie we don't see a whole lot anymore: an emotionally grounded and quietly meaningful crowd-pleaser that functions as a lovely antidote to the recently ended summer blockbuster season.
138. It is raw, it is searing, it is honest.
139. More than just corny. Eclipse is boring.
143. A heartwarming -- and at times heartbreaking -- post-"Juno" road comedy for grownups.
144. In a word: Bibbidi-bobbidi-blah.
145. The film -- lame of title but big on fun.
146. Almost feels as if it is two different films. One is the opening 20 minutes or so, in which most of the screwball comedy takes place. The other comes when Yimou gets on with the real story. That's where the payoff comes in.
• 57 Metascore
• 50 Critic Score
This period gangster neither in the front rank nor the slag heap of Altman's oeuvre. Rather, it's an atypically accessible attempt at mainstream entertainment that contains both satisfying and off-putting elements. [16 Aug 1996, p.L24]
147. That it's all true might make it more heart-tugging, but it doesn't make it any more interesting.
151. Because while it can boast of some truly extraordinary special effects -- stomach-churning, face-hacking, arm-slicing visual effects, the kind that are sure to titillate the gleefully twisted -- this Evil Dead is far more gruesome than awesome.
152. For the first time in its 25-year existence, Pixar has created an utterly ordinary film.
153. Along the way, Shut Up, Little Man boasts nice technical elements. And it is, admittedly, amusing to a degree. Peter and Raymond certainly know how to turn a phrase. But things begin to wear thin about halfway through.
154. Gets considerable gas from the fact that Bateman, Sudeikis and Day so convincingly play three idiotic pals. The real fun, though, is in the fantastic supporting cast.
155. It's a good, old-fashioned sit-around-the-campfire ghost story, one that delivers on its sole reason for existence: to raise the hairs on the back of your arms.
156. Ends up being an enjoyable, if only marginally memorable, ride.
157. The result: a fun and sweet romantic comedy that lands comfortably on the smart side of vacant, along the way offering a pleasant and satisfying holiday diversion for the grown-ups in the room.
158. Those who connected with "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" last year or the lesser "Quartet" earlier this year likely will find things to appreciate about Williams' film, given its similar senior citizen angle and general sense of niceness and decency.
160. The good news: This is Goldthwait the writer-director, not Goldthwait the actor -- so there's no schticky voice to endure. But his exceedingly black comedy does speak loudly -- and it turns out he's actually got something worthwhile to say.
161. These characters are so likeable, and so well-portrayed, that it's easy to go along with it all.
162. As well-intended as it is, writer-director Max Mayer's film lacks focus.
163. Getting two biographies on the same person in such a short window is unusual. What's even more unusual is that both suffer from the same flaw.
165. One major reason it succeeds is because of 11-year-old actress Bailee Madison, who brings a wonderful believability to her role as the girl at the center of the film.
168. As a result, Hereafter isn't so deep that it will change the way many people think about the afterlife. But it is heartfelt and thoughtful and, in a way, comforting.
169. It's probably best not to think very hard about any of it -- just dummy up and laugh along.
170. The result is a film with sporadic outbursts of wackiness, but one that (Oh, Fortuna's Wheel!) never gains traction from a storytelling standpoint.
172. It's pretty obvious that Almodovar at least was having fun making I'm So Excited. Ditto for his actors, who admirably go all-in for these roles. I'm glad they're having a good time. After all, somebody has to find a reason get excited about I'm So Excited.
174. In other words, For a Good Time is not a good time. For that, you'll have to dust off your Nintendo and reacquaint yourself with "The Legend of Zelda" -- and hope that one of these days somebody can give "Bridesmaids" some real competition.
175. As beautiful as the animation is, Zemeckis' real masterstroke is combining it with a loyalty to Dickens' story.
176. Lee keeps things afloat with an appealing air of levity, including a fun but restrained use of split-screen, an homage to the 1970 doc, as well as cameos by that movie's Port-O-San guy and its peace-sign-flashing nuns.
177. McDonald's film never really finds its footing -- and The Eagle never takes flight.
179. Never elevated beyond much more than mere presidential puffery.
180. Tony Scott pushes all the right buttons, crafting a worthy -- and in many ways, a superior -- update.
181. While Washington and Wahlberg help make sure the flawed 2 Guns isn't too bad, it's hard not to think that it could have been better.
183. The ultimate goal of a film like this, of course, is to change minds. As compelling a case as it builds, Promised Land isn't quite persuasive enough to be able to promise to do that.
184. The Croods does a lot of things well -- even if it does none of them extraordinarily. The end result is a solidly middle-of-the-road bit of animation -- but the kind that is easily forgotten as soon as something more evolved, and original, comes along.
• 55 Metascore
• 50 Critic Score
If the surpassingly murky narrative logic behind "Generations" is any indication of what's to come, Paramount had better start making explanatory material available to perplexed viewers as well as confused critics. [18 Nov. 1994, p.L27]
186. Lillard's film ends up being more unsatisfying than anything else. His "Fat Kid" might rule the world, but it doesn't quite rule the screen.
187. Lacks any real sense of vitality. And no matter how worthwhile a film's message is, it's difficult for audiences to care if the path to the payoff so often feels like a slog.
188. Never coalesces into anything memorable, much less meaningful.
189. Twenty-five years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that Imagine That would see Eddie Murphy and The Beatles coming together to create family entertainment, but I'll be darned if it doesn't work.
192. Director David Bowers' story is straightforwardly -- almost unimaginatively -- approached. But, armed with a talented cast and Kinney's chuckle-generating source material, it functions nicely as a sort of big-screen "Wonder Years" for Millennials.
194. Granted, "intelligent" might be too generous a word to describe Oblivion, which flirts with big questions, but never answers them. What's left is a story that doesn't quite go where no man has gone before.
195. A satisfying dose of wild imagination and unbridled silliness.
196. Pros and cons aside, Sinister has the benefit of arriving in the thick of Halloween season, right when movie-goers are most hungry for a few scares. And they'll get them from Derrickson's film, too.
197. Burton's most imaginative film in some time.
199. McNamara's relentlessly shiny, happy outlook crosses the line between believable and artificial by about the 10-minute mark.
200. Still, it's not the iconic, be-all-end-all that Scott was certainly hoping for.
202. It's not really a Disney film. Rather, this is a product of Starz Animation. It's a key distinction, because -- well, because Starz Animation is no Disney, and it's certainly no Pixar. It proves that here.
203. Thanks to Rochefort and Folch, as well as Trueba's delicate direction, it still manages to be an embraceable journey, one with its own quiet -- and artistic -- rewards.
204. This is solidly a genre picture, and one that follows all the necessary conventions -- but it's also one that does it all very well. That means lots of big, dumb and loud action -- but it also means good, popcorny, summer fun.
205. LUV
Thank goodness for Rainey. Even when the story feels false, he never does, operating with an open-faced sense of easy honesty that is missing from much of the rest of the film. | http://www.metacritic.com/publication/new-orleans-times-picayune?filter=movies&sort_options=metascore&num_items=30&page=8 | dclm-gs1-051710000 |
0.062028 | <urn:uuid:a73dce43-b07f-471c-92be-b9adb28c7af9> | en | 0.944866 | Washington Post's Scores
• Movies
• TV
For 6,358 reviews, this publication has graded:
• 47% higher than the average critic
• 2% same as the average critic
• 51% lower than the average critic
Average Movie review score: 58
Highest review score: 100 Shrek
Lowest review score: 0 An American Werewolf in Paris
Score distribution:
6,358 movie reviews
2. With the exception of the opening scene -- whose purpose is chiefly comic -- the movie is one, extended climax. Even with flashbacks and other time jumps, it never lets up. You have to go back to Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1952 "The Wages of Fear" to recall suspense this relentless.
3. A great little film, dignified by a superb performance, Diamond Men is a gem.
4. It's an astonishing movie, with a real-life feel.
• 88 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
Is "The Last Waltz" the greatest rock movie of all time? It makes its case persuasively in a restoration overseen by director Martin Scorsese and producer Robbie Robertson that's been released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the concert it made famous.
5. An extraordinarily riveting drama.
6. The best heist flick since "The Usual Suspects," a perfect 10 of a movie.
7. The list of great moments is virtually endless.
8. A brilliant film--vivid, haunting, intelligent and in good taste, wonderfully acted, wonderfully written and directed.
9. It's a celebration of young American women, finding them smarter, tougher, shrewder, more rigorous, more persistent and more honest than any movie in many a moon.
10. With elegant, clockwork construction, Smith has transplanted his novel of greed, betrayal and getting what you deserve to the screen, where it is told by director Sam Raimi with a spareness befitting the whiteness of its snowed-in setting.
11. More like a waking nightmare than a docudrama. A true story of murder and justice evidently miscarried, wrapped in the fictional haze of a surrealistic whodunit, it will leave you in a trance for days. [2 Sept 1988]
• 76 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
Hackman anchors the movie with a performance of remarkable control. You see his hurt in his glances at his shoes, his little phony chuckle; you can feel him carrying his secret -- it's a rage held together with rubber bands. This is the Hackman of "The Conversation," not "The French Connection." [27 Feb 1987, Style, p.c1]
13. There's no doubt about the film's sheer power and taut originality.
14. A humanistic gem of a movie, with unforgettable performances from Linney and Ruffalo.
15. Hopkins and Thompson's downright marvelous duet is supported by a host of deft players, and the detailed re-creation of this small universe is in all ways remarkable.
16. Superbly conceived anti-biopic.
17. The Piano is dark, sublime music, and after it's over, you won't be able to get it out of your head.
18. Not since the 1972 'Cabaret' has there been a movie musical this stirring, intelligent and exciting.
19. Simple, yet quietly astonishing film.
20. Has to be one of the must-see films for any student of Hollywood fame and infamy.
21. Dramatically, this is something of a waking dream.
22. Seems less like a fictional story than a tour through Freud's forgotten files.
23. A wonderful, piercing and hilarious examination of high school politics and how bitter and ruinous it can become.
24. Gripping, whole and nourishing. Certainly of the fantasy film series currently in American theaters -– I include "Harry Potter and the Secret Toity" and "Star Trek: Halitosis" -– The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the best, and not by just a little.
25. It doesn't matter how many times you see these images. They're always exciting.
27. An instant slapstick classic from Disney and Steven Spielberg. Already, it's a hare's breadth away from legend. [22 June 1988]
28. A magnificent melodrama that draws both tears and laughter from the everyday give-and-take of seemingly ordinary souls.
32. The visual comedy is brilliant.
40. Fabulously kinetic.
44. It's brilliantly acted. But best of all, it's brilliantly made.
45. A gigantic achievement, an endowment of riches.
52. An extraordinary film ... that's impossible to dismiss or leave unmoved.
54. A great American picture, full of incredible images and lasting moments.
59. With its spectacular scenery, stupefying effects and epic scope, is a dream come true.
60. One of the most startling, grittily brilliant films in recent years.
61. Something to treasure: a thriller whose style, structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story, you cannot separate them.
62. Grand enough in scale to carry its many Biblical and mythological references, Blade Runner never feels heavy or pretentious -- only more and more engrossing with each viewing. It helps, too, that it works as pure entertainment.
63. The most eloquent and exacting vision of the war to date... Inspired with technique rather than overblown with it, Kubrick, the filmmaker's filmmaker, lays one on you.
64. A movie that appeals to the eye, mind, heart and funny bone; that's a pretty good quadruple for any movie.
• 92 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
66. Through this miasma of pain and suffering, love may not flicker more strongly than a dim lamp. But it's the only beacon to consider. Can Barry find his? Thanks to Anderson's assured picture, a symphony of cinematic textures, that disarmingly simple question becomes incredibly compelling.
67. May not be the first movie to examine the creative process. But it's the most playfully brilliant.
68. With its deft intercutting of place and time, the film creates a powerful sense of mysticism and fate.
69. Doesn't need the passage of time to become a classic. It's one already.
70. The great joy of watching a Pixar production is how it rewards not only younger viewers but their older companions as well.
71. One of the best performances -- and movies -- of the year so far.
72. Hypnotically absorbing film.
73. An exuberant, raucous and thoroughly endearing comedy
75. Delivered with such high panache and brio, it's mesmerizing.
76. The results are as riveting as any action movie ever made.
77. Isn't just a fabulous seagoing spectacle. It's one for the ages.
78. An extraordinary and brilliant (and almost wordless) film that takes us above ground and below it, up in the air and deep below water, to follow its conundrum of a story.
80. It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's scary, it's exhilarating. It's got love stuff and lots of laughs and cool gunfights. It's really long and it feels like it's over in 15 minutes. It does something so few movies do these days: It satisfies.
81. It is sheer brilliance and testament to the vitality of an old master.
• 91 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
The aerial dogfight Dykstra and Stears have helped Lucas perfect as his climactic piece de resistance looks more exciting than its antecedents in live-action war movies. It’s the most gorgeous stylized combat sequence since the underwater battle at the end of "Thunderball," a project that won an Oscar for Stears.
82. You emerge from this experience rather like a returning U-boat crewman -- drained, blinking in the light, but oddly triumphant. [Director's cut]
83. Misanthropic, cruel, hostile, corrupt, blasphemous and basically pretty evil. I loved it.
84. If you want to sample the sheer bouquet of great acting, you could get drunk on this movie.
85. It's a comic book at heart, albeit a thoroughly, grandly romantic one in the end.
86. This is an absolutely brilliant film but in a quiet way.
90. An exhilarating, often mind-blowing history of surfing.
91. A story that rips fleshy holes through your heart.
• 85 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
93. Few movies have evoked the happiness of a good, strong family as genuinely as this one. And this affecting atmosphere makes the eventual outcome resonate with great power.
94. Wickedly funny and devilishly subversive. It is satire at its most fearless.
95. Moolaade, in short, is a movie to rock the soul.
98. Its themes of passion, heartbreak and the inexorable passage of time are eternal.
99. The sheer joy of letting go as a tale overwhelms your senses and drives the known world away -- that's the story.
100. It's easily the best and brightest family-friendly movie of the year.
101. Exquisitely textured film.
102. Maintains its artistic magnificence after more than 30 years.
103. In some ways Soderbergh does a much better job than Tarantino. He handles the time shifts more adroitly, always keeping us on track; he goes easy on the violence, and when he does unleash it, it's short, fast and ugly.
104. It's a terrific movie.
105. Kidman grabs center stage and never relinquishes the position. Playing mercilessly against her pinup girl image, she's an unforgettable, comic archetype—a more slapsticky corollary to William Hurt's bumbling, handsome newscaster in "Broadcast News."
106. It hasn't aged so much as triumphantly metastasized. (Review twenty years after release).
107. [The children's] remarkable lack of self-consciousness ... and Kore-eda's quasi-documentary style give this movie a stunning credibility.
108. It's a soaring achievement, without ever leaving the ground.
109. Two hours and six minutes has never seemed so much like two and six-tenths seconds. It's pure pulp metafiction.
110. A movie with the visual expanse of a John Ford western and the ensemble grandeur and long takes of a Robert Altman picture. The movie is definitely Chinese in content, but it exudes American style and spirit.
111. It's the best sports documentary since "Hoop Dreams," a great piece of work."
• 80 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
It would be difficult to identify a single frame in Saraband that is not a distinguished composition in itself; Bergman has the eye of a latter-day Vermeer.
112. Wings is a soaring vision that appeals to the senses and the spirit. (Review of Original Release)
113. A small masterpiece of a documentary that takes us into the heart of a complex darkness.
114. The genius of the film, besides Hoffman's stunning performance, is that it knows exactly how much is enough. It never overplays, lingers or punches up.
116. Jackson's big monkey picture show is certainly the best popular entertainment of the year. The film is a wondrous blend of then and now: It honors its mythic predecessor of 1933 while using sophisticated movie technology to seamlessly manipulate the fantastic.
117. This is an example of a writer and director working in perfect harness, with Reed smoothly ratcheting up the story's suspense and Greene speculating on his cardinal theme of moral ambiguity. They don't make movies like The Fallen Idol anymore, all the more reason to see it now while you can.
118. A riotous, rapturous explosion of sound and color, Black Orpheus is less about Orpheus's doomed love for Eurydice than about Camus's love for cinema at its most gestural and kinetic.
120. Coppola brilliantly conjures the young queen's insular world, in which she was both isolated and claustrophobically scrutinized.
121. Stands with the best movies of this young century and the old one that preceded it: It's passionate, honest, unflinching, gripping, and it pays respects. The flag raising on Iwo might have indeed become a pseudo-event as it was processed for goals, but there was nothing pseudo about the courage of the men who did it.
122. The result is a perfect combination of slapstick and satire, a Platonic ideal of high-and lowbrow that manages to appeal to our basest common denominators while brilliantly skewering racism, anti-Semitism, sexism and that peculiarly American affliction: we're-number-one-ism.
123. To watch "Lives" is not just to enjoy a fabulously constructed timepiece; it's to appreciate a deft cautionary tale.
128. As viscerally compelling as smash-mouth filmmaking gets.
129. Its mixture of wisdom and whimsy -- exemplified by the movie's unnamed and occasionally cheeky narrator -- makes this Australian movie feel as timeless as it is timely. And instead of feeling dutifully cultural as we immerse ourselves in this story, we're genuinely intrigued, touched and even amused.
130. Tequila Sunrise succeeds in both its larger strokes and its smaller ones-as both a romance and a thriller. It has a sense of comedy audacious enough to stage a bust that is delayed by a seduction and the sophistication to know that, for some people, to be called "slick" is the cruelest of insults. Tequila Sunrise has a deep-down glamor that borrows not from movies, but from life. It's knowing, but the last thing you'd call it is slick. [2 Dec 1988, p.b1]
132. In addition to being a study in great acting, this is a study in great directing.
133. Thanks to Bauby's courageous and honest writing, and Schnabel's poetic interpretation, what could have been a portrait of impotence and suffering becomes a lively exploration of consciousness and a soaring ode to liberation.
134. Nothing comes easily in Atonement, especially its ending, which, both happy and tragic, is as wrenching as it is genuinely satisfying. How fitting, somehow, that a novel so devoted to the precision and passionate love of language be captured in a film that is simply too exquisite for words.
135. A searing, apocalyptic and finally breathtaking drama.
• 83 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
Admirers of Stephen Sondheim who have wondered whether a riveting movie would ever be made from one of his stage musicals can put aside their doubts and worries: Tim Burton has finally accomplished it in his ravishing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
136. Morgen plunges viewers completely into the anarchic, exhilarating, finally ambiguous world of 1968 America; his final stroke of genius is his choice of music, which includes a breathtaking use of Eminem's "Mosh."
137. Because it's one of the most beautiful films ever. Because it's a work of art on the order of a poem by Yeats or a painting by Rothko.
138. Oropelled by memorable performances by mostly unknown actors. The most famous of the ensemble, Hanna Schygulla, delivers a by turns serene and shattering performance as a mother struggling with loss, conscience and the first glimmers of unexpected connection. She's only one essential and unforgettable part of a flawless whole.
140. A celebration -- of love, commitment and devotion until the bitter end. Gay and straight viewers alike are sure to be inspired by this lyrical testament to a corollary of Tolstoy's famous dictum: Every unhappy family might be unhappy in its own way, but every genuinely happy family is a triumph.
141. Thanks to Marsh's sensitive storytelling, Man on Wire manages to put Petit's performance into another, more ineffable realm: What began as a caper turned into poetry, and poetry became a prayer.
142. Won't break your heart -- it will make it soar.
143. In the basest of terms, a horror flick. But it's also a spectacularly moving and elegant movie, and to dismiss it into genre-hood, to mentally stuff it into the horror pigeonhole, is to overlook a remarkable film.
145. McQueen has taken the raw materials of filmmaking and committed an act of great art.
146. The Class is not just the best film released thus far this year. It may be the most gripping.
147. A thinking person's horror movie, about real horror and horrifying echoes: The parallels between the Holocaust and the massacres are pronounced.
148. 2012 takes the disaster movie -- once content simply to threaten the Earth with a comet, or blow up the White House -- to its natural conclusion, the literal end of the world.
149. Up
• 87 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
• 77 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
150. Goodbye Solo is visually simple and stunning, especially the haunting nightscapes of Solo's perambulations. But more important, Goodbye Solo is driven by deep feeling and sensitivity. Don't miss it.
151. A film of rare intelligence, beauty and compassion.
152. A sci-fi-fueled indictment of man's inhumanity to man -- and the non-human -- District 9 is all horribly familiar, and transfixing.
156. For filmgoers determined to see cinema not just as mass entertainment but as an art form, The Beaches of Agnes arrives like an exhilarating call to arms.
157. Qualifies as the most painful, poetic and improbably beautiful film of the year.
159. A smart, alert, supremely entertaining movie.
• 82 Metascore
• 100 Critic Score
As played by the captivating Mariana Loyola, Lucy is a life force, cut from similar cloth as the perky schoolteacher of Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky": unsinkable, unswervable and more than a little irreverent.
161. As disturbing and densely beautiful as its opening image, a lofty forest that dwarfs the gangsters as they laugh over their kill.
163. Merchant and Ivory have regathered many of the cast and crew from their earlier films to work on this reproduction to exquisite effect.
164. Enormously entertaining and surprisingly touching.
166. It is a wacky, happy, daring, darkly comic tale of parenting outside the law. It celebrates the middle-of-the-road dreams of decidedly off-center folks. It's a bundle of joy.
167. Delicious with foreboding, a masterly suspense thriller that toys with our anticipation like a well-fed cat.
168. What "Raising Arizona" was to baby lust, "Barton Fink" is to writer's block -- a rapturously funny, strangely bittersweet, moderately horrifying and, yes, truly apt description of the condition and its symptoms. | http://www.metacritic.com/publication/washington-post?filter=movies&num_items=30&sort_options=critic_score&dist=neutral&page=6 | dclm-gs1-051720000 |
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Posts by dahlia810
Lol what can I say, I love a good game! Never had lobster thermadore pork rinds?
YES PLEASE! apple crisp?
Danielle, I hope you can get some rest and that your cold goes away fast!! MaineMama, It's surreal how close we're all getting! I'm so excited that we'll be having babies here soon!! The end is in sight! Finally! We have our first birth class on Thursday, and I'm looking forward to it but also nervous for some reason! I don't know if it's because it signals how close we're actually getting or what, but I have some serious butterflies! We've just been putting the...
Never had it, but I'd like to try it! blueberry scone?
Santa Clause! Kill spiders or put them outside?
Garfield Star or Angel on top of a Christmas tree?
Love it! sweet corn casserole?
Yes!! Snow cone with marshmallow?
Honey if it's in tea I had no idea there was a Mexican coke! Interesting! white water rafting or mountain biking?
What's the difference in Mexican coke? Umbrella and a hoodie :) manicure or pedicure?
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Posts by snugglemama
True!!!! The person below me gets to go on a date with her husband/partner/significant other this weekend.
sun and rain
When ds #1 was newborn, someone said I was a human pacifier, which I was, and was quite proud of, so I started calling it "binky" (as in, what some people call pacifiers), then ds ended up calling it "binks". So now we have "binks".
I have struggled with this lately, too. But I recently realized something. Seems off-topic but bear with me. When I was pregnant, I was considering cloth diapering. Mom said "why would you do that?!" dh said "that's crazy, you won't be able to handle all the extra work!" I didn't know anyone personally who cloth diapered. I had no idea how to get started, or what to do. I looked online, read a lot about it but was just overwhelmed and had no support. So even...
Maybe you could try going to the Maya Wrap website. You can download video there that shows how to wear the sling. http://www.mayawrap.com/n_video.php Good luck!
I had the same problem when I first got my sling. I think the best thing would be to find someone who can show you how to adjust it. I learned from someone at a La Leche League meeting. There are always a lot of babywearing mamas there. If you have a group near you I would suggest calling the leader to ask if she thinks there would be people there who could show you, then go to the next meeting. It's kind of funny because it seems so simple and obvious to me now, but...
Welcome to the boards!, from a fellow tandem nurser
I'm so sorry you're going through a hard time. I think growing up can be more stressful and scary to our little one than we realize. Maybe he is feeling anxiety about taking the step to pooping on the potty and that is causing the sleep and behavior issues, too. My ds was afraid to poop on the potty. He peed fine, but asked for a diaper to poop. He even accidentally pooped on the floor once or twice while he and I were arguing over whether he could put on a diaper...
I just learned how to do a back carry with my maya wrap! Ds didn't like it the first time, but he was fine the second time, until I bonked his head on the side of a doorway (bad mama!) He looks so cute because he leans over to see where we're going so you just see his little head peeking out from behind me. I usually carry him on my back in the backpack, just never thought to use the sling. I should have tried it long ago. It's so much more comfortable!
I know what you mean. I sometimes feel like the baby clutter is taking over my small house. For my first ds I registered for a bunch of stuff, then found out that I didn't need, or he didn't like half of it. I think it's smart of you to want to wait and see what you might need before you go buying every gadget made. That said, if they really want to buy a big ticket item, how about a camera, or a video camera, or a nice printer to print out all those digital...
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UnquietDad Mon 12-May-08 11:17:29
Who remembers these crisps having a stray apostrophe in the 70s/80s?
I recall the company (KP) having to give an explanation for their aberrant apostrophe - was it on Watchdog or That's Life or something? They claimed it was so people didn't call them Dis-coss. So why not Discoes? Inelegant, but surely better...
Housemum Mon 12-May-08 11:51:56
Perhaps the apostrophe was for the missing "tecque" in Discotheques??!!
fryalot Mon 12-May-08 11:53:54
would that be "tecque" or "teque" housemum? wink
Housemum Mon 12-May-08 12:04:57
or actually "theque" (I blame trying to type one-handed while bf DD3...)
jura Mon 12-May-08 12:07:48
We're Disco's, we're Disco's
We're KP Disco's,
We're bigger, we're rounder
Will you take a look
We're Disco's, we're Disco's
We're KP Disco's
And we taste as different as we look, look, look...
Am I sad, or what?
Sanguine Mon 12-May-08 16:50:00
Disco sure owned a lot of crisps.
On a similar note, anyone remember Seabrook Crisps? The ones that were '"more" than just a "crisp"', and had speech marks littered all over the packet. We used to have them in our tuck shop at junior school, and I used to wonder who it was that said they were "salt and vinegar" flavour.
This shows that I had pedantic tendancies by the age of 10. Maybe that's why the other children didn't want to play with me.
PuppyMonkey Mon 12-May-08 20:40:57
Maybe, to carry on that discussion they had on The Apprentice the other week, it should have been Discos'.
Sanguine Mon 12-May-08 20:47:14
My husband has just pointed out that, far from being "more" than just a "crisp", Seabrook crisps were "more" than just a "snack". I do remember that they had a list of "ingredients" on the back. It makes you wonder if they were the real ingredients, or whether the list was entirely fabricated.
jura Tue 13-May-08 13:11:19
Nah, we didn't have Seabrook's "crisps" at school, we had Burton's Puffs - chicken, bacon or barbecue flavour - yummy. 2p a packet.
I've never come across "ingredients" - I'd be very "suspicious" if I were "you" grin
asicsgirl Fri 16-May-08 12:38:59
I remember the Seabrooks crisps!!! I still have a packet that I kept because of the "". I was a bit obsessed with these at the time (first year Linguistics student, very eager) and collected quite a few. My favourite was in a hairdresser's window:
We welcome ANTHY our "friendly" new stylist
piratecat Fri 16-May-08 12:42:36
I loved Golden Wonder crisps, what happened to them??
Yummy--sausage and tomato flavour, and also their cheese and onion.
Also KP Worcester sauce flavour. I probably haven't spelt that right have I?!
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Posts by madmike23
Yes, check out the W2, V6, and the W3. I may have missed some. Edit: Yes, I did. The Z83 and Z93 also. There might be more, but they might be older models though like the W5.
I dont play online, I think the computer is much more fun to play against than some nerdy kids online. I just wish I could play Counter Strike and World of Warcraft without having to go online and see all these idiots screwing up the whole thing. On NBA Live i play with some friends every now and then, not into playing strangers or some ghetto-fabulous poser online. But as for my "fast internet connection", I don't mind downloading some demo to test out for all you...
Hey, anytime. My cable service at home is a whole lot faster than my T1 connection at work. Heck, after getting a powerhouse of a laptop, I'd test it out on anything! ...that is if I've got the time.
Just downloaded the demo and I've got the omega drivers installed. It plays just fine. Well, there's your solution. Edit: Also thats with full settings and the Force DirectX option. Excellent graphics & gameplay, I have to admit.
Well first off, you should really use the current driver provided by Asus on their support page (support.asus.com). You can't go wrong with those. If you don't want that, I would suggest the Omegadrivers (www.omegadrivers.net) over the one you downloaded. I tried on the ATI mobility drivers on my Z70V way back, but it didnt work out too well. Some may say it's the same as Asus', but I beg to differ.
You won't need a Floppy, you can just use WinFlash that was included with your computer. You can also download it here: http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/..._XP_050127.zip Also, the date on this Bios (10/5) is the same as the bios revision that came with the Z70VA, I dont know why they listed it as it being updated 10/5. Maybe because they just made a "Z70VA" selection on the support site this week.
Yes, the W1N was outdated, but there were many talks of the refresh coming out for it in the US. The W1N line has ended here in the US, but you can see the current line up on W1's on the Asus Global site: http://www.asus.com/products3.aspx?l...me=W1%20Series You'll have to get them overseas.
There are some dealers out there that are willing to upgrade them for the end user and probably just picking up on the warranty through themselves. I guess it doesnt really void the warranty either- if it's just a memory upgrade. "Technically" you will, but there's no seal over the memory slot or anything like that. So if there were a problem down the line, you can just pop it out and send it in for repairs. As for the "best place"... most places sell them for about the...
Yes Asus is a real company, one of best motherboard producers in the world. They just happen to work on Whitebooks (notebook barebones), their own line of notebooks, and is an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) for other companies such as Apple and Sony. The quality of Asus laptops are far superior to many other laptops that you may find at a local Best Buy or CompUSA. Many have great styling with Aluminum covers, magnetic lids, to Carbon fiber chasis. They make many...
Well there is the Z83V, located here: http://www.ynot2k.com/products/laptops/z83v/z83v.htm You can read up on it there, there's a review posted there and if you check out their forums, there's also discounts available. It doesnt have SATA, but you don't really see much of a gain with SATA on a laptop.
New Posts All Forums: | http://www.notebookforums.com/forums/posts/by_user/id/40787/page/70 | dclm-gs1-051880000 |
0.073037 | <urn:uuid:e265ce1f-feeb-4dbe-ab8f-4704b0691110> | en | 0.657814 | Lega A Betting Odds
Basketball» Italy»Lega A
Sassari - Venezia--
Caserta - Montegranaro--
Cremona - Avellino--
Milano - Virtus Roma--
Pesaro - Varese--
Pistoia - Siena--
Virtus Bologna - Reggiana--
Cantu - Brindisi--
Lega A page help: Odds Portal lists all upcoming Lega A basketball matches played in Italy. "B's" column indicates number of bookmakers offering Lega A betting odds on a specific basketball match. Columns 1, X and 2 serve for average/biggest Lega A betting odds offered on home team to win, draw and away team to win the Lega A match. The top line of upcoming matches table (Basketball - Italy - Lega A) lets you click-through to higher categories of Odds Portal betting odds comparison service. | http://www.oddsportal.com/basketball/italy/lega-a/ | dclm-gs1-051900000 |
0.039557 | <urn:uuid:a1e4b884-a512-46f5-9fda-1888da7366dc> | en | 0.919425 | Find better matches with our advanced matching system
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38 / M / Straight / Single
San Francisco, CA
My Details
Last Online
Today – 5:20am
5′ 10″ (1.78m)
Body Type
Strictly anything
Agnosticism, but not too serious about it
Leo, but it doesn’t matter
Graduated from masters program
Politics / Government
Relationship Type
Doesn’t have kids, but might want them
Likes dogs and likes cats
English (Fluently), Spanish (Okay)
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My self-summary
I want to believe in a kind of simplistic ‘playground morality’, where the vast majority of ethical dilemmas we find ourselves in (ranging from national tax policy to the latest drama at work) are actually way less complex than we give them credit for being. It can basically be summed up like this: If you have two children and only one piece of candy, you either break it in half or nobody gets any.
Except...I don't. The world is complex and situations get complicated. And that metaphor is paper thin. Maybe the candy can't be broken, or there are 16 children, or any number of other possible extenuating circumstances. So I try to be as fair as possible, and treat people with dignity.
I do however believe that the way one treats people is a person’s currency in the world. I strive to be empathetic, honest and kind...but when push comes to shove, I’ll usually choose kindness over honesty. When I don’t live up to these ideals, I try and own up to it and apologize.
Finally, (while I know they’re all destined to fail)...I am fascinated by and believe in utopias.
Born in Cape Town but immigrated to the US when I was six, so I don’t really remember it... Culturally Jewish, but practicing atheist (assuming, that is that atheism can be "practiced")... Have spent my adult life yo-yoing between San Francisco and Seattle... Landscape architecture, urban design, cities and maps... Read the newspaper online, follow local politics, vote... Am constantly measuring sidewalk widths by counting the control joints in the concrete... Heart periodicals... Periodically losing my glasses (making me occasionally myopic)... Hablo Español, pero escribo y leer lo de mierda.... Close to family... Wish I understood very complex mathematics because it’s the secret language of the universe.
I like crows and shiny things.
What I’m doing with my life
I moved back to SF a couple of years ago after a 7 year sojourn to Seattle for grad school and a few years of poking around up there getting my socks damp. I still find myself fascinated when the rain stops, and delighted to be living in this jewel of a city that so exemplifies both the beautiful and sublime; and where the soft shifting light imbues within me with a sense of wonder, nostalgia and curiosity.
Job-wise, I'm an urban designer. My work kind of sits at the intersection between policy and design with a focus on improving the City's public realm (streets, plazas, building façades etc.) by making it more livable, sustainable and pretty.
My days are spent frittering away your hard earned tax dollars by replacing your precious parking spot with natural drainage systems and wee pedestrian (but not pedestrian!) plazas.
I’m really good at
cerebral conversation, puerile conversation, run-on sentences,
excessive use of parentheses and exclamation points (the pernicious
influence of the blogs!!!), reading novels, spatial thinking,
changing around the furniture in your living room, making up songs,
singing the song I've just made up in the shower, whistling,
telling you jokes I've already told you before, walking (this is
not a joke), graphic design, urban design, making eggs, biking
around town, taking you on a Vespa
ride, flânerie.
The first things people usually notice about me
My endearing wit, my piercing blue eyes and that stain on my
Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food
Reads: I mostly read contemporary fiction and narrative journalism. I also have a weakness for overly designed architectural theory books and formulaic tween adventure stories.
Film and Teevee: I prefer witty comedies/dramas of the Wess Anderson, Cohen Brothers or Miranda July sort, though I also enjoy slapstick ones of the Ben Stiller sort. I don't do so well with graphic violence or horror (see below).
I haven't owned a TV since I left my parent's house which was pretty edgy in the 90's but pretty meaningless today thanks to the internet. Like pretty much everybody else in the public sector, I watch Parks and Recreation (I especially like the scenes when they hold public meetings). Every now and then I'll voraciously consume an HBO series, guzzling a full season in the span of a few days.
Music: I mostly listen to indie rock and tranquil electronic music. Especially bands that weave a dense melodic tapestry that evokes a sort-of wistful nostalgia. Recent favorites include Beach House, Goat, Ratatat, Alt-J and Pussy Riot.
Food: I tend to buy organic at the grocery store, but am pretty much always more than happy to scarf down a taco from god knows where. I am not a vegetarian and like it very spicy.
Note: This should probably go in "The most private thing I'm willing to admit" section, but I have recently taken to culling band and book recommendations from the profiles of would-be dreamboats such as yourself :)
The six things I could never do without
Brother Brubru's African Hot Sauce
My bike...stolen :(
My transit blogs
Double 8 oz americanos
The Australian Irony Bird
That quiet electric moment before our first kiss
I spend a lot of time thinking about
I really enjoy admiring utility access panel covers. It's my new hobby! I've also been trying to teach myself the violin so sometimes I think about whether my neighbors are enjoying the minuet I'm banging out in the crepuscular.
AND: How bureaucracies learn.
AND: I'm convinced that the OKC profile is the defining literary form of our cultural moment.
AND: "I'm not a hipster...I'm Popomo!"
On a typical Friday night I am
My friday nights are entirely typical and utterly cliché. I'm either out and about with friends (most likely at a restaurant, dive bar or artsy/designee event), having a quiet night in reading or galloping around the city on my pet unicorn (I'd introduce you, but she's skittish around "cultivated women". Sorry.)
The most private thing I’m willing to admit
Where to start:
I loath scary movies (like PG-13 scary) and when forced to watch them, curl up in the fetal position, squint my eyes and block my ears with my fingers. This has created issues w/ former girlfriends who want me to hold their hands during the scary bits.
Also, this.
I’m looking for
• Girls who like guys
• Ages 27–42
• Near me
• Who are single
You should message me if
You're smart, creative, playful, empathetic and kind. I have a thing for girls with critical thinking skills.
OR! If you don't know how to rotate photographs on a computer. Nobody should miss out on a chance to find love because her picture is oriented 90 degrees the wrong way. It looks silly. | http://www.okcupid.com/profile/goRedRabbit | dclm-gs1-051920000 |
0.041189 | <urn:uuid:cef266ba-b841-4def-8935-e08d021c4065> | en | 0.90291 | Beefy Boxes and Bandwidth Generously Provided by pair Networks Frank
Your skill will accomplish
what the force of many cannot
Re: Since I discovered Perl, I've given up:
by DrWhy (Chaplain)
on May 31, 2007 at 01:20 UTC ( #618369=note: print w/ replies, xml ) Need Help??
in reply to Since I discovered Perl, I've given up:
Nothing! Perl has made my coding so much more efficient, that I now have more time for stuff that doesn't involve programming a computer.
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0.021389 | <urn:uuid:b38cf3a4-8c8b-4012-a886-d4728fdc79ab> | en | 0.967079 | Feed http://www.queensberry-rules.com/ Fri, 14 Mar 2014 04:13:34 GMT FeedCreator 1.8.1 (obRSS 1.8.11) http://www.queensberry-rules.com/images/ Feed http://www.queensberry-rules.com/ Rivalry Week?: Previews And Predictions For The Danny Garcia Vs. Mauricio Herrera Card http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/rivalry-week-previews-and-predictions-for-danny-garcia-vs-mauricio-herrera-card.html
The prodigal son returns. Kind of.
Rivalries are everywhere in sports. Some start with religion, like Rangers and Celtic. Some are regional, like Georgia and Florida (or insert NCAA football rivalry of your choosing). Some simply boil down to good versus evil as in the case of Carolina and Duke (Go Heels!).
Few rivalries though, are as intense as when a Mexican and Puerto Rican face off in the boxing ring. We're talking about classics. Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito. Edwin Rosario-Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr.. Wilfredo Benitez-Carlos Palomino. Wilfredo Gómez-Carlos Zárate. Kid Azteca vs The Cocoa Kid. Danny Garcia-Maurcio Herrera. Wait. Garcia vs. Herrera? That doesn't make any sense. Garcia was born and raised North Philadelphia, and Herrera is an American of Mexican decent. Why on Earth would they put two fighters from the U.S. on a card in Bayamon, Puerto Rico?
Your guess is as good as mine. But that's where the Showtime Championship Boxing card this Saturday is being held. Despite rosy reports on ticket sales from Golden Boy Promotions, Boxingscene.com's David Greisman reported on Monday that there were actually a great many seats still available at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez.
Danny Garcia Vs. Mauricio Herrera, 12 Rounds, Junior Welterweight
While the location may not be ideal, especially considering Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs) is the legitimate 140-pound champ and has not fought in PHILLY BABY! (That's how they say it, who am I to judge) for four years, it's the opponent has left many feeling significantly less than enthusiastic. Herrera (20-3, 7 KOs) has done absolutely nothing to earn a shot at the champion, and is at least a full tier (or two) below Garcia in terms experience, skill, and talent. The Riverside, Calif. fighter has a win over Ruslan Provodnikov to give him some legitimacy, but that fight was in January 2011, and I think it's safe to say that Provodnikov has improved since then. Herrera's two recent fights of note are decision losses to Mike Alvarado and Karim Mayfield.
I was skeptical of Garcia until his last fight when he effectively neutralized the brick-fisted Lucas Matthysse, outworking and outpunching him down the stretch. Garcia has deceptive hand speed and his left hook, when thrown in combination or as a lead is a beauty. We should also not forget that he has an ace up his sleeve in father/trainer Angel. For all of Angel Garcia's bombastic frothing at the mouth, he has shown himself to be a solid tactician who knows how to get his son ready for big fights. The question in my mind is will Danny fight down to the level of his competition? If so, we'll have an ugly bout. However, if Garcia has eliminated this habit, expect a blow out. Herrera is nowhere near Garcia in terms of talent, skill, and experience.
Pick: Garcia by dominant UD, maybe late stoppage.
Deontay Wilder Vs. Malik Scott, 12 Rounds, Heavyweight
In another step up fight for the "Bronze Bomber," Wilder (30-0, 30 KOs) will take on perennial PHILLY BABY! prospect Malik Scott. Scott (36-1-1, 13 KOs) is one fight removed from his (ahem) early stoppage loss to Derek Chisora. At 33, and 14 years into his career (minus a break from 2008-2012 to recovery from a bicep injury), Scott needs a good showing to avoid being relegated to opponent status, which is pretty odd when you think about it.
This will actually be an important test for Wilder. Scott is a well-rounded fighter with underrated technique and decent foot speed. Wilder has never been past four rounds, and Scott is skilled enough to make it into the later rounds. If the 11-foot tall Wilder (he's actually 6'7" with an albatross like 84" reach) is unable to poleax Scott early, as he has done to a series of tomato cans and has-beens, any shakiness in his endurance will show up. Wilder is not a fundamentally sound boxer. His technique is rudimentary, his balance is awful, and he throws one punch at a time. In short, he does damn near everything wrong. But sweet Christ on a cracker can that guy punch.
Pick: Wilder by mid rounds KO. If Chisora could drop Scott for nine, Wilder can drop him for a full 10.
Juan Manuel Lopez Vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon, 10 rounds, Junior Lightweight
Now we get to an actual Mexico-Puerto Rico fight. It's just a fight that I wish wasn't happening. In the nearly six years since JuanMa Lopez brutally stopped Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round, Ponce De Leon (45-5, 35 KOs) and his utterly biblical rat tail have gone 11-3 and though having slowed, he's not terribly faded. In the exact same time frame, Lopez (33-3, 30 KOs) has gone 12-3, but in his last six fights he is 3-3, and all three losses have been brutal beatings. Lopez, of Caguas, Puerto Rico looked so shot against Mikey Garcia that I was not alone in hoping he would retire. Expect a war. Despite his advantages, Ponce De Leon is there to be hit and JuanMa can punch. The only problem is that will only keep Ponce De Leon off of him long enough to extend his beating.
Pick: Ponce De Leon by mid rounds stoppage.
2014-03-14T07:11:36+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/rivalry-week-previews-and-predictions-for-danny-garcia-vs-mauricio-herrera-card.html
Throwback Thursday: Benny Leonard Snags Freddie Welsh's Title http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/benny-leonard-snags-freddie-welsh-s-title.html
Times have changed, needless to say, but though the popularity of heavyweights has waned in recent years, the little scrappers still find it difficult to earn top billing.
Many boxing fans are either too young to remember but for eras on end the heavyweight champion was not only the proverbial "baddest man on the planet," but he was often among the most famous or easily identified. It was rare indeed that a smaller fighter could step into that world of celebrity.
On May 28, 1917, "The Ghetto Wizard" Benny Leonard took a huge step toward achieving exactly that.
When fighting once per month is not only common, but expected, fighters learn how to eat losses and move on. Mickey Finnegan, an unheralded 1-1 (1 KO) fighter, knew about that and taught it to Leonard in his professional debut with a TKO victory in three rounds over the future legend.
Before one year had gone by, Leonard had three more stoppage losses under his belt. Then the bustling New York fight scene hardened the maturing fighter, turning him into the man that only lost to Johnny Dundee, Freddie Welsh and Johnny Kilbane -- all greats in their own right.
In two prior fights against Welsh, Leonard couldn't find a clear, title-winning victory over the aptly named Welshman. However The Repository, among other publications, referred to Leonard as not only the best lightweight in the world (despite his lack of a title), but the "American lightweight title-holder." He had proven himself a worthy, improved fighter and now he needed the hardware to back the claim up.
In a land of endless veterans, Welsh was indeed experienced, but long in the tooth. With over 150 bouts on his ledger, ring wear and tear had begun to clearly slow "The Welsh Wizard" down, and he went into the fight having lost newspaper decisions in his previous three bouts, including one apiece to Rocky Kansas and Kilbane.
Losses to the upper echelon weren't the issue, though. Defeats and near-defeats to relative novices Richie Mitchell, Buck Fleming and Eddie Wallace just few fights earlier were.
Stateside, few publications seemed keen on either picking Welsh to best Leonard or rooting for him to do so. For instance, The Oregonian bemoaned Welsh's style: "The studied clinching of the Briton is all that enables him to obstruct the wheels of progress and cling to the lightweight title long after he has ceased to be the best man of his class."
The Watertown Daily Times also beamed about Leonard before the fight, reporting, "[Leonard's] punch is no fluke. It carries sleeping potion with it, and Leonard can put it over in a flash. Crafty as Welsh is, he will find Leonard on top of him in their coming battle, seeking the one chance to land. If Welsh fights he will be in more danger than if he uses his pet stalling tactics, and because Leonard is clever, because he has mastered ringcraft, there are some who believe he will knock Welsh out."
To make oddsmaking matters worse, after having beaten Welsh in early May, Kilbane said, "Eventually the lightweight title will be turned over to Benny Leonard, I believe, and if such will be the case, I will take Leonard on, for I know I can beat him."
Betting odds out of New York had Leonard a 7-to-5 favorite to win on points, and a 5-to-9 that Leonard would win by stoppage.
There was a last minute wrangle over the appointment of Billy Roche as referee, as Leonard's manager Billy Gibson protested the decision. Roche had been involved in Welsh's defense over Charley White at the Ramona Athletic Club in Colorado Springs, which saw a large section of the makeshift arena fail, killing two spectators and injuring hundreds. Moving past the horror, the two men fought, with White getting the better of the action according to most, yet Roche awarded the decision to Welsh. Instead both parties compromised, choosing former lightweight title challenger Kid McPartland.
Using savvy and occasional awkwardness, Welsh began well in round 1, keeping the charging Leonard at a distance before being forced to go defensive in rounds 2 and 3. Rather than his usual clinching and turning, Welsh put on an impressive display of blocking and parrying for sequences at a time, but couldn't much offensive momentum.
His right hand always at the ready, Leonard used his left to work his way in and continue being the aggressor. Welsh found moments to strike back in the middle rounds, pushing Leonard back briefly before being overwhelmed by the younger, stronger man. The combination of being endlessly stung and frustrated gnawed at whatever shell Welsh had left until Leonard saw his opportunity and took it.
United Press correspondent H.C. Hamilton described round 9 as such: "The ninth round was furiously fast, when Leonard started the whirlwind that brought the old champion down. Welsh started into a clinch. Using his right hand almost for the first time in the bout, Leonard crossed behind the champion's guard. Welsh ducked, but he was too late. The smashing power of the mauling fist caught him on the temple. Welsh tried vainly to stagger into a clinch. Leonard slipped away and his left crushed square onto Welsh's chin. Welsh sagged until his knees touched the floor. He finally went down, one hand clinging to the ropes in Leonard's corner. He arose, both hands on the ropes, his head unprotected. A dozen times the flailing fists of the eager challenger crashed into Welsh's chin. Gamely the Britisher stood it. Kid McPartland, the referee, looked appealingly to Welsh's corner, but the sponge was not forthcoming. McPartland mercifully stepped in and ended it."
Welsh found himself caught in the ropes and nearly unconscious and a sea of people flooded the ring, celebrating their newly-crowned American lightweight champion.
"I felt in my heart I would be the lightweight champion tonight," said Leonard afterwards. "I never lost that conviction. I am happy beyond words that I have brought the lightweight title back to America. I want to pay tribute to Welsh. He is a good, game fellow, and I am only sorry that I had to climb over him to victory."
A disappointed Welsh said during his post-fight interview, "I protest the action of the referee as I feel that I did not get a fair deal. There never was a championship decided without a man getting a count."
It would be Welsh's last fight for over three years, and he would only fight six times more, going 4-1-1 (3 KO). At 31 and a lightweight, his career was all but over going into the fight, yet he found a way to make it a difficult one anyway.
In the mark of a true crossroads encounter, Leonard announced immediately after the bout that he would enlist in the U.S. Army following his next fight. He followed through, becoming a boxing and close combat fighting instructor, but boxed exhibitions and pro bouts to benefit different armed services funds during U.S. involvement in World War I.
Leonard would stay unbeaten until 1922, save for a newspaper defeat in four rounds to Willie Ritchie, and rise to be a national hero to many, and holds a special place in Jewish boxing history. To date, he remains one of the best lightweights ever.
2014-03-13T15:04:45+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/benny-leonard-snags-freddie-welsh-s-title.html
The Week's Boxing Schedule, Featuring Danny Garcia, Deontay Wilder And Tomasz Adamek http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/the-week-s-boxing-schedule-featuring-danny-garcia-deontay-wilder-and-tomasz-adamek.html
Anyway, enough about squirrels, let's talk about humans fighting. There are a few of them doing it this weekend. They include Danny Garcia, Deontay Wilder, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Michael Katsidis and Tony Bellew. I was going to put 52-fight Polish heavyweight veteran Tomasz Adamek in that list, but I'm not entirely sure he's human.
• Danny Garcia vs. Mauricio Herrera, Saturday, Showtime, Bayamon Puerto Rico. No one is picking Herrera (20-3, 7 KO) in this junior welterweight fight, and for good reason. Garcia (27-0, 16 KO) is just on another level. The undercard has an intriguing heavyweight fight, between Americans Deontay Wilder (30-0, 30 KO) and Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KO). Wilder is undoubtedly heavy handed, but Scott, who was no doubt picked because of his own lack of pop, will be easily the best opponent of his career. Indeed, he's much more skilled than the crude Tuscaloosan. But I still think Wilder is going to do to Scott what he's done to everyone else he's ever met in the ring, and knock him out in short order. The final fight on the televised car is perhaps the most mismatched, with hardcase junior lightweight veteran Daniel Ponce De Leon (45-5, 35 KO) fighting former top prospect turned chinless wonder Juan Manuel Lopez (33-3, 30 KO) in a rematch of their 2008 fight (which Lopez won by KO). My how the tables have turned; many now consider it a fight bordering on ritual sacrifice.
• Tomasz Adamek vs. Vyacheslav Glazkov, Saturday, NBC Sports Net, Bethlehem Pa. This fight had been scheduled to happen in November last year, but unfortunately Adamek (49-2, 29 KO) withdrew ill and Glazkov (16-0-1, 11 KO) went on to get an unimpressive decision win over Garret Wilson. Fortunately for me, that means I can reuse my preview and prediction from then: "What matters is that this is going to be a really fun fight. Neither man is particularly large or hard-punching for a heavyweight, but neither is the shy and retiring type, either. Adamek, I suspect, has the edge in skills, but Glazkov is no slouch, with over 200 amateur fights to his name. Glazkov will likely come forward, firing lead rights and left hooks while Adamek jabs and exchanges in spurts. I think Adamek probably has it, but he’s been challenged by all his most recent opponents, so who know, maybe Glazkov will be the one to knock him off his perch." On the undercard you've got light heavyweights Denis Grachev (13-2-1, 8 KO) and Isaac Chilemba (21-2-2, 9 KO) in an intriguing pure puncher vs. pure boxer match-up.
• The Rest. Friday brings fights from Florida on Telemundo, headlined by Puerto Rican junior featherweight Jonathan Oquendo (23-3, 16 KO) against Guillermo Avila (12-1, 9 KO)... Meanwhile in Australia should-be-retired junior welterweight Michael Katsidis is fighting on. Tell me when it's over... Mexican featherweight vet Fernando Montiel (50-4-2, 38 KO) is fighting fellow Mexican featherweight vet Cristobal Cruz (40-14-3, 24 KO) in, you guessed it, Mexico, on Saturday night on UniMas... Finally there are fights in England, with light heavyweight Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12 KO) fighting Valery Brudov (41-4, 28 KO).
2014-03-11T20:45:48+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/the-week-s-boxing-schedule-featuring-danny-garcia-deontay-wilder-and-tomasz-adamek.html
Quick Jabs: Fake Floyd Mayweather Polls; Various Thrown Fight Suspicions; More http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/quick-jabs-fake-floyd-mayweather-polls-various-thrown-fight-suspicions-more.html
Thrown fights in boxing in the past decade or so have been hard to prove; many things that might look thrown can't be certified as such, and often we get just wisps of evidence or allegations from one source who is not as credible as we'd like. That one above from last year, via Ryan Bivins? It don't pass the eyeball test, not even a little.
In this edition of Quick Jabs, we'll talk more of the thrown fight ilk twice more below. We'll also talk the other subject in the headline; the magical powers of Al Haymon; things HBO is doing or should be; and a few items besides.
Quick Jabs
Turns out the FBI thought Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston ONE was thrown. Not TWO, which many people think was. This would be an awfully big deal, since the first Cassius Clay-Liston bout is one of the most iconic moments in sports history. On one level, Liston's mob connections have always been a cause for reasonable doubt. On another level, the FBI had all kinds of cockamamie ideas in those years, and since Ali was moments away from out and out quitting the fight due to being blinded from some agent that was apparently on Liston's gloves, and while there's no evidence Ali was "in on it," it makes you wonder why anyone would go to the trouble of cheating in the opposite direction if it was all predetermined on Liston's end. I'm more willing to debate that the rematch was thrown than the original, although I lean "no" on that one, too. Until something more definitive comes along, I'll believe that Ali flustered Liston and outboxed him so severely that Liston, a bully, didn't want any more...
