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Friday Photo Dump
Thanks for all the emails and Facebook messages over the past few days. I apologize for not commenting on every single one. You guys overwhelm me (in the best possible way) with your persistent and intentional encouragement.
We've had very dreary, cold, rainy days yesterday and today so Rory and I have spent lots of time curled up on the couch reading and watching The Food Network. Yes, it is possible for Chopped to take your mind off cancer.
Bright and early tomorrow morning we're flying to Dallas to spend a couple of days with our Clearview friends. It may seem like an odd time for a trip, but I actually think it's a great opportunity to spend time with friends and get away. I'm having a few new chemo side effects and would appreciate your prayers that they would not hinder our trip in any way.
And here are a few pictures from the week. I haven't had the camera out nearly often enough. I always forget how hard it is to make the transition to indoor, poorly lit pictures when the weather changes.
Camden working on his first book report. Our schedule has been a little crazy the past 2 weeks, and we managed to have him wait until the very last night to get it done.
And Rory has some kind of Halloween dog she's painting while Camden labors away on his book report.
When Rory plays outside on her own, you can almost guarantee that she'll not only have her Dr. Seuss backpack on, but her baby will be on her shoulder.
Notice Rory is wearing shorts in this picture from Monday, and our high may not reach 50 today. :)
Have a great weekend!


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(USA TODAY) – Nintendo's new Wii U video game system arrives in less than two weeks, timed to officially kick off the holiday shopping season for tech-gadget lovers.
Demand for Wii U is so strong that it is already sold out in preorders. And when limited supplies of the consoles begin hitting store shelves, expect to wait in line, literally, at retail chains such as GameStop and Best Buy. By Black Friday, most shoppers may be out of luck.
"The Wii U will most certainly sell out," says Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.
Video game systems still top many holiday wish lists. And among teens, game systems are the most desired gifts this season, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
So what's a shopper to do if a new game console is a must? You can hold out for a Wii U, or opt for a competing system such as the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, which will likely be plentiful and selling at bargain prices because they are older and new versions are expected to roll out in 2013.
The good news is that game makers will be courting shoppers, because sales have been slow this year. During the first quarter of 2012, total consumer spending on video games — retail, online, digital, rental and used — fell 15 percent compared with the first quarter of 2011, according to The NPD Group.
The new Wii U console, which starts at $300, is Nintendo's first to display games in high-definition and tosses into the mix a wireless motion-sensitive game-pad with a 6-inch touch-screen.
Nintendo, which is selling the game system at a loss, hopes to revolutionize home game play with the Wii U's game-pad, just as the original Wii did with its untethered Wii remotes.
"It offers a different way to play," says Nintendo's Krysta Yang.
Don't bet against the initial interest in Wii U. Past Nintendo system launches have resulted in long lines, sellouts and back orders — and that's likely to happen this time around, too.
With no more than about 1.2 million Wii U's expected in the U.S. this holiday season, Pachter says, "You won't be able to find one until February or March."
That provides an opening for competitors Microsoft and Sony to sell a few more Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s.
And Nintendo hopes to sell a few more of its current Wii systems, already discounted to $129 for a console with two games, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. A $129.99 deal offers the new Just Dance 4 game instead.
And there's a $149.99 package with the Skylanders Giants game.
"The 2012 holiday season will be considered the last big push for this generation of consoles," says EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich.
Not all video game trends are down, however. On the rise are sales of downloadable games for systems and devices, as well as in-game transactions and subscriptions.
But those are not rising fast enough to offset declines in retail sales.
Still, the industry expects its total revenue to fall slightly below 2011's total of $24.75 billion. The arrival of the Wii U could be the boost the industry needs. "The new console," says NPD's Anita Frazier, "has the potential to reinvigorate retail sales of hardware."
Breaking down the Wii U
When the original Wii launched six years ago, it welcomed casual gamers into the fold by making its console and games easy to set up and use. No special skills required. The Wii U seems to take the opposite tack, courting the hard-core gamer devoted to Nintendo products. When the system reaches stores, there will be 23 new Wii U games available, with an additional two dozen or more arriving before March 31.
Games such as New Super Mario Bros. U ($59.99, all ages) and Nintendo Land ($59.99, ages 10 and up) build on a three-decade legacy while adding innovations that allow multiple players to get into the action at once. In Mario, those using the game-pad can help the other four players make their way through levels. In Nintendo Land, the game-pad user can aim and shoot arrows to take out enemies while other players swing Wii remotes as swords.
There are some other family-friendly titles, including Skylanders Giants and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. But many of the other initial releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin's CreedIII, Batman Arkham City Armored Edition and ZombiU, more likely appeal to the longtime gamer than the casual Wii player.
Price: $299.99 for a white console with 8 gigabytes of storage and white game-pad or $349.99 for the deluxe 32 GB black console and game-pad, plus Nintendo Land game.
Selling points: New game-pad lets you play some games directly on the touch-screen, so others can use the TV. You can also use the device to select movies, TV shows and other content available on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and even a TiVo DVR.
The entrenched competition
Microsoft and Sony have 35 million and 22 million systems, respectively, in U.S. homes, and it will not be easy this holiday season to expand that foothold, Divnich says. But for shoppers who have considered but put off buying an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, there could be deals because "some of the best hardware starter bundles in this cycle's history" are likely, he says.
Retailers will begin having weekly specials, says P.J. McNealy of Digital World Research, "but the focus will be on Black Friday sales." Shoppers' goals, he says, should be "to get the most amount of games with the hardware, the biggest bang for the buck."
Microsoft Xbox 360
Price: $99 and up, depending on the features. It packages a 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect hands-free motion-detecting sensor for $99 with a two-year Xbox Live commitment of $14.99 a month. Otherwise, bundles with the Kinect usually start at $249.99. A new limited edition Halo 4 Xbox 360 ($349.99) has Halo-inspired art on the system and two wireless controllers plus Halo 4.
Selling points: The Xbox 360 library has an estimated 900-plus games released at retail — hundreds more online — including new cinematic blockbusters such as Halo 4, Assassin's Creed III and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (out Nov. 13). The system also has many games that use the Kinect motion controller. Recent releases are Nike+ Kinect Training ($49.99, all ages), a home workout program that tracks your progress, and Dance Central 3 ($39.99, ages 13 and up), which lets up to eight players compete with current songs such as OMG and Moves Like Jagger and older tracks including '70s hits I Will Survive and Disco Inferno.
Dance Central 3 is also one of the first games to work with Microsoft's SmartGlass, which turns Windows tablets and phones and eventually other non-Windows devices into a second screen where you can create playlists that can then be moved into the Xbox 360 game.
Family-oriented games include Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports 2, Harry Potter for Kinect and educational titles Kinect Sesame Street TV and Kinect Nat Geo TV that let kids insert their likenesses thanks to Kinect's camera.
Online service Xbox Live also serves as a one-stop hub for Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, ESPN and even content from a pay-TV service, as well as the new Xbox Music streaming and cloud subscription service ($9.99 monthly after a free 30-day trial). More users are catching on to the console's non-gaming apps, too. Usage has doubled year-over-year, Microsoft says.
Sony PlayStation 3
Price: $249 and up. Packages with the Move motion controller start at about $300. A new $299.99 Assassin's Creed III package includes the new game and a 500 GB hard drive twice as big as that found in other packages for only a little more.
Selling points: For starters, the PS3 is the only game system that also plays Blu-ray Disc movies. It also competes well against the other systems' streaming video offerings, working with Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and NFL Sunday Ticket. And it has a Music Unlimited subscription service ($4.99-$9.99 monthly) for streaming music across various devices.
An estimated 750-plus PS3 retail releases are already available, including high-def remasters of games such as The Killzone Trilogy and God of War Saga ($39.99 each).
New games include Sports Champions 2 ($40, ages 10 and up) which uses the Move remote controllers for sports including skiing, archery, golf and boxing; LittleBigPlanet Karting ($59.99, out this week, all ages), which lets you race your customized Sackboy character and create new race tracks and vehicles; and the augmented reality popup book Wonderbook: Book of Spells (Nov. 13, $39.99 or $79.99 with Move controller and camera) that brings to life a 3-D Hogwarts teaching tome, created with the help of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Some games also connect to the PlayStation Vita handheld. For instance, MLB 12: The Show lets you play on the Vita and upload to the PS3. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (Nov. 20, $59.99, ages 13 and up) lets PS3 players compete against those who have the game on the PlayStation Vita handheld.
Tablet, smartphone competition
When it comes to video games, there are still many questions about how this holiday season will play out.
One wild card is that desire for portable devices, such as Android and Apple iOS tablets and phones, is cutting into demand for game systems, especially handhelds such as Sony's PlayStation Vita, which starts at $249, and the Nintendo 3DS ($169.99 and up). "Tablets and smartphones are going to be huge again, especially with lower pricing for the iPad Mini, Samsung Note and Kindle Fire," Pachter says.
Still, video game systems fall just below tablets, smartphones and computers — and money and happiness — on adults' holiday shopping lists. "While video games are down slightly from previous years," CEA's Steve Kidera says, "demand remains high."
Retailers are gearing up for all scenarios. Because of the economy, Best Buy and GameStop expect to see plenty of customers taking advantage of their device and game trade-in credit programs.
And retailers will be attempting to woo shoppers with special deals on systems in the coming weeks. "Definitely be watching for those exclusive offers that will give you value and the games you really want," says Tony Bartel, president of GameStop, which has 4,400 stores in the U.S.
One given is that demand for the Wii U will outstrip supply. "The No. 1 holiday gift in the game section is going to be the Wii U," McNealy says. "Line up now."

