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Ricky Gervais, as he proved again at the Golden Globes this week, thrives on the comic collision between celebrity and the seemingly ordinary. "I hope you enjoy the goodie bags and the champagne – and the gold," he taunted the high-living crowd.
In "The Office," he created the clueless David Brent, whose folly largely is driven by delusions of grandeur in which the grating mid-level manager sees himself as a top-flight comedian – with a captive audience. "Extras" punctured the pretensions of fame with its sharp juxtaposition of movie stars and the folks in the background. His upcoming "Life's Too Short" features a dwarf struggling to get acting jobs among bigger performers.
But perhaps Gervais' most impressive accomplishment in this realm is transforming a man who outward ordinariness masks an extraordinary oddness into the strangest of celebrities. His pal and comic punching bag Karl Pilkington is back for another season of "An Idiot Abroad" beginning Saturday on the Science Channel – marking a different kind of global adventure for Gervais.
Pilkington, a radio producer, rose to a dubious form of prominence in 2005 via a series of podcasts featuring him spouting bizarre theories on evolution and other topics as Gervais and "Office" co-creator Stephen Merchant mock him. The podcasts, which set a Guinness Book of World Records mark for most downloads, became fodder for the animated "The Ricky Gervais Show." The setting proved appropriate for Pilkington, a cartoonish, round-headed figure who believes "The Flintstones" accurately portrays the Stone Age.
Gervais and Merchant put him in front of the camera last year for the first season of "An Idiot Abroad," in which Pilkington visited the Seven Wonders of the World – only to be pranked at each turn by his buddies, who set him up, from afar, for unexpected detours. He got cow dung smeared across his head in India, wrestled in Mexico and got "kidnapped" in the Mideast (which quite possibly leapfrogged the line from comedy to cruelty). Gervais and Merchant call Pilkington after each misadventure and laugh at his complaints, petty and otherwise.
U.S. & World
There have been much talk of Pilkington's weirdness being an act and suggestions that he's in on the joke. But "Idiot" goes a long way toward dispelling such notions, showing him as the eccentric he apparently is.
On the road, Pilkington comes across as the British equivalent of the ugly American, bristling in discomfort and disbelief at the larger world outside the place he normally occupies, the peculiar universe that is his mind. There are moments, though, when his hangdog look disappears and he actually appears briefly to enjoy himself, as when he took a dip in the Ganges – even if the experience fell short of spiritual rebirth.
"Idiot" works as comedy but also is an effective travel program. Even if Pilkington squirms nearly every minute of his journey, the viewer gets a fascinating ground-level look at parts of world – from slums to the Amazon jungle – infrequently seen on TV.
This season of "An Idiot Abroad" is subtitled "The Bucket List," with Pilkington ostensibly setting his own agenda. The latest series of episodes, previews suggest, is shaping up as a real-life TV version of the be-careful-what-you-wish-for comedy classic movie "Bedazzled," the brainchild of an earlier great British comedy duo, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
Gervais and Merchant, of course, deviate from the itinerary. Pilkington, who pines to swim with dolphins in Australia, is instead tossed in with sharks. He goes to Africa to meet a gorilla (as fans know, he's obsessed with all things simian) but is first put to work helping build a shelter. Part of his dream trip along Route 66 involves "wing-walking" on an old bi-plane.
We've seen how Gervais treats big stars. Somehow it's both more endearing and more discomfiting when he targets the friend he turned into a celebrity. It's also quite funny. Check out a preview of what could be called "Karl Meets World" below:
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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Just a day after Nick Cannon and wife Mariah Carey held a baby shower to celebrate the imminent arrival of their twins, the actor and comedian learned that his brother, Gabriel, was in LAPD custody.
According to "Entertainment Tonight," Gabriel Cannon and as-yet-unknown accomplices were arrested after attempting to steal video equipment and jewelry from a vehicle in Studio City, California.
Cannon and the accomplices are being held, but no other information is available.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Selected Reading: Entertainment Tonight, The Hollywood Reporter, PopEater

subset: commoncrawl


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I recently (or not so recently at this point) wrote a guest post for AZTechBeat.com about my frustration with the service provider, consultants and vultures trying to exploit startups. Basically these folks pray on the more innocent startups and try to associate or worse take equity in the startup while "investing" in them. When realistically no hard money ever changes hands there's no real investment. The service provider will offer services for equity which is fine, but don't claim to be an Angel investor when you don't have any money invested..
You can read the original post here: http://aztechbeat.com/2013/04/and-you-call-yourself-an-angel-investor/
Have you run in to this as well? Thoughts?


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Colts rookie running back Vick Ballard (MSU) will make his first NFL start Sunday against the New York Jets after Donald Brown had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.Interim coach Bruce Arians says Brown had surgery Tuesday and shouldn't miss more than two to three weeks.
Arians did not say which knee Brown injured in the victory over Green Bay, which apparently occurred on a 2-point conversion that followed Reggie Wayne's go-ahead touchdown catch with 35 seconds left in the game. Brown has 60 carries for 239 yards and one TD.
Arians says a handful of other players are questionable for the Jets game. That list includes inside linebacker Pat Angerer (fractured foot), cornerback Vontae Davis (ankle) and outside linebacker Robert Mathis (sprained knee).


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KYOTO, Japan (Nov. 19, 2013) – The U.S. Men's National Team overcame a tenacious Japanese opponent and some mistakes of its own to win its opening match of the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup, 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20 on Tuesday at the Kyoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
|Reid Priddy, right, attacks against Japan on Tuesday.
The U.S. Men (1-0) will take on two-time defending champion Brazil (1-0) on Wednesday in the round-robin tournament (11:10 p.m. PT).
The U.S. Men dominated Japan in kills (55-35) and blocks (17-7). The teams were tied in aces (3-3) and the United States struggled with 22 service errors.
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- Contact: B.J. Hoeptner Evans
"We were very excited that we were able to get the win tonight," said U.S. Head Coach John Speraw (Los Angeles). "We had the opportunity to compete against Japan twice before the tournament started. They beat us both times and played great volleyball."
"Early in this match I thought we were playing really really well. We were using our size and blocking really well… We're going to have to serve the ball better. That's one thing about tonight's match that wasn't very good."
Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.), who played at opposite, was named the most valuable player of the match and led all scorers with 21 points on a match-high 19 kills and two aces. Middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati) added 18 points on 10 attacks and a match-high eight blocks.
Holt and Anderson set the pace for the United States in the fourth set after the third-set loss. After Japan went ahead 2-0, Holt scored on a block and gave the serve to Anderson who tied the score with an ace. Holt scored two more points on two straight blocks to put the U.S. ahead 4-2 and Japan never led again.
"We weren't getting down on ourselves (after the third-set loss)," Holt said. "That's a good team. At home, they were going to show some fight. They did, and we responded well in the fourth set."
Among other U.S. scorers, outside hitter Jeff Menzel (Santa Barbara, Calif.) totaled 14 points on 13 kills and one ace. Middle blocker David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) scored 10 points on six attacks and four blocks.
Outside hitter Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) totaled seven points on five kills and two blocks. Setter Micah Christenson (Honolulu) scored five points on two kills and three blocks. He was also credited with 55 running sets.
U.S. libero Erik Shoji (Honolulu) led all players in digs with 14 and was credited with 14 excellent receptions. Priddy led in excellent receptions with 18.
Speraw started Priddy and Menzel at outside hitter, Holt and Lee at middle blocker, Anderson at opposite, Christenson at setter and Erik Shoji at libero. Kawika Shoji (Honolulu) played as a serving substitute.
The U.S. Men led 8-3 at the first technical timeout (TTO) of the first set, scoring five straight points behind the serving of Christenson. The U.S. expanded the lead to 16-8 at the second TTO and Japan never threatened.
The U.S. Men jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second set behind the serving of Lee, who was supported by four straight kills from Menzel. Japan struggled to put a scoring run together until the U.S. led 21-12. Priddy served out of bounds and Japan scored two more points on a U.S. violation and a block. Speraw called timeout and the U.S. got the ball back on Japan's hitting error. The U.S. went on to take the set.
Japan took its first lead of the match in the third set. With the host country leading 6-5, it went on a 4-0 run. The U.S. called timeout and respond with a right-side strike by Anderson. However Japan kept up the pressure with its tough digging aided by U.S. serving errors and led 16-13 at the second TTO. Japan was leading by five at 22-17 when the U.S. scored three straight points on three kills from Anderson to pull to within two at 22-20. But it was too little too late as Japan went on to win the set.
Japan went ahead 2-0 to open the fourth set. Holt scored on a block and gave the serve to Anderson who tied the score with an ace. Holt scored two more points on two straight blocks to put the U.S. ahead 4-2. Holt added two more kills and Anderson and Lee each had a strike as the U.S. led 8-5 at the first TTO. Japan didn't give up and pulled to within one point at 16-15. With the U.S. leading 18-17, Anderson scored on a kill off the block, then served for the next four straight points, including an ace, to put the U.S. ahead 23-17. Japan could not respond.
Fourteen-Player Roster for FIVB World Grand Champions Cup
No. Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1. Matt Anderson (OH, 6-9, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
2. Sean Rooney (OH, 6-10, Wheaton, Ill., Pepperdine)
4. David Lee (MB, 6-8, Alpine, Calif., Long Beach State)
6. Paul Lotman (OH, 6-7, Lakewood, Calif., Long Beach State)
7. Kawika Shoji (S, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
8. Reid Priddy (OH, 6-4, Richmond, Va., Loyola Marymount)
9. Murphy Troy (Opp, 6-8, St. Louis, Mo., Southern California)
11. Micah Christenson (S, 6-6, Honolulu, Southern California)
13. Futi Tavana (MB, 6-7, Kalaheo, Hawaii, BYU)
14. Jeff Menzel (OH, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
15. Carson Clark (Opp, 6-8, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine)
17. Max Holt (MB, 6-9, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
19. Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
20. David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., UC Irvine)
Head Coach: John Speraw (Los Angeles)
Team Manager: Andrea Becker (Martinez, Calif.)
Technical Coordinator: Anton Willert (Berlin, Germany)
Assistant Coach: Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Mike Wall (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Consultant Coach: Gary Moy (San Francisco, Calif.)
Consultant Coach: Tim Pelot (Florida)
Athletic Trainer: Aaron Brock (Storm Lake, Iowa)
Doctor: Andrew Gregory (Nashville, Tenn.)
FIVB Men's World Grand Champions Cup Schedule
(all times Pacific Standard)
Nov. 19
Italy def. Russia, 28-26 25-20 19-25 27-25
Brazil def. Iran, 25-16, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23
USA def. Japan, 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20
Nov. 19-20
7:10 p.m.: Italy vs. Iran
11:10 p.m.: Brazil vs. USA
2:10 a.m.: Russia vs. Japan
Nov. 21-22
7:10 p.m.: USA vs. Italy
11:10 p.m.: Iran vs. Russia
2:10 a.m.: Japan vs. Brazil
Nov. 22-23
7:10 p.m.: Iran vs. USA
11:10 p.m.: Russia vs. Brazil
2:10 a.m.: Italy vs. Japan
Nov. 23-24
7:10 p.m.: Brazil vs. Italy
10:10 p.m.: USA vs. Russia
1:10 a.m.: Japan vs. Iran