Next comes an allegation about the trainer-manager of Peter McNeeley betting $1 million that he wouldn't last 90 seconds against Mike Tyson. The allegation comes from another boxing manager, Charles Farrell. Farrell represented some real names, among them Leon Spinks and Mitch "Blood" Green, so he's not a full nobody. He also has talked about his willingness to fix fights in the past. He is not someone whose proclamations on this matter we can, by my eye, completely dismiss. But it's worth noting that in the case of Tyson-McNeeley, his allegation amounts to hearsay. And that the 89 seconds in which it was stopped was cutting it awfully close. And McNeeley didn't go nuts toward his corner over the stoppage. It's also not clear to me why we're only hearing about this now. It's enough, however, to make you, at minimum, wonder, especially since the stoppage by McNeeley's corner, even by the standards of recent raised awareness, was early...
From allegedly fixed fights to allegedly fixed polls: Floyd Mayweather and his adviser Leonard Ellerbe have explained why they ignored the results of the poll on Mayweather's site that had the public voting for him to face Amir Khan in his May welterweight Showtime pay-per-view over Marcos Maidana. Ya see, all the other results pointed to Maidana as the people's pick. Good explanation, right? Doesn't exactly explain why the Mayweather website poll was the one that was out of line with all the others, though, does it? The poll that Mayweather controlled was the one that had Khan winning. You do the math...
Antonio Tarver is the latest ex-great to fall on hard times, what with him getting the mugshot 'n' TMZ treatment thanks to an arrest over a gambling debt. Reportedly, it's not the only gambling debt he has, and that's why he's still boxing. Guess who helped him get out of jail? Adviser Al Haymon, whose magical boxing powers are legend...
So maybe light heavyweight Chad Dawson and welterweight Luis Collazo are hoping to benefit from the mystical voodoo of Haymon, since they've signed with him. Might as well. Dawson needs all the help he can get to reestablish himself, while Collazo has done himself some favors in that regard with the win over Victor Ortiz and surely it can't hurt to get a little extra push. Collazo is talking about wanting Khan, a reasonable fight for both men at this point assuming the more attractive Khan-Adrien Broner fight can't be made for the Mayweather-Maidana undercard...
Speaking of "push": Another ex-great, Pernell Whitaker, recently won a court battle with his elderly mother to force her out of the house he bought her. You want to try and give people the benefit of the doubt when you like or admire them, and when the court rules in favor of that person you're inclined to think there might be some validity to the argument, but when Whitaker's reaction to dumping his mom on the street is that the court victory was a "beautiful moment," you no longer want to give them that honor...
HBO is going to air Carl Froch-George Groves II in May. Good. One presumes the British super middleweight fight wasn't too expensive a purchase, which ought to make it so any lower rating is forgivable. The American fans who saw the first one will appreciate it, and the winner will be ripe for champion Andre Ward. Also in HBO "why not air it even though the ratings would be low" suggestions, HBO's Harold Lederman recently suggested the network should air a bout with flyweight Roman Gonzalez. I totally agree. I know the little guys don't do big ratings, but they also come pretty cheap, and anyone who saw Gonzalez would enjoy what they witnessed, right?...
Super middleweight/omniweight Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. did nearly 1.4 million viewers for his HBO rematch with Bryan Vera, a very good figure that will probably hold up as one of the better of 2014, especially with Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto and even Chavez's next fight along with some other big names all set for pay-per-view this year. Congrats to you, Chavez, for having the last name you were born with!...
From the same broadcast, featherweight Vasyl Lomachenko has done some reflection on his loss to Orlando Salido and is pointing the finger squarely at himself. I like it. It's true that Salido's weight advantage and his low blows had an impact on the outcome of the fight, but it's also true that Lomachenko was, as he said, too conservative with his offense in the bout. This kind of accurate self-critique can only help him going forward, and bucks the notion that he's too arrogant to win a big one soon. His promoter, Bob Arum, was talking about matching him with Evgeny Gradovich soon. As much as I admire Lomachenko's ambition, this strikes me as a bad move (although, worth noting, it was something Arum was talking about before the Salido loss). Gradovich is very much like a younger Salido, a bruising, awkward guy who beats you up. Don't do it, Vasyl, at least not for another year or so...
The fathers of Floyd Mayweather (Floyd Sr.) and Robert Guerrero (Ruben) say they're going to have a boxing match. It's just pub for their reality show, I'm guessing. Whoever loses, America wins. Hurray for bullshit.
2014-03-10T08:22:19+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/quick-jabs-fake-floyd-mayweather-polls-various-thrown-fight-suspicions-more.html
Weekend Afterthoughts On The Canelo Alvarez Stoppage Win (Again), Dusty Hernandez-Harrison's ... http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/weekend-afterthoughts-on-the-canelo-alvarez-stoppage-win-again-dusty-hernandez-harrison-s-performance-more.html
Whatever complaints you had about the Canelo Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo pay-per-view, Jesus Soto Karass didn't care. He was having a good shirtless time in Las Vegas.
Oh but you had complaints. I did too, I did too. We'll revisit the appropriateness of some of them, and contemplate what's next for Canelo, what went wrong for Angulo, what a couple D.C.-area prospects were up to and more.
• How good Canelo is. If you want to look like a boxing savant, fight Alfredo Angulo. If you want to look like a boxing idiot, fight Floyd Mayweather. The truth about Alvarez, based on his showing against his last two opponents and overall, is that he's actually pretty good. Yes, Angulo was in poor form on Showtime PPV Saturday night. But Canelo showed off some excellent qualities -- defense, speed, power, versatility. Outside of Angulo and Mayweather, Canelo has very little experience at just age 23 against top-10 contender-level opposition. But even if you thought Austin Trout deserved the win against Canelo (I think you're wrong), Saul Alvarez at minimum held his own with someone who was a top junior middleweight at the time. I do not think Alvarez is some kind of exceptional talent or someone likely to crack any credible pound-for-pound top 10 soon, maybe not ever. But he's gotten better than I ever thought he could when I first laid eyes on him. Can he get better still? I don't see why not. He pulled a nifty trick at one point that you don't do if you suck: He parried an Angulo body shot and with the same hand and in the same motion, came up with an uppercut. Pretty sure I used to do that in the Fight Night games.
• Next for Canelo. Golden Boy is at least expressing openness to matching Canelo with Erislandy Lara, his natural next opponent on competitive merits if not commercial ones. Lara, continuing a streak of belligerently demanding fights -- because he might as well -- confronted Canelo at the post-fight press conference. Lara, though, is lined up to fight Ishe Smith in May, the night before Floyd Mayweather's next one, because Lara's pining for Mayweather, too. I don't figure Lara gets Canelo in July, then, if at all. The 5'9" Canelo might be struggling to make 154, since he bought from Angulo the privilege to come in at 155 this past weekend. And he's had his eye on the winner between middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto, a fight with all kinds of commercial appeal -- and that might be makeable even though both men fight on HBO these days because neither of them are wedded to Top Rank, which refuses to bring its fighters to Showtime. That means Canelo might have an argument for ducking Lara indefinitely.
• Tony Weeks on the stoppage. Referee Tony Weeks is standing by his decision to halt the fight, which remains the right call, and I'm glad he has the right attitude about it, because he shouldn't be bullied by boos into letting fights like this one go longer next time. He was rightly sympathetic to the complaints of Angulo, whose job it is to keep fighting at all costs, but has the proper perspective on what his job is as the referee: to protect the fighters. How anyone would think this was some kind of favor to Canelo is beyond me. Canelo didn't need any help winning that fight. There was no sign that Angulo was about to win, only evidence that he was going to take another two and a half rounds of punishment. And Weeks has seen, in a bout he officiated, what can happen in fights much like this one.
• Canelo post-fight bombardment, the crowd. Not long ago I kind of laughed at Adrien Broner getting pelted with various objects after his loss to Marcos Maidana as a vivid manifestation of fans' hatred of Broner and his villain schtick. It's not something fans should be doing, though, to anyone. Pelting Canelo for the stoppage (as if it was his fault) and/or beating Angulo? I love a lot of boxing fans, and their passion makes a live fight an exhilarating experience. But some of them are fucking horrible. As for the size of the crowd: Canelo-Angulo, for all the complaints about the PPV-worthiness of the show, still brought in a hefty live audience of more than 14,000. How much that might translate into PPV sales, I don't know, although it's usually a positive indicator.
• Victor Conte on Angulo. The biggest drug cheat in sports history said before the fight that Angulo would have improved foot speed as the result of working with his partner Remi Korchemny (and Angulo had been hanging with Conte, too). I think we saw how that worked out for Angulo. Laughable. Trainer/promoter/nutritionist types of all shades have a history of making promises they can't keep. But I do wonder when people are going to stop buying what this particular snake oil salesman is peddling.
• Canelo-Angulo stoppage vs. undercard fights. Our man Sam Sheppard had this exchange about how the same standard by which Canelo-Angulo was stopped could've applied as well to other fights, including those on the undercard. Jorge Linares and Leo Santa Cruz did indeed land a great many of their power shots as well. I don't personally subscribe to the "Angulo wasn't going to win anyway" justification. The only standard should be fighter safety. Once upon a time the legendarily controversial Meldrick Taylor stoppage in his Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr. fight bothered me. These days, I look at it with kinder eyes. The power shots Canelo was landing were connecting flusher those being landed by Santa Cruz, and the Linares shots were less powerful. When Arakawa was in there with a bigger puncher, against Omar Figueroa, I thought that fight should've been stopped rather than going the full 12, too.
• Next for Leo Santa Cruz. I've taken to cheering on guys who call out fighters with no regard for promotional allegiance. I have become convinced that only when fans stop accepting the promotional Cold War as an incontrovertible fact will the promoters feel the heat they need to feel to end this stupid feud. So when Santa Cruz says he wants to fight junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, I admire him by that reasoning and by another standard, too: Rigo is a tough out, and Santa Cruz wanting that challenge -- and saying he wants it because he wants to be considered the best in his division -- makes him that much more awesome. I'm good if Rigo fights Carl Frampton next because that's a damn good fight. But Santa Cruz-Rigo is more appealing to me after Santa Cruz showed for once he could deal with movement (asterisk for it being Mijares' movement with old bones).
• Carlos Molina and prison. There was some debate the past week over the gravity of the crime that put junior middleweight Carlos Molina in prison and off the Canelo-Angulo PPV, back when we were getting conflicting versions of events. His promoter, Leon Margules, said the then 18-year-old Molina had sex with his then 15-16 year old girlfriend, leading to a conviction for second degree sexual assault on a child. This is a more defensible kind of high school senior/high school sophomore kind of thing, the kind of criminal offense that happens routinely around America with the 18-year-old becoming a "sex offender" usually only when the girlfriend's family decides they don't like the boyfriend. You can get into a fuzzy debate about the appropriateness of the laws here, and one can make legitimate arguments that there is indeed something disturbing about that kind of sexual encounter, but it's obvious that we're dealing with a lower level sex offender in these cases than a full-fledged rapist or child molester. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Margules appears to have gotten the details wrong. The Las Vegas Review-Journal got ahold of the arrest report, and the girl, it turns out, was just 13. Although the nature of Molina's conviction points toward a situation where Molina didn't intimidate or force, the description of events doesn't sound wholly consensual either. In a sport where light heavyweight champ Adonis Stevenson did some far more evil things in his youth, perhaps one can chalk Molina's behavior up to mistakes of the past -- but the arrest report sounds like it settles whether this is the kind of thing we should look at as a technical violation of the law, a rather innocent one as originally described, or the truth: a far uglier incident. Oh, and at minimum, it sounds like he handled his sex offender registration/deportation issues stupidly, so that makes it doubly hard to be sympathetic.
• Mike Reed and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison. I'd hoped to make it to Rosecroft Raceway Friday night to watch junior welterweight prospect Mike Reed in action again, but it didn't work out. Accounts by Gautham Nagesh and David Greisman suggest he did well. His fellow D.C.-area prospect, Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, got dropped Friday night, as detailed by our Matthew Swain. I've said it will be hard to judge the 19-year-old Hernandez-Harrison until he is a full-grown man, but this is the second time the welterweight has been dropped by low-level opposition, and it's a worrisome trend. To his credit, he is tough-minded and he is smart, and fought well after going down, but while you can't discount him entirely as a prospect for things like this, it's also difficult to be too bullish.
2014-03-10T08:07:29+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/weekend-afterthoughts-on-the-canelo-alvarez-stoppage-win-again-dusty-hernandez-harrison-s-performance-more.html
Round And Round, Featuring What's Next For Nonito Donaire, Katsunari Takayama And Others http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/round-and-round-featuring-what-s-next-for-nonito-donaire-katsunari-takayama-and-others.html
Allegedly Floyd Mayweather is into kidnapping now, especially if you steal his pretty pretty earrings. Quick, someone make a photoshopped picture of Manny Pacquiao giving Liam Neeson's "I will find you and I will kill you" speech to Mayweather!
Allegedly. The only news outlet I can find to have covered the story with original reporting is TMZ, which doesn't mean the story is false, but TMZ has something of a history, and stories that aren't duplicated are sometimes wrong. A local Fox news station in Michigan said a local news station in Nevada had remarks from police, but that station doesn't have anything on its website. Showtime's Stephen Espinoza said this. Mayweather's camp is saying nothing.
Would I put it past Mayweather to do something like this? Nah, sadly. And if he did it, who knows how it might affect his planned May pay-per-view welterweight bout against Marcos Maidana. That's a roundabout way of getting to the point of this column: What fights are in the works, when and where are they going to happen, etc.
Besides the men in the headline, we'll discuss ESPN's big-deal pick-up of Bermane Stiverne-Chris Arreola II, and what guys like Peter Quillin, Abner Mares, Gennady Golovkin, Matthew Macklin and others are up to these days.
Round And Round
ESPN has reportedly paid around half a million dollars to air the heavyweight rematch between Bermaen Stiverne and Chris Arreola. Holy. And according to ESPN's Dan Rafael, who broke the story, ESPN hopes to do this three to four times a year. ESPN is in nearly 100 million homes and it's airing a fight of that caliber -- a bout that could be a co-feature on pay-cable networks and boxing industry giants HBO or Showtime. This could be a big deal. I also daresay they've chosen wisely about what kind of fight they're airing, too; Stiverne-Arreola I was pretty good.
Meanwhile, HBO has had some rough developments to start the year. The latest is junior lightweight Mikey Garcia and Top Rank turning their nose up at Yuriorkis Gamboa, the most marketable bout at 130 for Garcia. Garcia claims that Gamboa is asking for 50 percent more than him, which, if true, is a ludicrous demand, but who knows if it's true. So Garcia's promoter, Bob Arum, is talking about taking Garcia over to China to fight Takashi Uchiyama. It might be a negotiating bluff, but whether HBO wants it or not, I do. Uchiyama-Garcia is the most competitive fight in the division, and it would begin a new championship lineage via the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. On one level, Arum's relative TV-independence is a good thing; but his cantankerous streak (is there a network he hasn't fucked over super-hard?) makes it so you don't want a monoculture dependent on him. Case in point.
More HBO rough business: the bout between light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson and Andrzej Fonfara still isn't finalized for May, and with Stevenson having recently joined up with Golden Boy pal Al Haymon, it's fueling speculation that Stevenson will shortly move over to Showtime, another Golden Boy pal. That would be bad news for the most appealing fight in the whole sport for hardcores, Stevenson-Sergey Kovalev. Stevenson insists the Fonfara fight will happen, but in his last interview about the subject, the letters "HBO" didn't come up, at least that made it into a story.
Speaking of championship lineages: #2 strawweight Hekkie Budler is hopeful of lining up a bout with #1 Katsunari Takayama, because, why the fuck not? It's not like there are all these megafights in the strawweight division. Budler-Takayama is a great fight. Make it happen.
Other little dudes: Rad flyweight Juan Francisco Estrada is taking a bout in April against undefeated/unheralded Joebert Alvarez before looking to face Giovani Segura this summer. I love that fight, don't get me wrong, but I don't love this Alvarez fight getting in the way of it, then making it so we have to wait even longer for the winner of Estrada-Segura to fight Roman Gonzalez.
For the time being, self-destructive weight class nomad Nonito Donaire appears to be staying put at featherweight, lining up Simpiwe Vetyeka for May, presumably on HBO, although who knows with how things are going with HBO and Donaire promoter Top Rank (Top Rank's Arum is also getting testy about a June junior welterweight showdown between Ruslan Provodnikov and Antonio DeMarco that HBO is lukewarm about). Donaire-Vetyeka is a solid match-up. Donaire as usual has all the physical advantages, but Vetyeka is a rough and tumble authentic 126-pounder, and it's not clear whether Donaire is authentic at the weight.
Not sure what's up with Abner Mares, but he's playing Hamlet lately. First, abetted by some injuries, he moved away from a featherweight rematch with Jhonny Gonzalez. Now, he's balking at a junior lightweight bout with Takashi Miura. And lately he's taken to talking up a bout with junior featherweight Leo Santa Cruz, who's with Golden Boy rival Top Rank. Since I consider Mares more of a junior featherweight than a featherweight and especially than a junior lightweight, and since Mares-Santa Cruz is the most appealing bout from an aesthetic standpoint, I would rather have that one.
Same as I don't think top middleweight Gennady Golovkin should have to move up to 168, I don't think super middleweight champ Andre Ward should have to move up to 175. But both have issues with their philosophy on this. In the most recent edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, Ward was saying he didn't need to go up to light heavyweight -- the available super middleweights just needed to fight him. OK. But if they don't (and right now, they aren't)? We have a problem. Likewise, his trainer Virgil Hunter is right that Golovkin is "picking and choosing" who he wants to fight if he moves up to 168. Ward would be down to face GGG. GGG's team keeps saying, why should we move up to 168? We'll stay at 160. But they're willing to for Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. I get it; Chavez brings more money than Ward, probably, and is a more winnable fight. But yeah, the notion that GGG's team is spinning that he'll fight anyone from 154-175, it's pretty clear he's not so bold. The best fighters are willing to take the top challenges where they're available, and right now neither Ward nor Golovkin are doing that.
HBO's decision to cancel the April 26 date in Madison Square Garden thanks to the GGG-? fight falling through due to the death of GGG's father hurts the chances of an all-Irish middleweight clash between Matthew Macklin and Andy Lee. It's an appealing style clash and the ethnic grudge element gave it real appeal. Too bad. Macklin, ultimately, would rather face Felix Sturm anyway. That fight, too, makes sense, given how close the first fight was.
Now, Anthony Crolla-John Murray? That's an all-U.K. bout that's nothing but awesome, and signs point to it happening in April. Book it as one of those Fight of the Year-style match-ups that you'll want to find a stream for if you're in the United States, or hope that somebody like AWE or ESPN3 finds a home for the lightweight battle.
While Kubrat Pulev waits for a shot at heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, he could face Dereck Chisora. Pulev is a shaky #1 heavyweight and Chisora has righted his ship, so it's a risky bout but a desirable one. I'd thought Pulev was next in line via alphabet belt politics, but apparently he needs to get by Chisora first.
Next up for some mid-to-late-tier welterweights: Shawn Porter is set to face off with Paulie Malignaggi in a nice match-up on Showtime in April, where the winner would face Brit Kell Brook, who is taking yet another low-level bout while waiting for somebody big, what with domestic rival Amir Khan looking in the direction of Adrien Broner or someone else in the United States. This bolsters the card featuring "meh" light heavyweight fight between Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov the same night. It also bolsters the downright crappy meeting on that card between middleweight Peter Quillin and Lucas Kocencny. I won't be in town that weekend but the more they pump up that so-so card the more I wish I'd be here in Washington, D.C. for that one.
For the May undercard featuring a super middleweight rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, there's talk of top lightweight Miguel Vazquez facing Kevin Mitchell. He can fight, Vazquez can, but there's no less watchable a fighter in the sport, I reckon. The only thing Vazquez-Mitchell can do for that card is Mitchell knocking him right out, I suppose, and despite the resurgence Mitchell has had of late, it doesn't seem likely.
Rocky Martinez had talked about facing the winner of Terence Crawford-Ricky Burns, that being Crawford. Now that he's moved up to lightweight and is booked to face Raymundo Beltran, I wouldn't get too excited about the possibility of Martinez getting Crawford. Beltran is a handful, and big for the weight.
As crappy as Kovalev's next fight is, as much as people have dissed Thomas Dulorme-Karim Mayfield at 140 for that undercard later this month on HBO, I like it. Mayfield, who is skilled, can be enjoyable against the right opposition, and Dulorme can be powerful against same. I'm not sure whether Dulorme is going to make Mayfield look good or vice versa, but I do like the match-up.
Ballyhooed featherweight prospect Oscar Valdez is set to step up significantly against Dat Nguyen in April, somewhere on the undercard of the HBO PPV welterweight headliner Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley II. I'd like it if that one made some kind of broadcast. Nguyen is limited as hell but he's much better than anyone Valdez has ever faced.
(Round And Round sources: BoxingScene, ESPN, RingTV, press releases)
2014-03-10T08:05:00+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/round-and-round-featuring-what-s-next-for-nonito-donaire-katsunari-takayama-and-others.html
Canelo Alvarez Power Punches Alfredo Angulo Times Infinity http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/canelo-alvarez-power-punches-alfredo-angulo-times-infinity.html
(Alfredo Angulo objects to referee Tony Weeks stopping his fight with Canelo Alvarez; credit: Tom Casino, Showtime)
From the opening seconds of the 1st round until the fight's end -- more on that very soon -- Canelo Alvarez rained down full force, total leverage power shots on Alfredo Angulo of such resounding violence that it was hard to believe Angulo's face wasn't rendered into wet papier mache. Angulo, meanwhile, was slow even by his usual three-toed sloth standards, and there was no oomph to his punches for the vast majority of the fight, it was like he was trying to land half-hugs rather than blows. Referee Tony Weeks saw enough of the Showtime pay-per-view headliner Saturday evening in the 10th round.
The crowd booed Weeks' decision. They should not have. Angulo was still defending himself, certainly, and he was in no special danger at the moment of the stoppage compared to moments before. But his trainer Virgil Hunter told Angulo he would stop it after one more round unless Angulo turned it around, and Showtime's Paulie Malignaggi, among others, suggested going into the 10th that Angulo should be examined closely. Apparently he was, and apparently the doctor didn't like what he saw, and apparently Hunter argued for one more round. But it was evident in that 10th that nothing was going to change, no matter how much Hunter played to the crowd about how Angulo was "coming on." (Hunter has his blind spots, but none bigger than that for Angulo, whom he claims to this day only lost to Erislandy Lara on a thumbing that nobody impartial saw and that it was questionable even could happen.) We witnessed what happened with heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov late last year in a bout where he took tons of power punches, was still defending himself and there was no "perfect moment" to stop it: coma and permanent neurological damage.
About the fight, then: Those who thought Angulo would be competitive on the strength of his performance with Erislandy Lara, myself among them, were woefully wrong. This Angulo looked nothing like the man who fought Lara. It's not clear why. Perhaps the Lara fight was the straw that broke the camel's back for a junior middleweight who has practiced the "manly art of no defense." Perhaps he overtrained. Perhaps Canelo, by putting him on his back foot, defanged Angulo, as Malignaggi suggested, but that couldn't have been it entirely because on the occasions where Angulo was able to move forward, it's not like he was rocking Canelo's world. Perhaps his critics were right and Angulo was just plain terrible, although the Lara performance debunks that for me; it is true that he has always come up short in the big ones, however. One way or another, something looked wrong with Angulo compared to the version we've seen in the past.
And Canelo was right there to capitalize. He rarely threw anything -- a jab, an overhand right, a sweeping left, uppercuts, body shots -- with a level of commitment below 100 percent. No longer sharing the ring with today's finest pugilist, Floyd Mayweather, and sharing it instead with Mayweather's complete opposite, he was an offensive and defensive juggernaut. After about the 4th, Angulo began to land the occasional hard shot, and Canelo's scuffed face was evidence of it. The 8th was particularly sizzling, with Canelo doing his best shoulder-rolling impersonation of Mayweather along the ropes, a bit of toying that inspired Angulo into some of his fiercest attacks. But even then, even with each man waving the other on in a blood-pumping display of Mexican machismo, it was Canelo who got the better of the exchanges.
The natural next opponent for Canelo is Lara, which presents a thorny dilemma for Showtime. Canelo fancies himself a PPV star, and in this battle of Mexican fighters who offered a sharp contrast -- Angulo the blue collar brawler, Canelo the blue-chip prospect slowly being nurtured into the next Oscar "Golden Boy" De La Hoya -- very well could have broken even or better. Would Canelo-Lara? Hard to imagine how, unless the extremely popular Canelo does massive figures against Angulo, heralding his arrival as a full-fledged PPV supernova. And that doesn't sound likely.
In the end, although it had its moments, this PPV was a disappointment, too. The undercard lost action star Omar Figueroa to an injury; it lost the little-anticipated but evenly matched Carlos Molina-Jermall Charlo to Molina's stint in jail; Canelo came in a pound heavy, reminding too many fans of recent weight high jinks that have soiled various bouts; and only one fight on the main PPV undercard card was competitive at all, Sergio Thompson-Ricardo Alvarez. Some of that was bad luck. Or maybe it was a message.
2014-03-09T10:42:05+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/canelo-alvarez-power-punches-alfredo-angulo-times-infinity.html
Running Undecard Results For Canelo Alvarez Vs. Alfredo Angulo http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/running-undecard-results-for-canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo.html
(Leo Santa Cruz catches Cristian Mijares; via)
Keep coming back to this spot for undercard results for the Showtime pay-per-view headlined by junior middleweights Saul Alvarez and Alfredo Angulo. Several bouts of value have fallen off the card, unfortunately, so we'll see what we get from this version of the undercard. We'll go in chronological order:
Due to a prior engagement, I missed the first three rounds of Sergio Thompson's unanimous decision win over Ricardo Alvarez, but nobody seemed to think it was as close as two of the cards, 95-93. The final card of 97-91 was more in the ballpark, most thought. I saw Alvarez won a couple rounds of the lightweight contest, but Thompson won the majority and scored two knockdowns. The older brother of Canelo did put up a fight, trading blows in a macho Mexican showdown. It was good bloody fun. It's probably too soon to say from this what kind of impact Thompson can make at 135 pounds after being a 130-pound contender, albeit a shaky one.
Jorge Linares, an electric talent with a brownout chin, stayed on his feet against human punch sponge Nihito Arakawa, and that's all he needs to do to win fights. With his lead left uppercuts, timing and speed, he avoided Arakawa's charges while dishing out heavy punishment of his own. The two lightweights did engage in a fight that was not quite a slugfest, although at times when Arakawa got close and fired combinations, it resembled one. Midway through the fight, Linares' domination began to dim, and he was getting hit cleanly here and there. This is usually when Linares' chin abandons him, but not this time. Nor did it abandon him when he suffered a late cut due to a head butt, which helped trigger his downfall against Antonio DeMarco. The two men traded punches in the final round and Linares held up. Not sure whether this means Arakawa isn't much of a puncher or Linares has somehow fortified his biggest weakness, but the cards, a near shutout or shutout in all cases, were accurate whatever the cause of Linares staying awake. Linares vs. Omar Figueroa makes sense next; whether Linares can stay on his feet against the man who gave Arakawa an even worse pounding than Linares did -- that's not a sure bet, at all.
There were some (including yours truly) who thought Cristian Mijares, with his veteran savvy and quick feet, could pose Leo Santa Cruz some problems given Santa Cruz's lack of either and his historical difficulty with "movers." Instead, Santa Cruz completely dominated him. One scorecard was 119-109, for some reason; the other two were a proper total shutout of 120-108. When Santa Cruz tried to circle and run, Santa Cruz beat him up. When Mijares tried to trade, Santa Cruz beat him up. When he tried to lead or counter -- you know the drill. Santa Cruz's size and youthful energy were far, far too much for Mijares. Mijares had made a bit of a run at junior featherweight, rebounding from three consecutive losses in 2008 and 2009. But whatever form he showed then either has disappated or Santa Cruz made it so it didn't matter. The talk now is of Santa Cruz-Carl Frampton, a big, big step up for Santa Cruz. That is some fight. Let's have it.
2014-03-09T07:03:33+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/running-undecard-results-for-canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo.html
Rustam Nugaev Beats Marvin Quintero (Prematurely) In ESPN2 Main Event http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/rustam-nugaev-beats-marvin-quintero-prematurely-in-espn2-main-event.html In what was shaping up to be an excellent Friday Night Fights main event from Pala, Calif., Rustam Nugaev collected a win via stoppage when Marvin Quintero stayed on his stool after the 4th round with a reportedly injured left hand. The official score cards had the bout even, as did I, but Quintero (25-5, 21 KOs) seemed to be getting the better of many exchanges. Nugaev (27-6-1, 17 KOs) of Perm, Russia was able to trap Quintero along the ropes for long stretches of each round, but Quintero threw sharp counters. Nominally a lightweight bout, the fighters actually weighed in today with a 143 lb. limit as Quintero was unable to make it into the U.S. until this morning. Nugaev looked sluggish at the beginning of the bout but was starting to heat up in the 3rd and 4th rounds.
The obvious next step for both fighters is a rematch.
In the co-feature, bantamweight Roman Morales earned a unanimous decision over the excellently mulleted Khabir Suleymanov by scores of 79-68 (2x) and 80-67. As the scores make plain, it was not a close fight. Morales (18-0, 9 KOs) knocked Suleymanov down five times but was unable to finish him. Suleymanov (16-4, 6 KOs) fights like a man who is genuinely looking forward to being on an all-pudding diet. He is amazingly tough and resilient but has little skill. Morales showed good technique and an attribute that most young fighters lack, patience. At no point in the fight did he appear to be in a hurry and even when he had Suleymanov hurt, there was no special rush. Morales took his time and dominated a very game, if grossly overmatched, opponent. Morales is ready for a step up in competition.
Washington, D.C. welterweight prospect Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (at right) survived some shaky moments and a booming overhand left that dropped him unceremoniously on his ass to out work Michael Balasi and get a unanimous decision in the opening fight. The judges scored it 59-54 (2x) and 60-53. I had it 58-54. Hernandez-Harrison (21-0, 11 KOs) landed the more telling blows and was busier throughout, but was betrayed by his flaws. Balasi (10-4, 7 KOs) was able to catch Hernandez-Harrison cleanly with overhand lefts throughout the fight, but they proved not to be enough. If Hernandez-Harrison is to step up his level of competition he is going to have to learn to move his head, as well as stay on balance. He has a habit of getting too far over his lead foot. At only 19, though, he and his team have plenty of time to iron out these issues.
Rabies Watch: Where to begin? Whether it was talking over Bernardo Osuna, his diatribes about Julio Chavez, Jr. and Alfredo Angulo, or his extremely thinly veiled shots at Quintero, ESPN's Teddy Atlas was in rare form. I don't know if Quintero could have continued, but I tend to give fighters the benefit of the doubt. The only way Teddy could have been more obvious would be to just come out and call the guy a pussy.
Just a tip for the nice folks in Bristol, maybe someone should get Todd Grisham phonetic spellings for fighters names. His butchering of Marcos Maidana was bad. On the upside, Osuna did an excellent job calling the fights with Teddy.
(photo credit: All-In Entertainment)
2014-03-08T10:03:20+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/rustam-nugaev-beats-marvin-quintero-prematurely-in-espn2-main-event.html
A Boy And His Dog: Canelo Alvarez Vs. Alfredo Angulo Preview And Prediction http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/a-boy-and-his-dog-canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo-preview-and-prediction.html
This past autumn, across the ring, there stood the greatest boxing technician of his generation. An untouchable defensive wizard. A lightning fast sharpshooter. A stylistic nightmare in a dream bout. A fill-your-pockets purse in exchange for a cash-out curse.
Floyd Mayweather took the sweetness from Saul “Cinnamon” Alvarez’s carefully prepared confection of a career and left a bitter feast for the Mexican’s faithful to swallow. Now, this Saturday night, across the ring stands a Mexican mauler. A canine collar wearing attack dog. A face first fistic bludgeoner. A stylistic remedy for a first loss malady.
For Alvarez, his back to back opponents couldn’t be more different, and he assuredly hopes the outcomes will be equally opposite. When the fight dubbed “Toe to Toe” commences at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this weekend Alvarez will look to regain his luster against a man, Alfredo Angulo, who offers little in the way of complexity and much in the way of sheer aggression and simplicity.
In the inevitable mystery landscape of a fight not yet fought, one imagines these two junior middleweights alternately in a blazing firefight or a smoldering smokeout that never quite catches flame.
The one predictable factor is Angulo. He is a one man army, marching forward, launching wave after wave of attack with little regard for his own casualties. Perro, “The Dog”, will come after Alvarez and look to terrorize the young man into a claw and scratch affair. If Angulo is the known factor, then the mystery comes in the form of whether or not the Mexican redhead will look to make The Dog roll over by showing him who’s bark is worse, or aim to play master by out braining the bulldog.
Alvarez has the speed and skill to put on a relative boxing clinic similar to what Mayweather did to him late last year. If he isn’t worried about a fan pleasing performance that tack could be his ticket to a safety first night that would preserve his gumption for fighting two more times this year. What could foil that plan and make this fight heat up no matter what is Canelo’s penchant for fighting in spurts and becoming less active over the course of the fight. If Angulo can keep the pressure pounding, he may be able to wilt the younger man’s will and test his fortitude. The complication for Angulo, however, is that while he never stops coming forward and bombarding his opponent with punches, the bite on those blows seems to dull by mid bout. Heaving breaths and weary arm punches replace crisp combos and swarming salvos.
The balance of the two men’s conditioning may tell the tale of the boy and his dog, but if the world is just, we may never get to find out. Angulo will come to throw punches and trade. If Canelo is out to prove something, hot off his first loss, there may not be time to worry about conditioning. One of these two men may be in serious jeopardy early.
Whatever level of aggression he feels compelled to engage at, Alvarez is truly in the driver seat. His better skill, speed and power make it his fight to lose. If he is able to stay focused, he has the speed to punch with precision between Angulo’s slower blows. His more capable footwork will make him tough to corral and his own creative combos will take the often plodding Angulo out of rhythm. For someone who has been cut up often before and suffered a grotesquely swollen eye socket, forcing the end of his last bout, the tough and tenacious Angulo may be forced to dig deep to stay in the fight.
Trainer Virgil Hunter has been teaching the old dog new tricks in camp, however, and has had Angulo spar with speedy junior welterweight notable Amir Kahn., a fighter who’s hands are likely even faster than the mitts Canelo will be tossing his way on Saturday. To prepare for a bigger, more technically sound fighter, Hunter then put his charge in with pound-for-pound shortlister Andre Ward, the current super middleweight champion. That world class sparring and experience for Angulo should have his confidence high and prepare him for his task against Alvarez.
He’ll need it.
It says something when your opponent has more knockouts than you do fights. It says something else entirely when that same opponent is also eight years younger than you. Alvarez enters the ring a comparative youngster at age 23, but a savvy ring veteran of 44 fights, nearly double the number of bouts his 31-year old opponent has participated in. While Canelo has been accused of having an inflated record filled with KO fodder from south of the border, there’s no denying the success he’s continued to have against quality opposition over the last few years.
With just about every conceivable advantage in one fighter's favor, it’s fair to wonder whether this fight is a worthy pay-per-view purchase for your hard earned dollar. Truth be told, it depends what you value.
There’s a good chance this could be a pretty entertaining fight. Even if Alvarez and his handlers hope this is a glorified tune-up and he chooses to box, Angulo is good enough to make him work more than he wants to. With a determined slugger like that, it’s hard to imagine a dull fight. Angulo has never been in one before.
But if the steep PPV price seems a tough sell to you, this might be a good fight to try out the theater experience that recent Golden Boy fights have offered. In theaters across the country the full four fight card is airing live and will cost you a fraction of the price it would to watch it at home.
Money aside, is the fight worth your time as a boxing fan? I think it is.
It may be worth the price of admission just to see whether the dog’s bite matches it’s bark, or whether the pup gets put to sleep.
2014-03-07T18:56:13+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/a-boy-and-his-dog-canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo-preview-and-prediction.html
Canelo Alvarez Vs. Alfredo Angulo Undercard, Previewed (And The Rest Of The Week’s Boxing ... http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo-undercard-previewed-and-the-rest-of-the-week-s-boxing-schedule.html
It's sinister-looking redhead week in boxing (which explains the creepy picture), with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fighting on pay-per-view against Alfredo Angulo Saturday. As usual during a PPV week, we're going to give the undercard a slightly more detailed preview treatment, as well as look at the rest of the week's fights, such as they are. The Alvarez vs. Angulo undercard is definitely a good one, as PPV undercards go, which may or may not be a reflection of the PPV-worthy status of the main event, we couldn't possibly say (though we can aggressively hint). Jeff Pryor's preview of that fight will be along tomorrow, but let's just jump straight into the rest of it.
Canelo Alvarez Vs. Alfredo Angulo Undercard
• Leo Santa Cruz vs. Cristian Mijares. The presence of a fight that could upstage the main event is always a good sign on a PPV, and this junior featherweight bout fits the bill. Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15 KO), a punch-flinging machine who many see as the second coming of Antonio Margarito, is taking his toughest challenge to date against Mexican veteran Mijares (49-7-2, 24 KO). Maybe I'm a sucker (I thought Victor Terrazas would at least challenge Santa Cruz), but I think Mijares at least has the tools to pull the upset here: he's a southpaw, he can box a bit and he can take a punch. That's not to say that I think it's going to happen, but Santa Cruz has shown he can be outfoxed and I'm just waiting for someone to nail him while he's doing his windmill impression.
• Carlos Molina vs. Jermall Charlo. If you need to grab a beer (or shampoo your cat) during the broadcast, this junior middleweight fight might be the time to do it. That said, it could be kind of interesting in that it's a monumental step up for Charlo (17-0, 13 KO), whose twin brother Jermell passed his first exam against Gabe Rosado in January. Unfortunately, perhaps for both us and Charlo, Molina (22-5-2, 6 KO) is no Rosado, who is something of a professional game loser. Molina is going to maul and hold and bore in on Charlo, whose natural game is to hunt and peck from the outside. If he can maintain some distance and work hard and fast when he's on the inside, then he can win. If not, Molina gonna Molina.
• Jorge Linares vs. Nihito Arakawa. Consistently fragile Venezualan lightweight Linares (35-3, 23 KO) is on the comeback trail after back to back knockout losses in 2011/12. Smooth on his feet, he can box beautifully from the outside but has had a tendency to get caught with big bombs and go down. Arakawa (24-3-1, 16 KO), an aggressive but relatively limited fighter, has been brought in to make Linares look good. And there's an 80 percent probability he'll jab Arakawa into unrecognisable mush. But with a guy like Linares, that other 20 percent is always going to be there.
The Rest Of The Week’s Boxing Schedule
• Rustam Nagaev vs. Marvin Quintero, Friday, ESPN2, Pala Calif. Friday Night Fights is on something of a streak, what with their Boxcino tournaments and all, and this fight is no exception. It's just going to be a couple guy with a few losses going for it, no questions asked (which, thinking about it, should be FNF's motto). Russia's Nagaev (26-6-1, 16 KO) is a determined come forward brawler with a bit of skill, while Mexico's Quintero is, uh, a determined come forward brawler with a bit of skill. What's not to like? I don't even care who wins!
The RestShould-be-retired featherweight Jorge Arce is putting on a show on Saturday for Mexicans who don't like Canelo (they exist, trust me). Arce could lose to a stiff breeze these days, but his opponent, Brazils' Aldimar Silva Santos, seems to have lost to a few stiff breezes himself. If this is the kind of thing you're into, it'll be on UniMas... There's also an all Latin American junior flyweight fight in the non-traditional boxing city of Lima, Peru on Saturday, between Alberto Rossel and Colombia's Gabriel Mendoza.
In Amir Khan Vs. Adrien Broner, A Formula For Showtime Supremacy? http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/in-amir-khan-vs-adrien-broner-a-formula-for-showtime-supremacy.html
(Amir Khan taunted Adrien Broner on Twitter based on how each man fared against Marcos Maidana with the above photo)
Much has made of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. reaching out to the masses to decide on his next opponent on Showtime pay-per-view. The truth, of course, was that he was trying to drum up some excitement for what would be a none too exciting affair, regardless of whether he went with Amir Khan, whom he rejected, or Marcos Maidana, the man he ended up with for May. The story is the same as always: Fans of his technical style will watch because few have his skill set, and those who hate him will watch in the hope he will get knocked out. What is missing is a viable opponent in the division -- Timothy Bradley? Danny Garcia? -- to get the casual fans to dig deep into their pockets.
However, now with talks of Adrien Broner vs. Khan appearing on the undercard -- with the victor potentially facing Mayweather in September -- there is a buzz brewing. The co-feature with the winners facing off with each other has a WWE feel about it, to be sure, but also begins to give the fight game a slim sense of credibility: Someone will earned the right to have the high-profile Mayweather fight next. The problem with boxing at the moment is that it is not enough to win all your fights or be great in the ring; you need to be marketable, have a promoter selling you, be in the public eye, etc. The sense of a co-feature, on a much, much smaller scale to the Super Sixes gives the decision for title fights a sense of legitimacy and allows casual fans to follow the narrative of fighter, build a story and sell the next event, too.
This formula could be a winning strategy for Showtime (which, unlike HBO, doesn't place much value these days on what a PPV undercard can do for anyone, although that might be changing based on Manny Pacquiao-Bradley II having a higher quality than past recent HBO PPVs).
Being a boxing fan, I will watch what ever fight I can and I will probably watch the whole card, but my friends who watch football or other sports with me will only want to watch the big fights, with the familiar phrase being "when is the main event on?" Stick a co-feature on to build up four fighters, and punters feel they got more for their money and it sets up the next fight nicely.
The fear I have is after an amazing boxing calendar last year is that this year seems like it will be a prelude to an amazing year next year. Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez, Pacquiao vs. Bradley II and Carl Froch vs. George Groves II are the big fights this year thus far. But next year could see Gennady Golovkin finally getting a big-name opponent, Andre Ward fighting someone credible, someone worthwhile going after a heavyweight crown, and fighters like Keith Thurman, Kell Brook and Canelo Alvarez in big fights as a generation shifts, what with Cotto, Martinez, Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez and Wladimir Klitschko nearing the end. It is vital the up-and-comers are given promotion in co-features with the older generation so casual fans can make the transition.
Showtime seems to realise that their main events are not as star-studded as HBO and have already given us some decent undercards. It stands to reason that the next step for Showtime is making the co-feature the newest weapon in their arsenal. Again, much like a WWE event, it is better to have a solid card with two main event-style fights between four B-grade fighters than a rubbish undercard with two superstars headlining. For the future of boxing, the sport needs up-and-coming fighters getting exposed to the public; for those fighters to face credible opponents; for them to develop a fan base (and not sold to us with records built on crappy fights); and for the fighters themselves get used to fighting in front of a sizable crowd.
There's been some talk of Khan-Broner not happening, of Broner going with John Molina instead. That came as news to Molina himself. Either way, Khan-Broner is no certainty. But: I think if Showtime do develop this approach and use the glow of the Mayweather appeal to build future stars, then that would give them a edge on HBO, which retains the status of industry giant over the smaller Showtime -- at least, for now.
2014-03-06T08:05:34+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/in-amir-khan-vs-adrien-broner-a-formula-for-showtime-supremacy.html
Weekend Afterthoughts On Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. ... http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/weekend-afterthoughts-on-julio-cesar-chavez-jr-as-necessary-evil-vasyl-lomachenko-s-arrogance-and-more.html
The Guano Apes tried to warn Robert Stieglitz with their performance right before the Arthur Abraham rematch: Don't be flying too close to the sun. But did he listen to the German metal act that named itself after shit monkeys? No, no he didn't.
There were warnings we'd have good fights and/or controversial ones, and this past weekend we got both. The bout between Orlando Salido and Vasyl Lomachenko dominated some of the conversation afterward, so it'll dominate this edition of Weekend Afterthoughts, but we'll obviously talk Abraham-Stieglitz III, Terence Crawford vs. Ricky Burns, Teddy Atlas and of course Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. vs. Brian Vera II.
• Vasyl Lomachenko's arrogance. One of the more peculiar arguments from the weekend was that somehow Lomachenko got his comeupppance for pushing to fight for an alphabet title so soon. I've already commented on the validity of the title he was competing for; I'll comment momentarily on exactly how quick that title push was. I can't say taking on such steep competition so early was arrogance-free, but two replies: 1. Should we berate fighters for being ambitious? We can question the wisdom of it, but isn't the quality of aiming high an impressive one? There's a thin line between bravery and stupidity, sure, but I'm turned off by the notion from some boxing fans and writers smirking at Lomachenko for taking on a harder challenge than was perhaps wise, as though there was cosmic justice in his loss. Give me a Lomachenko any day over a Gary Russell, Jr., a fighter with an elite amateur pedigree who refuses to fight a live body this late in his career. 2. It almost worked. Let's say we get a properly officiated bout; let's say Salido tries to make the featherweight limit Friday. Does Lomachenko win? It wouldn't have taken much to turn the scorecards. I say this not to diminish what Salido did to legitimately win the fight, because he did an awful lot. But can you really scold the arrogance of a guy who tried something audacious and very nearly pulled it off? He aimed high. He wasn't quite ready for the kind of pro performance Salido could deliver (and his team, as Mike Ricciardelli and others have pointed out, wasn't ready either, never complaining to the referee about the low blows). But he proved he was on a high level already.
• Orlando Salido's low blows vs. Lomachenko's holding. Another oddly popular discussion from this weekend in response to Salido's frequent low blows was, "Yeah, so what, Lomachenko was holding!" The notion seems to be somehow that all fouls are created equal. They are not. Certainly, holding and low blows can both affect the outcome of a fight. But one does physical damage. One does not. That differentiates them in a key way. Also, referee Laurence Cole -- who got a deserved verbal beat down from HBO's Jim Lampley in a commentating team performance that otherwise too heavily favored Lomachenko and ignored Salido's good legal work -- didn't treat them equally, either, in a way that affected the outcome of the fight more. Cole warned Lomachenko early for holding. It wasn't until the final third of the fight that he issued any kind of warning at all to Salido for his low blows. And let's not forget that Salido opted to blow off the weigh-in, effectively. We still need to up the financial penalties for that. So to recap: Salido cheated in multiple ways, Lomachenko just one; at least one form of Salido's cheating was more physically damaging than Lomachenko's; and Cole did more to administer the rules in Salido's favor than he did Lomachenko's. Not the same.
• Next for Salido and Lomachenko. Salido is gone to 130 pounds, obviously. There's been less discussion about who he might fight next, but there are all sorts of appealing fights for him there: I'd take Salido-Juan Carlos Burgos or Salido-Rocky Martinez in a battle of guys who have been beaten by Mikey Garcia, say. Apparently Lomachenko might still be up for the title that Salido vacated, which could mean he fights the aforementioned Russell. I'm guessing the powers that be will find a way to avoid the two squaring off, what with Lomachenko repped by Top Rank and Russell repped by Top Rank's mortal enemy Golden Boy, and what with the two men therefore fighting on opposite networks. I'd be pleasantly surprised if that fight happens with a WBO assist, but it's worth remembering that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
• Lomachenko's record. So.... is Lomachenko 1-1 or 7-1? I come down on it like this: Technically, 7-1, because of the letter of the law on the World Series of Boxing bouts in which Lomachenko participated. But I'm perfectly fine considering him 1-1 for a whole host of reasons. Lee Groves did a lengthy breakdown of this that was quality, although I would dispute him on some of the specifics. For instance, FightFax determined the WSB bouts were pro fights not because of their own authority, but because some state commissions deemed them such; other countries' commissions did not. The arguments about "paid, no headgear, it's a pro fight" are offset by the fact that amateur fighters were already sometimes paid and the amateurs have been moving back toward no headgear for a while. The line between "pro" and amateur has become increasingly blurred. For more on the WSB, check out what I wrote here about FightFax and the related links, and then check out the answers to questions I asked of AIBA here. This all clearly straddles the line. Something that is "semi-pro" is not by necessity actually professional -- the semi means it's somewhere in between. I've tended to rely on BoxRec for fighters' records because they're the ones I have access to rather than FightFax, but if someone wanted to say Lomachenko was 7-1 instead of 1-1, I have no serious dispute with that.
• Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.'s appeal. While I have tended to enjoy Chavez fights, that's as far as my appreciation of this spoiled, lazy, serial cheating brat goes. It counts for a lot -- fans tend to watch him in droves on HBO, to the tune of 1.4 million viewers for his super middleweight rematch win over Bryan Vera, and probably a good percentage of them did so because Chavez tends to put on a good show. But his antics have probably hurt him at the gate, as this was the second consecutive lower-than-usual attendance figure, albeit a figure that is good for any U.S. audience. There are fighters who do big TV ratings and fighters who do big gates and there's some crossover in those groups, but there is no strict correlation; fighters who have passionate, passionate followings tend to get the big live audiences. I continue to be baffled, though, about why anyone would idolize a fighter for what amounts to simply his last name; there are other action fighter with far smaller followings, and who work harder, and who are more like Chavez Sr. than Jr. is. Someone said to me on Twitter recently that if Chavez had a different last name, he'd be more hated than Adrien Broner. I don't think he would, but he'd be at least in the ballpark. I saw a comment on Twitter over the weekend to the effect that when Chavez wins, it's good for boxing. In some ways, it is -- he does bring in the eyeballs, and often he appeases said eyeballs. But he also does a lot of things that reflect poorly on the sport and its governance.
• Chavez's future. Speaking of Sr., he said (via promoter Bob Arum) that Chavez needs a better trainer as an A-level fighter. In a roundabout way, Chavez, by virtue of his size and chin and some amount of schooling, is an A-level fighter divisionally speaking, as he showed as a middleweight and as he might yet prove as a super middleweight. But he's not an A-level fighter in a pound-for-pound sense, and there's been little to suggest he ever could become one. And let's not forget that Chavez has had an elite trainer in Freddie Roach, and while it worked for a little while, it didn't cure all his ills. So we're looking at a Gennady Golovkin fight for Chavez in possibly his next fight, as mentioned before, and on skill Golovkin is A-level in a way Chavez isn't. But size, strength and a chin are weapons of their own, or else Chavez wouldn't have gotten this far, right? I lean toward thinking Golovkin beats Chavez up so badly most of his internal organs squirt out his mouth midfight, but I just don't know because Chavez is massive and Golovkin is untested at 168.
• Terence Crawford vs. Ricky Burns, revisited. Burns thought the scores were too close because he got the benefit of the doubt in his last fight. Whatever, dude. He and his promoter said he'll try for a rematch or else next pursue a title shot against someone less tricky, but he's neglecting that the other lightweight titleholders include the ultra-tricky Miguel Vazquez and Richard Abril, so, pssshhh. Another is Adrien Broner, who hasn't fought at lightweight in his last several fights and isn't expected to in his next one; maybe that alphabet outfit will find a way to strip him, and then Burns can fight for a vacant belt. If I had to guess, Crawford might target a fight in Nebraska, which means the boxing media will flock to the state to cover it... jk, go for it, Crawford. If Nebraska can become a boxing hotbed, more power to you. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to support the local guy, either.
• Arthur Abraham vs. Robert Stieglitz III. Like everybody else, I didn't see a performance like this being on the cards for Abraham, who has proven a so-so super middleweight who has gotten mostly narrow wins since leaving 160. He was more active than is his wont, and it made a difference. But Stieglitz was, too, overly aggressive, giving Abraham counterpunching opportunities aplenty, most especially in a 12th round he was winning until he got knocked down. It's one thing to come out hard like he did in the 12th to try to win it (thumbs up), and another thing to get as reckless as he got (thumbs down to still trying to go blow-for-blow with Abraham even after he was wobbled). Stieglitz can complain about the scorecards all he wants, but I don't know anyone who scored what was an honestly close fight for Stieglitz. I'm glad ESPN3 picked this one up, because while I couldn't watch it as I checked out Crawford-Burns on AWE at the same hour, I'd rather watch the replay on my Xbox 360 than catch some stream/YouTube clip on my computer screen.
• All Access: Canelo vs. Angulo. Showtime has gotten the hang of this "marketumentary" format, hasn't it? There was compelling material in the first episode of the preview series for the junior middleweight pay-per-view fight between Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo, especially in the Angulo camp -- we haven't seen him in this light before, with his daughter, with him considering trainer Virgil Hunter his father, with his stablemates a cast of big talents and/or misfits trying to rebound, etc. Anytime a series like this (HBO 24/7 being the other and the originator) features new characters, it benefits. But All Access is striking the right tones on the song choices, the cinematography, the narration, all of it.
• Friday Night Fights. Gotta agree with my man Matthew Swain -- you guys noticed he's a staff writer now, right? -- on every aspect of the ESPN2 show this weekend. Lightweight Boxcino > middleweight Boxcino, at least so far; the second round match-ups for the 160 pounders don't look half bad to me. FNF's Teddy Atlas became a subject of discussion for his bizarre, disturbing singing performance of "Coconut," which was one of those rare "funny yet scary or maybe the other way around" moments. While folk question from time to time whether Atlas has lost his marbles, I think at least most of the time he knows what he's doing. I've never spoken to him, but the impression I get from watching is that he wants to keep people engaged one way or another, be it endless metaphors or themed "fight plan" gimmicks or even, this go-round, singing. I suspect, for as long as he's been alive, he knows what his singing voice sounds like, and probably realized that such a performance would get people talking. But I dunno; that's me speculating. Sometimes I disagree with Atlas and he makes me groan, and sometimes I think he's one of the sanest guys out there. Speaking of, here he is talking about the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board of which I am a chairman.
