text:
Central African Republic mobs attack as French begin disarmament
France says it will disarm Seleka fighters by force if necessary
Dozens of young men stood waiting for storm clouds to pass, as wind stirred up swirls of red dust on the largely deserted street in Central African Republic's capital. Through the drizzle, they spotted a man in a flowing white robe traditionally worn by Muslims, hand-in-hand with his adolescent son.
The style of dress was enough to confirm that this was their enemy.
Hungry for revenge, the crowd descended upon the pair. The man's terrified son broke away, and fled on foot, abandoning his father as the knife-wielding mob clutched the middle-aged man.
'You could bring an angel from the sky to govern this country and there would still be problems.- President Michel Djotodia
Muslim rebels known as Seleka overthrew the government of this majority Christian nation nine months ago, sparking mounting sectarian violence that prompted former colonizer France last week to deploy troops to Bangui in an effort to stop the bloodshed.
In a city where more than 400 people died last week in two days of tit-for-tat violence between Christians and Muslims, it was clear Monday there is still enough pent-up rage left that a crowd will try to kill a man on sight.
The angry mob insisted their victim served as a general in the rebel movement accused of carrying out atrocities against the nation's Christian population, including tying victims together and throwing them off bridges to drown. "Seleka! Seleka! Seleka!" screamed the men as they encircled the Muslim man in a tornado of anger.
'I am a merchant!'
In this case, French forces intervened just in time, firing into the air as a warning. "I am a merchant! I am a merchant!," the man cried as the French pulled him away, his back covered in dirt and his gown ripped off. His tearful son came back, his white shirt covered in blood, and the French ferried them to safety.
Other Muslims were not as fortunate. In the Benzvi neighborhood, a mob descended upon two ex-Seleka leaders leaving their home Monday afternoon. One got away. The crowd took up the only weapons they had against the other, witnesses said.
"People picked up rocks from the ground and stoned him to death," said Junior Dagdag, 28, pointing to the pool of blood and stones in the middle of the road, where the victim's car burned and smoke plumed into the sky. "Some brought his body to the hospital while others set his car on fire."
The latest round of violence began Thursday, when armed Christian fighters who oppose the ex-Seleka forces in power attacked the capital and were later repelled by the ex-rebels.
The French ambassador to the UN, Gerard Araud, said a "modicum of law and order" had been restored in Bangui. Some 1,600 French forces are on the ground. French helicopters buzzed overhead while dozens of military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, snaked through neighborhoods where tensions ran high. French forces came under attack near the airport but the area was later secured.
In Washington, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed the U.S. Africa Command to begin transporting forces in coordination with France because the U.S. believes immediate action is needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
President Michel Djotodia had demanded that the fighters who brought him to power remain in their barracks Monday so that French forces and African troops from a regional peacekeeping mission could secure the city. Fed-up Christians sought to enforce the law themselves, chasing anyone they suspected as being part of Seleka -- even in civilian clothing -- off of the streets.
Emmanuel Yakanga, 53, a Christian, said he walked by a group of Christians harassing some men they accused of being Seleka and that he understands their anger. Even as ex-Seleka elements promised to disarm and hand over their weapons to the French, Christian neighborhoods are coming under attack nightly, he said. Yakanga's 17-year-old niece was fatally shot on Thursday, he said.
"This talk of disarmament is merely superficial. They're just going to keep their weapons elsewhere," Yakanga said of the ex-Seleka.
In the months since he seized power, it has become clear that Djotodia wields little control over the rebels who now see themselves as the country's national army. Over the weekend, Djotodia acknowledged his lack of power, telling reporters that not even "an angel from the sky" could govern his troubled nation now.
Central African Republic has suffered decades of dictatorship, coups and rebellions that have kept the diamond-rich country in many ways frozen in time since its independence from France in 1960. Life expectancy was a mere 48 years even before the latest humanitarian crisis, and aid officials warn an untold number of people forced to flee deep into the bush are dying of malaria and other illnesses.
The latest spasm of violence, however, is horrific even by the standards of the broken nation.
Problems on both sides
As Muslims came under attack across the city, a Christian man in another part of the capital nearly lost his life to a fearful and angry Muslim mob.
Crowds said they spotted Sincere Banyodi, 32, as he made his way through the Kokoro 3 neighborhood and feared he was a member of the Christian militia known as anti-balaka, which has carried out massacres of Muslim civilians.
"This guy was walking through our neighborhood with two grenades. We asked him where he was from and he couldn't tell us. The people caught him and attacked him, but then decided to turn him over to the French instead of killing him," said Ali Moussa Terab, who was standing in the crowd.
Banyodi, who was identified by a friend, sat with pieces of cloth tied around his machete wounds on both arms, his pants soaked in blood. He said nothing, not responding to questions as he sat alone in front of a cluster of shops. Half a dozen armed French forces kept the large crowd swirling nearby at bay.
Even as French troops patrolled, some residents said they doubted the intervention would hold. Muslim resident Abdel Wahid, 32, and his friends said they heard rumors the Christian militia fighters were regrouping in the countryside. Despite the clear danger on the streets, they said, this was the calm before the storm.
"Why should Seleka have to turn over their weapons? They are the national army," Wahid said. "After the French leave, things will explode."


text:
In NBA 2K14, the definitive annual basketball simulation returns for another season with more than 3,000 new animations, updated controls, the debut of Euroleague basketball, a soundtrack hand-picked by LeBron James, and the resurrection of the Crews mode. Updated Pro Stick controls offer gamers more command over their dribbling, defense, and shot type, with players now executing no-look passes and circus shots, and defenders blocking dunks and diving on the floor for loose balls, while the My Player career mode returns with improved teammate AI and new rewards for playing stout defense.
Super Gamer Dude
PlayStation 3
NBA 2k14 is the strongest basketball game to be released in the last ten years. The 2K series has long been the stalwart product of the genre, boxing out other franchises like the Live series, and it uses its position to continue to excel. The core of 2k14 continues on down the same path that the prior entry, 2k13, established. Fortunately for basketball fanatics this is not a bad thing as the gameplay has reached almost unparalleled realism.
NBA 2k14, as a basketball simulator, is unrivaled in the world of video games. Every time that I would drive to the hoop as Derrick Rose I could feel the twitch of the controls respond to my every movement. The game manages to capture both the strength and the speed of this superstar. If I were to instead play as Steve Blake I would have a distinctly different feel for the game. This is a merit to how realistic the game has become. Gone are the days that you are getting scorched by end of the bench rotation players. If you play as a superstar the game feels like it and if you play as a scrub then the same thing applies.
Controls in the game are fairly similar to last years entry with a few exceptions. The new "Assist Pass" system is a joy to utilize. By hitting your LT/R2 buttons you will be able to send no look and cross court passes to your other players. For drive and kick teams this allows for a whole new strategy to be employed. It is a risky maneuver, just like in real life, but can quickly pay dividends with a hot shooter. The shot stick also seems more concise and you won't be spending time accidentally sending up junk shots because your thumb slipped a little bit.
The game modes are the same throughout sans the Dream Team mode that was used often in online play. Euroleague teams have been added instead. The Association is still where most ballers will spend their time as they try to craft the perfect team through years of gameplay.
The lone new gameplay addition this year is the "LeBron: Path To Greatness" story driven gameplay. In this mode you will begin your career as LeBron James as he currently is: the leader of the Miami Heat. From there you will decide his future in the league. It's a fun distraction but not near deep enough to warrant prolonged game play.
The graphical enhancements in the 360 version of 2k14 look incredible but they don't hold a candle to the next gen iterations. In the XB1 and PS4 versions you will feel like you are courtside at a real NBA game. The commentary is spot on and even the sweat on your players brow looks realistic.
NBA 2k14 is the best basketball sim to be released on last gen systems, the Xbox 360 and PS3, and a great starting point for the next generation of ballers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Finally took some photos of a few frames I threw together. Sorry the photos aren't that great... still haven't setup my light-box since we moved. I have no cool names or anything yet... still trying to figure out if I want to do a company, pirate clan, Solar Union military unit, etc etc. Just wanted to put together some frames for the fun of it =) These are all in 7p scale.
The first one here I tried to do all on my own. Got the legs and hips all put together but couldn't figure out how to connect the torso to the hips. Special thanks to Ced23Ric for helping me here with the LDD file from this frame: I also appropriated some other techniques =) The cockpit is small for 7p but I imagined the pilot would ride in it similar to how one rides a crotch rocket. They would lay prone with the head and arms out in front and legs extending back. I just built this for fun; no idea how it would spec-out for MFZ. I like the shoulder-mounted repeating rocket launcher =^.^= Also check out how I did the legs using headlight bricks and Star Wars blasters... thought that was kinda neat.
Next up is Yellow 5 the heavy armored CHUB! Basic CHUB design but I didn't have any yellow dishes or enough Travis bricks for the feet so I just started slapping on SNOT and called it heavy armor.
Expanding on that I built a blue one with even more heavy armor. On the back he's got some auxiliary power supplies which are necessary to move around that much bulk!
Here's the whole album.


