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As the smartphone world continues exploding, many users still fear the extra fees that data connected devices can bring. We mentioned last December that a great solution for this would be family data plans, and Big Red even mentioned the possibilities of seeing them in 2012. If the image below is correct, it seems Verizon is very close to having these ready for us.
Engadget recently received a leaked image from a secret tipster. This is an image taken from the training material to an updated account management application. Said screenshot includes a new option, which is labeled as "account level data plans."
According to the tipster, it seems we will be able to share our data, similar to how we currently share our voice minutes. There will be a charge for the main data plan and a $ 10 fee for every device to be added to said family data plan.
We often hear people say that they would love to have a smartphone, but data plans add up fast and sometimes come close to doubling monthly charges. Family data plans would be a great solution not only for smartphone newcomers, but for many other subscribers, as well.
This solution would make it easy to have other internet connected devices, such as tablets, netbooks, laptops and WiFi hotspot devices. Currently, a bill with a smartphone, a tablet and a WiFi hotspot would add up to at least $ 90 just in data charges. If we were able to start with a $ 30 data plan, this fee would go down to about $ 50. (This is simply an estimated demonstration, and does not reflect what the prices will actually be like).
There is no doubt consumers would be much more likely to get more smartphones (as well as other devices) if this option were available. If you think about it, and as I said last December, we've already moved to tiered data plans and are paying for our exact amount of gigabytes. It's only fair that we're able to use that data as we please.
We certainly hope we see these changes come soon. Until we hear more details about this, let's stay tuned and be patient. What do you guys say? Will this move make it better for smartphone new-comers? Will you be more likely to purchase other devices like tablets, netbooks and WiFi hotspots?
« T-Mobile launches unlimited Full Monty plans in the UK starting February 1 Asus to reveal redesigned Padfone at MWC 2012 »


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55 Rouse St, Port Melbourne
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We have been serving the Port Melbourne and South Melbourne communities for over 30 years. Our practitioners have facilitated Chiropractic, Kinesiology, Holistic, Naturopathic, Massage & Bedding/Sleep consultations.
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Discover Chiropractic and Kinesiology at the Melbourne Chiropractic & Bedding Clinic
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subset: commoncrawl