subset: commoncrawl


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Can I have my name changed to
The Golden Turd
and can I have my name in Gold?
Moderator: Carleas
Making this forum look bad in order to make your's appealing... you're not the first to have done that, and I'm sure you won't be the last.
WendyDarling wrote:Turd's placed everybody in his hot seat and failed to get any dates from it. He's transcribed every transcribed scroll in existence to feel more connected to his gospel of history. No one "wants" to indulge him any farther than he already indulges himself. Trolls out for the blood of other trolls, yes, that is a definite possibility and conducted as a loose bowel movement splattered with philosophy will feed the trolls egos and Turd might finally acquire a date. Who knows?
I am the Devil this morning. Punish me!
MagsJ wrote:The civility over there is killing me maan Someone's definitely not shitting on their own doorstep.
...and remember:
James S Saint wrote:Tell that to the modern day wealthy, feminists, minorities, democrats, racists,... - "All things are relative".
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The Child Care Subsidy Program provides financial assistance to eligible families to help pay for the cost of child care so they can work or attend education or training programs. The Child Care Subsidy Program services are child-centered and family-focused and support the broader objective of strengthening families' goals of economic self-sufficiency and quality early childhood programs for their children. Participating families may select any legally operating child day care facility eligible to participate in the program.
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Interior Painters in Yukon
If you searched "interior painting near me" because you need a specialist to help you give your home a new look, you came to the right place.
Call us and Get it Done
The smallest of the three territories is a place with a rich, living history and a striking and unique landscape. Some of the highlights of this area include the smallest desert in the world - the Carcross desert and, of course, the Northern Lights. Whitehorse is on the Guinness World Records as the city with least air pollution in the world. The region's economy is powered by the energy and natural resource industries, but it's very diverse. Smaller sectors such as agriculture, film, and tourism also play an important role in the Land of the Midnight Sun's economy. The Yukon is a rapidly growing territory with several funding programs available for those who want to invest in the area. This makes it ideal for small businesses owners and entrepreneurs.
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Did you buy new furniture and your interior paint color no longer matches the style? Did you buy a new house and want it to suit your style? Or perhaps you want your business or office to have a new appearance? Whichever the case, we will match you with qualified commercial and residential painting contractors ready to help at your convenience. They provide office and home painting solutions that suit your sense of style and bring new life to your property, without breaking the bank. The specialists we approve can transform your home with their master house painting services. If it's an office space or a business you need painting, no problem! We will send the best commercial painters straight to your doorstep. They can offer advice on the best paint brands, and interior paint colors that suit your business.
Do not leave your interior painting job to just anyone. Let only qualified and trusted professionals help you deal with your home or business renovation. At Find Us Now, we connect you with the professionals your neighbors trust. Instead of spending your free time trying to figure out what's the best interior paint color for your home or if you got the right supplies at the paint store, contact us. We'll get you an experienced painting contractor to help you deal with any commercial or residential renovation project. Regardless of the details of your project, hiring a qualified and experienced professional will allow you to save you time and money down the line. An expert team of professional painters can work with you to identify new colors that will bring life back to your home and even create custom wall designs to enhance your business's appearance.
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Yukon is a land of extreme weather variations. No other place in the country gets as cold as Yukon during extreme cold waves. Temperatures have reached -63 °C and during summers can go up to 36 °C. Freezing temperatures can damage several home structures such as roofs, doors, windows, pipes, and rain gutters. They can also cause tree branches to break and fall, damaging anything in their path. These are just some of the problems Yukon homeowners face.
Residents of the Land of the Midnight Sun recognize quality work when they see it and only trust those who can do a better job than themselves. This makes the selection process for home services difficult. Providers must earn their trust while maintaining a spotless reputation. Our experts have been thoroughly screened for experience, certification, and insurance, so you get the best professionals for the service you need. Whether it's for building or home renovation projects, a restoration job, or even an appliance repair issue, browse through our listings to contact skilled pros in the area.
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Don't waste your entire morning shopping around and trying to find a local pro when you need one. Find Us Now makes it easy for you and your community to locate small businesses or freelancers in your area who are more than happy to assist you. Use our powerful search tool and start comparing prices and services right away. If you have any questions about how our website can help you, leave your feedback below.
Don't put your needs on hold and get in touch with us today.


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Community leaders are demanding the resignation of a Maine mayor who said Somali immigrants living in his city should "accept our culture and leave your culture at the door."
Organizers of Maine People's Alliance say the group has collected at least 1,400 signatures calling for Lewiston Mayor Robert E. Macdonald to step down over his remarks in September to the British Broadcasting Corp. that Somali immigrants were costing his city a lot of money, then saying they should ''accept our culture and leave your culture at the door.''
Attempts by NBC News to contact Macdonald or officials in the Lewiston mayor's office were unsuccessful Thursday.
"It's not just one remark, but a dozen or so," Mike Tipping, spokesman for the Maine Alliance in Portland, Maine, told NBC News on Thursday. He said his group also created a video compilation of a dozen or so of the mayor's public remarks.
About 6,000 Somali immigrants have settled into this former mill town in search of affordable housing and a safe place to live.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
Somali community leaders said residents in the state's second-largest city have been welcoming – except for the mayor.
"The remarks are painful, hurtful and display the mayor's ignorance about our community. We demand an apology and a plan from his office on how he will work to unite his city, not further divide it," said Jama Mohamed, Communications Director for Somali Bantu Youth, in a statement to NBC News.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
Macdonald has since tried to clarify his comments, saying immigrants should try and assimilate into American culture, not that they need to give up their language, religion or traditions.
The petition drive is meant as an expression of local sentiment as Lewiston has no formal recall procedure for its mayor, alliance members say.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Almost-Eagle Scout denied award because he is gay
- 'Business as usual:' Congress asks VA to explain chronic late payments to student vets
- 7 bears killed in Montana after becoming dependant on humans for food
- Philadelphia student wearing Romney shirt told to 'get out of the class'


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Which sounds a lot like a "movie". Just that it's headed straight to TV.
Just in case you're not instantly grasping the absurdity of this, we're (probably) talking about a movie based on a video game that was based on a toy line that was based on a cartoon series that was based on a movie franchise.
Welcome to toy licensing circa 2011!
There's no further information onLEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars at this time, other than the fact it'll be out in September.
LX11: LEGO Star Wars TV Special Coming This Fall [Comingsoon, via TDW]
G/O Media may get a commission


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Don't Display Ten Commandments at Louisiana State Capital
Display Of Religious Symbol Would Be Divisive And Could Lead To A Lawsuit, Church-State Watchdog Group Says
The Baton Rouge Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the state Senate to reject a bill calling for the display of the Ten Commandments at the state capitol.
A government-sponsored religious display such as this, says the AU affiliate, would divide Louisiana residents and possibly lead to litigation.
"The Louisiana state government should not meddle in religious matters," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "If legislators want an educational display about the law at the capitol, I'd recommend they put up a monument to the Bill of Rights."
In a letter sent today to Sen. Robert W. "Bob" Kostelka, chairman of the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs, Thomas J. Hannie Jr., Ph.D., president of AU's Baton Rouge Chapter, laid out the case against HB 277.
Hannie asserted that the Commandments are clearly a religious text. Thus, government posting of the document amounts to state promotion of religion. In addition, he pointed out that Christian and Jewish groups do not agree on the wording or listing of the commandments.
"Even adherents to the Commandments have significant disagreements about their text and meaning," observed Hannie in the letter. "The disagreements lie not only among Jews and Christians, but among Catholics, Lutherans, and other Protestants. Nor do the Commandments hold religious meaning for Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, or the many Louisianans who practice other religions or no religion at all. Because the Ten Commandments are a religious text for some – but by no means all – Louisianans, authorizing the government to display them is fraught with constitutional risk."
The letter goes on to assert that government display of sectarian texts is inherently divisive in a pluralistic society.
"This bill would authorize the government to place a religious text that is sacred for only some religions on the state capitol grounds – a place where tens of thousands of Louisianans come every year to petition their government and learn about the history of the State," reads the letter.
The bill has already passed the Louisiana House of Representatives. Its supporters say the measure is modeled on a Commandments display at the state capitol in Texas that survived review before the U.S. Supreme Court. But Americans United says the Texas display is different and was allowed to stay in part because of its age. Louisiana's new display is likely to provoke a legal challenge, says AU.


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As a leading maker of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, ADATA offers an environment for realizing your potential and broadening your horizons.
People say that "two heads are better than one," and we couldn't agree more. At ADATA, we put a strong emphasis on cooperation within our teams as well as with our partners.
We offer competitive base pay and benefits, and don't shy away from rewarding employees for a job well-done. We also provide our people opportunities for self-improvement and career development.
ADATA sees itself as more than just a company, but also an extended family. We provide our employees a great working environment, characterized by openness, mutual respect, and teamwork.