text:
Doug Scott has made 45 expeditions to the high mountains of Asia. He has reached the summit of 40 peaks, of which half were climbed by new routes or for the first time in Alpine Style. Apart from his climb up the South West Face of Everest with Dougal Haston during Chris Bonington's Expedition of 1975, he has made all his climbs in lightweight or Alpine Style, without the use of artificial oxygen. He has reached the highest peaks on all seven continents – 'the seven summits'.
He is a past President of the Alpine Club and was made a CBE in 1994. In 1999 he received the Royal Geographical Society Patron's Gold Medal.
On this site you will find information about Doug along with details on events and lectures. You can also view a selection of his photographs and order prints.


text:
NEW YORK – A look at the 2011 league player rules explains why D.C. United had first dibs at acquiring Charlie Davies.
United, who finished in last place in the overall league standings last year, are currently at the top of the MLS allocation rankings, the mechanism which determines the team with first priority to acquire US national team players based overseas.
The allocation rankings are determined by reverse order of finish for the 2010 season, taking playoff performance into account.
Once a club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the allocation list. The expansion Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, who stood at the top of the allocation rankings at the conclusion of the 2010 season, moved down to the end after making two acqusitions of US national team players during the offseason.
Here are the rankings as they stand as of Friday:
1. D.C. United
2. Chivas USA
3. Philadelphia Union
4. New England Revolution
5. Houston Dynamo
6. Toronto FC
7. Chicago Fire
8. Sporting Kansas City
9. Seattle Sounders
10. Columbus Crew
11. New York Red Bulls
12. Real Salt Lake
13. San Jose Earthquakes
14. LA Galaxy
15. FC Dallas
16. Colorado Rapids
17. Vancouver Whitecaps (acquired Jay DeMerit)
18. Portland Timbers (acquired Kenny Cooper)


text:
Here's a piece I did recently for the Photography Issue for the Tampa newspaper, Creative Loafing, that I work for.
Local freelance food stylist and photographer Andrea Acailawen has learned to blend her love of photography and passion for food into a successful career, bringing food to life through her camera lens.
Working for a Northern California ad agency, she styled products and food for a variety of clients: home goods and kitchenware companies, department store and grocery chains, restaurants, wineries, a cherry grower — even a nut manufacturing plant. Now she's opened her own photography and styling business in Tampa and is "starting from scratch in a new market."
It's not surprising that she ended up in this vocation. Her chef/photographer father taught her how to cook and bought her a camera at the age of 6 for a class field trip: a medium-format Hasselblad (one of those old-school, boxy-looking ones with a single lens and film-winding crank).
Read the rest of this entry


text:
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is too big to display all in one piece. Since 1987, it has grown to more than 48,000 panels that honor the lives of more than 94,000 people who have died of AIDS. The last time the whole quilt was shown together was in 1996, on the National Mall. Now it's back in Washington, D.C., for its 25th anniversary.
Because of its size — put together, the whole quilt would stretch more than 50 miles — it's being displayed in pieces all over the city. Hundreds of quilt panels, made by the friends and families of those who have died, have been spread out on the National Mall, each one measuring 3 feet by 6 feet — the size of a human grave. Volunteers will rotate the panels, featuring more than 8,000 every day.
Julie Rhoad is executive director of the NAMES Project Foundation, which preserves, displays and collects new panels for the quilt. She says that in the late '80s and early '90s, the quilt grew by up to 11,000 panels a year. Now, it's around one or two a day.
Rhoad says she would love to find the AIDS Memorial Quilt a home where it could serve as a permanent reminder that those who have died are not just statistics — they were real people.
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
And I'm Audie Cornish.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt has grown too big to display together in one place. It honors the lives of over 94,000 people who died of AIDS with panels made by friends and family. The entire quilt was shown together in 1996 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Now, it's back for its 25th anniversary, this time displayed all over the city, as we hear from NPR's Neda Ulaby.
NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: There are hundreds of quilt panels spread on the National Mall, each one 3 feet by 6 feet, the size of a human grave.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: These are the names of our dead: Gary Moonert, Marvin Feldman, Douglas Lowery...
ULABY: There's a reading like this whenever the quilt is shown.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: ...Reggie Hightower.
ULABY: One square is shiny purple satin. Others are covered with rainbow flags, American flags and red quilted hearts.
KATIE LAUDERDALE: That's Uncle Eric. Your Uncle Eric was...
ULABY: Katie Lauderdale brought her two young daughters to see the quilt. Her brother Eric Phifer died in San Francisco when he was only 30. The minute she starts talking, the tears begin too.
LAUDERDALE: It's so overwhelming. I mean, he's been dead for 20 years, and it's still hard. And you look at this, and you realize that each one of these people was somebody who was very loved.
ULABY: Phifer's panel was part of the quilt that if put completely together would stretch more than 50 miles.
JULIE RHOAD: In the early years, we were just sewing as fast as we could.
ULABY: Julie Rhoad runs The Names Project. It collects the panels, preserves and displays them. She says in the late 1980s and early '90s, they received up to 11,000 a year. Now, it's more like one or two a day. The quilt is shown around the country in small pieces, around 1,000 different displays. Rhoad says, these days, they can focus on a specific community.
RHOAD: If we are sending quilt into a synagogue, it would make the most sense to have Jewish-themed quilt go out to the synagogue. It makes the most sense to have Afro-centric quilt go into the black church.
ULABY: When the quilt started in 1987, most of the panels remembered gay men, some so closeted, their quilts only noted their first names. That more or less stopped for a while, but Rhoad says the quilt reflects changes in HIV demographics.
RHOAD: It shows up that we have first-name-only panels starting to come in again in African-American population.
ULABY: Rhoad would love to find the AIDS Memorial Quilt a home where it could serve as a permanent reminder...
RHOAD: ...to never leave a population uncared for.
ULABY: The quilt was meant as a reminder that those who died from HIV and AIDS were not statistics. They were people.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: ...Chris Duprey, Felix Velarde Munoz, Harry...
ULABY: Twenty-five years and thousands of deaths after it started, in many ways, the AIDS quilt has not changed at all. Neda Ulaby, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
We've all experienced this dude, and he's the worst. Let's curse his name and throw things at the screen while he goes on and on in his gross way. Or, better yet, let's prepare all the things we want to say the next time someone approaches us while we're quietly sipping our almond milk latte and reading
back issues of US Weekly 1Q84. Or, if we're in a bar or on the bus.
Let's rap. What are we going to say next time? Go away? I'm married? Your teeth make me uneasy? Have you killed before and how many?
[Via Caffeine Dreams]


text:
|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
Dear Arabidopsis bulletin board readers: Does anyone have a good fixative for leaves of Arabidopsis that is suitable for immunolocalization (i.e. not requiring osmium tetroxide)? We are using 2% glutaraldehye and 2% paraformaldehye and embedding in LR White. This works great with postfixation in OsO4, but without OsO4 the tonoplast is not intact. Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted. Thanks Barb Moffatt ------------------------- Barb Moffatt moffatt at sciborg.uwaterloo.ca