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Products | Woven Metals | A4 Sheet Sample (210 x 300mm) | #12 Mesh - 1.757mm Aperture - 0.36mm Wire Diameter - Mild Steel/Plain Steel - Woven Wire Mesh - A4 Sample Sheet
in stock.
- We promise the best price around! We make our own stuff so we control the costs. - Produced, Packed and Dispatched From Our Factory In Warrington, UK (WA1 2WW) - SAME-DAY Dispatch For All Orders Placed Before 3PM - International Customers Will Receive Tracking Number By Email Upon DispatchMild SteelMild or plain steel is widely used and relatively inexpensive. It is strong and although it easily corrodes, it is very durable.Mild steel has a low carbon content (up to 0.3%) and is therefore neither brittle nor ductile, making it suitable for welding, bending, forming and general engineering applications.Due to its poor corrosion-resistance, mild steel it must be painted or otherwise protected and sealed in order to prevent rust from damaging it. A light coating of oil or grease can help control rust.It is darker in colour to stainless steel.It is commonly used for fire guards and other engineering projects. Plain WeavePlain weave woven wire cloth is used for the majority of wire cloth woven by The Mesh Company. Each warp wire crosses alternately above and below every weft wire and vice versa. Warp and weft wires are normally of the same diameter.Plain weaves are used for the majority of commercial applications and for filtration where a high flow rate is required.
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19 's
Check out now. Fast, Easy, Secure Checkout.
Primary Material: Polyester
Size: S,M,L,XL,2XL,3XL
Pattern: Breathable, Quick Dry, Embroidery and 100% Stitched
Color: Black
Condition: NewA brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item (including handmade items). See the seller's listing for full details.
After a shipping issue, this shop made good on my purchase and sent me a replacement. I would buy from them again - the jersey was very well done.
Thank you for your business! If you have any questions or need more information, please contact me using the "Contact this seller" button. I am happy to assist you.
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
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Posted 8 years ago
(61 items)
I love my vintage high chair, but would love to know more about it. It is well constructed. Solid one piece seat..arms peged. Anyone know how early this one might be or it's value. I use it as a display piece- although have had grandchildren sit in it in the past


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31 's
Check out now. Fast, Easy, Secure Checkout.
Primary Material: Solid 925 sterling silver
Color: Silver
Good business
Dear Sabrina, I just received your beautiful sterling silver beads. They are absolutely stunning!!!! Thank you very much!!!
Welcome to my shop! We have all items to make your special jewelry.If you need my help pls feel free to contact us,thanks!
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
While you were away our TOU was updated,
read the terms of use here.
*No action is required on your part.


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A local attorney told the Troubleshooters more people have come forward to blame a Wethersfield business for their foreclosures.
Attorney Manny Suarez now represents six clients with complaints about Deowraj "Deo" Buddhu.
Court documents describe Buddhu as running a scheme that promises customers who often don't speak English well access to a supposed stash of federal money that can help pay off their debt.
Court records say Buddhu collects thousands of dollars from his customers and tells them to stop paying their mortgages.
The result, according to court papers, is that customers like Heddy Arcos-Torres of Hartford never see a dime and they wind up in foreclosure.
"I have no words to describe this person. He seems like a nice person, but at the end he was different," Arcos-Torres said through a translator last week.
Suarez said the government money fund is fictitious and that Arcos-Torres is one of 200 alleged victims.
A judge has since vacated the foreclosure judgment against Arcos-Torres, which means she and her husband will be able to modify their loan and stay in their house.
The Connecticut Office of Chief Disciplinary Council investigates the unauthorized practice of law. The office said it has received complaints about Buddhu.
Buddhu spent time in jail for forgery and in 2008 both he and his daughter, Sunita, were permanently barred from preparing tax returns for others.
But we found someone who said he believes in Buddhu. Luis Gonzalez and his wife, Sonia, own a farm in East Windsor.
"I am 100 percent sure that what Mr. Deo is doing is completely under the law and honorable," Luis Gonzalez said through a translator.
Luis and Sonia Gonzalez, however, are at risk of losing their home to foreclosure.
The Wethersfield Police Department cannot confirm or deny it is investigating Buddhu.
According to customers, Buddhu is now telling people he's about to take an extended vacation.
Buddhu did not respond to our repeated requests for comment, only to say on the phone "if you want to believe what they are saying" before our call was disconnected.
The U.S. Department of Treasury urges homeowners to beware of anyone who asks to pay an upfront fee in exchange for a counseling service and they say don't be pressured into signing papers immediately.


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IF YOU HEARD... that the Avengers were arriving in Las Vegas, where would you picture them? Would you see Iron Man alighting atop the Stratosphere? Or Thor put down his hammer in the middle of the Bellagio fountains (thus creating a wave to defeat whatever villain was trying to take over the Strip)? And could Captain America throw his shield the length of Fremont Street? There are several Sin-City-riffic storylines to mined, and maybe those minds that work on The Avengers and all Marvel tales will be inspired. Because of this: Madame Tussauds at The Venetian just debuted its new "fully immersive Marvel 4D theater" on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
JUST DIDN"T DEBUT IT... in fact, but had no less than the great Stan Lee, the grand dean of all Marvel-o-nia, to do the ribbon-cutting honors. It's a big deal for Marvel mavens, because the gathering of wax figures representing the icons of the comic book universe are all in one room. Plus? A 360-degree animated "4D cinema attraction" to boot, where, yes, the superheroes "save Las Vegas." Oh, dear Las Vegas, you never do anything halfway, do you? Bravo.
SPEAKING OF BOOT: The new Marvel-focused feature comes on the heels of a full-scale Madame Tussauds renovation. And your Tussauds ticket gets you into the Marvel movie, which is a tight but action-packed ten minutes. Surely you want to see how the team'll unite to protect the sparkliest stretch of city in all the land? And then have your picture taken with some figures following the show? Count this on being the newest stop of cross-country road-trippers on their way to Comic-Con each summer.


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If you missed ING's awesome Double Referral Bonus promotion (and live in Canada), the good news is that it's back and now runs through December 31st, 2012. Basically, ING Direct is doubling their usual $25 bonus to $50 for each referral made, so once you've got your account setup, you can get your friends and family to sign up for a free Thrive Checking account. And when they do and deposit their first $100, you'll get $50 for each referral. At the very least, you'll still get $50 yourself just for setting up an ING account (you must use an Orange Key, like this one: 39694980S1). See my previous post for the complete details on how to get started.
As an added bonus, you can even score a $100 Apple Gift Card just for switching over your payroll.


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How to Benchmark in AnalyticsBlog Post: July 28, 2010
Thrilled to hear SEOmoz is putting more efforts into analaytics!
I think some SEOs, especially on the consulting side, may be scared of analytics because it holds them accountable. Yet it's also a huge opportunity to help the orgainization you're working with turely understand what's happening. They will thank you for that much more than a few keyword jumps in the SERPs (that send 5 more visitors a month!)


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Archie Johnston, the Sir John Holland 2007 Civil Engineer of the Year, is our new Dean
21 July 2009
We are pleased to announce that Professor Archie Johnston has accepted the University's offer of appointment as the next Dean of Engineering and IT. He will join the University on 3 August as Dean Designate, working closely with Professor Hancock before taking up the Deanship on 1 September.
Professor Johnston is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Engineers Australia, and The Institution of Civil Engineers. He is currently Dean of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Chair of the Centre for Leadership and Management (CELM) (Engineers Australia), Advisory Professor to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Advisor to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, Delhi, Advisor to the Reliance Group of India, Director of Insearch and Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was Chair of the Judging Panel for the 2009 Australian Construction Achievement Awards. He was the Sir John Holland 2007 Civil Engineer of the Year and 2007 Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year of the Business and Higher Education Roundtable.
Professor Don Nutbeam, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, welcomed Prof Johnstone "the Faculty has performed very well under Professor Hancock's stewardship. A number of challenges remain and the Vice-Chancellor and I are confident of Professor Johnston's ability to lead the Faculty forward. I am sure all of you would like to join me in wishing him the very best in the role."