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As a former Strikeforce champion, Marloes Coenen is understandably upset at the promotion for cutting her following a title-bout loss to Miesha Tate at this past month's "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson" event.
But as a Strikeforce executive, former WEC boss Reed Harris doesn't understand why she's not being exactly truthful about the circumstances surrounding her release.
"When I read [what Coenen told MMAjunkie.com], I thought, 'Wow, there's some motive behind this because to take that situation and turn it around is just not right,'" Harris told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
Earlier this week, Coenen told MMAjunkie.com that she sensed a brewing issue even before her fight. The Golden Glory product was conspicuously absent from the July 30 event's pre-fight press conference, and she seemed to suggest that was no accident.
"We wanted to go with somebody else, and they said, 'No, no, you don't have to come any more. It's already done and you can stay [at the hotel],'" Coenen said. "Really weird to me because you don't leave the champion out of the press conference. If you say you will leave at 10 o'clock, you won't leave at 9:55. That happened throughout the entire week, that kind of stuff."
Harris, who was actually driving the vehicle Coenen was expected to take from her Hoffman Estates hotel to the downtown Chicago press conference, said her recounting of the situation wasn't exactly accurate.
"I read what Marloes said," Harris said. "I don't know where they're trying to go with this, but what she said is not what happened. We told everyone to be down there at 9:30. We don't ever tell fighters to be there at 9:30 so we can leave at 10 because otherwise they're all going to show up at 10. What we tell them is that if we tell you at 9:30, Burt (Watson) tells them 9:31 is late.
"We were down there, and the problem we had is that we had a bunch of people. We had Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler and Miesha Tate and Fedor (Emelianenko) and all these people, and we were driving about 40 minutes into the city. We had rented out Harry Caray's famous restaurant – which was not cheap, by the way – to do the press conference. We had a huge crowd, and it went really well.
"At 9:30, she didn't show up. At 9:35, she didn't show up. Her crew told me she would be down in five minutes. At 9:40, she didn't show up, and they told me it would be another five minutes. I went through that about three times. I walked back to the Suburban, and Fedor's people are like, 'Why are we sitting here? We were told we were leaving at 9:30.' I've got six guys packed into a Suburban, so we left."
There was nothing pre-meditated, insists Harris. While things were certainly going on behind the scenes with Coenen's management and Zuffa brass (as evidenced by the release of Golden Glory fighters Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem, Jon Olav Einemo and Coenen), Harris said trying to link together any disputes and the decision to leave without Coenen was silly.
"It surprises me that she would look at it that way," Harris said. "If that were me, I would think, 'Wow, I was late, and I was wrong to do that. That's my bad.' But apparently, she thinks it's our fault that we left her. Well, you need to be there on time.
"We had a schedule. We had people waiting for us at the restaurant to get this press conference going. I waited for 25 minutes for her."
Coenen also suggested that her release was a sign of things to come for women's MMA. UFC president Dana White, who also presides over Strikeforce operations, has expressed his concern over the depth of the female divisions and has yet to express a future commitment to the sport. But Harris said White is not completely opposed to female fighting, and he points to the inclusion of debuting females Ronda Rousey and Sarah D'Alelio (who meet at Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 18 event) as proof that Strikeforce isn't systematically ridding itself of female competitors.
"I've got women on my Challengers cards," Harris said. "That means we're signing these people to come in and fight for Strikeforce. Sean Shelby is looking all over the place for great women fighters.
"[Coenen] said that Dana has said he doesn't like women's fighting. Dana loves the women fighting. The problem is the weightclasses don't have depth. That's still a problem for us. Sean is trying really hard to put together meaningful division sand meaningful fights, but it's hard because there are just not a lot of women out there right now."
In the end, Coenen's anger is perhaps understandable. She went from being the 135-pound champion of one of the biggest promotions in the sport to unemployed in one shocking week of events. Harris won't fault her for any personal emotions, but he does want to make sure the record is accurate.
"What she said is just not what happened," Harris said. "We needed her to be ready at 9:30. Everyone else was ready at 9:30. We just couldn't wait anymore, and we had to go."
For more on the "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson" event, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
(Pictured: Reed Harris)
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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Since John has already posted the events of the Sony press conference as they were happening I'm not going to repeat everything he had but try to add a little flavor from my perspective of being at the press conference.
For some reason they didn't start letting people into the press conference until after 4:45 which means that those of us who got in line at 3:50 to beat the rush stood in line for almost an hour. Frustrating in the heat and for those of us who are "folicly" challenged it means that we have a little bit of sunburn on the top of our heads but nothing we can't handle.
Once we got seated (thanks to Sony for putting us in the front area of the show) it was show time. Sony started off talking about the numbers for the PS2 and mentioned that the PS2 will continue to be supported and with some 216 games coming out by years end for the console they are certainly going to continue to support the console (something that Microsoft has failed to do with the Xbox).
The new PSP titles look like a bit of a mixed bag. While I don't own a PSP right now (I'm borrowing one from a friend for the trip though) the only titles that really stood out for me last night was the footage from Roboloco and Killzone: Elimination. Both look like they could be killer games for the system, the rest of the titles just didn't have as much pull.
For me the rest of the Playstation 3 stuff was a bit of a mixed bag. Sony showed off a lot of cool new technology demonstrations but I'm not sure how well a lot of it is going to go over in the real world. Here are some random thoughts on what was shown.
Eye of Judgment: A combat card game that uses the Eye Toy camera to scan the cards and then show animations over the cards. For some reason I was kind of reminded of the holo-chess game on the Millennium Falcon in the original Star Wars movie but that's just me. Of course you'll need to buy the board, the special Eye Toy rig (it had to hang over the board) as well as the cards. Again kind of a cool demonstration but I wonder about the real world applications.
Online/Microtransactions – This is one area where I think Sony can really make some in roads on Microsoft in both a good in a bad way. The good side is that you'll be able to purchase content from the vast Sony library. They showed some footage from Singstar, a karaoke type game, that allowed you to go online and purchase new songs from Sony recording artists. Not only do you get the song but you also get the video which plays behind the scenes. One could easily imagine them offering the same music and videos separately which could be kind of cool for those of you who like to collect music and movies.
The downside is that the example for the new Warhawk game that they showed featured the ability for gamers to download new weapons and levels for download. While new levels are nothing new having to download new weapons seems a bit off. The prices they listed while certainly only placeholders were also a bit high as it cost almost $7 for one level of a game.
It also looks like Sony will offer the prices in denominations rather than abstracting the cost of items by having users having to convert their currency into something else like Microsoft does with their credit system. Sony will be selling stored value cards which you will be able to purchase separately and use yourself or give as gifts (much like Microsoft currently does).
First party titles of note:
Grand Turismo 4:HD – a nice demonstration of running an old game in super high definition (1920 X 1080P) but other than the new interface screens I wasn't really that impressed with the demonstration that much.
Gengi II – Looks good if you are into that type of game but not something that was really earthshaking in its "next generationess". Apparently lots of crab monsters in feudal
Heavenly Sword – Hey look, Kratos now has long red hair and breasts. I kid, I kid as this was one of the best looking games they showed.
Afrika – Lots of decent graphics but what about the game play?
Eight days – Reminded me a bit of the Killzone 2 footage from last year. If they can deliver anything close to this it should be pretty good.
Untitled Naughty Dog game – Looks like a Tomb Raider/Far Cry crossover kind of game. I mean that in the best possible way as this game actually looked really good and what they showed seemed a lot closer to actual game play than Eight Days.
Resistance: Fall of Man - Alternative history FPS game where Earth was invaded prior to WWII and you are tasked with saving
Third Party titles of note:
Sony showed several trailers of game footage from various third party games under development. The ones that stood out to me were Assassins Creeds Ridge Racer, Armored Core 4, and Metal Gear Solid 4.
EA battled cleanup for the third party developers and actually showed off some interesting details. Their new technologies for player movement, awareness, and foot planting should really help move their sports games forward as players will not actually glide in place in more when turning but will actually move realistically and react better to the game situations they are in.
It's not all about movement as EA also showed off their new UCAP capturing system which creates helps create awesomely good looking character models, almost to the scary/creep levels of detail. The virtual Tiger Woods they showed off was really impressive with an amazing amount of detail in the character model. Not just in terms of the model itself but in the level of emotion that the model showed. I'm interested to see if they use any of this technology in any of their other games as I could see bringing in real life actors to help with them with the creation of digital characters for other games.
What's interesting about the EA discussion is that none of these items are necessarily exclusive to the PS3 and could be used to develop games for the Xbox 360 or the Wii.
Like most press conferences Sony made us suffer through bunch of boring crap before closing the event with a bang. Up until the last minute of the show I have to admit I was really disappointed with the press conference experience. Then Sony gave us the release date of November 11th for
Sony then followed that up by announcing their pricing strategy. $499 for a PS3 with a 20GB hard drive and $599 for a PS3 with a 60GB hard drive. They conveniently didn't mention that the 20GB PS3 (let's call it the Core version for the sake of yuks) will not ship with a SD/CF/or memory stick reader, it won't have the built in wireless, and worse of all it won't come with HDMI output which may mean that the device will not be able to play Blu-Ray movies as the copyright protection for Blu Ray is being handled by the output. They may get around it at some level (as Microsoft appears to be doing with their HD DVD player) but not mentioning these items in the press conference left a really sour taste in my mouth. Sure I thought the Core edition of the Xbox 360 was a bad idea but at least you could upgrade the Core edition into a Pro version by purchasing a hard drive and wireless controller but unless they announce separate add-ons for the PS3 if you buy the lower version you are kind of hosed.
After getting the information Sony showed off the new PS3 controller, which surprising looked a lot like the old PS3 controller except with out the wire and with some kind of gyroscope in side that would allow for six degrees of movement. We then got a good demo of this in action as they showed a demo of the new version of Warhawk with the new controller. It was actually pretty cool but after looking at the developer playing the game I think that between this and the Wii controller that we are all going to look kind of odd(er?) as we play the next generation of games.
The new controller does beg the question of why they included the features this late in the development cycle of the console and if there will be any other games that take advantage of the new degrees of motion. It does feel a bit tacked on to me and a bit of a shot at the Wii but unlike the Wii it is not baked in to the core of the gameplay.
All in all it wasn't necessarily a bad press conference, it just wasn't' a very good one. Sony showed off a lot of cool technology demonstrations and a lot of potential but none of the games really made much of an impression on me outside of Heavenly Blade and Assassins Creed. The fact that I'm not a Final Fantasy fan or a Metal Gear Solid fan impacts that but there really wasn't anything that really got the blood moving at the show.
The entire Sony experience has had a lot of rough edges this year for some reason but since the proof is in the pudding I guess I'll hold off judgment until I play the units at the show this week.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
Hi, my name is Charles Husemann and I've been gaming for longer than I care to admit. For me it's always been about competing and a burning off stress. It started off simply enough with Choplifter and Lode Runner on the Apple //e, then it was the curse of Tank and Yars Revenge on the 2600. The addiction subsided somewhat until I went to college where dramatic decreases in my GPA could be traced to the release of X:Com and Doom. I was a Microsoft Xbox MVP from 2009 to 2014. I currently own stock in Microsoft, AMD, and nVidia.


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To start this review off let's first take a look at the Intel Z68 Chipset and what it has to offer. This chipset is essentially just a reworking of their previous P67 Chipset and doesn't really have too many new features to offer. This chipset's primary improvement over the previous chipset is that it offers support for Intel's second generation of Core processors. This means that this board has the 1155 socket as opposed to the older 1156 socket and this socket isn't backwards compatible with 1156 socket processors.
Another feature that Intel added to this chipset is their Smart Response Technology. This is an amazing feature that allows the user to install a small SSD; of no more than 60 gigs in size, and pair it with a large mechanical hard drive. By doing this in conjunction with this feature the user will be able to achieve nearly the access speeds of a stand-alone SSD. This technology essentially will allow the SSD to act as a smart caching drive that will remember which programs and files that you access the most. It will then load the caching information onto the SSD for improved performance.
This new chipset also features Intel's embedded graphics technology. This is great for those that don't require the power of a discrete graphics card, but still want most of the features that a discrete graphics card is able to provide. Intel's Sandy Bridge processors are built with embedded graphics that enable full HD support. This is also a cost saving and energy saving feature that many will find very useful particularly for business applications. Intel's development and implementation of this technology shows that Intel understands the changing dynamics of the current market and that they are ready to meet those demands.