text:
Anonymous CompaniesBlog post
Anonymous UK company owned Viktor Yanukovych's presidential palace compound
Oil, Gas & MiningReport
It's A Gas
Funny Business in the Turkmen-Ukraine Gas Trade.
Oil, Gas & MiningReport
All That Gas?
The European Commission is turning a blind eye to corruption, lack of transparency and poor human rights in the repressive police state of Turkmenistan in a bid to secure future gas supplies.
BanksBlog post
EU freezes Ukraine's missing billions, but if it was corrupt why did the banks accept it in first place?
Press Release / March 11, 2010
Global Witness concerned at choice of new Ukraine energy minister
Global Witness, the transparency watchdog, is concerned that Yuri Boyko, a controversial figure from the murky past of Ukraine's gas industry, has been put back in effective charge of a key gas supply route from Russia to the European Union. According to media reports on Thursday, the parliament under Ukraine's new President, Viktor Yanukovych, has appointed Boyko to be the country's energy minister, a position he has held before.
Feb. 5, 2010
Incoming Ukrainian President must act to clean up country's gas industry
The winner of this Sunday's runoff vote for the Ukrainian presidency between Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych must take immediate steps to clean up Ukraine's notoriously mismanaged gas sector, said Global Witness today.
Press Release / April 24, 2006
Strip secrecy from gas trade to Europe, says new Global Witness report
A vital supply route for natural gas to the European Union is dominated by mysterious business interests who have made huge profits while keeping their identities mostly secret, according to a new report by Global Witness. 'It's a Gas. Funny Business in the Turkmen-Ukraine Gas Trade' charts a trade linking the Central Asian dictatorship of Turkmenistan with Ukraine and Western Europe. The trade takes place against a backdrop of allegations about corruption and organised crime in the former Soviet Union, and European fears about access to safe and stable energy supplies.
Press Release / July 25, 2006
New Ukrainian administration must answer key questions about Naftohaz Ukrainy and RosUkrEnergo
The Ukrainian government needs to act in the public interest to answer numerous questions about the controversial RosUkrEnergo gas company and its relationship with state-owned Naftohaz Ukrainy, according to the campaign group Global Witness.
Press Release / April 28, 2014
Ukraine asset recovery meeting must examine banks' role in state looting
Efforts to recover stolen assets from the Ukraine need to paired with proactive steps to stop banks enabling state looting, said Global Witness as the international community gathers in London for the Ukraine Forum on Asset Recovery (UFAR).


text:
(CNN) - Former Sen. Scott Brown said Friday that he won't make a bid this year to return to Capitol Hill.
The Republican from Massachusetts announced that "I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election."
Follow @politicalticker
That special election will be held on June 25, with the winner filling the final eighteen months of the term of longtime Democratic Sen. John Kerry, who steps down from the Senate Friday to become secretary of state.
In January 2010, then state lawmaker Brown upset Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general, in a special election to fill the final two years of the term of longtime Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, who died the previous summer.
Brown won the special election by five points over Coakley, but lost his re-election bid in November to Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren by eight points. Around 2.3 million voters cast ballots in the 2010 special election, and nearly 3.2 million voted in last November's general election.
Whoever wins the June special election would then have to run again in 2014 for a full six-year term in office. For Brown that would have meant running for four Senate elections in less than five years. And that appears to be a factor in Brown's decision.
"Over these past few weeks I have given serious thought about the possibility of running again, as events have created another vacancy requiring another special election. I have received a lot of encouragement from friends and supporters to become a candidate, and my competitive instincts were leading in the same direction," said Brown.
But he added that "even so, I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time."
Thursday Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch announced his bid for Kerry's Senate seat, becoming the second candidate to jump into the special election. Lynch joins fellow Democratic Rep. Ed Markey, the longest serving member of the Bay State's congressional delegation. The Democratic primary will be held on April 30.
Lynch quickly reacted to Brown's decision, saying "I understand Scott Brown's decision. He has basically been campaigning non-stop for three years. It's perfectly understandable that he wouldn't want to undertake another campaign. I wish all the best to Scott and his family."
Brown was likely the Republicans best chance of flipping Kerry's seat to the GOP. With Brown not running, the spotlight could turn to former Republican Gov. William Weld, who recently moved back to the Bay State, or former GOP Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, says a Republican strategist who lives in Boston and who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.
Brown's decision was first reported earlier Friday by the Boston Herald, and three Republican sources confirmed the news to CNN.
Wednesday Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick announced that a trusted former aide was his choice to serve as an interim replacement for Kerry. Patrick named William "Mo" Cowan, his former chief of staff, as senator.
Cowan, who will serve through the June special election, will become the second African-American in the U.S. Senate, alongside Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina. Scott, who was just elected in November to a second term as a congressman, was named last month to succeed Sen. Jim DeMint, who stepped down from his seat.
"Uh-huh. Just like you were going to take the Senate back in 2012? Keep dreaming and get ready for House Speaker Pelosi."
You can't possibly be serious. Her last stint as Speaker was a train wreck. Sequel neither needed nor wanted. If the Deomcrats get the House back in 2014 or 2016, someone like Van Hollen should be the Speaker.
On the same lines, Reid needs to step down for a less whacked out Democrat who can actually compromise and get things done.
Doubtful he could win in MA.
that little "Indian Chief Wahoo" deal did not do much to help Brown in the long run and whoever the guy is in that video gone viral that is doing the dance and making fun of Native Americans may have helped doom the career of what I think is a pretty decent guy and wish more in the GOP were like him. Brown needs to pull that guy to the side and ask him some questions.
Talk about stupid!!! First MA voted for a president that thinks there are 57 states, and can't balance a budget to save his life. Then MA votes for a senator that thinks she is an Indian. Doesn't she look in the mirror every morning?
Best decision this guy has made in quite some time. Why get humiliated again so soon?
How do politicians spend so much money on campaigns for a position that pays meagre salary? Obviously, dont they all make that money up and more when they are elected? Well Mr. Brown has gone through 2 campaigns and he didnt have enough time in the office to make that money back. So he cant run once more in such a short time. Plain and simple if you ask me.
"I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election."
I have a hard time believing anything a republican says and S. Brown is no exception.
He knew he could never win anyway. Just get out of the way.
Everyone wants a higher office and Brown is no different. He must have more ambitious plans such governor in MA and on to the presidency. If he were to run again for that Senate seat in Blue Massachusetts would mean that he would be face serious challenges every time he's up for re-election and this hyperpartisan climate he would get lambasted every time he casts a vote along with Republicans. His seat would never be safe as a statewide office holder unless he becomes a Democrat or votes with them on the Senate floor thereby alienating his party.
I think he would have an easier path if he runs for governor and follow it with a presidential run following in Romney's steps. As a Northeastern seating republican governor in his second term the Republican will see him as a savior in 2021 after they lose the 2016 election.
I'm not a Scott Brown fan, but the guy's not an idiot and he knows it is politically best for him to wait this out and see what 2014 brings. Throw in a bid now, and lose, and he can kiss his political career goodbye.
Four senate races in five years is too much to ask from anyone. I'd like to see the Republican Party step back from their extremism and having Brown was a good step in that direction but that's too much electioneering. Maybe he'll try it in a couple of years.
Wait. Weren't the GOP excited about Kerry giving up the seat? Weren't they counting on filling that seat with a GOP behind? Wasn't that why they really pilloried Susan Rice over her nomination for the Secretary of State job? No matter. hope a Democrat wins in the end.
One republican to not worry about.
He thinks he has a better chance of governor or even being the next presidential nominee.!?
For the simple reason that Brown has no chance whatsoever.
I live in Massachusetts, which has a long history of electing criminals as politicians.
The last three state House Speakers have been federally indicted, and the state re-elected Ted Kennedy after he drowned a woman instead of sending him to jail.
So it's no surprise that they would reject a good man like Scott Brown and instead elect a woman who lied about her background.
The GOP has come to terms that they dont have a nation wide way of taking over. So the Governor's and state assempbly strategy is in play.
Additionally, Scott Brown, running for governor will permanently shut the door for future Presidnetial run knowing what happended to Romney in the Prmary season. The South will never allow another north eastern Republican to be their nominee who can talk intellignetly and not in tongues.
Like the Confederates, the GOP is now largely a party of the Southern Whites. It is more like a regional party rather than a national one. Even in the south, their hold is temporary and becoming tenuous, with Georgia, Texas going blue this decade, with South Carolina and North Corlina heading in the same direction. GOP is hemmoraging as the right wing devours it.
A damn shame. I'm a MA resident, voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Kerry in 2004, but I would have voted for Scott Brown for senator in a heartbeat. I'm satisfied with Warren, and I think she'll do a good job. But I would trust Brown with the other senate seat long before i'd want it go to to Markey or Lynch or another of the oldguard pols.