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UNCW Department of Music Hosts an Evening of Performances Inspired by Famed Instrumentalist Charlie Parker
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wilmington, NC - The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Department of Music is hosting an evening of jazz performances on Friday, Sept. 27, the University announced today. Music Department Chair Frank Bongiorno will be joined by faculty, alumni, and other noted musicians from the Wilmington area for the concert, in which they'll perform a collection of works inspired by legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. The event is part of UNCW's Family and Alumni Weekend and proceeds from Jazz with Strings will go to the department's scholarship fund.
"This is a unique opportunity for the Music Department to showcase the talent we have within UNCW during an important weekend for the campus," said Bongiorno. "Additionally, we are grateful that the support we receive for this event will allow us to give back to current and potential students."
Accomplished UNCW faculty joining Bongiorno onstage will be Mike Waddell, John LaCognata, Grammy-nominated Jerald Shynett and Michael D'Angelo, Bob Russell, Andy Whittington, Danijela ŽeŽelj-Gualdi, and Jason Foureman.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Beckwith Recital Hall, located in the Cultural Arts building. Tickets are available to the general public for $20, with discounted rates for faculty, staff, students and alumni. Tickets are available in advance online or by calling 910.962.3500. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the Cultural Box Office door, starting at 6:30 p.m. the night of the performance.
For more information, visit the UNCW Department of Music or contact the department Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 910.962.3415 or email email@example.com • firstname.lastname@example.com.
To learn about all of UNCW's arts and cultural events, visit UNCW happenings.


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Definition from Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary
An attestation that one will tell the truth, or a promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling upon God as a witness. The best known oath is probably the witnesss pledge to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth during a legal proceeding. All witnesses are given the oath (sworn in) before testifying. In another context, a public official usually takes an oath of office before assuming the position, declaring that he or he will faithfully perform the job's duties.


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New Holland introduces two new utility tractor lines. The new T5000 series features tractor models that range from 70 to 96 PTO hp and cost from $28,000 to $50,000. Tractors in the T5000 series are built for heavy-duty loader work, with their 12 x 12 synchro command, and for operating hay tools, mowers, feed wagons and mixers. The engines are turbocharged and intercooled.
Models in the T4000 series range from 64 to 95 hp with turbocharged and intercooled engines. These vehicles are geared for farm operations that need a lot of power in a small tractor for easy maneuverability. Prices range from $24,000 to $45,000.
To watch a video about the tractors, click on "2008 National Farm Machinery Show, Show Floor Videos." Or for more information, contact your New Holland dealer or visit www.newholland.com.


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Wells, Maine, harbor to get $3.5 million in federal funding for dredging
WELLS, Maine (AP) � The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to allocate $3.5 million of federal funding to dredge Wells Harbor along the southern Maine coast.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said remnants from Hurricane Sandy and winter storms have created a large shoal at the entrance to the harbor, making it virtually impassable except during high tide.
Because the harbor sustained damage from Hurricane Sandy in late October, it was eligible for funding allocated under the Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill passed in Congress in January.
Dredging is scheduled to begin later this year.


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Cloud Computing for GovernmentBy Andrew Greenway Print
Three benefits of a changing approach to infrastructure.
Government leaders today need to come to terms with cloud computing as a growing aspect of the IT landscape. It will affect how agencies develop and manage IT strategies, control information and invest in technology.
See also Saving Taxpayer Dollars
The top three benefits of moving to cloud services from the traditional approach of organizations buying and maintaining their own hardware include the following:
See also Management Principles for Uncle Sam
COST: Savings come from reducing or eliminating the cost of servers, software licenses, maintenance fees, data center space, electricity and IT labor. In some cases, large up-front capital expenses can be replaced with low pay-for-use operating expenses.
FLEXIBILITY: Cloud resources such as storage and computing power can be added or reduced as needed.
SPEED: Programmers are empowered to create software services using free or low-cost development tools, enabling government to become more agile and responsive.
Before deploying cloud computing, government executives must first assess both their legacy IT investments and the benefits offered by public cloud services. For instance, cloud computing may offer rapid cost reductions for storing and sharing nonsensitive data and for software development and testing. In other areas, however, specific needs, data sensitivity and security may require certain IT resources to be kept in the data center. This hybrid approach will be appropriate for many government agencies.
Cloud services can be the key to helping governments make operational leaps. This technology can facilitate cross-governmental shared services, government-citizen data sharing, analysis for agency performance management, and error and fraud detection.
Though many public and private sector organizations are concerned about cloud security, they should keep in mind that it is not new or untested. In fact, there are potentially large benefits for some areas of government to move toward a more cloud-standardized approach to data security from the fragmented security protocols and systems that already exist in many large organizations.
Andrew Greenway leads Accenture's cloud computing program.
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As retold by Samsuni
Ande-Ande Lumut is a pseudonym of a prince of Jenggala Kingdom whose real name is Panji Asmarabangun. According to the story, Panji hides his true identity to find his wife who leaves the palace. Why does she go? Can the prince find her? Read the following story.
Long ago in East Java, there stood twin kingdoms namely Jenggala, which was ruled by King Jayengnegara, and Kediri, whose king was Jayengrana. The kingdoms were once united under Kahuripan. The king of Kahuripan, Airlangga, before his death had a will that whatever happened, they had to be together as one. So to avoid war, the kingdoms decided to reunite through a marriage of the kings' children. Panji Asmarabangun, son of Jayengnegara, was married to Dewi Sekartaji, daughter of Jayengrana.
Once upon a time, Jenggala was attacked by a large number of people. When the war broke out, Princess Dewi Sekartaji ran away and hid out in a desolate village. She went in disguise as a village girl and then served a wealthy widow called Nyai Intan. Nyai Intan had three beautiful daughters, Kleting Abang, Kleting Ijo, and Kleting Biru. After a while, she fostered Dewi Sekartaji and gave her the name of Kleting Kuning.
Kleting Kuning did all the housekeeping and cooking in the house. She was more like a servant than a child. Nyai Intan and her daughters often scolded her and treated her badly. It was good enough if the girl had only one meal a day.
In the meantime in Jenggala, Panji Asmarabangun together with his troop managed to drive out the enemies. The victory was just a short relief for him as he could not find his beloved wife. Heaven knew where she was.
With the kingdom restoring its security, the prince devoted his time to seek his wife. Right away he commanded his soldiers to gather as much information as could be. Then, in one fine afternoon, a soldier came up to him.
"I have good news for you, Your Highness," reported the man.
"Did you find anything?" asked the prince eagerly.
"I saw a woman that looked like the princess, Your Highness, in a small village. But I'm not sure yet that she was her because she was only a village woman who worked for a rich widow."
In the next few days, Panji decided to pass himself off as a prince who was looking for a wife. He was headed for Dadapan, a village at the bank of Bengawan Solo River, with some guards. The village was not far from where Kleting Kuning lived.
Under the name of Ande-Ande Lumut, Panji stayed in a modest house of an old widow called Mbok Randa. He soon announced to the people that he was holding a contest to find a wife. In a very short time, it spread out to all corners of the village and to the neighboring villages.
Kleting Abang, Kleting Ijo, and Kleting Biru were so happy to hear that. They dressed up as beautiful as possible to win the prince's heart. They were sure he would fall for one of them.
"We should always look pretty, sister. Mother will be glad if one of us becomes a princess," said Kleting Abang.
On the due day, the girls seemed ready. They put on their best dresses and jewelry. When they were wearing their make up, Kleting Kuning came up to them.
"Wow, you guys are so beautiful!" she said.
"Hi, Kleting Kuning! Do you want to take part in the contest too?" asked Kleting Abang.
"That's unlikely. You don't even have a dress. You certainly can't go out there in such a terrible look," mocked Kleting Ijo.
"Hahaha! That's right. You can't go to the contest. You'd better stay home and finish your job. Go, do the laundry!" shouted Kleting Biru while pointing at a pile of their dirty clothes.
Kleting Kuning took the dirty clothes and went to a nearby river. She actually did not want to go to the contest since a memory of her husband was still in his mind. She would not see anyone else as long as the prince was still alive. Whilst at the riverbank, suddenly a heron approached her. It weirdly talked like a human and grabbed a whip in its feet.
"O princess! Pray, care to go to the contest in Dadapan. There you will meet your husband. Take this whip, you may need it," said the heron, putting the whip on a stone next to Kleting Kuning.
The lady barely said anything when the mysterious bird flew up high in the sky and got out of sight. Without hesitating, Kleting Kuning rushed back home and dressed up for the contest.
By that time, Nyai Intan and her three daughters had left. They reached the bank of Bengawan Solo River. But they could not get across a river that deep and wide. It happened that not a single boat was seen around there.
"Mother, how can we get across?" asked Kleting Ijo in confusion.
"Yes, mother. What do we do now?" added Kleting Biru.
"Wait, wait. Look at that! What is that?" said Kleting Abang.
They were taken aback to see a giant crab floating upon the stream. They did not know that the crab was Yuyu Kangkang, Ande Ande Lumut's henchman assigned to test the participants.
"Do you need help, ladies?" asked the crab.
"Can you really get us across?" asked Kleting Abang back.
Yuyu Kangkang laughed.
"Ha… ha… ha!! I can do that, but I have a condition," the crab said.
"What is it? Tell us quick!" urged Kleting Ijo. "Whatever it is, we will do that as long as you can take us to the other side of the river."
"Well, then. I want all of you to kiss me," said Yuyu Kangkang in teasing fashion.
Kleting Abang and her two sisters agreed. One by one, they stuck out their neck and kissed the crab. After that, Yuyu Kangkang told them to get on his back and took them across.
Not very long afterwards, Kleting Kuning showed up at the river bank. Like before, Yuyu Kangkang offered a help under the same condition: she had to give him a kiss. Kleting Kuning refused it. She did not want to kiss anyone while still having a husband. But she begged for help anyway. The crab turned away. He did not want to lend a hand until he got a kiss. Kleting Kuning began to lose patience. She lashed the stream with her whip, making the river water dwindle. Witnessing such a power, Yuyu Kangkang was petrified. He quickly took her across and even to Dadapan Village.
In Mbok Randa's house, Kleting Kuning met her sisters and mother. Not long after, Ande-Ande Lumut came out. The ladies showed off their beauties in front of the prince. But he did not seem impressed by any of them. Nyai Intan started to feel worried. She went forward and got on her knees before the prince.
"Take one of my daughters, prince. They are all beautiful, aren't they?" the widow begged.
Ande-Ande Lumut only smiled.
"They are indeed charming. But I am not going to pick any of them," said Ande Ande Lumut.
"Guards! Lead that lady in yellow dress here!" commanded him, referring to the girl sitting on the back row. She was Kleting Kuning.
"I will take you as wife. Will you say yes?" the prince asked the modest looking lady.
Everyone in the place was surprised, moreover Nyai Intan and her daughters.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness! Why do you pick that rakish woman instead of my daughters?" asked Nyai Intan.
Again, Ande-Ande Lumut smiled, and then said, "Nyai Intan! Just so you know why I don't choose your daughters. It is because they have been disgraced by Yuyu Kangkang, the giant crab. I pick this lady because she is still clean. She refused to kiss the crab."
Afterwards, Ande-Ande Lumut revealed to Kleting Kuning who he really was. The husband and wife finally reunited again. As for Nyai Intan and her daughters, they walked home with disappointment and embarrassment.
The characters of Kelting Abang, Kleting Ijo, and Kleting Biru represent greedy girls who cannot keep their honor. They dream to be a wife of a prince and are willing to do anything for that, even sacrificing their purity. In the end, they tragically get nothing.
Ande-Ande Lumut and Kleting Kuning both represent a faithful lover. Despite everything that befalls them, they remain firm on their love to each other. As a result, after a long separation, they reunite with each other. It is a clear example of where faithfulness could lead people to.
Translation by Reza Daffi
[1] Abang: red
[2] Ijo: green
[3] Biru : blue
[4] Kuning: yellow