TQBR Radio 3/4: Saul "Canelo" Alvarez Vs. Alfredo Angulo Preview http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/tqbr-radio-3-4-saul-canelo-alvarez-vs-alfredo-angulo-preview.html
(Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., left, rekindled the above magic last Saturday on HBO; via)
Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. Beats Brian Vera The Right Way This Time http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/julio-cesar-chavez-jr-beats-brian-vera-the-right-way-this-time.html
(Brian Vera, left, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., right; credit: Chris Farina, Top Rank)
This action-packed win Saturday on HBO by Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. over Brian Vera inspired very little of the disgust of the first meeting, when Chavez got a decision he didn't deserve, abetted by a weight scandal. This time, Chavez made weight. This time, Chavez deserved to win, which he did by unanimous decision. There were reasons for protest or offense, but they were relatively minor.
Chavez obviously has the bloodlines, he has the ridiculous size and strength. What he has lacked at times is the dedication to his craft, a respect for the sport itself. This time, Chavez made the agreed upon weight -- 168 pounds -- and fought like a man who had improved since his last outing against Vera. The best of Chavez trumped the best of Vera, then.
But oh, it was fun getting to that conclusion for a while. The two men traded enormous power punches throughout, but especially early, peaking in the 3rd. Vera's overhand right was brutal, and might even have briefly wobbled the unwobble-able Chavez. Chavez, meanwhile, massacred Vera's body with lead lefts and punished his head with left hooks and right crosses. Chavez was circling well, was even defending himself better than usual, was boxing well overall -- but Vera was also boxing well, and let's face it, the best defense by Chavez and Vera is the boxing equivalent of facing the Philadelphia 76ers this year: Even the worst opposition is going to rack up big statisitics. Chavez connected on 62 percent of his power punches per CompuBox, which, ouch.
Slowly, Chavez's size and accuracy took over. And that occasion for protest and/or disgust? It emerged in the 7th, when referee Rafael Ramos, without any warning, deducted Vera a point for pushing down on the back of Chavez's head. Yes, yes, Texas would find a way to give Chavez an edge, despite Vera being from the state, because, well, his name is Chavez. And then, again, Chavez would find a way to offend, using the 12th to showboat and play keep-away, a decision booed by the fans. Even when he puts on a quality performance, he has to behave like a punk-ass.
This was a fight that went more or less like it should've the first time: Chavez won by a mysterious 114-113, then 117-110 times two. He's the better fighter when he's on point and, at least as importantly, Vera is a smallish middleweight who fought over his head both this time and last. With the kind of punishment Vera took in these two fights, and has taken over his career, one hopes he got big enough paychecks against Chavez to contemplate retiring soon. He makes as hard a living as anyone in the sport.
Chavez didn't pack San Antonio as he has packed venues in the past. He didn't pack Carson, Calif., either, although he still did big TV ratings. You'd like to think he has his head screwed on straight about being a professional and winning over fans, but he showed up at the Alamodome exceptionally late and the 12th round hot-dogging was fully out of touch. He called out middleweight champion Sergio Martinez afterward, but Martinez, should he beat Miguel Cotto, probably isn't going to move up to 168 for a Chavez rematch, maybe not for anyone. In perfect English -- Chavez finds new ways to baffle constantly -- he also said he'd be down for Gennady Golovkin. This would be an action fight and a half. Golovkin is a murderous puncher at 160, and a quality boxer. We don't know what he would have at 168, which is why folk are intrigued by a meeting with the division's champ, Andre Ward. The Chavez fight would be a serious test of how Golovkin might fare at 168, and despite the diminished fan base for Chavez due to his antics, it's a richer fight than Ward can generate. It might also give Chavez's considerable contingent of haters a chance to see him beaten all to hell. With Golovkin pulling out of his April date due to the death of his father (condolences, GGG), maybe that fight can happen quite soon.
2014-03-02T10:46:32+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/julio-cesar-chavez-jr-beats-brian-vera-the-right-way-this-time.html
Dirty, Overweight Orlando Salido Gets By Vasyl Lomachenko http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/dirty-overweight-orlando-salido-gets-by-vasyl-lomachenko.html
(Orlando Salido, left, Vasyl Lomachenko, right; credit: Chris Farina, Top Rank)
There was nothing wrong with the judges' scorecards in the HBO meeting Saturday between grizzled veteran Orlando Salido and amateur great Vasyl Lomachenko, only with Salido's exploitation of missing weight and all the low blows he threw in the bout. It did the trick: Salido got a split decision win in San Antonio. It was the rare occasion where the judges getting it right was unfortunate.
Salido missed the 126 pound limit by two pounds and didn't bother trying to make it Friday. He then blew up to 147 pounds between the weigh-in and the fight, compared to Lomachenko's fight night weight of 135. That's two divisions' difference. Lomachenko appeared wary of the size advantage from the start, cautious with his punch output. On top of that, the crafty Salido outboxed him early -- he was especially smart in clinches and coming out of them, finding openings Lomachenko couldn't -- so it's not like the cautious Lomachenko approach translated into him racking up points smartly.
Salido's body work throughout was impressive. His low blows, which were legion, were not. Oh, they were effective -- he didn't even get warned until the 8th. They were just a turn-off. Referee Laurence Cole got snookered on some of them, with Salido using his savvy to throw low blows at angles Cole couldn't see. But some of them were obvious no matter where you were standing. Cole is a dolt, plain and simple; after a stretch of him not being involved with any controversy, I suppose we were overdue.
Lomachenko did start to surge in the mid-late rounds, as Salido began to tire, at one point falling down for no apparent reason. And Lomachenko charged for the knockout in the 11th and 12th, doing major damage in the 11th and nearly getting a 10-8 12th because he beat up Salido so severely, nearly dropping him with a straight left. Lomachenko held a ton, which Cole warned him for far earlier than he did Salido's offenses. In the 12th, Salido held on for dear life, and won by scores of of 115-113 and 116-112 to nullify the 115-113 card for Lomachenko.
Much was made about Lomachenko fighting for a title in his second bout. I'm not a fan of the alphabet titles, and I'm not impressed by Salido winning the one he won against Orlando Cruz, who transparently got the title shot not on the merits but because of the novelty of a gay fighter trying to win a bout. It's a stunt title, this 126-pound WBO strap -- what novelty opponent will be found for it next, now that Salido is without thanks to the weight shenanigans? I was impressed, however, by Lomachenko wanting to take on such a wily, hardened pro so early. As it happened, Salido gave him a cruel introduction to several aspects of the pro game. In the pros, you can miss weight flamboyantly and use it to your advantage later. In the pros, if you're fighting in Texas, you'll be subjected to a jurisdiction with a track record of incompetence or worse. In the pros, you'll meet guys like Salido, who knows all the tricks -- above board and below -- and will punish you to the body unlike any amateur will.
There are good fights for both men now, at least. Lomachenko would be wise to slow it down and learn some of those tricks himself, get some experience; that he nearly beat Salido despite all of the ugliness speaks well of his pro prospects. Salido will find opponents with which he can make exciting bouts at 130, a weaker division than 126.
2014-03-02T09:16:17+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/dirty-overweight-orlando-salido-gets-by-vasyl-lomachenko.html
Terence Crawford Wins, Ends Ricky Burns' "Skin Of His Teeth" Streak http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/terence-crawford-wins-ends-ricky-burns-skin-of-his-teeth-streak.html
(Terence Crawford [red, white and blue trunks] topped Ricky Burns; credit: Lawrence Lustig, Matchroom Boxing)
This time, Ricky Burns couldn't benefit from an opponent quizzically quitting, like Jose Gonzalez did, or from hometown judging in Glasgow, like the kind that saved him from a loss against Raymundo Beltran. Terence Crawford was too much for Burns Saturday on AWE, even if he wasn't as good as he could've or should've been, and he got the unanimous decision win.
Both men started the fight off like they needed to, with the taller Burns continuously pumping out his jab and Crawford responding with uncharacteristically aggressive power punching combinations. For some reason, Crawford more or less disappeared in the 2nd and 3rd, fighting from a southpaw stance that didn't seem to help him much. But by the 4th, when Crawford resumed his aggression and backed up Burns to force him into a defensive shell, it was all Crawford. Burns tried to rally in the 9th, and won the 10th on my scorecard and some others, but Crawford snuffed out his momentum in the 11th and beat him up in the 12th. The score of 117-111 was the same as mine, with the two 116-112 scorecards a touch too generous to Burns.
To hear Sky Sports' Jim Watt tell it, this was a "different" Burns, an underconfident Burns, a Burns worried about the jaw Beltran broke. You'd think he hadn't seen Burns' performances against Beltran (who deserved to win in one of the robberies of 2013) or how Burns was getting dominated by Gonzalez, a fighter with no real track record. Nope, this was the same Burns we've seen lately -- a pugilist apparently past his best days, still capable of showing flashes of grit or effective yet ragged boxer-puncher business. Burns overachieved for a time, and it was an impressive run. These days, he apparently doesn't have it.
For as clearly as he won, for all his speed and schooling, Crawford comes away from the by far best victory of his career a bit of a headscratcher. He had to know that a laissez faire approach was poisonous to his chances of winning on foreign soil, yet showed that attitude early. He turned up the activity from the 4th on, but still had stretches where he didn't keep the pressure on his man; it took Burns catching him with a good one here and there to make Crawford respond with gusto. I wonder if it's about temperament for him, or maybe it's stamina -- in the 12th, he went on full attack, and it didn't take long for him to get winded. Either way, he's in the discussion for the top lightweight in a division that is thin gruel right now. Yet it's hard to imagine him beating Miguel Vazquez fighting like this. As someone with hype as the potential to become the pound-for-pound best American fighter, we needed more from Crawford than we got Saturday. And while he delivered more action than he has of late, Burns had something to do with that, so whatever the nature of his temporary exile from HBO, it's not clear that if lack of excitement was to blame, he solved that problem, either.
On the undercard, blue chip heavyweight prospect Anthony Joshua made easy work of Hector Avila, stopping him in one round with a big counter left. Joshua, in just his fifth fight, appears all the world like a potential superstar and has the personality and look to compliment his size, athleticism and Olympic pedigree. But it is very, very early, and we learned nothing from this bout that we didn't know already. Promoter Eddie Hearn and Sky tried to sell Avila as the man who went nine rounds with Dereck Chisora a year ago, neglecting the fact that he'd been stopped twice since, including once in the 1st round, by fighters far inferior to Chisora. Hearn said they'd be looking at Michael Sprott or Matt Skelton next, two reasonable step-ups and reasonably advanced opponents for a prospect at this stage of his career.
Other than the main event, the rest of the card was loaded up with bores and mismatches (which includes Joshua's), save perhaps Scott Cardle's stoppage of Paul Appelby. Usually you celebrate a seven-fight telecast, but it felt interminable because of the nature of the matchmaking.
2014-03-02T05:08:31+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/march/terence-crawford-wins-ends-ricky-burns-skin-of-his-teeth-streak.html
Chris Pearson Tested; Badou Jack Stopped; J'Leon Love Treads Water http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/chris-pearson-tested-badou-jack-stopped-j-leon-love-treads-water.html
(Derek Edwards catches Badou Jack; credit: Tom Casino, Showtime)
If we must be inflicted with a zombified verson of ShoBox that fellates the promotional stable of Floyd Mayweather, the least Showtime can give us is match-ups in the spirit of the series, i.e. prospects in tough tests. We got that in two of the three bouts on Friday, with one test too difficult and another just about right. The third, the headliner, didn't rate.
Super middleweight J'Leon Love dominated Vladine Biosse in the main event, cutting up and swelling his face en route to a 10th round technical knockout. Biosse was resilient, I'll give him that, but he was outclassed. With losses to Denis Grachev and Marcus Upshaw, Biosse was no real upgrade over Lajuan Simon, Love's comeback opponent after his narrow win over Gabriel Rosado was turned into a no contest thanks to a failed drug test. Love was faster and sharper from the start, and never really lost a round definitively. He did have to fight through a cut around his left eye that opened in the 4th, but then, Biosse had to deal with a worse cut around his right eye beginning in the 3rd. In the 10th, the referee picked no particular occasion to stop the bout, but the punishment he absorbed overall made the sentiment appropriate. Love hasn't yet reestablished himself as a fighter who will make waves, rather one who might.
Derek Edwards dashed Badou Jack upon the rocks like a newborn in some religious fable, in a result that came more or less out of nowhere. Edwards has played the role of legitimate threat before, but he hasn't flashed 1st round knockout power, and Jack had proven resilient enough against solid hitters like Marco Antonio Periban (majority draw or no). As Jack went to throw a jab, Edwards timed him perfectly and walked him into an overhand right from which Jack never recovered. Jack got up, but was in little shape to continue and the next real combo Edwards landed put him down again and this time the referee saw enough. The undefeated Jack had flashed the potential to become a contender at super middleweight,flawed though he was, and while 1st round knockouts can be flukey, this was deeply discouraging for Jack's chances to move from prospect to top-10 guy.
Junior middleweight prospect Chris Pearson had demonstrated the right stuff coming into Friday, only he had done it against mediocre competition. Lanardo Tyner? That dude is never a picnic. He was no stroll in the park for Pearson, either, who controlled most rounds with his boxing ability and height/reach, except Tyner came on late, dropping Pearson in the 6th and giving him 100 percent hell in the final two rounds, too. One judge gave it to Tyner, 76-75, which was too generous to Tyner; the other two judges gave it to Pearson, 78-73, which was better, although maybe it could've been one round closer. Pearson, one of the more acclaimed Mayweather prospects, got a test he needed and fought through the adversity. That's one of the things a prospect needs, and Pearson now has it. What he does in response to all that will tell the next tale for Pearson.
2014-03-01T11:04:41+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/chris-pearson-tested-badou-jack-stopped-j-leon-love-treads-water.html
Boxcino Tournament On Friday Night Fights Dips With The Middleweights http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/boxcino-tournament-on-friday-night-fights-dips-with-the-middleweights.html
Two stoppages, a quit, and a debatable decision. That's how the opening round of ESPN's Boxcino middleweight tournament ended up Friday. It was an uneven night full of uneven performances from the Horshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., compared to the lightweight tournament's inaugural round.
In the opening bout, Daniel Edouard (23-5-2, 14 KOs) quit on his stool after the 4th round of a seemingly winnable fight against Brandon Adams. Adams (13-0, 9 KOs) was making a huge step up, in that Edouard was the first fighter he had faced with anything remotely close to a winning record. Edouard, who had not fought in three years, looked the part for about half a round. By the beginning of the 2nd he was not engaging and couldn't seem to get his punches off. Adams did not impress, but he did get the win.
Ray Gatica won a wild swinging bout by stopping Sena Agbeko in the second fight of the night. Agbeko (15-1, 15 KOs) came in with a glossy record built entirely in his native Ghana. The gloss faded very quickly as Gatica (14-2, 9 KOs) of Austin, Texas consistently landed the harder, cleaner shots. The 3rd round was one sided-enough to be scored 10-8 on my card and by the 4th, Agbeko was a sitting duck.
The Gatica-Adams matchup in the semifinals should be interesting. Neither man is technically sound but I favor Adams' straighter punches. Don't count on either man missing very much.
The performance of the night belonged to Vitaliy Kopalenko, who stopped Cerresso Fort in the 2nd round of a one-sided fight. Kopalenko (23-0, 13 KOs) was making his American debut and did not disappoint. He battered Fort (17-3-1, 11 KOs) from the opening bell with laser guided jabs and excellent combinations. The 30-year-old Ukrainian showed solid foot work and tight technique to go along with his surprising power.
Kopalenko will meet Willie Monroe, Jr. in their semi final match. Monroe (16-1, 6 KOs) beat Donatas Bondorovas by scores of 58-56, and 59-55 (twice). I had it scored 58-56 for Bondorovas (18-5-1, 6 KOs) but it was a close bout and difficult to score; however, the 59-55 cards were too wide. There was very little to separate the two fighters. Bondorovas' aggression was largely ineffective, and Monroe's counterpunching did almost nothing to discourage his foe.
I had difficulty finding footage of the fighters involved in the tournament, so I put off making any picks until I had seen them fight. At this point, Kopalenko is clearly established as the favorite. I don't see Monroe giving him much trouble in the semis, and if Adams gets by Gatica, as I expect he will, he does not possess the tools to deal with Kopalenko's range, timing, movement and accuracy in the finals.
Rabies Watch: Another subdued performance from Teddy Atlas, though we were treated to him singing at the opening of the show. It was... special.
2014-03-01T10:12:58+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/boxcino-tournament-on-friday-night-fights-dips-with-the-middleweights.html
The Tale Of The (Lesser) Tape http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/the-tale-of-the-lesser-tape.html Styles make fights. And body types, especially when pitted against other bodies, make for styles.
For those of you who may lack gray hair or memory, this is pretty much what a description of those bodies, a Tale of the Tape, is supposed to look like -- what it used to look like. What, in the very least, every major newspaper (and often less than major: Marvin Hagler/Tommy Hearns, Daytona Beach Morning Journal) would print before a big fight; what every TV broadcaster would show.
And yes, a 10 year-old with Microsoft Publisher could probably have done a better job than this Tale from the Thrilla; and yes, Joe Frazier probably should have held a lifelong grudge against whomever actually designed it. But what the mid-70s and 80s lacked in graphics ability was more than made up for in information.
Look at the detail: age, weight, height and reach. This we still get from major broadcasters (newspapers in the U.S. for the most part abandoned boxing fans to our blogs over a decade ago) but notably (more below) the “Reach” here is full wingspan, from fingertip to tip, not the “length of arm” we get from HBO, Showtime, et al.
But the rest! Biceps, chest (normal and expanded), waist, thigh and calf.
Since when is the size of a boxer’s bicep not important? His legs, neck, waist and chest?
Years later, when Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes, the Tale of the Tape was a tale of woe writ large: Age: 38, weight, just five pounds more at 225; but waist: 37 ½! ; chest, three inches plus at 47 normal and 49 expanded, calves and thighs the same at 17 and 26.
I’m not sure when, exactly, we began to get the truncated Tale, but suffice it to say, knowing better, the short form leaves something to be desired. If you can give me a six minute videographic on the difficulty of a boxer’s youth, surely you can take the time to flash the size of his biceps and waist across the screen. And seemingly, a number of promoters are still compiling the information (a quick google search on “boxing tale of the tape” shows long form Tales for the likes of Floyd Mayweather/Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather/Juan Manuel Marquez, Mayweather/Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao/Miguel Cotto, Andre Ward/Mikkel Kessler and Andre Dirrell/Arthur Abraham), it’s just not getting generally broadcast to the public through print, broadcast or otherwise.
As for the reach, the armpit to fingertip measurement would be fine -- if boxers stood square and only punched with their arms. They don’t. Or at least the good ones don’t. Just look above at Ali in his stance, left side to front extending toward his opponent, the chest both leading and set to follow the jab forward -- the chest every bit a part of reach as the fist.
I’m not saying the armpit to fingertip isn’t a useful number; I’ll take it. Just give me the wingspan reach, chest, waist, thigh, neck and calf too. And while you’re at it, maybe throw in the forearm, fist and ankle— three chapters in the Tale of the Tape that didn’t make it into this Ali/Frazier poster, but were mainstays throughout boxing history.
What good can an ankle measurement be? You’d be surprised. Consider for a moment Hagler/Ray Leonard, courtesy of The Detroit Free Press from April 6, 1987:
HAGLER. LEONARD. Age 32 30, Weight 160 160, Height 5-9 ½ 5-10 ½, Reach 75 74, Chest 40 39, Biceps 15 15, Forearm 12 11 ¾, Waist 30 30, Thigh 22 21, Calf 15 13, Neck 16 15 ½, Wrist 7 7, Fist 12 11, Ankle 9 9 ¾
If you look closely, the story of the fight is there. The numbers truly tell a Tale. Hagler did his roadwork in army boots; Leonard skipped a lot of rope. Leonard is taller, but Hagler is bigger: full inch in the chest (also his reach advantage) another inch up in the thigh, and two whole inches in the calf (look above, Hagler’s calves were, remarkably, as big as Frazier’s). But even with smaller thighs and decidedly smaller calves, Leonard still has ankles ¾ of an inch bigger!
Even if you had never heard of either fighter, tell me -- with ankles like that, which boxer demanded the 24 foot ring and would be up on his toes throughout the fight?
Telling examples of such Tales in boxing are almost endless, that’s why they told the full tale of the tape for so very long—here’s Jack Johnson/Jess Willard; Jack Dempsey/Tommy Gibbons, Joe Louis/ Rocky Marciano; and Roberto Duran/Leonard.
Just like that videographic on the fighter’s road to the big time, the Tale of the Tape is one worth telling -- and age, weight and armpit reach doesn’t begin to tell the story.
2014-03-01T02:04:01+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/the-tale-of-the-lesser-tape.html
Throwback Thursday: Young Peter Jackson And Dixie Kid Fight To A Stalemate http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/throwback-thursday-young-peter-jackson-and-dixie-kid-fight-to-a-stalemate.html
(Young Peter Jackson; via)
Even the most rabid of boxing fans would have to scrape the look of perplexity off their faces if asked about that time Sim Thompkins and Aaron Lister Brown met in a ring. But tell them Young Peter Jackson and Dixie Kid squared off, and that might be speaking their language.
Around the time of their meeting on December 26, 1904, nicknames and clever monikers were often ways to simply pay tribute to hometowns, ethnicity and even fighters of yesteryear who paved dangerous roads.
In this case, Young Peter Jackson's nickname was an homage to former "colored" heavyweight champion Peter Jackson, who waded through the heavyweight ranks, skin pigment unimportant, to have a respected boxing career. And that meant something to many, whether he realized it or not.
Jack Johnson, giant of both Galveston, Texas and black history, visited the grave of Jackson -- who had died of tuberculosis in 1901 -- in Brisbane, Australia shortly after seizing the heavyweight championship in 1908, as a nod of respect to one of his predecessors.
On Jackson's grave marker reads simply, "This was a man."
Dixie Kid and Young Peter Jackson were among those who followed in the wake of such culture-bending and stereotype-destroying figures, merely trying to be men themselves.
By Christmas in 1904, Dixie Kid had lost inside the distance only three times in 42 fights: twice by stoppage, and once by DQ. His record was respectable in any era, but especially so in one where fewer opportunities usually meant tougher gauntlets to survive.
Outside of Maryland and the California coast, where he had fought most of his bouts, the Kid was likely best known for his controversial April, 1904 tussle with the "Barbados Demon" Joe Walcott for the welterweight title. In the final frame of the 20 round bout, Walcott was disqualified for a punch in the kidney area despite not having been warned prior. It was later unveiled that referee James Sullivan had bet on Dixie Kid, thus the fight was voided as a title bout, but the result stuck.
Local press in Baltimore opined that Jackson would have an easy contest in front of him. A hat was tipped the Kid's way for going nearly even up with Philadelphia Jack O'Brien at literally the last minute's notice, though, as Chicago native John Willis failed to show for their fight, and the Kid, who was sitting ringside, volunteered himself and, according to the Baltimore American, "under the conditions the Kid fought decidedly well."
Jackson had his own run-ins with Joe Walcott, going 1-2-2 against the legendary figure. But Jackson's lone win was by stoppage -- the only early ending in their five fight series, even if Walcott claimed the final body shot was low.
Unlike Dixie Kid, Jackson traveled to wherever he could fight, apparently. He spent chunks of time in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, the California Bay Area and more. After defeating Walcott in their final encounter, Jackson fought six times in England, winning all six fights by knockout, on what served as both a publicity and "stay busy" type of international tour.
Though Jackson's win over Walcott was fought at a catchweight, Jackson was often billed as the welterweight champion, while the Kid claimed the welterweight and middleweight championships of California based on a KO win in one round over Al Neill the previous February. Neill had defeated Jackson by points in 20 rounds two years prior, which more or less made a Jackson vs. Dixie Kid bout a natural.
Jackson trained in Catonsville, a city in the western region of Baltimore County, where he had lived and trained for his win over Walcott. He was joined in camp by Joe Gans and Kid Sullivan, a Washington D.C. scrapper that was in and out of the lightweight title picture for a few years. But the bout was fought at the Eureka Athletic Club, which was the most famous fight venue in Baltimore for about 20 years, on Shell Rd. in an industrial section of the city.
In the days leading up to the bout, Sullivan and Dixie Kid's manager, Denny Murray, had a side bet of "$400 to $500," said The Sun. The Kid was to have arrived in Baltimore with future great trainer Jack Blackburn, but instead was seconded by a rowdy group in Murray, Eddie Haney and Billy Reynolds.
Word of low ticket sales and attendance got out, but to aid in the promotion of the bout, it was announced that Dixie Kid would be getting married promptly after the fight. A headline in the Baltimore American read, "In Ring At Three, At Altar At Five." The Kid was to meet his bride at the Centennial Colored Church afterward, to which Jackson replied, "He certainly had no right to make two such engagements on the same day," then promised to postpone the wedding by making the Kid suffer. And on the day of the contest, Jackson said he changed his fighting style to be able to sustain his offense throughout the fight.
When the fight materialized, the action was unfortunately relatively tame, apart from a few rounds. Both men reportedly fought a measured 1st round, but in round 2, Jackson caught the Kid with a series of punches that either put the latter through the ropes, or set him up for being pushed through them, depending on which reports are to be believed. The Baltimore American reported, "...in the second [Jackson] went to work, and in the old-school Jacksonian way put down the Kid for the count of nine with a shower of rights and lefts and shoved him through the ropes," then said, "From the third round on Jackson was sleigh-riding."
Seemingly content with the work he had done to that point, Jackson's offense dipped while the Kid forced the action from a distance. The Kid managed to batter Jackson about the ribs inside, though to ringside observers, Jackson was the stronger of the two when he let his hands go inside. What may have made Jackson reluctant, however, was that before the fight, the Kid's corner and few supporters demanded that the breaks enforced by referee James O'Hara be "clean," meaning there would be far less of the inside grappling and locking up that favored Jackson.
The Kid's loud and trifling corner became a factor throughout the bout as well, and a famed local Deputy Marshal named Manning had to repeatedly warn the cornermen to settle down or have their man lose by disqualification.
Either Jackson's power was telling in the middle rounds, or his foe's stamina was suspect, because the Kid vomited in his corner between rounds on a regular basis after a 6th round that saw his nose bloodied significantly.
The final three rounds, and the 14th and 15th in particular saw Dixie Kid attempting to make up for lost time, rocking Jackson on a few occasions and taking punches in return before nearly throwing him over the ropes in the last few minutes. Both men finished exhausted, unable to bring a decisive ending, and the fight was declared a draw.
The overall gist of things was slightly split, though, as the Trenton Evening Times said, "Dixie Kid did the leading throughout the fight, Jackson apparently not extending himself except in three rounds." Meanwhile, the Baltimore American suggested that the fight wasn't much more than a sparring session for Jackson, and the Saginaw Newsreported in their headline, "Peter Jackson could have put the Dixie Kid out."
Whatever the case, the two men crossed paths just this once and went separate ways.
Jackson got a return bout with Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (and by proxy a shot at an unclear version of the middleweight title in the process) three months later, which is precisely what Dixie Kid craved. He repeatedly fought Sam Langford, among many others, before retiring in 1914.
The Kid's wedding was off, as aside from the fact that marriage license clerks were on vacation for the holidays, it was found out that he was already married. He fought a week later, though, fighting to another draw, again in 15 rounds, in the same venue, with the same referee, this time against Larry Temple. From there, the quality of the Kid's opposition dipped significantly, and he never fought past 10 rounds again, losing frequently until finally retiring following his own European tour in 1920.
And they eventually became men.
2014-02-28T02:22:02+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/throwback-thursday-young-peter-jackson-and-dixie-kid-fight-to-a-stalemate.html
Just Deserts: Brian Vera Vs. Julio Cear Chavez, Jr. II Preview And Prediction http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/just-deserts-brian-vera-vs-julio-cear-chavez-jr-ii-preview-and-prediction.html
In boxing, "deserve" is a word with little meaning. With the right promotional connections, with the right adviser, with the right name, with the right country of origin, you can skip directly to the front of the line. This Saturday on HBO, the two A-side boxers are the recipients of boons they have not truly earned, but for opposite reasons. One is the beneficiary of all that is ugly about the sport -- a spoiled, lazy child who showed no respect for the rules to get a win he did not "deserve," but who got it anyway because he had a famous father and influential godfather. The other is exemplary -- fighting for a title in just his second pro fight, he has done nothing in the professional game to "deserve" such a high-caliber foe, but because of his talent, bravery and exceptional amateur record, he is getting one anyway, and it looks all the world like a truly excellent bout on the merits.
It must be said of Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., the headliner Saturday, that he did for a time rise to the level of a top middleweight contender. The famous last name got him on the map; his considerable bulk and natural punch resistance gave him a good start to build upon; and the improvement he demonstrated under trainer Freddie Roach moved him from hype to reality. He was moments away from dethroning the division's champion, Sergio Martinez in the final round of their 2012 meeting, although indicators of a lackaidaisical training camp could have robbed him of a win he might otherwise have snatched. It was his next fight that set up this one: a decision win over Brian Vera few thought he should've received, a outcome for which he needed an ever-shifting weight target and bad judging to get even that tarnished "W." This rematch will, apparently, shed light on whether a properly prepared Chavez can earn a victory outright -- and whether Vera, who fought as well as ever in the first bout, can deal with Chavez at full power.
The undercard bout is more enticing, and without the foul aftertaste. In recent years, we've seen a few Cuban amateur greats, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Yuriorkis Gamboa, do battle with much more advanced competition than new pros usually tackle. But Vasyl Lomachenko, a Ukranian amateur great, is putting them to shame Saturday with his second opponent, Orlando Salido. As much as they thrived early on, both Rigo and Gamboa hit speed bumps on the road to pro acclaim, none of them as merciless to one's chassis as Salido has demonstrated he can be. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find an opponent who could be any more dangerous to a new professional. He's not a man you get rid of easily, and while he can be outboxed, the longer the fight goes, the more fearsome he gets. If Lomachenko isn't ready for life in the ring without headgear, Salido will reveal that shortcoming painfully.
If Chavez was going to rip off Vera, at least by giving him a rematch he snags Vera a second paycheck. When I said above that it was his name and godfather (WBC boss Jose Sulaiman, since deceased) that got him the win, I didn't mean they did so directly. Whatever was going through the minds of the judges who thought Chavez beat Vera, consciously or unconsciously they favored him, and that can be traced back to their perception of him as the fighter who ought to have won as the big name, the man with the following, the man with the institution behind him.
Ideally, Vera would be coming into this fight with the win he deserved and forcing Chavez to get even. It's not totally clear to me why this fight is happening under the circumstances, but I gather it's that Chavez couldn't be taken seriously for a harder fight without first definitively beating Vera, a fringe contender at best prior to the Chavez loss.
That's not to denigrate Vera as a fighter. He has gotten awfully far on grit and determination. He's a difficult man to wound, and he has sprung upsets on the likes of Andy Lee and Sergio Mora. Moreover, against Chavez, Vera boxed as intelligently as he ever has, actually making use of the concepts known as "head movement" and "counterpunching." Trainer Ronnie Shields practically turned him into a slickster! Vera kept the stiff-legged Chavez in the mud with constant activity -- both circling the ring and throwing punches in volume. When Chavez would get close and land something, Vera would throw combinations to nullify Chavez's harder punching. Chavez did wound him at least once, but Vera recovered well.
Even at his best, Vera didn't dominate the fight -- a number of fans and writers could've lived with a draw. Chavez most certainly wasn't at his best, repeatedly negotiating changes to the weight limit before settling on 173 pounds. This fight is set for 168, and there are big financial penalties should Chavez exceed it. Eyewitnesses have said Chavez looks to be in shape this week. His lead left to the body and hooking shots up top with both hands were impressive against Vera. All he needs is more of it this time and he can hurt Vera and/or win rounds more clearly. If he has trained properly, that's an achievable goal.
Vera said he's added even more wrinkles this time, and I'm inclined to believe he has. That makes me want to pick him, plus I don't like predicting winners from people with poor work habits who are saying "this time" they're ready. But the combination of a slightly improved Vera and perhaps greatly improved Chavez, along with all the same institutional backing Chavez gets, makes it hard to pick Vera. I'll go with Chavez by a narrow decision, but a less controversial (if still debatable) one.
It's like the Game of Thrones commercials HBO keeps running -- just substitute out the setting of Westeros for boxing: "If you want justice, you've come to the wrong place."
The featherweight Lomachenko made a big impression in his pro debut, and he certainly has considerable tools. He hurt Jose Ramirez to the body repeatedly, including with the shot that finished him in the 4th. He's no lumbering Eastern European -- his hands are lightning fast, and he throws world class combinations with them. He does damage with a combination of power and punch placement, which is immaculate. Defensively, he has good head movement and can dodge punches with slight body adjustments. And to make everything that much trickier, he's a southpaw.
But he got hit more than I expected him to by Ramirez. He took body shots early. He also got cornered at times and hit. The abrasion on his face was evidence of the damage done. Ramirez was a fantastic opponent for his pro debut, but he hasn't exhibited any of the power or veteran savvy Salido has. If Ramirez can hit Lomachenko like that, Salido can, and we'll find out a good deal about Lomachenko's chin here.
In a lot of ways, Lomachenko is like a more offensive-minded, quicker and less cautious version of Mikey Garcia, who carved Salido up pretty well. At least, he did for a while. Salido began to get into that groove he gets into over the course of a fight. He's not a defensive wizard but he has a few tricks up his sleeve, and used timing, willpower and cleverness on both ends to work his way into the bout. If the bout hadn't been stopped due to Garcia's broken nose, we don't know whether Salido would've gotten to him.
And we don't know if Salido can do the same to Lomachenko. That's one of the things that makes this bout so fascinating. It could go any which way. Lomachenko could demolish Salido and prove he's the prodigy Top Rank clearly believes him to be, to match him this adventurously this early. Lomachenko could dominate to start, then Salido could give him the Salido treatment in a fight to the finish with a close result. Salido could prove too much, too soon for Lomachenko's pro career and stop him.
As good as Salido looked in his last fight against Orlando Cruz, though, it must be remembered that he was fighting Cruz and that he has struggled more and more frequently as he has aged. The high points are still very recent, like against Juan Manuel Lopez in 2011 and 2012 -- but he has had a couple close calls, too. He also has been talking about moving up in weight for a while now, a complaint he issued again this week.
Given all this, I'll submerge my nagging notion that Salido is going to beat up Lomachenko. I expect it to look like Salido-Garcia, only with Salido getting started a bit later and Lomachenko not being as gravely threatened as a result. Lomachenko by decision.
2014-02-27T11:52:16+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/just-deserts-brian-vera-vs-julio-cear-chavez-jr-ii-preview-and-prediction.html
The Week’s Boxing Schedule, Featuring Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Vasyl Lomachenko And Ricky Burns http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/the-week-s-boxing-schedule-featuring-julio-cesar-chavez-jr-vasyl-lomachenko-and-ricky-burns.html
At TQBR we like to expand your sporting frontiers, which is why we’re leading this edition of the weekly schedule with this gif of excited South African cricketer Dale Steyn. Like Steyn, we’re excited. Excited about big fights being back on the menu. Those large events come courtesy of HBO, AWE (formerly Wealth TV) and even ESPN2 with their Boxcino tournament. Let’s get into it.
• Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. vs. Brian Vera, Saturday, HBO, San Antonio. This fight actually makes me a bit sad. Chavez, Jr. (47-1-1, 32 KO) is a spoilt child who used his star power to force Vera (23-7, 14 KO), a natural middleweight at best, to fight at light heavyweight when he was too lazy to make the weight in their first go-round. Vera, to his credit, fought his heart out only to see the judges take his deserved win away. Now they’re doing it again, except this time Chavez has taken the fight seriously and I think he’ll win easily. I wish it wasn’t so but it is. The much more interesting fight is the featherweight support bout between Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko (1-0, 1 KO) and Mexico’s Orlando “Siri” Salido (40-12-2, 28 KO). Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, wanted to win a world title in his first pro fight, but had to settle for attempting in his second. Talk about precocious. They guy is an animal, like the version of Yuriorkis Gamboa that we used to capitalise around these parts. Salido is a real challenge as well, he takes a while to warm up but he’s hard as hell (if a little inconsistent). I think Lomachenko can do it.
• Ricky Burns vs. Terence Crawford, Saturday, AWE, Glasgow. The Glaswegian crowd might not get all they bargained for here, with two tactical boxer types topping the bill (I just wanted to write Glaswegian). That’s not to say that this lightweight match-up isn’t a quality one, it is; Burns (36-2-1, 11 KO) and Crawford (22-0, 16 KO) are #3 and #5 in the Transnational Boxing Rankings, respectively. It’s just that Burns is a mover and a fencer, while Crawford is a pure counterpuncher. Burns has been dragged into the trenches before (paging Ray Beltran), but Crawford isn’t the man to do that. Crawford has the pizzazz to engage Burns, but if he doesn’t show more urgency than he did in his last fight, against Andrey Klimov, he’ll just eat jabs all night. London super heavyweight gold medalist Anthony Joshua fights on the undercard (he seems to fight virtually every weekend at this point, good on him).
• Boxcino middleweight tournament, Friday, ESPN2, Hammond Ind. If last week’s lightweight quarterfinals were anything to go by, then the middleweight bracket of Friday Night Fights’ Boxcino middleweight tournament should be a blast. It should also be fairly unpredictable, but that’s never stopped me before. The wild cards are Ghana’s Sena Agbeko (15-0, 15 KO) and Ukraine’s Vitaliy Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KO), who fight Midwestern club fighter Cerresso Forte (17-2-1, 11 KO) and Texan Raymond Gatica (13-2, 8 KO), respectively. The toughest match-up of the night might be between Chicago based Lithunian Donatas Bondorovas (18-4-1, 6 KO), who had a close run thing with the aforementioned Vera last year, and Willie Monroe, Jr. (15-1, 6 KO). Monroe is doubtless the more polished of the two, but Bondorovas could maybe shake things up if he can fluster the New Yorker with his big right hand. The remaining fight pits LA prospect Brandon Adams (12-0, 8 KO) against Daniel “The Haitian Sensation” Edouard (23-4-2, 14 KO). Adams looks like he applies intelligent pressure (in the footage I’ve seen of him), but he’s a little ponderous and somewhat hittable. Eduouard hasn’t fought in three years and lost last time out to Peter Manfredo, Jr., but he’ll nevertheless be a big step up for Adams. I’d like to think the rookie can do it, though.
• Robert Stieglitz vs. Arthur Abraham, Saturday, Magdeburg Germany. Stieglitz (46-3, 26 KO) and Abraham (38-4, 28 KO) are having a third fight and I see absolutely no reason why it won’t turn out exactly like the second, in which Stieglitz stopped Abraham in four. Abraham’s large water bird is cooked. He was never that flash as a super middleweight anyway.
• The Rest. If you’ve got a thing for former drug cheats, then Showtime has a ShoBox for you on Friday night, with middleweight J’Leon Love (16-0, 9 KO) and lightweight Mickey Bey (19-1-1, 10 KO) both fighting… If that’s not your thing, but you still want to watch some boxing before Saturday, Universal Sports Network is airing a Thursday show from Brooklyn on tape delay, headlined by a clash of young New York cruiserweight prospects, Steve Bujaj (10-0, 7 KO) and Elvin Sanchez (6-2-1, 5 KO) Slow but fun Mexican welterweight brawler Pablo Cesar Cano (27-3-1, 20 KO) fights veteran Fernando Angulo (no relation of Alfredo) on the outskirts of Mexico City Saturday on Fox Deportes. Angulo’s boxrec page intriguingly claims that he “ran away at age seven to live in the jungle for months at a time over the years.” I’m sold… Hekkie Budler (24-1, 7 KO), the #2 strawweight contender, fights Karluis Diaz (21-4, 13 KO) in Johannesburg the same night.
2014-02-26T06:33:39+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/the-week-s-boxing-schedule-featuring-julio-cesar-chavez-jr-vasyl-lomachenko-and-ricky-burns.html
Finally, Floyd Mayweather Picks His Next Fight: Marcos Maidana http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/finally-floyd-mayweather-picks-his-next-fight-marcos-maidana.html The wait to figure out who Floyd Mayweather will beat next is over, and the choice, announced Monday, is Marcos Maidana. It was always down to two men, Maidana and Amir Khan, and an impatient, overeager, petulant Khan deliberately removed himself from the competition last week, declaring, laughably, that Mayweather was scared -- a failed attempt to save face when it looked like Madana would get the call for the May 3 Showtime pay-per-view gig.
Despite the opening sentence's submission to the foregone conclusion, Maidana (at right) proactively established himself as the most viable available option at welterweight, whereas Khan did not. Khan scraped by his last opponent, Julio Diaz, nearly a year ago in his debut above 140 pounds. Maidana bashed his way into the Mayweather fight with a hard-nosed defeat of Mayweather's "little brother," second rate Mayweather clone and protege Adrien Broner.
Other welterweight options weren't options for one reason or another. Manny Pacquiao still isn't an option for Mayweather, so long as Pacquiao remains with Top Rank Promotions, and probably forever anyway, because Mayweather has never wanted the fight and neither have various other people attached to the two men. Other Top Rank-affiliated fighters are also therefore out. Shawn Porter is more highly ranked at 147, but not by much, and he only recently arrived as a real contender, whereas Maidana -- as the news release points out repeatedly -- is Latino and has the marketable storyline of having beaten Mayweather's buddy.
There are better Mayweather opponents in other divisions, too. They just aren't on the cards yet. Junior middleweight Erislandy Lara is widely viewed as the biggest threat to Mayweather in the division where his is the lineal champion, but his fan base is small and therefore brings little money to the table. Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez would make an attractive opponent both from a competitive standpoint and marketability standpoint, if Mayweather dared to venture that high in weight or if Martinez could be lured over from HBO, but there's little indicator either is likely.
So Mayweather had a poll on his website between Khan and Maidana. Khan won, which everyone interpreted as meaning Mayweather wanted to fight Khan next, since every other poll on every other website selected Maidana. But maybe Mayweather wised up when he saw the fan reaction; Khan might have a bigger name, he might even have beaten Maidana himself, he might even have had more of a chance somehow based on his length and speed. But most people didn't really believe the shaky-chinned Khan had a prayer given the degeneration of his skills and multiple losses since the Maidana win, and maybe the notion that the Pakistani/Brit would bring a U.K. fan base or Middle East fan base was a fantasy.
The Argentinian Maidana does bring a Latino angle, although it's not like his countrymen or Americans of Argentinian descent have really translated into massive TV ratings. He also brings rugged power, unholy intent, ugly tattoos and demonic determination. Although improved under the tutelage of Robert Garcia (and in alliance with controversial strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza -- one assumes there will be advanced testing in place for performance enhancing drugs), Maidana is positively paleolithic compared to Mayweather. It's one thing for Maidana to have kicked the ass of a blown-up welterweight with questionable work habits like Broner, an impressive feat given the athletic and boxing advantages Broner had; it's an entirely different task to do that to Mayweather, the best fighter in the world today.
We'll see how much the perception of Mayweather's inevitable win hurts the PPV buy rate. The perception of the threat posed by Canelo Alvarez (which proved a flawed perception) helped propel that card to no worse than the second biggest PPV ever. Plenty of Mayweather fights have sold well when Mayweather was the heavy favorite, but it doesn't exactly help, and some of those fights against big underdogs at least featured big names. That's not Maidana. And the choice of Maidana comes late for promotional purposes -- about as late as when he picked Robert Guerrero, who shared Maidana's lack of name recognition and underdog status, and whom Showtime and Golden Boy Promotions have argued somewhat unconvincincly did 1 million buys with Mayweather. Each of those factors -- the perception of an inevitable win, the late hour of the choice of opponent and the lack of name recognition for said opponent -- should do damage to sales.
In a year where boxing is off to a slow start, you could play the optimist and celebrate that between his two choices, Mayweather made the right pick. Or you could play the pessimist, and shake your head that boxing's in such a state where you're mildly pleased about an outcome like this. Or if you really wanted to get fanciful, you could play the dreamer, and imagine a world where Maidana takes out two of boxing's biggest villainous characters in succession.
2014-02-25T07:19:43+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/finally-floyd-mayweather-picks-his-next-fight-marcos-maidana.html
Zou Shiming Puts Opponent To Sleep; Miguel Vazquez Does Same To Audience http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/zou-shiming-puts-opponent-to-sleep-miguel-vazquez-does-same-to-audience.html If you'd forgotten how horrible Miguel Vazquez is to watch in the 14 months he was away from the ring, he served up a reminder on HBO2 Saturday's tape delayed show from China. He took a unanimous decision over Dennis Shafikov in a fight where his biggest difficulty was a cut around his left eye in the 4th round.
If you have never seen Vazquez fight, it's mildly fascinating in the early rounds to see him win rounds the way he does -- circling, rarely getting hit, landing jabs, landing the occasional 1-2 and landing lead left uppercuts. But it gets old awfully quickly as the fight goes on, especially if you've endured it repeatedly. Shafikov was not without his stretches of success, attacking to the body or catching Vazquez backing up at times. But he had his own left eye cut in the 7th, much worse than Vazquez's, and was visibly tiring by the 8th, when Vazquez tried to hold him twice and ended up tackling him.
The score of 115-113 from Patricia Morse Jarman was more than faintly ridiculous -- how do you score five rounds for Shafikov in that fight if you're not just giving Shafikov credit for moving forward? The 116-112 card wasn't much better, with the 119-109 far more like reality. His inactivity ended, Vazquez's win over a top 10 contender in Shafikov restores him to the top of the lightweight food chain. If he didn't have an alphabet belt, I doubt he'd ever be on TV again. Hurray for that?
The main event in China, but not on HBO, featured the continued offensive evolution of flyweight Zou Shiming, who scored the first knockout of his pro career in his fourth fight. Through four, the Olympian was getting hit a bit too much by Yokthong Kokietgym, a higher-end opponent for a pro's fourth fight (he was knocked out in two by contender Ryuji Hara in 2012). Shiming's offense has developed rather well under trainer Freddie Roach. He's taken on some Manny Pacquiao-like qualities on offense, that kind of two-fisted charge from unconventional foot position. And he can take a punch against this level of opposition, but he is still sloppy on defense. By the 5th he had tamed Kokietgym a bit by hurting him and wasn't getting tagged as often. In the 7th, he put Kokietgym down three times on combinations, and the fight probably should've been stopped after the second knockdown. He was in very bad shape after the third, and then it was over.
As long as Shiming makes money in the burgeoning market of China, we'll keep seeing him on HBO or its affiliates. When he's ready for contender-level competition will depend on how he fares as he keeps stepping up, obviously. But despite facing more advanced than usual competition, it feels like he won't be ready for another year or more, at this pace.
2014-02-23T05:11:37+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/zou-shiming-puts-opponent-to-sleep-miguel-vazquez-does-same-to-audience.html
Hank Lundy Thrives In His Latest Dance With Danger http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/hank-lundy-thrives-in-his-latest-dance-with-danger.html
(Hank Lundy drops Angelo Santana; photo credit: Tom Casino, Showtime)
Bless Hank Lundy's arrogant, stubborn soul. He doesn't need to trade punches like he does and really ought not to, based on that knockout loss to John Molina, yet he does it anyhow. Far from perfect, he's just good enough to hang with superior fighters and take care of lesser ones, usually with a hefty dose of peril, win or lose. Friday night on ShoBox, Lundy kept the peril to a manageable level and was good enough to beat busted prospect Angelo Santana by a wide unanimous decision.
Moving back down to lightweight, Lundy had to endure a few competitive rounds early from Santana, who made his name as a puncher on ShoBox with a big knockout win in 2012 then lost it in his next appearance on ShoBox in 2013 with a knockout loss. But Santana clearly can punch, name or no, it's only how long he can retain that power as the fight goes on that matters -- he had weight problems in his last fight and the once-a-year pace courtesy of Don King surely can't help with his fighting shape. Lundy, for all his showiness, does not suffer from any apparent lack of devotion these days, coming off a rebound win against Olusegun Ajose after two straight losses. So with his speed, movement and guts, he eventually took over against the slowing Santana.
It was harrowing in places, of course, or else it wouldn't have been a Lundy fight. His corner exhorted him late to step up the pace, something he didn't really need to do, based on the 98-91 scorecards across the board. That meant he traded, naturally, and this time he came out ahead in the bargain: With a roundhouse right that connected on an off-balance Santana, he scored a knockdown. Afterward, he crowed loudly about his power. Makes sense. But he also said he wanted Lucas Matthysse, a fight once booked that fell through when Lundy dealt with some promotional problems. At the time, it was viewed as a brutal mismatch. It makes even more sense now than then, with Matthysse rebounding from his own loss and Lundy showing more these days than ever.
On the ShoBox undercard, Amir Imam scored a violent knockout that sent Jared Robinson tumbling out of the ring and onto the floor head first. Imam, a junior welterweight prospect, has a record that says "big puncher" with 12 knockouts now in 13 fights, but it has been against unknown competition. Robinson offered more of the same, although he was undefeated and put up a good scrap through three rounds, bloodying Imam and withstanding his power. That changed in the 4th with a couple jabs and a big right hand that put Robinson on the concrete. As impressive as Imam's power was, Robinson's ability to get up and climb the stairs under the circumstances was even more dumbfounding. He wasn't ready to continue, so the referee waived it off correctly, but the big punching was excellent and the recovery was excellent because of it. If Imam can do this against even better fighters, we might have something, and we'll remember this fight as a helpful one that got him to that level.
2014-02-22T11:28:42+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/hank-lundy-thrives-in-his-latest-dance-with-danger.html
Friday Night Fights Boxcino Tournament Gets Off To Hot Start http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/friday-night-fights-boxcino-tournament-gets-off-to-hot-start.html
2014-02-22T09:57:14+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/friday-night-fights-boxcino-tournament-gets-off-to-hot-start.html
A New Standard For Men, Vitali Klitschko http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/a-new-standard-for-men-vitali-klitschko.html
You can see it in their downturned eyes—“if only I had grown”; “if only I had taken Iowa.” But they didn’t, and everything else is just second rate at best: that to which one is relegated.
The president of the United States is the most powerful man in the world, the commander-in-chief of the greatest military force in all of history; the leader of the free world. But one wonders if he too wouldn’t trade it in to be crowned heavyweight champ.
At least it is so for men of a certain age.
Of heavyweight champions, Norman Mailer famously wrote:
The closer a heavyweight comes to the championship, the more natural it is for him to be a little bit insane, secretly insane, for the heavyweight champion of the world is either the toughest man in the world or he is not, but there is a real possibility he is. It is like being the big toe of God. You have nothing to measure yourself by.
But for the rest of us, the yardstick is stark -- a highly illuminated guide by which to reckon our personal underperformance. We can measure ourselves, and we fall short.
And to make matters worse, a new standard has emerged: heavyweight champion/president. For the first time since, well, maybe David -- who stood mano y manos con piedra against the heavyweight champion of his time, Goliath -- a heavyweight champion is poised to take leadership of his country.
Ukranian Vitali “Dr. Ironfist” Klitschko (45-2, 41 KO) is the former lineal heavyweight champion, currently on sabbatical as he attempts to fix his country’s increasingly violent and center stage ills (his brother Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko [61-3, 51 KO] at present holds the only heavyweight belt worth mentioning —and the brothers steadfastly refuse to fight each other).
After losing a bid for Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, the first boxing champion ever to hold a Ph.D., (it just gets worse and worse) was elected to the Ukranian Parliament as a member of the party he founded and leads -- the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR). Including Klitschko’s, the UDAR won 40 seats. On Oct. 24, 2013, “Dr. Ironfist” announced that he would run for president of the Ukraine in its 2015 election. He favors an association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, and also favors Ukraine-NATO cooperation -- none of which has endeared him to Russia and Vladimir Putin, or, it seems, the United States (as evidenced by the leaked phone conversation of the U.S. assistant secretary of State, Victoria “Fuck the E.U.” Nuland).
On Feb. 19, 2014, holding fast as an opposition leader of 20,000 protesters occupying Independence Square in Kiev -- under siege by government forces and beset by increasing violence with street battles reported to have left at least 26 dead (including 10 police officers) -- Vitali Klitschko proclaimed as relayed by ESPN to the crowd under fire: “We will not go anywhere from here… This is an island of freedom, and we will defend it.” Klitschko also demanded the resignation of the Ukranian president.
On Feb. 20, NBC News reported that Mr. Klitschko, still there, reiterated the demand for a changing of the guard.
“In a statement posted online just after noon (5 a.m. ET), the former boxing star said: ‘President Yanukovych has to announce early presidential election. This is the only way to stop the violence.’”
Gentleman, it is clear, a new standard has been set.
Godspeed Mr. Klitschko.
Mike Ricciardelli, has written about boxing for the Daily Record, Asbury Park Press and 15 Rounds.com. He is also the former Legal Media Officer and Managing Editor of HealthReformWatch.com, the web log of the Health Law Program at Seton Hall University School of Law.
2014-02-21T10:38:23+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/a-new-standard-for-men-vitali-klitschko.html
Pound-For-Pound: Boxers Turned Politicians http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2012-articles/pound-for-pound-boxers-turned-politicians.html There’s never been a better time to be someone who used to get hit in the head for a living. Two senior senators from both U.S. political parties are former boxers, along with the prime minister of Australia, Ukraine’s opposition leader and this little congressman from the Philippines you might have heard of.