text:
With his narrative, almost filmic and precisely arranged stagings the American architectural photographer Julius Shulman breathed life into the clean, modernist buildings he captured with his iconic images. It was his photography which especially defined the world's perception of California and its modern architectural roots.
On the occasion of his 100th birthday on October 10th the ZEPHYR Raum für Fotografie in Mannheim / Germany, gives us the chance to look at 220 pieces of Julius Shulman's artwork from the years 1938 to 1982 and his almost unknown late work, which he realised together with the German photographer Jürgen Nogai from 1999 until his death in 2009.


text:
Lana Del Rey Slams Interviewer for 'Calculated' Death Questions
Lana Del Rey surprised fans last week when she was quoted in an interview with The Guardian that she wished she was dead.
"I wish I was dead already," she was quoted as saying in an article published June 13. "I do! I don't want to have to keep doing this. But I am."
She was also quoted as saying that she was tired with her music and career. "That's just how I feel," she explained. "If it wasn't that way, then I wouldn't say it. I would be scared if I knew [death] was coming, but …"
Pretty grim, even for Lana Del Rey.
But in a series of tweets she posted on her own Twitter account Thursday, she defended herself claiming that the interviewer misled her into saying those things. Those tweets have since been deleted, but Billboard has published her statement before it was erased.
"i regret trusting the guardian- i didn't want to do an interview but the journalist was persistent," Del Rey tweeted. "Alexis was masked as a fan but was hiding sinister ambitions and angles / Maybe he's actually the boring one looking for something interesting to write about. His leading questions about death and persona were calculated."
While the interview with the death quote was done by Tim Jonze, the Alexis that Del Rey is referencing to seems to be Alexis Petridis, who wrote a somewhat negative review of 'Ultraviolence' for The Guardian.
Del Rey released her latest album, 'Ultraviolence,' on June 13. Billboard projects that 'Ultraviolence' will reach the top spot when the Billboard Top 200 albums chart is released next week.


text:
I kinda get the feeling that I'm not welcome here. Is that just my paranoia or do you any of you guys actually have a problem with me? I get that I've not contributed any mods and that I've demonstrated myself to only being casually into Marathon, but have I done anything specific to bother anyone here?
EDIT: Oh wow, this thread is fucking stupid. What was I thinking?


text:
My little 3.5 year-old "C" is OBSESSED with Kitty Cats.
She has quite a collection of stuffed kitty friends.
They all have names and distinct personalities.
She even has a "real" (pink) kitty bed upstairs in her room
that I let her buy on sale (with a coupon!) at the pet store earlier this year.
It's a really easy way to corral all of her plush feline friends.
She also loves carrying them around the house
but that usually means that mommy has to transport
6-8 kitties up and down the stairs several times a day.
I decided she needed a little cat carrier to keep her furry friends contained and portable.
My solution after looking at several
overpriced and ugly "real" carriers
was to make my own with stuff I already had in the house!
I used plastic needlepointing mesh material,
I don't know what this stuff is actually called!
I used one "Whole" Sheet of Plastic Mesh (far left above) as the topper
(10 1/4" by 13 1/2"),
One Rectangle as the Bottom (approx. 6" x10")
One skinny Rectangle as the Handle (7 1/2"x 2")
and Two Curved Semi-Circle Pieces
as the Back of the carrier and Front Door (approx. 6 1/2" wide by 6" tall).
I'm sorry about the wacky dimensions, this was one of those
make-it-up-as-I-go projects so I was just
cutting stuff out and using scraps I had to make it work,
(I really didn't want to go to the store!)
Same with how I sewed it together...
I just started stitching pieces together while sitting on the couch!
I did the little front door last.
Stitching away with pink yarn and a big embroidery needle.
Side view of the cat carrier
(also known as a mesh mail box with a handle)
View of the front of the carrier.
Pink elastic Ponytail holder stitched to the door to be the "clasp" for the door.
"Samantha" cat and "Strawberry" cat check out their new digs!
How many kitties can this thing hold?
Such a happy Cat Mama, she even brought her cat carrier to school for Show and Tell!
Happy Crafting!
pink and green mama, MaryLea


text:
"I have a big mouth like one."
"I give a damned good stink-eye."
"I can make my ears disappear."
"And look at THAT tongue!"
"Just LOOK at it!!!"
"So... yeah... I could be a Pit Bull...
... even though HE says I taste like chicken."
Return to Four Legged, Finned and Feathered Family Members
Users browsing this forum: No registered users


text:
The Pit Stop Route is a 330 km countryside experience consisting of more than 100 stops along a well-signposted circuit through Oldenburg Münsterland. This striking stretch of land in the north-west of Lower Saxony can be easily explored by bicycle, canoe, carriage, horse, car or camper van.
The route runs through rural areas, from the Damme Hills to the recreation area encompassing Barsseler-Saterland, the Thülsfeld reservoir and Hasetal valley, past scenic lakes and rivers of all sizes and across haunting moorland, picturesque geest landscape and sandy heaths.
Variety is the magic word
Be enchanted by the diverse sights en route such as Lake Dümmer, which, with its boating excursions and boats for hire, is a haven for sailing enthusiasts and surfers alike; or the wildlife haven of the Thülsfeld Reservoir with a public nature golf course, which offers sailing and motorsport facilities, and the Thüle Animal and Leisure Park. Truly, there is something for everyone, both young and old. Visitors can also explore the tranquil river landscape of the Hasetal by bicycle, canoe or with the historic railway, or the Barßel Saterland region with its high and low tides and North Sea air.
Enjoy the blissful rural lifestyle
The route features over 100 stops at cosy farmhouses, welcoming farm cafés and picturesque country inns. There are also numerous farm shops along the route, where visitors can buy fresh local produce or handicrafts from the region. You can also while away a few hours in one of the inviting holiday farms or horse-riding centres that line the route. And for a proper night's sleep, why not try out one of the hay hotels?
Further pit stops
Those wanting slightly more energetic pit stops can choose from guided farm and garden tours, carriage rides, riverside treks, cycling and canoe trips – and you can even help out with the harvest. Last but not least are the many interesting museums, historical collections and windmills located at various pit stops along the route that give an insight into the region's cultural history. Just like their counterparts in motorsport, the pit stops here are places to stop, refuel and recharge your batteries.
Length:approximately 330 km
Theme: countryside outings, rural lifestyle
Barßel: Museum of Bog and Fen (Moor- und Fehnmuseum), windmill
Cloppenburg: museum town, trestle windmill
Friesoythe: Thüle Animal and Leisure Park, museums, honey farm
Garrel: Thülsdorf Reservoir, the Burnmuseum Nikolausdorf
Goldenstedt: the Goldenstedt Moor Nature Reserve, field of burial mounds
Lindern: Hermelings Mill, megalithic tomb
Lohne: Hopen moated palace, museums
Vechta: horse-riding city, watermill, fortress park (Zitadellenpark)
Kaks kasulikku klahvikombinatsiooni brauseris suumimiseks:
Suurendamine: +
Vähendamine: +
Täpsemat teavet saate, kui klõpsate brauseri pakkuja ikoonile:


text:
Ask questions about programming with C, C++, C# and help others by answering their questions.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
By Joseph Robertia
Redoubt Reporter
Hunters who take to the woods in pursuit of moose harbor some sort of hope for success — whether it's a modest desire to fill a freezer with meat or daydreams of a record-setting specimen. The moose Bob Condon, of Soldotna, bagged last month exceeded even his wildest wildlife daydreams.
Weighing more than 1,500 pounds with an antler spread of more than 73 inches, beams measuring roughly 10 inches in circumference at the base, and palms large enough to hammock a grown man, Condon's bull was nothing short of a behemoth. In fact, it may end up being the second largest ever taken down.
"I knew he was a real shooter, but I didn't know the true caliber of animal he was until I got up on him. I've hunted and guided nearly all my life and never gotten one over 950 (pounds), so getting one weighing 1,500 was a real treat, and it'll be in the all-time books for sure," Condon said.
The moose is surely awe-inspiring, though Condon himself is worthy of some amazement, as well.
At 73, an age when many might retire from the difficulty and discomfort of a hunt, Condon keeps doing what he
loves doing, even in spite of health setbacks. He's had five bypass surgeries in the last few years and just had a heart attack in March.
"My doctors told me not to hunt, so this was a real blessing," he said.
While pursuing moose, Condon has also been at the receiving end of bull's antlers. Two years ago after he dropped a bull with a 56-inch antler spread, he made a mistake of setting his rifle down a little too far away when he went in to ensure the beast was dead. It was not.
"It was a stupid mistake, and I paid for it," he said. "He picked me up by the antlers and flung me around three or four times, gored me, tore my boots."
Condon didn't take any chances with this most recent bull.
"I shot him twice when I got up on him," he said. "I did all but call in the mortician this time."
The final shots came after a long and rigorous hunt. Condon and two friends, Mike Demichele and Mike Mildbrand, were dropped off in a remote area of the Brooks Range, north of the Arctic Circle. They made camp and — in the wind, freezing rain and temperatures in the low 30s — pursued their quarry for two days. They had planned on being out for as long as 11 days, but on the third morning, around 7:30 a.m., Condon saw what seemed like a big, brown billboard on the move roughly two miles away.
"It was up on a mountainside just above the spruce, looking for cows. So I stalked closer, then began to call him in," he said.
Using grunts to simulate another bull, a few cow noises and an occasional raking of the brush with a moose's scapula, or shoulder blade, to stimulate the sound of another bull marking territory, Condon drew the mighty moose toward him. For two hours he kept up this deception, but then the wind changed, and not in his favor.
"He was coming in slow, but once the wind changed, I couldn't get him in any closer. He just hung up," he said.
The moose was still more than 400 yards away — a long shot, even when taking aim at a bull this size, but Condon decided to go for it. He leveled the crosshairs of his scope on the moose and slowly, steadily, squeezed the trigger of his Browning A-bolt .375 Holland and Holland magnum rifle, sending a 270-grain round sailing toward what he hoped would be the heart and lungs of the moose.
"It was a pretty long shot, and for how I was shaking, it was one of the best in my life," Condon said.
Despite his buck fever, Condon hit his mark and the big bull went down. Condon was ecstatic.
"I've never hunted strictly for trophies. I've just believed in hunting and letting the rest fall into place, so I was elated when I got up to this guy. I mean, I'm 73 and I can see my twilight days coming, so to know you still have something like this in you, it's a real thrill," he said.
Being 73 comes with a few hunting caveats, though. While Condon was able to kill the bull and help with the process of skinning, gutting and deboning all the meat, he can no longer pack out the bounty as he did in his days as a young man.
Fortunately, his friends that were with him, and a few other hunters up from Wisconsin to pursue caribou in the same area, chipped in to help him haul out his prize. Condon said he was thankful for their efforts.
"The antlers alone weighed 98 pounds, and took two guys a day and a half just to get them out," he said. "Then it was another two days to get the rest of the meat out, and that was with everyone pitching in since I'm not much of a packer anymore."
Back at home with the meat processed, Condon shared his ample supply of freezer food with those who helped him. He is also now in the process of waiting to determine just where the bull will be in the record books. The rack needed time to dry, and shrink a bit, before it can be officially measured. Also, since some of the local official measurers are still out hunting themselves, Condon has to wait for them to return.
"The first time I measured it in the field, it had a score of 731 with all the points, palm width and antler width measurements, but back at home it came out to 706," Condon said. "The score should be finalized by November, but right now it's coming in second in the world for size by Safari Club measurements, and I'm waiting to have it measured for Boone and Crockett, but I know it'll make their books, too."
Based on the size of this behemoth bull, as well as Condon's age, some might believe this would be the moose for him to retire on, but Condon said it's not going to happen.
"I love Alaska and I love being out there, so I plan on hunting again next year," he said. "I'll retire when the good Lord says I'm done."


text:
Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, July 23
Today's recommended picks
Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels
.377 AVG (29-for-77) during 20-G hitting streak
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
.324 AVG (22-for-68) during 17-G hitting streak; .600 AVG (3-for-5) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn
Carl Crawford, OF, Rays
.474 AVG (9-for-19) since '04 vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle
BTS all-time leader: Michael Karatzia, 49
MLB all-time leader: Joe DiMaggio, 56
Yesterday's results
Two contestants fell from the BTS Top 5, as rockinrick saw his 30-streak end with the selection of Ichiro Suzuki (0-for-4) and davidmata received a 0-for-4 effort from Albert Pujols to snap his 27-game run.
As a result, momfannie took over the top spot with the selection of Cubs catalyst Ryan Theriot (3-for-5), boosting her streak to 31 games. rbgoulet1 slid into second place at 30 games by getting just enough (1-for-4) from the streaking Miguel Cabrera, and matt1448 took over third place at 28 games thanks for a 1-for-3 day from Hanley Ramirez. Three more fans are tied for fourth at 27 games.
Yesterday's Top 5 most selected players
1. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 13.2%, 0-for-4
2. Derek Jeter (NYY): 8.9%, 1-for-5
3. James Loney (LAD): 6.8%, 1-for-3
4. Kevin Youkilis (BOS): 5.4%, 0-for-4
5. Hanley Ramirez (FLA): 4.7%, 1-for-3
2 Comments
Would someone please tell me the success percentage of batters designated Kings of the Plate?
Be wary of the Kinngs of the Plate – what appears to good to be true many times is.


text:
I often see a request for some scripts to help with database maintenance. Sometimes those questions come in the form of recommendation requests for maintenance plans. As many already know, there are some really good recommended scripts by Ola Hallengren. There is also the fantastic index defrag script by Michelle Ufford.
Under normal circumstances, my recommendation would be that the maintenance of your database depends on your environment. However, that doesn't always work well. Sometimes, something is needed quick to get up and in place while you figure things out in your environment and for your database (let's say you just started a new job or you just inherited the database duties).
Under such circumstances, it would be good to have something ready to go already. Thus, I recommend using these resources and learn from them.
Index Defrag Script by Michelle
Maintenance Scripts by Ola


text:
Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2013 begins in the evening of: Sunday, April 7
and ends in the evening of: Monday, April 8. In the Hebrew Calendar is 27 Nisan (see Stephen Morse's Jewish Calendar Conversion tool) is Yom HaShoah and varies in the Gregorian calendar across the Months of April/May.
To honor my wife Teréza and our children let me add a Jewish Genealogy blog post. It is for a Polish village in the AP Grodzisk (Warsaw, Blonie) and is called: Góra Kalwaria. Góra Kalwaria can be found in PRADZIAD database. What is great about this news is that there is yet another project beyond the ones I have previously written about (SzukachwArchiwum.pl and Metryk in PTG). This village and its images can be found in: Metryki.GenBaza.pl (AP Gordzisk) for :
This is just one of many congregations (Catholic & Jewish) that they have scanned. There appear to be about 110 villages in total so far this Polish National Archive in Grodzisk (a branch office of Warsaw). I picked this village because it is all about the Jewish congregation (that I provided the Pradziad link for). The records run from 1826 – 1910 inclusive and there no missing years. This is a remarkably complete/intact record of a Jewish congregation in Poland. The scanned records from 1826-1867 are written in Polish and then starting in 1868 the records are written in Russian all the way through 1910.
So for the Jewish-Polish genealogists who read this blog, here is a treasure trove to research. In actuality, many of the 110 villages have Jewish records. Look for the abbreviation 'moj' (short for mojżeszowe). So I hope this is a joyful news for the remembrance of this solemn occasion.
Good genealogy to all my readers!


text:
Once you go iOS 5, you won't go back.
Actually the choice may not be yours if what one group of prominent iOS hackers says is true.
Despite reports that hackers had already figured out how to hack around iOS 5, new reports this week say that it may it much more difficult to properly jailbreak the iOS 5 software for Apple's iPhones, iPads and iPods.
Developers wrote on the Dev-Team blog that Apple has made some changes to its iOS system that make it much more difficult to downgrade the iOS if the jailbreak, which allow users to add their own third party, non-Apple approved apps, when the goes wrong.
When previous jailbreak options went bad, users were often able to revert back to an older iOS version to reset the phone.
But after playing with a beta version of iOS 5, the group says Apple has taken steps to block the downgrade process.
Jailbreaking IOS 5 Might Be Harder Than First Thought
Once you go iOS 5, you won't go back.