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This rebuttal is brought to you by Morrigahn of Caer Morrighan
There's been some discussion about WoW being too easy recently. It started with a discussion of how the change in the difficulty has affected social relations on World of Matticus. This was followed by an excellent post at the Pink Pigtail Inn which I must say I agree with 100%. Then it spread across the blogosphere like wildfire and was picked up by the likes of Casual Hardcore and Tobold.
This is my contribution to the debate. Instead of talking about the problem I'm suggesting a solution. Its not a practical solution. Its more a ranting, slightly insane type of solution.
Let me tell you whats really behind the 'too easy' and 'welfare epics' complaints.
Once upon a time, only a very few people had epic gear because only a very few people could raid. This allowed them to feel better than everyone else. Their gear was the visible evidence of their success. They could walk around their relevant city, confident that no one looked better than them. This rewarded them for their lack of social life. They were the 'elites'. Everyone else was a 'pleb'.
Fact 1: players who whine normally weren't a part of this elite. They resent the fact that they won't ever get the chance to lord it over their fellow players based on having cool looking gear.
Solution 1: make gear more user definable. Then elites can prance around in ridiculous looking gear and think they are better while plebs get a good laugh instead of having to listen to them whine.
Fact 2: players who think that raids and gear should be limited to a select few are quite happy to be gaining whilst others pay for them to do so.
Solution 2: make raids ridiculously hard but make players pay extra to access them, whilst us plebs pay less since we can't access them since we have jobs/lives/our sanity. So if for every 10 players, 9 are plebs then those 9 players can pay say $10/£6 a month. Raiding is about 1/3 of the game content so plebs pay 1/3 less. That means that the $45/£27 a month that the plebs were paying should all now be paid by the elite. The elite can be elite, but they have to pay $60/£36 a month to do so. Of course since the elites have no jobs they can't afford to do this. Which means even less elites. Which means, to cover the cost of raid development, the fee would have to be higher. It also means you brought your epics. But you can strut around and look cool if that's what you really want.
Fact 3: players who complain that content is not worth doing because world top 5 guilds have already completed it need a quicker way to get the hell out of my WoW.
Solution 3: implement software that recognises these key phrases so that when someone makes a statement like this an option box pops up in WoW allowing them to choose to end their subscription immediately. In fact, give them a $50 bonus for leaving. That money will easily be made back by the saved time on the forums not answering their posts. Plebs would be happy to increase their subscription by the 0.50c/30p it would cost to cover this for the reward of not having to listen to this complaint ever again.
Fact 4: players who like to be judged based on their gear don't like it when new gear comes along to replace it. This makes them feel that all their work has been a complete waste of time.
Solution 4: allow gear to scale with epeen. Then the plebs will be able to spot the enormous d***** a mile off and avoid them. This would be an addition to Solution 1.
Fact 5: players who want to be better than everyone else don't want to play in a cooperative environment.
Solution 5: make a whole new version of WoW that doesn't involve cooperative play but can be played competitively only. Call it … Starcraft? In order to make up for the lost revenue from Solution 3, players could be directed to this game instead.
I am a pleb and proud of it. I call upon plebs everywhere to rise up and defend their right to have epic gear and participate in raids they are paying for the development of. Yes, entry level raid content is easier than it was, but this is our right as paying players! No the game is not easier because most players still have never even seen Algalon yet, and hes the end boss of the previous tier! No they are not welfare epics because every player who has an epic item has to suffer through the complaints of the epeen brigade and that is payment enough!
Disclaimer: This was a political broadcast brought to you by Morrighan, head of the Plebs for Epix party. Morrighan accepts that not all vanilla raiders are epeens. Not all people who complain about the game being easy or welfare epics are epeens. Morrighan has a lot of friends who were both vanilla raiders and don't like how easy epics are to get and is not calling them epeens. She's just fed up with listening to complaints about WoW being too easy from people who can't even manage Heroic Azjol Nerub!


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**In Store Pick Up Only**
Named "Ultra Light Action" after its unique low-force, high-security latch mechanism, the Speedplay Ultra Light Action Pedal System provides the easiest and most intuitive entry and release functions ever offered by Speedplay. Its design makes sense for both the seasoned cyclist and for the first time clipless user. It features an advanced hybrid-pedal technology that combines the most user-friendly characteristics found in Speedplay's popular X and Zero road pedals. Thanks to their Titanium spindles, these tip the scales at a feathery 164g per pair. Speedplay Ultra Light Action pedals blend the legendary ease-of-entry and luxurious non-centering free-float of Speedplay's X Pedal System together with the robust spring design and enhanced durability of Speedplay's Zero Pedal System.
While Speedplay's primary design goal was to create the most user-friendly clipless pedal system ever, Light Action pedals continue to provide the same cutting-edge performance benefits that have made Speedplay pedals legendary, including:
Please note that due to their Ti spindles, Speedplay recommends use of the Ultra Light Action Titanium pedals for riders 185lbs and lighter.
Please Note: Due to manufacturer restrictions, we are unable to ship Speedplay products outside the United States.
- Dual-sided pedal allows instant "no-looking-down" entry. No flipping needed to engage.
- Self-locating cleat guides the entry motion and eliminates fumbling to find the pedal.
- True-locking engagement mechanism provides security and prevents inadvertent release.
- 15 degrees of non-centering free-float reduces stress on the knees.
- Large, stable cleat platform for optimal power transmission and all-day comfort.
- Ultra light weight pedals and cleats improve riding efficiency. Pedals weigh a mere 220 grams per pair.
- Thin pedal body provides the lowest stack height and best cornering clearance available.
- Simple cleat mounting and adjustment makes set-up easy.
- Precision cartridge and needle bearings for reduced friction and longer life.
- Built-in grease-port for fast and easy bearing maintenance.
- Choice of five great pedal color choices: Black, Blue, Pink, and Red.
- Please note that due to their Ti spindles, Speedplay recommends use of the Light Action Titanium pedals for riders 185lbs and lighter.
- Please Note: Due to manufacturer restrictions, we are unable to ship Speedplay products outside the United States.