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Latkes (potato pancakes)
3 large Russet potatoes
1 onion, diced
2 T garlic, minced
1 t salt (or more)
a good sprinkle of pepper (we use the pepper grinder so it's not measured)
1 t paprika
1 egg
3/4 c rice flour
Oil for frying
Peel the potatoes, then grate two of them into a bowl of water using the regular sized holes (larger) on your grater and then grate the other potato using the small-holed side of the grater. Rinse the potatoes, squeeze out any excess water, and add the rest of the ingredients. Work everything in with your hands until well combined. Heat 1/2" of oil (we use a cast iron pan) and take a small handful of potato mix and squeeze as much liquid as possible out while smooshing the potatoes into a pancake. Slide into the oil, and repeat. You will be left with a gross puddle of sludge, get rid of that. Yuck. Drain latkes on paper towels and serve, sprinkling with a little salt if you wish, and try to remember to have some applesauce or sour cream on hand too. I always forget.


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✔92 stunning black white wood kitchen decor ideas 4
Animal-themed decor is often a popular alternative for the barnyard kitchen. The Moroccan decor supplies a distinctive decorative general appearance with the middle-east twist that everybody loves. Besides prayer words, you may try to decor your kitchen wall by developing a lovely word or statement on a massive wood pallet. On a lengthier island, you can fit a whole lot more workspace ideas. Whether you're looking for kitchen island suggestions for smaller kitchens or you've got abundant space to work with, there's an ideal kitchen island thought that will get the job done for your house. Painting living room ideas help you change the look of your space without needing to spend a wonderful deal of money. Kitchen Counter Decor Ideas If you are planning to redesign your kitchen area, there are a number of things to consider. So if you're not pleased with the look and feel of your present kitchen you need to seriously consider remodeling. The War Against Stunning Kitchen Decor Ideas Think of what you love about your kitchen and that which you'd love to do in order to improve on it. What the majority of people do not know is there are several manners in… Continue Reading Read More


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8-7-07: Updated Winners here
7-5-06: Updated the Contest Deadline to September
Classic Castle Story Telling Contest
The object of this contest is to encourage the creation of castle theme stories.
Subject matter may be anything within the castle theme, including historical and the fantastical. All stories must have a beginning, middle and an end. We do not want chapter one of your magnum opus! There are major points for having an interesting plot and dynamic characters, so be creative!
Comic Book
(Similar to Captain Ahnee stories by Dan Jassim)
Comic Book style is a story told primarily with pictures, with narrator boxes and dialogue bubbles to help. Each frame of the comic should be a separate picture. Sub-pictures are allowed for dramatic affect (Admins discretion will be used to figure if there are too many sub-pictures in a comic).
Maximum length: 120 frames
Illustrated Short Story
(Similar to Chronicles of Ikros by Anthony Sava)
Illustrated Short Story style is more literary, allowing for greater exploration of character and plot. We ask that there be around one LEGO picture per full paragraph, or approximately two images per page of text. Short stories can be uploaded
Maximum length: 20 pages (~50 pictures)
You may enter a maximum of two entries per category.
Entries will be evaluated on their creativity in plot and character, quality of LEGO creations and quality of presentation. The judges will be the Classic-Castle Administrators and a special, Guest Judge who will be announced later.
We know that writing and illustrating a story is not the easiest thing to do, so to get your attention, we've got big prizes!
Best Illustrated Short Story: 7019 Viking Fortress vs. Fafnir Dragon
Best Comic Book: 7019 Viking Fortress vs. Fafnir Dragon
Best Overall (Guest Judge's pick): 8877 Vladek's Dark Fortress
(Special thanks to Steve Witt and the LEGO Group for generously providing prizes!)
How to Enter
Send an email to me (lenny DOT hoffman AT gmail D0T com) with a link to your entry. The only entries that will be allowed are those that have been emailed to me! Be sure to put "Story-telling Contest" in the title of your email.
The deadline to enter is September 25th and winners will be announced during the first half of October.
Any questions? Ask away and I will answer as soon as I can!


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Impact of Divorce on Families
Decades of research on the effects of divorce on children has yielded mixed findings. There is some bad news and some good news. There are also some useful strategies for parenting one's children through a divorce so as to encourage a positive adjustment.
The good news is that two years after the divorce 80% of children appear to have no major psychological problems, and remain close to their families. In short, they resemble the children of never divorced families. The bad news is the other 20% who demonstrate serious and lasting negative consequences, including reduced school performance, poor peer relationships, lower self-esteem, and higher indices of depression, anxiety, and overall adjustment. And even the 80% who eventually come out of the situation more intact must endure the often intense emotional struggle to get to that better place.
Fortunately we are able to identify the risk factors for the children of divorce and the protective factors as well. So if the risks can be reduced or avoided and if the parents are able to activate things that help, the kids have a much better chance of doing well. Those risk factors include lessened parental support, lessened parental control, loss of contact with either parent, a reduction in the child's standard of living, and by far the most important…continued conflict between the parents. The first three items on this list occur because parenting during and after divorce often declines in quality as the parents are preoccupied with trying to find their own adjustments. Loss of contact with a parent (usually the father) is most often due to constant battling between the ex-spouses about the children or to father's dissatisfaction with a court mandated reduction of his role in his kids' lives.
» Customize Divorce resource listings for your community
Resource Organizations » Divorce
In Massachusetts
Organizations with hotlines
CPF- The Fatherhood Coalition
617-723-DADS (message phone--someone will return your call)
CPF - The Fatherhood Coalition is an all volunteer, non-profit organization of men and women advocating for the institution of fatherhood, encompassing the full range of human behaviors and endeavors that flow from the father-child relationship. They work to promote shared parenting and to end the discrimination and persecution faced by divorced and unwed fathers, in society at large and specifically in Massachusetts.
CPF is active in all the arenas that impact the father-child relationship. They hold public events, conferences, protests, and rallies, and work the news media to raise public awareness about the importance of fatherhood and the epidemic of throwaway dads. Members are active within the courts fighting for justice and due process. They assist in legislative efforts promoting shared parenting, and work to correct the gross injustices that have worked their way into the state's law books. They produce literature and disseminate it to the public, the news media, and to elected officials. Fathers who need help in the courts are directed to pro se workshops where they learn how to best represent themselves.
Organizations without hotlines
Divorce Center
Toll free: 888-434-8787
Phone: (508) 446-4134
Since 1983, the non-profit Divorce Center has been easing the trauma of divorce. Comprised of volunteer attorneys, mediators, psychotherapists, career counselors, and financial experts, they believe that families experiencing divorce need to be well informed and supported throughout the process. They are a multi-disciplinary not-for-profit organization working to empower people before, during and after divorce or separation by providing education and resources. They bring both expertise and compassion to those who need them – individuals and families, divorce professionals, religious groups, parent organizations, non-profit groups and others. Their mission is to primarily make divorce more civilized and less traumatic for everyone involved, especially the children.
Divorce Step
Divorce Step provides affordable, specialized services, consultation and training to mental health professionals, teachers and clergy in an effort to promote education and sensitivity to the needs of divorcing adults and their children. These programs include a court approved Parent Education program, "Families Divided" (Parent education classes are mandated for all divorcing parents with children 18 and under), as well as support groups conducted for children, teens and adults affected by divorce or living in stepfamilies. http://www.divorcestep.com/about/index.html
National Parents Organization
National Parents Organization, a 501 (c) (3), improves the lives of children and strengthens society by protecting every child's right to the love and care of both parents after separation or divorce. They seek better lives for children through family court reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers.
Outside Massachusetts
When you're going through a divorce—or thinking about it—you need solid legal information that will help you make the best decisions possible. Find the answers to your questions here, whether you need to know about the divorce process, child custody and support, alimony, or how your marital property will be divided.
Select your state and receive a free evaluation by a local attorney.
Helpguide was launched in 1999, inspired by the belief that unbiased, reliable information regarding mental health leads to a sense of hope and direction. Since then, Helpguide has grown from a small local project to one of the world's largest, most highly regarded mental health websites with over 65 million visits in 2013.
For children, divorce can be stressful, sad, and confusing. At any age, kids may feel uncertain or angry at the prospect of mom and dad splitting up. As a parent, you can make the process and its effects less painful for your children. Helping your kids cope with divorce means providing stability in your home and attending to your children's needs with a reassuring, positive attitude. It won't be a seamless process, but these tips can help your children cope.
Kids' Turn
Kids' Turn is a non-profit program in the Bay area helping families through parental separation. Every year over one million children suffer the breakdown of their families when their parents separate or divorce. Kids' Turn helps children understand and cope with the loss, anger and fear that often accompany separation or divorce. Kids' Turn awakens parents to the need to support their children during this crisis in their lives, so that at-risk behavior by children is averted. Kids' Turn is dedicated to enhancing the lives of these children through improved communication and the knowledge they are not alone. The Kids' Turn website has a page for kids only which includes activities, common questions and answers, and a list of children's books that deal with divorce.
Separate is a supportive DIY divorce solution to help you to complete all of your legal paperwork and to make the decisions that you need to make as you fill them out. Although you're in control, you're never alone.
Their Divorce Guides help you with paperwork. They connect you with vetted attorneys and financial planners the moment you need help.
See if you qualify. Take their simple five-question eligibility quiz. As long as you qualify, they guide you the rest of the way, saving you money and giving you the peace of mind of knowing you can still get legal support along the way, without paying a lawyer retainer.
Sesame Street's Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce
Divorce is one of the most common major transitions in children's lives, with 40 percent of all children experiencing the divorce of their parents. With Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce, Sesame Street has created much-needed resources for families with young children (ages 2-8) as they encounter the tough transitions that come with divorce. This website features an array of tools that parents can use with their children to discuss the feelings and worries they may have about a divorce. Using the familiar Sesame Street characters, there are videos children can watch, songs, tips for parents, apps parents can download, as well as stories and activities that parents can use in helping their children discuss their feelings. The complete tool kit is available for parents from their website.
Supervised Visitation Network
Phone: 904-419-7861
Fax: 904-239-5888
The Supervised Visitation Network (SVN) is a multi-national non-profit membership organization that is a network of agencies and individuals who are interested in assuring that children can have safe, conflict-free access to parents with whom they do not reside. Some of the children who need these services live in foster homes or with relatives. Some live with one parent who is estranged from the other. SVN helps families find services that are convenient to them and will meet their needs by maintaining a directory of services nationwide. SVN receives many calls from parents, attorneys, social workers, judges, and others looking for services in their area. The goal is to have a comprehensive directory so services can easily be found by the families that need them. SVN collects and disseminates research information relevant to safe child access and provides public education regarding the importance of children having access to their parents.
Members of SVN may be:
- Attorneys
- Judges
- Law makers and government employees
- Private and non-profit providers of child access services
- Professors
- Providers of domestic violence services
- Providers of other family services
- Social workers
- Therapists