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Say hello to our model Taryn. This adventurous young lady was outstandingly eager to say goodbye to her brunette hair. This 82 minute feature has loads of cutting action including a variation of bob styles, a short crewcut, a high & tight flat top ½ inch on top and completely buzzed on the sides and back , finished off with a complete head shave. This material contains new full angles and the usual hi-quality video. This one has something for every enthusiast.
Duration: 82 minutes
File size: 717.66 mb
Playback format: MP4
Available Options:
For Download:PC/MAC - MP4


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Healthy Dining at Freshii (Boston, MA)
We tasted samples of quite a few things during dinner including the popular Metaboost Salad (field greens, spinach, kale, mangos, carrots, edamame, almonds, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette)
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: back bay, boston, chili, freshii, frozen yogurt, healthy, quinoa, salad, vegetarian
It's pretty cool when the worlds of science and food collide. At least one Harvard professor is doing so with WikiPearl. The idea comes from natural fruit skin, where the flesh is protected from the environment by an edible skin. They've partnered with Stonyfield for this edible packaging idea in their frozen yogurt pearls, creating frozen yogurt you can eat with your hands.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:34 AM 0 comments
Labels: edible packaging, frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt pearl, ice cream, national ice cream month, party idea, party tips, stonyfield, wiki pearl, wikifoods
Combining the popularity of Greek yogurt and Pinkberry, Go Greek Yogurt provides a place in Beverly Hills to get authentic, imported Greek yogurt with various toppings. The yogurt is flown in directly from Greece.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 6:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: beverly hills, date, frozen yogurt, go greek, go greek yogurt, greek yogurt, rose preserves, sage honey, yogurt bar
Did you know that Pinkberry now has greek yogurt? Not a "greek" frozen yogurt, but a bonafide greek yogurt, and they use it to make some great bowls! Yes, Pinkberry's not just about froyo anymore.
I was recently invited to the Pinkberry headquarters in Santa Monica to do a blind tasting of greek yogurts and try their new Powerbowls. When else will I get a chance to visit their headquarters??
Posted by gourmetpigs at 3:57 PM 0 comments
Labels: acai, frozen yogurt, greek yogurt, greek yogurt blind tasting, healthy, oatmeal, pinkberry, pinkberrygreek, Powerbowl, savory yogurt recipe, yogurt
After Pinkberry, there was Yogurtland, Red Mango, all the way to Fro Play (no I'm totally serious). Thinking that frozen yogurt had pretty much jumped the shark, when I heard about Blanc back in 2009 I didn't pay much attention even though it touted being a "premium" yogurt, organic, etc with "premium toppings". It wasn't until I finally went to their summer launch party did I find out - it really is an upgraded, sophisticated version of froyo.
Appropriately located in Beverly Hills, the modern decor is stark white and minimalist - my kind of place.
Blanc offers four flavors everyday, at least half of which would be 100% organic, and none of which uses high fructose corn syrup. The owner and founder, Leo Leonard, personally works on the recipes with the dairy factory who makes them in small batches.
You can find the usual fruit topping suspects (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangoes) except that everything is organic and looks fresher and plumper than anything I've seen at Pinkberry or Yogurtland recently. They don't even peel and cut the bananas until you order them here.
On the not-so-expected side: black mission figs! And juicy amarena cherries (these are amazing with the vanilla) along with chocolate-dipped truffle-stuffed figs, Rabitos. Not into fruits? Top your creme brulee yogurt with Valrhona chocolate pearls, truffles imported from Spain, or organic carrot cake made by a local baker.
Some of the rotating flavors you can find here include creme brulee, chai tea latte, organic peach passionfruit, and of course organic vanilla and some sort of chocolate. There's no tart flavor in their vanilla, unlike Pinkberry's plain, because apparently that tartness comes from the addition of citric acid. If you want tart, get the peach passionfruit.
In about a month or so they will be rolling out the "crepe flute". Forget waffle cones, this crepe flute is crisp and more delicately crumbly than thick waffle cones. It complements the vanilla yogurt very very well.
The prices here are a little more expensive than, say, Yogurtland, where the small yogurt is $4 and each topping is $0.40 but the higher quality of the yogurt and especially the toppings shows, and is worth it.
Blanc Haute Yogurt
9465 Charleville Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 281-2633
Disclosure: This was a free tasting hosted by Blanc.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:21 AM 5 comments
Labels: beverly hills, blanc haute yogurt, frozen yogurt, organic
Gourmet Pigs © 2008. Template Recipes by Emporium Digital


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Welcome to the Creative Cuts and More Valentine blog hop! If you just arrived here from Jenny Erichson's blog you are in the right place, if you landed here from somewhere else be sure to start the blog hop at the beginning at the Die Cut Diva blog where you will find out how you can win an awesome grab bag of CC&M die cuts! The theme this month is Valentine's Day (one of my favorite holidays!) here is my project:
I know a sleigh is normally thought of as a Christmas element but I live in Maine so it is very appropriate. I used the sleigh box in Loganberry Bazzill textured for this. I cut styrofoam to fit in the box and stuck in covered lollipops made with the Small heart #02 die (Just place the pop in between to hearts and secure it with an eyelet or staple on each side) then I added some flat square marbles on top to anchor the box and give it some sparkle!
For the card I used the 5 1/4 scalloped heart window card and the mini hearts cut from petunia and sweetheart Bazzill cardstock. I cut apart the Bingo Card form the Love grows digital stamp set from Lindsay's stamp Stuff and adhered the "Love" to the front of the card and the numbers inside. A little paper piercing and scallop scissors complete the look.
Now you have seen my project be sure to hop over to Chrissy's Blog, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for stopping by and till next time happy crafting!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: accucut, creative cuts and more, die cuts, Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, lollipop holders, love bingo card, printable bingo cards, sleigh box, valentine, window card heart | 15 Comments »


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This growth of lichens, moss, and whatever else formed the face of a guardian on a tree at my parents house. It is a guardian for them from the spiritual side of life. Dad thinks it is cool. Mom is a little creeped out. If I see it talk or move. Then I will be creeped out...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Posted by Ka`iana at 12:37 AM
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- Color: pink gold
- Raw material: 925 silver, zircon
100% Guarantee Quality, One Year Warranty, Refund For Fade, Return of Goods without Reasons.
No matter how the pace of fashion go forward, there are always some elements are the classics that deserve to be continued and supported. is brand identity, is the memory of a particular era, also is a symbol of taste and identity. Only juste un clou bracelet copy can express your love and blessing, brings your lover a limitless expectation and surprise.