text:
Intel® Celeron® Processor G5900
- 2 MB Intel® Smart Cache Cache
- 2 Cores
- 2 Threads
Entry level PCs and portable devices that fit your lifestyle and budget. New PCs are faster with more features than computers from a few years ago. Shop and see how far they have come.
16 Results
View, read, watch, stream, listen, and learn. The newest Intel® Celeron® processors support a wide range of multimedia capabilities to entertain and entice all throughout your day.
All the features you need to support your favorite online activities. Switch effortlessly from browsing and shopping to chatting or surfing social media. Do more with the lightweight, low energy-consuming Intel® Celeron® processor.
Create, edit, and manage important files on the go. Easily organize contact lists and messages. Experience improved features and functionality to help you be more productive at work.
Beat your previous high score, challenge your friends, and share your latest gaming triumphs. The Intel® Celeron® processor levels up the fun with improved graphics, smooth action, and healthy battery life to support enhanced casual gameplay.
Intel is first to deliver an over the air Gigabit Wi-Fi solution for the PC. With Intel® Gigabit Wi-Fi users can be confident that they have a blazing fast connection enabling them to keep pace with needs for high bandwidth streaming and mission critical communications.
The new Intel® Pentium® processor delivers immersive content consumption, casual gaming experiences, and basic productivity features at a great price. Available in portable 2-in-1s, laptops, towers, desktops, or All-in-Ones.
2 in 1s are thin, light, and stylish, and offer the versatility you need to easily switch from laptop to tablet and even tent and presentation modes.
An All-in-One with an Intel® Pentium® processor infuses the capabilities of a complete desktop system into one stylish, versatile, and very powerful device.
Flexibility and fun for work or play. Get exceptional performance and a range of options in screen size, style, and budget to suit all your portable computing needs.
Get PC-class performance at an affordable price point. Available in various sizes and packages, desktops with Intel® processors offer impressive media and graphic experiences to meet everyday computing requirements.
Combine practicality with performance in a Chromebook* with an Intel® processor. Rapid boot times, efficient web browsing, and a responsive experience add to the list of benefits.


text:
Here's a new entry based on the Pathfinder Bestiary 2. This isn't yet the weird encounter that I promised (I'm still cooking that up), just a random idea that I got a few days ago. Strictly speaking this isn't an encounter, but a chain of events (and rewards) that can be placed on most adventures. If the players run this little quest right they got not only new magic items but also the help of a powerful celestial creature. The "Recommended Level" is based on the Shield Archon's CR 10.
Spear and Shield (Recommended Levels 8-14)
The items: This encounter is based on two (apparently) normal magic items – a shortspear and a tower shield.
Both items appear to be made of bronze, but are as resistant as steel and shed a small dark gold glow when touched by creatures of Good alignments. Detect magic reveal a weak transmutation aura.
The shortspear is beautifully carved with the images of Greek-like myrmidons marching in perfect order – pure sunlight play tricks over these marks, giving the impression of movement. Whenever a Good character wielding the spear scores a critical hit against an Evil foe, a faint cry is heard (like a phalanx of warriors in a charge). Upon the spear's pommel is written "The Faithful Fist" in Celestial. It works as a +3 shortspear.
The tower shield is broad and massive, giving the impression that it's merely decorative and can't be used in battle. In fact, if the wielder is Evil the tower shield is cumbersome and inflicts an additional –2 penalty to all his actions, besides reducing his movement by half. The shield is shaped like a castle tower and works like a +1 magic tower shield.
The hook: After any encounter, have the party find one of the above items in the local loot. As soon as a Good player character pick the item he feels a strong pull in a certain direction and catches mind flashes of a tall giant with bronze-like skin. The wielder begins to dream with this figure, first seeing him standing at the border of a titanic cliff, watching an abyss below made of stars, suns and galaxies. The wielder always wakes with a pierce cry on his mind.
Let the group try to puzzle this information. The one relevant skill check here is Knowledge (Planes). Results:
Natural 1 – The figure in the character's dream is the campaign's deity of war/law/justice etc. (Use the best candidate.)
Less than 10 – The figure in the character's dream is some kind of lost giant race or fallen celestial;
10 – The figure is a celestial warrior, an archon;
15 – The same as above, plus – the cliff and the abyss in the dream represent, respectively, the celestial planes and the material plane;
20 – The same as above, plus – the giant is a shield archon;
25 – The same as above, plus – this particular shield archon is known as Pyrgos and was killed in a famous battle after destroying a demon lord's prized weapon.
The party may desire to consult priests, sages or wizards for further information. If they're very insistent let them known the archon's name or where he fought, or even which demon or deity's weapon he destroyed. You can also let a sage or alchemist prepare a special potion that allows the wielder to see what happens at the dream's end: the piercing cry comes from the archon Pyrgos shattering his own arms. The arms falls in the abyss, becoming shooting starts before hitting the player character's homeworld (another option is that a consulted priest cast a special ritual that shows this scene to the wielder).
What's happening: The idea here is that the party will be pulled to the second magic item derived from Pyrgos' strange act. This is an excellent excuse to have the group going to a dangerous (or otherwise desolate) region that you had planned to use – the hook can be used, for example, to lead the group to a Darklands campaign. Or the second item can be part of the next villain's treasure.
Once they find the second item a projection of Pyrgos manifests. The archon tells the party that he has fought for so many eons that he forgot why he fought. He didn't desired to betray his celestial masters and the ideals that they hold, be he had lost faith. To stop himself from falling, Pyrgos shattered his arms and transformed them in magical weapons – items that waited for the right heroes to pick them.
Now that the Spear and the Shield are reunited, Pyrgos has restored his faith by witnessing the group's action. He says that the party can call him, once, to aid them to faith Evil or Chaos. This requires simply calling aloud his name (and a standard action). After helping them once, the shield archon goes back to the Outer Sphere, taking his "arms" with him – but not before enchanting two items chosen by the groups (one item can have a total of +3 enhancement bonus; the other +1; chosen by the players).
An alternative ending: Ok, what happens if the player character are a bunch of heartless mercenaries our raiders? In that case they should though better before walking around using celestial weaponry. Once they gather both items, Pyrgos manifests, fuse with the items and – disgusted to watch the evil perpetrated by the PCs – promptly attack the party. If defeated, let the magic items be retrieved from the celestial's body… but as curses items.


text:
David Berube is a Ruby developer, trainer, author, and speaker. He's used both Ruby and Ruby on Rails for several years, starting in 2003 when he became a Ruby advocate after he wrote about the language for Dr Dobb's Journal. He is the author of "Practical Ruby Gems," "Practical Reporting with Ruby and Rails", and the coauthor of the upcoming book "Practical Rails Plugins."
His professional accomplishments include creating the Ruby on Rails engine for The Casting Frontier, which has been used to cast commercials for companies ranging from AT&T and Bank of America to Verizon and Wal-Mart. If a commercial has been cast with digital auditions in Los Angeles in the last year, it probably used his code to do it. He also worked with ThoughtBot (www.thoughtbot.com) on the Rails engine that powers Sermo America's Top Doctor contest. Additionally, he has worked on numerous other Ruby projects, including the engine powering CyberKnowHow's BirdFluBreakingNews site.
David's journalism has been in print in over 65 countries, in magazines such as Linux Magazine, Dr Dobb's Journal, and PHP International Magazine. He's also taught college courses and given lectures at various colleges and universities, notably including Harvard University's Extension School.
For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the conference, contact Yvonne Romaine at firstname.lastname@example.com
Download the O'Reilly MySQL Conference & Expo Sponsor/ Exhibitor Prospectus
Download the Media & Promotional Partner Brochure (PDF) for information on trade opportunities with O'Reilly conferences or contact mediapartners@ oreilly.com
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at firstname.lastname@example.com
To stay abreast of conference news and to receive email notification when registration opens, please sign up for the O'Reilly MySQL Conference newsletter (login required).
View a complete list of O'Reilly MySQL Conference contacts.