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A contract extension has been reached between the White Sox and [Alexei] Ramirez for four years, $32.5 million, with a $10 million option for the fifth year. The new deal was officially announced Thursday.
The White Sox picked up the 2011 option on Ramirez's contract in early December, giving Ramirez a base salary of $2.75 million, after he opted out of the final year of his four-year deal that would have paid him $1.1 million.
Here's the contract breakdown from the press release:
The Chicago White Sox and Silver Slugger Award-winning shortstop Alexei Ramirez have agreed to terms on a four-year, $32.5-million contract extension which includes a club option for the 2016 season.Under terms of the deal, Ramirez will receive $5 million in 2012, $7 million in 2013, $9.5 million in 2014 and $10 million in 2015. The club holds a $10-million option for 2016, which includes a $1-million buyout. Ramirez still will earn a base salary of $2.75 million in 2011 as per the terms of the original four-year contract he signed with the White Sox on January 22, 2008.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Malibu, Calif. • Brandon Davies had a Harry Potter-like gash above his right eye that required eight stitches to close. Tyler Haws had a deep thigh bruise that limited his movement in the first half, and Matt Carlino was so tentative and mistake-prone early in the game that he was benched.
But somehow, with the game on the line, BYU's Big Three delivered clutch play after clutch play down the stretch, and the Cougars escaped cozy Firestone Fieldhouse with a 63-61 win over upset-minded Pepperdine on Thursday night.
"It was a hard-fought win, and our guys should be really proud and excited that they were able to win the game," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "I don't think there is any doubt about the fact that we hung in there."
And there's not doubt that the end was one of the crazier finishes to a BYU game in Rose's tenure.
The Cougars (17-6, 7-2 WCC) seemingly had it won when Carlino hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to beat the shot clock and give BYU a 63-59 lead.
But in one of the more boneheaded plays of the season, Anson Winder fouled Pepperdine's Jordan Baker on a 3-point attempt with 1.3 seconds left.
Baker made the first two, then intentionally missed the third try after a timeout.
Pepperdine's Stacy Davis somehow got a hand on the missed shot Haws said he might have gotten away with leaving early but his tip didn't go in and the Cougars had their comeback win.
"Kinda scary," Haws said.
Davies was 10 for 17 from the field and finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, all while sporting a headband to cover a bandage above his right eye after he took an elbow from Ian Harward in practice Wednesday.
Davies "kind of carried us in both halves long enough to keep us in it until the other guys got going," Rose said.
Carlino's big 3 will be remembered, but it was his two free throws with 1:03 left that gave the Cougars a 60-59 lead after Baker's desperation 3-point attempt to beat the shot clock found nothing but net with 1:09 left.
Carlino had 12 points, while Haws rediscovered his shooting touch in the second half and finished 9 of 18 for a game-high 21 points.
Before making the free throws, Carlino said he remembered a time in the fourth grade when he missed some free throws to cost his team the game, and didn't want to have to go away "crying" from this one as well.
At halftime, "Coach was pretty disappointed in just our effort," Carlino said.
Indeed, the Cougars were thoroughly outplayed in the first half, and trailed 31-20 at the break.
But they put together a 9-0 run early in the second half to get back in it, and the game stayed tight to the end.
Another 3-pointer from Haws, with 4:34 left, gave the Cougars a 54-50 lead heading into the home stretch.
"Our guys regrouped, and we found a way to hang in there, and we played a lot better in the second half," Rose said.
Davies had 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting in the first half, but the rest of the Cougars were 4 of 20 from the field. They shot 53.6 percent in the second half, making just enough plays to improve to 17-6 overall and avoid a loss that surely would have dashed their NCAA Tournament hopes.
"It feels so good to win a close one like that," Haws said. "We've been on the other end of that, and we know how it feels to lose it. So it just feels good."
Twitter: @drewjay
O IN SHORT • Trailing by 11 points at halftime, BYU stages a comeback to topple Pepperdine 63-61 on Matt Carlino's last-minute heroics.
KEY MOMENT • Carlino made a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 12 seconds left.
KEY STAT • BYU shoots 53.6 percent in the second half after shooting 31.3 percent in the first.
MORE COVERAGE • Brandon Davies excels despite playing with a forehead bandage. > D4
BYU 63, Pepperdine 61
BYU (17-6) • Davies 10-17 0-2 20, Sharp 0-1 0-0 0, Haws 9-18 0-2 21, Carlino 3-11 5-5 12, Zylstra 0-3 0-0 0, Cusick 0-1 0-0 0, Ambrosino 0-0 0-0 0, Winder 2-4 0-0 6, Calvert 0-1 0-0 0, Austin 1-3 2-2 4, Kaufusi 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 7-11 63.
PEPPERDINE (10-11) • Raines 4-6 0-0 8, De Freitas 0-3 0-0 0, Jackson 3-12 2-2 8, Baker 4-10 2-5 12, Skouen 6-9 0-0 16, Davis 5-9 7-8 17, Russell 0-2 0-0 0, Mills 0-1 0-0 0, Maehlen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 11-15 61. HalftimePepperdine 31-20. 3-Point GoalsBYU 6-16 (Haws 3-6, Winder 2-3, Carlino 1-3, Davies 0-1, Zylstra 0-3), Pepperdine 6-20 (Skouen 4-7, Baker 2-4, Mills 0-1, Russell 0-1, Jackson 0-7). Fouled OutNone. ReboundsBYU 36 (Davies 12), Pepperdine 33 (Raines 8). AssistsBYU 14 (Carlino 4), Pepperdine 15 (Jackson 7). Total FoulsBYU 16, Pepperdine 15. A1,824.


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Valproate sodium is another name for sodium valproate, a type of anticonvulsant designed to prevent or reduce the severity of seizures.
This glossary is designed to explain some of the jargon and gobbledygook used by some people when they talk about autism or research..
You may be able to find more information, including links to other parts of this website, by clicking on the title of an item.
If you can't find the word you are looking for, or you know of a word we should include, please email email@example.com
The fact that an intervention is listed in this glossary does not necessarily mean that we agree with its use. Nor does it necessarily mean that there is any scientifically valid or reliable evidence behind it.


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Introducing a Burger Made With the Entire McDonald's Dollar Menu
Inspired by McDonald's decision to do away with its Dollar Menu and institute the "Dollar Menu & More" (launching November 4th), Thrillist set out to assemble a burger made with every Dollar Menu item before the name change goes into effect.
The resulting creation contains three sandwiches (a cheeseburger, a McChicken, and a grilled onion cheddar burger), along with a side salad, a fruit 'n yogurt parfait, and two chocolate chip cookies.
Technically, not every item on the Dollar Menu made it on to the burger. There's none of the breakfast items, and it's missing the soft-serve cone and sweet tea (probably a good thing). The McDouble, which is listed on the online version of the menu, wasn't available at the time of the visit.
What's New On Serious Eats
According to the taste-testers, the result was "a beautifully weird symphony of fake-tasting stuff" and "the grossest combinations of grease and sugar since the Jersey Shore crew worked at an ice cream shop."
Thrillist refers to their creation as a "McMonstrosity" in the post, but it's unclear if that was intended to be its official name, or just an adjective. If naming rights are open, my vote is the "Six Buck McChuck".
For more details about this dubious creation, check out the full post on Thrillist.
Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter while you're at it!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Food & Drink
AAA: More travelers to hit the road during Labor Day weekend
By Karin Caifa, CNN • Updated 21st August 2012
Despite the recent uptick in gas prices, the last major travel holiday of the summer is expected to be busier.
According to AAA's survey of Labor Day travel released Tuesday, 33 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for the upcoming long weekend, an increase of 2.9% from 2011.
Travelers are also expected to spend more on their trips. The median cost of $749 this year is slightly higher than last year's average of $702.
The automotive and travel services group says the vast majority of those travelers, 28.2 million of them, will hit the roadways for their trip.
The nationwide average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline is 14 cents higher than it was when AAA did its Labor Day forecasting last August, but below the year's peak of $3.94 in April.
The survey found nationwide gas prices are not expected to have a major negative impact on travelers' plans, and two-third of those surveyed said their current financial outlook would not impact their Labor Day plans either.
Those looking to save money on their travel said they will skip hotels and stay with family or friends, take a shorter trip, use a more economical mode of transportation or spend less on shopping or sightseeing.
Air travel for the holiday is expected to rise 3.7%, thanks to a 4% dip in airfares from last year. 2.55 million passengers will fly to their Labor Day destination, while 2.3 million will use other modes of transportation like buses, rail and cruise ships.
The average trip will stretch 626 miles, though 54% of those surveyed said their Labor Day excursion will fall between 100 and 400 miles roundtrip.
AAA projections saw a 1.2% year-over-year uptick for Memorial Day travel this year, and a 4.9% increase for the Independence Day holiday.
The Labor Day survey looks at the travel period between Thursday, August 30, and Monday, September 3.
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


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Oman Air has contributed more to the technological advance of commercial aviation than any other airline. But during its formative years, when aviation was yet young, Oman Air was always in the vanguard of progress. We have had numerous achievements in the past twelve years.
From its inception in 1993 until now, Oman Air has witnessed only success. The tiny airline, which began operating only one aircraft for its flights to Salalah, has now grown to a mighty airline ready to challenge all major airlines.
Four months later, Oman Air commenced its first international flight to Dubai. In the very same year another event marked an important milestone in Oman Air's record of achievements. The first flight to India, Trivandrum that was like a dream come true.
Oman Air soon started expanding its destinations and aircraft and now it flies to more than 40 destinations throughout the world with a fleet strength of 15 B737-700s/800s, three A330-200s, three A330-300s, two ATRs 42-500 and two Embraer E175. During 2011, one additional A330-200 will be delivered.
We have obtained approval for maintenance from bodies such as the Shell Aircraft (UK) and the Airclaims (UK).
Oman Air successfully completes the International Air Transport Association's Operational Safety Audits. Oman Air attributes the successful completion of the audit to its conforming with the standards and regulations set by IATA. This places the airline to be in the list of companies that comply with internationally recognized safety standards.
Oman Air bagged The Oman award for Excellence, as tourism promoter for 2001. The award is instituted by OCIPED to recognise accomplishments of individuals and organizations that contribute to the Oman economy.
Oman Air Ground Operations Department was awarded the AHS 1000 excellence certificate from IATA for compliance with the quality and control standards as per IATA specification No. 804. Proof of its dedication to Customer Service, Quality and Food Safety Management, the Catering Business Unit of Oman Air (S.A.O.C) was awarded the certificate of ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 22000:2005 by INTERTEK,LTD. The catering unit is also a registered Food Safety training center of Chartered Institute for Environmental Health, UK.
Oman Air is the Second Middle East carrier to issue e-Ticket (ET). Muscat, Salalah and Dubai routes were ET enabled on 26th September 2005. Efforts are made to target 100% e-ticketing by end of 2006 while IATA mandate is 2007.
The fame and reputation that we have achieved in the past few years is the result of dedication, hard work and perseverance. We aim to improve our services and technology and always provide customer satisfaction.
Oman Air's business class seats has been ranked as the third best business class seat in the world by SKYTRAX. The world's largest Airline and Airport review site.
Oman Air is now ranked a Four Star airline by SKYTRAX. The world's largest Airline and Airport review site.
Oman Air has been named Best Luxury Airline, Middle East 2011 in the prestigious Business Destinations Travel Awards 2011.
Oman Air was named winner of the "World's Best Business Class Airline Seat" award at the 2011 World Airline Awards, in a ceremony held in the French Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show.
Oman Air was named winner of the Airline Staff Excellence Middle East award at the 2011 World Airline Awards, in a ceremony held in the French Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show.
Oman Air has won the "Most Promising New Foreign Airline of the Year" award that was held by the Malaysia Airports Berhad at a ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur.
Oman Air has been shortlisted by TTG for the TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2011 as one of the five airlines competing for the "Best Airline of the Year" award. Shortlisted airlines are: Emirates Airlines, Etihhad Airways, EVA Air, Oman Air and Thompson Airways.
Oman Air has won the "Best In-flight Connectivity & Communications" award in The 2011 Passenger Choice Awards, created by APEX and voted on by the traveling public, designed to recognize airlines for their service, products and innovations.
Oman Air's Supply Chain Management Operation is the latest part of the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman to be awarded ISO 9001 accreditation. ISO 9001 is an internationally-recognised standard for quality management ensuring that organisations have proven processes in place to meet customer requirements.
Oman Air has received the Gold Award for Airline of the Year, ahead of Qatar Airways and Korean Air at Top Resa in France 2011.
Oman Air has been commended (2nd place) by TTG for the TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2011, behind Etihad, and ahead of Emirates, EVA Air and Thompson Airways.
Oman Air was awarded the title "Best Airline Worldwide 2011". The survey was conducted by the travel magazine REISE & PREISE and was held for the 20th time this year.
Oman Air has been named Best Luxury Airline, Middle East 2011 in the prestigious Business Destinations Travel Awards 2011.
Oman Air has won the Most Promising New Foreign Airline of the Year" award that was held by the Malaysia Airports