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Academic Rigor
Dorm Life
Food and Dining
Bang for the buck
Clubs and Activities
Campus Safety
Take advantage of every extra activity at your high school and make the best grades in high school and always do your best.
To find more tips for prospective students, what to do for fun and whether this school is great for a particular type of student read the 15 reviews for Florence-Darlington Technical College
Curious about something that isn't answered here? Feel free to ask Florence-Darlington Technical College a question
The classes are small and very interactive. All the teachers and professors are always there to help you with whatever you need. The entire staff makes time to help the students and their needs at all times, they try their best to help get what everyone needs for their classes and graduation.Read More
Florence-Darlington Tech is a very good 2 year college that really prepares you for the work-force. I like the fact that the classes are sized where you can interact with other classmates and the instructors know your name. There is assistance readily available should you need help with a course.Read More
It was great school to attend. They work to make your schedule fit your daily process. You should attend.Read More
A very expectional school, the professors work with you so that you can receive a degree. Everyone at tech is so friendly and are willing to work together to create a friendly environment for you. I recommend this school to all up coming freshmans.Read More
FDTC is a great technical/community college that offers something for everyone. It can accommodate anyone's schedule because it offers day,evening, and online courses. FDTC offers a multitude of degrees,diplomas,and certificates to fit anyone's interest.Read More
Florence-Darlington Technical College is a great college to attend. The teachers are very involved and willing to help you understand. It's a college where you can get a great education.Read More
FDTC is a great school for pursuing specific career goals. The instructors are challenging yet helpful. Overall the school provides a great atmosphere.Read More
FDTC is an awesome college to attend. The professors take an interest in each student and help them function to their fullest potential. My advisor has become a friend as well as someone to guide me in the direction I need to go.Read More
not the bestRead More
I enjoy going to this school very much. The classes are small and the professors are always willing to help you. They offer many different resources to make sure your learning experience is a good one. Such as the success center, the Math Lab, and the Project Rise just to name a few.Read More


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Driving While Impaired: Overview
Did you know that drunk drivers cause more than 17,000 deaths annually. This equates to 310 funerals each week or one death every 30 minutes.
Did you know that in New York State slightly more than 30% of the fatal crashes are alcohol related.
There is also an injury every 2 minutes associate with drunk driving. A driver suspected of impaired driving may be asked to submit to a blood, breath, urine or saliva test to determine the presence of alcohol or drugs in the body.
About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.
In New York State, a driver's ability to operate a motor vehicle may be considered legally impaired if their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) exceeds 0.05% A driver is legally intoxicated if their BAC is 0.08% or greater.
In a recent study, NHTSA found that 16% of weekend nighttime drivers (roughly one in six) tested positive for illicit drugs.
Drivers on New York's highways are deemed to have given their consent to a test of their blood, breath, urine or saliva for the purpose of determining the presence of alcohol and or other drugs. A refusal to submit to a chemical test will result in automatic license suspension, even if found not guilty of impaired driving. This entire set of guidelines is called the Implied Consent Law.


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Justin Richmond
Sony lay-offs explained by insider, Hennig left Naughty Dog due to Uncharted 4 creative differences – rumour
Uncharted 4 creative differences led to the departure of series writer Amy Hennig, according to an alleged Sony insider. The tipster has also claimed that Sony Santa Monica's canned sci-fi IP failed every QA test it had taken.
Justin Richmond headlines
Uncharted 3 game director Justin Richmond leaves Naughty Dog for Riot Games
Uncharted 3 game director Justin Richmond has left Naughty Dog for League of Legends developer Riot Games.
Uncharted 4 teased via mo-cap pictures posted by Todd Stashwick on Twitter
Uncharted 4 has been teased on Twitter by Todd Stashwick, the voice you hear in the teaser trailer released earlier this month. All Stashwick has teased are motion capture photos of himself and a dummy. You can view those through his feed. The PlayStation 4 title is being written once again by creative director Amy […]
Quick Quotes: Naughty Dog doesn't "know at this moment" what it wants to do next
"We never set out to make a three-part [Uncharted] series from the beginning. We have always sort of seen it as a stand-alone adventure, like you are gonna pick up any one of the games and play and out of order. It still makes sense. You can still understand the characters and the plot. Obviously, […]
Quick Quotes - Uncharted 3 director on squeezing the PS3
"We were, at any given point, using 100% [of the PlayStation 3's power]. We were using everything we possibly could. There is always room where you find something where you can do the processing in some different way to find more power. There are all of these different ways to squeeze more power out of […]
Uncharted 3 hits US, team admits to "brutal" crunch
With Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception launching in the US today and all reviews live, the Naughty Dog team has admitted it went through a painful crunch to ship this week.
Richmond: More Uncharted coming "as long as fans want the games"
Uncharted 3 director Justin Richmond has been discussing the various possibilities the Uncharted universe still has to offer in a video interview with OPM UK.
Uncharted 3 beaten in 3hrs 8mins
Game director Justin Richmond has told Official PlayStation Magazine that the time was clocked up by a Naughty Dog tester who had all of the solutions to the puzzles and was playing on very easy difficulty.
Naughty Dog: UC3 graphics boost "a narrower jump" over UC2
Expecting a big jump on how Uncharted 3 will look from UC2? Protip: don't.
Naughty Dog: Uncharted's online and offline would separate without PSN Pass
Uncharted 3 director Justin Richmond has said developer Naughty Dog would need to separate the game's offline portion if it didn't come with an online pass.
E3: On the edge with Uncharted 3's single-player
It's Sony's big 2011 ticket for PS3, and what Alex Donaldson saw in LA yesterday left him stunned. Uncharted 3's single-player impressions and interviews with its director and programmer.
Naughty Dog provides more details on Uncharted 3's multiplayer
Naughty Dog has unveiled some extra details on what to expect in the multiplayer portion of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.
Justin Richmond latest
Sony lay-offs explained by insider, Hennig left Naughty Dog due to Uncharted 4 creative differences – rumour
Uncharted 3 game director Justin Richmond leaves Naughty Dog for Riot Games
Uncharted 4 teased via mo-cap pictures posted by Todd Stashwick on Twitter
Quick Quotes: Naughty Dog doesn't "know at this moment" what it wants to do next
Richmond: More Uncharted coming "as long as fans want the games"
Naughty Dog: Uncharted's online and offline would separate without PSN Pass
Naughty Dog provides more details on Uncharted 3's multiplayer


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Date: 1742
"Our freedom chain'd; quite wingless our desire; / In sense dark-prison'd all that ought to soar / Prone to the centre; crawling in the dust; / Dismounted every great and glorious aim; / Embruted every faculty divine; / Heart-buried in the rubbish of the world."
preview | full record
— Young, Edward (bap. 1683, d. 1765)
Date: 1744
"By toys entangled, or in guilt bemired, / [Ambition] turns a curse; it is our chain and scourge / In this dark dungeon, where confined we lie, / Close-grated by the sordid bars of sense; / All prospect of eternity shut out; / And, but for execution, ne'er set free."
preview | full record
— Young, Edward (bap. 1683, d. 1765)