With the news that Roy Jones, Jr. is isn’t running for mayor of Penascola, Fla., it’s time for the political world to sit up and take notice: You don’t need rhetoric, charm or even the ability to string together a coherent sentence to hold high office. All you need is a hard head and thick skin (which rules out Gabe Rosado from running for office).
Some people say pound-for-pound lists are useless, purely speculative intellectual exercises for people who have too much time on their hands. So to prove them wrong, here’s TQBR’s pound-for-pound list of heavy hitters turned, well, heavy hitters.
Vitali Klitschko
Vitali gets top spot because this is a p4p list and he does weigh a lot of pounds (that’s how this works, right?) The dominant former heavyweight champion with the nearly 90 percent knockout ratio is currently one of the main opposition leaders in Ukraine, which must keep him busy, seeing as there’s quite a lot of opposition there right now. Jokes aside, things are getting increasingly serious in Kiev. Klitschko will need intelligence and all the toughness he showed us in the ring if he’s to prevail in his latest struggle.
Theodore Roosevelt
It’s well known that apart from the heavyweight champion of the world, the President of the U.S. of A. is the most important person on earth. Roosevelt was an “avid sportsman” (which is how they used to say total badass before you were allowed to say ass), so I have to assume that all his boxing matches took place while he was riding an elk or something. He continued his love affair with the sweet science even while he was president, or at least until a young artillery captain "cross countered [the president] on the eye, smashing the little blood vessels."
Nelson Mandela
Everyone says Nelson Mandela was such a nice guy, but did he really need to punch Muhammad Ali in the face like that? Can you make a joke about Nelson Mandela? I don’t know – I just did. The recently deceased freedom fighter learned to box in prison and was a featherweight dynamo before he was South Africa’s first post-apartheid president. "Boxing is egalitarian,'' he wrote. “In the ring, rank, age, colour and wealth are irrelevant.”
Tony Abbott
(Abbott, right, eating some leather)
Australia’s PM laced up the gloves while at Oxford and went undefeated. His technique mightn’t have been the best, but his face-first, bruising style has served him well in the political arena. His brief dabble in the pugilistic arts has provided Australian journalists with a seemingly never-ending supply of metaphors, so cheers to you, Tone.
Manny Pacquiao
A four time lineal champion and boxing’s most unlikely star, Pacman can do it all: fight, act, sing and be chased by ghosts through an unearthly maze. The current governor of Sarangani province in the southern Philippines is likely to be a contender for president when he reaches the age limit of 40 in five years time. Reportedly not paying your tax to the government that you’re part of isn’t really a good look, though.
Harry Reid and John McCain
I can’t really split these two and I know how seriously you yanks take your politics. It’s interesting to note that two senior senators who had common apprenticeship in beating people up are the ones that can occasionally compromise on things (crazy, right?). Reid boxed in college, while McCain was apparently a handy lightweight in the navy. The leader of McCain’s first year class said "it was clear that nobody was going to take him down without a hell of an effort.” The pair have actually done a lot of good for boxing over the years, and are currently working together for a pardon for Jack Johnson. Interestingly, McCain is LEFT handed, while Reid’s power hand is his RIGHT. ALL THE EVIDENCE IS THERE, SHEEPLE!
Roy Jones, Jr.
All-time-great turned HBO commentator Jones announced on Tuesday (to that well known political diary, TMZ) that he’s running for mayor of his hometown. The only problem: He isn’t eligible. It’s just the kind of flashy move the former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight used to make in the ring. In a parallel with the sad tail end of his boxing career (which is ongoing at age 45), he probably could have used a bit more attention to detail once the pizzazz wore off.
Maybe it’s for the best, since Jones seemed to be running on a platform of getting kids into punch ups, telling TMZ: "I tell the kids, don't fight in the streets. Go into MMA, go into boxing.” True Jones aficionados will be glad in any case, as mayoral duties would have been unlikely to provide the former middleweight champion with the opportunity to say “cheen” instead of "chin" very often.
2014-02-21T10:08:35+00:00 http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2012-articles/pound-for-pound-boxers-turned-politicians.html
Sena Agbeko Will Go As Far As His Dedication To His Craft, Country Will Take Him http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2014-articles/february/sena-agbeko-will-go-as-far-as-his-dedication-to-his-craft-country-will-take-him.html
(Sena Agbeko, left, sparring with Michael Moore; credit: Morgan Hines)
Ike Quartey. Joseph Agbeko. Josh Clottey. Azumah Nelson. The list of boxing greats to come out of Ghana is impressive, especially considering the sub-Saharan country’s modest population of 25 million. But before refamiliarizing yourself with this list, pencil in one more name: Sena Agbeko. The 21-year-old middleweight is not only confident that he’ll be the next Ghanaian world champion in the ring, but that he’ll be able to further the sport out of it as well.
Agbeko (15-0, 15 KOs) will make his U.S. debut next week in ESPN’s two-division Boxcino 2014 tournament, which kicks off this coming Friday with the lightweight class. With the network giant touting the tournament as a means to "develop boxing’s newest stars," it’s easy to see how the 6’1”, uber-chiseled prospect with a 100% kayo rate might fit the bill.
Intrigued by what I saw from Agbeko in a sparring session at a Nashville gym (as well as the utter dearth of related YouTube footage) I decided to travel to his camp in Columbia, Tenn. to spend some time with the enigmatic up-and-comer and learn more.
Agbeko is rangy and raw. His body overflows with athleticism -- and his eyes with intelligence, whether he’s providing a thoughtful answer to a question you haven’t asked yet or processing shouted instructions from his corner mid-combination. While his tools are impressive, Agbeko is still very much a work-in-progress. Not only did he get a late start in boxing (he began boxing in 2008 at the age of 15) but, at the direction of his trainer Morgan “Doc” Hines, is still refining a new, high-pressure style he adopted just a few months ago.
“In Ghana, I had a counterpunching style, because that’s what was working,” said Agbeko. “My team has helped me to not wait on punches, initiate the attack and transition to being a pressure fighter. It’s made me more of a complete fighter. I’m able to deal with every style and I have a bit of every style within me.”
After watching Agbeko average almost 120 punches per round during a sparring session with Cleveland-based middleweight Michael Moore, it was hard to imagine the same sinewed frenzy of fists being successful as anything other than a “punch first, move head later” volume fighter. But Agbeko’s team insists the transition is real and only has been possible due to the extreme studiousness of their trainee.
“Sena is a sponge,” Hines said. “He’s realized there’s more he can do as a boxer. His desire to work hard makes all the difference in the world. He absorbs everything you say to him, and then he doesn’t mind working his butt off to perfect it.”
In fact, Agbeko’s mule-like work ethic drove him to isolate himself as he adapts to life in the United States. Shortly after signing with KO Management last year, Agbeko moved to a small town in middle Tennessee to dedicate himself to his craft.
“Hard work and dedication has brought me this far,” said Agbeko. “Being alone in Tennessee lets me focus on just the sport. If I was someplace like Las Vegas, I’d have distractions, but here it’s just me. I’m happy with it. I treat every day like camp.”
Agbeko also claims that, since 2008, he has never taken more than four days off from the gym. Whether that’s true or not, it’s a testament to his systematic approach that he’s even counting.
Early in life, Agbeko’s focus was on education rather than athletics. It wasn’t until high school that he began shifting energy from his studies towards sports. After having success as an amateur judoka, Agbeko’s interest in boxing was piqued by the lead-up to the 2007 superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya.
“Growing up, I’d wake up in the middle of the night to watch these champions," he said. "I imagined myself one day fighting in the U.S. and people in Ghana would wake up to watch me fight. So fighting on ESPN alone feels like an accomplishment... I’m also very happy to be the first fighter to graduate from college in Ghana, but I want to complete this picture by winning a world championship.”
When asked if he feels pressure from the weight of the eyes (and expectations) of a country, Agbeko insisted that he can handle it. In fact, he feels only inspiration.
“For many people back home, it’s surprising that I’ve transformed from a weak, nerdy kid to the guy I am in the ring," he said. "So there are a lot of people looking up to me in Ghana. And sometimes I do think it’s a bit too early to be getting all of that pressure, but in another way, it’s a good thing because it makes me work extra hard.’”
Following in the footsteps of other Ghanaian pugilists has also given Agbeko -- no relation to Joseph -- a blueprint to become a more complete fighter. While religiously watching old fight tapes, Agbeko analyzes the best traits of each fighter and tries to apply them to his own game. He specifically named Quartey’s jab and Clottey’s defense as tools he’d like to emulate in order to hone his skills to a championship caliber.
Along the way, Agbeko has developed other plans to give back to his country outside the ring. He intends to pursue a master’s degree in sports management and eventually wants to start a promotional company in Ghana. Eventually, he wants to leverage his boxing success to grow the sport across Africa, helping develop champions and generate local income.
Agbeko will square off with Raymond Gatica (13-2, 8 KO) in the first round of the Boxcino tournament. Even with Gatica’s limited merits, he’ll unquestionably be Agbeko’s toughest opponent to date. However, the young fighter forewarns anyone who might dismiss his experience to this point.
“Gatica definitely is a step up in the level of competition. But I do think a lot of people tend to underestimate the kind of guys we fight [in Ghana]," said Agbeko. "A lot of people back home don’t have access to the facilities or the expertise of trainers that you have here, but they’re really strong. They’re raw, but have brutish strength. They’re durable and I knocked them out.
“So if you do tell me that the level of opposition I’ve faced isn’t high enough and you do underestimate me, you’re doing that to your own detriment,” Agbeko continued. “If you get surprised and you lose, that’s your fault. But everything I have to prove will happen inside the ring.”
Even after building a knockout streak against wholly unknown competition in Ghana, Agbeko knows better than to look for a quick kayo in upcoming fights. The current gameplan for the Gatica fight calls for Agbeko to out-jab and out-work his opponent, breaking him down with relentless pressure.
“Experience has taught me that if you stick to the gameplan, the knockout will come naturally,” noted Agbeko.
Tim Gibson, Agbeko’s manager and advisor, doesn’t feel that the knockout streak will be a distraction. However, he did caution that challenges might arise from an unexpected place: the bout’s context.
“Gatica is a tough fighter, but you have to remember this is Sena’s first fight in America," Gibson said. "This is his first fight in almost a year and his first time fighting in front of all of these lights and cameras. There’s a lot at stake. It’s a whole new world for him."
But Agbeko remains un-phased by the big stage and bright lights, let alone his opponent. Like with all of his triumphs to date, he knows anything is possible with the right amount of effort and preparation.
“I realize there’s a lot of hard work from now until a championship,” Agbeko said. “I just have to be consistent and I believe I’ll get there.”
| http://www.queensberry-rules.com/feed.html | dclm-gs1-052040000 |
0.021568 | <urn:uuid:03bff998-6b8e-4727-bdc9-bd088b3bbd25> | en | 0.952929 | The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said on Tuesday it will halt offensive operations during this week’s presidential election, and the country’s fragile security was underscored when two mortar rounds struck near the presidential palace in Kabul.
The military alliance’s decision follows a similar order to Afghan forces by President Hamid Karzai, who has called for an election-day truce.
Millions of Afghans are expected to vote Thursday for president and provincial councils amid threats from the Taliban that they will disrupt the poll. U.S., NATO and Afghan forces will be stationed around the country to help protect the vote, but will not be carrying out offensive operations.
“In support of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) who lead the security efforts during the electoral process, only those operations that are deemed necessary to protect the population will be conducted on that day,” the NATO-led force said in a statement.
Two mortar rounds, meanwhile, hit early Tuesday near the presidential palace in Kabul, the U.S. military said.
U.S. spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias had no details of damage or casualties from the attack. Afghan officials declined to comment.
The incident follows Monday’s insurgent attacks that killed a U.S. service member and an American civilian working for the military. The military death brought to 22 the number of U.S. troops killed in August.
Thousands of U.S. Marines are pushing ahead with their largest-ever operation in Afghanistan as they try to secure parts of southern Helmand province, a major Taliban stronghold. A number of insurgent groups also operate in eastern Afghanistan, a mountainous area that borders Pakistan.
Attacks in Afghanistan have risen steadily the last three years. In a speech Monday in Phoenix, President Barack Obama spoke of fierce fighting against Taliban and other insurgents leading up to the elections.
He told a veterans group that U.S. troops are working to secure polling places so that the elections can go forward and Afghans can choose their own future.
Mr. Obama said peace in Afghanistan “will not be quick” and “will not be easy.”
He said the United States still has a deep interest in the long-term outcome.
“This is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defence of our people,” Mr. Obama said.
But a powerful Afghan insurgent leader said Afghans can decide their fate “without any trusteeship.”
“America has to realize that it will not achieve victory in its war in Afghanistan through increasing the number of its soldiers in this country or through the sham elections,” Gulbuddin Hekmatyar told the al-Jazeera news network in a Sunday evening interview.
Hekmatyar was a favoured “freedom fighter” in the 1980s when the U.S. backed rebel groups trying to push the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. Now, his militants are committed to fighting international and U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
More In: International | News | http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/nato-to-keep-guns-quiet-on-afghan-electionday/article4755.ece | dclm-gs1-052180000 |
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Isn't it smarter to have a fully loaded weapon in your own home? Or if someone does break in do you tell them to wait so you can load it. Damn media always over dramatizing crap.
975 days ago
Loaded!! OMG!! What a bunch of homos TMZ must be.
975 days ago
SHUT THE HELL UP ALL OF YOU! you don't know him at all- it is not what you all are so sure it is. the press knows only the facts about the arrest but NOTHING about what's REALLY going on. I DO and he does NOT deserve bad press at all. if you had ANY clue as to why he was upset you'd want that fleabag bum thief junkie bitch removed from the human race as she's giving us all a bad name. once a guy is marked as an abuser- chicks know they can corner a guy with the threat of that phone call hanging over his head. he's the most misunderstood, misrepresented guy and i would take a bullet for him without hesitation.
975 days ago
lol, Do you know how many people in my neighborhood have loaded rifles/guns in their house? EVERYONE. Harvey, Cmon! This is America you doedoe!
975 days ago
alpha wolf
Whoever wrote this story must live quite the sheltered life. The point of having a rifle at one's HOME is self and family defense. There's not enough time to say, when attacked by a home invader,"oh mr. criminal, would you please wait until I load my weapon before you attack? And maybe you could wait a few minutes more so I can call 911?Thanks." Typical,left-wing,big-city idiots.
975 days ago
What's the point of having a FULLY UNLOADED weapon in the house? Only someone who's been raised to be scared of guns would write something paranoid like that. The best someone could probably LOAD a magazine in a stressful situation is 20 seconds. It takes about 3 seconds to break down a locked bedroom door. It takes about 3 1/2-4 minutes for police to respond to 911 (if you're not put on hold). If you have guns for protection, of course they're going to be LOADED. If you have kids, then they are still LOADED in a biometric safe that can be opened in 2 seconds with an adult hand.
975 days ago
Oh boy, FULLY loaded, man thats dangerous. I mean, guns arent meant to be loaded, they are meant as tools to struck people with.
975 days ago
Feel good hit of the summer.
975 days ago
Big whoop! Most people that keep guns in their house keep the guns loaded.
975 days ago
This story is full of DERP. I realize that this is an entertainment outlet for bored, sheltered, middle-class white people but surely there's at least one person at TMZ who knows wtf they're talking about when it comes to firearms? One? Just one? Bueller?
974 days ago
He's looking at 10-20 for this one. What an ass.
974 days ago
NICK was my first friend when I moved to the US from Europe. It's horrible to see him like this.
974 days ago
dr. maxar berezium
then nick got uot of jail, got on a plane and played a show in belgium, of course, cuz that's how much that dude rocks............
973 days ago
How NOT to be an idiot woman, #265: If you've been in a fight with your man and you need to go back and get your stuff so you can move out, NEVER NEVER NEVER go alone. This stupid **** helped create the situation with her stupidity.
973 days ago
ha. i opened for his band, mondo generator, at the viper room awhile back... seemed sort of insane. doesn't surprise me.
970 days ago
Around The Web | http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/12/nick-oliveri-queens-of-the-stone-age-swat-team-police-standoff-cops-girlfriend-domestic-violence/3/ | dclm-gs1-052210000 |
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Dwight Howard
Baby Mama Wants $100k
To Fight Him in Court
A judge has yet to rule.
No Avatar
These players never learn...who's the playa now?
474 days ago
Dwight know with his schedule he can't be a stay at home dad. On top of it, you have more children by other women. Seems Dwight picks on her. And she do have a job, she owns her dance studio. She is a college graduate. Its unfair that he allowed to bury her in debt for a personal vendetta. The little boy just turned 5, who had his birthday party, who is up sending him to school? And to relocate the child from Florida to Cali is wrong! But we see cases such as Usher where money prevailed. I think Dwight is being a jerk.
474 days ago
I don't think he should be made to pay her a dime. If they aren't going to be together, she shouldn't be able to live high on the hog off of his coattails. This is the entitlement mindset at work. Child support should be a fixed amount anyway. Why should this woman live the lap of luxury when she hasn't earned dime #1 in her life? She should suck it up with a public defender. No man should have to pay, pay, pay like that 'cause a woman decides she'd rather be a ho. She should give up custody so the child can be properly tended to.
474 days ago
Stupidity and financial dependency at its best. She did not give up her career for him. The only thing holding her back from financial success is herself. She just wants custody so she can collect a check. Before it comes up it's not a black/white thing.
474 days ago
Cali Boy
Why do thes rich basket ball players hook up with these money grabbing skanks and go thru all the BS when they want to leave the relationship. I wonder if there was no child support involved if the skanks would care about the kids.
474 days ago
How is this guy going to manage full custody when he travels all the time?
I guess he'd rather submit his kid to strangers, and possibly harm, than allowing the Mom to have him part-time.
And people wonder why these kids are so messed up. Their parents have endless fights and the kids get raised by whatever nannies and babysitters are around at the time.
474 days ago
Dwight Howard is an ******* if u hate her so much u should've listened to your gut as u pulled it out to impregnate her. PAY UP!!
474 days ago
I'd like to grab some tweezers and pop every last greasy zit on her forehead.
474 days ago
Mr. President
The only negros are Europeans.
474 days ago
Wow. Commentators here are really being cruel to Royce. She was who she is when he met and slept with her, without protection. Not that Royce is a bad person at all, I'm just saying. Royce appears to be a great Mom who loves her child. Why would he want sole custody??
Comments about her getting a job are ignorant. I believe she has a job. But just like most of us here and on the planet, she doesn't make any where near what he is making. There are numerous ways to stretch a court case out to no end. He could keep her in court indefinitely. With one appointed lawyer, against his high end legal army, she is bound to end up missing some legal filing. This isn't an unusual request. Plenty of litigants have the other with the financial ability pay their legal fees, yes to fight them. This is important! This man is trying to take her kid from her!! It doesn't matter anyway whether she has a job or not. She has his child and his is obligated to pay to support that child. Child support is determined by income, which he has plenty. Keep it your britches or don't sleep with women you wouldn't want in your life, wallet, or kids life. Halle trying to keep her child from her dad. Dwight trying to keep Royce from her child. Usher keeping his kids from their mom. Ugh! Screw responsibly! Dwight pay her legal fees, child support, and spend time with your kid! Or, just give your money and time to the kid and stop taking her to court. Sheesh! Kick rocks with your hatred!! You absolutely have the means to make a joint custody work without having to deal with her. Why are you trying to take her child!? Back up! FIGHT ROYCE! Get em!!! To think a BBaller would go to court for custody@#$&!?? Certainly he has a history of inappropriate behavior that isn't conducive to a healthy environment for this child. Not to mention all the traveling and team trading and moving. Get out! Is a nanny really better than the child's mom. Royce is not unfit! FIGHT! Put that fool on blast and SHUT HIM DOWN ROYCE! Creating all of this undue stress and financial burden on this girl. You better bring it Dwight! Get em up Royce!
474 days ago
Can these two come to a agreement already and focus on their kid in and out of court for years can't be good
474 days ago
Ok my thing is who cares if she was canned from BBW the show was trashy any way and she seemed above all they catty drama she is a great mother that loves her child her Instagram
474 days ago
Another gold digging whore trying to collect a check to support her lifestyle
474 days ago
I hate dwight howard. It shows how much of a s***bag he really is to separate this child from his mother and to fight her tooth and nail for what? So he doesnt have to pay her child support. He really doesn't care about the welfare of the child. He just hates paying his "mistake" anything to take care of the boy.
474 days ago
Royce Reed has a college degree, and a job. So many of the comments are misinformed - because America hates, absolutely loathes black women. Remember the bus driver punching the drunk woman incident? So many people cheered him on. now imagine if he had punched a drunk white woman like that. I have been convinced for a while that America hates black women and the comments here are just another prime example. This man has kids with other women he isn't married to. So why is royce a gold digger for making sure her son gets his just due? I had an uncle who sued this woman for custody of the kids when he found out he had to pay child support. when he lost, he never called or tried to visit the kids. it's been fifteen years and not a word. These black men who claim to want custody of their kids just want to avoid paying support.
474 days ago
Around The Web | http://www.tmz.com/2012/11/25/dwight-howard-royce-reed-custody-battle-lawyer-fees-100k/2/ | dclm-gs1-052220000 |
0.030274 | <urn:uuid:bf052dff-a289-4eb7-95bc-3b5a70733061> | en | 0.846893 | Veronica Mars Season 1
"You Think You Know Somebody"
Troy turns to Veronica for help when his car is stolen after a night in Tijuana and the results alter their relationship on Veronica Mars.
"The Wrath of Con"
Veronica's investigates an internet fraud ring in the hopes of helping Wallace with a potential girlfriend but itleads to an underground gaming community on Veronica Mars.
"Meet John Smith"
Tracking down a classmate's long lost father turns out to be more difficult than expected on Veronica Mars.JDoin
"Credit Where Credit's Due"
We meet Veronica Mars on the premiere of Veronica Mars. She's an amateur detective with a sad past.
Air Dates:
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<-- Previous EpisodeNext Episode -->
Thriller: The Weird Tailor
A man tries to bring his deceased son back to life using black magic and an unusual suit of clothes.
Episode Info
Episode number: 2x4
Production Number: 14156
Airdate: Monday October 16th, 1961
• Currently 9/10
9/10 (1 Vote cast)
Guest Stars
Henry Jones (1)Henry Jones (1)
As Erik Borg
Abraham SofaerAbraham Sofaer
As Nicolai
George MacReadyGeorge MacReady
As Mr. Smith
Sondra BlakeSondra Blake
As Anna Borg (as Sondra Kerr)
Iphigenie CastiglioniIphigenie Castiglioni
As Madame Roberti
Gary Clarke (1)Gary Clarke (1)
As Arthur Smith
Stanley AdamsStanley Adams
As Mr. Schwenk
Diki Lerner (1)Diki Lerner (1)
As Hans the Mannequin
Main Cast
A drunken man, Arthur Smith, staggers into a home and calls out to see if anyone is home. When he gets no response, Arthur strolls down the hallway, mocking the expensive sculptures. As he passes a door, he hears chanting within and calls out to his father. Mr. Smith is kneeling before a smoking pentagram, and his son to go away. Ignoring his father, Arthur goes in and his father says that he’s conducting an experiment. Ignoring his father, Arthur goes to get a drink and crosses the lines of the pentagram. There’s a flash of light and he collapses, and Mr. Smith begs him to come back...
Read the full recap
Episode Notes
This short story was reused by writer Robert Bloch as part of the 1972 Amicus film Asylum.
Episode Quotes
Host: A man who cries out in vain. His son cannot come back. That is, no power on Earth can bring him back. But then as sure as my name is Boris Karloff, it was no Earthly power that took him, as you have just seen. What just took place behind those doors was strange and terrifying. I wonder just how many of you will have the courage or the curiosity to follow me through them to witness things even stranger and more terrifying. Our story is called "The Weird Tailor," and the fabric of our plot is woven by these distinguished players. Henry Jones, George MacReady, Abraham Sofaer, and Sandra Kerr. Yes, my friends, they're all waiting for you behind these doors. So come with me, come! Before it's too late.
Madame Roberti: What is it you are seeking, Mr. Smith? The past, the present, or the future?
Mr. Smith: I didn't come here to have my fortune told. I need help.
Madame Roberti: We all need help.
Mr. Smith: I said help, not philosophy.
Madame Roberti: At my age, philosophy is the only help that's left.
Madame Roberti: Gaze into the crystal. Look--look at it glow. Shiny. Like the world itself. A globe suspended in space. It is the world, Mr. Smith. And see beneath the shining surface are areas of darkness. Clouds and shadows and black yawning pits, and... perhaps we should not look too closely.
Madame Roberti: Back? A way to bring your son back from the dead? Mr. Smith, I'm afraid you won't find that in my crystal.
Mr. Smith: But I'll pay anything. I'm a wealthy man, Madame Roberti. I'll give my entire fortune.
Madame Roberti: The man who defies God and Nature has no fortune.
Mr. Smith: You're playing with words.
Madame Roberti: You are playing with damnation.
Mr. Smith: You are Honest Abe?
Nicolai: My professional name.
Mr. Smith: I see.
Nicolai: Sure. Whoever heard of a car dealer named Honest Nicolai?
Mr. Smith: De Vermis Mysteriis.
Nicolai: "Mysteries of the Worm.”
Mr. Smith: You know Latin?
Nicolai: I know what I must.
Mr. Smith: In a few hours, I'll have my son again.
Madame Roberti: No, don't do it.
Mr. Smith: The suit is already on its way.
Madame Roberti: Don't do it.
Mr. Smith: Black magic. Is that it? What do you know of black or white? You're blind.
Madame Roberti: Yes, blind. But not as blind as you, Mr. Smith. Not as blind as you.
Other Episode Crew
ProducerWilliam Frye
Associate ProducerDouglas Benton
Music SupervisorStanley Wilson
HairstylistFlorence Bush
Make-upJack Barron (1)
Set DecoratorJulia Heron | John McCarthy, Jr. (1)
Director of PhotographyBenjamin H. Kline
Art DirectorHoward E. Johnson
GraphicsJerome Gould (1)
Costume SupervisorVincent Dee
Film EditorDanny B. Landres
SoundJoe Lapis
Assistant DirectorCharles S. Gould
Original MusicJerry Goldsmith
Editorial SupervisorDavid J O'Connell
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Should I end the relationship? I think in some way if I do, I'll be better off without him. But after 11 years and all that he has done for me, I'd feel really sad.
-- Frustrated in Minneapolis
Dear Frustrated: Although I'm sure Harold has many virtues, sensitivity and discretion do not appear to be among them. It would be interesting to know if he would be willing to marry you if your FICO score improved, or if he's using it as an excuse because he doesn't want a legal commitment.
Couples counseling could help you decide what to do. Inquire at your nearest gay/ lesbian community center about seminars it offers for longtime couples on this subject. Just because people can marry doesn't necessarily mean they should.
Dear Abby: "Jesse," my boyfriend of two years, has suddenly changed. He's pushing me away. We are both 17 and have a 9-month-old baby.
Jesse spent the first six months of our son's life in state custody. Since he has been back, he ignores me and isn't affectionate. When I get upset about it, he denies it. My son deserves a family, but it's falling apart. What should I do?
-- Troubled
Dear Troubled: You have no idea what might have happened to Jesse after he was sent away, so give him some space. But also let him know that if he wants to talk about it, you are willing to listen and be supportive. Don't push, and don't be clingy.
Complete your education, take parenting classes and encourage Jesse to do it, too. Do this and your son will have a family, whether or not it's the one you thought you'd have with Jesse.
| http://www.twincities.com/dearabby/ci_24498608/dear-abby-longtime-gay-couple-may-be-better | dclm-gs1-052320000 |
0.08148 | <urn:uuid:680f7eea-adc1-431b-adf8-a4a8a900f214> | en | 0.850336 | Subscribe English
look up any word, like lumpatious:
Function: noun; Etymology: a portmanteau of "hope"--a key phrase in the 2008 United States presidential campaign--and the slang term "ho-bag"; Definition: A woman with an unnatural, possibly romantic interest with US Senator and President, Barrack Obama.
"Thanks to the hopebag vote, the US is currently lead by a handsome imperialistic warmonger instead of an old and disfigured imperialistic war monger." "The Hopebag who lives across the street glued Obama's face over the face of her ex-boyfriend in all her scrapbook photos."
by Shepard Fairee December 01, 2009
1 0
Words related to Hopebag:
barrack obama ho-bag hope kool-aid personality cult | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hopebag&defid=4404947 | dclm-gs1-052330000 |
0.047193 | <urn:uuid:7587cbb1-fab3-45f2-b6d5-ae66bdd03abb> | en | 0.919448 | Subscribe English
look up any word, like fuck:
Scapulation dumping refers to the process of dumping scapula’s. Little is known about Scapula’s (from the latin word Scapulaiincredabilous) except that they are found at incredible depths within the worlds oceans. It is within their home environment that they creep and crawl over the ocean floors gathering the bubbles from shark farts.
Deep sea trawlers net the scapulas, extract the shark farts and encapsulate them in a vat of spirits which are ultimately sold to the manufacturers of spirit levels and used for the bubbles found within those levels.
Extreme caution must be applied throughout the action to avoid the shark farts entering the seamen’s blood stream and causing “the bends”.
The Scapula’s are not harmed during the process and are dumped back into the sea once their valuable cargo’s are extracted hence the expression “scapulation dumping”.
Prof J.S. Miller
Scapulation Dumping refers to dumping scapula's and is associated with production of Pioneer Brickies Levels
by Ormbo January 22, 2008
2 3
Words related to Scapulation Dumping refers to dumping scapula's:
dumping farts levels scapula sharks | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Scapulation%20Dumping%20refers%20to%20dumping%20scapula's | dclm-gs1-052340000 |
0.044494 | <urn:uuid:a8ef53e8-b46a-47ed-a027-50df0f0858cd> | en | 0.922375 | Subscribe English
look up any word, like sapiosexual:
1. t00l
2. to fuXup egregiously with immense delay of rectification!
3. Jib \Jib\, v. i. Connected with jibe; cf. OF. giber to shake. To move restively backward or sidewise, -- said of a horse; to balk.
4. n.
A derisive remark.
Dude, that was a total jibbie, you jib'd man!
by hedkase March 11, 2005
4 0
To dominate or boss a situation. To "own the room" and to be seen as the natural leader.
That guy completely jibbied work today, he bossed the situation.
by agg25 July 26, 2013
0 0 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jibbie | dclm-gs1-052350000 |
0.097924 | <urn:uuid:a18b2f41-710c-4212-beb4-c8ee35c798c6> | en | 0.810605 | First: Mid: Last: City: State:
Elsie Almengor
Locating Elsie Almengor is very convenient when you log on to USA-People-Search.com. A quick search will provide results for all the people named Elsie Almengor. The matching profiles have been efficiently sorted, which makes it easy for you to zero in on that specific person you are looking for.
Your initial search has produced a comprehensive list of people with the name Elsie Almengor. If you can’t spot your particular Elsie Almengor, try modifying your search by adding other details like recent addresses or a middle name. When you do locate the correct Elsie Almengor, simply sign up with USA-People-Search.com to access their full profile.
Name/AKAsAgeLocationPossible Relatives
1. Almengor, Elizabeth A
Associated names:
85 Victorville, CA
View Details
2. Almengor, Elsie85 Victorville, CA | http://www.usa-people-search.com/names/p/Elsie-Almengor | dclm-gs1-052360000 |
0.024684 | <urn:uuid:5c447be0-978f-45b4-b62d-d1fa61a1e895> | en | 0.942422 | Future Music Festival
Add Rita Ora to the growing list of people on Azealia Ban
They're the thing to listen to when mom goes to bed...
Migos and Soulja Boy Tellem join forces
Donald Glover is flexing his vocal chords on this one
The singer professes his love for his maybe ex-girlfriend | http://www.vibe.com/tags/future-music-festival | dclm-gs1-052380000 |
0.070821 | <urn:uuid:19a44c7d-a0e6-4aab-9f3f-d03527d20a4f> | en | 0.956868 | Potential fiscal cliff deal still being debated
As of this early Friday hour, there is no real sense of what comes next. All of this could change in the coming hours, with word of new talks, new proposals and renewed hope for a deal before Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
But for now, nothing.
Non-profits have been facing off with the White House over fiscal cliff negotiations, Jerry Markon and Peter Wallsten said.
But the general consensus among Americans is “to let the rich pay for it,” Aaron Blake said.
President Obama and House Republicans are still attempting to hammer out a deal on the so-called “fiscal cliff,” and the American people have one message for them:
Let rich people pay for it.
We’ve written for a while on this blog about how letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire is overwhelmingly popular.
But when it comes to other potential pieces of a “fiscal cliff” deal, that theme also holds true. Essentially all the popular ideas would have much more of an effect on rich people, while the ones that affect the country more equitably poll poorly (and often very poorly) basically without exception.
Besides raising taxes on the wealthy, other proposals that get majority support in a new Pew Research Center poll include reducing Medicare benefits for more wealthy recipients (51 percent support), reducing Social Security benefits for more wealthy recipients (51 percent), limiting tax deductions (54 percent), and raising the tax rate on investment income (52 percent).
(While deductions and investment income also affect the middle class, wealthy people tend to find and take more deductions — not to mention the middle class would be less affected by capping them — and rich people tend to have much more money invested.)
Meanwhile, no other proposal gets majority support, including reducing military spending (43 percent support), raising the eligibility age for Medicare (41 percent), raising the eligibility age for Social Security (42 percent), limiting the home mortgage interest deduction (41 percent), reducing federal funding for programs that help the poor (38 percent), reducing infrastructure spending (30 percent) and reducing education funding (21 percent).
Read what others are saying | http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/potential-fiscal-cliff-deal-still-being-debated/2012/12/14/ded103b4-4604-11e2-8e70-e1993528222d_story.html | dclm-gs1-052390000 |
0.054016 | <urn:uuid:e31220d6-cd26-4e08-9932-5736df2c6661> | en | 0.965758 | Found December 05, 2012 on Red's Army:
PLAYERS: Kris Humphries
TEAMS: Brooklyn Nets
It’s very appropriate that the 9th Gang Green episode of the season has a lot to do with #9. The fellas debate the suspension, how crappy it is that a silly pushing match resulted in a suspension, and where Kris Humphries ranks on Dave’s “most hated list.” The word “gonads” is also used. Game time is around the corner… enjoy the episode until Rondo makes his return.
Doc says Rondo is “a grown man”
Rajon Rondo Gives The Best Interview Of 2012
Rajon Rondo slaps around Kris Humphries and gets suspended for two games. So what does he do? Goes to Mexico, of course! Below are a handful of questions and answers between reporters and Rondo from earlier today about his suspension and how he spent his “time off”. Question: What did you do….what was on your agenda? Answer: “I went to Mexico….couple of days, watched...
Rondo Didn’t Learn Anything From 2-Game Suspension
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers
Company Info
What is Yardbarker?
| http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/gang_green_episode_69_aka_the_rondo_episode/12371617 | dclm-gs1-052450000 |
0.183262 | <urn:uuid:ec9c6e3e-0f1b-4ccd-a2b3-9d0e1766d0e4> | en | 0.858365 |
Re: Apt UI design
On Fri, 23 Oct 1998 00:41:24 +0200, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
>We could probably do what minicom does and use Ctrl-A is a modifier
A minor problem here is that screen also uses CNTL-A as a modifier
prefix. Personally, I've gotten so used to hitting CNTL-A,a in Joe (and
other applications) that it messes me up outside of screen. But you never
know for those people who start using screen and then wonder why they can't
do things.
ICQ: 5107343 | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
Reply to: | https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/1998/10/msg02314.html | dclm-gs1-052530000 |
0.071961 | <urn:uuid:e2002399-5bf9-4692-90e2-868f58ca62fc> | en | 0.968369 | World's Largest Dungeon
Session Three
The Cleric burst into the room and healed the Ninja, only for the Ninja to be cut down again. Then the Cleric fell and then the Swashbuckler. Just when it seemed all was lost, the wizard dragged the Swashbuckler from the room where they managed to rest. Miraculously the Cleric was still alive, having stabilised during the night. Vengeance was ours, although we did lose the Ninja.
Moving on, we came upon a couple of lizardmen who fired sling bolts at us. Then a Wizard fired some magic missiles at us and we ran for it. We ducked through a rusty secret door into some kind of torture chamber. The cleric has some fun touching some shackles which put him through some kind of torturous experience.
Next up we entered a room with 3 darkmantles, which decimated the swashbuckler after two passed their checks to resist falling asleep. Just in the nick of time, a Tiefling Ninja came along named “Remiel Arterris” and was swayed by our very convincing tale of being ‘darkmantle slayers’ on a great quest to slay the ‘darkmantle king’. He comes happily along.
Soon after we found a lot of small rooms and some rubble. Through a slightly ajar door, we found some chests with 5 continual flame batons and then a few spears. Buoyed by our findings of treasure we continued on to a room where we were attacked by a fiendish rat swarm.
| https://world-s-largest-dungeon2.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/session-three | dclm-gs1-052560000 |
0.147855 | <urn:uuid:6046e59e-43b1-483f-bd4c-a428edc00765> | en | 0.987838 | A.N. I want to thank everyone that took time to review this story! It really helped motivate me to finish this chapter in the time I was able to (someone even said their life depended on me updating O3o) To answer any potential questions about ages, Yumi is 14, Hidan is 18, and Kakuzu is probably in his late 80's. Poor Kakuzu, I still think he's awsome though! If you want to keep up with my progress with this story, read my profile, I update it frequently when I am working writing. I drew what Yumi looks like on , you can find the link to it on my profile. I hope my readers enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for the reviews!
Chapter 4: A City of Evil
"Yes! An actual room to sleep in!" Yumi yelled her excitement aloud.
The trio just reached Katabami Kinzan, a village that draws its profits from mining gold. Rumors spoke that the village was run by a crazed former seven swordsman, who dealt with any villager that crossed him by burying them alive. That man had been disposed of a few years ago, and now the village was booming under the management of groups of yakuza. Though the yakuza were harsh, nothing could have been more worse than the brutish nin from Mist.
As Kakuzu and Hidan walked on either side of her, Yumi took in the village's sights with a more innocent enthusiasm. Hidan and Kakuzu saw the village for what it really was, a city of evil. Along with the bright lights and shiny products, there were hoodlums in every dark space. Brothels and gambling houses on the corners sat on the corners, and money peddlers walked the streets. The immortal duo of the Akatsuki knew to keep the young girl between them.
"What about this one?" Yumi asked, pointing towards a more ritzy hotel.
Kakuzu shook his head. "Too expensive…"
His partner snorted his disdain, shooting him a narrowed eye. "Gonna put us up in the cheapest place you can find?"
There was no response, leaving Hidan to grumble and Yumi to wonder. Kakuzu had a lot of money, so then why would he pass up a nice hotel that he could easily afford? Yumi brushed the thought aside and looked around until something caught her eyes, and stopped her dead.
"Shit!" she cursed obtusely.
Hidan lifted a amused eyebrow, while Kakuzu eye twitched. Both looked back to see what had pulled the profanity out of the proper girl's mouth.
"My…M-My face!" Yumi cried, "I'm on a wanted poster!"
Kakuzu stepped over in large, measured strides to stand next to Yumi. Hidan followed suit to study the wanted poster on the village's bulletin board. Just as sure as the sky was blue, there was a sketch of Yumi plastered on the paper. 150,000,000 ryo screamed above her head, accompanied by the words Dead or alive! Below her face read Traveling with EXREMELY dangerous rogue nin, in bold letters. Below that were unrefined and even comical sketches of Kakuzu and Hidan. Kakuzu's shady appearance was exaggerated, and great emphasis was placed on his mask. Hidan's face was more overly crazed than it actually was. His mouth was agape as if in the midst of slaughter, eyes practically gushing fire from the depths of hell itself.
"Hn, more things to waste my time," Kakuzu mumbled as he stepped forward and grabbed the poster, ripping it up.
"Sweet Jashin-sama," Hidan cackled insanely, "Those dip shits don't know what they got themselves into!"
Kakuzu and Yumi turned their gaze to the eighteen year old madman while he trained his attention on the wanted poster, admiring his now mythical status no doubt. Hidan merely flashed them a cocky grin.
"Only more sacrifices for god."
"This isn't about sacrifices. Unlike you, I can die!" Yumi lectured as she crossed her arms, "We need disguises."
"That won't be necessary," Kakuzu spoke up in his deep, neutral voice.
A skeptical look poured over Yumi's face, making her look a bit spoiled. Why were her wards so confident? She was wanted, dead or alive. Her life was on the line, by whoever killed her father. She still had yet to even figure out who was behind this conspiracy.
"Like anyone's gonna fuck with you with us around," Hidan scoffed.
Yumi sighed nervously, but followed the two men on towards a place to rest.
"A pay-by-the-hour room!" Yumi nearly shrieked.
"It's the best cheap room we can get."
"My kinda room," Hidan grinned like a fox.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yumi asked in a huff, hands on her thin hips.
"It means I'm gonna get some a-"
"It means nothing at all," Kakuzu cut his partner off. He glared fiery daggers at his filthy, lecherous partner. If Hidan was going to pick up a whore or some other loose woman, he'd have to buy a suite. He'd rather spend a little more money than lay witness to any more of Hidan's escapades.
Yumi pouted in mildly, confusion inkling into her system again. What did that all mean? Yumi knew pay-by-the-hour rooms were shady, but what were Kakuzu and Hidan keeping from her? She had to know!
After booking the suite, Kakuzu led his younger travel company down several dimly-lit corridors. The rooms themselves were only privatized by shoji doors, leaving little to the imagination about its occupants.
Yakuza and scoundrels stood in the halls, watching customers, and talking with women. Exotically dressed women stood outside certain rooms, looking eager for someone to join them.
The Akatsuki's treasurer ignored all, feet leading him solely towards his room. Yumi followed her body guard, but could not help but give the people in the hall a glance. Many of the male eyes were upon her, making her feel strangely squirmy and uncomfortable. She also noticed the women were shooting furtive looks at her other body guard. In curiosity, Yumi turned to gauge Hidan's reactions. Hidan's eyes were returning their attentions in full. His mouth was turned up into a crooked grin, and a cocky swagger lilted his steps. The look he was giving them - as if he was looking over meat for the best cut - it was odd. Yumi inwardly shrugged, forgetting about it.
Suddenly a foreign hand clamped down on Yumi's wrist, knocking her from her thoughts. Fear encroached her entire being, causing her to jump in her skin. Her brown eyes quickly traveled from the scarred hand and arm to the equally scarred face of a scruffy man. His eye was black and beady, the other was covered by a eye patch. A strange, but unbearable stench carried off the man, making Yumi want to pull away. Fear, however, held her in place.
"Oi, you look quite prim to be in a place like this," the man spoke in a sinister voice, "Are you lost?"
Yumi wanted to scream, to pull away. To do anything, but she could only stare back, dumbly. A large tanned hand with painted nails closed over the stranger's thinner wrist, squeezing it hard.
"Unless you want to lose this limb, I suggest you remove it from the girl," Kakuzu said in a low growl.
The man let go of Yumi's wrist - freeing her from her thoughtless, frozen state - but Kakuzu still gripped his wrist. Yumi fell back with a gasp until her back bumped into Hidan's front. Her breaths came out in pants, her hidden fear becoming more recognizable.
"That's fuckin' sick, man," came Hidan's voice from directly behind her. She had no idea what he meant by that.
More men seemed to converge on the scene, making Yumi more nervous. Hidan's hands rested on her shoulders firmly, making the possibility of someone grabbing her more difficult. Kakuzu merely glanced at the yakuza, hand still holding the other man's wrist in a death grip. If push came to shove, he'd show these puny street men what they were really dealing with.
A more well-trimmed, but tattooed man stepped forward from the group. He had leader written all over his tall, muscular frame. He was taller and thicker than Hidan, almost meeting Kakuzu's gaze levelly. A few wrinkles adorned the corner of his eyes, and a slightly graying facial hair brushed over his upper lip and chin. He was obviously seasoned at what he did.
"What's going on here?" he asked, a hint of a demand.
Yumi felt Hidan draw a breath as if to speak up, but Kakuzu beat to it.
"One of your men laid a hand on my young companion, frightening her. I was simply removing it for him before he got into some…unnecessary trouble."
He then slowly let go of the yakuza grunt's wrist, turning his full attention to the boss. The yakuza leader bravely - or stupidly - exchanged harsh stares with the Hidden Falls nin. His eyes then flickered to back to both Yumi and Hidan. Finally he rested his eyes back on Kakuzu.
"My apologies," the man said, his respectable tone at odds with his tough exterior. "My name is Noburu. The Chikamatsu runs this part of the village under my leadership, and I won't tolerate anything threatening my business."
Noburu then turned to the grunt that had grabbed Yumi, gaze hardening, he continued, "Right, Rokurou?"
"H-Hai, boss."
Noburu then returned his attention back to Kakuzu, a smile cracking his lips.
"Again, my apologies. If anything else troubles you, please don't be afraid to tell me."
"Believe me, I won't hold back," Kakuzu spoke the threat calmly. He gracefully sidestepped the Yakuzu boss to reach the room he booked.
"Please, anything I can do to help you overlook my associate's foolishness?"
Kakuzu did not pause or respond.
"Yeah, get me a fine bitch and this'll all be forgotten," Hidan spoke his desire, shoving Yumi away from him to hurry after Kakuzu. Yumi stumbled, but caught her footing. She followed Kakuzu while glancing warily back to see what Hidan was planning.
The Yakuza boss looked at the younger, foul mouthed man, intrigue clearly written on his face. Noburu snapped his calloused fingers, beckoning a dark haired vixen to appear.
The woman's face was paled with powder, while crimson red lined the middle of both plump upper and lower lips. Her long inky hair refused to be held up traditionally, hung in straight waterfalls over her shoulders and forehead. Ice blue almond eyes outlined with black danced and flickered their way to Hidan, looking his body up and down. Said man felt a silken grin flow over his lips. He was dying to get those intricate robes off that hot body.
"If you wish to satisfy your sexual appetite, Ai is the woman to do that and more," Noburu introduced them, sending Ai over to Hidan's side with a pat to her slender shoulders.
Ai seemed to glide over to Hidan like a perverse specter, just enough sway in her step to keep him interested without coming off as cheap. Her body pressed tightly against his side, making him feel every delicious curve. Hidan was immediately allured, enjoying her even more when she shamelessly guided his arm around her waist, hanging off him like a trophy.
"I'll see you tomorrow, boss," Ai cooed, opening Hidan's Akatsuki cloak and trailing slim fingers down over Hidan's torso. Her eyes not once leaving Noburu's gaze.
Noburu grinned. "Go do your work, Ai-chan."
Hidan let out his trademark cackle and began leading his prize to the suite, shouting back, "I'll take good care of her for ya."
Once inside, Kakuzu checked over the suite, apparently seeing where each of them should sleep. There were two bedrooms, a main room, and a small kitchen in the suite. He would take the room closest to the main door, Yumi would take the one next to it. For being insolent and perverse, Hidan and his whore would have the living room. That settled, the tall treasurer trudged into the small kitchen.
"K-Kakuzu," Yumi squeaked, scampering to follow him.
He did not reply, but turned his eerie eyes to look at her. She looked back, shell shocked and fragile. Kakazu would have to say the right thing or she would break.
"The yakuza would be fool-hearty to mess with us," he said, "They should know by now that we are Akatsuki, and not to be trifled with."
"Akatsuki?""An organization. That's all I can disclose." He then turned back to making some simple mochi.
Yumi sat herself in front of the small table. Her hands rested properly on her thighs, her face looking at her hands. She forgot that she did not have to worry about formalities now - something that Kakuzu noticed.
Moments later, Hidan walked in with the woman, but they were only paying attention to each other. That only seemed to make Yumi more uncomfortable.
"Go suck face in the main room, Hidan," Kakuzu rumbled.
Hidan glared, but stood with the whore and moved back to the living room. Kakuzu returned his attention to Yumi as he passed her a plate of mochi.
"You're not in a good mood now," he said.
She answered without looking up, "Was that man after me?"
Kakuzu sighed through his mask. He was never one to comfort anyone or offer words of encouragement, so he looked to the side in thought.
"He might have been," he finally answered, "but he could have wanted you for other reasons…"
"What reasons?" she looked up at him.
Face still turned to the side, Kakuzu reached up and unhooked his mask to eat. "Perhaps disgusting reasons that you shouldn't learn about until you're older."
Brown eyes blinked and stared as Kakuzu started eating, his stitched face now visible. Kakuzu realized his error and closed his eyes.
"Sorry, my face must disturb you," he murmured, hand reaching to replace his mask over his face.
Yumi's curls bounced as she shook her head from side to side. "No, not at all. It makes you look more interesting." She took a bite of mochi.
Kakuzu was surprised, but returned to eating. They both ate in a comfortable silence for several moments. Yumi quietly thought about how glad she was to have met Kakuzu and Hidan. Kakuzu thought about how it might not be so bad to travel with the young girl in front of him. Once finished, Yumi bowed her head in gratitude.
"Thank you for the food, it was very delicious."
Kakuzu waved it away.
"No need for anymore formalities, Yumi" he elaborated.
That night, it took little time for Yumi to get comfortable in her futon. It was the first time in a week and a half that she did not have to find sleep on the cold hard ground. The bedroom was small, only about ten feet by ten feet. The walls had one scene painted on it. It was a serene creek with a white crane in the shallows. A small oil lamp glowed in the room so she could see what she was doing, but she snuffed it out quickly - it could be a disaster if she fell asleep with it lit.
Yet again Yumi curled up, ready for sleep to overtake her in the darkness. Everything was silent - save for the distant laughter of other occupants of the hotel, until Yumi heard a breathy sound come from living room.
Curiosity, her ever present companion, crept with her as she crawled from her futon and towards the sliding door. Her hand slowly pried at the wooden and rice paper frame, pulling it open just enough to allow one of her eyes to peer out.
The living room was only dimly lit, but the sound of panting enticed her to find out what it was. The door was soon opened so Yumi could poke her head through.
In the candle light, she spied two sweating, writhing bodies. They were tangled together like snakes, moving in a rocking rhythm.
Yumi was horrified. She was about to look away when she realized she was spying on Hidan and the woman he picked up. Now it was like she could not look away.
Her eyes roved over the slickness of Hidan's form. The muscles rippled under his skin with each movement, almost hypnotically. The woman clawed at his sculpted back, receiving his thrusts with heated moans. The forms of their bodies, the sounds they were breathing. It was all like a mantra, a curse, spelling Yumi into a trance.
Suddenly Hidan's body jerked and he let out a loud moan, chorused by the sounds of the woman under him. Like a key word, Yumi was snapped out of her hypnosis. Frantically, she pull herself back into her sleeping quarters and shut the door.
Again she curled into the fetal position, a rosy blush on her face. Sleep came to her with difficulty, but she was able to succumb after pushing the X-rated scenes from her head.
Hidan lay on his side, with his lips still pressed to Ai's, their kisses lazy from the aftereffects of sex.
"Damn, you have a tight little whore box," Hidan commented between kisses.
Something bitter then flooded his mouth, pulling him back from the alluring woman's lips. He tried to spit the intruding substance out, but his throat and body only seemed to close up with every movement.
"I'm not a whore, asshole…" Ai hissed, wiping Hidan's kisses from her lips.
She retreated her body from Hidan's paralyzed one, throwing on a more maneuverable outfit. Hidan's eyes widened minutely, realized he had been tricked by a kunoichi.
Hidan's curse was cut short as a swift kick to his chest knocked the remaining air out of him.
It was getting hard for Yumi to breath as she slept, causing her to stir a little. Her room was still dark, but she distinctly felt a weight on her chest. Worry bubbled up inside her, forcing adrenaline through her veins to fight back. She flailed her arms and attempted to scream, but it was all futile.
Cold, sharp steel pressed against her neck.
"Give up and die…" the voice was a female's, but as cold as the kunai at Yumi's throat.
Yumi could only muster a flimsy whimper, barely audible. The shinobi knife began cutting into her skin under her ear, and she could do nothing about it.
A calamity was heard, and the person sitting on Yumi's chest was suddenly gone. Inhaling was painful, yet felt incredibly good. She could finally breath again.
Her body dove for the oil lamp, somehow lighting it in the darkness.
There was debris on the floor and futon, Yumi followed it to one of her walls. It was smashed down and Kakuzu stood in the threshold. He cloak was missing, but he was fully clothed and face covered. His mysterious tendrils were extended from his arm. Pinned to the wall was woman Hidan had slept with earlier. Her limp body was punctured by Kakuzu's tendrils from her torso to her head.
The sight took everything for her to keep from becoming ill. It was hard for She had almost been assassinated by a woman. The whole world might as well have been against her. If Yumi escaped alone or perhaps chosen anyone else to be her body guards, she might have been the one dead.
"Are you alright?" Kakuzu asked.
Yumi nodded, but checked her neck when Kakuzu's gaze seemed drawn to it. Her hand found a slice on the side of her neck that was still leaking blood. The cut was not deep, however.
"Just a scratch," she answered quickly
They both found Hidan in the living room, still poisoned and mostly immobile, but of course alive. His clothes were tossed at him and he was told to get dressed to move out. The Jashinist could only curse back at Kakuzu's orders. Yumi could hardly look at him long enough to see if he would be able to move again soon.
The gleam of katanas slicing in through the shoji walls of their suite managed to get Hidan into his pants and swinging his scythe.
"You two get the fuck out, I'll hold 'em off!" He hollered.
Kakuzu did not hesitate one second. He grabbed Yumi by her arm, hauling her with him. Yumi gripped Kakuzu's arm tightly, moving with him once he made a hole through the thin walls.