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Driving an EV and what to expect
Driving an EV and what to expect
You can't swap the battery yourself, it'll weigh about 1200 pounds...
You can make a longer trip if you charge before returning. With a L3 charger you can refill the battery to 80% in maybe 45 minutes.
Maintenance is also pretty minimal, electric motor just won't wear out (only one moving part), no oil changes, no belts to change, nothing like that. Electricity is cheap compared to gasoline / mile travelled. About maybe four to ten times cheaper. You will need to replace battery maybe after 70000-100000miles depending how you use it. Future batteries are of course better so after you have driven that 100000 miles you are facing to swap to a lot better batteries with a quite cheap price. You definitely will save that much money using EV instead of ordinary ICE car before battery needs replacing.
@Lowpro, it's really not that different than a gas car. To venture farther than half the car's range, you have to refill it. The only significant difference is that refilling takes longer, so you want to plan it so that you are doing something else while it's charging.
I took mine on a 3,000-mile trip, and I think I only waited for the charge twice. Other times I was sleeping, visiting, shopping, exercising, eating, etc.
On a trip, L3 chargers will be best when you can find them. L2 chargers will be more numerous, but will take longer--maybe 4 hours for a 90% charge. You don't have to do it all at once though--you could stop every 80 miles for 30 minutes, or something like that. Neither type were around for my trip; I stopped at campgrounds, which have outlets kind of similar to L2's. Tesla sells a mobile connector that lets you plug in there.
Note that all this only applies when you go on a trip. When you are at home, you pretty much just charge at home at night, and drive the car during the day. Most people will very rarely have to worry about charging when out and about, but L2 charging stations should be scattered around. You don't have to wait for a full charge; you just need enough to get you home.
The batteries wear out gradually; you decide when the range is no longer enough. Supposedly you will lose about 30% after 7 years and 100k miles. Nobody knows what it will cost then, but Tesla lets you pre-buy a Roadster pack now for $12k. You pay now, and in 7 years they will give you a pack. Presumably they hope they will actually cost less than that then.
Look at your electric bill to see how much it costs for a kWh of electricity. Where I live, it's 8.5cents. Then figure that if you include charging overhead, you will get about 3 miles per kWh. So if you drive 1,000 miles per month, you need 333kWh, which at 8.5cents is $28.31 for a month. Note that some utilities offer cheaper "off-peak" pricing, which means you pay less at night, which is the best time to charge.
Surprisingly enough, it isn't much more than thinking about where you want to go, and if that place is within the limits of your battery. If it is borderline, you go a little slower, accelerate slower, use the light foot approach, and viola! You have more range. Maybe a lot more, depending on how much you can ease off the accelerator. You will also be surprised that most of the places you want to go are within that range. You will start to think of how far you can go, rather than how fast, and it becomes a challenge, a mental interest. You will watch your battery level and figure how much it will take to get there. Of course, the S will do a lot of that for you, but even the smallest battery pack will get you 150 miles, if you don't have to be the fastest one in the pack.
You will find you don't need to find the L3 charger. Or even the L2.
Roblab, Quote: " You will start to think of how far you can go, rather than how fast, and it becomes a challenge, a mental interest. "
Does anyone know if driving a Tesla car would have any adverse effects on ones health?
Since it is generally known now that cell phone use can be the trigger for certain health issues and that electro magnetic pollution has an impact on ones health, does one have to take into consideration that driving an electric car could have an adverse impact one ones health as well?
The only health risk is if you crash the car...
EMF is not any higher in the Roadster than in a regular car.
" You will start to think of how far you can go, rather than how fast, and it becomes a challenge, a mental interest. "
sounds like an apple ad where they make a shortcomming of their product to a lifestyle statement.
Sorry to come across that way, Christian. I am just saying that it happens. Like telling people they will have the "EV grin". It just happens. I used to drive like crazy (over 100 mph from Reno to Sacramento). Then I got my EV (RAV4EV) and loved it. The quiet, the cleanness, the inexpensive non political fuel, the feeling of working with rather than against nature, it just happens. I don't mean to sound like you will have to change your lifestyle, or that range is not a problem for some, but that humans *adjust*. You find you don't have to do 100 mph, or be the fastest off the line (Hey, I have testosterone, too!). But if you don't like EV's and their problems, it may be that you have adjusted to gas engine cars, and their problems. Maybe an EV is not best for you.
So does anyone know if Tesla will take my Acura in trade? Or any car trade-in like conventional auto dealers would? Gonna be a real pain to sell my old car privately and try to by a Type-S.
For Roadster sales, they do not take any trade-in. My guess is that they would not take a trade-in for Model S sales, either, so long as there is sufficient demand without accepting that liability.
But you should ask Tesla for a definite answer.
Solution: trade it in on a new Corolla, then a few days/weeks later return that for a refund. ;)