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What do women want? It's an age old question, but we're pretty sure we've found the answer! Check out these fabulous gifts for her- we've found perfect presents for women of all ages.
How to buy brilliant gifts for her
At times women can appear inexplicably upset, appalled or even down right boggled at our telepathic short-comings if we fail to deliver the goods. If mind-reading is not your forte, it's important to listen out for cryptic clues or cleverly dropped hints in the run-up to a special occasion. If you still have no idea whatsoever, then stick to our basic rules when buying gifts for women.
Whether it's a birthday treat, a Christmas gift or a random surprise, women love to be pampered. Treat her by choosing thoughtful gifts that she would never splurge on herself.
Gifts for her - what not to buy
For wives, live-in girlfriends or mothers, cleaning products or practical household items should be avoided at all costs, lest you want that new compost bin, as well as its putrid contents, thrown at your head in the midst of a heated row! When buying gifts for her, it's much safer to go for something heart-felt and indulgent that will make her smile.
Gym memberships and weight loss products are an absolute no-no. No matter what she asks you, she always looks great and NO, her thighs definitely do not look big in her new figure hugging skirt/jeans/bandage dress. Cute work-out clothes and sports accessories are only acceptable gifts for her if she's already the sporty type and won't be insulted by the suggestion that she could do with some exercise that doesn't involve an arm and a T.V. remote.
Gifts for her- presentation is everything.
While we know it's the thought that counts, but when buying gifts for her unless you are under 10 and can produce a home-made gift that will reduce her to a heap of sentimental goo, make her present look expensive. This can be achieved by actually buying something pricey or dressing it up with either lashings of good quality paper or a pretty box, covered in silk ribbons to make it look as extravagant as possible. Like the lady herself, she won't be able to resist beautiful things.
If they are the kind of traveller who instinctively turns left on entering an airplane, this luxurious travel bag is the perfect travel companion. Made from supple calf skin and...Price: £745.00 From Aspinal of London
Get a taste for the forbidden fruit with this dazzling, filigree, velvet lined clutch.Price: £895.00 From Anya Hindmarch
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Created by iconic Irish hat designer Philip Treacy, this headpiece is a showstopping number in beautiful autumnal colours. The piece fixes onto the head with a slide.Price: £696.42 From Style-Tonic.com
YSL's metal 'Y' embellishment sits pretty on the front of the Chyc across–body bag. The label put a sophisticated spin on this casual shape, with a patent...Price: £1,250.00 From Selfridges & Co Ltd
What better gift is there, than the gift of choice? Especially when that choice can be made at the beautiful jewellery store, Monica Vinader. With a myriad of contemporary rings...Price: £10.00-£1,000.00 From Monica Vinader
For true Crème de la Mer devotees, this magnificent limited edition 500ml jar of the Crème will make an unparalleled gift.Price: £1,150.00 From Harrods
The most expensive pen you'll ever write with is covered in over 850 set-by-hand pure diamonds so you better write something brilliant.Price: £855,000.00 From Firebox
Look stunning in these elegant 18ct Gold cocktail earrings with pavé diamond edges and Lemon Quartz drop. The perfect present for elegant ladies.Price: £2,395.00 From Monica Vinader
If you can't quite find the words to ask for her hand, slip this ingenious ring on her finger and let it do the asking for you. Available in either sterling silver or 14k gold,...Price: £92.00-£596.00 From Generate
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One of Verner Pantons most popular designds the Panthella, first created in 1971, provides a soft and comfortable distribution of light through it's well-balanced, organic...Price: £508.00 From Cloudberry Living
Picture yourself with this beautiful camera!Read more


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Welcome to the Mathematics and Statistics web server!
This server is for faculty, staff, and grad student web pages.
It is known as people.math.sfu.ca and people.stat.sfu.ca.
The departmental web pages are hosted separately:
To work on your website, simply use your preferred method of accessing
your FASnet home directory (via CIFS or SSH/SFTP) and put files under
the WWW_HOME subdirectory found there.
Technical support is available by emailing email@example.com.


text:
Personal tools
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A joint initiative of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California and UC Davis School of Medicine.
The Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine (IPRM) is a collaborative initiative of the UC Davis School of Medicine and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California (SHCNC).
The IPRM carries out basic and translational/clinical research, with the aim of helping children with spinal cord dysfunction, orthopaedic disorders and burns.
The IPRM occupies more than 27,000 square feet of laboratory space at SHCNC on the UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) campus in Sacramento.
One focus of the IPRM is on the potential for stem cell-based therapies to facilitate the regeneration of neural and connective tissues and skin. A second research interest of the IPRM is on Immunomodulation in children with burns or spinal cord injuries.
David Pleasure, MD, Director of Research at Shriners Hospitals for Children, Northern California, and a Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at UC Davis, leads the new institute.
David Greenhalgh, MD, Associate Director of Research at Shriners Hospitals for Children, Northern California, is a Professor of Surgery at UC Davis, Chief of Burn Surgery at Shriners, and was the President of the American Burn Association (ABA).
2425 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Tele: (916) 453-2227
Fax: (916) 453-2288
webmaster (at) iprmd.org