Fire met them on the other side, and it was consuming everything fast. The smoke burned Yumi's lungs and eyes, making her cough. Kakuzu cursed under his breath.
He pulled Yumi close to him then leapt upward, crashing through the ceiling. Yumi managed to avoid further injury from Kakuzu shielding her body. They escaped onto the hotel's roof.
Yumi looked back towards the flaming hole from whence they came, wondering when Hidan would be following them. Kakuzu yanked at her hard, forcing her to come with him.
"What about Hidan?" she cried.
Kakuzu did not respond, only threw her over his shoulder and jumped off the roof.
At least an hour had passed since Yumi and Kakuzu fled to the outskirts of Katabami Kinzan. The fire from the hotel had died down from either burning down the structure or being extinguished by the villagers. There was no sign or even a simple hint of Hidan. Yumi was pacing.
"Hidan is immortal, don't worry about him," Kakuzu spoke finally.
It did little to calm her though. She simply stopped walking but tapped her foot. So what if Hidan couldn't die? He could still be captured. He could be tortured or something. Maybe she just wanted him to show up so they could finally leave. She had to admit that she was not particularly happy with the Jashinist, though. What ever he suffered, he deserved it for letting the wolves among the sheep.
She turned in the direction of the village upon hearing the unmistakable voice. Kakuzu looked that way as well with a small flicker of his eyes.
"Speak of the devil," he grumbled.
Though she heard Hidan, her eyes had yet to make him out. He was practically on top of her before she saw him. After a quick survey of his condition, Yumi averted her eyes again.
Dried blood, both from his own wounds and undoubtedly his victims, lay splattered over his bear chest. Dirt, burned flesh, and cuts littered his arms and face, making him look worse than he really was. Hidan smiled, he probably made many sacrifices to his god during that skirmish.
The Jashinist threw on his cloak, and placed his scythe where it normally rested when not in use.
"Well, let's get the hell out of here, shall we?" he said through his grin. | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5912476/4/Voodoo | dclm-gs1-052650000 |
0.047079 | <urn:uuid:f645a970-35cd-4371-a63e-7ca274c6195b> | en | 0.984119 | Sobs echo throughout the deserted hallway, it's a rather eerie sound, being able to hear someone in so much pain but having no idea where it was stemming from. Surely it's a girl and as I make my way slowly down the hallway hawk-eyed, I'm growing more and more confident that it's coming from the girl's bathroom. I'm not even supposed to be in the hallway at this moment, the only reason I'm back is because I left a textbook that I need to use in order to complete a silly homework assignment. Come to think of it, I haven't run into a janitor yet so I briefly wonder if it could be the beastly female janitor that is crying rather loudly in the bathroom, lord knows I would probably cry too if I was almost 40 and still living in Lima as a Janitor. The idea of living in Lima after high school alone could make me cry, and not just because I'm trained to cry on cue. Still, a part of me hopes that if I ever allowed such a travesty to happen to my future self that someone would comfort me, even if it was just a simple pat on the back. It would be better than nothing. I'm no stranger to weep sessions in the 2nd floor bathroom, they're all too familiar to me; and although I would be mortified if someone cared enough to comfort me, I sometimes just wish that someone would care at all. Depressing I know, but my life isn't all that bad. I do have things going for me, which is why I can't allow these thoughts to discourage me. Once my name is in lights, it will have all been worth it, or so I tend to tell myself.
I've been shrugging a lot which is something my acting coach has me doing, in case I should ever land the role of an aggravated delinquent who uses shrugging to communicate their indifferences. I plan on perfecting the technique by my next acting session; I shrug to myself as I shut my locker door. I make my way down the hall, I've already done my good deed of the day when I helped Tina hit her high note, but Daddy says there is always room for more good deeds. He'll be thrilled when we discuss this over dinner later tonight; we always talk about our days in excruciating detail. So here I stand, just outside the wooden door, bracing myself for the extremely awkward, uncomfortable, and potentially rewarding acting experience that I'm about to put myself in.
What I find instead surprises me, so much so that I'm unable to communicate to my legs that I need to get the heck out of this situation. There on the floor is one very broken Quinn Fabray, knees to her chest and head down, crying rather vehemently. The tiny blonde has no idea anyone is in the small room with her, let alone that it's someone she despises so thoroughly, that is until she hears the wooden door close behind me. I curse the janitor for not fixing the spring mechanism on the heavy door, not that it would have helped me avoid this predicament in the first place. She looks up sharply, her eyes redder than the red cheerleading uniform that she normally adorns, I'm thankful she's not wearing it, something about it intimidates me. She glares at me, I clearly look as shocked as I feel, her staring tactics normally work on me, and I know she is hoping to scare me out of the bathroom. However, there is nothing normal about this situation. I can easily tell by her face that breaking down on the bathroom floor was not a part of her plan, and I'm guessing that getting caught after she had her breakdown wasn't part of the plan either. She is embarrassed, and when Quinn Fabray is embarrassed, she is wicked.
"What are you doing in here?" she asks, venom lacing throughout every word she speaks.
It's nothing I haven't heard before, but for some reason, I'm frightened more so than I usually am. A set of strange emotions rise through me, sure I'm frightened, but I also feel needed.
I finally close my gaping mouth, and take a timid step backwards just by default. I don't know why the feeling won't leave my body, it's like I can sense that she needs someone and in her state might even settle for someone like me. No, it's almost as if she wants it to be me. The small voice in the back of my head is laughing at me, she hates me. Our history provides more than enough examples for validation of this fact even though I have never done anything specifically to her. Sure I told her boyfriend Finn that the baby Quinn was carrying wasn't his, but that was for a different reason entirely, Quinn was just wounded in the cross fires, my intent was never to hurt her. I know the spitfire blonde doesn't like me, it's about as clear as a Windexed window, and still I can't turn my back on her, no matter how badly this cheerleader has burned me in the past.
"I heard crying" I barely choke out, my voice is lower than I remember it being a few minutes ago, I chalk it up to being afraid that anything louder will enrage the blonde even further. "Are you all right?"
Quinn's sniffle lets me know that she is in no way all right, the back of her sleeve comes up to wipe the tears that seem never ending.
"I'm fine" she replies in that nasally tone, the one where I know she's lying. That and the fact that she hasn't made any effort to bring herself to her feet, "You can go now" she tells me slowly, annunciating each word.
I study her as she sits on the floor, she finds it hard to look back, the second her hazel eyes leave mine, I know that I can't possibly leave her alone.
With some newfound courage, I take another step into the room, "You don't look fine"
One step turns into two and before I can stop myself, I'm sitting on the floor next to Quinn. I wrap my arms securely around her fragile and shaking form and to my surprise and without hesitation Quinn throws her own arms around my waist, she gathers some of my clothing under her fists.
After a few minutes of listening to her cries, I begin to worry that this isn't something that is just going to pass. I'm deeply concerned, whatever made Quinn cry has been building up for some time now, people don't normally cry like this for any reason. Her head is tucked neatly under my chin as she's hunched over, her body practically melds into mine without effort, I try not to smile at the realization. I know that this is no time to think of such things, but I've always felt that Quinn was far too pretty to cry. It's painful to see her disheveled like this, it's heartbreaking to witness, and it's bothering me that Quinn doesn't care that her dress is getting ruined by the grimy floor. Quinn's confidence is nowhere in sight, she's an utter mess and I try to swallow down the realization that her only lifeline is me, Rachel Berry.
I decide to just continue on with the only thing that I can do for her in this moment, what I would want someone to do for me, rub small circles on her back and whisper her shushes, hopefully the combination will get her to calm down. Eventually Quinn's tears subside and I'm not sure if it is because of my soothing words or for the shear fact that she is all cried out.
"Your voice really is beautiful" she whispers out into the silence that we've created.
I blush immensely; I didn't even know that I was singing. How horribly embarrassing of me.
Quinn's head stays in its position on my lap for a few minutes longer, her hands are—I think—absentmindedly playing with the hem of my skirt, while I just continue to run my fingers through her blonde waves. I'm still afraid to break the delicate silence. I know that she was the first one to speak, and with a compliment of all things, but I'm afraid that once she remembers it's me with her, this fragile moment will be just a distant memory.
"Why do you do that?" Quinn's raspy voice breaks the peaceful air.
I clear my throat, "Do what?"
"Not listen. You stayed, when I told you to go"
For once there is no malice, no conviction, it just was. I take in her statement, desperately searching for an answer that will appease her, searching for an answer that I'm not sure even I can describe.
"You needed someone" I reply, the room falls into a silence once again.
Quinn shuffles and begins to sit up, it takes her a few seconds to get the cloudy look out of her eyes, her vision is most likely slightly dizzy and I imagine her head is pounding from crying for so long. She studies her fingers, almost as if she's ashamed of herself. If only I can find the words to let her know that she has nothing to be ashamed of.
She barely scoffs, "I would have left"
"I know" I whisper softly, she would have been gone in a heartbeat; I try not to think of how badly the truth hurts me, "I'm also not you"
She looks at me with a ghost of a smile on her lips. In a strange way I know that this is her way of showing that she's appreciative of my existence for once, Quinn would never outwardly say thank you, she is far too stubborn for that. I give a nod to acknowledge her, conveying that I understand everything that she possibly can't speak aloud, not to me at least.
"Did you want to talk about it?" I find myself asking anyway, I tilt my head, hoping to reconnect with her piercing eyes once again.
Quinn can only shake her head no, I'm sure she's afraid that she will start crying again if she thinks too much about the reason she is crying in the first place. She looks up suddenly, a pensive expression on her face, almost as if she's grasping at something, she wants to set the record straight.
"I do want to talk about it" she looks at me, hazel eyes making my breath hitch, "Just not right now"
"I understand"
Somehow I do understand, I also know that one day Quinn will tell me what happened in the bathroom today, twenty minutes ago I never would have expected myself to have such faith in Quinn telling me anything. And I have already decided that I will be there for her when she is ready.
A ringing phone blares through the stillness of the night, I sit upright in my bed, it's completely dark, I realize that my pink and black Diva eye cover is still around my head. I lift it up as I desperately reach for the sound as I do every morning when my alarm goes off. I can't believe that it is already time to get ready for school. Just as I'm about to silence the phone, the ID lights up again nearly blinding me, an unknown number flashes on the screen.
Using logic and reason to the best of my sleep deprived ability, I hit the send key. I have a strange irrational fear that every time the phone rings, the person on the opposite end of the phone is going to tell me that my dog was run over. I know how silly it is, considering I don't even own a dog, but I always expect the worst. I also don't have that many people calling me. So immediately when I hear muffled cries on the other end of the receiver, and I realize that it's nearly three in the morning, my heart attack begins and panic sets in for my imaginary dog Gene Kelly.
"Hello, who is this?" I ask in a hushed whisper.
"I didn't know where else to go"
I can't be sure that is what I just heard; it's fairly difficult to comprehend anything at this hour, let alone someone speaking to me through cries.
"Quinn?" I finally guess, hoping I'm right, for what reason I can't be sure.
The other voice whimpers something jumbled and I'm now very certain that it is in fact the blonde cheerleader on the other end of the line.
"What's the matter? Where are you? Is it Gene?"
I shake my head, irrational Rachel needs to learn when to silence herself. I couldn't help but go from confused to alarmed in less than milliseconds once it was confirmed that it was Quinn that was dry heaving into the receiver.
Finally it seems that she can produce an answer coherently enough, "Outside"
I shoot out of bed and walk over to my window; sure enough I can see a small red car parked on the opposite side of my street.
"Stay there" I tell her before I hang up.
I don't even worry about finding shoes, or care about covering up my scarcely clothed body, I have one thing on my mind in this moment and that is Quinn Fabray.
I sneak down the stairs and out of my house in record time; I walk briskly towards the car that appears to already be off.
I can see that she's still in the car so I grab the handle and luckily it's already unlocked, I didn't feel like fighting her to let me inside. I slide myself in so that I'm sitting in the passenger seat, I turn to see her scared of what I will find, red eyes and tear stained cheeks is what greets me. I reach across the center console, not caring about formalities or that I'm in her personal space for the second time today. I'm able to wrap my arms around her; Quinn almost immediately does the same upon the contact. Her grip on me only tightens with time, my grip matches hers.
Wordlessly, I get out of the car after what feels like an eternity and walk around to the driver side door, opening it to reach in and pull the cheerleader out. The blonde doesn't fight me once and we are sitting on my bed in no time, the only light in the room is coming from the walk in closet.
Quinn is sitting with one leg dangling off of the bed, the other tucked neatly under her leg. Her knuckles have already been cracked and cracked again but it doesn't stop her from continuing to try, her gaze is far off, and she is still dressed in her clothing from the previous day. Surprisingly her pale yellow sundress doesn't seem to be ruined by the disgusting bathroom floor as I originally anticipated, I briefly wonder if she knew that it wouldn't be harmed.
After she declines my proposal for a glass of water—twice, I decide to join her on the bed, I'm unsure of how to begin prodding the information out of the torn girl.
"Puck and I got into a fight this morning" Quinn suddenly breaks the silence.
I sit up a little straighter, giving my full attention her.
"Is this the reason that has you so upset?" I ask after it was clear that she wasn't going to further elaborate.
"Yeah" she sighs almost simultaneously, "No"
This time I know better and bite my cheek in order to allow the girl to speak when she can conjure up the words she wants to say.
"I hate my life" she finally says, painfully honest, it breaks my heart into pieces.
I so badly want to interject and list hundreds of reasons as to why the girl is completely insane for thinking something like this. How could she believe that she doesn't have everything going for her, that there aren't thousands of people in Lima that envy her. That I envy everything about her. I model my confidence and stride off of her flawlessness, I can only hope to be as beautiful as her one day. I stay silent.
Quinn laughs, almost satanically, "You have no idea what it's like to have all of this pressure"
I want to retort with something along the lines of 'of course I do' but I think better of it, this isn't about me for once.
"Is Noah pressuring you?" I ask, I'm immediately upset and disappointed in the boy if this is the case.
She laughs eerily again, it sends a chill down my spine, I look down, it could have been because I'm still half naked in my silk nightgown.
"It's not just him" she replies before sniffling.
Before I can stop myself, I'm reaching out to rub the girls back, hoping that I can give her some of the courage she is suddenly lacking.
"My dad wants to come back home" she finally says.
A gasp escapes my mouth before I knew I was producing one. I'm in no way close to Quinn but I faintly understand her past and what had happened to her while she was pregnant. I learned through Finn and some of the other Glee members about what the cheerleader had to endure. I admired her perseverance through it all. It's then that I realize how big of a deal this is for her.
"What has your Mom said?"
She scoffs, "She's willing to forgive my father, she's waiting for my answer, they're both waiting for my answer"
I understand what kind of pressure this puts on the fragile girl, after all, it is up to her whether or not their family could be salvaged and put back together again.
"I can't" she barely chokes out, "I can't look at him and not hate him for the things that he's done" her gaze is once again far off, I instantly recall her using the same tone with me after I revealed to Finn the real father of the baby, it's unmistakable.
I still don't know how to console her, so I continue to just rub her back and shoulders.
"I have Puck, but he's slipping away. If I don't have sex with him, he'll be gone"
"Oh I'm sure that's not true" I cut in, giving the boy some credit.
Quinn turns sharply towards me, I wince expecting a lash out, she must have seen my reaction because her features are soft when I open my eyes again, "No he will, he told me today" she says sadly.
I nod, understanding where her breakdown earlier in the bathroom probably stemmed from.
"I hate cheerleading" she continues to list the things off, "I'm going to be stuck in Lima until I die, I'll probably be a Janitor or lunch lady." She continues.
I can't help but smile softly to myself.
"I won't let that happen to you" I tell her softly, meaning every word, "Cheerleading isn't everything, and forget Puck, you can have anyone that you want. As for your Dad, he'll have to prove to you that he's worth your time"
"I have no real friends"
"Brittany and Santana love you"
Quinn finally shows me a glimpse of a smile; she's amused with my ability to have an answer for everything, a quality I'm sure she used to hate. Her smile turns into a frown almost immediately.
"I wish I kept my baby" she lets out, I can tell she's never said it aloud before. The way her voice breaks and cracks is evidence of that. Now that the words are hanging in the air between us, Quinn's body shakes with silent sobs. "Oh god"
I scoop her crying body into my arms, I don't care that her tears are soaking my bare shoulder, I don't hate the fact that I'm whispering in her ear that everything will be okay. I care that I'm starting to let my guard down when I'm with her, and I hate the fact that I'm telling her everything will be okay even though I'm not sure that it will be. I sing softly to her to cover up my own doubts about everything, hoping for just a moment, I can give her the hope that she needs.
What do we think? Worth it? | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6339577/1/Be-Alright | dclm-gs1-052660000 |
0.095467 | <urn:uuid:aa0567df-8abf-4df6-8d50-fe49e5e0fe90> | en | 0.969417 | Disclaimer: Tenchi-Muyo is owned by Pioneer and AIC.
Author's note: this is a romance comedy, and by the way I don't like Ayeka! This story is about what would happen if Ryoko decided to get a job and became a model. What if her agent fell in love with her? What will Tenchi do? Will he admit his love to Ryoko before half the male population in Japan does so first? This is set in the OVA universe.
Ryoko Becomes a Model
Chapter 1:
It was another peaceful day in Okayama…
"Prissy Princess!"
"Girls please…"
Yes another peaceful day…
"She started it Tenchi," Ryoko said looking at Tenchi seductively, "You believe me don't you?" Ryoko began to rub a finger along Tenchi's chest.
"Wha…what?! How dare you! You know perfectly well that you started this Ryoko. It's about time you started pulling your own weight around here and help out around the house. All you do is lay around all day drinking sake!"
"Is this true Ms. Ayeka?" asked Tenchi.
"Tenchi," whined Ryoko, "It's not my fault I didn't do my chores today…you see I had a nightmare last night so didn't get much sleep and just wanted to sleep in-"
"Will you girls be quiet! Ryoko, please you need to start helping Ayeka around the house, after all you are a guest here."
Ryoko humphed. 'Guest, yeah right. If I were a real guest I'd have my own room" thought Ryoko.
"I have to go to the field to start harvesting the carrots for your Ryo-Oki, Ryoko. Just try and make yourself useful, ok?" Tenchi said with a sigh.
"Well, ok. But if that Slut Princess-"
"What did you call me demon?"
"Ryoko, stop it! You're always avoiding your chores! Using Ayeka as an excuse to get out of them is very immature! I wish you would act more like her! If you don't start helping out around the house-" began Tenchi, but stopped when he saw the look in Ryoko's eyes.
'Is Tenchi about to give me an ultimatum? What is he going to say? Is he going to say that I have to leave if I don't start helping out around the house…or if I can't be more like Ayeka…I just wanted to catch up on some sleep…' thought Ryoko sadly, as unwanted tears began to buildup in her eyes. Ryoko willed her tear ducts to close so that Tenchi wouldn't see her cry.
"Ryoko, I…just help Ayeka around the house, ok? And no more fighting. I guess I'll see you girls at dinner." Tenchi said at last as he turned around to walk back to the fields. 'I'm such a dumb ass. Why do I always blow-up at Ryoko like that? I almost did it again, the last time I blew-up at her was when she ripped my mother's Kimono…I said I hated her. I don't hate Ryoko, it's just that I don't understand her. No, that's not it…I care about Ryoko but…I'm just not ready to chose yet. Why does everything have to be so difficult with her. It's so easy with Ayeka…she's the perfect princess. But Ryoko…I guess she's…well she's different. I'll think about this some other time. Maybe Ryoko will finally take her chores seriously for a change.' Tenchi sighed.
Back at the Masaki home…
"Well, demon if I heard Tenchi correctly you better start acting more like me more or else! Why don't you go and clean the toilet. You'll be in your element…you waste product. Isn't that what Kagato had said you were…I'm beginning to agree with him."
It was taking all of Ryoko's will power not to blast Ayeka to the next dimension. 'Tenchi said no fighting…but if I stay here any longer I know I'll end of blasting the prissy princess to bits! I just have to get out of here.' Ryoko thought as she phased away in front of Ayeka.
"Ohh you demon! Lord Tenchi will be sure to hear about this!" Ayeka said as she stormed off.
Meanwhile in Tokyo…
Ryoko was wandering down the street thinking while window-shopping…
'What am I going to do? I need to make myself more useful or else Tenchi is going to kick me out of the house. Tenchi…what can I do to act more like Ayeka? Does he want me to act more like a bitch?' Ryoko smiled to herself. 'No, I suppose he means just acting more…I dunno calm I guess. Well, I just can't be as boring as the princess! And if Tenchi wants some boring, bitchy princess then that's alright with me!' Ryoko thought as she accidentally punched a store window. The glass shattered and the entire window was destroyed.
'Opps…' thought Ryoko.
"Hey, what's going on here!?" Demanded the storeowner as he inspected the damage that Ryoko had caused to his store window. "You better be planning to pay for this!"
"I uh…don't have any money," stammered Ryoko, 'But maybe my friends-"
"I want you to pay for this damage now! I'm calling the cops!" the storeowner shouted at Ryoko.
"That won't be necessary, Sir." A tall man dressed in black said as he pulled out his wallet, "Now how much for the window?"
The store-owner stood looking at the man in disbelief, "Well…I…"
The man in the black wrote down a number on the check and handed it to the storeowner who nearly fell over when he looked at it.
"Will that be sufficient?" asked the man.
"Ye..yes. Well I'll just leave you two alone." The storeowner said with a big smile on his face as he went back inside practically skipping.
"Wow, thanks, I didn't know what I was going to do…sometimes I don't know my own strength" Ryoko said as she turned to face the man. Then she noticed what he looked like. She hadn't realized that the man who had helped her was so…handsome. He had spiky black hair and deep blue eyes, and was wearing a very slick black suit with a solid dark blue tie…
"It was nothing. Allow me to introduce myself (and handing Ryoko a business card) I'm Adonis. I'm a top agent for Le Fay magazine."
"I'm Ryoko. (looking down at the business card)Le Fay magazine?"
"Yes, it's a fashion magazine. You know we're always looking for a new face and you…you have potential. Have you ever considered modeling?"
"Me? Model…but I'm…"
"Not beautiful? It's always the beautiful ones that never seem to know what they've got. Let me guess you're in love with some guy that doesn't give you the time of day?"
"How did you-"
"See it all the time. So what do you think? It seems to me like you are in need of a job, am I right?"
"A job? Where I can earn money?"
"Yes, of course. Our tops models do very well and like I said you have a lot of potential."
'Tenchi wanted me to help out somehow…if I were to earn extra money for the family he'd have to let me stay!' "When can I start!"
"Wow, easy now. How about we meet tomorrow at that restaurant over there." Adonis said motioning to a restaurant named "Le Refuge".
"French food in Japan? If you say so."
Ryoko turned to walk away when…
"Hey, it's getting kind of late. Would you like a ride home?"
"I dunno it's very far away…"
"How far?"
"Well, I don't think you've seem my car. Come on I'll take you there in less than an hour."
'This guy must be crazy.' Thought Ryoko as she looked at Adonis skeptically.
A few moments later…
"Whew hoo! You were right this car is amazing!"
"Yeah, it's a new experimental model. It's the fasted convertible in all of Japan!" Adonis said as he put on some shades.
"Oh, those are nice." Ryoko said admiring his sunglasses.
"We'll have to get you a pair. All the top model's have some"
Back at the Masaki house…
"Where's Ryoko?" Tenchi asked as he sat down for dinner.
"Humph! Why should you care where she is? You should know that that demon-woman skipped out on her chores again even after you had that talk with her. I think you should kick her out of the house. After all, she's only a nuisance."
"Ms. Ayeka-" But Tenchi was unable to finish his sentence because an odd sound coming from outside interrupted him.
Everyone ran out to see what the sound could be, was it another spaceship about to crash land in the lake? What they saw left them speech less. There was a red convertible, black leather interior, pulling up to the Masaki house. Inside was a very happy looking Ryoko with a very good-looking guy. For one split second Tenchi thought Ryoko must have met someone and eloped but quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Someone wouldn't steal Ryoko away from him, would they?
"Thanks for the ride, Adonis. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sure thing. It was very nice meeting you Ryoko." Adonis said with a smile that could rival that of Tom Cruise.
And the red convertible (black leather interior) sped away. Ryoko turned around to see everyone with their mouths hanging open and shocked expressions on their faces.
"What's up?"
Everyone fell over.
Inside the Masaki house…
"You're going to what?" exclaimed Tenchi.
"You…you" Ayeka said as she passed out cold.
"Yep, I'm going to be a model!"
End of Chapter 1: thought I'd write a quick Ryoko gets Tenchi story. I kind of hit a small road block with my other story "Power of a Goddess" So what do you all think of this story? Might be cute huh?!
So what dreams were bothering Ryoko? Who is this Adonis guy, and is he competition for Tenchi? What's life going to be like for Ryoko as a model? And will Tenchi be…JEALOUS! | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/641799/1/Ryoko-Becomes-a-Model | dclm-gs1-052670000 |
0.232512 | <urn:uuid:d2d95f46-4bf8-4da7-83fd-3c5c85de9730> | en | 0.991417 | A note from the author: See, I was on this forum thread about whether there were any good Twilight crossovers, and I was like, "Someone should write a Twilight/Portal crossover where GLaDOS kills Bella and makes Edward eat cake." And then someone was like, "DO IT." And then I was like, "Ok." So I did it. Then I posted it on here. Anyway, I hope it gives you some lulz.
Another note: You have NO FRIKKING IDEA how happy all the favs/comments this story has gotten have made me. I mean, considering the crap I usually write, making something that this many people like feels AMAZING. However, I don't think I'll writ a sequel piece. Honestly, I don't think I could pull off something like this a second time, and I kind of want to keep this piece, I don't know, pure.
Disclaimer: Thank Dead God (cookies if you get that reference) I don't own Twilight. I would never claim to own something so horrible. As for Portal, I'm rather dismayed that I have no rights to it. But I do finally own a plushie Companion Cube.[/off topic] Now, on with the fic!
Consciousness came slowly to Bella. The first thing she was aware of was how warm she was-that was wrong. Where was her velvet-voiced marble statue? Shouldn't he be by her side at all times? She searched the space around her by touch. He wasn't there! Where, oh where could he be? She began to panic-she couldn't function without her true love! Oh, the chagrin! Her eyes snapped open. "Edward!" she screamed, noting his absence from her immediate line of sight. Where was he? Bella was beginning to hyperventilate when she heard another voice-not the velvety, low tones she so longed to hear, but a different voice-female, with a sound of being pre-recorded.
"Oh, I see you've woken up," the voice said.
"Where's Edward?" Bella yelled at it.
"You mean the pale boy who was with you? Don't worry. He's… safe," came the voice.
Bella whimpered. Something had taken Edward away from her! What could she do now? How would she survive with nobody to watch her every move?
As if it had read her mind, the voice said, "He's right up here with me. We'll both be observing as you undergo the following… tests. Afterwards, you will be escorted to the reception area, where there will be cake. Your friend will wait there for you."
Bella relaxed a bit. Edward would be there just as soon as she could pass the tests. Well, that would be easy! She was, of course, getting straight A's in all subjects and had finished the entire reading list in fourth grade.
"Please step into the elevator."
Bella turned, curious. What elevator?
The voice seemed exasperated when it said, "Please step into the elevator behind you. Then testing can begin."
Bella turned. Oh, that elevator! In her panic, she hadn't taken in her surroundings, other than to note Edward's absence. She tried to walk to the elevator, but tripped over a dust bunny on the way there. She was so clumsy! Oh, what a flaw! Oh, well. She was only human, after all. Being flawless would be unrealistic!
After tripping six more times, Bella finally dragged herself into the elevator. She stood up as the door closed, but almost fell over again as it rocketed upwards.
As she was lifted, she thought with chagrin about Edward. Where was he now? Could he see her? Was he worried about her? She began to fantasize about seeing him again. He would look up and smile his beautiful crooked smile that other people thought made him look constipated. She would grin and blush. They would run into each other's arms and begin kissing passionately. "We'll never be apart again," he'd whisper in his velvety voice, as she sniffed his hair. He'd kiss her neck, causing her to moan with pleasure. "Take me, Edward!" she'd scream, and he would tentatively remove her shirt-
"Are you going to leave the elevator or not?" the voice asked.
Bella looked up. The elevator had stopped moving, and the doors had opened. Another door with the words "Aperture Science" stood a few feet in front of her. She took a few tentative steps forward, then screamed and almost fell over as something dropped in front of her.
"This is your portal gun," explained the robotic voice so unlike the velvet one she longed to hear. "You will use it to complete the tests. Try not to shoot yourself with it."
Bella cautiously picked up the gun, wishing Edward were with her. She then proceeded through the doors.
After three chambers, GLaDOS was getting pretty fed up with the new test subject. Not that time mattered very much to the computer, but it had been twelve days. Most subject only took about twelve minutes! This outlier was going to throw off her averages, then her results wouldn't be as accurate! How annoying!
"You know," she said over the intercom, "You could try being a bit faster. I understand that your weight may be slowing you down, but we wouldn't want you to age too much during testing. Your seemingly ageless companion probably wouldn't enjoy your company as much if you were eighty years old." She made a note of the comment in her internal log book-everything she said to the test subject had to be carefully recorded, as well as their reaction.
The girl's eyes widened. GLaDOS hoped she was realizing that she needed to speed up. Then she did the exact opposite of what the computer had been hoping for. She put down the portal gun, flopped on the ground, and began to bawl.
"IT'S TRUE!" she yelled. "I'm a horribly ugly, fat girl! Oh, why do I have to have such fine pale skin? Why am I cursed with chocolate-brown eyes and slim ankles? And I weigh 110 pounds! I'm fat and ugly and Edward could never love me!"
As GLaDOS displayed a facepalming GIF, the pale boy acted up again.
"Bella!" he shouted. "I love you, Bella! Bella!" GLaDOS sighed and recorded their reactions.
"I'm sorry," she said over the intercom. "I didn't mean that. But your companion would like to say something to you." This was a desperate move-she usually tried to make the subject feel completely alone except for herself, but she had to get the girl moving. She turned to the boy and quickly instructed him in what to say.
"Bella," he said into the intercom mic she lowered to him, "You need to get out of here, Love. I can guide you through the levels if she'll let me-" He looked at GLaDOS, who displayed a nodding GIF. "She will. You've got to get up, Love."
"EDWARD!" screamed the girl at a pitch so high GLaDOS was surprised humans could hear it. As she made a note of it, the pale boy continued.
"Bella, dear, get up please." She instantly did as he said. GLaDOS took down a note, somewhat confused. Were all humans so willing to obey other humans? Concluding that she'd have to have a wider base of test humans for further research on the subject, she allowed the test to continue.
The levels were much faster with the pale boy directing the was especially surprised at the end of the Companion Cube level. She'd expected the girl to take much longer to incinerate it-judging by how she acted with the boy, she became attached very easily. However, she had dumped the cube into the disposal pit without a moment's hesitation. It was confusing, and once again, GLaDOS concluded that she'd need to experiment more with another human outside the test chambers.
"This is the last test," came the voice. "I am obligated to remind you that when you are finished, you will be baked, and then there will be cake." Bella considered this for a moment, then decided to ignore it. She'd be with Edward soon, anyway. She couldn't wait to see his beauty again. She imagined what he would look like to look at him after what seemed like ages. The first thing she'd notice would be his beautiful, ice-cold skin. Then she'd be able to see his liquid-amber eyes, like molten gold. She'd run at him, kiss him. She'd smell his luscious scent ag-
"Well? Are you going to leave the elevator? You can't pass the level unless you do so, you know."
GLaDOS had considered carefully for the past few weeks, during the earlier test chambers. She'd taken into account her observations-particularly of the boy's changes in eye color, and how the darker they got, the more frenzied he became. She took a covert scan of his biochemistry and noticed that as time passed and his eyes grew darker, his blood levels decreased. Further scans showed he was not actually human but a similar species that, for no logical reason GLaDOS could come up with, sparkled in the sunlight, did not age or die naturally, and did not eat like most humans but needed to drink blood to maintain proper levels. She wondered if the fact that they were different species had something to do with his control over the girl, but that could not be tested now. Having taken all of this into account, she'd devised the perfect way to end the testing.
Finally, finally, Bella completed the final test. She was moved on a platform into a reception area. She was looking around for Edward when the robotic voice came again.
"Congratulations on finishing your testing. Your companion will show up in twenty seconds."
The seconds seemed like hours to Bella, who couldn't wait to see her Adonis again. At long last, the doors at the other end of the reception opened.
Edward was even more beautiful than she'd remembered. His skin, pale as marble, was nearly glowing-though not sparkling, because no sunlight penetrated the windowless building. She rushed at him, unable to be away from him a moment longer.
"Bella! No-!"
And then she was in his arms.
And then she saw that something was amiss.
His eyes, which she'd been fantasizing about since the tests began, were not the golden honey color she was used to.
They were black.
"Bella, I-"
But, unable to restrain himself any longer, he tore into the flesh of her neck.
GLaDOS watched as the pale boy drank the girl's blood and dropped her, dead, on the floor. This was what she'd been hoping for-the boy's reaction to killing his obsession would be most interesting. His eyes, she noted, were no longer yellow-brown or black, but a deep red.
"Why?" he yelled. "Why did you make me do this!" He knelt by the girl's body. He was not crying, but he seemed to be trying. It was possible that he was unable to.
"I wanted to see what you would do," she said simply, recording his reaction in her internal log. "But the fun part is only beginning. I said there would be cake, after all. And since you and I have all eternity together…"
A robotic arm holding a slice of cake popped out from the wall of the "reception area" and advanced slowly towards the boy's mouth. | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6954529/1/Testing-One-Two-Three | dclm-gs1-052680000 |
0.216293 | <urn:uuid:eb89ca50-a886-4d2b-a763-0acc81ca217e> | en | 0.985526 | Two Simple Words
Deep in the Ghost Zone, within the confines of a certain tower filled with clocks, gears, and pendulums, a lone purple-hooded ghost floated silently. As time passed, his age appeared to rapidly cycle between that of a child, a young adult, and an old man. This hooded, age-changing ghost was watching a sort of viewing screen. This particular window had the ability to show what was, what is, and what may or may not come to pass.
Currently, the screen showed another ghost. The ghost on the screen had pale blue skin and white hair that flickered like fire, and the irises of his eyes glowed a bloody crimson. The look was completed with a caped black and white suit, with a symbol on his chest consisting of a white D with a P carved out of the center. At the moment, the screen showed this ghost terrorizing a town called Amity Park.
"Yes, that's right! Run, you weaklings! I can't believe I spent all my time protecting you from other ghosts when I could have joined in the fun! I didn't get any thanks from anybody for keeping this town safe! No, all I got in return for making sure this town stayed in one piece was getting a face full of the inside of a locker, day in and day out! Well, now it's my turn to humiliate you!"
Back in the clock tower, the hooded ghost watched the screen with a neutral expression on his face, but if one were to look into the deep red void of his eyes, they showed a surprising amount of emotion as well as wisdom. Although they appeared a solid red, one could see a deep sorrow in them, as if he had seen too many horrible things with those eyes. But alongside that sorrow was hope. Hope for a brighter future.
The hooded ghost turned away from the screen and called out to the empty air.
"You know that I am forbidden to act directly in the course of events. However, I believe that you, with your unique abilities, may be able to help."
Another ghost seemed to materialize in front of the hooded ghost. The newcomer was a ghost with the appearance of an eighteen-year-old girl with blonde hair, a pink flower-shaped hair pin, a white T-shirt, and pink capri pants.
"Clockwork, you interfered just by bringing me back from that stupid timeline," she complained, as she pointed towards the time-window.
"Yes," the hooded ghost, now known as Clockwork, replied, "but due to the specific nature of the abilities you gained in death, you are undetectable to my... employers."
"Something tells me that you wanted to refer to the Observants as something a bit less flattering than 'employers'," the girl remarked. "How about Cyclops? One-Eye?"
"Perhaps, but that is irrelevant to the current conversation," Clockwork conceded with a rare smirk. However, his face quickly returned to its normal emotionless expression as he spoke again. "Now, to business. As you know, it is my job as the Master of Time to make sure that the timeline runs smoothly." Clockwork's expression grew vaguely annoyed with his next sentence. "Unfortunately, the Observants and I tend to have very different ideas on how to go about doing that. I am certain that past events must be changed in order to prevent the future that you see here on this screen. The future from which I pulled you. Even though I control time itself, the Observants do not permit me to change past events directly. That is where you come in."
The futuristic ghost girl silently gazed at the floor for a few moments, finally lifting her head to look straight at Clockwork with determination in her eyes.
"What do you need me to do?"
It was lunchtime at Casper High School. Practically unnoticed by those around them, three teens walked to their usual table in the corner. The boy on the left had dark skin, green eyes hidden behind glasses, a red beret, a yellow sweater, green cargo pants, brown hiking boots, and a PDA. The girl on the right had extremely pale skin, violet eyes, shoulder-length black hair that was tied in a half-ponytail on top of her head, a black and purple tank top, a black and green miniskirt, long purple stockings, and black combat boots. The boy in the middle had messy black hair, icy blue eyes, a white and red T-shirt, blue jeans, and red Converse shoes. All three sat down, virtually invisible to everyone else, as they whispered in a heated discussion.
"I'm just saying, Danny, you shouldn't let it get to you. Who cares what other people think?" the pale girl consoled the messy-haired boy, whose blue eyes had dark circles from lack of sleep.
"Yeah," the boy with the red beret agreed, "Sam is right. You've been really down lately. Just don't listen to all the naysayers. They'll warm up to you eventually."
"That's the problem, Tucker," the blue-eyed boy, Danny, argued. "It's not just what they say; it's what they do. What they might do in the future. With more and more ghosts showing up to wreak havoc here, people are starting to listen more and more to my parents, who think that all ghosts are evil, and want to rip Danny Phantom apart, 'molecule by molecule'. If this gets any worse, all that I've worked for will be for nothing, and I'll be Public Enemy Number One again. Or do you not remember how bad that was?" he finished with a pointed look.
Tucker's confident grin faltered. "Well, it wasn't that ba-"
"What he means to say," Sam interrupted with a glare at Tucker, "is that you got through it, and convinced people of the truth: that you're the good guy. And you can do it again! This is just a bad moment, and it will pass if you let it."
"So, what?" Danny fumed. "You're saying that I'm not trying hard enough? That I need to spend every waking hour playing a game of politics? Looking good doesn't save lives; being good does! It's just that people refuse to see that I'm just trying to help them! I'm trying as hard as I can! So don't tell me that I'm not doing my best! I have enough stress to deal with!"
"Don't put this on her!" Tucker shouted. "She was just saying that if you keep doing what you always do, people will eventually have to see the truth and admit that you're the only thing keeping this town from crumbling to the ground! She wasn't saying you're not good enough! She was just saying it would take time!"
In an instant, Danny's face lost all ferocity as he suddenly looked at the ground, tears forming in his eyes. "Y-you're right, Tucker. I'm sorry, Sam. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Danny," Sam replied. "I know that you're under a lot of pressure."
"I know, but that doesn't excuse my outburst," Danny sighed.
"Chill, man," Tucker whispered. "We've been through things like this before, and we've always come out better for it. I'm sorry I yelled too."
"Yeah, but I deserved that," Danny conceded.
"Well, now that the yelling is over, let's enjoy our lunch," Sam smiled.
"And by 'lunch', you mean your usual rabbit food?" Tucker asked with a mischievous smirk.
"Only if your lunch can be called animal-slaughter on a bun!" Sam faked a glare towards Tucker, but couldn't suppress a slight smile herself. Danny merely sighed in renewed contentment as the tense atmosphere dissolved with his two friends' usual banter.
As the three friends talked and laughed, a puff of mist seemed to escape from Danny's mouth, upon which event Danny sighed, and the smile slid off his face to reveal his tiredness once more. "Well," he muttered as he stood up and turned to leave, "time to go save the town yet again while they scream and run away from me."
Before he could leave the cafeteria, however, Danny felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn back around to face its owner. Brilliant violet orbs framed by a curtain of black stared back into his icy blue eyes.
"It's gonna be okay," Sam whispered to him, putting a hand on his cheek.
Taking a deep breath, Danny nodded his head wordlessly, regaining a fraction of his earlier smile. They stared at each other for a few more moments, until they heard a small cough from Tucker that sounded suspiciously like "lovebirds". Sam finally released Danny, allowing him to leave the cafeteria and shout his signature battle cry, unheard by the other students.
"I'm going ghost!"
A glowing blue-white ring appeared around Danny's waist. The ring became two, one moving up while the other moved down, changing his appearance as they split. White hair replaced black, and his icy blue eyes began to glow a radioactive green as his normal attire was replaced with a black and white form-fitting suit with a white D on the chest. In the place of Danny Fenton stood the ghostly superhero, Danny Phantom.
Shifting into a state of intangibility, Danny passed harmlessly through the roof of the school, making his way to the front lot, where he found a large robotic ghost with a flaming green mohawk and a skull-like face. This metal ghost appeared to have chased some students out of the school, and they were now scattering about, looking for a way to escape. Danny raised an eyebrow at the ghost, unimpressed.
"What's the matter, Skulker? Has the 'Ghost Zone's Lamest Hunter' finally given up on having my pelt, and decided to pick easier targets?"
"Actually, whelp, I was simply using them to get your attention, and now that I have it, I will have your head on my wall!"
"That's still gross," Danny muttered as he flew towards Skulker with both fists in front of him. There was a loud CLANG! as Danny's fists impacted the ghost's metal faceplate. Disoriented from the punch, Skulker had no time to react as a blue light engulfed him, dragging him into Phantom's Thermos-shaped ghost-capturing device and quickly ending the fight.
Immediately after capping the top of the Thermos, Danny cringed as he heard the bell ring to signal the end of the lunch period. Quickly scanning for any stragglers that might have stayed to watch, he noticed a blonde girl of about fifteen years old hiding in the alleyway. As he got closer, he recognized her as Star Summers, one of the popular girls. She looked slightly dazed, as though unsure how she had gotten there. Danny attributed this to her being in shock due to the ghost attack. Moving slowly so as not to frighten her further, he floated to the ground, allowing gravity to take hold of him when his feet touched the pavement.
"Are you alright?" Danny whispered cautiously.
"Y-yeah," she replied shakily.
"What's your name?" Danny inquired, as if he didn't know.
"Oh, you hang out with Dash and Paulina's group, right?" Like he didn't know that either.
"And you're sure you're alright?"
"Yes. A little dizzy, but I'll be fine."
After a short but awkward silence, Danny turned to make his way back to class. Once inside, he used his intangibility to phase into the bathroom, where he was able to change back into his human form. Now Danny Fenton once again, he quickly made his way to class before the late bell rang.
As the future-dwelling ghost, out of range from the hero's ghost sense, watched the hero fly away, she smiled, though with a hint of sadness. She knew that her actions were leading to a better future, but at the cost of her own existence. Then again, she reflected, I am already dead, ironically because he went crazy and killed me and a bunch of other people. But is being nonexistent so much worse? She wasn't sure if she could answer herself truthfully.
The end of the school day found Danny, Sam, and Tucker chatting at their lockers as they packed up their belongings and got ready to go home. Suddenly, a shadow engulfed the three teens. This shadow belonged to the school football star and resident bully, Dash Baxter, who towered over the trio.
"Hey, Fenton, when's the last time I shoved you into your locker? I'm running a little behind schedule on that. Mind helping me catch up?" Dash cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"Oh, come on, Dash! I'm way too tired to put up with you right now. Can we do this tomorrow?" Danny complained.
"Yeah, dude," Tucker added, "Don't you get bored picking fights with the same person every day?"
"You know what? You're right," Dash agreed mockingly. "So, why not start with you instead, Foley?" Dash started moving toward Tucker. Suddenly, a new voice rang out.
"Hey! We don't have time for this, Dash! We have to get ready for that party at Paulina's house, remember? Get going!" It was Star, much to the surprise of Danny, Sam, and Tucker.
"Oh, man, Paulina's gonna kill me if I'm late to her party!" Dash smacked himself in the forehead before rushing out of the school. However, Star remained where she was with a small smile on her lips.
"Hey," Sam pointed a distrustful finger at Star, "aren't you Paulina's best friend? One of the popular crowd? You're not supposed to help losers like us, so what gives?"
Tucker was less accusing, but just as confused as he spoke, "Yeah, I don't get it. Why'd you save us?"
"Because I need to talk to Danny. Alone, please." Compared to her usual snobby drawl, the pure authority with which Star spoke compelled Sam and Tucker to leave, but not before staring confusedly between Danny and Star, as if they knew something significant was taking place, but also that they were not allowed to be part of it.
When the hallway was deserted, Danny spoke. "What's this about, Star? I mean, thanks for saving us back there, even if it was... unusual... for you to do that. It's just that we don't know each other very well, and popular kids generally either ignore us or bully us. So, I think you'll understand if I'm a little bit confused."
"I've just been thinking..." Star trailed off as she directed her gaze towards the ground.
"Yeah?" Danny raised an eyebrow as he urged her to continue.
Star continued staring downwards. "Well, I just wanted to say one thing. Something that needs to be said."
"And that would be...?" Danny was beginning to get nervous.
After a pause, Star looked him straight in the eyes with unnerving intensity as she said, "Thank you."
These two simple words sent Danny's mind reeling as he recalled the ghost fight earlier today. Is it possible that she could know who I am? His eyes widened as he attempted to compose himself. When he was finally able to speak, he choked out, "Why?"
Star's intense gaze fell away as her features took on a more serene expression. "Because it's something you deserve to hear, and because I get the feeling that it's not often that you do hear it. So thank you. For saving me today. For protecting the town, even when they don't see it from that point of view. Others will see your heroism eventually. They have to. You just have to give it time."
"Th-thank you, but... H-how did-" Danny stuttered.
"How did I figure out about you being Phantom? You know, it's really weird. There were three photographs and a note in my locker. One photo showed human-you, the second showed ghost-you, and the third was you in the middle of changing forms. The note said that Sam, Tucker, and your sister know about you, and it also told me not to tell anyone, so you don't have to worry about me saying anything. No clue how the note and photos got in my locker though."
"Wait, that means someone else knows, too!" Danny started to panic.
"Yeah, but if they told me not to tell anyone, they're not likely to tell anyone themselves, are they?" Star's voice began to take on its usual snarky tone.
"True," Danny conceded tiredly. As the shock left his system, he felt a sudden urge to lean back against the lockers and slide down to the ground slowly.
"Anyway," Star continued, "Paulina really is having a party tonight, and people are going to start wondering where I am if I don't skedaddle. But just remember that not everyone is against you. Some people really are grateful for your protection - or at least Phantom's, as far as most of them know." Looking at her watch, she blurted out, "Oh, I'm late! Gotta run! See you later!" Star then quickly ran out the exit at the end of the hallway.
As Danny stood alone in the hallway, he contemplated his day, staring with unfocused eyes at the door through which Star had left. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can make people see that I'm the good guy. Maybe they'll realize that I'm trying to help them, not hurt them. But I can't expect them all to just suddenly like me. I'll have to convince them. One person at a time. Just keep going.
"Ah, I see you've returned, and with your task completed, too. Well done," came the voice of Clockwork from the back of his tower.
"You mean overshadowing my younger living self and making her run to the location of Skulker's attack before leaving her body so that she could see Phantom's heroics for herself? And then intangibly phasing those photos and that note into her locker?" The futuristic ghostly version of Star smirked.
"Yes. That." The Master of Time replied dryly with a smirk of his own. "Come here, Star. You should see what your efforts have brought to the world."
The older, ghostly form of Star approached Clockwork, who was watching the time window again. While viewing the screen, the ghostly girl had a bird's-eye view of a scene much different than the future she had left.
Three teenagers, two male and one female, were sitting in a park. The tops of their heads were instantly recognizable. Sam's midnight hair was drawn into her favored half-ponytail on top of her head, Tucker's head was covered by his usual red beret, and Danny's black hair was as messy as ever. They were laughing together at a joke or a story that one of them had just told.
The scene changed, and the trio now appeared to be eighteen years of age. They wore the traditional caps and gowns of high-school graduation, and, at a word from the vice principal, they, along with all the other students, threw their caps into the air and cheered. The trio could be seen in a group hug before the scene changed again.
Danny was at his house, talking to his parents, Maddie and Jack. Danny's sister Jazz - short for Jasmine - stood beside him with a concerned look on her face, as she looked ready to jump in between them. Danny's parents appeared confused at first, but as Danny talked, comprehension seemed to dawn on their faces. Upon finishing his story, Danny changed into Phantom. As tears fell from their eyes, Jack and Maddie moved toward Danny, causing Jazz to rapidly position herself in front of Danny with determination on her face. However, their father, Jack, said something which caused Jazz to relax, and once more, Danny became part of a group hug, this time with his parents and sister. All of them were smiling.
Once more, the scene shifted. Now, an adult Danny Phantom was flying through the air above Amity Park, searching for any ghostly adversaries. Instead of the fiery hair and red eyes of the adult Phantom that Star's future ghost knew, he more closely resembled his youthful appearance, with white messy hair and glowing green eyes. As he flew, people would point and whisper, but instead of being fearful, their faces held respect and even a certain reverence. He waved, grinning confidently as he flew past, and as he cleared the streets of any harmful ghosts, the people cheered.
Back in the Ghost Zone's clock tower, the alternate-future Star murmured quietly, "I'm glad that Amity Park is safe now, and that it's being protected by such a noble person. I wish that the Phantom that I had known had turned out that way."
Clockwork spoke. "The Phantom you knew believed himself to be hated, and as such, eventually saw no reason not to act in such a manner as to deserve that hatred. Time is a very fragile thing. Sometimes, destiny can be changed, and lives can be saved, with just two simple words."
"Two simple words..." Star's alternate-future ghost mused. "So, what happens to me now? Am I going to disappear? Now that Phantom's not evil, he won't kill me or anyone else, which means I should still be alive in my time period, right?"
"Remember that some ghosts have unique abilities, such as my mastery over Time. And you've forgotten the special abilities that you received when you became a ghost. The ones that prevent the Observants from being able to see your actions, which, by the way, is why I displaced you from your timeline in the first place. Yes, there will be a living version of you in Amity Park, but your abilities allow you to exist separately from her, outside of time, if you so wish."
"I..." Star became lost in her thoughts. Surely she wasn't needed now that the timeline had righted itself, and it would be so good to finally rest. But she also found herself fascinated by Time's flow. If she decided to continue her existence, she could spend all eternity learning about the workings of the Timestream. Even now, as she looked more closely at the time window, she realized that there were layers upon layers to the images, each image showing a slightly different set of events than the one under it. Entranced by the newfound beauty of it, she made her choice.
"Yes, I think I'll stay. Like you said, a human version of me will still keep living, right? But if I'm going to be staying here, I'll need something to occupy my time. Maybe a job or something?"
Clockwork gave her a rare smile. "I thought you'd never ask. First things first. Would you very kindly go into that room," he pointed to a nearby door, "and bring me the object that is currently resting on the table inside?"
Star entered said room, coming out again with a battered metal cylinder.
"What is this?" Star asked curiously.
"That," Clockwork replied, "is the final proof that our efforts were not in vain." Clockwork twisted the top of the cylinder until it came off, revealing nothing but pitch black emptiness inside. Clockwork's face took on a look of satisfaction and relief.
"I don't get it," Star complained. "Is it supposed to be empty? How is that proof of anything if there's nothing there?"
"This device is a Fenton Thermos," Clockwork explained. "The very same kind used by Danny Phantom to contain his ghostly enemies. This particular one used to hold a terror even worse than the one you had known. However, we have just ensured that it is impossible for him to come into existence in any way, shape, or form. This one could only exist as long as there was even the slightest possibility of his creation happening in another timeline."
"So, you're saying that it used to hold another evil Phantom?" Star paled at the thought. "And now that there's no chance of him turning evil, that one never existed, just like the one I knew?"
"Precisely," came the simple reply.
"Wow, time is confusing," Star huffed.
"Well, if you're going to work for me, you're going to have to learn how it works, then, aren't you?" Clockwork teased.
"You bet!" Star enthused.
"For now, however, I believe you've earned a break." Clockwork dismissed her warmly, upon which event the ghostly girl left the room. Now alone, the Master of Time stayed behind to watch the time window, as more happy events flickered rapidly across its surface. Clockwork muttered contently to himself.
"Truly, everything is the way it's supposed to be." | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9401974/1/Two-Simple-Words | dclm-gs1-052730000 |
0.020304 | <urn:uuid:37d5450b-e6ef-4b5c-b4a8-04c100df7ab5> | en | 0.910929 | Prior to the adoption of Ord. 018178 on 07/19/2004, Section 2-474 read as follows.
(a) The head of the purchasing division is authorized to debar a person from consideration for award of contracts for any of the following reasons:
(1) Conviction of a criminal offense as an incident to obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in the performance of such contract or subcontract.
(2) Conviction under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating a lack of integrity or honesty which currently, seriously and directly affects responsibility as a city contractor or vendor.
(3) Conviction under state or federal antitrust statutes arising out of the submission of bids or proposals.
(4) Deliberate failure without good cause to perform in accordance with contract specifications or within the time limit provided in the contract.
(5) A recent record of failure to perform or of unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the terms of one (1) or more contracts; provided that failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance caused by acts beyond the control of the contractor or vendor shall not be considered a basis for debarment.
(6) Any other cause so serious and compelling as to affect responsibility as a city contractor or vendor, including debarment by another governmental entity for any cause listed in this article.
(b) The length of debarment shall not exceed three (3) years.