text:
Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter
This County Princess Can Send You to See the Elder Madam
The laws of Da Shun clearly stated that only officials of standard third rank and higher were permitted to bring in or promote high-ranking concubines. For officials under standard third rank, you could take in as many concubines as desired, nor did it matter if you treated the concubines a little better, but you definitely could not call them high-ranking concubines.
For someone like Han shi, whose mind was only filled with thoughts of romance, she only thought about how she would fight to gain favor within the manor. She would think about how she could improve her and Fen Dai's position within the manor. How could she spend any amount of time understand the laws of Da Shun. Once Cheng Jun Man's words were spoken, Han shi immediately became unhappy, "On what basis can we not? Who said that we cannot have one? To control the skies and the land, they even want to control what sort of concubine someone has?"
Once this was said, Feng Jin Yuan's face immediately blanched. Kneeling on the ground, his legs began to tremble. Cheng Jun Mei did not say a single word before taking a couple steps forward and slapping Han shi twice across the face. This caused Han shi to see stars.
Feng Jin Yuan was, in the end, still worried about the child in her belly. Hearing the sound of her being hit, he turned around and wanted to stop her; however, Cheng Jun Man said: "Husband, those slaps will save her life."
Feng Jin Yuan closed the mouth that he had opened. That's right, they will save Han shi's life. He looked at Han shi with a look of disappointment for having failed to meet expectations, "Officials under standard third rank cannot have high-ranking concubines. This is a law in Da Shun. This was put in place by the Emperor. Han shi, how many heads do you have?"
Han shi was dazed upon hearing these words. This was then followed by waves of horror. How many heads did she have that she actually dared to insult the Emperor? If these words were spread, would she still be able to continue living?
Once these thoughts arose, she subconsciously turned toward Feng Yu Heng. Feng Yu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked her: "Concubine mother, what are you looking at this county princess for? It was you that insulted the Emperor. What is it, with this many pairs of ears that had heard it, you want to frame this county princess?"
Han shi was startled then quickly shook her head: "I did not, I did not." She then lowered her head, not daring to say another word.
Feng Yu Heng, however, spoke up once more to ask her: "Then do you have anything else to add regarding this matter of high-ranking concubines?"
Han shi gently bit her lip. She felt extremely unreconciled but shook her head: "No." She then muttered: "How could the elder madam not even know about this?"
"Hmph." Feng Yu Heng shrugged and quietly snorted, "Whether or not grandmother knew, you would need to ask her yourself. If you really feel that you have suffered an injustice, this county princess can send you to see her."
"No, no, no!" Han shi desperately shook her head, "I don't want to go. I…"
"Enough!" Feng Jin Yuan angrily shouted, "This matter is concluded here. Nobody is permitted to bring it up again. Han shi, you are pregnant. There is no need for you to stand vigil. Go back!" He waved his hand, and some servants immediately came forward to bring Han shi out.
Han shi had been scared so thoroughly by Feng Yu Heng and the Cheng shi sisters that she did not dare remain. But as she was being taken out, she still shouted: "Husband, you must call a doctor for fourth young miss!"
How could Feng Jin Yuan be bothered with such a thing. Instead, it was Cheng Jun Man that called for someone to carry Fen Dai off. She then arranged for someone to bring a doctor in.
Just after the mother and daughter had been taken care of, a male servant ran in and shouted: "Second young miss! The young master has returned to the manor!"
Hearing the words, "the young master has returned to the manor," everyone in the mourning hall was shocked. Even Feng Yu Heng was given a shock. Why had Zi Rui suddenly come back?
While she was feeling puzzled, she saw a young boy quickly walking in their direction. The young boy wore a set of blue clothes and was full of vigor. His eyebrows had a sharp look, and he had the bearing of a great young sir.
If this was not Feng Zi Rui, who else could it be?
She stepped in his direction to welcome him. When the young boy saw his older sister, the sharp look in his eyes that were similar to that of a young lord was immediately covered by a thin mist. He dove straight into Feng Yu Heng's embrace without any ambition. He spoke in a very sad and aggrieved tone: "Does elder sister not miss Zi Rui?"
Feng Yu Heng's heart melted in an instant.
It had to be said that in this life, aside from Xuan Tian Ming, the only person that could cause her to feel a sense of responsibility that she could not escape was Feng Zi Rui. But because this was the case, she did not dare contact Zi Rui too much. She had too many enemies. If they only went after her, there was nothing that Feng Yu Heng feared. What she feared was for her enemies to target Zi Rui. Yao shi had already been poisoned once. The academy's kitchen had also caught fire. Although Zi Rui was fine, if this child had been harmed because of her, she truly did not want to think about what she might do.
Feng Yu Heng calmed herself down and hugged her younger brother, gently saying: "How could I not miss you. Elder sister is missing Zi Rui every day, but Zi Rui must attend school. As long as you have gained some actual ability, you will be able to protect yourself."
Zi Rui looked up from her embrace and added: "Not just myself, I will also protect elder sister." After this was said, it seemed as though he knew that Feng Yu Heng wanted to ask something, thus he lowered his voice and said to her: "It was big brother Ban Zou that brought me back." He then raised his voice a little to say: "Because there were floods all over the country, the families of many schoolmates were dealing with the disaster. Headteacher decided that the academy would be closed for a month." After he said this, he escaped from Feng Yu Heng's embrace and turned to Feng Jin Yuan. With a very serious expression, he gave a salute: "Zi Rui greets father." He was polite but lacking in familiarity. It was as though he was dealing with a stranger. The word father to him was a concept that he could not quite understand.
Feng Jin Yuan looked at this son that he had not seen for over half a year and he could not help but feel a bit emotional. Ever since Feng Zi Hao had died, he had felt more and more satisfied with this son. He also felt more and more interested. Helplessly, however, he was imperial tutor Ye Rong's personal disciple. He was the current Emperor's junior disciple. He spent most of his time at Yun Lu Academy. Not to mention wanting to take an interest in him, even seeing him once was difficult.
He was feeling emotional and subconsciously reached out. He wanted to hug this son, but he heard Zi Rui say: "Zi Rui came back in a hurry and only heard about grandmother's passing after reaching the capital. I am feeling very saddened." After saying this, he turned and kneeled in front of the coffin. He very frankly kowtowed three times then said: "This unfilial grandson Zi Rui will kowtow to grandmother. Zi Rui has been away for school and could not be filial to grandmother. This was Zi Rui's fault. I hope grandmother will not blame me from the underworld."
The hands that Feng Jin Yuan had extended came up empty. He was a little embarrassed, but Zi Rui was kowtowing to the matriarch. He could not say anything and could only gloomily put his hands back down then say: "You just returned. You should go rest first."
Zi Rui did not get up. He just turned around and said to Feng Jin Yuan: "Zi Rui is not tired. Zi Rui will stand vigil for grandmother tonight. Spending time in prison is difficult. Father only just got out and must be feeling exhausted."
An anger surged forth in Feng Jin Yuan's heart, and he rushed to ask: "Who told you that father was in prison?"
Zi Rui shook his head, "Nobody told me. Father is wearing prison clothing. Just by guessing, it's easy to guess that you just returned to the manor."
Only then did Feng Jin Yuan recall that he had not had a chance to get changed since returning. He could not help but feel upset. He could not be bothered with anything else and quickly left.
Upon seeing Feng Jin Yuan leave, Jin Zhen thought a bit. Gritting her teeth, she followed him out. An shi helplessly sighed and said: "I really don't know what's going through their minds."
Feng Yu Heng quietly laughed, "Who cares. They can think about whatever they want to think about. As long as they don't place any of their ideals on us, it's fine." After she finished speaking, she helped Zi Rui up. Pointing at the Cheng shi sisters, she said: "Zi Rui, meet our two mothers."
Zi Rui did not ask too much. He would do anything that his elder sister told him to do. He just saluted and paid respects to the two. Cheng Jun Man liked Zi Rui a great deal. Since this was the matriarch's funeral, she did not have anything nice prepared, thus she could only say: "Good child. Mother will give you a gift later on."
Feng Zi Rui could see that her elder sister was close with the two mothers, thus he was not too courteous and immediately nodded, "Many thanks, mother."
Feng Yu Heng advised the Cheng shi sisters and AN shi: "You should go back first. Tonight is the first night. It should be on the younger generation to stand vigil first. I will personally stand vigil with Zi Rui and Xiang Rong. Just come back tomorrow morning to take over."
They did not have any objections to this matter. After all, these were the rules, but Cheng Jun Man said: "County princess still needs to go into the palace tomorrow. You should rest properly tonight. Whether or not you stand vigil… is fine."
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, "No, I am perfectly happy to stand vigil. After all, that is my grandmother." After she said this, she waved her hand and sent the three back. Without saying much else, she brought Zi Rui and Xiang Rong to kneel once more.
When the three saw her act so insistently, they did not stop her. They just said a few words of advice then left the mourning hall. Xiang Rong had not seen Zi Rui for a long time and used her gesture while quietly saying: "You've grown taller."
With no adults present, Zi Rui finally regained his childish liveliness. After all, the matriarch had not treated him and his elder sister very kindly. Even if he wanted to squeeze out some tears, he could not, thus he frankly gave up. Holding Xiang Rong's hand, he very sweetly said: "Third sister is becoming more and more beautiful."
Xiang Rong pinched his smiling face, "You really know how to speak!"
That night, the brother and sisters did not suffer from standing vigil, but Zi Rui was tired from his journey and fell asleep in the latter half of the night. Leaning against Feng Yu Heng's body, he slept until the sun came up the next day.
The Cheng shi sisters came very early. They arrived just as Zi Rui woke up. After arriving, they quickly chase them out: "The sun has come up. You should quickly go back and sleep. As long as we are here, it will be fine."
An shi also arrived very quickly. Feng Yu Heng saw that there was not much wrong, thus she brought the two children back to Tong Sheng pavilion.
Zi Rui and Xiang Rong were both exhausted, and they fell asleep as soon as they arrived. Feng Yu Heng, however, just took a four-hour nap before getting up once more. She did not have time to sleep. She had to visit the Jing Palace today. She also had to go to the palace to treat imperial concubine Yun. She had also received a gift from imperial concubine Gu Xian, thus she had to at least visit. She feared that this trip would only be concluded late at night.
She kept Wang Chuan behind to take care of Zi Rui while Huang Quan went out with her. Outside the county princess' manor, Ban Zou personally drove the imperial carriage and was waiting there. Seeing her come up, he said without any expression: "I brought the child back for you. How will you thank me?"
Feng Yu Heng rolled her eyes, "What child. That is my younger brother. As for thanking you, how about I let you take a few days off?"
Ban Zou shook his head, "Then you may as well not thank me." He then pointed at the imperial carriage behind him: "Get in!"
Feng Yu Heng was about to get in the imperial carriage. At this time, she heard Feng Jin Yuan suddenly shout from the Feng manor: "I want all of you to scram!"


text:
Intel® True Scale Fabric Switch Products: Service Rules
1) Registration of service:
a. All software service renewals will be automatically registered to the product for which they are purchased.
i. An Intel representative may contact the purchaser to verify information required for registration.
b. All hardware service renewals must be paired and registered to a valid hardware product. See the listing of valid product and service pairings.
i. An Intel representative may contact the purchaser to verify the pairing.
2) Length of service:
a. Service renewals for products under an end of life (EOL) notice shall comply with the terms of the EOL notice. Information on product EOL:
i. End-Of-Life Notice: SDR Switch Components
ii. End-Of-Life Notice: InfiniBand* DDR Switches
iii. End-Of-Life Notice: InfiniBand SDR and DDR HCAs
iv. End-Of-Life Notice: Mellanox re-branded InfiniBand DDR HCAs
b. Service renewals for products not under an end of life (EOL) notice may not extend service beyond 5 years from the date of renewal order. Additional limitations to service renewals may apply.
c. Cancellation of service is not supported.
3) Service coverage and lapse of service:
a. Hardware Service:
i. All hardware service must be continuous from date of purchase.
ii. Renewals are granted a 90-day grace period from last expiration of service or warranty and will begin when the last service or warranty expired.
iii. Renewals after the 90-day grace period will be charged a "restoration fee." Please refer to the service restoration information page for more information.
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1. Late renewal periods begin on the date of renewal purchase.
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i. 1-year warranty upgrades apply only to upgrading base warranty service level and do not extend the term of the warranty.
ii. 3-year warranty upgrades apply to the base warranty and extend coverage an additional 2 years.
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text:
Bears cornerback Charles Tillman specializes in takeaways.
But a delivery might keep him off the field this week.
Tillman told 670 The Score he might miss Sunday's game against the Texans if his wife goes into labor.
"The wife is due any day, so hopefully this baby can stay in until after the game on Sunday," Tillman said. "I hope she stays in – I'm having another girl. Monday, for sure, but if she comes Sunday, I think I'm going to have to be at the hospital Sunday. So, I hope she stays in until after Sunday."
While that may not sound as considerate as I'm sure it was intended, Tillman deserves credit for having his priorities in order.
He also deserves consideration for defensive player of the year honors through the first half.
He has seven forced fumbles and two interceptions returned for touchdowns, leading the Bears to a 7-1 record.
But that pales in comparison to what he's scheduled to receive soon.