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Unique in its vantage-point, Mantegna's canvas popularly known as the Foreshortened Christ is evidently opposed to orthodox perspectival "correctness". Far from conventional in its construction, the image places special emphasis upon Christ's wounds in accord with devotional practices and values of the later Middle Ages. Just as canvas' painter is so often close to the Northern esthetic, he is here equally near later Northern spirituality, though the latter is tied to early Christian and medieval sources. In terms of the focal point of the image, its patronage and subsequent ownership, this curiously, expressionistically condensed vista should be understood synoptically, in the sense that the wounds are given a novel collectivity, their sequence allowing for a phylogeny and ontogeny recapitulating the shedding of Christ's blood.
This study demonstrates that, contrary to present scholarly opinion, Leonardo's Ginevra de' Benci was probably not commissioned by Bernardo Bembo. Close analysis of the painting (including reconsideration of its original format), and of the dating of Bembo's manuscripts bearing an emblem resembling the portrait's reverse, leads the author to reorder the chronology of Bembo's connection with Ginevra's portrait and to propose that Bembo claimed the preexisting emblem of his Florentine platonic beloved for political purposes. Ginevra's own role in the afterlife of her portrait is considered, in the light of new biographical information about her and in the context of women's history in fifteenth-century Italy.
It is difficult to remember today that the Odyssey was translated into Latin and thus became an important element of Western civilisation as late as on the eve of the age of the Renaissance. In the middle of the 15th century in Florence, Apollonio di Giovanni produced the earliest narrative illustrations of Homer's epic in post-antique art. They adorn four long panels on wood which originally constituted the fronts of cassoni or marriage chests; two of them, once in the collection of Count Karol Lanckoroński in Vienna, have, since October 1994, belonged to the Royal Castle in Kraków. Despite their notable artistic qualities and the fact that they provide the most complete depiction of the adventures of Ulysses in early-Renaissance art, the Lanckoroński Odyssey panels have never been the subject of a separate study. The present paper seeks to fill this gap; it investigates Apollonio's literary sources, the models for the numerous scenes he depicted, and the context in which his Odyssey panels were produced. Furthermore it answers the question: What could have been the message being conveyed to the newly weds by the panels in question? Thus this paper is also a contribution to the research on Apollonio di Giovanni's connections with humanism and also 15th-century archaeology.
As signaled by the citation of Proverbs 8:24 and Sirach 24:31 in its prologue, the decree of the Council of Basel on the Immaculate Conception represented a triumph of the immaculist Marian teaching of the Franciscan theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus. The Franciscan Studium Generale at the church of Sant'Antonio in Padova had been a flourishing center of Scottist philosophy and theology since the beginning of the fourteenth century, when the Franciscan companions and allies of the Subtle Doctor and his immediate successors returned from their studies in Paris and Oxford. It seems plausible that after Basel the Franciscans might have wished to celebrate the victory of the Immaculata and their own Scottist theology in a new altarpiece for their church, carried out by Donatello between 1446 and 1450. The interpretation sets the Virgin's sapiential persona into the broader context of the long-standing Christian homology between Genesis and the Timaeus, producing a Platonic reading of the Immaculata as the feminine principle in creation: the mother, receptacle, and womb of all generation. In his treatise De Iside et Osiride Plutarch had identified that primordial feminine principle with Isis, the Egyptian goddess of wisdom. Certain formal resemblances between Donatello's Virgin and ancient figures of Isis are interpreted in terms of this homology. Given that the Council of Basel was schismatic by the time it issued the decree on the Immaculate Conception, the Isis persona provided a well-found confirmation of their predelicted doctrine in the writings of some "ancient theologians".
During his life, Goethe collected about 11,500 prints and drawings which spanned all epochs. Not limited to works by his favourite artists, his collection is remarkable for its wide scope. Goethe's practices of collecting show striking similarities to his methods of research in the field of natural science. This article proposes that these methods enabled him to define a general concept of art which exists beyond the individual, thus historically based works.
The years 1897 and 1898 are regarded as the golden era for three art groups and three art journals in three separate centres of the Habsburg empire — the cities of Vienna, Cracow and Prague. It was at that time that the three art associations: Vereinigung bildender Künstler Österreichs — "Wiener Secession", Towarzystwo Artystów Polskich "Sztuka" [Society of Polish Artists "Art"], and Spolek výtvarných umělců Mánes [Association of Artists "Mánes"] were set up. The three groups maintained mutual contacts (however cold they proved to be), and jointly participated in many exhibitions, asserting at the same time their distinct national characters. Each of them possessed its own, specific kind of a "temple" and salon of art, where — beside exhibiting art — they introduced a new style of exhibition arrangement, using painted friezes, draperies, furniture, and above all — decorative shrubs, plants and festoons of flowers, which made the exhibition space look like a society drawing room or a garden house. The three associations closely collaborated with three art journals, set up almost simultaneously: Ver Sacrum in Vienna, Volné Smĕry in Prague, and Życie in Cracow, which on their pages united an analogous literary content with a beautiful layout and graphic design. The milieu which yield the three above-mentioned associations consisted of ARTISTS-GENIUSES, ARTISTS-NEUROTICS, ARTISTS-PRIESTS, and also ARTISTS-ACTORS who were ready to fulfil their great missions according to the principle of "art for art's sake". They had great reverence for Romanticism, disposition for melancholy, irrationality, apathy, and eagerly referred to symbolism, and decadence. At the same time, they were ready to cause scandals, defending their beliefs, eager to participate in sophisticated parties and frequented outrageous cabarets cafés — the "seats of debauchery and all kind of evil". After 1905 there followed a decline of the idea of egalitarianism of art and its emotional values; the conviction of the artist's special mission in society was abandoned and the new generation of artists, both in Vienna, Prague, as well as in Cracow, in their aggressive manifestos and programs heralded radical changes to the arts. The outbreak of World War I, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the recovery of national sovereignty by the Czechs and the Poles had written the last act in the drama of mutual contacts between the Vienna Secession, the Prague Mánes and the Cracow "Sztuka".


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Sloane's A077463 obviously suggests that for any positive integer $n$ there exist $n$ consecutive primes and only them in between $m$ and $2m$ for some natural number $m$.
For instance, for
$n=1$, take $m=2$; $\hspace{.2in}$$2<3<4$;
$n=2$, take $m=7$; $\hspace{.2in}$$7<11,13<14$;
$n=3$, take $m=9$; $\hspace{.2in}$$9<11,13,17<18$;
$n=4$, take $m=15$; $\hspace{.1in}$$15<17,19,23,29<30$,$\hspace{.1in}$ etc.
This problem offers a partial converse(given the number of primes, one seeks an exact interval $[m,2m]$) to Bertrand's Postulate(given an interval, one seeks at least one prime in it).
I would like to know
whether this problem is solved, or
whether there are stronger known conjectures to which it is a consequence.
Thanks, as always


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There is more of this same risible name-calling, including the truly astonishing claim that Petraeus is too concerned with his personal appearance ("never has so much beribboned finery decorated a general's uniform")–as if Petraeus were remotely in the same league as Patton who was known for his riding breeches, highly polished helmet, and ivory-handled pistols.
I search in vain for a serious point here. There is none. Rather this is sheer animus against Petraeus animated by runaway nostalgia for the Greatest Generation, which ignores the fact that most wars before and since World War II could not be ended by marching on the enemy's capital to demand unconditional surrender. Where, after all, is the capital of the Taliban or al-Qaeda in Iraq? Petraeus and the troops under his command did extremely well in dealing with in dealing with a more diffuse enemy that could not simply be pounded into submission with massive firepower because he did not wear a uniform or control a well-defined territory.


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Eureka! They're everywhere!
You can tell Larry Jacksina [January 27: "Unlisted: New TV stations off the grid"] that both channel 16 and 19 appear in the online listings provided by Zap2it, tvlistings.zap2it.com.Yes, Seinfeld episode descriptions are included in the WVAW lineup.
Kudos to Zap2it (and their representative Andre Alforque) who added the two channels a few months ago based on my request. Other online listings still do not have the complete Charlottesville line-up.
Note that Zap2it allows you to customize the display, so, if you are cable-less, you can limit the view to our four local broadcast channels.
James Weissman


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In her first public statement since being sentenced to 35 years in prison, Chelsea Manning (formerly known as Bradley Manning) says that she rejects being called a "pacifist."
Manning recently received the 2013 Sean MacBride peace award, which was accepted by Ann Wright, a retired US army colonel who has now become a prominent peace activist. But the young soldier says she had no idea she had been nominated for the award.
"I had absolutely no idea I received this award, let alone accepted it," Manning wrote on Tuesday. "In fact, I first found out about the award when I began receiving mail containing quotes from Ms. Wright's acceptance speech."
She wrote that she does not consider herself a "pacifist" and did not leak the materials to WikiLeaks in the name of peace.
From my perspective at least, it's not terribly clear to me that my actions were explicitly done for "peace." I don't consider myself a "pacifist," "antiwar," or (especially) a "conscientious objector." Now—I accept that there may be "peaceful" or "anti-war" implications to my actions—but this is purely based on your subjective interpretation of the primary source documents released in 2010-2011. I believe that it is also perfectly reasonable to subjectively interpret these documents and come to the opposite opinion and say "hey, look at these documents, they clearly justify this war" (or diplomatic discussion, or detention of an individual). This is precisely the reason why I avoided overbroad and unnecessary redactions on my end while providing (and attempting to provide) these documents to media organizations in early 2010. l'm a "transparency advocate." I feel that the public cannot decide what actions and policies are or are not justified if they don't even know the most rudimentary details about them and their effects.
Manning did not say much else about her time in prison but did acknowledge at the end of the two-page letter that she "would like to thank everyone who has avoided misgendering me and switched to using my new name and feminine pronouns."