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Fulfilling a promise made in Newtown one month ago, President Obama is set to reveal proposals to curb gun violence. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
With assault weapons firmly in the crosshairs of state and federal lawmakers, gun-rights groups say they are not willing to give an inch when it comes to restricting access to the weapon of choice in recent mass shootings.
From arguments over what exactly defines an assault weapon to enthusiasts who say the guns are just plain fun to shoot, defenders of assault weapons say the White House and others are misguided in their focus on banning them.
"I can't possibly imagine what logic people are following that somehow another law, just one more law, will solve these issues," said Keith Morgan, president of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-gun group.
"People are killed in greater number by cars, bats, hammers, hands, and feet," he added. "Examining the tool and attempting to ban the tool will have absolutely no effect. We're dealing with a people problem. We've got to find a people solution."
President Obama on Wednesday called for a renewed ban on "military-style" assault weapons, among the most popular guns in America. They were used by both accused Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes and Connecticut gunman Adam Lanza. But gun-rights advocates like Morgan argue that despite the guns' roles in high-profile mass killings, they are used in a relatively small number of homicides.
First Read: Obama set to go big on guns
According to the FBI's Unified Crime Report for 2011, handguns were used 6,220 of the 12,664 homicides reported. Rifles accounted for 323 homicides, with knives and other unnamed firearms making up most of the rest.
Julie Jacobson / AP
Sig Sauer representative Adam Painchaud explains one of the company's newest products, the MPX 9mm pistol caliber submachine gun, at the 35th annual SHOT Show, Jan. 15, in Las Vegas.
Other gun-rights advocates are willing to entertain a conversation about assault weapons, but they remain dubious.
"If someone can show me how it can save lives, we'll look at anything," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association. He remains unconvinced, however, that an assault weapons ban would have done anything to prevent mass shootings like that in Newtown, Conn.
"I don't like a bunch of dead kids, so I don't see why we waste time on stale policies," Irvine said.
The debate about what works will play out in the halls of Congress as well as state capitals, but also in American living rooms.
A survey released this week by the Pew Research Center found generous support among most Americans for at least some new controls on guns. The poll found that a majority of the public – 55 percent – would favor a ban on assault weapons. That support broke somewhat along party lines, with 69 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Republicans favoring a legislation restricting assault weapons.
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York already place some prohibitions on assault weapons.
Support soars for tougher gun laws, surveys show
In California, which has some of the nation's toughest regulations on assault weapons, the law lists 75 assault weapon types by name, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. California is also one of three states that employ a "one-feature" test to identify assault weapons, banning all weapons that have one military-style feature, such as a pistol grip or telescoping stock.
Some pro-gun activists, like Paul Valone of Grass Roots North Carolina, dismiss the category of assault weapons entirely.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A Rock River Arms AR-15 rifle.
"It's relatively easy to circumvent a firearms ban based on cosmetic features. A pistol grip does not change the function of the firearm," Valone said. "None of these things make any difference whatsoever."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law on Tuesday that tightened the state's existing ban on assault weapons by applying the one-feature test.
The last federal ban on assault weapons lapsed in 2004. It was criticized by gun control proponents for allowing gun makers to easily circumvent restrictions may making small changes to existing models of rifles. That law required guns to have two military-style features to be considered assault weapons.
Ross Meyer, a manager at Gun World and Archery, a Nevada gun store, said some of his customers buy AR-style weapons for defense – but many also simply enjoy shooting the guns.
Gun-rights groups: Our 'backs are against the wall'
"A lot of them, it's just kind of fun to go out and shoot," said Meyer. His store sold out of the 150 AR-style weapons it had in stock within three days of the shooting in Newtown. "And then also the high-capacity magazine, that's fun to have."
"Semi-autos are just one of the most fun to go out and shoot when it comes to the recreation of it," Meyer said.
Activists contend that there's no political gain for them in sitting down at the table to discuss restrictions on assault weapons.
"As a strategic measure, it would be a horrific mistake for Republicans to play this game again," said Michael Hammond, legislative consultant for Gun Owners of America, a national pro-gun rights group that claims 300,000 members.
Longtime conservative activist Larry Hunter is a co-organizer of Gun Appreciation Day. The day, which Hunter said is intended to promote Second Amendment rights, is scheduled for January 19. Hunter sees any ban on assault weapons as an encroachment on American's constitutional rights.
"I hope it's a non-starter," Hunter said of any new ban on assault weapons. "But I think the world has changed so dramatically since it was first enacted and then allowed to expire, we have to take very seriously the possibility that they will do something."