(c) The head of the purchasing division shall initiate a debarment by serving written notice of the debarment to the person he intends to debar. The notice shall set forth the specific grounds for the debarment and advise the person of his right to appeal. The notice shall be served by registered or certified mail or by delivering a copy of the notice to the person subject to debarment or his agent or employee. The debarment shall take effect ten (10) days after service of the notice unless an appeal is taken to the director of finance. If such an appeal is taken, the debarment shall not take effect until a final order upholding the debarment is entered by the director or until the appeal is dismissed by the appellant.
(d) Within ten (10) days after service of a written notice of debarment, the person affected by the notice may file a written request for a hearing before the director of finance contesting the debarment.
(e) The director of finance shall set the matter for hearing on the record within thirty (30) days of the receipt of a request for a hearing. At least ten (10) days notice of the hearing shall be given to the affected person and to the head of the purchasing division.
(f) At the hearing, each party shall have the right to call and examine witnesses, introduce exhibits, cross-examine opposing witnesses and impeach any witness. Oral evidence shall be taken only on oath or affirmation. All evidence shall be suitably recorded and preserved. The technical rules of evidence shall not apply, except the director may exclude evidence which is irrelevant or repetitious. Each party shall be entitled to present oral arguments or written briefs at or after the hearing.
(g) Within ten (10) working days of the hearing, the director of finance shall make written findings of fact and conclusions of law and issue a final order. Findings of fact shall be based upon competent and substantial evidence found in the record as a whole. A copy of the director's order, his findings of fact and conclusions of law, shall be delivered or mailed to the head of the purchasing division and to the affected person.
(h) An appeal from the director's order shall be to the circuit court pursuant to chapter 536, RSMo.
(i) Nothing in this section shall limit the authority of the head of the purchasing division to accept the bid which in his judgment is the lowest and best bid, or to reject any or all bids or to reject a bid on grounds which could have been used to debar the bidder.
(Ord. No. 13511, § 1, 11-16-92) | https://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Council/Columbia_Code_of_Ordinances/Chapter_2/474Prior0.html | dclm-gs1-052740000 |
0.188953 | <urn:uuid:3febce05-9be1-44c6-8d9f-4520a83af06c> | en | 0.959263 | Propellerhead Forum
Propellerhead Forum (
- General Forum (read only) (
- - Can't Record Midi Notes Into Reason 3.0 Sequencer HELP!!!!! (
Naud 2005-05-10 19:56
What's poppin everybody! I got a mean problem on my hands I can trigger Reason 3.0 sounds from my Mpc 2000xl with no problem. I can also sync Reason's sequencer to the MPC with no problem. But I can't seem to record anything from the MPC into Reason's sequencer. All of Reason's channels and devices recognize the Mpc but I just can't record midi notes into the Reason's sequencer with my MPC. I'm using the Midiman 1X1 as my midi interface, someone please help this is killing ME!!!
P.S. I've done multiple searches on this and nothing came up.
fredygump 2005-08-08 18:38
Yaaaaaarrrrrrrr.... make the midi work......
yeah, I got the same ailment. A day ago a friend was going to show me his reason stuff, but his stopped working. He said it usually just worked.
I had mine working for my first true non-demo reason session, but now it refuses to record. I can record automations of my device, but no midi. I hear the midi, but yeah....
I reinstalled it like any good windows user has learned to do, but to no avail. So why doesn't it work, and why have I been cursed with the midi keyboard fingers of death so that I killed both my own program and my friend's? Yaaaaa, I think it's contagious!
| https://www.propellerheads.se/forum/printthread.php?t=81424 | dclm-gs1-052790000 |
0.068755 | <urn:uuid:0a090bb7-3b6d-437d-adeb-155bc1827ee7> | en | 0.931795 | Latest Issue of Science News
Single electron caught in action
Researchers find way to isolate behavior of one particle
Magazine issue:
Sponsor Message
In a feat akin to plucking a single water molecule from a vast ocean, physicists have for the first time isolated a single electron from an electronic sea. The study gives scientists a chance to learn more about the elementary particles and to employ them for quantum communication and computing devices.
The world is flush with electrons, yet they are very difficult to study individually. In metal wires and electrodes, individual electrons are virtually indistinguishable from each other because they sit together in a vast reservoir called the Fermi sea. One trick physicists have used is to strip a wire free of electrons and then inject it with particles one at a time, but those electrons don’t behave the same way they would if they were immersed in the sea. Like zoologists interested in learning the behavior of an animal, physicists want to study individual electrons in their natural environment.
In 1996, MIT physicist Leonid Levitov and colleagues proposed a way to do that. They surmised that applying a particular voltage pulse across a circuit would cause electrons within the sea to interact and produce a single electron of high energy; all the other electrons would remain in a low-energy state. The high-energy electron would glide across the surface of the Fermi sea like a lone wave in the ocean, making it easy to study.
Now, 17 years later, a European team including physicist Christian Glattli of the Saclay Nuclear Research Center near Paris has experimentally confirmed Levitov’s prediction. The researchers set up a circuit, cooled it to a few hundredths of a degree above absolute zero and sent through an electric pulse. An instrument called a beam splitter counted the electrons carried by each pulse by acting like an audio recorder on a tin roof in the rain: The hope was that it would detect the tiny splat of a single raindrop – an electron – rather than the thrashing of many drops. Sure enough, the beam splitter confirmed that each pulse triggered a lone electron to glide across the sea, the researchers report October 23 in Nature.
The study sets physicists on a path toward using electrons in quantum experiments the way they use photons, Glattli says. Photons are far easier to isolate and manipulate than electrons, so they have been the particle of choice for designing secure communication networks and rudimentary quantum computers. A new generation of quantum electronics could integrate more easily with other electronic devices.
Fittingly, Glattli and his team coined the term leviton for the single-electron pulse. “It is a terrific paper,” Levitov says. “And I say that not because [of the word] leviton.”
| https://www.sciencenews.org/article/single-electron-caught-action?mode=topic&context=47 | dclm-gs1-052810000 |
0.335668 | <urn:uuid:6b4f869e-b348-4e87-b4c7-e2d87410d2b5> | en | 0.945325 | Which shift and why?
1. 0
So I have been offered my choice of shifts to work. Weekday, weeknight, weekend days, and weekend nights. The baylor pay only is for Sat/Sun. What do you work and what would you do different?
2. Get the Hottest Nursing Topics Straight to Your Inbox!
3. 504 Views
Find Similar Topics | http://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/which-shift-why-771205.html | dclm-gs1-052850000 |
0.023071 | <urn:uuid:7396b07a-cf95-489c-a328-6d9f907944e7> | en | 0.975794 | x biden
x texas
English 31
Set Clip Length:
to the nation, are we a nation that's better than what happened to the children in sandy hook? are we a nation better than what we saw 50 years ago in birmingham, alabama? so the question is, just as someone so eloquently stated, they're killing our babies. but that was sort of the turning point. >> what do you want to hear from the president on monday when he gives his inaugural speech? what do you want to hear? >> i want to hear him have an extension of what was, i call it, a political program when he got the biden recommendations. essentially, i want him to have a nonviolent call to arms and say to the nation that i am taking this oath of office, commemorating the 84th birthday of the american apostle of nonviolence, and i think that we, as a nation, can do no less to summon the better angels of ourselves to, at this time, at this place, to rededicate ourselves irrevocably to nonviolent resolution where violence is the choice of gun and violence is not a rational option. that's the best way we can honor that extraordinary man. >> very quickly, the president will be taking the oath, using tw
in the wake of the sandy tragedy. the forum follows the services. and five people are recovering from accidental shootings at three separate gun shows. incidents in ohio, north carolina and indiana. victims in each case were taken to the hospital. >>> it's not just the inauguration people are celebrating today. it's also martin luther king jr. holiday weekend. >> happening in a few hours, a ceremony to honor king. >>> and then chances of rain good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. >>> extra security personnel are on their way to d.c. to help with the inauguration. 120 iowa national guard soldiers headed a bus headed to d.c. yesterday and they will help with crowd control, and local law enforcement and the secret service tomorrow, and the soldiers say it's
this other story, there's been a lot of discussion about guns in schools, and guns in general after the sandy hook sad situation in december in connecticut. and now there's a kindergarten girl who apparently owns one of these little devices, you look at the screen at hello kitty bubble gun. apparently, she was talking about this toy at school. it's my understanding she actually didn't even have the toy with her at the mt. carmel area school in pennsylvania. as a result of just talking about shooting bubbles at one another, apparently she received a ten-day suspension. it was reduced to two days, but that's kind of unclear now whether or not she should even have faced any kind of suspensi suspension. >> steve: well, this is kind of crazy the two five-year-old girls were waiting at the bus, hey, i'm going to shoot you with my hello kitty bubble machine and somebody overheard it and next thing you know, just because people are, you know, freaked out about guns since sandy hook, the school got involved. and she was suspended for ten days, and then reduced it to two. but she was also given, becaus
now. they have taxes raised and passed the sandy relief on a bipartisan vote and they will pass immigration reform and deal with the debt ceiling. he broke the republicans's arms on that. >> still got the votes. >> sandy relief who will disagree on that? >> a lot of of people. remember how chris christie was screaming? >> screaming at -- >> house republicans. >> right. >> what happens is up until now you had something called the hastert rule in the house. republicans stood together. that has been demolished in the last month. it's going to continue to be demolished when votes on immigration comes up and solving the sequestration money comes up and also on the budget. the real test for the president is whether he is going to go up against his own caucus to do things on medicare social security and a few other issues. >> we are looking at the president on a motorcade going down pennsylvania avenue. every time i look at the inaugural route, i can't help but go back to january 20th 1977 and jimmy carter breaking precedent and stepping out of the car and shaking h
that were much stronger than expected. so big losses from hurricane sandy, but they were able to raise their pricing, partially as a result of that, so that stock came in with much better earnings than expected. johnson & johnson and verizon are a little bit weaker, but five-year highs. we'll see if the market can hold on to this. chris, back to you. >> thank you, becky. >>> next, a small state's big push for gun reform. delaware attorney general beau biden will be here next to talk about the lessons that his state is learning from the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. >>> plus, biding his time? new signs the vice president is making plans to be back on inaugural podium in four years, this time in a little bit different role. could the third time be the charm for joe biden? >>> but first, a look ahead at the president's schedule. as peter mentioned, he will be attending the national prayer service this morning and then the staff ball later this evening. you're watching "the daily rundown." it is only on msnbc. at a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't l
to god. >>> and they have been out of their home since superstorm sandy destroyed it. how in the world was one long island couple's power bill $500 if nobody is home? >> that couple here to share their fight against the long island power authority, next. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. if your a man with low testosterone, you should know that axiron is here. the only underarm treatment for low t. that's right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. te
is hunting down innocent people, which could be them. you think of virginia tech, sandy hook and they are in close proximity. so they are likely to be hunted down in a classroom or bathroom and killed. so they are not aware at that time that this may be a personal altercation and it's going to be resolved. they have to think they may be close to death. >> sad story. all right. we're standing by for the news conference with the sheriff. we'll give the latest. tom fuentes, thank you. >>> other news we're following in washington, the ceremonies and festivities are over. president obama is getting ready to work on his second term agenda. many republicans are making it clear they see that as a liberal agenda. speaker john boehner, other house republican leaders are about to hold a news conference. you're looking at live pictures from up there. our chief national correspondent john king is here. are the gloves off? >> you can certainly say yes or you might even say that the gloves are still on in the sense that republicans are looking to see what signals the president would send as
is true is that there is respond to go a crisis and the crisis happened whether it's hurricane sandy, it's gun violence, it's violence, it's gang violence, you need to be prepared and anticipate those kind of acts and be able to prepare to respond to them but more importantly, you have to work to prevent them. >> that's why the recommendations that we put forward really emphasized four key things: being able to expand access to mental health care. you have the situation in new town where clearly the perpetrator there had suffered for some time either undiagnosed or untreated. >> uh-huh. >> that was a major factor that led to that tragedy. >> as well as in aurora colorado? >> yeah. >> or tucson. columbine was also an instance where bullying played significance. increasing the programs and training for educators and students that help prevent violence that help circum vent violent behavior like anti-bullying programs, being able to upgrade school facilities, being able to have security doorstion being able to have buzz-in doors, that infrastructure is par
. >> certainly it was a tragedy, benghazi was a tragedy but when you put her up there with 9/11 and sandy hook, and aurora and dozens of others that is just hyperbole, and that's what he is known for. i like rand but he just gets a little whacky sometimes. >> stephanie: yeah a little whack-a doodle. john mccain said that chris stevens spoke to him directly about needing more security. did he do something? pass on the information? or keep it to himself? did he bring the information to the state department? that was an odd moment. right? excuse me you are the head of the armed services committee. >> of course. and she raised that point in a very productive way. so clearly this was not anything that was on any member's radar screen to appoint d which they actually took action in any way. >> stephanie: right. >> so the whole scenario is just an embarrassment, i think. and fortunately i think hilary embarrassed them even more yesterday. >> stephanie: yeah absolutely. i was hoping she would open with i got your freakin' benghazi flu right here. but she is classier than i am. >> yeah. th
Excerpts 0 to 30 of about 31 results.
(Some duplicates have been removed)
Terms of Use (10 Mar 2001) | http://archive.org/details/tv?time=20130117-20130125&q=sandy&fq=topic:%22biden%22&fq=topic:%22texas%22 | dclm-gs1-052870000 |
0.024822 | <urn:uuid:add2777d-6c21-4814-bb70-f6d5439fdb3f> | en | 0.93486 | Randy Moss bears watching - 0 Comments
WR’s reaction a big deal
If you’re Randy Moss, what are you thinking upon hearing the news that Tom Brady is on the verge of a multiyear extension?
Are you happy for your quarterback? Sure. Are you a little envious? Based on his “not wanted” comments from Monday, that’s sure what it sounds like.
Brady and Moss reportedly had a private dinner together recently. Think the contract subject didn’t come up? Of course it did. Given the Patriots brass hasn’t given the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver the time of day with regard to a new contract, why wouldn’t he be a little peeved?
Welcome to our new commenting system
Happy Commenting,
The Boston Herald staff
| http://bostonherald.com/comments/1279916 | dclm-gs1-053030000 |
0.046738 | <urn:uuid:62e36a9c-ddb0-48c9-aaa9-c6de09e1ba8a> | en | 0.946976 | Kurt Schiegl
From Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Kurt Schiegl.jpg
Name: Kurt Schiegl
Born: 1925-01-24
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: 1984-07-22 (Age:59)
Nationality: Austrian
Hometown: Vienna, Austria
Height: 6′ 3″ / 190cm
Boxing Record: click
Kurt Schiegl was conscripted into the German Wehrmacht Army in 1943, during World War II, but deserted to the Belgian underground.
Schiegl emigrated to Toronto,Canada where he died in 1984 of a heart attack.
He became an actor in American and European films in the early 1960s. With his large flat nose, he often played monsters and wrestlers in low grade movies. In 1981, he was played one of the Neanderthals in the movie "Quest for Fire."
Personal tools
Boxrec Database | http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Kurt_Schiegl | dclm-gs1-053040000 |
0.299696 | <urn:uuid:83db0d66-662e-44d8-906c-34686e0a51bf> | en | 0.942689 | Samurai of the Pale Curtain
3 posts / 0 new
Last post
If I control Samurai of the Pale Curtain, and my opponent controls Kokusho, the Evening Star. He plays Wrath of God. Do I lose 5 life?
Nope. Because the replacement effect exists immediately prior to the event it is replacing, it is still in effect. Kokusho (and the Samurai) will be removed from the game.
its a replacement effect, if it said when a a permanent is a put into a graveyard.... that would be a different story because it waited until after the card has already hit the gy | http://community.wizards.com/forum/rules-qa/threads/1286936 | dclm-gs1-053060000 |
0.059308 | <urn:uuid:cae2b634-ffb6-4107-a1ad-2afc4a59850f> | en | 0.723054 |
O'Leary, John, stoneoutter , r.residence 232 O'Fallon
O'Leary, M.carpenter , National Iron Works
O'Leary, Patrick, policeman , r.residence 15 Myrtle
O'Leary, Peter, lab.laborer bds.boards 72 Lesperance
O'Leary, Timothy, lab.laborer r.residence es.east side 7th, bet.between O'Fallon
and Cass av.avenue
O'Malley, James, waiter , Everett House
O'Malley, John, clothing , 5 n.north Levee, r.residence 301 7th
O'Malley, John, jewelry and cutlery , 1 n.north Levee,
r.residence ns.north side Myrtle, bet.between 2d and 3d
O'Malley, Michael, barkeeper , Frank, D.Martin,
bds.boards Morgan, nw.north-west cor.corner 6th
O'Malia, James, lab.laborer r.residence n.north Levee, bet.between Ashley
and O'Fallon
O'Mallia, Thomas, teamster , r.residence al.alley bet.between 7th and
8th, Biddle and O'Fallon
O'Mar, Patrick, tanner , r.residence ws.west side 8th, bet.between Lancaster
and Lynch
O'Mara, Frank A.saloon , 7th, sw,cor.corner Chesnut,
r.residence Hieks, bet.between 7th and 8th
O'Mara, Jobn, lab.laborer Transfer Co.company freight depot , r.residence
14tb, bet.between Clark and Chouteau avs.
O'Mara, Patrick, lab.laborer arsenal, r.residence 8tb, be. Lynch
and Lancaster
O'Mealey, Michael, lab.laborer r.residence 276 n.north 2d
O'Meara, Patrick, stone contractor , r.residence 21st, nr.near
O'Meara, William, letter carrier , r.residence 95 Biddle
O'Neal, John, rivermau , r.residence 200 n.north Main
O'Neal, John, watchman , Barnum's Hotel, bds.boards
O'Neil, Bridget, wid.widow Waddingham, , r.residence bet.between Cherry
and Carr
O'Neil, Charles, lab.laborer r.residence 250 n.north 12th
O'Neil, Charles, riverman , r.residence ws.west side 6th, bet.between O'Fal-
lon and Cass av.avenue
O'Neil, Charles, student , Rohrer'S Commer-
Cial College, 55 and 57 n.north 4th
O'Neil, Cornelius, boot and Bhoe maker , 238 Mar-
ket, r.residence same
O'Neil, Cornelius F.physician , 169 Washington
av.avenue r.residence same
O'Neil, Dennis, lab.laborer r.residence ss.south side Carr, bet.between 21st and 22d
O'Neil, Elizabeth, wid.widow Patrick, , r.residence ss.south side Cherry, bet.between
Levee and Commercial
O'Neil, Frances, wid.widow Henry, , r.residence al.alley bet.between Wash and
Carr, 10th and 11th
O'Neil, Henry, bds.boards Monticello House, Washing-
ton av.avenue se.south-east cor.corner n.north 6th
O'Neil, James, r.residence 77 n.north 11th
O'Neil, James, barkeeper. Broadway Saloon
O'Neil, James, lab.laborer r.residence 80 Mound
O'Neil, James, lab.laborer r.residence 120 n.north 13th
O'Neil, James, lab.laborer r.residence Cozens, nw.north-west cor.corner High
O'Neil, James, steamboat captain , r.residence 304 Chesnut
O'Neil, John, barber and hairdresser , ns.north side Biddle,
bet.between Sth and 6th, r.residence ws.west side 7th, bet.between Biddle and
O'Neil, John, elk. Gay, Hanenkamp & Edwards ,
rooms Gay's buiidings. Pine, bw.cor.corner 2d
O'Neil, John, cooper , r.residence 234 a. 2d
O'Neil, John, salesman , H.O. Pearce & Co.company r.residence
158 4th, nw.north-west cor.corner Cerre
O'Neil, John, shipcarpenter , r.residence 75 Congress
O'Neil, Joseph, architect , r.residence 14 Orange
O'Neil, Margaret, wid.widow r.residence 192 Wash
O'Neil, Mathew, shoemaker , r.residence al.alley bet.between 9th and
10th, Biddle and O'Fallon
O'Neil, Michael, carpenter , r.residence 119 Morgan
O'Neii, Michael, lab.laborer r.residence al.alley bet.between Ashley and O'Fal-
lon, Collins and Broadway
O'Neil, Nicholas, lab.laborer r.residence we. Lewis, bet.between Smith and
O'Neil, Owen, cooper , r.residence 323 Morgan
O'Neil, Patrick, broommaker , bds.boards ws.west side 5th, bet.between
Wash and Carr | http://digital.wustl.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=cty;cc=cty;rgn=div3;view=text;idno=cty1865.0002.021;node=cty1865.0002.021%3A1.58.2 | dclm-gs1-053070000 |
0.159908 | <urn:uuid:0b9092ee-ae37-4e39-9751-377f91e9d3b3> | en | 0.943413 | Wikipedia:Guidance on applying the Manual of Style
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This page is in development and currently has no authority whatsoever. It is hoped that this paragraph will be removed in due course.
Wikipedia's official style is outlined in Wikipedia:Manual of Style. This page outlines how different Wikipedians have interpreted the official style in certain situations, and is offered as guidance for others looking for style advice.
Usage (including punctuation, grammar and spelling)[edit]
Using a standard form of English[edit]
Official style is that: Use one form of standard English consistently throughout each article.
Quotation marks[edit]
When punctuating quoted passages, there are two commonly used styles (here called the "logical" style and the "aesthetic" style).
The logical style is used in most countries as standard, and is becoming more popular in America too, although most Americans still use the aesthetic style.
The logical style is to include the mark of punctuation inside the quotation marks only if the sense of the mark of punctuation is part of the quotation. (A fuller treatment of the recommendations given here can be found in Fowler's Modern English Usage and other style guides for these countries, some of which vary in fine details.) For example, "Stop!" has the punctuation inside the quotation marks because the word "stop" is said with emphasis. However, when using "scare quotes", the comma goes outside.
Other examples:
The aesthetic style, which is only really now used in North America, was developed as early typesetters thought it was more aesthetic to present punctuation that way. In the aesthetic style, the punctuation goes within the quotation marks:
For example:
Arthur said the situation was "deplorable."
However, under both the logical and aesthetic styles, a comma goes inside quotation marks in sentences such as:
"The situation is deplorable," said Arthur.
Closely related to one part of the English-speaking world[edit]
Official style is that: Where an article is on a topic closely related to one part of the English-speaking world, use a form of standard used in that part of the English-speaking world for that article.
Why we have this rule[edit]
There are a number of reasons for this rule, including:
• In general, though not as a rule, articles on a topic closely related to one part of the English-speaking world are more likely to be read by people from that part of the English-speaking world. It is courteous to your readers to adopt a style they are likely to be familiar with.
• In general, though not as a rule, such articles are more likely to be amended and added to by people from that part of the English-speaking world. Using a form of standard English used there means that an article is more likely to retain its style naturally – and a consistent style is easier for readers to follow.
• It is a good compromise to minimise style-related edit wars.
It is not claimed to be an ideal rule, but it is a pragmatic one.
Closely related[edit]
"Closely related" means just that. Not just mildly related or possibly related. So, most articles aren't closely related to any particular part of the English-speaking world.
People may or may not be closely related to the English-speaking world. For instance, Tony Blair was born in Britain, has lived all his life in Britain, has British citizenship, and is best known for being the British prime minister. The article on Tony Blair is therefore an article on a topic closely related to Britain. However, take a person who now lives in a country other than the one of their birth, has dual nationality, and has an international career in two or more countries. An article on that person may not be closely related to one part of the English-speaking world.
Other examples of where an article is closely related to one part of the English-speaking world include:
• American Civil War, a solely American event (USA)
• Lord of the Rings, a book by a British writer (UK)
• Ayers Rock, an Australian landmark (Australia)
• European Union institutions and documents (UK, Ireland and Malta)
• Montréal, a Canadian city (Canada)
Official style is that: If a word/phrase that is used in one form of standard English is not generally understood by speakers of another form, either avoid it or explain it.
Purpose of this rule[edit]
Good writers will want as many readers, wherever they are in the world, and whatever their background, to understand what they are writing. Sometimes you need to take account of what different users of English understand by terms. For instance:
• in the UK and Ireland a "public school" is a type of fee-paying school, elsewhere in the English-speaking world, it tends to mean a state-funded school.
• the verb "to table" means the opposite in American English of what it means in British English.
• the word "should" can mean "ought to" or "must" in British English. In American English it can mean "ought to" but never "must".
As a courtesy to readers, writers should seek to use words that will be generally understood by speakers of all forms of standard English. Sometimes this is not possible without diluting the sense or flow of the article, or without missing out vital information – in this case, the word/phrase that may not be understood or may be misunderstood should be explained (see, for example, Eton College)
Choice of words[edit]
If a word or phrase is generally regarded as correct, then prefer it to any other word or phrase that might be regarded as incorrect. For example, "other meaning" should be used where it can instead of "alternate meaning" or "alternative meaning", because not all English speakers regard "alternate" and "alternative" as meaning the same. Alternative commonly suggests "non-traditional" or "out-of-the-mainstream" to an American-English or British-English speaker. In British English the confusion never arose, and "alternate" means specifically occurring regularly every second time; thus "alternate meaning" would be regarded as incorrect. Some traditional usage experts consider alternative to be appropriate only when there are exactly two alternatives because of the Latin root alter. (On the original meaning of "alternate", the American Heritage Dictionary "Usage Note" at alternative says: "Alternative should not be confused with alternate. Correct usage requires The class will meet on alternate (not alternative) Tuesdays." [1])
Avoid abbreviations which may not be understood. E.g. (for example) and i.e. (that is) are probably well enough used in standard English (although many English-speakers confuse the two!), but more scholarly abbreviations of Latin terms like nb or viz. should be avoided. Also, we never need to use the abbreviation qv, as terms which have their own articles can be pipe-linked in.
Don't arbitrarily change style[edit]
Official style is: Do not change the form of standard English adopted by an article without good reason.
Purpose of this rule[edit]
Good reason[edit]
Examples of what constitutes a "good reason" include:
Other punctuation issues[edit]
Insert an additional comma before the final "and" (or "or") if needed for clarification: sugar, beef and veal, and milk products.
Oxford comma[edit]
Some people use the Oxford comma (also known as the Harvard or serial comma). This is an optional comma before "and" or "or" at the end of a series, regardless of whether it is needed for clarification purposes.
For example:
• X, Y, and Z (with an Oxford comma)
• X, Y and Z (without an Oxford comma)
Wikipedia has no preference between the two styles, but requests that the chosen style be used consistently within an article.
Using too many contractions (such as "don't", "won't", "can't") can make an article look informal. | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Guidance_on_applying_the_Manual_of_Style | dclm-gs1-053170000 |
0.139563 | <urn:uuid:5c4f8817-d3a7-4e86-8d91-c6520579639b> | en | 0.835974 | Mega Contributor
Posts: 15,944
Registered: 10-23-2007
Id be calling for a CLI and not owrry about the "Signature" allowing going over CL!
I'm really interested in this CLI process with Navy and when it's SP vs. HP?! if Anyone knows more and if the system gives increase right away online if it's there or if you have to ask for an amount and it kicks yes, or kicks for review and if that triggers HP, etc.
Fico Scores: EQ 618, TU 687 & EX 696 (3-8-14)
Joint Cards: Navy NavCheck $15000, Discover iT $9000, Macy Amex $3000, Macy Store $3000, Macy Furniture $5800
AU List: Available Upon Request :smileytongue: | http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/forums/forumtopicprintpage/board-id/creditcard/message-id/453826/print-single-message/true/page/1 | dclm-gs1-053200000 |
0.37295 | <urn:uuid:fadd132d-ef83-4439-8feb-16ee7175aacc> | en | 0.957554 | John, I believe the different look is mainly caused by iCab's lack of CSS support...<br><br>And the tab/return issue is something that IE has gotten people used to....<br><br>You really should stay logged in, unless iCab doesn't support cookies properly... you might want to look into that.<br><br>Also, it seems that IE really is becoming the standard... not that I'm telling you that you have to switch, but it would make life easier on web developers if everyone would... IE is the ONLY browser on the market right now that supports more standards than it doesn't... (on the Mac platform that is)... so you might really consider switching.<br><br>***<br>"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." <br> -- Ecclesiastes 10:2 | http://forums.applecentral.com/ubbthreads.php/posts/1301 | dclm-gs1-053220000 |
0.232958 | <urn:uuid:9f6ad8c5-ac38-4e42-9ad3-4ee20cbda036> | en | 0.944276 | A Contagious Computer Virus That Spreads via Wi-Fi
It's sort of your worst nightmare: a computer virus as contagious as the common cold that avoids detection and infects every computer on a given wi-fi network. You just pop into your local coffee shop for a latte and a little internet surfing, and you leave with a virus. This is scary! » 2/26/14 12:40pm 2/26/14 12:40pm
Don't Freak Out About Ultrasonic Malware (Yet)
The Internet's been abuzz lately with news that computer scientists have found a way to transmit malware using ultrasonic audio signals. If true, this means that you'd never be safe from the hackers, as long as your computer has a microphone and speakers. But don't freak out just yet. » 12/05/13 12:40pm 12/05/13 12:40pm
No, Malware Can't Infect Your Computer Over the Air
It's enough of a nightmare to have malware of any sort, but the more persistent the stuff is, the scarier it gets. That's why the rumors of badBIOS, a bug so bad that it can affect Macs and PCs and communicate itself wirelessly while the infected computers are being taken apart is terrifying. But maybe not entirely… » 11/04/13 9:47am 11/04/13 9:47am
Meet the Symbiote: The Ironclad, Adaptable Future of Antivirus…
Ang Cui has a lot of power. With enough time he can take control of pretty much any networked device. He could watch you through your iSight or track the Netflix on your smart TV. But he has bigger fish to fry, so your Catfish marathons are safe for now. From him, at least. » 2/26/13 9:41am 2/26/13 9:41am
Scientists Restart Work on Deadly Engineered Avian Flu
In January 2012 scientists around the world halted research on engineered avian flu viruses over concerns that the work was too dangerous. Now, those scientists are taking to labs once more to continue their work. » 1/24/13 6:24am 1/24/13 6:24am | http://gizmodo.com/tag/viruses | dclm-gs1-053280000 |
0.778843 | <urn:uuid:b2bce185-cb03-43f3-b214-b2666817f0ed> | en | 0.910886 | Optic Cord
What is it?
The truth is, the optic nerve is a direct extension of the brain. The optic cord containts the optic nerve and sheathing tissue surrounding it. For computer game enthusiasts, you know how important a good graphics card is and that they processes a lot of information at high speeds. The fastest ones use the AGP slot and not the PCI slot because the AGP slot can transmit data much faster to the computer than the PCI slot. Anything visual will take a toll on your CPU, or brain. But our brain is so complex it is so much faster than a computer graphics card. Therefore, it is important that the eyes remain near the brain and have an optic cord that is an extension of the brain. Connected behind the eyes, the optic nerve also contains a central artery and vein to give the retina a main source of blood supply.
What does it do?
The brain needs information to process so that you can tell what you are looking at. So all the data collected from the retina are sent to the brain by the optic cord. Interestingly, images that go from the retina to the optic nerve are inverted. Images remains like that until it gets to the brain. The brain translates this inverted image back to the upright position.
Try this test here and find your blind spot. The blind spot is the result of no light receptors at the area where the optic nerve joins the retina. Therefore, no light is picked up there. The optic nerve is actually an extension of the brain, and extends all the way to the back of the brain. You won't notice the blind spot with two eyes open because both eyes help each other out and cancel the blind spot when the brain fuses the two images from both of your eyes together.
Corrective Measures
sponsored by Thinkquest
About the makers of this site | http://library.thinkquest.org/C005949/anatomy/opticcord.htm | dclm-gs1-053400000 |
0.470893 | <urn:uuid:295504ba-63c6-4dbc-80ea-a9369dfe63f6> | en | 0.803958 |
Reification and use/mention
From: Jan Grant <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 16:27:07 +0000 (GMT)
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
(Personally I like Jeremy's view, anyway...)
Can someone tell me which of these are using, and which mentioning, Jan*?
The subject of the sentence is "Jan".
The sentence is about Jan.
Seems current reification behaves like the latter; is there anything
wrong with this?
* Insert quotes as appropriate.
( echo "ouroboros"; cat ) > /dev/fd/0 # it's like talking to yourself sometimes
Received on Wednesday, 7 November 2001 11:28:11 EST
| http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2001Nov/0219.html | dclm-gs1-053430000 |
0.04028 | <urn:uuid:6422e56b-213b-454c-9da4-20c7e332c27e> | en | 0.932104 | Fable - Legendary Weapons and Locations
Total votes: 10
Legendary Weapons and Locations:
1. The Harbringer: near Temple of Avo Strength. Stats must be maxed out.
2. Cutlass Blutetane: Greatwoods Cave demon door.
3. Ronok the ax: Grey house demon door.
4. Dollmasters mace: abandonroad demon door.
5. Wellows Pichammer: greatwood gorge demon door.
6. Murren Greahammer: in 20 key chest at heroesguild.
7. Murren Great ax: 15 key chest at hook coast.
8. Solus Greatsword: buy in north bowerstone.
9. The Sentus: donate enough money to temple of avo.
10. Skorms Bow: sacrafice enough to chapel of skorm.
11. Arkens crossbow: 15 key chest at darkwood marshes.
12. Frying pan: hidden at orchard farmread clues 1-6.
13. Katana Hyru: 16 chest key in lady greys bedroom.
14. Sword of Aeons: kill jack of blades and sister strongest melee weapon in the game.
Easy Attractive 100:
To get that ol' complexion looking nice to the ladies, with no tattoos involved those are optional. Get these hair styles:
The Pudding Basin- Hair
Power Moustache- Moustache
Multon Chop Beard- Beard
Ladies will fall for you now
Unlmited Experience:
Continuous Play:
Secret Hairstyle:
Marry A Man:
Bribe Guards:
Commit Easier Crimes:
Pick Locks Of Houses:
Cause Distractions While Committing Crimes:
Stealable items can be found in the shops. To attempt to steal them, you can target the item, and then use the "shoplift" expression.
Run To The Demon Door And Back:
The character does not run by default. You must press the B button to run. Before you talk to the character that starts the race, be sure you are facing in the direction you need to run. When the timer begins immediately start running and be sure to avoid everyone in your path. Run straight around to where the door is and line yourself up directly down the middle of the rock bridge. As soon as you touch the door you don't have to select it push the stick in the opposite direction and you should go straight back across. Then just avoid all people on the way back and as soon as you see the dialog balloon aiming at the race guy hit the button to end the challenge.
Gang-Busting Tips:
5- The best technique for getting a little space is Force Push No, not from Star Wars. Ue this to push all the surrounding enemies back.
Ever wonder why you're called a Chicken Chaser?
Frying Pan:
Throw fireballs and shoot arrows simultaneously:
Hero Save Exploit:
Mega quick alignment change:
Foul language:
Easy stealing:
You first need the steal action which you can get from upgrading your guile at the Heros guild. Once you have the steal action go and buy about 6 beers from a pub. Next go to the shop or house you want to steal from and get the owner to follow you. Then take him into the pub, or if there is no pub around, take him inside another house, and give him the 6 beers. This should make him drunk and he will just wobble around. Now with the owner gone you can easily steal the things in the store without being seen. Once you have stolen everything you want just go to sleep in a bed till the next morning and the store should have new things to be stolen. I found that this technique works best in Oakvale.
Unlimited Evil Points:
I guess it's sort of a code, but when you have to take the traders to safty the first time, you can kill one of them without losing the mission. So when yo kill one, you get about 130 evil points. After you kill one, save your hero attributes and kill the other one. You will start the mission over but you will still have the 130 evil points for killing the first trader. If you want to go faster, you can go to get the wounded trader, and kill HIM and one other trader, if you kill both original traders you will start over.
A real easy way to get a high combat multiplyer and hella exp. Go to Lady grey's house just west of barrow fields. To get the "exp dispenser" you need to do the traders quest. Go into lady greys house and kill the undead that rise up after the cutscene. Now go outside and underground. Get the scrawled parchment and other misc. that is down there. Leave. You'll notice that the undead are all over the area. Kill the medium sizes undead all around. Then get the two biggest undead into one area. I find it easiest for the lake on the right or small pond. For this to work make the two big undead guys summon they have to be close enough to each other to summon because undead need to be around for these guys to summon more. Then as 4 little guys pop up from each of these guys use your enflame skill to kill them over and over again. With 167 will potions i completely maxed out my character and got my combat multiplyer up to 150. This all being before defeating twinblade.
Avo's tear:
To get avos tear you must complete every quest in the game that are on the quest table at th e guild. Note: If you do not have enough renown use your trophies to get more an example is outside the guild go on the boating stand and wait for everybody t gather and then get off and pull out a trophy.
Avos tear the real way:
To avos tear simply destroy the sword of aeons and the guildmaster will mention an ancient sword. He will tell you to check mazes old ouarters, he means check the book shelves and his journel will reveal its location
Complete Bright plate armour suit:
For opening the Abandoned road Demon door on the way to Twinblades Camp, you can get the complete Bright Plate Armour set for it the Snowspire village. BUT To get this far, when you defeat Jack of Blades, DO NOT press Y in the credits and skip them as I have heard that you will not be able to continue the game if you do. Hope this helps
Easy money:
To get some easy money, when you get a quest card, select take quest and boast. I suggest doing the no protection boast if it is at the start of the game, as this is the easiest.
Get as much money as you want:
First, go to Oakvale. Then, go to the guy the sells ITEMS, not weapons, and buy all his emeraldsClick on the "Buy all emeralds. After you buy them all, he will have zero so he will pay more for than he sold them for, but don't sell them. Check until the next delivery and waitsleepuntil the guy delivers them. After the store owner gets his delivery, buy all his emeraldsclick on the "Buy all emeralds". Then sell all your emeraldsclick on "Sell al emeralds". You will be selling each one for more than you bought it. Repeat these steps as much as you want.
Get Paladin Title:
To get the Paladin title you must donate gold to the Temple of Avo located in witchwood. Im not sure exactly sure how much but it is probably less than 50k knowing that donating that much gets you the ultimate hammer.
Helms to go with bright and dark plate armour
These two helms are called, Holy warrior helm and demon warrior helm. the holy warrior is for dark plate, and the holy warrior is for bright plate. The holy warrior is going to be found in the area right after you get off the ghost ship. you get off of the ship and fallow the trail up to the little trail branch in the map. it should be on the left side of the trail. there is gunna be a chest at the end of the trail. the helm is in that.
Now for the other one, you find the demon warrior:
helm in the area where you are about to fight jack for the last time. im not sure of the name but it is the place wer you bring the three souls to open the bronze gates. as soon as you get to the area you go to the door that has the red light and dont go to far and there should be a trail to the left and there is a chest. the demon helm should be in there.
ty for reading this rather than any other sites.
Infinite Silver Keys:
Infinite strenght points:
When your in borerstone south where the fighting contest is held when every one comes dont start the contest lock on to someone that is not the leader and hit him in the back and back him into a corner. note: he has to be hit in the back if he is not he will block ur attacks and you will not get any points. as u keep hitting him your strength will go up as well as your combat multiplier. and you wont get evil or good points while dooing this.
Lots of money:
If you have a few houses put them up for rent then go to the inn and sleep six times and go collect the money, repeat and you get rich.
Scorpion in the arena:
Before you go into the arena make sure you have plenty of armor points, health potions and the obsedion sord also make sure your life bar is quite big.
You will also need the sharp augmentation and
At least the flame ball and heal life spell
When you kill the stone trolls you go against a giant scorpion but don't panic if you followed my previus instructions this will be easy just keep going round the arena and wisper will start attaking the scorpion just keep throwing the fire balls at it and when it plunges it's stinger into the ground run as far away from the spot you were
standing and carry on.
Special Produce Items:
In your travels you can find special produce items that offer interesting possibilities:
Carrot: 3 Skill experience points multiplied by combat modifier
Crunchy Chicks: 5 Evil points
Fish: 3 Will experience points multiplied by combat modifier
Golden Carrot: Turns night into day instantly
Moonfish: Turns day into night instantly
Red Meat: 3 Combat experience points multiplied by combat modifier
Tofu: 5 Good points
Summun White Balvorine from Nether world
In the Guest where you have to protect the village frome the White Balvorine make sure that you know the will power "Summun" and when you go in to the Witchwood Lake to kill the White Balvorine when he's just about dead summun your creature from the Nether world and let it kill the White Balvorine so then you can summun a White Balvorine from now on. Dont worry the balvorine doesn't give you that much expirience points, so if u don't kill it your not missing much
Unlimited resurection phials:
Go to the heroes guild then go to the shop. if you are good make the trader follow you. if you are evil scare him away or simply push him. make sure you have at least 4 beers. tell him to wait and quickly give him beers. then go back to the shop. ther should be a resurection phial there. then simply save, load and repeat process.
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0.044228 | <urn:uuid:c2754d83-55a2-44a6-a71b-9923f9ceba50> | en | 0.981306 | Ask Amy
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 9:05pm
DEAR AMY: My husband and I recently decided to start a family. I'm extremely excited, but nervous at the same time. I've been thinking about how I would like to raise my children, and although I love my parents, I don't want to raise my children the way they raised me.
My parents always put their needs before mine, and I very much resent them. You always hear that no matter how much you try not to, you always end up like your parents. I'm really worried about this. I want to be the best mom I can be, and I don't want my children to have a childhood like mine.
I'm scared that when they reach my age, my kids will have the same terrible relationship that I have with my folks. I'd like some suggestions on how to prevent this.
— Wannabe Mommy
Don't overthink this. Parenthood unfolds one day at a time. Each and every day you have the opportunity to make choices and then self-correct, if necessary, and your children will help to show you the way.
We have become good friends. She will ask for my help in walking her dogs or transporting her children if she has a doctor's appointment or if they're going away. I never say "no" because I am happy to help.
Recently she texted me and asked if I could walk the dogs at noon and then take her 16-year-old to basketball practice and then take her home after. She didn't say why she needed my help, and I didn't ask.
I have subsequently learned that she went to a 15-hour movie marathon. I am particularly upset that she chose sitting in a movie theater over leaving her younger child alone, after dark, for three hours while his sister was at basketball practice (dad was working late).
Am I being overly sensitive and unreasonable for feeling duped and used — or should I just forget about it?
— Perplexed
DEAR PERPLEXED: Like most pinch-hitting caregivers, you assume that if you are being asked to fill in, the reason must be a "good" one. But I also assume that if your neighbor had said, "I know it sounds silly, but I really want to see 'Twilight 1-7' at the mall. Can you fill in while I do that?" you might have happily agreed.
It's a question of her taking advantage of your willingness to help, while not trusting you with her silly truth. You are probably also wondering if you have an actual friendship with someone who is treating you like "the nice doormat next door."
It's also OK for you to say "no."
DEAR AMY: In response to the letter from "Annoyed Hockey Player" about an obnoxious mom, most organized sports require parents and athletes to sign codes of conduct.
This mother's behavior, while sadly very common, flies in the face of appropriate behavior and breaches the code. It's a frustration to me and to other parents while we sit in the stands with these blowhards. Coaches coach. Spectators cheer. Refs need to throw the bums out.
— Soccer Mom
DEAR MOM: I'm reminded of Sarah Palin's priceless quote: "The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." I agree that coaches and refs should take a firm stand.
Filed under: Lifestyles
Tagged: ask amy | http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/lifestyles/ask-amy-1132 | dclm-gs1-053520000 |
0.055062 | <urn:uuid:a0733d72-3038-4071-8bd2-6b37e589e2a8> | en | 0.944232 | Crave 11: Intergalactic House of Robot Pancakes (podcast)
Subscribe in iTunes SD VideoSubscribe in RSS SD VideoRead more
Jerry Harvey got into the headphone business by making in-ear monitors for just a few musician friends, and went on to build headphones for hundreds of bands, and now counts Mary J. Blige, Godsmack, Guns 'N' Roses, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder, and the Glee Live Tour as customers.
Harvey pioneered two-way (bass/treble) in-ear designs in 1995, and later the first three-way (bass, mid, treble) in-ear monitors. Harvey's multiple driver designs produce less distortion and increase dynamic range compared with conventional single-driver headphones, which include all of the standard headphones from Etymotic, Monster, Skullcandy, Sony, etc. The JH16 Pro I'm reviewing here is the world's first eight-driver, three-way in-ear headphone, and its sound is revelatory.
I reviewed the JH Audio's 13 Pro in-ear headphones last year in this blog, and the JH16 shares a lot of the same technology, but the big difference is in the bass. The JH16 has four low-frequency drivers (the JH13 uses two), two midrange, and two high-frequency drivers--for a total of eight drivers per channel. Both headphones feature "balanced armature" drivers, which are proprietary to JH Audio, and they're designed by Jerry Harvey.
The sound is addicting; once you've gotten used to hearing this kind of uber resolution, it's hard to go back to merely excellent in-ear headphones like my old Etymotic ER-4P ($300). I haven't heard any of Etymotic's latest designs, but the ER-4P now sounds small, cramped, and hopelessly outclassed by the JH16. Can't afford $1,149? JH Audio offers a range of custom in-ear models; prices start at $399 for the JH 5 Pro.
The JH16 is super efficient, so it can play louder, a lot louder than most headphones while being driven by iPhones, iPods, and Zunes' puny built-in headphone amplifiers.
Each JH16 is a unique hand-built creation, based on custom ear molds. The company's Web site has a list of recommended audiologists who make the molds (for around $100). Building a JH16 is a labor-intensive process; each headphone takes five hours to complete and test in the company's factory in Florida. … Read more
The $1,350 'earbud': Is it worth it?
Phiaton dubbed the PS 210 headphones a "half in-ear" design, which is a catchy way of saying they don't reach as far into your ear canals as Monster, Etymotic, or Shure's in-ear models do, but they protrude a little more into the ear than earbuds do.
Before we go any further I'd like to tell you a little bit about Phiaton, which may be new to the U.S. headphone market, but looks like it's set to become a major player here. Phiaton is a division of Cresyn, a large South Korean electronics company founded in 1959. It started manufacturing OEM headphones in the 1980s for other companies, and now produces 15 million headphones a month! Phiaton is better-known in Asia and Europe than in the U.S.
Cresyn also manufacturers camera modules for cell phones and has factories in Indonesia and China; Phiaton's U.S. headquarters are based in Irvine, Calif.
The look of PS 210's lightweight aluminum earpieces is distinctive. The headphones come with four sizes of soft black silicon tips to help ensure a comfortable fit.
They're definitely more comfortable and less intrusive than in-ear designs. The PS 210's ear tips rest gently in your outer ear, but that also means the fit is less secure, and the earpieces can fall out, though I'm getting better at keeping them in. The real upside to the half in-ear design approach is that they don't block external sound, so you can still hear the world around you; the downside is you still hear the world around you. … Read more
Sure, iPods and Zunes can sound perfectly fine, but no one ever claimed they were bona fide portable high-end audio devices. Their "good enough" sound isn't entirely their fault: they're too small to house a battery potent enough to power a high-quality headphone amplifier and a high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz digital-to-analog converter.
The Hifiman High Fidelity Music Player HM-801 is the Hummer of portables; it's big enough to get the job done. It's 3 inches wide, 4.5 inches high, and 1 inch thick; that's about the size of an old Walkman cassette player from the 1980s. Hifiman doesn't say how much the HM-801 weighs, but it feels substantial.
If Apple wanted to build something as good or better, it could, but the potential market for something that sounds better than an iPod is probably insignificant, and certainly too small for Apple or Microsoft to bother with. They're too busy jamming more features into their players, and sound quality never makes the cut. Besides, the market demands ever cheaper products, and real quality is never cheap. so the HM-801 is downright pricey.
That's another way of saying it's aimed at the sort of music lover who's already invested in a set of top-of-the-line Etymotic, Grado, Klipsch, Monster, Shure, or Ultimate Ears headphones. If you have and you're using an iPod or Zune, you're not hearing all the sound quality you paid for with those headphones.
The HM-801 was conceived as an audiophile player, so non-sound-oriented features are pretty scarce. The HM-801 has a user removable headphone amplifier circuitboard/module that makes future upgrades easy as pie. Hifiman already has one such upgrade in the works, a $170 board specifically designed to maximize detail and resolution of high-end in-ear headphones. Looking inside the HM-801--it has removable panels--so you can see it features top quality components, like a Burr-Brown PCM1704U digital-to-analog converter and Burr-Brown OPA627 Op-Amp. This is a level of technology normally found in audiophile home componentry, and never before used in a portable music player. … Read more
Prizefight: Beats Solo by Dr. Dre vs. Bose On-Ear Headphones
Bose has built quite the reputation for its entire audio line, so it's no surprise that the company's portable headphones, the On-Ear, have a tidy little following. These cushy, earpad-style cans distinguish themselves from their brethren by removing Bose's signature noise-canceling functionality in favor of offering a slightly deflated price tag. But don't fret: the On-Ear headphones still present a sleek design that's understated and compact without feeling flimsy. It's no wonder the Bose name springs easily to the lips whenever headphones are mentioned, and why plenty of competitors want a piece of that … Read more
Comparison test: Three Monster Turbine in-ear headphones
Urbanears Plattan headphones are for style, not sound
Read the Urbanears Plattan review.
Best earbuds for small ears
Anyone who has listened to me on the MP3 Insider podcast, followed me on Twitter (WeirdEaredJas), or even taken the time to peruse the bio below knows I am cursed with absurdly tiny ears. Heck, you can even see for yourself in the multitude of in-ear photos plastered across the headphone reviews on CNET. Happily for me, I am not alone in my deformity (yes, misery does indeed love company).
In fact, many purveyors of portable audio find standard earbuds uncomfortable and can't get many in-ear headphones to fit properly into the ear. It is for my fellow small-eared … Read more
Let Gramps crank up the volume with TV Ears
There might be a solution to one of the most obnoxious linear relationships: as Grandpa gets older, the TV gets louder. TV Ears is a wireless headset that allows Grandpa (or anyone) to listen to television audio in isolation. And though its design screams "geek!" the wearer can sacrifice fashion for a peaceful household.
A small transmitter plugs into the audio-out ports located on the back of the television set, satellite box, or cable box and wirelessly transmits the television's audio to the headset. The user can adjust the volume and tone dials on the headset, while … Read more | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0-10.html?keyword=ear | dclm-gs1-053530000 |
0.021284 | <urn:uuid:83c1a3d2-f64a-4677-9c7f-6aac3f1c44b1> | en | 0.893829 | Psychology Wiki
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This article needs rewriting to enhance its relevance to psychologists..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can..
File:Tetrapeptide structural formulae v.1.png
green marked amino end (L-Valine) and
blue marked carboxyl end (L-Alanine).
Peptides (from Gr. πεπτός, "digested", derived from πέσσειν, "to digest") are short chains of amino acid monomers linked by peptide (amide) bonds, the covalent chemical bonds formed when the carboxyl group of one amino acid reacts with the amino group of another. Peptides are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, and as a benchmark can be understood to contain approximately 50 amino acids or less[citation needed]. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of 2 amino acids joined by a single peptide bond, followed by tripeptides, tetrapeptides, etc. A polypeptide is a long, continuous, and unbranched peptide chain. Hence, peptides fall under the broad chemical classes of biological oligomers and polymers, alongside nucleic acids, oligo- and polysaccharides, etc.
Proteins consist of one or more polypeptides arranged in a biologically functional way, often bound to ligands such as coenzymes and cofactors, or to another protein or other macromolecule (DNA, RNA, etc.), or to complex macromolecular assemblies. Finally, while aspects of the techniques that apply to peptides versus polypeptides and proteins differ (i.e., in the specifics of electrophoresis, chromatography, etc.), the size boundaries that distinguish peptides from polypeptides and proteins are not hard and fast: long peptides such as amyloid beta have been referred to as proteins, and smaller proteins like insulin have been considered peptides.
Amino acids that have been incorporated into peptides are termed "residues"; all peptides except cyclic peptides have an N-terminal and C-terminal residue at the end of the peptide (as shown for the tetrapeptide in the image).
Peptide classesEdit
Peptides are divided into several classes, depending on how they are produced:
Milk peptides
Milk peptides are formed from milk proteins by enzymatic breakdown by digestive enzymes or by the proteinases formed by lactobacilli during the fermentation of milk.[1]
Ribosomal peptides
Ribosomal peptides are synthesized by translation of mRNA. They are often subjected to proteolysis to generate the mature form. These function, typically in higher organisms, as hormones and signaling molecules. Some organisms produce peptides as antibiotics, such as microcins.[2] Since they are translated, the amino acid residues involved are restricted to those utilized by the ribosome. However, these peptides frequently have posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, hydroxylation, sulfonation, palmitylation, glycosylation and disulfide formation. In general, they are linear, although lariat structures have been observed.[3] More exotic manipulations do occur, such as racemization of L-amino acids to D-amino acids in platypus venom.[4]
Nonribosomal peptides
These peptides are assembled by enzymes that are specific to each peptide, rather than by the ribosome. The most common non-ribosomal peptide is glutathione, which is a component of the antioxidant defenses of most aerobic organisms.[5] Other nonribosomal peptides are most common in unicellular organisms, plants, and fungi and are synthesized by modular enzyme complexes called nonribosomal peptide synthetases.[6] These complexes are often laid out in a similar fashion, and they can contain many different modules to perform a diverse set of chemical manipulations on the developing product.[7] These peptides are often cyclic and can have highly complex cyclic structures, although linear nonribosomal peptides are also common. Since the system is closely related to the machinery for building fatty acids and polyketides, hybrid compounds are often found. The presence of oxazoles or thiazoles often indicates that the compound was synthesized in this fashion.[8]
See also Tryptone
Peptones are derived from animal milk or meat digested by proteolytic digestion. In addition to containing small peptides, the resulting spray-dried material includes fats, metals, salts, vitamins and many other biological compounds. Peptone is used in nutrient media for growing bacteria and fungi.[9]
Peptide fragments
Peptide fragments refer to fragments of proteins that are used to identify or quantify the source protein.[10] Often these are the products of enzymatic degradation performed in the laboratory on a controlled sample, but can also be forensic or paleontological samples that have been degraded by natural effects.[11][12]
Peptide synthesisEdit
Main article: Peptide synthesis
File:Peptide Synthesis.svg
Peptides in Molecular Biology Edit
Peptides have recently[citation needed] received prominence in molecular biology for several reasons. The first is that peptides allow the creation of peptide antibodies in animals without the need to purify the protein of interest.[13] This involves synthesizing antigenic peptides of sections of the protein of interest. These will then be used to make antibodies in a rabbit or mouse against the protein.