text:
Ebony babes know how to get it done, there's no question about that. With their silky smooth chocolate skin, you know you're in store for a sensual and erotic time. That's why we've dedicated a category specifically for those of you interested in some hot ebony cam sex. You won't find a group of dark dames hornier and more outgoing than these lovely ebony girls. And the variety is another huge plus.
There are babes of all shapes and sizes for you to chat and play with. Some are slim, some are busty, some are curvy. There are also BBW black babes and all ages are covered as well from teens to MILFs. And the performers love putting on all kinds of shows as well:
These black babes have clearly chosen to become cam models because they enjoy it. And that comes across fully when you chat with them. They want to get to know you and please you however they can. Which makes for a very pleasurable relationship on all levels.
RabbitsCams was created with the user in mind because we want the user experience to be just as good as the experience you will have with any of the cam girls on our site. So, along with the gorgeous and personable amateurs and pornstars come:
The real highlight of your day will come when you enter a private show with one of these sexy Ebony cam models who are as friendly and chatty as they are horny. They'll take your requests and have fun doing it, ensuring you have a live ebony cam experience that's unforgettable. And as you get to know them and you build a relationship with them, the shows you get will only get better.
If you have your own webcam, turn it on and enhance your experience. Cam2cam means these babes will be able to watch you enjoying them and that'll only turn them on even more. Now you're ready to have some naughty and steamy time with some of the hottest ebony babes on the planet. It's free to check it all out and then signing up is a quick process. And before you know it, you'll be chatting and watching a live black babe cam show that you'll never forget.
All models appearing on this website are 18 years or older.
© 2003 – 2020 rabbitscams.sex. All rights reserved.
rabbitscams.sex LIVE SEX CAM is the best quality live webcam available. Chat for free live 1-on-1 with these hotties, watch a show you'll never forget or join in on the action and let them see and hear you with our cam2cam feature! rabbitscams.sex is the most popular live cam community featuring sexy amateurs and pornstars from all over the world.


text:
Wishlist for Miguel [CHRISTMAS FOR KIDS]
Miguel, 4, is a darling little guy who has asked Santa for Ninjagos (ninja Legos), a Buzz Lightyear toy and some Power Rangers action figures.
Christmastime is supposed to be "the most wonderful time of the year," but for those Buffalo children with no permanent family, there is no Christmas cheer. As part of Christmas For Kids, we're looking for toy donations to go to children at Buffalo Child & Family Services who are in need of foster care and/or adoption.


text:
common-size statement(redirected from Common Size Statement)
Common-size statement
A statement in which all items are expressed as a percentage of a base figure, useful for purposes of analyzing trends and changing relationship among financial statement items. For example, all items in each year's income statement could be presented as a percentage of net sales.
Common-Size Statement
Any financial statement in which the items are expressed as percentages of some figure instead of as dollar amounts. For example, a common-size statement may express all cash inflows as a percentage of total revenue. A common-size statement is most useful when one attempts to compare a company to similar companies of different size. It is also called a one hundred percent statement.
common-size statement
A financial statement that has variables expressed in percentages rather than in dollar amounts. For example, items on an income statement are shown as a percentage of revenue or sales, and balance sheet entries are displayed as a percentage of total assets. Common-size statements are used primarily for comparative purposes so that firms of various sizes can be equated. Also called one hundred percent statement.


text:
This is a letter I received from a blog reader. With her permission, I have included it and my reply in hopes it would be an encouragement to someone in a similar situation.I have not included her name
Hi Sarah,
How do I pursue godliness?
I feel that I am not close to God, and the desire to be seems to be slipping away. I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread, and I know I felt so much better when I was, but it feels like it is easier to let go and not try. I don't feel strong enough to pull myself up.
I don't know what to do. Can you pray for me? I can't keep doing what I have been.
Dear (reader),
How do you pursue godliness?
well, first of all it is a *pursuit* because it cannot be obtained in this life. We have imputed godliness... that means God sees us as Godly even though we are not because of Jesus. It has to be worked at though because we only grow if we are perusing it. if we are standing still, the weight of the world and the pressures of this world push us backward. After all we are swimming against the current. If we stop swimming forward we are carried away by the current that is pushing against us.
If you do not feel close to God may be He is trying to tell you something. I have noticed in my life that when I feel away from God it is one of 2 things:
A. I feel guilty about something I think I should be doing and am not (this may or may not be biblically necessary)
B. I have stopped having God as the focus of my life.
Remember that their is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ. He will not condemn you for your actions. The Holy Spirit will convict you but that is different than feeling guilty. It makes you sad and
want to move to action. If you feel guilt, it may be Satan trying to discourage you.
Failing to have God as the center of my life is a daily struggle. it is all about having the mind of Christ. This is especially hard when you are first married because all you see is each other. it is supposed to be that way! as you grow you will see that by focusing on each other you were honoring God! .
So what is the mind of Christ? it is this..... the most important things to God are the most important things to you. you are daily living to please him. your focus is not on fleshly things but spiritual, eternal things. You live day by day trying to be sure that what you do is honoring to him. You acknowledge your shortcomings and
are willing to be changed by His Spirit. He says He will do a good work in us if we will let Him!
When I see my selfishness begin to take over. that is when I pause and pray that God will help my attitude and my focus. I have found that I struggle much less with sinful desires if I am focused on pleasing God
Spirituality has very little to do with how I feel and almost everything to do with WHO GOD IS! He has given us promises to grow and change us. like a tree planted by waters, but a tree grows very
slowly. so don't feel frustrated if you don't see change quickly. He who promised is faithful and He holds time in His hand.
You are who you are and the way you are for a reason. this day, this hour, this struggle was planned before the foundation of the earth. you cannot go anywhere or do anything that He has not already allowed.
if you feel alone and weak, it is for a reason. Unless there is sin in your life separating you from God, HE IS RIGHT BESIDE YOU! Don't count on your feelings to sense Him. Trust His promise to never leave
you. Remember Job. God was there with him. Job could not see Him and probably didn't feel very spiritual. But in the end Job came out stronger and better. And God was with him. Job is one of the strongest
examples of faith in God during hard times that I can think of. It was what he KNEW not what he FELT that carried him through.
Don't trust your emotions. They are like shifting sand. Rely on what you know to be true and tell your emotions what they should be feeling.
You don't need to struggle and try. If you should be doing something, pray for God to give you the desire to do it.
Remember that when you were single all you had to do was serve God. Your relationship with God has changed in that now your husband is between you and God in the line of authority. In serving your beloved
and pleasing him and helping him, you are honoring God. Everything you do to aid your husband you are doing for God.
Everything has changed and it takes a while to get used to the new roles. But if you treat the man in your life with the same love you served Jesus with you ARE WHERE YOU SHOULD BE! A desire to serve and
please your husband is a desire to please God.
I will pray for you my sister!
Above all remember that you are princess in the future kingdom of God. your position with Him is sure!
This is a letter I received from a blog reader. With her permission, I have included it and my reply in hopes it would be an encouragement to someone in a similar situation.I have not included her name
Romans 15:4
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
- ► 2011 (12)
- ▼ 2010 (9)


text:
Learn More
CD38 Recombinant Human Protein, His Tag, Invitrogen Sino Biological
This recombinant protein was expressed from a DNA sequence encoding the extracellular domain of human CD38 (NP_001766.2) (Val 43-Ile 300) fused to a C-terminal polyhistidine tag
Manufacturer: Invitrogen 10818H08H50
DescriptionADP-Ribosyl Cyclase (CD38), recombinant human protein is supplied as a lyophilized powder. It is suitable for use in analysis of protein structure. In general, recombinant proteins can also be used as an immunogen, as a protein standard, or in cell biology research applications.
- Activity: The activity of this protein has not been tested
- Formulation: Lyophilized in PBS, pH 7.4, 5% Mannitol, 5% Trehalose, 0.02% Tween 80
- Reconstitution: Dissolve the protein in sterile double distilled water to a concentration of 0.2mg/mL or lower; aliquot and use as soon as possible
This protein is manufactured by Sino Biological Inc.
|Assay Standard
|≥90% by SDS-PAGE
|Store at -20°C. Store aliquots under sterile conditions at -20°C. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
|CD Proteins
|Proteins, Expression, Isolation & Analysis; Enzyme & Protein Activity Assays; Protein Assay Controls, Reference Standards & Accessories
|<1 EU/μg
|CD38 Molecule
|His Tag
The Fisher Scientific Encompass Program offers items which are not part of our distribution portfolio. These products typically do not have pictures or detailed descriptions. However, we are committed to improving your shopping experience. Please use the form below to provide feedback related to the content on this product.
Your feedback has been submitted. Fisher Scientific is always working to improve our content for you. We appreciate your feedback.Ok
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.