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By Liz Laing
Issue 133, November/December 2005
Mother's milk is the perfect panacea for a whole host of ailments – from pinkeye to acne. Just a squirt will do the trick!
Most people know about the health benefits of breastfeeding, but few know about breastmilk's medicinal benefits. Breastmilk is sterile, antibacterial, and has many healing properties. It can be used to treat a variety of ailments and can be applied topically for eye and ear infections, minor skin injuries, sore or cracked nipples, diaper rash, sore throats, and stuffy noses. Is breastmilk an everyday cure-all? Read on and judge for yourself.
When your child gets a cold and has a stuffy nose, drizzle breastmilk into each nostril. It will thin the mucus, and the milk's natural antibodies will help fight infection. Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP, IBCLC's nationally recognized pediatrician, author, and breastfeeding authority, encourages the use of breastmilk in this way. "I recommend breastmilk as the best nose drop for babies and children with colds," he says. "The milk kills viruses on contact (sounds like a TV commercial!), and the best part is that it makes babies sneeze. The sneeze sends viruses, bacteria, dust, and more flying out of the nose at 100 mph."
Several clinical studies have shown that since each mother's milk is made specifically for her own baby, it is effective in ridding the infant's eyes and nose of viruses and germs. I have used it on my own children, and even on myself. Recently, my son had pinkeye; when I applied my breastmilk to his eyes several times a day, the conjunctivitis cleared up. A friend of mine used her breastmilk on all her family members whenever they got pinkeye, and thus for years she was able to avoid having to buy prescription eyedrops.
You never know when breastmilk will come in handy. I got liquid soap in my eye once while in the locker room at my gym. My eye was burning and extremely red, and rinsing it with water didn't help at all. I checked my purse for eyedrops but found none. Then I remembered the built-in medicine chest I carried around on my own chest. I went into a bathroom stall, cupped my hand, squirted out some milk, and bathed my eye in it. Ahhhhhh! Instant relief – the redness and painful stinging were gone. I was glad to have this option available, and felt proud that my body produces something that can be used to help heal other parts of my body. What a great way to recycle.
Besides colds and eye irritations, there are several other conditions that might benefit from the use of breastmilk. In most cases you simply express your milk into a clean saucer, cup, or bowl, then use a cotton ball or eyedropper to apply or squirt milk directly onto the area, as needed, for the desired results.
In many places – including Mexico, Russia, Africa, South America, and India – the use of breastmilk in alternative ways is quite common. One mother on a Midwifery Today online forum said, "In Nigeria, if a child has a condition of the eyes, such as mucus, we simply squirt a bit of breastmilk and it clears right up."1
Besides healing common minor afflictions, breastmilk has recently been in the news for helping to treat more serious illnesses. Adult cancer patients have been drinking breastmilk in an attempt to boost their immune systems and cope better with the side effects of chemotherapy.2 While this is not a common practice, a milk bank in California has supplied a group of pioneering patients with breastmilk for the past few years. One lucky recipient of this donor milk, Howard Cohen of Palo Alto, California, strongly believes that ingesting breastmilk daily has helped his prostate cancer go into remission.3
Donor milk is used to treat a variety of health problems. I spoke with Pauline Sakamoto, RN, MS, executive director of the Mothers' Milk Bank in San Jose, California, about some of the other ways breastmilk benefits people. "Historically, human milk has been used for diseases and health conditions of adults and children and as a superior food for babies. These folk cures have been tested throughout time. Currently, there has been more interest in the scientific community to test the components of human milk's effect on different health problems that plague us today. Hopefully, in the near future, we will validate the incredible power that our body has to promote growth, heal itself, and preserve its integrity via human milk.
Breastmilk may even kill cancer cells. In 1995 physician and immunologist Catharina Svanborg and a team of research biologists at Sweden's Lund University discovered in breastmilk a protein compound, alpha-lactalbumin (they gave it the acronym HAMLET), that selectively induces apoptosis in tumor cells.4 In other words, HAMLET makes cancer cells commit suicide. In fact, it has killed every type of cancer the researchers have tested it against. HAMLET has also been used to successfully treat virally infected warts, which were reduced by 75 percent in volunteers who received daily treatments with an ointment containing the protein. The same viruses that cause warts are also linked to cervical cancer, genital warts, and some types of skin cancer. Well, we all knew that breastmilk is powerful.
You may wonder why this discovery of a possible cure for cancer has not received greater attention. Funding is part of the problem, but slowly, in the past decade, more attention has been paid to this small laboratory in a quiet corner of the world. Even the American Cancer Society has given its stamp of approval by giving a grant to Svanborg and her team to help fund further research into their discovery.
While this type of scientific news is exciting, let's not forget the real miracle of breastmilk and its primary use. The healing powers of this liquid gold are incredible enough, but breastmilk's most amazing quality is that it gives life. No other food or substance on earth comes close to doing what breastmilk does. Human breastmilk is the ideal food for human babies. Pediatrician Jay Gordon reminds us how crucial breastfeeding is when he says, "Babies denied breastmilk during the first year of life get sick and die at a much greater rate than babies who nurse."
I am still amazed when I watch my son nurse. I know that his healthy, growing body is thriving because he is suckling the perfect food, which my body makes for his body. But in addition to satisfying this primary need, my breastmilk can help heal his body in other ways as well.
- Michael Day, "Adults Turn to Breast Milk to Ease Effects of Chemotherapy," Daily Telegraph (16 January 2005); www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/16/nteat16. xml
- "The Man Who Swears by Breastmilk," BBC News Online, UK edition (23 January 2005): http://news.bbc.co. uk/1/hi/health/4187697.stm
- Catharina Svanborg, MD, PhD, "Treatment of Skin Papillomas with Topical Alpha-Lactalbumin-Oleic Acid," New England Journal of Medicine 350 (2004): 2663-2672.
Liz Laing, ACE, is a freelance writer and mother of four beautiful, breastfed children. She has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 12 years and most recently is overcoming the challenges of single motherhood. A certified childbirth educator and doula, Liz lives in Los Angeles, California.


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That was close! Seaplane nearly lands on whale (VIDEO)
ANGOON, AK. -- Wise men say to look before you leap. In Alaska, it's advisable to look before you land.
That's because, in Alaska, where seaplanes are common, you just might land on a whale.
Last week in tiny, remote Angoon, Thomas Hamm was shooting video of a seaplane coming in for a landing.
It was a mundane scene in the island community that's only accessible by boat or seaplane.
The video starts out normal. But as the plane lowers, it's clear something is different about this approach.
"All the sudden, the pilot advanced the throttle and I didn't know why. I thought, 'Oh something must be wrong,'" Hamm told CNN.
That something was a whale, a humpback, swimming just under the surface.
For a moment, it appeared the whale and plane would collide.
But the pilot pulled up, getting just enough lift to avoid the mammal.
The plane landed safely seconds later.
Later Hamm showed the pilot the video he shot.
Hamm said the pilot told him he didn't notice the whale; he reacted to the commotion on the shore. Guys were pointing and yelling.
Right as the pilot pulled up, the whale breached, clearing his blowhole and drenching the plane's windshield.
That's one way to make a splash.


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I usually focus on the upbeat in this blog. With a title like Slow Happy Living, that's to be expected. But life is lived in moments, and not all moments are happy ones.
My father passed away last week, one week after his 87th birthday. Per his wishes, there will be no service. I would like to write something by way of a eulogy but the task may be too big for me, at least for now. So I'll just reflect a bit on his life.
His passing was not unexpected. He'd had a stroke several years ago from which he'd largely recovered. A second stroke this February was more debilitating, but he had come home and was adjusting to the use of a walker or wheelchair. He insisted that he surely would drive again soon and that he and my step-mom would take one more vacation together. Yet he worried constantly about the next stroke that he was sure would come.
The third stroke in late March was massive. He could still speak, but he was confused. He could do almost nothing without assistance. There would be no coming home from the nursing home this time. Although doctors said he might live for several more years, he never talked again about his plans for the future.
Last week he suddenly developed complications from that stroke. CFL, my daughter, and I made a quick trip south to see him. He recognized and acknowledged us. The next day he slipped into a sleep that took him away peacefully early the following morning.
My father was a proud yet humble man, a Depression-era stoic with a sometimes-difficult childhood home life. Although he attended school sporadically through the first year of high school, he told me late in his life that he'd really only had a 4th grade education.
Despite his lack of formal education, he became a scientific glassblower, a man so highly skilled in his craft that engineers struggled to design a bulb-blowing machine that could approximate the intricacy and precision of the work he did by hand. Among other accomplishments, he made a glass sensor that went into the lunar astronauts' backpacks. Those packs were left behind when the astronauts returned to Earth. My dad's glass sensors are still up there on the Moon.
The Moon is an appropriate home for my dad's glasswork. He was fascinated by astronomy and used to talk to my brothers and me about the vastness of the universe. He, who had no use for institutional spirituality, made the scientific idea of infinity meaningful for me. When I contemplate the stars I hear his voice.
He had an abundant curiosity and an amazing memory for facts and data, places and times. He did long division in his head. He pored over maps. He kept records of every gallon of gasoline he put into every one of our cars.
My dad loved to travel; we took regular Sunday drives to the mountains and deserts of southern California. We hiked. We camped. We collected interesting rocks. We climbed Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy), the highest peak of the San Gabriel Mountains at 10,068 feet, when I was about 9 years old. While my friends' vacations consisted of holiday visits to grandparents, we took epic summer vacations to National Parks. He took movies, which always seemed to start with a shot of his nose as he peered into the camera lens — if they had been sound movies, you would have heard, "Is this thing on?" Why he never figured that out, I have no idea.
He was active well into middle age. He used to get us up early for Sunday morning bike rides before breakfast. There were no bike paths in those days; we'd whizz around on empty boulevards while others were still sleeping. He rode 40 miles on his 40th birthday and vowed he'd continue that tradition through the years. He rode regularly until his early 60s when my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer; then he put the bike away and stayed close by her side. My mom and he took one or two more short vacations before she became too sick to travel. After she died he tried to start riding again, but found it difficult. He was in his mid-60s, and he was no longer comfortable out on his road bike.
When he met my step-mom, he became young and energized again. It was so good to see him smiling! They traveled all over the world together, up until just a few years ago. I am so grateful that she came into his life and made his last 21 years such happy ones.
Every family has its dynamics, and my dad was not perfect. But he taught me to love learning, to see beauty in nature, and to enjoy experiences more than things.
With my dad's passing, I suddenly find myself on the cusp. My generation is next in line to go. I have reached that moment when I suddenly look around, see myself in a mirror, and finally, fully understand that I am no longer young.
CFL and I vow to stay active for as many years as we can, while knowing that someday we too will decline and fade. What we have now are moments, and we can only strive to make the most of each of them.
Yesterday I went out for a long run along the waterfront trail. As it happened, I was out there just as 250 cyclists from the Cascade Bike Club's annual Ride Around Washington (RAW) were coming through on their tour. I was proud to share "my" trail with these riders. I thought about how thrilled my dad would have been to ride with them.
Just as long runs did for me after Kurt died, yesterday's long run invited and created a safe place for cleansing, healing tears.
Dad, I'll miss you. You were the best!
Now I'm going for a bike ride.