Another reason is that peptides have become instrumental in mass spectrometry, allowing the identification of proteins of interest based on peptide masses and sequence. In this case the peptides are most often generated by in-gel digestion after electrophoretic separation of the proteins.
Peptides have recently been used in the study of protein structure and function. For example, synthetic peptides can be used as probes to see where protein-peptide interactions occur- see the page on Protein tags.
Inhibitory peptides are also used in clinical research to examine the effects of peptides on the inhibition of cancer proteins and other diseases.
Well-known peptide families in humansEdit
Tachykinin peptidesEdit
Vasoactive intestinal peptidesEdit
• VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; PHM27)
• PACAP Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide
• Peptide PHI 27 (Peptide Histidine Isoleucine 27)
• Glucagon
• Secretin
Pancreatic polypeptide-related peptidesEdit
• NPY (NeuroPeptide Y)
• PYY (Peptide YY)
• APP (Avian Pancreatic Polypeptide)
• PPY Pancreatic PolYpeptide
Opioid peptidesEdit
Calcitonin peptidesEdit
Pituitary peptidesEdit
Gut peptidesEdit
=Hypothalamic peptidesEdit
Other peptidesEdit
Notes on terminologyEdit
• A polypeptide is a single linear chain of amino acids.
• A protein is one or more polypeptides more than about 50 amino acids long.
• An oligopeptide (or simply a peptide) is a polypeptide less than 30-50 amino acids long.
Number of amino acids:
• A monopeptide has one amino acid.
• A dipeptide has two amino acids.
• A tripeptide has three amino acids.
• A tetrapeptide has four amino acids.
• A pentapeptide has five amino acids.
• A hexapeptide has six amino acids.
• A heptapentide has seven amino acids.
• An octapeptide has eight amino acids (e.g., angiotensin II).
• A nonapeptide has nine amino acids (e.g., oxytocin).
• A decapeptide has ten amino acids (e.g., gonadotropin-releasing hormone & angiotensin I).
• An undecapeptide (or monodecapeptide) has eleven amino acids, a dodecapeptide (or didecapeptide) has twelve amino acids, a tridecapeptide has thirteen amino acids, and so forth.
• An icosapeptide has twenty amino acids, a tricontapeptide has thirty amino acids, a tetracontapeptide has forty amino acids, and so forth.
See alsoEdit
External linksEdit
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0.258676 | <urn:uuid:ce376585-acd4-4385-9ced-33207dcdee0c> | en | 0.963691 | Seeking Alpha
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Back in late 2010 I heard about Bitcoin and foolishly laughed it off as ridiculous. Now I wish I'd understood it better. Bitcoin is a fascinating economic experiment, which has challenged our conventional idea of what a currency is.
A currency is liquid trust. Look at a one dollar bill, it states 'In God We Trust'. The intrinsic value of paper notes or numbers in a bank is little or nothing. The only reason a currency has any value is because of the trust we place in it and usually it is backed by a government, which promise us it is worth something. Coins and notes are really just bearer bonds. For example the British 10 pound note says 'I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of 10 pounds'.
(click to enlarge)
In this respect Bitcoins are no different from a paper currency. Without the trust of others they would be worthless. Gold is different since it does have some commercial application. However most demand for gold also comes from the trust people place in it as a medium for exchange. So in this respect gold is similar to Bitcoin and other currencies, its value is also determined by trust. Without this trust it would just be a shiny lump of metal.
The most important element of trust in any currency is that supply is limited. For a currency to have any value or use we have to trust that it will not be easily reproduced.
1. We trust that notes and coins cannot be forged.
2. We trust governments to control the money supply and not print huge amounts of it.
In my mind four elements make up a currency
1. Limited supply
2. Accessibility
3. A stable unchanging form
4. Arguably stability in value so the currency can be trusted as a means of exchange
Now of course not everyone trusts the so-called fiat (government backed) currencies. Some advocate a gold standard whereby a currency is tied to gold (an asset which has a very stable supply)
Without this stable underlying asset there is always the risk that a government will print more money thereby increasing the supply and devaluing the currency. This is exactly what has happened in recent years with quantitative easing causing the value of gold to increase relative to the world's major currencies.
Gold Price in US Dollars Chart
Gold Price in US Dollars data by YCharts
Bitcoin versus Gold
There has been some speculation that Bitcoin is starting to replace gold as a safe haven asset. See Are Bitcoins Killing the Price of Gold? So is Bitcoin really any different from gold?
Both currencies have limited supply beyond the control of any government or any individual. This stable supply makes them very viable as a currency. The total supply of Bitcoins will never exceed 21 million (current supply is just under 11 million and all Bitcoins are expected to have been mined by 2040). It gets progressively harder to mine more Bitcoins as the supply grows. Therefore the rate of inflation is always slowing. The supply of gold is limited to what is in the earth's crust. The current supply of gold grows by about 3% a year.
Another important aspect of any currency is accessibility. A currency can't be so rare (e.g. moon rock) that no one has access to it. There is enough gold that billions of people can own it. It is also malleable making it relatively easy to break down and redistribute. The same is true of Bitcoins. Whilst the total supply of Bitcoins is limited to 21 million, Bitcoins can theoretically be divided a limitless number of times. i.e. you can own 0.00000001 Bitcoin so everyone could own them.
Gold is proven. Many people have tried to recreate gold over the years and unsurprisingly always failed since it is impossible.
Gold is tangible whilst Bitcoins are not. Gold is a hedge against the end of the world. Even after a nuclear Armageddon the gold under your bed will still be worth something to someone else.
It is now possible to hold physical Bitcoins but even these need to ultimately be uploaded into a computer and are therefore linked to the online system. Unlike gold they don't pass the nuclear Armageddon test.
An advantage to Bitcoins over gold is that they are much easier and cheaper to transfer and store.
One of the criticisms of Bitcoins is that it could never be used as a serious medium of exchange given the extreme price volatility. This reminds me of the damage caused by hyper inflation. If businesses are constantly having to re-price everything they waste a huge amount of resources to the point where the currency is useless.
Whilst this is true you could probably level a similar criticism at gold. Gold is very rarely actually used as a medium of exchange because it is less practical than conventional currencies. Bitcoin may ultimately have an advantage over gold in this regard since as more businesses sign on it becomes easier to convert Bitcoins into goods and services. At some point the price may become more stable. Price volatility is an issue but in my opinion there are bigger concerns.
Bitcoins Weaknesses versus gold
Bitcoin could be hacked. Although this would be difficult it would be technically possible by altering Bitcoin's code. It has been suggested this might be done through a routine update. As Bitcoin becomes more successful and valuable it will attract ever more attention from hackers. Even if the chances of a hack are miniscule they still detract hugely from Bitcoin's credibility. Even a tiny chance of compromise kills Bitcoin's status as a safe-haven asset.
Bitcoin exchanges have already proven themselves vulnerable. The main Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox and others have already been attacked, which has caused the price of Bitcoins to crash in the past. An attack a couple of days ago on instawallet has caused many to lose their coins. These attacks are more akin to a bank robbery than actually compromising or altering the currency. Nevertheless these incidents have been prevalent and damage Bitcoin's image.
Government Intervention
Government intervention is a huge risk. In many countries there are laws against creating new currencies. For example the United States constitution states:
Governments have already shown how nervous and keen they are to stamp down on and regulate the internet. The U.S. government has already shown it is prepared to take action. It shutdown poker sites operating in the U.S. in 2011. If Bitcoin ever took off and threatened other currencies it's difficult to imagine that governments would not do something. Politically it would probably even be popular as many people might perceive Bitcoin as a threat. The hacking attacks on Bitcoin exchanges and the increasing use by drug dealers would offer easy justification.
Of course Bitcoin enthusiasts argue that banning Bitcoins would make them even more popular and valuable. Maybe banning them would be fine for drug dealers but honest citizens aren't going to want to risk getting arrested for owning Bitcoins. Initially at least there would be a rush for the exits and the price would crash. In this scenario Bitcoin's openness might actually work against it. Gold can still always be hidden under a bed.
We should remember that the private or corporate ownership of gold was banned in the United States in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was not until 1974 that it was allowed again.
You might also argue that the government might just as easily ban gold ownership again. Given the widespread acceptance and ownership of gold I think today this would probably be politically impossible as well as impractical. Bitcoin has a much higher chance of getting banned.
Bitcoin's greatest weakness (which most people haven't properly considered) is that it can be copied. Bitcoin itself acknowledges the danger.
If Bitcoin does become an incredible success others will set up their own currencies in exactly the same fashion. Just as in any market, new entrants will emerge where super-normal profits are being made. Bitcoin's barriers to entry aren't impervious.
Initially other currencies might not be as widely recognised or as accepted as Bitcoin. However with enough resources behind them they definitely could be. As Bitcoin itself says,
Bitcoin's own supply may be limited but it cannot control the potential of other competitors. This in my view destroys Bitcoin's value and credibility as a safe-haven asset. If there are 10,000 Bitcoin clones in existence who's to say which is best.
Again this is where gold shows its value because it has proved itself over centuries. Gold itself has competitors in the form of silver, platinum and others but has always proved itself as the most viable.
For all the ingenuity of Bitcoin it lacks the same safety and certainty of gold. There is too much to worry about with Bitcoin. Most of the major issues; the potential for copycats, government intervention, intangibility and hacking will never go away. Therefore gold will always be the better safe-haven asset and should always have a much higher value than Bitcoins. In reality there is no comparison. Bitcoin seems to lack everything you actually want in a safe haven, namely certainty. Bitcoin's are highly speculative, risky and unproven. Those rushing into Bitcoin in the wake of the Cypriot banking crisis should be wary.
Today taking a rough price of $50 per gram of gold and $140 to one BTC. A Bitcoin is currently worth 2.8g of gold. I would prefer to own the gold.
This article is not a recommendation to buy gold. I am only arguing that Bitcoins could never replace gold as a safe-haven asset.
Source: Is Bitcoin Really Any Different From Gold? | http://seekingalpha.com/article/1326721?source=kizur_direct | dclm-gs1-053640000 |
0.037093 | <urn:uuid:2f13f550-4ec8-47ea-9aac-7309f9f59ce0> | en | 0.956797 | Seeking Alpha
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For more than a year, J.C. Penney's (JCP) stock has been dropping like a stone, while other retail stocks have been soaring. The problem? A radical pricing strategy that replaced conventional sales promotions, including coupons, with everyday low price - shoppers didn't go for it, legal woes, and a leadership shake-up that have taken their toll on the company's performance (see table).
Forward PE
Qtrly Revenue Growth (yoy)
Qtrly Earnings Growth (yoy)
Operating Margins
J.C. Penney
-3.95 %
On Friday, J.C Penney's stock soared. The catalysts? A vote of confidence by George Soros. The legendary financier took a "passive" 7.8 stake in the company; a financial arrangement with Goldman Sachs (GS) that didn't include any equity stake by the financial firm.
These developments come shortly after the company changed strategy, returning to the old sales promotions to be implemented by the appointment of J.C. Penney's old CEO replacing Ron Johnson. Will this new policy bring shoppers and investors back? What should investors do?
Obviously, the price change that eliminated sales through coupons for everyday low price was a strategic mistake that, in our opinion, that comes from a misunderstanding by its leadership of the difference between J.C. Penney and Apple stores. Now the company comes to correct this mistake. Will it work?
The answer is yes. The strategy works for other retailers and did work before for J.C. Penney. That's why the stock deserves another look for long-term investors, especially at these price levels.
Source: J.C. Penney's Problems Can Be Fixed | http://seekingalpha.com/article/1377531?source=feed | dclm-gs1-053650000 |
0.034344 | <urn:uuid:e92115f9-2b11-4bbe-8ed5-7ffe03de2de4> | en | 0.849394 | Pile on the Pumpkins!
Stack 'Em UpStack 'Em Up It's that time of year again! Here's a roundup of pumpkin ideas for your front door to help ready your porch for fall.
See More: Fabulous Fall Decorating Ideas
Stack 'Em Up
The Pumpkins:
'Rouge Vif d'Etampes,' 'Red Eye,' 'Long Island Cheese,' 'One Too Many'
The Plants: Kale, cabbages, bay leaves
The Big Idea: Vertical displays make a big statement at the front door. Tucking in cool-weather edibles such as ornamental flowering cabbages, kale, and bay leaves adds a distinctive twist. If you plan to eat the veggies or herbs later, buy plants from the edible aisle at your garden center to make sure they have not been treated with growth hormones to regulate their size. To create topiaries, sandwich bay wreaths between pumpkins stacked in concrete urns, and top with a small pumpkin. Finish your door with a (nonedible) bittersweet wreath. Be careful to dispose of seedheads in the garbage rather than the compost bin, as bittersweet is invasive in the garden. For a similar look, use rose hips, which are more eco-friendly.
Line Your StepsLine Your StepsLine Your Steps
The Pumpkins:
'Rouge Vif d'Etampes,' 'Howden,' 'Potimarron,' 'Musquee de Provence,' 'Atlantic Giant,' 'Sugar Pie,' 'Galeux d'Eysines'
The Plants: Mums, Mexican sage, boxwoods
The Big Idea: There's a reason you see mums each fall-they work. Once buds begin to open, you're guaranteed blooms whether your display is in sun or shade. To prolong the show, water when dry and remove spent flowers. While there are numerous salvias to choose from, we love Mexican sage for its statuesque nature and velvety purple flowers. Pair with potted boxwoods. At season's end, transplant salvias to the border, and compost or transplant the mums too. Enjoy the potted boxwoods for several more seasons until they outgrow their containers, and then transplant them into larger pots or into the garden.
See More: Create an Illuminating Pumpkin Display
Lowcountry CharmLowcountry CharmLowcountry Charm
The Designer:
Heather Barrie, Gathering Floral + Event Design, Charleston, South Carolina; gatheringevents.com
The Challenge: A tiny front stoop.
The Solution: Go vertical with garland. Heather started with a nagi garland, which you can buy from a florist, and then wired in coontie palm and holly fern fronds as well as crookneck gourds. Pedestal urns planted with crotons allow room below for pumpkins. This colorful houseplant is ideal for outdoor use where frost comes late (the Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South). For an unexpected flourish, set pumpkins atop holly fern fronds and tuck in sprigs of yaupon holly berries.
Chesapeake Cottage RevivalChesapeake Cottage RevivalChesapeake Cottage Revival
The Designer:
James Cramer, stylist and designer, Keedysville, Maryland
The Challenge: Brighten up an old covered porch.
The Solution: Incorporate modern materials to add new energy. Narrow zinc planters filled with both dried and fresh miscanthus foliage make this relatively short door (6 foot 2 inches tall, which was common in the past) appear loftier. Create a container focal point by tucking in pots of 'Wasabi' coleus and chartreuse sweet potato vines. Moonlight-hued pumpkins and gourds amp up the glow.
Southern ClassicSouthern Classic Southern Classic
The Designer: P. Allen Smith, TV host and gardening expert, Little Rock; pallensmith.com
The Challenge: Match the scale of a tall, deep space.
The Solution: Layer oversize objects. Wire urns set atop pedestals filled with pie pumpkins are the correct scale for the 8½-foot-tall door at Allen's Moss Mountain Farm home. He repeats elements in trios to create visual interest around the 11-foot-deep porch. Combinations of annuals, potted boxwoods, and heirloom pumpkins organize a lot of materials while achieving balance.
Don't Miss:
Carve a Fall Planter
Enjoy Color All Season
Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Halloween Party Ideas | http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/pile-pumpkins-220200116.html | dclm-gs1-053660000 |
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+ - Why are Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle Backing a Fight Against the Blind?-> 1
Submitted by Glyn Moody
Link to Original Source
Comments Filter:
• The source doesn't bother quoting the actual exception supposedly needed for us - pardon my auto ad hominem - visually impaired folks. How will any similar bill to what's ostensibly offered not be harmful to businesses that can't afford braille editions of any little thing ever published in textual form? I say ostensibly since I failed to find what is actually discussed and so resorted to commenting on my own theory of "what the heck is the submitter talking about".
Help fight continental drift. | http://slashdot.org/submission/2669029/why-are-facebook-ibm-microsoft-and-oracle-backing-a-fight-against-the-blind?sbsrc=firehose | dclm-gs1-053690000 |
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+ - RFID Badges Flawed - They don't want you to know.
Submitted by Spunky812
Spunky812 writes "CNET's news.com is reporting that "Security researchers have canceled a talk on the flaws of RFID-equipped building access badges after receiving legal threats from a major manufacturer". Looks like companies can threaten to sue you for pointing out that their product has a major flaw..."
Help fight continental drift. | http://slashdot.org/submission/621638/rfid-badges-flawed---they-dont-want-you-to-know | dclm-gs1-053700000 |
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Comment: I was only following orders... (Score 2, Insightful) 496
by Flamefly (#23864043) Attached to: New FISA Bill Would Grant Telcoms Immunity; Vote Is Tomorrow
The most scary part of this bill is it allows a person, or company to entirely avoid legal ramifications by simply stating "I was only following orders."
If that argument is a credible one in America, then the country is more morally bankrupt then I ever imagined.
+ - Stars just a click away
Submitted by Anonymous Coward
I'd rather be led to hell than managed to heavan. | http://slashdot.org/~Flamefly | dclm-gs1-053730000 |
0.657937 | <urn:uuid:d7107d60-3314-489f-9305-0add978d7995> | en | 0.890818 | Forgot your password?
Comment: Re:PDF? (Score 2) 30
by Yardley (#1861194) Attached to: EFI'ing And Blinding
I'll reiterate your previous post for you, Signal 11.
Why are you guys using PDF? It's a proprietary standard.. kindof goes against the grain of free softwae, don't you think? Why not use TeX, HTML, or postscript?
You do not even mention Adobe Acrobat. PDF is not a proprietary standard. PDF is an open specification, usable by anyone who wants to take the time to implement it. Kind of like HTML or TXT.
I've read your previous complaints about moderation, Signal 11, but when you post in this manner (lying about you past post, troll-like), you serve only to strengthen the arguments of those against you.
Help fight continental drift. | http://slashdot.org/~Yardley/firehose | dclm-gs1-053740000 |
0.955022 | <urn:uuid:779517ad-c8c2-4a04-87d1-e276eca301e8> | en | 0.91823 | Forgot your password?
by cthulu_mt (#33122916) Attached to: WikiLeaks 'a Clear and Present Danger,' Says WaPo
calling for criminal action by the U.S. Government to silence an organization built to ensure transparency
From whence do they derive their mandate? Their funding? How are they structured?
I'd have more confidence in someone demanding transparency in others if they weren't completely opaque.
I'd rather be led to hell than managed to heavan. | http://slashdot.org/~cthulu_mt/ | dclm-gs1-053760000 |
0.902429 | <urn:uuid:e5284230-ba04-498c-9b47-b291ded70484> | en | 0.882148 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have an asp.net page and the JQuery date picker. On page load, I want to look at some config and create an object of dates to not include and then pass that to my JQuery in an external .js file. Is there a way to do this? How?
EDIT: I'd like to pass a Class object
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What will your object of dates look like? Why do you need to pass it in an external .js file? – Jon Apr 11 '12 at 15:21
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How about executing an AJAX request on page load and reading the values from config file in the service call.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10108806/create-object-on-page-load-and-pass-to-jquery | dclm-gs1-053840000 |
0.85098 | <urn:uuid:62be609c-88f9-4ebf-b6c8-6abb530757a9> | en | 0.924432 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm looking for a JMock tutorial using JUnit 3.
Preferably an easy one as well. Every JMock tutorial I have found has been fairly difficult to read through.
Also, is it worth it to use JUnit 4?
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Note that jmock has changed a lot in the version that goes with JUnit 4. I recommend using JUnit 4 and the latest JMock when writing new tests rather than investing time learning something that doesn't have a future path.
The later version of JMock makes things easier by integrating with the JUnit lifecycle as a runner.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10218094/jmock-tutorial-using-junit-3 | dclm-gs1-053850000 |
0.926165 | <urn:uuid:851b87b2-a85d-42d0-bea0-3cddab26a599> | en | 0.796433 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am putting an image as an overlay on an Android google map. Does the image appear aligning the origin of the image at the coordinates? Is there a way to control it? If I want the center of the image to be at the overlay coordinates how do I go about?
Thanks a lot
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up vote 1 down vote accepted
//This will make the center of the image to be at the coordinates.
public abstract class CustomOverlay<Item extends OverlayItem> extends ItemizedOverlay<Item> {
public CustomOverlay(Drawable defaultMarker, MapView mapView) {
super(boundCenter(defaultMarker), mapView);
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Thank you. It works perfect. One thing I noticed is that the boundCenter works only for the default marker. If I change the marker using overlayitem.setMarker(anotherImage); the image is aligned at (0,0). Thank you very mcuh. It resolved my issue. – zolio May 23 '12 at 2:39
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10696748/android-map-overlay-exact-coordinates | dclm-gs1-053860000 |
0.26138 | <urn:uuid:1745287b-5544-4fc4-a0f3-d41faf765040> | en | 0.856077 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
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Use find tool with maxdepth option:
find LOG-PATH -maxdepth 1 -regextype "posix-egrep" -regex '.*/PS.*' -type f -exec rm {} \;
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10815632/find-files-in-a-directory-but-do-not-search-in-sub-directroies?answertab=active | dclm-gs1-053870000 |
0.874836 | <urn:uuid:c295c71d-ab88-4b4d-8dd6-97800c7c0485> | en | 0.902674 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I wanna use these very simple features in Google Chrome Javascript console but I really cannot find out how (already searched in official documentation,multiple videos and posts...)
1. Writing more than a javascript line! (currently after hitting enter, the previous code executes). Moreover, is there a way to make the 'writing' area of the console larger? (multiple lines)
2. Typical undo and redo edit. Currently control+Z does nothing.
really weird,
Thanks in advance,
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The Javascript console really isn't intended to do serious development in, but it's pretty good.
Shift+enter will let you write multiple lines instead of instantly executing the code.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11056000/google-chrome-console?answertab=active | dclm-gs1-053900000 |
0.802072 | <urn:uuid:25d6b5c8-62f1-4ac6-a2b7-2faaccf9012d> | en | 0.897371 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
In Inno Setup I have and End-user license agreement page which has "I accept the agreement" and "I don't accept the agreement."
How can I make the "I accept" radio button selected by default?
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That does kinda defeat the point of having the "I agree". It should be an explicit action to agree. – Deanna Jun 25 '12 at 12:26
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up vote 4 down vote accepted
In code it would looks like this:
procedure InitializeWizard;
WizardForm.LicenseAcceptedRadio.Checked := True;
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11187022/inno-script-how-to-make-i-accept-the-agreement-radio-button-on-eula-page-sel | dclm-gs1-053910000 |
0.04332 | <urn:uuid:384d4e19-0b26-4ae3-a31f-69dbafac7631> | en | 0.822547 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
So im writing code and pushing it to github and pushing it to github etc etc....
Problem is when I do that I am also pushing things like Facebook API keys and config.php encryption keys - anyone know how to push code without doing this?
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up vote 0 down vote accepted
Just don't include them in your code and use environment variables:
$my_very_secret_key = getenv("MY_VERY_SECRET_KEY");
You'll define this key wherever your webserver will allow you to. For instance with nginx:
env MY_VERY_SECRET_KEY='OhThatsAVerySecretKey'
This procedure is recommended by Heroku to store s3 credentials, it's imho the best way to go.
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Great idea! thank you :D Btw, how do i do that with Apache? – lenswipe Jun 25 '12 at 22:43
...nevermind i found it :D httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_env.html#setenv – lenswipe Jun 25 '12 at 22:46
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Store your keys in an external file configuration file that you exclude with a project-level .gitignore. If you've already committed your keys, you should remove them from the repository with git-filter-branch(1).
See Also
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11197752/codeigniter-and-secrets-api-keys | dclm-gs1-053920000 |
0.237519 | <urn:uuid:766c4a13-db07-4221-9d2d-ff2c734a79ec> | en | 0.913897 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I merged the beta branch into the master branch. I pushed to origin. I now want master to be as it was prior to the merger both locally and remotely.
A good answer for undoing a merge that was already pushed suggests
git revert -m 1 commit_hash
If this is indeed the way to go, how can I determine commit_hash? I unsuccessfully tried the hash returned by merge-base:
$ git merge-base --all master beta
$ git revert -m 1 1f4b949b7ef97abf913ae672e3acd0907abfac1b
error: Mainline was specified but commit 1f4b949b7ef97abf913ae672e3acd0907abfac1b is not a merge.
fatal: revert failed
I've examined both git-log and gitk renditions of the branches, but they're very long, and I am uncertain enough of my interpretation to feel I should seek assistance before making a perhaps bigger mess. Beta was derived from v2 which was derived from master. There have been some mergers from master into v2 and beta along the way as I've kept the new branches up-to-date with master. The merger in the direction from beta into master was a mistake I wish to correct.
Once I do determine the merge point, if I find any commits made on master after the merger that really should be on the beta branch, what's the best way to move them over?
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Try log --all --graph --pretty=tformat:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset%s %Cgreen(%an %cr)%Creset' --abbrev-commit --date=relative (I personally alias it), it will display the commits of all the branches and their date, and also where did the merges happen. – Samy Dindane Jul 19 '12 at 15:32
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2 Answers
up vote 3 down vote accepted
You need to find the commit of the merge, git merge-base tells you the commit where you can do the merge. It basically is the last commit that exists in those two branches. The merge commit exists in your master branch only, unless you created a new branch after the merge, but that's not relevant here. :)
To find the merge commit try: git log master ^beta --ancestry-path --merges
The needed commit is the very last commit.
But please read up on Linus' write up: http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/howto/revert-a-faulty-merge.txt
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Also look at http://sethrobertson.github.com/GitFixUm/ which walks you through almost any git problem, including pushed merges. However...pushed merges have no easy solution.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11563346/to-undo-a-pushed-merge-using-git-revert-how-can-i-identify-the-right-commit-has | dclm-gs1-053940000 |
0.076994 | <urn:uuid:4031d935-3ecb-4e73-9fc6-9af96b99e579> | en | 0.919271 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am using archlinux. I just installed the latest Eclipse (used pacman) and manually installed pydev (downloaded the zip file and upzip them into /usr/share/eclipse/dropins). The problem is that when I run eclipse as root I can see the Pydev plugin, but when I run eclipse as a normal user it seems that Pydev isn't loaded.
I am wondering how to fix this?
PS: I know I should have used Eclipse's update manager to install pydev. But since I am in China currently, many foreign sites including sourceforge are not accessible.
Thanks in advance!
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hmm. Very strange. When I run as a normal user, Pydev does show up as installed. However, window->preferences do not have a configuration section for Pydev. Do I miss something? – Zariski Aug 5 '12 at 11:50
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Just checking, but are the permissions available for your user to access what you've put in the dropins?
Also, just as a note, to install PyDev using the update manager see: http://pydev.org/download.html (note that that part has nothing to do with sourceforge).
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11815806/use-pydev-as-a-non-root | dclm-gs1-053950000 |
0.338109 | <urn:uuid:0d91ee3b-d22a-4efd-a3af-6c2c52f6fc97> | en | 0.807423 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Ok this is driving me crazy....
Server: JBoss 4.0.5
I have my hibernate-service.xml where I include the:
<attribute name="CacheProviderClass">
Which seems to work fine in terms of loading and getting the ehcache started, but I do see this pesky message about:
WARNING: No configuration found. Configuring ehcache from ehcache-failsafe.xml found in the classpath: jar:file:/C:/jboss-4.0.5.GA/server/default/lib/ehcache-1.6.1.jar!/ehcache-failsafe.xml
The final app is a ear file with has the following structure:
the app.har contains the beans and the hibernate mappings and the hibernate-service.xml and the hibernate.cfg.xml and and the ehcache.xml at the root of the classes.
It all works just fine, MDBs and Webapp works but I have not been able to configure the ehcache and I suspect that I am either not specifying the configuration correctly or the ehcache.xml is not on the right place.
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Try creating one under $JBOSS_HOME/server/<instance>/conf just to see if actually picks it up there (it should). If it doesn't, then maybe something else is setup wrong. – Dave Aug 4 '09 at 20:57
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I suggest using the hibernate integration that comes with EhCache, rather than the other way around (same class name, different package). It's better documented, including how to configure it properly.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1229692/configuring-ehcache-on-jboss | dclm-gs1-053980000 |
0.018915 | <urn:uuid:feb87bd2-4a6b-4f8d-b7dd-4ea8ecd2d1e9> | en | 0.750686 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
In a Magento Shop, I would like to be able to classify products by some Classification mechanism (example: Tag, Category, Related products or somthing else?)
Then I could build a block that will show all classification titles. User can then click and get a page of all products in this classification.
We already use Categories, so using this classification mechanism would generate a list with many unwanted entries. I was thinking using the tag system, but I have not found any references on the web that discusses using tags in this way. Maybe performnace is not good?
Here is a first attempt
// Here is a first attempt - I get all products with Category=4
// which is a "taggable" category. Then I list all related tags
require_once('app/Mage.php'); //Path to Magento
// Category 4 is called "Category with tags"
$_categoryId = "4";
$_productCollection = Mage::getModel('catalog/category')->load($_categoryId)
->addAttributeToFilter('status', 1)
->addAttributeToFilter('visibility', 4)
foreach ($_productCollection as $_product):
$tags= $model->getResourceCollection()
->setFlag('relation', true)
if(isset($tags) && !empty($tags)):
foreach($tags as $tag):
echo $tag->getName(). '<br/>';
Anyone have any code samples for listing tags, or a better way to do this?
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A quick look in the database convinced me that maybe by-passing Magento's wonderful prodcutivity functions may be in order here...
$sql = "SELECT * FROM tag WHERE status = '1'";
foreach ($connection->fetchAll($sql) as $arr_row) {
print $arr_row['name'];
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Have you tried Layered Navigation? It creates classification mechanism based on product attributes. When entering a category with Layered Navigation enabled, you are presented a list of product attributes that are set to appear there, and their possible values.
To enable Layered Navigation, go to Catalog -> Categories -> Manage Categories. There, select some category, go to Display Settings tab and set Is Anchor to Yes.
To allow or prevent a product attribute from showing in the Layered Navigation list, go to Catalog -> Attributes -> Manage Attributes. There, select an attribute you want and set Use In Layered Navigation option to a desired value.
It may not be exactly what you want, but is worth checking out.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12515993/classification-display-options-in-magento-tags-categories-etc/12551758 | dclm-gs1-053990000 |
0.592659 | <urn:uuid:ea7a593d-2812-43fe-885e-29484bee3104> | en | 0.805145 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Just wondering why
def move
world_switch(@pos_X += 1, @pos_X -= 1, @pos_Y += 1, @pos_Y -= 1)
def world_switch(do_on_north, do_on_south, do_on_east, do_on_west)
case @facing # => 'NORTH'
when 'NORTH'
puts do_on_north # => 1
when 'SOUTH'
when 'EAST'
when 'WEST'
Calling world_switch:
robot = Robot.new(0, 0, 'NORTH')
puts robot.instance_variable_get("@pos_X") #=> 0
results in changing nothing, I would like to increase or decrease instance variable @pos_X or @pos_Y
This is my initialize method
def initialize(pos_X, pos_Y, facing)
and that's how I create an instance of the class robot = Robot.new(0, 0, 'NORTH')
All help will be appreciated
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How do you call world_switch? The one above cannot run. And world_switch should not defined like that. Since it accepts only instance variables as parameters, we can omit them all. The self can provide access to them. – halfelf Sep 27 '12 at 9:31
1. It is better to use symbols rather than strings for switches. 2. You code will thrown an error because world_switch is called before it is defined. – sawa Sep 27 '12 at 9:34
updated a question, could you please review – Jackie Chan Sep 27 '12 at 9:39
ok, so what do you want to print? Now I get the output as 1 0, seems normal. – halfelf Sep 27 '12 at 9:45
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3 Answers
up vote 2 down vote accepted
The explanation for the current behaviour is as Chowlett described, but did you intend for your @pos_X += 1, @pos_X -= 1 etc in move to be blocks of code and then for exactly one of these to be called from world_switch depending on which way the robot is facing?
If so, move needs to be declared like this
def move
and then in world_switch you can do something like
case @facing # => 'NORTH'
when 'NORTH'
when 'SOUTH'
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That would indeed make the current code work. I'm not sure it's the best way of doing it, though; do you really need world_switch to be so general that you can pass in what "step NORTH" means? – Chowlett Sep 27 '12 at 10:27
@Chowlett Agreed. It does seem overly complicated. Something along the lines of Matt's answer would be a nice, simple solution. It depends on whether the exercise is intended to be an example of a more general point, and also whether the OP is a bit unclear on at what point evaluation takes place when parameter passing. – mikej Sep 27 '12 at 10:45
Thanks Mikej, Procs... – Jackie Chan Sep 28 '12 at 0:17
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It does nothing because of the way you call world_switch. Ruby will evaluate each of the expressions you're passing as parameters before the call.
So, you call move with (say), @pos_X and @pos_Y both equal to 0. The Ruby does:
@pos_X += 1 # => @pos_X = 1; param 1 will be 1
@pos_X -= 1 # => @pos_X = 0; param 2 will be 0
@pos_Y += 1 # => @pos_Y = 1; param 3 will be 1
@pos_Y -= 1 # => @pos_Y = 0; param 4 will be 0
world_switch(1, 0, 1, 0)
Then world_switch switches based on @facing, and simply returns the value of the appropriate parameter. It doesn't change the instance variables at all.
I'm not sure I explained that all that clearly. Let me know if you need clarification.
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Explanation is good, thanks – Jackie Chan Sep 28 '12 at 0:13
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Adding to Chowlett's and mikej's answers (which nicely explain why your code isn't working). You could try something like this:
class Player
def initialize(position)
@position = position
def move(direction)
case direction
when :north
@position[:x] += 1
when :south
@position[:x] -= 1
when :east
@position[:y] -= 1
when :west
@position[:y] += 1
player = Player.new({:x => 0, :y => 0})
puts player.inspect
# => "#<Player:0x16c7ef8 @position={:x=>1, :y=>0}>"
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12618074/ruby-methods-switch-methods | dclm-gs1-054000000 |
0.022889 | <urn:uuid:278331c5-00e0-49db-b574-98319d5852c6> | en | 0.941927 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
In my struts application tickets are being raised and they are stored in db with time of creation .
Now my requirement is to raise a event after 24 hours of that token created time.
I am aware of a Quatz schedular which can raised an event for every 24 hr. But my requirement is based on the time in some row of the db.
Can I find any tool such as above to do this?
How to do it with minimum hits to data base?
Please can some one suggest me some ideas? I am using the MYSQL may be needed to answer.
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In one of previous projects, we used to have reminders configured by user to be fired arbitrarily,
• based on the due date of a project,
• at some point in future
• based on the inactive period of a project etc.,
We used to have a Quartz Job that would run every 5minutes and identify the project records in the database that satisfy one of the above criteria and retrieve them and perform an action (in our case, we needed to send a reminder email to some recipients configured).
Based on your requirement, you can configure a similar job and decide on the periodicity. If your table is too large, you can run the job every 5min/10min which means the event might be raised later than 24 hours by a 5min/10min delay. If your table is small enough, you can run the job every minute.
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Thanks for Replay ! – Das Oct 31 '12 at 8:31
I was planning for the same but the number hit to the db is major criteria . I was hope-ing their might be some push based approach db directly give some hit about the above criteria ! – Das Oct 31 '12 at 8:34
accepting the Solution as this definitely serve my purpose – Das Nov 1 '12 at 4:42
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13153350/an-event-to-raise-after-24-hours-of-time-in-db-in-struts-application | dclm-gs1-054040000 |
0.697404 | <urn:uuid:6c1bdb15-1395-48c1-91c1-4419ea55cf77> | en | 0.823235 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I've been evaluating PostgreSQL's hstore functionality (9.2) and the only thing the fine manual isn't explicit about is how to rename keys. For instance, how could I rename the key c to ai_count?
"c"=>"3", "ai_voltage"=>"3", "ai_temperature"=>"28"
I'm thinking there is no direct way to do this and that it involves duplicating the c key to a ai_count key, then dropping the c key. How can I do this, ideally as a one-liner which can be applied to multiple records?
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The "fine manual", awesome! – mu is too short Nov 7 '12 at 16:39
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1 Answer
up vote 5 down vote accepted
I think you're right that you have to pull the old pair out and put the new pair (with the renamed key) back in.
You could do it with a one-liner:
(h - from_key) || hstore(to_key, h -> from_key)
where h is the hstore, from_key is the key you want to change and to_key is what you want to change it to. That will return a new hstore with the desired change but it assumes that from_key is in h; if from_key isn't in h then you'll end up with a to_key -> NULL in your hstore. If you, like all sane people, don't want the stray NULL then I'd wrap the logic in a simple function to make it easier to add an existence check; something like this:
create or replace function
change_hstore_key(h hstore, from_key text, to_key text) returns hstore as $$
if h ? from_key then
return (h - from_key) || hstore(to_key, h -> from_key);
end if;
return h;
$$ language plpgsql;
Then you can say both of these and get the expected results:
=> select change_hstore_key('a=>1,b=>2,c=>3'::hstore, 'b', 'pancakes');
"pancakes"=>"2", "a"=>"1", "c"=>"3"
=> select change_hstore_key('a=>1,b=>2,c=>3'::hstore, 'pancakes', 'X');
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Beautiful, thank you. – Jeff Nov 7 '12 at 19:23
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13273667/renaming-hstore-key-in-postgresql-9-2 | dclm-gs1-054050000 |
0.472657 | <urn:uuid:f45befb9-f9ae-4d89-bd1d-7285979a4714> | en | 0.782857 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I want to show folders with icons in my NSPopUpButton. It is common for popups that used for selecting path for file. I'm new user and i can't post images. U can see that for example in U Torrent->preferences->directories
Please provide detailed answer because I'm completely new at that.
Thanks a lot and sorry for my bad English
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1 Answer
up vote 0 down vote accepted
For each NSMenuItem in your menu, you need to set the appropriate image, calling setImage:
In short, you need to prepare your menu item, attach it to a menu, and attach the latter to your popup button, like so:
NSPopUpButton *yourButton = [[NSPopUpButton alloc] init];
NSMenu *yourMenu = [[NSMenu alloc] init];
NSMenuItem *menuItem = [[NSMenuItem alloc] initWithTitle:@"some label" action:nil keyEquivalent:@""];
NSImage *iconImage = [[NSWorkspace sharedWorkspace] iconForFile:@"yourFilePath"];
[iconImage setSize:NSMakeSize(16,16)];
[menuItem setImage:iconImage];
[yourMenu insertItem:menuItem atIndex:0];
[yourButton setMenu:yourMenu];
Note the use of iconForFile: in NSWorkspace, which allows you to show the same icon used in the Finder.
For more examples, you can have a look at this sample code by Apple: ButtonMadness
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13468838/show-folders-in-nspopupbutton/13548512 | dclm-gs1-054060000 |
0.028188 | <urn:uuid:90113ef7-3e6e-4bf5-90ad-28e942bf0d3e> | en | 0.874364 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
suppose Object A has a list of Object B, and Object B must have a object C, B can be order base on C.level .
In A.hbm.xml
<bag name="listB"
order-by="?? what should i do here???"
<key column="ID_A" not-null="true"/>
<many-to-many column="ID_B" class="B"/>
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2 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
The order-by clause should contain the SQL snippet you would use to order the list of items. If your ordering criteria is not located in the table T_B in your example, then you probably won't be able to accomplish what you want. On the other hand if B contains a C and its always a one to one relationship, you could define a view in the DB the aggregates the tables and gives you a column to sort on.
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I though order-by is specified in your query? no?
from Document fetch all properties order by name
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thanks for you quick reply..but sometime query is not good enough....suppose i already got the object A...which is the Document object in your query...and i say...document.getProperties()....then the return value wouldn`t be in order – shrimpy Sep 2 '09 at 7:11
Then I have to say sorry. I don't know how to set it either. I would use "Comparable" interface with "Collection.sort()" in this case, but this way I lose the beauty of query though. – Winston Chen Sep 2 '09 at 7:37
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1366197/how-to-do-order-by-in-hibernate-mapping | dclm-gs1-054080000 |
0.16274 | <urn:uuid:2407e08b-2f09-4646-9cf8-fda0ec765599> | en | 0.705429 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I want to read Sitemap with XPath but it doesn't work. here is my code :
private void evaluate2(String src){
DocumentBuilderFactory factory = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
DocumentBuilder builder = factory.newDocumentBuilder();
Document doc = builder.parse(new ByteArrayInputStream(src.getBytes()));
XPathFactory xp_factory = XPathFactory.newInstance();
XPath xpath = xp_factory.newXPath();
XPathExpression expr = xpath.compile("//url/loc");
Object result = expr.evaluate(doc, XPathConstants.NODESET);
NodeList nodes = (NodeList) result;
}catch(Exception e){
Before I retrieve the remote source of the sitemap, and it's passed to evaluate2 through the variable src. And the System.out.println(nodes.getLength()); display 0 My xpath query is working because this query work in PHP. Do you see errors in my code ?
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3 Answers
I think the input has namespace. So you would have to initialize the namespaceContext for the xpath object and change your xpath with prefixes. i.e. //usr/loc should be //ns:url/ns:loc and then add the namespace prefix binding in the namespace object.
You can find an NamespaceContext implementation available with apache common. http://ws.apache.org/commons/util/apidocs/index.html ws-commons-utils
NamespaceContextImpl namespaceContextObj = new NamespaceContextImpl();
nsContext.startPrefixMapping("ns", "http://sitename/xx");
XPathExpression expr = xpath.compile("//ns:url/ns:loc");
In case you don't know what namespaces that are comming, you can get them from the document it self, but I doubt it ll be of much use. There are few how-tos here http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-nmspccontext/index.html
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But the namespace coulb be different according to sitemap version no ? – guillaume Dec 20 '12 at 19:37
updated the response. – Vamsi Mohan Jayanti Dec 20 '12 at 21:33
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You parse the sitemap with a namespace-aware parser (that's what factory.setNamespaceAware(true) does), but then attempt to access it using an XPath that does not usea namespace resolver (or reference any namespaces).
The simplest solution is to configure the parser as not namespace aware. As long as you're just parsing a self-contained sitemap, that shouldn't be a problem.
One more problem in your code is that you pass the sitemap contents as a String, then convert that String using the platform default encoding. This will work as long as your platform-default encoding matches that of the actual bytes that you retrieved from the server (assuming that you also created the string using the platform-default encoding). If it doesn't, you're likely to get a conversion error.
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I can't see any errors in your code so I gues the problem is the source. Are you sure that the source file contains this element?
Maybe you could try to use this code to parse the String in an Document
builder.parse(new InputSource(new StringReader(xml)));
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If I do this and I put a System.out.println(doc.toString()); I've the message [#document: null] Is it normal ? – guillaume Dec 20 '12 at 18:45
no thats not normal. It says that you Document object is empty. SO try it with the tip of pasifal(setNameSpaceAware(false)) – maseas Dec 20 '12 at 18:57
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13977878/read-sitemap-with-xpath?answertab=active | dclm-gs1-054090000 |
0.850639 | <urn:uuid:b442ae27-248c-4691-a337-228d54490be0> | en | 0.786425 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Hi I have the following procedure,
Questions: - How to make it elegant, more readable, compact. - What can I do to extract common loops to another method.
From a given rootDir the dirs are organized as in ex below.
What the proc does:
If input is 200, it deletes all DIRS that are OLDER than 200 days. NOT based on modifytime, but based on dir structure and dir name [I will later delete by brute force "rm -Rf" on each dir that are older]
e.g dir structure:
-2009(year dirs) [will force delete dirs e.g "rm -Rf" later]
-01...(month dirs)
-05 ..
-01.. (day dirs)
-many files. [I won't check mtime at file level - takes more time]
-2012 ...
Code that I have:
def get_dirs_to_remove(dir_path, olderThanDays):
today = datetime.datetime.now();
oldestDayToKeep = today + datetime.timedelta(days= -olderThanDays)
oldKeepYear = int(oldestDayToKeep.year)
oldKeepMonth =int(oldestDayToKeep.month);
oldKeepDay = int(oldestDayToKeep.day);
for yearDir in os.listdir(dirRoot):
#iterate year dir
yrPath = os.path.join(dirRoot, yearDir);
if(is_int(yearDir) == False):
problemList.append(yrPath); # can't convery year to an int, store and report later
if(int(yearDir) < oldKeepYear):
print "old Yr dir: " + yrPath
#deleteList.append(yrPath); # to be bruteforce deleted e.g "rm -Rf"
yield yrPath;
elif(int(yearDir) == oldKeepYear):
# iterate month dir
print "process Yr dir: " + yrPath
for monthDir in os.listdir(yrPath):
monthPath = os.path.join(yrPath, monthDir)
if(is_int(monthDir) == False):
if(int(monthDir) < oldKeepMonth):
print "old month dir: " + monthPath
yield monthPath;
elif (int(monthDir) == oldKeepMonth):
# iterate Day dir
print "process Month dir: " + monthPath
for dayDir in os.listdir(monthPath):
dayPath = os.path.join(monthPath, dayDir)
if(is_int(dayDir) == False):
if(int(dayDir) < oldKeepDay):
print "old day dir: " + dayPath
yield dayPath
print [ x for x in get_dirs_to_remove(dirRoot, olderThanDays)]
print "probList" % problemList # how can I get this list also from the same proc?
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2 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
This actually looks pretty nice, except for the one big thing mentioned in this comment:
It sounds like you're storing problemList in a global variable or something, and you'd like to fix that. Here are a few ways to do this:
• Yield both delete files and problem files—e.g., yield a tuple where the first member says which kind it is, and the second what to do with it.
• Take the problemList as a parameter. Remember that lists are mutable, so appending to the argument will be visible to the caller.
• yield the problemList at the end—which means you need to restructure the way you use the generator, because it's no longer just a simple iterator.
• Code the generator as a class instead of a function, and store problemList as a member variable.
• Peek at the internal generator information and cram problemList in there, so the caller can retrieve it.
Meanwhile, there are a few ways you could make the code more compact and readable.
Most trivially:
This list comprehension is exactly the same as the original iteration, which you can write more simply as:
print list(get_dirs_to_remove(dirRoot, olderThanDays))
As for the algorithm itself, you could partition the listdir, and then just use the partitioned lists. You could do it lazily:
yearDirs = os.listdir(dirRoot):
problemList.extend(yearDir for yearDir in yearDirs if not is_int(yearDir))
yield from (yearDir for yearDir in yearDirs if int(yearDir) < oldKeepYear)
for year in (yearDir for yearDir in yearDirs if int(yearDir) == oldKeepYear):
# next level down
Or strictly:
yearDirs = os.listdir(dirRoot)
problems, older, eq, newer = partitionDirs(yearDirs, oldKeepYear)
yield from older
for year in eq:
# next level down
The latter probably makes more sense, especially given that yearDirs is already a list, and isn't likely to be that big anyway.
Of course you need to write that partitionDirs function—but the nice thing is, you get to use it again in the months and days levels. And it's pretty simple. In fact, I might actually do the partitioning by sorting, because it makes the logic so obvious, even if it's more verbose:
def partitionDirs(dirs, keyvalue):
problems = [dir for dir in dirs if not is_int(dir)]
values = sorted(dir for dir in dirs if is_int(dir), key=int)
older, eq, newer = partitionSortedListAt(values, keyvalue, key=int)
If you look around (maybe search "python partition sorted list"?), you can find lots of ways to implement the partitionSortedListAt function, but here's a sketch of something that I think is easy to understand for someone who hasn't thought of the problem this way:
i = bisect.bisect_right(vals, keyvalue)
if vals[i] == keyvalue:
return problems, vals[:i], [vals[i]], vals[i+1:]
return problems, vals[:i], [], vals[i:]
If you search for "python split predicate" you can also find other ways to implement the initial split—although keep in mind that most people are either concerned with being able to partition arbitrary iterables (which you don't need here), or, rightly or not, worried about efficiency (which you don't care about here either). So, don't look for the answer that someone says is "best"; look at all of the answers, and pick the one that seems most readable to you.
Finally, you may notice that you end up with three levels that look almost identical:
yearDirs = os.listdir(dirRoot)
yield from older
for year in eq:
monthDirs = os.listdir(os.path.join(dirRoot, str(year)))
problems, older, eq, newer = partitionDirs(monthDirs, oldKeepMonth)
yield from older
for month in eq:
dayDirs = os.listdir(os.path.join(dirRoot, str(year), str(month)))
problems, older, eq, newer = partitionDirs(dayDirs, oldKeepDay)
yield from older
yield from eq
You can simplify this further through recursion—pass down the path so far, and the list of further levels to check, and you can turn this 18 lines into 9. Whether that's more readable or not depends on how well you manage to encode the information to pass down and the appropriate yield from. Here's a sketch of the idea:
def doLevel(pathSoFar, dateComponentsLeft):
if not dateComponentsLeft:
dirs = os.listdir(pathSoFar)
problems, older, eq, newer = partitionDirs(dirs, dateComponentsLeft[0])
yield from older
if eq:
yield from doLevel(os.path.join(pathSoFar, eq[0]), dateComponentsLeft[1:]))
yield from doLevel(rootPath, [oldKeepYear, oldKeepMonth, oldKeepDay])
If you're on an older Python version that doesn't have yield from, the earlier stuff is almost trivial to transform; the recursive version as written will be uglier and more painful. But there's really no way to avoid this when dealing with recursive generators, because a sub-generator cannot "yield through" a calling generator.
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I would suggest not using generators unless you are absolutely sure you need them. In this case, you don't need them.
In the below, newer_list isn't strictly needed. While categorizeSubdirs could be made recursive, I don't feel that the increase in complexity is worth the repetition savings (but that's just a personal style issue; I only use recursion when it's unclear how many levels of recursion are needed or the number is fixed but large; three isn't enough IMO).
def categorizeSubdirs(keep_int, base_path):
older_list = []
equal_list = []
newer_list = []
problem_list = []
for subdir_str in os.listdir(base_path):
subdir_path = os.path.join(base_path, subdir_str))
subdir_int = int(subdir_path)
except ValueError:
if subdir_int keep_int:
# Note that for your case, you don't need newer_list,
# and it's not clear if you need problem_list
return older_list, equal_list, newer_list, problem_list
def get_dirs_to_remove(dir_path, olderThanDays):
oldest_dt = datetime.datetime.now() datetime.timedelta(days= -olderThanDays)
remove_list = []
problem_list = []
olderYear_list, equalYear_list, newerYear_list, problemYear_list = categorizeSubdirs(oldest_dt.year, dir_path))
for equalYear_path in equalYear_list:
olderMonth_list, equalMonth_list, newerMonth_list, problemMonth_list = categorizeSubdirs(oldest_dt.month, equalYear_path))
for equalMonth_path in equalMonth_list:
olderDay_list, equalDay_list, newerDay_list, problemDay_list = categorizeSubdirs(oldest_dt.day, equalMonth_path))
return remove_list, problem_list
The three nested loops at the end could be made less repetitive at the cost of code complexity. I don't think that it's worth it, though reasonable people can disagree. All else being equal, I prefer simpler code to slightly more clever code; as they say, reading code is harder than writing it, so if you write the most clever code you can, you're not going to be clever enough to read it. :/
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13980498/python-loop-optimzation-iterate-dirs-3-levels-and-delete | dclm-gs1-054100000 |
0.80383 | <urn:uuid:78b13009-0010-42ff-80b5-abf3b62649e1> | en | 0.75792 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am using apache poi-3.9 to create Excel (xls) worksheets with some measurement data, which are supposed to be displayed with units within the cell. Units are mbar, mm/sec, and (°) degrees. For mbar and mm/sec everything works perfectly fine, but with degrees formatting gets lost. Microsoft Excel complains with the following error message: "File error. Some number formats may have been lost." Here is my code:
final HSSFWorkbook hssfWorkbook = new HSSFWorkbook();
final HSSFCellStyle cellStyleMbar = hssfWorkbook.createCellStyle(); final HSSFCellStyle cellStyleDegree = hssfWorkbook.createCellStyle();
cellStyleMbar.setDataFormat(dataFormat.getFormat("0 \"mbar\"")); cellStyleDegree.setDataFormat(dataFormat.getFormat("0.0 \"°C"));
Thank you for your ideas!
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1 Answer
up vote 2 down vote accepted
The problem is probably that you don't close the quoted text in the format template.
dataFormat.getFormat("0.0 \"°C")
dataFormat.getFormat("0.0 \"°C\"")
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Indeed! Just overlooked. Thank you! – igor-so Jan 30 '13 at 16:04
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14608134/apache-poi-cell-format-degree-sign/14608185 | dclm-gs1-054150000 |
0.91144 | <urn:uuid:1483a02a-1c73-47b7-830f-6b4bb0cf4ee7> | en | 0.849184 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I can plot one predictor variable (from a mulitvariate logistic, binomial GLM) versus the predicted response. I do it like this:
m3 <- mtcars # example with mtcars
model = glm(vs~cyl+mpg+wt+disp+drat,family=binomial, data=m3)
newdata <- m3
newdata$cyl <- mean(m3$cyl)
newdata$mpg <- mean(m3$mpg)
newdata$wt <- mean(m3$wt)
newdata$disp <- mean(m3$disp)
newdata$drat <- m3$drat
newdata$vs <- predict(model, newdata = newdata, type = "response")
ggplot(newdata, aes(x = drat, y = vs)) + geom_line()
Above, drat vs vs with all other predictors held constant. However, I would to do this for each of the predictor variables, and doing the above process each time seems tedious. Is there a smarter way to do this? I'd like to visualize the response of each the different predictors and eventually, perhaps, at different constants.