text:
Compression Study 01
With the opening of the Algorithmic Unconscious group show at Devotion Gallery earlier this month, my interest in iterative video processing has been renewed as a method of exploring compression algorithms. You might be familiar with the technique, it was the same used for the epic Alvin Lucier inspired Video Room where YouTube user canzona uploads, downloads and re-uploads a video to youtube 1000 times. Where his work explores the impact of the compression schemes native to YouTube, the new video work above explores the motion JPEG-2000 compression algorithm.
The source video is a custom made 16 second loop cycling through the 8 fully saturated primary and secondary additive colors—black, red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta, white. In quicktime, the JPEG-2000 compression algorithm is chosen to export a .mov file of the lowest quality (smallest size). At this setting, the compression algorithm is repeatedly making decisions concerning what information is relevant or important while discarding the rest—up to 99% of the original data. The result is a considerably low quality reproduction of the original with visible data-compression artifacts. By applying a handful of filters to the compressed file and then re-compressing, data-compression artifacts are amplified. By repeating this iterative or recursive process hundreds of times, an effect similar to feedback is achieved where the visual output becomes degraded from the original and the artifacts take on a generative nature.
For this study, 193 iterations were time compressed to fit within a roughly 10 minute span. The video was then paired with audio from "Metamorphopsia", a track from the Macular Degeneration project.
Leading up to this completed study, several attempts were made to work with h.264 on fades between black and white frames. Similar work was down with audio compression algorithms and white noise. Further works in this series will investigate the effects of different compression algorithms on simple patterns of varying motion, shapes, and transition effects.
As a note, this work is less about abstraction and more about taking the concepts of Concrete Art to a place where expression re-emerges through the algorithm, which I am taking to be an abstraction of human perceptual features mediated by a deterministic system of discrete logic.
Algorithmic Unconscious Preview
Teaser Slideshow for the Group Exhibition: Algorithmic Unconscious. Curated by Phillip Stearns, presented by Devotion Gallery.


text:
by Mark Kromer
For those SQL Server and development shops that have built a lot of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages out there and have utilized Visual Studio Team Foundation Server or Visual SourceSafe to provide version control over those SSIS packages, you will be glad to learn about the new versioning capabilities in SQL Server 2012, code named "Denali". In fact, when I've been trying out the new version of SSIS, I have found the overall deployment experience to be a huge step forward over the 2005/2008 deployment model with many advances in terms of configuration management and deployment to a server.
Learn more: Combining CDC and SSIS for Incremental Data Loads
For today, I'm just going to focus on version control, because it's been difficult in the past to get something working that is easy to configure and get working. And it is very nice to see this now natively in the product. In the picture below, you will see that a new node is available in the Object Explorer tree in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that is set aside just for Integration Services. You can still log in directly to the SSIS service from SSMS, but that is only going to show SSIS packages that were deployed in the old, more arduous model, which you will see referred to as "Legacy Model" in BIDS. The new model is simplified and wizard-driven.
The first thing you have to do is to set-up an SSIS "Catalog" which stores SSIS "Projects" that then store SSIS "Packages". Now when you right-click on the Projects node in the tree, you will see a "Versions" menu item which launches the screen below. Note that on this screen you will see the project versions, which one is active, descriptions and the option to rollback to an earlier version with "Restore to Selected Version". You will see 2 packages in my project on the screenshot to the left. Notice that "Project" is essentially project-level from BIDS, which is now Visual Studio 2010 in Denali. When I rolled back to my initial version of the project, I lose the 2nd package in my project. Why is that? Because I added a 2nd package in my project in rev 3 of my project. This is a project-level version control feature.
But they've really done a nice job with these capabilities. I found them intuitive and easy to pick-up.
What I also want to show you today is how to deploy your SSIS packages and projects to this new Catalog feature in SQL Server. Again, notice that the Catalog from the above screen shot is available to DBAs from the SSMS database connection. You do not need to log into an SSIS service connection here. When I am in BIDS (VS2010), I just right-click on my project in Solution Explorer, right-click and choose Deploy. The dialogs that you will walk through in the wizard will allow you to deploy the new project format or to projects in the catalog. When you are making changes to packages and projects in SSIS that you've already deployed to the server, you will see a notification that you are going to overwrite the existing deployment. You just accept that and continue through the deployment process. SSIS will handle the work for you of retaining the previous version and that will now appear to you in the Versions dialog from SSMS. This allows you to rollback to that previous version if you need to. That's all there is to it.
Lastly, you will see on the right-click menu from the BIDS project level, that you can convert between legacy deployment and the new project-based deployment models. This worked for me perfectly with my new Denali-based packages but I haven't yet had a chance to try it on SQL Server 2008 SSIS packages.
Learn more: Using SSIS to Collect Baseline Data for Merge Replication
Enjoy! Best, Mark


text:
High quality made bedding with unique print.
Bedding fabric is very soft and pleasant to the touch whereas printing is very durable.
Now, for sure you will not want to leave your bed
Fabric: high quality bed microfiber
Duvet dimensions: 140cm x 200cm or 160cm x 200cm
Pillows dimensions: 50cm x 60cm
Your shopping cart is empty
We use cookies on our website. If you continue we assume that you consent to receive all cookies on our websites. More information in Privacy & Cookies policy. You can change cookie settings in your browser


text:
DJ Wade-O and Oppose Release Free Mixtape
DJ Wade-O, of The Wade Radio Show, recently collaborated with Christian Rap artist Oppose to introduce his Powerhouse Mixtape Series via the release of a FREE download of some of Oppose's hottest tracks.
Entitled 'The Essentials,' the mixtape is jam-packed with major realities taken from Oppose's life experiences. Presenting the Gospel in a solid format and pen for listeners the essentials of the faith as a mixtape, the project will be available on opposemusic.com, rapzilla.com, holyculturedownload.com and illspot.net as FREE Download beginning May 13.
A graduate of Eastern Theological Seminary (now Palmer Seminary), Oppose is a Youth Pastor/MC with a passion for reaching those who have lost faith in their position in Jesus Christ. For this project, "O" joined forces with some of Christian Hip Hop's most sought out producers like Tony Stone, DJ Essence, and Sean J. Period (Mos Def, Talib Kweli) as much of the project was recorded at the Lampmode Lounge in Philadelphia. The mixtape also features J. Johnson, Young Josh, Former Ms. Howard University/Hurricane Katrina Survivor Aqua Aidoo and Praise 103.9 Personality Dezzie (Philadelphia.)
Building off of the theme of The Essentials, Oppose and DJ Wade-O both understand the essential nature of the DJ in Hip Hop. As such, they wanted the project to have a true "mixtape feel" in terms of cutting and scratching as well as song placement. Says I Ron Ic Lee from the Yunion: "it was a breath of fresh air when it comes to mixtapes. It captures the true essence of what a 'MIXTAPE' is."
Both DJ Wade-O and Oppose encourage you to download the mixtape and pass out copies to as many people as possible. Much of the content is aimed at those who know Christ, but for whatever reason, have backslid. "When I detoured from my walk with the Lord during my college years, 'O' was one of the people who helped me get back on track.," explains Wade-O "This mixtape contains many of those Essentials of the Faith that Oppose shared with me while helping to lead me back to right relationship."
To download Powerhouse Pt. 1 – Oppose: The Essentials: http://www.opposemusic.com/music/powerhousemp3.zip
- DJ Wade-O Intro
- Faith feat. Dezzie (Praise 103.9 Philly Radio Personality)
- My Life
- Miracle
- Love U Better feat. Deacon Stan
- Handle My B.I.
- Keep Trying feat. Young Josh
- Dangerous
- Where I'm From feat. J. Johnson
- I Grieve b/w Thinking of You
- It Takes a Village
- So Gone
- One Love
- Father Help Me feat. L.O.J.
- Best Friend feat. Detric Avent
- What If
- I'm Me
- Life of Honor and Glory
- Live For You feat. Aqua Aidoo


text:
To learn more about our baby products, online shopping solutions or deliveries, please get in touch with our dedicated team today who will be happy to assist you. To contact us, please send an email to email@example.com or call 2381 6100 today!
Rainbow Care Centre
Copyright (c) 2020 Baby Products Online Shopping | Babybjorn, Trunki, Ergobaby Hong Kong All rights reserved.
Powered by CommuniLink.Net
����Ϋ~ �E ����Ϋ~�u�f �E ����Ϋ~