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Just prior to the open this morning, Standard & Poor's put the United States on "outlook negative." Stocks are falling, the dollar is falling (but bouncing mechanically later), bonds are falling, gold & silver are setting new records, oil is falling, and most food commodities are slightly lower.
From S&P:
Because the U.S. has, relative to its 'AAA' peers, what we consider to be very large budget deficits and rising government indebtedness and the path to addressing these is not clear to us, we have revised our outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable.What we have here is two things; one is a large step towards admission of our impossible math, and two is political pressure to act. That pressure to act is exactly the type of pressure that can lead to another wave of deflation as austerity measures are "the cure" when operating inside of the central banker debt money box. My take is that any deflation, while potentially significant, will be overrun with the impossible math and thus a complete "restructuring" of our debt and money systems is going to occur.
We believe there is a material risk that U.S. policymakers might not reach an agreement on how to address medium- and long-term budgetary challenges by 2013; if an agreement is not reached and meaningful implementation does not begin by then, this would in our view render the U.S. fiscal profile meaningfully weaker than that of peer 'AAA' sovereigns.
The negative outlook on our rating on the U.S. sovereign signals that we believe there is at least a one-in-three likelihood that we could lower our long-term rating on the U.S. within two years. The outlook reflects our view of the increased risk that the political negotiations over when and how to address both the medium- and long-term fiscal challenges will persist until at least after national elections in 2012.
Some compromise that achieves agreement on a comprehensive budgetary consolidation program--containing deficit reduction measures in amounts near those recently proposed, and combined with meaningful steps toward implementation by 2013--is our baseline assumption and could lead us to revise the outlook back to stable. Alternatively, the lack of such an agreement or a significant further fiscal deterioration for any reason could lead us to lower the rating.
I've been saying that for quite some time, and that's exactly the way it's heading, this admission/ veiled threat by S&P is a major step along the way. Keep in mind that the rating agencies aren't going to do anything rash, their livelihood depends upon it. S&P is owned by McGraw Hill (MHP) which in turn is owned by some of the largest funds in the world. I'm certain that those fund holders want to reel in what they see as an unsustainable path. Of course as is usual for the rating agencies, they will only pronounce that the horse is in trouble AFTER the barn has burned down. Look for things to heat up over the debt ceiling debate and for progress to be made there and on next year's fantasy budget where they will be touting how much they "saved" while continuing to feed the impossible math.
The Housing Market Index will be released at 10 Eastern this morning, while this light release week brings more housing data, and "Leading Indicators" later in the week.
Meanwhile interest rates continue to blow out on European debt, as the Fins vote out those in favor of a Portugal bailout, and the Greeks seek to restructure their debts into something longer term in order to fend off outright default.
Bizarre enough world for you? Thank a central banker. Oh yeah, it gets even more weird…
Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Planning Financial Martial Law In WisconsinSieg Heil, Mein Fuhrer! …as if national level Czars weren't bizarre enough, the financial chaos is breeding mini Hitlers who feel their bizarre actions are justified by the impossible math they are forced to deal with.
Following the lead of Michigan GOP Governor Rick Snyder, Walker is said to be preparing a plan that would allow him to force local governments to submit to a financial stress test with an eye towards permitting the governor to take over municipalities that fail to meet with Walker's approval.
According to the reports, should a locality's financial position come up short, the Walker legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.
Such a law would additionally give Walker unchallenged power to end municipal services of which he disapproves, including safety net assistance to those in need.
Oh yeah, as nuts as Czars are, our glorious exalted grand leader decided to take matters into his own hands (handler hands, of course) by flat out ignoring the direction of Congress who had passed a law that included provisions to defund many of the Presidential appointed "Czars." Obama is flat out ignoring those provisions via adding in a Presidential "Signing Statement" which says surreptitiously that he is going to ignore that part of the law. In this manner he is CIRCUMVENTING THE RULE OF LAW. In other words, he is circumventing the checks and balances set for in this nation's Constitution. He is overpowering the legislative branch and the legislative process.
Of course he is not the first to do so, that title goes to the former central banker Puppet-in-Chief. Note, however, this is yet another act on his part where he says one thing and then does the other – something for which I'm sure he must be on track to hold the political record. Surreal.
Did I say surreal? Oh yeah, it gets better. This weekend we learned that the University of Texas converted all their endowment's paper gold holdings into physical gold – as in 664,300 ounces! Worth is nearly a billion dollars at today's $1,500 an ounce, but that billion dollars represents only 5% of the University's Endowment.
The University of Texas possesses the nation's second largest endowment at $19.9 billion. Harvard's is over $25 billion (but was over $30).
So, what does this ACTION on their part say? It says to me that they are no longer CONFIDENT that their paper gold holdings possess real value. It says that they understand their money is being devalued by reckless bankers and politicians and that they want to protect their huge portfolio.
Now then, this is just one institution that is losing confidence. S&P stated they are losing confidence. What happens when ALL the endowments seek to convert paper gold into physical? Seems to me that this is a game of first come, first served. Could it ignite a run on the physical metal? You bet it could, it seems to me that's already in progress. Is this a sign of a top? Let me know when most the endowments have done likewise – and just imagine what would happen if all the large investments funds did the same!
Oh, and I have another issue here. Why on earth does the University of Texas endowment fund possess so damn much money?! With the cost of education soaring, the Universities are sitting on billions and billions while they jack up the cost of tuition and force students to bury themselves in central banker DEBT. Currently on Wikipedia there are 58 university endowment funds with values above a billion dollars (Wikipedia – Endowments > $1 billon)!
So, effectively the universities are robbing Peter (students) to pay Paul (Endowment and its managers), while putting the taxpayer on the hook to guarantee it all through the student loan process (which is not dischargeable in the bankruptcy process by the way – thanks to central bankers writing these "laws").
How much educating could the University of Texas endowment do? Go ahead and get out your Cray calculator and divide $20 billion by whatever you think it should cost to educate one of our youth through college – the number is HUGE, and that money is simply not being used as intended. Greed comes to mind.
To refocus the discussion – all of these events point to a loss of confidence, and just look at today's market – equities down, bonds down, dollar down (then bouncing mechanically on deleveraging), gold up. Loss of confidence is in progress.
How do you invest for that? Seems like the University of Texas is onto something.
And if those events are not surreal enough for you, think about the violent breakdown occurring now in Mexico, and then try reading about the fallout of the impossible math right here in the good ol' U.S. of A… Crime and police work in Flint, Michigan:
Riding Along With the Cops in Murdertown, U.S.A.Go ahead and give that one a read.
A sign taped to the entrance of police headquarters says it all: "Closed weekends and holidays." Every weekday, the doors are locked at dusk.
It's not that the cops here are scared; it's just that they're outmanned, outgunned and flat broke.
…"Sometimes, we don't get to a call for two days," he says. Last fall, an elderly couple called after being held up at gunpoint in their driveway. The police arrived on the scene five hours later.
And I can't pass a day without emphasizing the dire situation in Japan – do not forget that every day more and more radiation from Fukushima is spilling into the environment and is continuing to accumulate into our food chain. The "roadmap" presented this weekend by the Japanese is complete fantasy. You will find that progress as they are discussing will not happen as they will be unable to reestablish containment as they dream. Again, it is my opinion that the number one priority be containment on site. In this regard they are talking about building a giant concrete walled structure to enclose the reactors in, but that is a dream until they get the fission reaction to stop taking place – this is because the fission reaction produces hydrogen and they risk blowing up any ordinary walled structure they place over them. No, they should be burying the cores and the pools in sand and boron, and then entombing them – at least get rid of TEPCO and bring in some outside experts to brainstorm and take action on behalf of humanity!
Each new aftershock seems to stir the corium and produce another large release of particles that is promptly covered up by the Japanese removing the radiation data as if it did not happen. Again, this is the type of cover-up that occurs when special interests are in charge – it is the exact same type of cover-up practiced daily in our markets and with our economic data.
And that is exactly why the University of Texas is converting to physical gold, and why the S&P put the United States of America on watch Negative.