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up vote 1 down vote accepted
Check the response.plot2 function in the biomod2 package. It was developed to create response curves for species distribution models but it essentially does what you need- it generates a multi pannel plot with responses for each variable used in your model. It also outputs the data into a data structure that can then be used to plot in whichever way you like.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14883517/plot-each-predictor-variable-from-multivariate-glm-versus-response-other-predic | dclm-gs1-054160000 |
0.045152 | <urn:uuid:c6d0cf4e-3a93-42df-8e4c-e8841d200e4b> | en | 0.873392 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
How can I get Java 8 to work with Eclipse?
I have followed this guide but doesn't work: http://tuhrig.de/?p=921
Also seen http://wiki.eclipse.org/JDT_Core/Java8
but they don't explain what to do with the checked out git repositories.
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3 Answers
The current state of Java 8 support in JDT - http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/jdt-core-dev/msg02263.html
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Ted Neward on Java 8 adoption javaworld.com/community/?q=node/13311 – alexsmail Nov 28 '13 at 15:35
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It appears that this is still very much a work in progress (hence, there will be stability issues). Is there a particular reason you want to use Java 8?
This explains what you should be doing:
• Checkout the BETA_JAVA8 branch of the following git repositories: JDT/Core repository - git://git.eclipse.org/gitroot/jdt/eclipse.jdt.core.git
• For more information on how to work with git repositories, look at http://wiki.eclipse.org/Platform-releng/Git_Workflows .
• As API Baseline, use 3.8 (or 3.8 RC4 until 3.8 is released).
I have not downloaded this repo, but I would assume it contains the eclipse jdt core (as the name states). I would just wait until a stable release is finished.
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Thanks, but on the first step, it doesn't say what to do with the checked out stuff. You know? – SecretService Feb 22 '13 at 17:43
Check this link:eclipse.org/jdt/core/index.php – Jeff B Feb 22 '13 at 21:06
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As already stated here: No production release of Eclipse so far includes Java 8 support, as Java 8 itself still isn't released yet. You will need to wait another year or use Eclipse beta releases like the one by e(fx)clipse. Have a look at this bug report from time to time for progress on Java 8 in Eclipse's JDT.
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Yes, thanks. I will go with intellij instead :) – SecretService Jul 19 '13 at 19:52
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15027255/eclipse-java-8-support | dclm-gs1-054180000 |
0.076506 | <urn:uuid:4b66c3a4-4d77-4f73-a882-1bfdad5a2d31> | en | 0.788089 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a small application which I created using jeweler. The jeweler generates a lib/ directory, where I suppose to write my code.
This gem I'm creating depends on the httparty gem, so, in my Rakefile I put
Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem|
gem.add_dependency('httparty', '>= 0.4.5')
in my implementation file I put
require 'httparty'
but when I executes it I get:
lib/my_app.rb:1:in `require': no such file to load -- httparty (LoadError)
I have already installed the httparty gem using
sudo gem install httparty
What is missing?
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6 Answers
up vote 8 down vote accepted
You need to require rubygems before requiring any gem.
require 'rubygems'
require 'httparty'
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Perfect! Thanks – Daniel Cukier Oct 7 '09 at 12:49
This cures only the symptom not the illnes. – johannes Oct 8 '09 at 21:02
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You need to require rubygems
require 'rubygems'
before you require httparty
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If you do
require "httparty"
ruby is searching in different locations for httparty.rb or httparty.so. Where ruby searches and in which order is stored in the global variable $:
On my debian system it looks like this:
$: # => ["/usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.8", "/usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.8/x86_64-linux", "/usr/local/lib/site_ruby", "/usr/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8", "/usr/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8/x86_64-linux", "/usr/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby", "/usr/lib/ruby/1.8", "/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/x86_64-linux", "."]
But httparty.rb is in /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/httparty-0.4.5/lib/httparty.rb, so it can not be found. When you do
require "rubygems"
The Kernel#require method is changed, to find rubygems.
require "rubygems" makes your code platform dependant:
• Somebody might install your library through another method than rubygems
• Some linux distributions (ex. gentoo) make it uneccasary to require "rubygems"
On my debian systems I symlink every rubygems library to /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.8/, this path is included in the standard search path($:). You can find more about this at http://tomayko.com/writings/require-rubygems-antipattern.
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Some people do not consider it good practise to require rubygems in distributable code. The solution is to require rubygems before loading your own new gem from your application code. (you'll need to do that anyway)
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I had the same problem with line:
gem "httparty", :git => 'https://github.com/jnunemaker/httparty.git'
When I turn to:
gem "httparty"
everything started to work.
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This error can occur when you try to make http posts with Ruby, but have not completed setting up Rubygems and RVM.
1. First, check that rubygems and rubygems-update are installed properly using the tutorial here:http://docs.rubygems.org/read/chapter/3
2. If you're using RVM, you'll also need to create a gemset and select a ruby version first.
$ rvm gemset list
If this shows you're on (default), then you'll need to configure your RVM.
Find the ruby version you want to use ($ ruby -v) will work and substitute it here:
$ rvm use 1.9.2-head@albinochipmunk --create
1. After your rubygems is installed and your RVM has a selected gemset and ruby version, you'll be able to install httparty without sudo:
$ gem install httparty
Installing httparty with sudo may break RVM configuration, so you want to avoid that. Also, using a new RVM gemset will mean that you may need to reinstall some gems.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1531405/require-library-returns-missing-file-message | dclm-gs1-054190000 |
0.694099 | <urn:uuid:512ffe3b-4e0e-45aa-a0f6-51e9f523b8db> | en | 0.920325 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have two
double a, b;
I know that the following is true
-1 <= a/b <= 1
however b can be arbitrarily small. When I do this naively and just compute the value
the condition specified above does not hold in some cases and I get values like much greater than 1 in absolute value (like 13 or 14.)
How can I ensure that when I divide by b, I get a value such that the condition mentioned above can be enforced. In the case where I can not guarantee this I am happy to set the computed value a/b to 0.
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When you say that -1 <= a/b <= 1, do you mean in theory or in practice? Might you already have roundoff errors in a and/or b before you do the division? – Steve314 Oct 8 '09 at 0:55
Please provide the actual numbers you're actually using to get the actual value of 13 or 14. – S.Lott Oct 8 '09 at 1:31
Are you dealing with subnormal numbers? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subnormal_number) – Jason S Oct 8 '09 at 2:55
If be can be arbitrarily small then a/b will be arbitrarily large. – Bill Oct 8 '09 at 16:29
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7 Answers
up vote 10 down vote accepted
What you need to enforce is abs(a)≤abs(b). If that condition holds, then -1≤a/b≤1, regardless of floating-point precision used. Your logic error is occurring before the division, since at the division point abs(a)>abs(b) which violates your a-priori requirement.
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absolutely correct. – Jason S Oct 8 '09 at 2:51
I think there may be a problem with a and b before I even get to this step. I'm going to have to get back to you guys. – ldog Oct 8 '09 at 3:36
Ok so if anyone cares, the actual case of my error happened before I got to the division step and the condition abs(a)<=abs(b) was being broken before division. – ldog Oct 8 '09 at 21:57
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Division on an IEEE-754 system is a correctly rounded operation, which means that if no overflow or underflow occurs, the result will always be within 0.5 "ulp" of the mathematical "infinitely precise" result. In non-FP-nerd speak, this means that the result will always be within a factor of about 2^-53 of the exact answer. Since you know that the infinitely precise result is between -1 and 1, overflow cannot occur; underflow can, but that would result in numbers very, very near zero, not on the order of 13.
Either your condition does not actually hold, or you are on a system that does not have IEEE-754 arithmetic, or there is a bug in your code. Can you post the values of a and b that are generating this result, and the code that you are using to do the division and print the result?
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That's not strictly true. The IEEE standard specifies a few different rounding modes, but your point is valid: division hardware (and software emulations) are accurate to within the precision available. The problem here is lack of precision of the underlying representation, not a bad algorithm. – Andy Ross Oct 8 '09 at 2:36
True. I'm assuming that a user who is (apparently) not particularly savvy about floating-point has probably not changed the rounding mode from the default. The rounding error in a non-default rounding mode can be as large as 1ulp, which is still fantastically smaller error than the error that the questioner is reporting. – Stephen Canon Oct 8 '09 at 2:48
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It's very unlikely you're actually triggering data loss due to underflow. While it is possible doubles have an incredible range and you're not likely to hit it.
I would think the problem lies somewhere before this. You've either got a logic bug or you are simply eating up the available precision with a bunch of operations. Be especially wary of additions and subtractions. 1E20 + 1 = 1E20.
If it's due to eating up the precision then you'll have to redesign your routine or resort to an arbitrary-precision library for your math. (Beware--SLOW)
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I am a little confused by your question, but if you are suggesting that -1 <= a/b <= 1 holds true for all real value a and b, this is definitely not the case. Consider:
1 / 0.5 = 2
If you want to check whether the division will be within [-1, 1], why not just do the division and then act however you want when it falls between -1 and 1.
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No, this is true of only the particular two numbers a and b. I'm getting inaccuracies because I'm dividing by a number that is much too small, smaller than machine precision. I need a way to check when I can guarantee the result us atmost a certain value from the true result. – ldog Oct 8 '09 at 0:53
The only number smaller than machine precision is 0. If you are not dividing by 0, then you are not dividing by a number smaller than machine precision. – 280Z28 Oct 8 '09 at 1:04
I wonder if he's talking about subnormal numbers. – Jason S Oct 8 '09 at 2:54
@280z28: yes thats right, the only number smaller is 0. – ldog Oct 8 '09 at 16:39
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If you really want to test out your theory that this is a precision issue (though the other answers make it seem like you can't possibly be getting the results you're getting) you should be using GMP. You already said you're "dividing by a number that is much too small, smaller than machine precision." GMP's C++ bindings have arithmetic operators for everything and are actually kind of pleasant to use compared to the C bindings, give them a try!
mpf_class f(1.5); // default precision
mpf_class f(1.5, 500); // 500 bits of precision (at least)
double out = f.get_d(); // get a double out of an mpf_class
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The only situations I can think of where this would be true, are if a/b should be between -1 and 1, but is not, because both a and b are derived from calculations that make them very sensitive to floating-point errors.
For instance, if you try to calculate b = 2-2*cos(theta) and a = theta*theta for theta in radians, near zero, you will run into issues because the calculation of b involves the subtraction of numbers very close to 1, even though mathematically the answer is very close to 1.0 for small angles. (If I run the calculation of a/b for theta = 0.4e-7 using the Spidermonkey Javascript engine, I get 1.029 even though it really should be darned close to 1.0)
280Z28's answer is where you want to be, however without knowing more about how a and b are derived, and under what conditions you get undesirable results, it's hard to say what the best way is to ensure the calculations give meaningful numbers.
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You surely have some problem before you reach this point. Regardless, you can elimate that problem here if you are prepared to accept a 0 result.
float Calculate(float a, float b)
if (abs(a) > abs(b))
return 0;
return a/b;
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If -1 <= a/b <= +1 is theoretically satisfied but wrong in practice due to rounding errors, the OP might want to return +1 or -1 (depending on the signs of a and b) instead of 0. – sellibitze Oct 8 '09 at 8:59
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1535004/how-to-divide-two-doubles-accurately | dclm-gs1-054200000 |
0.685954 | <urn:uuid:72c98466-c2e7-4579-b453-6344d7ba4f1c> | en | 0.792438 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm developing on heroku using their Postgres add-on with the Dev plan, which has a connection limit of 20. I'm new to python and this may be trivial, but I find it difficult to abstract the database connection without causing OperationalError: (OperationalError) FATAL: too many connections for role.
Currently I have databeam.py:
import os
from flask import Flask
from flask.ext.sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy
from settings import databaseSettings
class Db(object):
def __init__(self):
self.app = Flask(__name__)
self.app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = os.environ.get('DATABASE_URL', databaseSettings())
self.db = SQLAlchemy(self.app)
db = Db()
And when I'm creating a controller for a page, I do this:
import databeam
db = databeam.db
locations = databeam.locations
templateVars = db.db.session.query(locations).filter(locations.parent == 0).order_by(locations.order.asc()).all()
This does produce what I want, but slowly and at times causes the error metioned above. Since I come from a php background I have a certain mindset of how to deal with DB connections (I.e. like the example above), but I fear it doesn't fit well with python.
What is the proper way of abstracting the db connection in one place and then just using the same connection in all imports?
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1 Answer
up vote 3 down vote accepted
Within SQL Alchemy you should be able to create a connection pool. This pool is what the pool size would be for each Dyno. On the Dev and Basic plan since you could have up to 20, you could set this at 20 if you run 1 dyno, 10 if you run 2, etc. To configure your pool you can setup the engine:
pool_size=20, max_overflow=0)
This sets up your db engine with a pool which you pull from automatically then. You can also configure the pool manually, more details on that can be found on the pooling guide of SQL Alchemy - http://docs.sqlalchemy.org/en/latest/core/pooling.html
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15497027/how-to-reduce-number-of-connections-using-sqlalchemy-postgresql/15507382 | dclm-gs1-054210000 |
0.082364 | <urn:uuid:aaa4b820-7879-42c0-86eb-66d618659f19> | en | 0.861867 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
This is what i am trying to do: I have a NLB Cluster. There are two machines on said cluster: Node1 and Node2. I have a third machine that is not in that, or any, cluster. This third machine is called: Monitor1
Once every hour, i would like to run a script to check if Node1 and Node2 are up. This script will be run via TaskScheduler. I am using the following command to execute the script on Node1 and Node2:
wmic /node:NODE1,NODE2 process call create "C:\ClusterCheck.bat"
The contents of the ClusterCheck.bat script is as follows:
NLB Query | findstr /i /R /C:"host . is stopped"
code here
When I use wmic /node:"%1" process call create "C:\ClusterCheck.bat" there is not output. When I go into the server and manually double click the ClusterCheck.bat file, it gives me the appropriate output depending whether the node is up or down.
Does anyone have any ideas how I can get those files to output?
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1 Answer
up vote 2 down vote accepted
First problem, when you wmic process call create you should use prefix your command with cmd /c.
Next, you're right. wmic doesn't display the resulting output of the remotely created process on your local console. You'll either need to use psexec which was designed for this sort of thing, or hack a workaround by piping the command output to a log file then reading the log file. Something like the following script.
I'm not really clear, if this is going to be a scheduled task, why you're concerned with results being available to stdout. I suspect you intend to redirect the output to a log of some sort. So I put that in here as well.
@echo off
set "user=domainadmin"
set "pass=password"
for /f %%I in ('wmic os get localdatetime') do set "timestamp=%%I"
set "today=%timestamp:~0,8%"
set logfile=c:\users\me\Desktop\logs\%today%.log
if not exist "%logfile%" mkdir "%logfile%\.." 2>NUL
>>"%logfile%" echo %time%
for %%I in (NODE1 NODE2) do (
(ping -n 1 %%I >NUL && (
net use \\%%I /user:%user% %pass% >NUL 2>NUL
wmic /node:%%I /user:%user% /password:%pass% process call create "cmd /c c:\clustercheck.bat >c:\cc.log"
type \\%%I\c$\cc.log && del \\%%I\c$\cc.log
net use \\%%I /delete >NUL 2>NUL
) || echo %%I unresponsive
forfiles /p "%logfile%\.." /M *.log /d -30 /c "cmd /c del @path"
This should create Desktop\logs if it doesn't exist, then create or append to Desktop\logs\YYYYMMDD.log the output of C:\clustercheck.bat run on NODE1 and NODE2. Finally, it deletes log files that are over 30 days old.
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Actually, now that I think about this, all the backslashes might need to be escaped with another backslash, like \\\\%COMPUTERNAME%\\etc. I'll have to test this in the morning. – rojo Apr 18 '13 at 2:42
PSExec will not work properly with Task Scheduler. I have spent the better part of yesterday trying to make it work with no luck. – gmilic Apr 18 '13 at 12:52
what is %CD::=$% supposed to mean? – gmilic Apr 18 '13 at 12:52
%CD::=$% is the same as %CD% which is the current working directory. The stuff in the middle substitutes colons for dollar signs. So where "%CD%" == "C:\Users" you have "%CD::=$%" == "C$\Users". – rojo Apr 18 '13 at 12:59
The above does not work. This is what i have typed in: wmic /node:<Node1> process call create "cmd /c C:\ClusterCheck.bat >> \\\\NetworkShare\\cc.log" >>type cc.log – gmilic Apr 18 '13 at 13:08
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16069724/wmi-process-call-create-will-not-run-batch-script-properately | dclm-gs1-054220000 |
0.032268 | <urn:uuid:ac41bc78-b465-47c3-aeed-5941770986af> | en | 0.895355 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am desperately looking for a solution that enables me to read keyboard events in a non blocking way. These Keyboard events are generated by a VIRTUAL KEYBOARD that comes with the WinCE device. I have a console application running in C++, where the user is asked to navigate via 'ESC', 'U' and other characters through the menu. I first tried to use fread and stdin and realised that it is blocking call and waits for a carriage return. Then I tried to hook up to the windows message WM_KEYUP, but I never recieve this windows message. Furthermore I tried to use QtGUI together with the event QKeyEvent, but I never recieve any event. I wonder if it is in general possible to recieve non-blocking keyboard events on a WinCE device. I would be glad if you have any suggestions!
Cheers, Jan
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1 Answer
GetAynchKeyState will read the state of the entire (virtual) keyboard. Alternatively, you can pass a handle to the console to WaitForSingleObject, with timeout of 0 milliseconds. This will always return immediately, but the return value will tell you whether the keyboard has input waiting -- if it returns with the timeout expired, there's not. If it returns WAIT_OBJECT_0, there is input waiting to be read. As yet another alternative, there's also GetNumberOfConsoleInputEvents, which tells you how much input is waiting to be read.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1624897/non-blocking-keyboard-on-wince-accessing-the-virtual-keyboard | dclm-gs1-054230000 |
0.106622 | <urn:uuid:af4378c1-2701-45b6-8c71-bf9424e9b932> | en | 0.89736 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm still fairly new to the magento CMS. I'm in the process of building some product pages for the company I'm working for, and when I add several lines of html code for a jquery plugin I installed magento starts editing them. After a few save and refreshes Magento then periodically deems some of my code as irrelevant and removes it on its own and then my page goes to hell. Is there a setting in the admin panel that can stop it from doing this?
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I see you've come acquainted with the dreaded Magento WYSIWYG editor.
The simplest approach to your issue is to disable the WYSIWYG editor by default.
Go to System > Configuration > Content Management. Under WYSIWYG Options, Change Enable WYSIWYG Editor to Disabled By Default.
This will prevent the WYSIWG editor from loading by default when you're editing CMS content. Simply write your code in the content textareas and don't activate the WYSIWYG editor.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16486205/prevent-magento-from-editing-content-code | dclm-gs1-054240000 |
0.119365 | <urn:uuid:e3eb555a-dc7d-4925-8fe0-e2407f8bb664> | en | 0.936359 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
The question is not how to tell in a oneliner. If you're writing the code in a one-liner, you know you are. But how does a module, included by -MMy::Module::Name know that it all started from a oneliner.
This is mine. It's non-portable though and relies on UNIX standard commands (although, it can be made portable more or less.)
my $process_info = `ps $$ | tail -1`;
my $is_oneliner
= $process_info =~ m/perl.*?\s+-[^\P{IsLower}e]*e[^\P{IsLower}e]*\s+/m
And if you have a snazzier regex, feel free to improve upon mine.
A couple of people have asked why I would want to do this. brian correctly guessed that I wanted to change export behavior based on whether it's a script, which we can assume has had some amount of design, or whether it's a oneliner where the user is trying to do as much as possible in a single command line.
This sounds bad, because there's this credo that exporters should respect other packages--sometimes known as "@EXPORT is EVIL!" But it seems to me that it's a foolish consistency when applied to oneliners. After all perl itself goes out of it's way to violate the structure of its language and give you easy loops if you ask for them on the command line, I simply want to extend that idea for my operational/business domain. I even want to apply source filters (gasp!) if it helps.
But this question also suggests that I might want to be a good citizen of Perl as well, because I only to break the community guidelines in certain cases. It is quite awesome to be able to create major business-level actions just by changing the command line in a batch scheduler rather than writing a whole new module. The test cycle is much compressed.
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Why would a module ever care whether it was invoked in this way? – moonshadow Oct 3 '08 at 14:54
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4 Answers
up vote 30 down vote accepted
$0 is set to "-e" if you're running from -e.
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D'oh! I printed out a lot of variables, but I didn't do that one! – Axeman Oct 3 '08 at 15:10
I didn't find that in perlvar, is that documented anywhere? – Axeman Oct 3 '08 at 15:29
It's probably documented only in the source. :) But I think it has been true for a very long time. – Randal Schwartz Oct 3 '08 at 17:33
I know it because that's the name for the script in perl -de 0 :) – brian d foy Oct 3 '08 at 18:10
@Axeman: perldoc perlvar (" $0 Contains the name of the program being executed.") – dland Oct 3 '08 at 21:27
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Why are you trying to find out if the module was included from the command line? Is there some situation you have where it matters? Are you doing something odd with imports? Tell us what you're trying to do and I can probably come up with a better way to do it :)
Okay, you're asking about exporting. What's the problem you're trying to solve? Which way do you want it? Extra or less default exports from the command line? Do you know that you can specify an import list with -M, including an export tag (so, something from %EXPORT_TAGS)? And if you want an empty export list, you can use -m (lowercase m) instead. See the entry for -M/-m in perlrun.
You might also be interested in the "modulino" trick where a module file can be both a module and a script. You can either use it as a regular module, in which case you have access to all of its methods, or call it as a script, in which case it runs. I describe it in my "Scripts as Modules" article for The Perl Journal as well as "How a Script Becomes a Module" on Perlmonks.
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Yeah, that's basically it. -e gets more exports than precisely defined scripts that at least suggest a designed package space. I'm not quite as worried about respecting the main of a oneliner. – Axeman Oct 3 '08 at 15:11
Brian: The ideas presented in your "modulino" article are /incredibly/ useful. It both discourages 'hacky' scripts, and provides immediate reusability. Love it, and I'm going to propose adding it to or internal coding guidelines on Monday - One of the problems we have is scripts tend to... – Dan Oct 3 '08 at 20:20
...start off small and slightly hackish, slowly growing to an unwieldy size, before sooner or later that functionality is required elsewhere, so the whole mess needs refactoring (which rarely goes smoothly). This should entirely remove the problem. – Dan Oct 3 '08 at 20:21
It's simply about turning up the power on oneliners. Because oneliners are not likely to define a named sub themselves, I throw every sub they might need into main. That's it. When the module is called from more complex code, it remains polite. – Axeman Oct 3 '08 at 20:58
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In your import(), the line number returned by caller() will be 0 if your module was loaded via -M. This is true whenever -M is used (with -e or not) but I think it is the only case where the line number is 0.
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perl -le'#line 0' -e'sub { print join ":", caller }->()' – ysth Oct 5 '08 at 4:13
perl -le'#line 1' -e'sub { print join ":", caller }->()' – Brad Gilbert Oct 14 '08 at 17:21
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If you want different export behavior, the "clean" way to do it would be using a different module name. If you really expect to do a lot of one-liner use, you can even give it a short name. E.g. MMN.pm:
package MMN;
use My::Module::Name '/./';
use Exporter ();
@ISA = 'Exporter';
@EXPORT = @My::Module::Name::EXPORT_OK;
Note that Exporter has a little known regex feature; you may just want to do
perl -MMy::Module::Name=/./ -e ...
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I don't know that that is so clean, but I already do have a scheme to shorten the names for command line invocation., – Axeman Oct 5 '08 at 4:30
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/167238/whats-the-best-way-to-tell-if-your-perls-running-on-e?answertab=votes | dclm-gs1-054250000 |
0.050826 | <urn:uuid:e6eea367-da22-4a2d-b840-a2d48382cb02> | en | 0.903673 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have got a listView in my Android Application. Each List has a set of radiobuttons. I can check/uncheck radiobuttons using tap gesture.
Is it possible to change the radiobutton selection via some gesture/shake?
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1 Answer
up vote 0 down vote accepted
Of course it's possible, but there's no 'built in' mechanism for that. You can have a look at the GestureDetector, listen for gestures, detect them and then check / uncheck the radio buttons programmatically. You'll have to come up with a 'model of interaction' (I lack the word here) that makes sense to the user, checking radionbuttons with a shake does not seem very natural to me.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16980464/android-radiobutton-accelerometer?answertab=active | dclm-gs1-054260000 |
0.065681 | <urn:uuid:56c71b6d-8288-487d-b92a-5a7889913d7f> | en | 0.780693 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
does someone have an idea how to get the environment variables on Google-AppEngine ?
I'm trying to write a simple Script that shall use the Client-IP (for Authentication) and a parameter (geturl or so) from the URL (for e.g. http://thingy.appspot.dom/index?geturl=www.google.at)
I red that i should be able to get the Client-IP via "request.remote_addr" but i seem to lack 'request' even tho i imported webapp from google.appengine.ext
Many thanks in advance, Birt
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Can you post some of the code you have in main.py (assuming that is where you try to get the request parameters)? – Tom van Enckevort Nov 9 '09 at 11:31
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3 Answers
up vote 2 down vote accepted
In short, assuming you're using webapp: you can get the client ip address via self.request.remote_addr and the parameter with self.request.get("geturl")
See the Handling Forms with webapp section of the tutorial.
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To answer the actual question from the title of your post, assuming you're still wondering: to get environment variables, simple import os and the environment is available in os.environ.
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Are you using webapp or doing CGI-style? The webapp request class is documented at the appengine docs.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1700441/environment-on-google-appengine?answertab=votes | dclm-gs1-054270000 |
0.180524 | <urn:uuid:712ff738-761c-48cf-bf28-1aef76fd232a> | en | 0.826069 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I use the following code to send email.Sometimes it works fine and some time it generate error . Is there any better code to send emails.And one more thing is it necessary to provide password for sending mail.
using System.Net.Mail;
public void SendEmail()
MailMessage mail = new MailMessage();
mail.From = new MailAddress("[email protected]");
mail.Subject = "Contact Us Enquiry";
string Body = "<b>From:<b>" + mail.From + "<br/>" + "Your Query Recived "+"<br/>"+"Name"+nameTextBox.Text+"<br/>"+"Mobile:"+mobileTextBox.Text+"<br/>"
mail.Body = Body;
mail.IsBodyHtml = true;
SmtpClient smtp = new SmtpClient();
smtp.Host = "smtp.gmail.com"; //Or Your SMTP Server Address
smtp.Credentials = new System.Net.NetworkCredential("[email protected]", "passsword");//Or your Smtp Email ID and Password
smtp.EnableSsl = true;
Please provide some useful suggestion and better code.
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What's the error you get? That may help in attempting to find a solution. – justin.chmura Jul 5 '13 at 17:02
What exception are you talking about? It would be easier to help if we knew the nature of the problem – Charles Keyser Jul 5 '13 at 17:02
All your question depend on your service provider. You're using SMTP. Does your service provider give you any other options? Does your service provider require a password? – banging Jul 5 '13 at 17:03
Wrap this code in Try/Catch and give us some exception codes. – AmitApollo Jul 5 '13 at 17:04
@AmitApollo that is an awful idea, doing a high level catch could hide problems with the system that would be easy to solve if the exception is just left to be thrown – Charles Keyser Jul 5 '13 at 17:05
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3 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
Have you tried adding
smtp.Port = 587;
The best bet to keep your credentials secret is having an SMTP Server running that accepts anonymous referrers. With this criteria met, credentials aren't required with anonymous requests. There are fewer and fewer mail services allowing anonymous requests, while it used to be rampant < 10 years ago. Now most SMTP services require valid username and password credentials, some even network domain credentials.
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He says it sends sometimes. If it was a port issue it would never send. – banging Jul 5 '13 at 17:13
It's discerning there's no port specified. 587 is the SSL port for google. I think everyone has used this same segment of code before, and port is always added. – AmitApollo Jul 5 '13 at 17:16
Thanks AmitApollo now mail was send successfully. Now can i deploy my project,i was just little bit scared if any error occurs of mail failure after project delivery. – Mohd Waseem Jul 5 '13 at 17:36
No problem Mohd! Good luck with your project delivery – AmitApollo Jul 5 '13 at 17:45
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Without informing us with the error that your code generates, we can't really help solving that issue. You should check the recommended smtp-port. From Google support websuite:
If you tried configuring your SMTP server on port 465 (with SSL) and port 587 (with TLS), but are still having trouble sending mail, try configuring your SMTP to use port 25 (with SSL).
'Better' code
Sending mails are quite obvious in ASP.NET so 'better' code to send mails is more an opinion rather than a fact. However, I should split things up a little bit from an architectural point of view. This will improve code quality and reduce duplicate code.
Things you should consider do to make this code 'better'.
1. Make use of a stringbuilder to build your mail content and inject it into mailtemplate
2. Make a separate class 'Email' with e.g. default constructor, Send() and GetTemplate() method
3. Specify settings for SMTP in your web.config
That way you can make and send your e-mail from anywhere in your application in a few lines. Some example code from one of my applications:
var content = new StringBuilder();
content.Append("Name: " + contactForm.Name + "<br/>");
content.Append("Email: " + contactForm.Name + "<br/>");
content.Append("Message: " + contactForm.Name + "<br/>");
//Email constructor accepts two arguments: the content and the name of the template
var mail = new Email(content, "mailTemplateName")
mail.Send("[email protected]", "[email protected]", "Subject of the mail")
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Try including a port for your SMTP. Ones that are typically used are 25, 465, and 587. I usually use 25 without issues and you can also use 465 for ssl. I also usually set UseDefaultCredentials to false:
SmtpClient smtp = new SmtpClient();
smtp.Port = 25;
smtp.UseDefaultCredentials = false;
Also, you might want to dispose of your messages after you've used them. It's good practice and is safer for performance and cost.
using (smtp as IDisposable)
All in all, pretty open ended question. Hope this helps, but be a little more specific so you can get better help next time
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Better: using (SmtpClient smtp = new SmtpClient{Port=25, UseDefaultCredentials=false}){...} – John Saunders Jul 5 '13 at 18:17
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17493740/sending-email-in-asp-net-2/17493940 | dclm-gs1-054280000 |
0.359696 | <urn:uuid:f5d8d3b1-b45f-4174-928f-17f7c7c828f1> | en | 0.920507 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm trying to write an implementation of Wilson's spectral density factorization algorithm [1] for Python. The algorithm iteratively factorizes a [QxQ] matrix function into its square root (it's sort of an extension of the Newton-Raphson square-root finder for spectral density matrices).
The problem is that my implementation only converges for matrices of size 45x45 and smaller. So after 20 iterations, the summed squared difference between matrices is about 2.45e-13. However, if I make an input of size 46x46, it does not converge until the 100th or so iteration. For 47x47 or larger, the matrices never converge; the error fluctuates between 100 and 1000 for about 100 iterations, and then starts to grow very quickly.
How would you go about trying to debug something like this? There doesn't appear to be any specific point at which it goes crazy, and the matrices are too large for me to actually attempt to do the calculation by hand. Does anyone have tips / tutorials / heuristics for find bizarre numerical bugs like this?
I've never dealt with anything like this before but I'm hoping some of you have...
Thanks, - Dan
[1] G. T. Wilson. "The Factorization of Matricial Spectral Densities". SIAM J. Appl. Math (Vol 23, No. 4, Dec. 1972)
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What do you mean by "only converges for matrixes of size 45x45?" Do also matrixes smaller than 45x45 fail as well? – badp Nov 21 '09 at 19:34
No, sorry, will edit the post. It converges successfully for size 45x45 and smaller – Dan Nov 21 '09 at 19:42
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2 Answers
I would recommend asking this question on the scipy-user mailing list, perhaps with an example of your code. Generally the people on the list seem to be highly experienced with numerical computation and are really helpful, just following the list is an education in itself.
Otherwise, I'm afraid I don't have any ideas... If you think it is a numerical precision/floating point rounding issue, the first thing you could try is bump all the dtypes up to float128 and see if makes any difference.
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Yes, I'll try both of those. I'm not certain it's a numerical precision issue .. but the matrix dimensionality is definitely not used as an input anywhere in the algo ... and the fact that it works for small matrices suggests it probably is. – Dan Nov 21 '09 at 19:39
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Interval arithmetic can help, but I'm not sure if performance will be sufficient to actually allow meaningful debugging at the matrix sizes of your interest (you have to figure on a couple orders of magnitude worth of slowdown, what between replacing highly-HW-helped "scalar" floating point operations with SW-heavy "interval" ones, and adding the checks about which intervals are growing too wide, when, where, and why).
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So ... you mean plug matrices of intervals into SciPy? I'm not even sure I can do this without rewriting linpack in interval math, can I? – Dan Nov 21 '09 at 19:41
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1776409/strategies-for-debugging-numerical-stability-issues?answertab=oldest | dclm-gs1-054290000 |
0.314087 | <urn:uuid:9665114f-9436-4a93-ae73-b2d5e15e6b58> | en | 0.69276 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm retrieving posts from Facebook, I want to save data in database, but for images and photos I need to download them but I need to determine the extension of the image but using splitting is not useful all times since the link differs. Is there a way to determine the extension?
My code:
public static String DownLoadFile(String netUrl, String savePath, String name, String ext) {
try {
URL url = new URL(netUrl);
File file = new File(savePath, name + "." + ext);
/* Open a connection to that URL. */
URLConnection ucon = url.openConnection();
InputStream is = ucon.getInputStream();
BufferedInputStream bis = new BufferedInputStream(is);
long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
Log.d("DownloadManager", "download begining");
Log.d("DownloadManager", "downloaded file name:" + name);
ByteArrayBuffer baf = new ByteArrayBuffer(5000);
int current = 0;
while ((current = bis.read()) != -1) {
baf.append((byte) current);
/* Convert the Bytes read to a String. */
FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(file);
Log.d("DownloadManager", "download ready in" + ((System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime) / 1000) + " sec");
return file.getAbsolutePath();
} catch (Exception exx) {
if (exx.getMessage() != null) {
Log.w(Error_Tag, "Err3 = " + exx.getMessage());
} else {
return null;
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I see the problem concerning split, but couldnt you just extract like the last 5-10 characters of your link and split them? – Philipp Jahoda Aug 11 '13 at 9:19
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1 Answer
MimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl is what you are looking for.
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thnx.But if i want to save the image by its id how can i get it from the url. – jaradat Aug 12 '13 at 12:15
One way is to use the (getPath) method from which you can get the file name. – Rajesh Aug 12 '13 at 13:09
but when i run the code it gives this error: open failed: ENOENT (No such file or directory).i added write permission on external storage – jaradat Aug 13 '13 at 10:04
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18170396/how-to-check-image-extension-on-android | dclm-gs1-054310000 |
0.020419 | <urn:uuid:6850888f-acf5-4dc0-bb0f-1aae7a3f0819> | en | 0.822936 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Now, there has been some very similar questions on SO about rounding and significance, but non solves my issue. Here it is:
How to round randomly occurring numbers like these:
data <- c(152.335, 39.431, 21.894)
I would like to have them rounded like this:
I have tried:
print(formatC(signif(data,digits=2), digits=2,format="f"))
[1] "150.00" "39.00" "22.00"
The above command requires me to change the digits= to 1 or 2 in order to obtain the desired outcome. But, I would like a global - fit for all command. Thanks.
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SO 21.8 turns 20? this doesnt make sense. – Fernando Aug 28 '13 at 16:01
Duplicate? stackoverflow.com/questions/6461209/… – Henrik Aug 28 '13 at 16:04
@Fernando, it seems like Max wishes to round to nearest 10. – Henrik Aug 28 '13 at 16:05
@Henrik: Yes thanks. This is it. Actually the plyr package does what I need. Thats: round_any(data, 5) – Max Aug 28 '13 at 16:08
@Max, may I suggest that you make your title more specific, in the sense that you wish to round to nearest 10, and more general in the sense that your question probably applies also to numbers other than random numbers. This makes it easier for other to find answers when they search on SO. – Henrik Aug 28 '13 at 16:14
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2 Answers
up vote 7 down vote accepted
From ?round
Rounding to a negative number of digits means rounding to a power of ten, so for example ‘round(x, digits = -2)’ rounds to the nearest hundred.
data <- c(152.335, 39.431, 21.894)
round(data, -1)
#[1] 150 40 20
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Your simple solution works marvellous. Thanks. – Max Aug 28 '13 at 16:19
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You actually want a different argument for signif here. This seems to do the trick -- 2 digits for first argument, one for the last two:
R> dat <- c(152.335, 39.431, 21.894)
R> dat
[1] 152.335 39.431 21.894
R> signif(dat, digits=c(2,1,1))
[1] 150 40 20
You can possibly generalize this via something like
R> signif(dat, digits=floor(log10(dat)))
[1] 150 40 20
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Thanks. Actually just found out (as Henrik pointed out), the plyr package command: round_any(data, 5) ,does what I need. But your solution is from R basic and hence no package required! – Max Aug 28 '13 at 16:11
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18492836/rounding-numbers-to-nearest-10-in-r | dclm-gs1-054320000 |
0.180788 | <urn:uuid:22953ce9-b344-4cd5-adfd-a1157579b6d8> | en | 0.896085 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Using Chrome on Android version 29.0.1547.59, on a Nexus 7.
I have a style sheet with the following media queries.
@media screen and (width: 601px) and (orientation: portrait) {
table.background {width: 601px !important; }
table.background {width: 768px !important;}
The first is to identify Chrome a Nexus 7 in portrait mode, and the second is to detect ipads in portrait mode. I was using max-width at some point.
When I visit the page in question (not public), I can see via ADB that the correct media queries are being invoked. However, when I switch to landscape, and then pack to portrait, the ipad media query is being picked up, which is shouldn't, since the device width in portrait isn't in the range of 768 to 1024.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do a JsFiddle for this, since it requires the usage of a full screen for the media queries.
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Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question. | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18522318/why-is-chrome-on-android-on-nexus-7-picking-up-my-ipad-media-queries | dclm-gs1-054330000 |
0.335486 | <urn:uuid:16e2a819-9b63-4b2a-b47a-e1a28ff3238f> | en | 0.945816 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm working on an iOS game where players villages are displayed on a large kingdom map. Each village has a x,y location on that map, and each village is stored as an object in a database on a server (Parse.com).
What I want to be able to do is pull down all the villages around the current players village. Usually this would be straightforward as you would just use the shortest distance algorithm, but to use that I would need to download all of the villages in the database, and then run the algorithm on each one, then sort them according to distance from player, which is not exactly a quick/efficient way of doing it. So does anyone know of a more refined/efficient way of doing the above? what would be great would be to be able to pull down the villages around the current player actually in the query to the database, kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak, but I can't see any way to do that. I suspect the answer lies in perhaps storing more information about the location of the village in the database, so a query could pull the closest ones down without having to run an algorithm to make it happen.
Any ideas?
I'll leave this question up as I'm still interested in how to do it with basic math, the Manhatten distance approach should be ok, but for anyone using Parse.com it might be possible to use geoPoints maybe? It's a nutty idea, but I'm going to try it.
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Surely the x and y values are in the DB so you can query them (and use > and < in the query) ? – Wain Sep 17 '13 at 15:50
You could do a query, to see if a number is greater or less then another number, and perhaps do that with one query on both the x and y int's, but that just gives you an absolute value, that's not the distance between points. – Phil Sep 17 '13 at 15:53
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1 Answer
up vote 1 down vote accepted
You can easily get all villages within D units of Manhattan distance away from point (X,Y) by querying for all villages matching the constraints X - D < x and x < X + D and Y - D < y and y < Y + D.
You can then do further filtering based on Euclidean distance on the client if you want to.
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Thanks, Any chance of putting that into some pseudo code? Obj-c ideally :) – Phil Sep 17 '13 at 16:04
@Phil: any specific area where you're having difficulty? IMO, the description I gave is pretty clear and should be fairly easy to implement. – Lie Ryan Sep 17 '13 at 16:12
Thanks, I'm going to have a go at using Parse.com's geoPoints see if that works out. – Phil Sep 17 '13 at 16:14
Try using the whereKey:nearGeoPoint types of query constraints - you'll get exactly what you're looking for. – Hector Ramos Sep 17 '13 at 16:19
@Phil be aware that GeoPoints are proper latitude/longitude values. Representing numbers as (lat,long). The distance between (0,0) and (0,+1) is 111.312km (going from east to west along the equator). The distance between (+90,0) and (+90,+1) is 0km (North pole). If your villages are based on real world Earth coordinates, this is fine, if your villages are based on a normal "grid", you will run into problems. – ahar083 Sep 17 '13 at 16:37
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0.052997 | <urn:uuid:38fa0913-b851-4d2c-9848-b5a87e61cdd5> | en | 0.873524 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Just had to perform some reflection and I noticed that MethodInfo had ReturnParameter, ReturnType and ReturnTypeCustomAttributes.
Now ReturnParameter contains the ReturnType and ReturnTypeCustomAttributes. So shouldn't ReturnType and ReturnTypeCustomAttributes be marked as deprecated? or am I missing a point in there purpose somewhere.
• ReturnParameter was added in .net 2.0
• ReturnType was added in .net 1.0
• ReturnCustomAttributes was added in .net 1.0
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up vote 1 down vote accepted
ReturnParameter seems to be a wrapper over return type and attributes. Looks like it has been added for convenience of some sort:
Compiler designers can use the ParameterInfo object returned by this property to discover whether custom modifiers, such as IsConstModifier, have been applied to the return type.
Funny that IsConstModifier is deprecated itself.
So I'd continue using ReturnType.
(Just checked usage in system libraries used for the current project. ReturnParameter is used 8 times, ReturnType - more than 200).
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Seems to me like a refactoring idea got into the API. Well at least that sums it up ReturnType is the common method. – Dreamwalker Oct 7 '13 at 13:49
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0.218664 | <urn:uuid:1aaf457f-bf3a-4d83-9c81-0ddc4018a2da> | en | 0.741376 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am using jquery autocomplete and I want to wrap the autocomplete ul inside a div I am using these code to customize the output li to include images but I want to wrap it inside a div
$( "#searchy-input" ).autocomplete({
minLength: 2,
source: "/search_suggestions",
focus: function( event, ui ) {
$( "#searchy-input" ).val( ui.item.name );
return false;
.data( "ui-autocomplete" )._renderItem = function( ul, item ) {
return $( "<li class='customClass'>" )
.append( "<a href='"+item.link+"'><div class='_20'><img class='_80 hg30p' src='"+ item.avatar+"'/></div><div class='span1 mg _60'>" + item.name + "</div></a>" )
.appendTo( ul );
something like on these tutorial
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/05/foxycomplete-advanced-autocomplete-search-images/ after searching again I found the solution to ovveride the html display for ul is from these private method
_renderMenu: function( ul, items ) {
var that = this;
that._renderItemData( ul, item );
$( ul ).find( "li:odd" ).addClass( "odd" );
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well, just to be clear here, you shouldn't use a <div> within an <a> and instead use a <span>, but that's really just semantics, i guess. other than that, there's no reason that the above code shouldn't work. – Ohgodwhy Oct 6 '13 at 0:05
I know but you can make the a tag display as inline-block or overflow hidden or setting its height ...the code is working but I want to wrap the ul inside a custom div – Remon Amin Oct 6 '13 at 0:06
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Based on your comment, it would seem your issue is with wrapping the UL element, and not with the ._renderItem function.
With that being said:
Will do the trick.
http://api.jquery.com/wrap/ a link to the documentation.
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I tried but not working – Remon Amin Oct 6 '13 at 0:12
where exactly I put $('ul').wrap('<div></div>'); inside my code ..I know wrap method very well but I think the problem is in the plugin create method – Remon Amin Oct 6 '13 at 0:22
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0.665935 | <urn:uuid:32fa38a6-5c82-4203-a538-a14d49cfd5b9> | en | 0.924277 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm new to thread programming (currently need to use win32 and c++ in a company project) and I just want to ask does entering the critical section means no context switching? does it mean that the thread will lock the resources until it leaves the critical section?
Also, I'm currently reading "Multithreading Applications in Win32" book and it seems good but is there a better-to-read and more up-to-date book for newbies to learn threading in win32?
Many thanks in advance ^_^
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You probably don't need to worry about a more up-to-date book for Win32. Most of this stuff hasn't changed in over a decade. – Jonathon Reinhart Oct 24 '13 at 7:04
Thanx Jonathon Reinhart for this piece of info, you relieved me from wasting time searching for nothing. – M.R.M Oct 24 '13 at 7:28
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You're just a user-mode process, you can't prevent the OS from context switching to another process. What it means is no other thread in your process can enter the critical section until the first thread leaves it.
From MSDN (emphasis mine):
And again, EnterCriticalSection says:
To answer the question of "will this prevent context switching between threads". No. Well, not really. Say you have two threads, A and B. A calls EnterCriticalSection and enters the CS. While he is using the shared resource in the CS, the OS can still context switch to thread B. B will continue to run as he did before, until he gets to the EnterCriticalSection call, at which point he will block.
Now how this blocking is implemented really up to Windows. But most likely, instead of "spinning" (Can I enter? No. Now? No. Now? No.) the OS will put that thread on "blocked" queue, and not schedule the thread until the thing he is waiting on (the CS) is available. At that point, he will be scheduled, and the call to EnterCriticalSection will succeed.
See also
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I meant context switching between threads. I have two threads and when each one reaches a certain function to execute I don't want it to be interrupted until it finishes it. So, in this case shall I use critical section for locking (there is no shared resource, just want to make sure no switching before the thread finishes its function)? – M.R.M Oct 24 '13 at 7:33
If there is no shared resource, then why are you trying to prevent one of the threads from running? – Jonathon Reinhart Oct 24 '13 at 7:35
because I'm outputting to the screen and sometimes while outputting a sentence on the screen by a thread it gets Interrupted by another thread to output another sentence. So, can you give me an advice how to prevent that? – M.R.M Oct 24 '13 at 7:52
Then your "shared resource" is the console, and you're doing the right thing by using a Critical Section :-) – Jonathon Reinhart Oct 24 '13 at 7:53
Well, thank u very much for your fast replies ^_^. It seems then that I misused the critical section since the problem remains. Thx again Jonathan. – M.R.M Oct 24 '13 at 8:17
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0.35829 | <urn:uuid:12fc42f2-408f-4452-99f3-6031a471f432> | en | 0.906802 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
What are some of the most expensive operations in PHP? I know things like overusing the @ operator can be expensive. What else would you consider?
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why are you trying to catch these tiny perfomance problems? if your program is slow, it's not because of @ – Valentin Golev Dec 24 '09 at 19:26
The "paypal $10 to Paul Tomblin" one is pretty expensive. But totally worth it. – Paul Tomblin Dec 24 '09 at 19:39
@valya I'm trying to get a sense of the different things that should be avoided where performance is concerned. I only use the @ operator as an example. – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 19:45
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9 Answers
up vote 12 down vote accepted
• serialize() is slow, as is eval(), create_function(), and spawning additional processes via system() and related functions.
• beware of anything APC can't cache -- conditional includes, eval()ed code, etc.
• Opening database connections. Always cache your connections and re-use them.
• Object cloning
• Regular expressions. Always use the normal string operations over a regular expression operation if you don't need the functionality of a regexp, e.g. use str_replace() over preg_replace() where possible.
• Logging and disk writes can be slow - eliminate unnecessary logging and file operations
Some micro-optimizations that are good practice, but won't make much difference to your bottom line performance:
• Using echo is faster than print
• Concatenating variables is faster than using them inline in a double-quoted string.
• Using echo with a list of arguments is faster than concatenating the arguments. Example: echo 'How are you ',$name,' I am fine ',$var1 is faster than echo 'How are you '.$name.' I am fine '.$var1
• Develop with Notices and Warnings turned on. Making sure they don't get triggered saves PHP from having to run error control on them.
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Exactly the kind of answer I'm looking for. Thanks @zombat!! – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 20:05
In my experience, cloning an object is cheaper than instantiating a new one. – Josh Davis Dec 24 '09 at 21:01
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Rather than trying to figure out potential areas that are slow, use a profiling tool. Installing xDebug was probably one of the easiest and best things I've done to improve the code I write. Install with WinCacheGrind (or the correct version for your OS) for best results.
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Agreed. I'm just thinking of things that one might want to commit to muscle-memory in order to automatically avoid. To my mind, profiling is best at showing you bottlenecks that you weren't otherwise aware of. – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 19:38
Yes - great point. If your using a framework, you'll tend to find that most of the time is spent in that framework - and often - not a place you'll really be able to optimize. Something like APC can work wonders (or any opcode cache for that matter). Also, WinCacheGrind is pretty old, checkout kCacheGrind for Ubuntu (I ran a VM for just this one tool). – Mr-sk Dec 24 '09 at 20:25
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"Hello $name"
syntax is slower than
'Hello ' . $name
also __get() __set() __call(), etc are slow
and, if you care so much, you can use optimized structures from SPL
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+1, I never knew that "Hello $name" was slower than "Hello " . $name =) – David Thomas Dec 24 '09 at 19:30
PHP string interpolation is not what I would call "one of the most expensive operations in PHP". It's very fast. Yes, you're right: the interpolation example above is 20% or 25% slower relative to the concatenation example but that does not imply that interpolation is a major drag. – fsb Dec 24 '09 at 19:41
neither do "@" or anything else. stop fearing features, fear your bad code – Valentin Golev Dec 24 '09 at 19:42
@valya I appreciate where you're coming from but thats not a helpful comment. I happen to agree with you but at the same time I'm trying to get a list of gotchas that people should look out for when writing PHP. Let's face it, PHP is great but will not only let you hang yourself but will actively encourage it sometimes. – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 20:04
and, if you care so much, you can use optimized structures from SPL - great point! – Mr-sk Dec 24 '09 at 20:28
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Anything that's going though a network connection -- like calling a webservice, for instance : it'll generally take more time than doing an operation locally.
(Even if it doesn't cost much CPU, it'll cost time)
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I'd say SQL queries inside loops. Such as this:
foreach ($db->query('SELECT * FROM categories') as $cat)
foreach ($db->query('SELECT * FROM items WHERE cat_id = ' . $cat['cat_id']) as $item)
Which, for the record, could be shortened into something like this:
$sql = 'SELECT c.*, i.*
FROM categoriess c
LEFT JOIN items i USING (cat_id)
ORDER BY c.cat_order';
foreach ($db->query($sql) as $row)
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It's not a PHP's bottleneck – Valentin Golev Dec 24 '09 at 19:34
I would think the second example would be slightly /more/ expensive since there is an assignment instruction. – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 19:39
Oh yeah? So what is it? The question is "what is the most expensive stuff in PHP" and the answer is "anything that you put inside a loop that doesn't belong there." But you're right, it's so much more important to take care of those pesky single-quotes! – Josh Davis Dec 24 '09 at 19:40
@Josh I think with your example, the better solution would be to move the $db->query() outside of the foreach evaluation. So do: $result = $db->query('SELECT foo FROM bar'); foreach ($result as $row)... – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 19:49
Strictly speaking, it's not a PHP bottleneck, no, but it's something you're likely to encounter in PHP code. – Frank Farmer Dec 24 '09 at 20:06
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curl_exec() is very slow, compared to typical operations. Also, most str_* operations are faster than regex operations.
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foreach() statements, especially with nesting, are frequently expensive; though that's as much my naive -and occasionally poorly-planned- approach to programming as php's fault.
Though I think it's true, also, of JS and other languages, so almost certainly my fault. =/
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Its not necessarily the foreach itself that is slow, but rather the logic within the foreach. Best practice there would be to loop over data once and only once, whenever possible, and to do as little processing inside a foreach loop as possible, since that loop will be run 1-infinity times, depending on the size of the set that you are iterating over. – JC. Dec 24 '09 at 21:14
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From my own experience the most expensive operation in real terms is the echo statement. Try and join all string together before outputting them to the browser, followed by database calls especially joins!
Code can also sometimes get a x10 performance increase by just simply refactoring your algorithms and data structures. Get any program and try to half its length, can you half it again?
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So you mean assign everything you're going to echo to a variable and then echo that variable when ready? – Darrell Brogdon Dec 24 '09 at 19:53
Think of it like this Darrell: echo "text1" echo "text2" echo "text3" is slow than echo "text1 + text2 + text3" It is also true in languages like Java and C# wherein you output a bunch of statements to the console. – Woot4Moo Dec 24 '09 at 20:03
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• json_encode is faster than serialize
• Concatenate in loop is faster than implode
People think that @ is expensive maybe only because this saying is quite wide-spread on the web.
quoting from : http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.operators.errorcontrol.php#102543
If you're wondering what the performance impact of using the @ operator is, consider this example. Here, the second script (using the @ operator) takes 1.75x as long to execute...almost double the time of the first script.
So while yes, there is some overhead, per iteration, we see that the @ operator added only .005 ms per call. Not reason enough, imho, to avoid using the @ operator.
real 0m7.617s user 0m6.788s sys 0m0.792s
real 0m13.333s user 0m12.437s sys 0m0.836s
You can nearly unable to "overuse" an operator and it often worth if it is doing an operation you want.
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