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Spring seemed to happen overnight here!
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Que? That's Spanish for "Where the Hell Is My E-Reader," Right?
Customers who pre-ordered Plastic Logic's Que ProReader expecting delivery June 24 received something else instead: An order-cancellation notice.
"We've been working hard to bring the world's first product based on plastic electronics technology to market–and have decided that delaying the device a bit longer will result in a better product for you," Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta said in a message to pre-order customers. "With that in mind, we need to let you know that since your unit will not ship on June 24 as planned, our automated ordering system has automatically cancelled your order."
Archuleta didn't specify a new ship date, which was probably wise since the Que has now missed two of them. Nor did he offer any detail on the company's rationale for further delaying the product.
A spokesperson for Plastic Logic, however, insists the company is simply refining it. "The market for e-readers is changing rapidly, and they want to make sure that the product they deliver is the right one for their target business customers," she said. "They continue to refine the product, technology and features."
Let's hope they continue to refine the price as well. At $650 and $800, the Que seemed a bit pricey for a standalone e-reader, even one targeted at enterprise. Now, with Apple's (AAPL) iPad redefining user expectations for multipurpose e-readers and Amazon (AMZN) and Barnes & Noble (BKS) dropping prices on the Kindle and Nook to well below $200, Plastic Logic seems to be pricing itself out of a market it hasn't even managed to enter yet.
Below, Plastic Logic shows off a Que prototype at D7.


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Lisa Moore - Software Engineer, IBM Corporation, Co-Chair, International Unicode Conferences
Lisa Moore manages the National Language Competency Center at IBM's Santa Teresa Programming Laboratory, where she has worked on the design and implementation of globalized products for eight years. Her primary focus is Unicode support in IBM's data management products.
Ms. Moore has served as chair or co-chair of the International Unicode Conference Review Board since 1995. In 1996 she was appointed Unicode Vice President, and in May of 1999, she became chair of the Unicode Technical Committee and Vice-Chair of NCITS/L2. Ms. Moore holds a B. A. in Mathematics and has done graduate studies in Physics.
|When the world wants to talk, it speaks Unicode
International Unicode Conferences are organized by Global Meeting Services, Inc., (GMS).
GMS is pleased to be able to offer the International Unicode Conferences under an exclusive
license granted by the Unicode Consortium. All responsibility for conference finances and
operations is borne by GMS. The independent conference board serves solely at the pleasure
of GMS and is composed of volunteers active in Unicode and in international software
development. All inquiries regarding International Unicode Conferences should be addressed
to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Unicode and the Unicode logo are registered trademarks of Unicode, Inc. Used with permission.
17 Jun 2001, Webmaster


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Bad news on the jobs front. A new estimate of the California employment picture from UCLA economists says that unemployment should stay in double digits until the fourth quarter of 2010.
Unemployment has been north of 12 percent, and will stay that way this year.
What's behind the numbers? The UCLA economists believe that the construction sector is dragging down the state jobs picture, despite good news in exports and tourism. Full details via the LA Times.


text: This DVD is not only essential for any serious Systema practitioner, but it is also the highest quality solo training product I have ever encountered. I already knew Kwan to be a first-rate instructor with practically unparalleled knowledge in this area. But nevertheless, this DVD far exceeded my ex..read more >>


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Patrick Stewart Prefers Television Fights To Those On The Stage
Captain Jean Luc Picard is better know for his diplomacy and wit than his sheer brawn and fighting prowess. Not to say that he didn't throw down on occasion, but he was quicker to talk and think than punch an advisory in the throat. We'll leave the double jump kicks to Captain Kirk. It appears though, that Patrick Stewart would rather double jump kick a Gorn than face a crazed actor in a Shakespearian play. In an interview for Radio Times (via Belfast Telegraph), the on-screen Captain reveals that fight scenes on the stage frighten him.
"Fight scenes frighten me more than anything. I have been unlucky enough to work with one or two crazy actors and I have been hurt when they lose control," he continues: "On TV and film everything feels safe and properly done whereas on stage you can find yourself alone with a battleaxe-wielding actor when the red mist descends over his eyes."
Yeah, a battleaxe-wielding anything would be enough to make me soil my space-trousers and I'm definitely no Knight of the Order.
You can check out the full article here.
(Source Belfast Telegraph)


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Fiat 500 Rolling Into Geneva With Hype, GQ Special-Edition Models
Boldly updated special-edition Fiat 500s and the Fiat 500L Trekking will fill the automaker's Geneva Motor Show stand next week. From the matte-painted Fiat 500 GQ to the Fiat 500L Trekking that comes with an advanced traction control system, the automaker appears to be doing all it can to keep its lineup fresh with limited-edition models.
Let's start with the four Abarth debuts, including the Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Record. Like the other three 500 Abarth Geneva debuts, the Record edition uses a turbocharged 1.4-liter I-4 engine producing 180 hp. The U.S.-spec Fiat 500 Abarth produces 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The Record model has matte gray paint matched by matte-black wheels and red Brembo brake calipers, but it's that red-and-white checkered roof that catches our eye. Inside, thickly bolstered Abarth Corsa by Sabelt seats feature black leather with Alcantara inserts. On the Abarth 695 Scorpione, the car's black paint is complemented by a matte-black hood and roof with a strip across the top. The side mirrors and exterior piller trim have carbon fiber accents.
The curiously named Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Hype model has matte gray paint on the bottom with a yellow line dividing the matte green paint on the hood, the tops of the doors, and the roof. Up top, there's a scorpion graphic and the Brembo brake calipers are trimmed in yellow to match the stripe above. Like the Hype model, the Black Diamond has two-tone paint with matte black on the bottom and matte gray on top. On the roof is a more subtle silver-and-gray checkered design, and we're fans of the car's seven-spoke wheels. Inside, you'll find tan leather seats with a black leather steering wheel incorporating beige leather inserts.
For European customers who don't need the Abarth models' extra performance, the Fiat 500 GQ will be offered with gas-powered engines ranging from 69-100 hp, all with a manual transmission. The car, Fiat says, is "a special series for the metropolitan man of the third millennium." The restrained updates on the outside are matched by new upholstery on the seats that Fiat says was designed to offer optimal ergonomics and comfort. Available as a coupe or convertible, the 500 GQ will go on sale in Europe in June.
When the Fiat 500 is simply too small for your needs, the 500L Trekking might fit better. The European-spec 500L Trekking is offered with Fiat's new 1.6-liter diesel that produces just over 100 hp and helps propel the car from 0-62 mph in 11.3 seconds. Inside there's an in-car espresso machine and a 520-watt sound system, but the real story with this model is the introduction to the automaker's Traction+ system. Fiat says the stability control system mimics the behavior of a self-locking electromechanical differential and can be operated in low-traction situations at speeds up to about 19 mph.
Which special-edition Fiat 500 do you like the most?
Source: Fiat


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Product Highlights
Product Benefits and Features
Delight customers with an easy-to-give Holiday Plaid Pop-up Gift Card Folder with a classic red, white and green holiday plaid pattern. All items are sold separately unless noted.
- 5" L x 3 3/8" W x 1/8" H
- 100 gift card folders per case.
- Made of glossy SBS board.
- 100% recycled content (80% post-consumer and 20% post-industrial).
- Recyclable.
- Please allow 3 - 5 business days for processing. Product ships from a separate warehouse. Additional time might be required during peak holiday season.
- 20% restocking fee if item is returned.
- Made in USA.