text:
FSF News
FSF launches free software extension listing for OpenOffice.org
Breakthrough for Free Software Gaming
Breakthrough for Free Software Gaming--Ryzom Announces Full Release of Source Code and Artwork, and a Partnership with the Free Software Foundation to Host a Repository of the Game's Artistic Assets
FSF responds to Jobs's "Thoughts on Flash"
Apple's use of proprietary software and recommendation of an explicitly patent-afflicted standard (H.264) are inconsistent with the free web.
New Documentary Film "Patent Absurdity: how software patents broke the system"
New documentary film "Patent Absurdity" is set to expose how the judicial activism that led to the patenting of software has broken the US patent system's promise of promoting the progress of science and useful arts
Time for nonprofits to leave proprietary fundraising software systems behind
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced that CiviCRM has earned its recommendation as a fully featured donor and contact management system for nonprofits.
Why I'm rejecting your email attachment
Why I'm rejecting your email attachment: for freedom and the good of the web!
FSF Advocates Free Software for U.S. IPEC Joint Strategic Plan
2009 Free Software Awards Announced
Free Software Award Winners: John Gilmore and the Internet Archive
Day Against DRM: Tuesday, May 4th 2010
"When companies organize to design products to restrict us, we have to organize to defeat them" -- FSF president Richard Stallman
LibrePlanet Free Software Conference: Free as in Freedom!
The annual free software conference LibrePlanet is the place for the free software community -- from old school hackers to brand new users -- to come together and further the collective goals of the free software movement. At LibrePlanet 2010 you can help your neighbor get a head-start in free software or explore the very latest philosophical ideas that will shape computing and user freedom for the next generation.
Defective by Design delivers iPad anti-DRM petition with 5,000 signatures to Jobs -- more coming
The first 5,000 names have been printed on a four-foot tall "tablet" and shipped to Cupertino. Defective by Design will send a new tablet for every 5,000 signatures.
Free Software Foundation files new objection to amended Google Book Search settlement
iPad is iBad for freedom
With new tablet device, Apple's Steve Jobs pushes unprecedented extension of DRM to a new class of general purpose computers
FSF announces LibrePlanet 2010 free software community conference: March 19-21
FSF works with PayPal to the benefit of the free software community
The Free Software Foundation thanks PayPal for responding to its concerns and making its terms more free software friendly.
Why is free software important to you? Submit your response to our new video campaign!
At the Women in Free Software Summit and the Boston celebration of Software Freedom Day 2009, the FSF kicked off a new video testimonial campaign. See how it went, and help support the campaign by submitting a video response to these questions!
Breaking the dependency on proprietary software: A call to nonprofits to refuse Microsoft Windows 7
"sinking money and time into proprietary software is inconsistent with the core values of freedom and progress."
FSF files brief in Bilski case calling on the Supreme Court to eliminate software patents
FSF announces new bounty program, offering "GNU Bucks" for finding nonfree works in free distributions
Sugar Labs and FSF announce joint efforts to promote learning platform for children
Sugar Labs and Free Software Foundation Celebrate Software Freedom Day, Announce Joint Efforts to Promote the Sugar Learning Platform for Children Worldwide


text:
We are glad to announce the 20th anniversary of "Science. Information. Spirit." congress!
Every year for 20 years we are having this exciting event in St. Petersburg. The main goal is to gather people from all over the world, exchange ideas, results and projects in the field of frontier science and first of all – in the field of exploring Energy Fields in humans and nature.
This is scientific congress, but it is not only for scientists and researchers – public lectures of scientists from Russia, the USA, Europe and Asia are designed for wide circle of listeners.
In many years we had presentations by leading worldwide known scientists as well as researchers who are having interesting results, but not enough data for publishing in per-review journals. We have both oral presentation on plenary sessions and poster sessions – depending on the decision of the Organizing Committee. Participants from different countries may interact with each other during brakes, which allow to support an international community of friends and colleagues working in the same area. This is unique chance when you may easily talk with world-renowned scientists.
All selected papers are published in the Proceedings of the Congress and featured in Internet.
All lectures are translated to English and Russian, in case of delegations from particular country, translation to other languages are available.
Main topics of the Congress:
• Exploration of energy fields in humans and nature.
• GDV Electrophotonic Imaging in Medicine, Sports, environment study, consciousness research.
• Bio-Well development and applications.
• Water and its special properties – new science of water.
• The environment and its effect on human.
We invite you to take part in the Congress:
President of the Congress - Professor K.G. Korotkov
Scientific Committee:
Professor V.L. Voeikov, Russia
Professor A. I. Krashenyuk, Russia


text:
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: email@example.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 20, 2009) – The U.S. Men's A2 Team defended its Pan American Cup title on Saturday with a 3-2 (32-30 , 16-25, 24-26, 25-17, 15-12) victory over Canada in the gold medal match in Chiapas, Mexico.
Dean Bittner (Lakewood, Calif.) led the United States in scoring with 30 points on 27 kills, one block and two aces. Bittner converted 57 percent of his attack attempts into points. Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 16 points on 10 kills, five blocks and one ace.
Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) scored 14 points on 13 kills and one ace. Nate Meerstein (La Porte City, Iowa) scored 12 on nine kills and three blocks.
"I think that the team didn't get desperate after being down 2-1," U.S. Head Coach Rick McLaughlin said in a NORCECA press release. "We could adjust our quick game and the blocking at the corners. We are very happy with this victory in the start of the year for our program."
The Canadian team dominated the blocking 18-9 but most of them were in the first three sets. The United States converted 52 percent of its attack attempts as opposed to 46 percent for Canada.
Gavin Smith led Canada with 22 points, Justin Duff and Adam Simac each had 14 and Steve Gotch and Toontje van Lankvelt had 11 and 10 points respectively.
Among other U.S. scorers, Matt McKinney (Santa Ynez, Calif.) scored six points on five kills and one ace. Nils Nielsen (Fallbrook, Calif.) scored six points on six kills. Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, Ariz.) scored two points on two kills.
McLaughlin started McKinney and Tarr at outside hitter, Holt and Meerstein at middle blocker, Bittner at opposite, Hildebrand at setter and Isaac Kneubuhl at libero.
Eric Vance (Camarillo, Calif.), Nielsen, at Dustin Watten (Long Beach State) all played as substitutes.
The first set saw the U.S. Men fall behind 12-17. But a 5-0 run, including a kill and ace by Bittner, tied the score at 17-17. Team USA reached set point first at 24-23, but Canada tied it up again. Canada would reach set point four times and the United States would reach it three more times before finally gaining the 32-30 victory.
The second set saw the U.S. Men fall behind quickly and trailing 4-8 at the first technical timeout (TO). Canada increased its lead to 16-7 at the second TTO and never looked back.
McLaughlin had substituted Nielsen for McKinney in the second set and Nielsen stayed in to start the rest of the match.
The third set was much tighter and the U.S. Men led 8-7 at the first TTO. Canada reached set point first at 24-23, but a Nielsen kill tied the score. Canada's kill gave it the 25-24 lead and a block by Gavin Schmitt gave the Canucks the victory.
Despite being down 2-1, Team USA did not back down and raced to an 11-2 lead in the fourth set. Bittner was responsible for five of the 11 points.
Canada worked to whittle away at the lead and eventually cut it to four points at 17-13. But the U.S. Men scored three straight points on two Canada errors and a Holt block to increase the lead to 20-13. Canada went on a 3-0 run to make it 20-16, but Team USA had another 3-0 run to put the victory out of reach for Canada.
The tie-breaker score was tied 6-6 when a U.S. three-point run, including two kills by Bittner, put Team USA ahead 9-6. Canada never got closer than three points.
2009 U.S. Pan American Cup Roster
No. Name (Position, Height, Weight, Hometown, College)
1 Eric Vance (OH, 6-4, 195, Camarillo, Calif., Cal State Northridge)
3 Dean Bittner (Opp, 6-7, 187, Lakewood, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 Matt McKinney (OH, 6-9, 225, Santa Ynez, Calif., UCLA)
5 Isaac Kneubuhl (L, 6-1, 190, Pukalani, Hawai'i, Cal State Northridge)
6 Tyler Hildebrand (S, 6-5, 196, Mesa, Ariz., Long Beach State)
7 Robert Tarr (OH, 6-6, 200, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Long Beach State)
8 Nate Meerstein (MB, 6-9, 209, La Porte City, Iowa, Penn State)
9 Nils Nielsen (OH, 6-4, 180, Fallbrook, Calif., Cal State Northridge)
10 Brian Thornton (S, 6-3, 187, San Clemente, Calif., UC Irvine)
11 Max Holt (MB, 6-9, 198, Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn State)
14 Austin Zahn (MB, 6-8, 220, Hermosa Beach, Calif., USC)
19 Dustin Watten (L, 6-0, 162, Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State)
Head Coach: Rick McLaughlin (UC Santa Barbara)
Team Manager: Ken Preston (UC Santa Barbara)
Assistant Coach: Scott Wong (Pepperdine)
Therapist/Trainer: Chris Birch (Penn State)
Team Doctor: Ken Schroeder
Final Standings: 1. USA, 2. Canada, 3. Dominican Republic, 4. Puerto Rico, 5. Mexico, 6, Guatemala, 7.Panama
Pool Play
Group A Results
June 15: Canada def. Dominican Republic, 15-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18
June 16: USA def. Dominican Republic, 31-29, 25-19, 25-20
June 17: USA def. Canada, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-13
Group B Results
June 15: Puerto Rico def. Panama, 25-17, 25-14, 25-22
June 15: Mexico def. Guatemala, 25-16, 25-23, 25-17
June 16: Guatemala def. Panama, 25-22, 25-22, 25-18
June 16: Puerto Rico def. Mexico, 33-31, 25-23, 25-21
June 17: Puerto Rico def. Guatemala, 25-14, 25-17, 25-18
June 17: Mexico def. Panama, 25-13 25-18 26-24
Group A Final Standings
Canada 1-1
Dominican Republic 0-2
Group B Final Standings
Puerto Rico 3-0
Mexico 2-1
Guatemala 1-2
Panama 0-3
Quarterfinals – June 18
Canada def. Guatemala, 25-14, 25-16, 25-19
Dominican Republic def. Mexico, 25-21, 25-19, 25-23
Classification 5 – June 19
Mexico def. Guatemala, 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 25-15
Semifinals – June 19
USA def. Dominican Republic, 25-21, 25-23, 25-14
Canada def. Puerto Rico, 25-18, 24-26, 25-21, 27-25
June 20
6-7 Classification
Guatemala def. Panama, 25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-9.
Third place
Dominican Republic def. Puerto Rico, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10
USA def. Canada, 32-30, 16-25, 24-26, 25-17, 15-12


text:
What's best and worst about being a kid?
Ron Witherow:"The best part is not having cares. The worst is homework."
Eric Jenson:"The best part is the lack of responsibility, and the worst part is trying to fit in."
Francis Brittingham:"The best part of being a kid is all the fun kids have. The worst is that even though they're young, they still worry."