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The lovely thing about Real Housewives of Atlanta is the drama never stops, but it never gets to the mean, desperate, depressing places of Real Housewives of New Jersey or Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — meaning I don't need a Prozac after watching and I don't feel bad snarking on the women. Even when these ladies are fighting, clawing at each other and backstabbing all the way to Texas they still keep the fun and sassy in place. Just thought I'd open with a big shout-out to the only remaining silly Housewives show. Perhaps that's why the franchise pulls in the highest Bravo numbers (hint, hint Cohen, et al)…
Anyway, NeNe Leakes is still waving the "Hater" flag and she is waving it wild and free in the faces of her colleagues. Who yeah, are haters, but it takes one to know one! In her latest Bravo Blog called "Lies and Gossip", Ms. Leakes confronts her co-stars for talking about her constantly while pretending they just don't care.
NeNe opens by giving credit where credit is due for keeping her name in the news."We are up to the fifth episode, and the girls have talked about me in every one. Is that hating or what?"
"I laugh when watching the show, because it seems as if they all got together and said, "We're going to talk about her and say this and that! We're going to say Cynthia [Bailey] is up her a–!" All of this nonsense has truly backfired, because it has helped me in every way. So for that I say thank you!"
Since no one seems to want to let go of reDICKulous or NeNe fleeing Kandi Burruss' faux birthday party without so much as a good-bye, NeNe gives more insight into her decision to leave. "Kandi's birthday party — I had been out of the state working and once I returned, Kandi personally invited me to her birthday party," NeNe explains.
"I was willing to go even though we don't always get along with the same people. Phaedra [Parks] decided to give her a gift which was a monster-esque stripper that jumped out of a box and put his privates in his mouth. Then he put it into Kandi's glass, stirred it up, and handed it back to her. It was just disgusting, so I decided to leave."
And unlike some Housewives who may or may not have past in adult entertainment (ahem… Melissa Gorga), NeNe is not ashamed! "Yes, I've heard all the talk wondering why I would be put off when I used to be a dancer! And yes, I used to be a dancer. It was twenty years ago, and I'm not ashamed of it. I danced as a single mom to support myself when I was in my twenties after getting out of an abusive relationship. Not once however did I bend over and suck my own lady parts. I've done a lot of things in my life that I wouldn't dare do today, and I would have to credit that to growth! I'm a real woman. I have lived and learned. I embrace who I am and don't look to anyone for validation."
As for why she was hours late to the opening of Bar One, NeNe claims Cynthia was aware of her tardiness and better late than never, anyways. "Cynthia and I know who we are as adult women, and we're very comfortable in our skin. That's why we're able to have such a great relationship. I texted Cynthia several times, so she knew I was having an issue and would be late."
"I walked into the room and owned it! Eyes were rolling and lips were smacking. After the ladies picked their faces up off the floor, I spoke to those I wanted to speak to and those who didn't get a hello knew why," NeNe admonishes.
Confronting the rumors of her alleged affair with Charles Grant, NeNe is calling foul! "These girls will not give credit where it's due, because their goal is to tear you down and put out false information, just as they tried to do with me, Gregg [Leakes], and Charles. But that didn't work either! Gregg and I have always been close. Gregg knows me and I know him. Our relationship was not based on lies or gossip!"
In fact, NeNe recently Tweeted: "I wouldn't go 2 the zoo wit Charles Grant! I'am VERY n Love & VERY happy & this is a VERY good time 4 me n my life! Winning" And it seems next week we will meet the man responsible for her romantic happiness, John Kolja! According to WetPaint, he's also responsible for some of her business success as he is the owner of the restaurant franchise she just opened! Although NeNe has yet to confirm their relationship they've been cited together looking cuddly, many times. Well, there you have it!
In other RHOA news Phaedra and her husband Apollo Nida, recently did an interview with ESSENCE.com about their appearance on the show positively affecting the portrayal of black families shown on television.
After the loving parents gushed about their now 16-month-old son Ayden, they talked about what viewers can expect to see from them this season. And because she's no longer expecting, Phaedra says we'll see her as a professional and an entrepreneur, as their family still has big plans to open a funeral home. Apparently, Apollo had a change of heart and is now fully on board with the plan and his brother is also involved!
Most importantly, Phaedra reveals her true intention behind going on the show was to demonstrate to the black community that marriage, along with "children in wedlock" are a good thing and a goal the black community should embrace. Phaedra hopes to demonstrate the importance of going to college and living the "American Dream" through her presence on the show (she should probably leave reDICKulous at home from now on…).
Phaedra adds that the public doesn't see enough of that because there are so many "stereotypical portrayals" that the media "feeds into," particularly "negative depictions" of black men. Especially interesting, it seems Phaedra was the catalyst for the cast's trip to Africa this season, that she hopes shows viewers a different side of both Africa and the ladies!
It was a great interview, and I feel, an opportunity to see Phaedra and Apollo as they really are which is intelligent, well-spoken, family-oriented people who are likely very different from what we see on TV. After all, Phaedra has confessed to "playing a character" on the show! You can view the video below!


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(cross-posted from www.heavenlyascents.com)
On Saturday the 14th of May I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the 1st Annual Expound Symposium, which was held in Provo at the Brigham Young Academy building. For anyone who was there, I hope I had a chance to talk to you — I met so many bright and interesting people there. If you didn't attend, I'm sorry you missed out on a great event! But no worries, they are already planning next year's symposium, which, according to current plans, will focus on the topic of temples. If you didn't make it this time, you should start making plans to be there next year!
The symposium was very well put together and everyone, both the speakers and attendees, were very well taken care of (we're talking lots of free food, free drawings for awesome publications, no entrance fee — it doesn't get much better than this as far as these types of conferences go)! LDS author Matthew Brown was largely responsible for putting the event together and he did an incredible job of making it a very enlightening and worthwhile experience for everyone involved. A big thanks to him, his wife, and also to Jeffrey Bradshaw for making this event more than worth it for me to go from Scotland to Provo to be a part of it. I also want to thank my wife and kids for letting me go and my parents virtually killing the fatted calf for their prodigal son's return (albeit knowing it would be very short-lived).


text: Click on a dot to see exactly how many crashes have occurred at that intersection. Zoom in to see which intersections are most dangerous in your neighbourhood. To see data for injuries, instead of crashes, click the eye icon for "Total Injuries". And to get a better look, you can hide the "Layers" box entirely by clicking on the "X".


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After the events shown in "Grown Ups", Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) and his wife (Salma Hayek) decide to leave Hollywood and move their family back to Lenny's hometown. Of course, this puts him back in with his old friends Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock) and "Higgy" (David Spade). Together they all face the challenges of dealing with their wives and their children.
When Kurt's wife (Maya Rudolph) forgets their 20th wedding anniversary, he has a chit so large he barely knows what to do with it. He decides they should all have a party at Lenny's house. Standing in their way, however, is the man that used to bully Lenny in high school, and an entire, angry fraternity who are after them due to a turf war over the local swimming hole.
Will Lenny and his friends be able to withstand the challenges of being adults?
"Grown Ups 2" was an absolutely horrifying exercise in stupid comedy. Think of it as an inverse IQ test… this film is trying to figure out how dumb you are. It takes stupefyingly dumb characters, puts them in horribly unfunny situations, then somehow expects the audience to laugh at the juvenile sensibilities. The film opens with a frightened buck who has wandered into Sandler's family's home peeing all over people, and then it only gets worse from there. Spade sexually licks a female body builder's bicep, Nick Swardson publicly takes a dump in a KMart display toilet, and Kevin James has a running joke about being able to burp, sneeze and fart simultaneously. I wish I were joking.
This is an exercise in infantilism that everyone involved with should be ashamed of. Of course, it will find the non-discerning bottom feeders of the American cinema going public and make its money, letting Sandler and his cronies continue unimpeded. The entire gang is here and then some. Aside from the core supporting trio of James, Rock and Spade, Lon Lovitz, Steve Buscemi, Tim Meadows, Andy Samberg and a host of others show up. Taylor Lautner and Milo Ventimiglia compete to be the film's most annoying Frat boy, while Shaquille O'Neal and Stone Cold Steve Austin have small roles. When Shaquille O'Neal provides the funniest (note, that's relative, I said funniest not funny) performance in your film, you know you're in trouble. Swardson and Hayek were special stand-outs in the embarrassment. Hayek mangled what should have been a walk in the park role. At least she brought enough accent for the rest of the class. Swardson of course, turns up the obnoxiousness into a zone that's currently immeasurable. Think I'm kidding? Wait to you see him in his urine stained tighty whiteys.
Together, the cast mugs their way through fart jokes, getting hit in the balls, and multiple vomit jokes. I would say that this humor was aimed at 12 year olds, except I doubt todays tweens would be caught dead at something as dumb as this.
This movie made me wonder if anyone involved had an ounce of pride in their work. It certainly wouldn't be evidenced by their willingness to appear in this clumsy, unfunny, juvenile piece of garbage, that's for sure.


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As someone who has been through the process of supporting litigation I want to share my experience so that you understand what could happen when your organization incorporates OSS components under the wrong license or deals with code of questionable provenance. I'm writing this blog entry to convey the experience of being a developer who has to support litigation - it isn't fun or productive, and it usually something that is completely avoidable.
Let me tell you why the experience is awful. First, if you are reading this blog it is because you enjoy writing code and learning about new technology. You probably don't enjoy sitting in a room with a lawyer and trying to explain how open source works. Every time I try to explain what open source is to a technical "layperson" I end up sounding like a naive idealist because, let's just admit it, the idea of open source software sounds crazy to people that are not participating in the culture and economy it creates.
You probably don't enjoy having to walk through every single email you've sent and received over the past 24 months in a room without air conditioning in downtown Chicago with a lawyer who doesn't understand technical terms. This was my experience. Printing out a two foot tall stack of company email and walking through each message in detail: "Tim, what did you mean when you said, 'we don't need that code, we can just use commons-beanutils'? Were you saying his code was full of bugs? Also, what is 'commons'?" If you are lucky enough to be selected, you'll have to sit for a long deposition that focuses on who checked in what code where, and what constitutes an open source contribution. Meetings like this consumed a month of my time, and this was all because the company I worked for didn't require explicit guarantees on code provenance and IP assignment.
It was a mess, but it didn't have to be that way. Instead of just leaving open source component selection up to contractors and development partners, the company could have taken a proactive approach to open source governance. If they started that same project today, I'd insist that they use a tool like Sonatype Insight and generate a constant stream of reports that would identify newly incorporated open source licenses. If the company I had been working with almost ten years ago had had a similar tool they would have saved themselves a few hundred thousands dollars in lawyer's fees, and they would have saved me a substantial amount of wasted time and effort.
The company entered into a joint development contract with a subcontractor. The company entered into other agreements with additional partners and the subcontractor wasn't happy with the arrangement. A wide-ranging lawsuit ensued that involved exploring the boundaries between open source contribution and the provenance of code in a currently shipping product. The question was whether our partner's consumption of a GPL-licensed OSS component infected the larger work with a copyleft license. I had visibility into a part of the process that involved open source contribution - specifically what code was covered under what license and what code was distributed to whom when. Because of this, I was the one having to give depositions and communicate with the subcontractors.
In my case, the company I worked for had a crack team of expert lawyers and all the patience in the world to go through a very long process. Other companies don't have that sort of luxury, and the only reason why my company ended up prevailing was because we had prepared ourselves. We could have saved a lot of time if we had been able to produce a bill of materials that included the license type of every included component.
It would have saved that company hundreds of thousands of dollars, and (more importantly) months of lost opportunity if they had used a tool like Sonatype Insight . Insight identifies the licenses of included components during development so that you don't have to clean up after the fact. In the years since my own experience with the legal system, this issue has only become more complex and more pervasive. If you are using open source, you need to keep track of what's going into your software.


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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Webinar on the FamilySearch Research Wiki now available online
The recent webinar on the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki is now available online on the website for the Mesa FamilySearch Library.
1 comment:
- Alice GedgeApril 26, 2013 at 5:11 AM
There is a section in the first quarter, that you lose the audio. It seems to straighten itself out.ReplyDelete
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The Keys to the White House, developed by Allan Lichtman, is a system for predicting the popular-vote result of American presidential elections, based upon the theory of pragmatic voting. America's electorate, according to this theory, chooses a president, not according to events of the campaign, but according to how well the party in control of the White House has governed the country. If the voters are content with the party in power, it gains four more years in the White House; if not, the challenging party prevails. Thus, the choice of a president does not turn on debates, advertising, speeches, endorsements, rallies, platforms, promises, or campaign tactics. Rather, presidential elections are primarily referenda on the performance of the party holding the White House.
Lichtman first developed the Keys system in 1981, in collaboration with Vladimir Keilis-Borok, founder of the International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics. The methodology used in the development of the Keys is described in Keilis-Borok and Lichtman (1981) and Lichtman (2008, 2010a). As shown in Table 1, each of the thirteen keys is stated as a threshold condition that always favors the re-election of the party holding the White House. For example, Key 5 is phrased as "The economy is not in recession during the election campaign." Each key can then be assessed as true or false prior to an upcoming election and the winner predicted according to a simple decision rule. Unlike other systems for predicting election results, the Keys do not assume a fixed relationship between election results and one more dependent variables, such as economic growth or presidential approval ratings. Rather predictions are based on an index comprised of the number of false or negative keys: When five or fewer keys are false, the incumbent party wins; when any six or more are false, the challenging party wins.
|Table 1: The 13 Keys to the White House and their coding (1: True; 0: False) for 2016
|Threshold condition
|Party Mandate
|After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats inthe U.S. House of Representatives than it did after the previousmidterm elections.
|There is no serious contest for the incumbent-party nomination.
|The incumbent-party candidate is the sitting president.
|Third party
|There is no significant third party or independent campaign.
|Short-term economy
|The economy is not in recession during the election campaign.
|Long-term economy
|Real per-capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms.
|Policy change
|The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy.
|Social unrest
|There is no sustained social unrest during the term.
|The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal.
|Foreign/military failure
|The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs.
|Foreign/military success
|The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs.
|Incumbent charisma
|The incumbent-party candidate is charismatic or a national hero.
|Challenger charisma
|The challenging-party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero.
2016 forecast
In his forecast published December 13, 2015, Lichtman coded five keys as false. Thus, the Keys model predicts that the Democrats will secure re-election in 2016. In order to translate this forecast into a forecast of the incumbent's popular two-party vote (V), PollyVote uses the number of Keys coded as
True as the single predictor in a simple linear regression model that is estimated based on historical data from 1860 to 2012. This approach was suggested in Armstrong & Cuzán (2006). The regression yielded the following vote equation:
True = 37.2 + 1.8 * =
That is, the Keys model predicts the incumbent Democrats to gain 49.7% of the two-party popular vote (Republicans: 50.3%). The complete data for this forecast can be accessed here. You can also compute your own forecast by modifying the coding in the green highlighted cells in Table 2.
Past performance
Retrospectively, the keys model accounts for the outcome of every American presidential election since 1860, much longer than any other prediction system. Prospectively, the Keys to the White House has correctly forecast the popular vote winner of all seven presidential elections from 1984 to 2012, usually months or even years prior to Election Day. The chart to the right shows the Keys model's vote share forecasts in comparison to the actual vote for the incumbent party's candidate in each of those election. On average, the Keys model missed the final election result by 2.4 percentage points. Table 2 reports the first published predictions based on the Keys for the elections of 1984 through 2016.
|Table 2: Published predictions of the Keys model for the Elections from 1984 to 2008
|Forecast date
|April 1982
|"How to Bet in '84", Washingtonian Magazine, April 1982
|May 1988
|"How to Bet in November", Washingtonian Magazine, May 1988
|September 1992
|"The Keys to the White House", Montgomery Journal, September 14, 1992
|October 1996
|"Who Will Be the Next President?", Social Education, October 1996
|November 1999
|"The Keys to Election 2000", Social Education, November/December 1999.
|April 2003
|"The Keys to the White House", Montgomery Gazette, Apr. 25, 2003
|February 2006
|"Forecast for 2008", Foresight, Feb. 2006
|January 2010
|"The Keys to the White House: A Preliminary Forecast for 2012", International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change, 1(1), 31-43
|December 2015
|Predicting 2016: What the "13 Keys to the White House" Say and Why Foreign Policy Will Decide the Next President
|September 2016
|Trump is headed for a win, says professor who has predicted 30 years of presidential outcomes correctly
- Armstrong, J. S. & A. G. Cuzán (2006). Index methods for forecasting: An application to the American presidential elections, Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting, (2006, 3), 10-13.
- Keilis-Borok, V. I. & Lichtman, A. J. (1981). Pattern Recognition Applied to Presidential Elections in the United States, 1860-1980: The Role of Integral Social, Economic, and Political Traits, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 78 (November 1981), 7230-7234.
- Lichtman, A. J. (2006). The Keys to the White House: Forecast for 2008, Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting, 3, (February 2006), 5-9.
- Lichtman, A. J. (2008). The Keys to the White House, 2008 Edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
- Lichtman, A. J. (2010). The Keys to the White House: A Preliminary Forecast for 2012" International Journal Of Information Systems & Social Change 1 (Jan.-March 2010).


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May 16, 2013
By KENNETH MILLER
Assistant Managing Editor
Black Entertainment Television (BET) rolled out its heavy hitters for the launching of BET Awards|13 and BET Experience weekend at L.A. Live from June 28-30, at an all star presser on Tuesday May 14 at L.A.'s Icon Ultra Lounge in downtown Los Angeles.
Hosted by the BET President of Music Programming and Specials Stephen G. Hill, a galaxy of entertainment media reps showed up in force to catch the rising hip hop star Lamar, super-star Chris Brown and actor/comedian and award show host Christ Tucker, and singer and television personality Tamar Braxton.
Hip–hop slugger Drake led all artist with 12 nominations, including Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Video of the Year, but Compton sensation Lamar was right behind with eight nominations.
Brown who has won more BET Awards than any other performer made the announcement of the nominations which also included eight for 2Chainz, A$AP Rocky with five; while Jay Z was among the other leaders with four nominations.
Drake is nominated three times for the top prize, video of the year. His hit, "Started from the Bottom," will compete with his collaborations with 2 Chainz ("No Lie") and A$AP Rocky ("Problems"). The top award has 10 nominees, including Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie," Kanye West's "Mercy," "Adorn" by Miguel and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop."
Charlie Wilson was announced as this year's Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. He was on hand for the press conference as was Chris Brown.
Brown was announced as the first confirmed performer. He told those gathered that he "just wants to have fun" that night. "I always strive to give fans what they want. I always want to bring something new and original." Brown also noted during the q and a portion that he has finished the video for the song "They Don't Know" and that song features vocals from the late Aaliyah "that haven't been heard before."
R. Kelly will also perform at the awards show, to air live June 30 from the Nokia Theater L.A. Live. This year's BET Awards will be the culmination of the cable net's first ever BET Experience, a three-day music and lifestyle fest done in partnership with AEG Live that will also feature 'A Taste of Taste of Soul.'
Chris Tucker will bring his own special brand of levity as BET Awards host. Riffing on the BET theme "Anything can happen," Tucker joked, "I don't know what I'm going to do... I might not show up. So anything can happen."
Check out the full list of nominees at lasentinel.net


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Maxim : Toccata Nuptiale: Organ
Product Specs
- Product Number: H446
- Publisher: Stainer & Bell
- Barcode: 9790220221156
Product Specs
This is the Stainer & Bell edition of Toccata Nuptiale: Organ for Organ.
Composer: Maxim.
Editor: -.
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10 Preludes: Organ (Mayhew)
Complete Organ Works: Vol.1 (Barenreiter)
Complete Organ Works: Vol.2 (Barenreiter)
2 Chorals: Dorien - Phrygien For Organ (Lemoine)
Complete Organ Works: Vol.3 (Barenreiter)
2 Pieces: Organ
3 Pieces: Organ
Adagio In G Minor: Organ Solo (Ricordi)
Tart With The Cart And Animo Et Fide: Organ
Frottole Intabulate Da Sonare Organi Organ (harpsichord/piano)
Suite For Organ (Mayhew)
Variations On Kings Lynn: Organ