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Bones' executive producers believe Booth and Brennan still have plenty of obstacles to overcome this season. But they don't all have to be so serious!
First Look: Bones in the ballroomCase in point: Monday's episode (8/7c, Fox) finds Booth (David Boreanaz ) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) struggling with Booth's decision to invite Sweets (John Francis Daley) to be their houseguest. And it won't be very long before Booth realizes three's a crowd."Now that [Sweets] and Daisy broke up, we didn't want to go through the sort of traditional mourning of Daisy and moping and stuff like that," executive producer Stephen Nathan tells TVGuide.com. "So, we figured Booth and Brennan have a big house. Sweets becomes instantly comfortable in Booth and Brennan's house, much to the chagrin of Booth."Indeed, while viewers get to see Sweets strutting around the house wearing only a towel, Booth will get more of an eyeful. And while Brennan is initially against opening up her home, she begins to find other value in having Sweets around. So much so that Sweets may be staying at Casa Bones for longer than initially expected."It started out as a one-episode runner, but it was so much fun that we're going to leave him there for a little while until he finds his own place," Nathan says. "One of the things that worked out for us is that he leaves his psychology books around the house, and Brennan, she's a genius. She reads them very quickly and starts to fence with Sweets a little bit about psychology."Things turn a bit more serious the following week, when Brennan pushes all of her squinterns to work as a team to identify previously unidentifiable sets of remains. As the team reveals that one victim had a rather poignant connection to 9/11, Brennan is forced to think about how much she now depends on the family life she's established with Booth. And those types of thoughts are only made more impactful when you consider Brennan's relatively recent abandonment of Booth.
Bones Season 8: Is love enough for Booth and Brennan?"They're going to [continue] struggling with the events of last season," Nathan says. "It was traumatic for everybody and we think of it as the Bones version of PTSD. They're still reeling from Pelant being in their life and not knowing when he's going to resurface." Adds creator Hart Hanson: "And every time they think they're getting somewhere, back comes Pelant to stir things up again. And every time he comes back, it escalates. It gets more dangerous every time he reappears."
The producers confirm that serial killer Pelant (Andrew Leeds) will return in a January episode, but his presence will be felt before then. "There's a murder that looks pretty horrible that they think might have been him, but they're kind of healing until he appears again," Nathan teases.
Meanwhile, Angela (Michaela Conlin) and Hodgins (TJ Thyne) will also be forced to consider how their lives have become different. "From the beginning, [Angela] felt like a fish out of water at the Jeffersonian, but she loved Brennan," Hanson says. "Then she fell in love with Hodgins, so she's been staying at the Jeffersonian for other reasons. Hodgins is the happiest man on the planet, and sometimes that blinds him to the fact that other people might not love what he loves quite as much."
But Nathan insists that couple's struggles will only make them stronger. "When their relationship is challenged, we find out just how solid [Hodgins'] commitment to Angela is," Nathan says. "And we certainly find out that Angela doesn't love Hodgins for his money."
Check out photos of the Bones castAs for Cam (Tamara Taylor), her new love interest will be revealed in the Nov. 19 episode. Although producers have hinted that her special someone is a familiar face to audiences, they insist that any other teases would tip their hand."One more hint and people would figure it out," Nathan says. "We don't want to give away too much. We can just say that we were really surprised and very pleased when Ryan Gosling decided to do the show. We didn't expect that to happen, but it seems to be working out.""That was Ryan Gosling?" Hanson says with a laugh. "I thought it was Ryan Reynolds. I get my Canadian Ryans all mixed up. [It's the] Canadian abs."Joking aside, Hanson promises that no matter what bumps in the road Booth and Brennan face this season, they most likely won't be permanent. "Everyone knows this group of people," he says. "You know how they deal with each other. I think we can all have faith that things will be, for the most part, healed."Bones airs Mondays at 8/7c.


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Oklahoma Burn Ban Information
Volunteers Needed!
The Bridge Creek Fire Department is currently looking for hard-working and dedicated volunteer firefighters. Being a volunteer firefighter is a very rewarding yet, at times, challenging career. With this extremely hot and dry weather, additional help is greatly needed. Please check out our Recruitment Center for additional information on volunteering at the Bridge Creek Fire Department.
We also have an online application that will be submitted directly to the Fire Chief and the Assistant Fire Chief.


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Friday, January 14, 2011
girly shoe tags: a tutorial
As a practice I'm sure they'll talk about in therapy later, I often buy my girls the same shoes because when I find some that fit one well, they usually fit the other one well, and let's face it, I like to just get it done. And goodness knows if I happen to buy different pairs according to what I think each will like, one inevitably likes her sister's shoes better and it all ends in tears.
However, when you buy two pairs of the same you have a different problem - whose shoes are whose? I am not up for grubbing inside the shoe to search for the size tag. So I made some quick layered felt flowers with leaves in their favorite colors and sewed them on so that their latest casual shoes can be identified with a quick glance.
It's a quick and easy project and I thank myself for it every time they get dressed. You could also use an alphabet bead instead of a button for each girl's initial. If your shoes lack the obliging fabric or webbing inserts, you could always opt to sew them around the strap or add a clip. If you would like to make some girly shoe tags like these, here's the simple pattern PDF to download:
23 comments:
really really cute! thanks for the tutorial!ReplyDelete
Oh goodness! So cute! I don't have girls but I am so making a few of these for myself! Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
Love these, and immediately thought they'd also be a great vehicle for teaching left and right as well, with the addition of small letters. Thanks!ReplyDelete
So cute! Congratulations!ReplyDelete
Hugs, Luciana.
These are cute! Really?! 2 & 3? I know it was probably inevitable, but L has already blown past G in the shoe size. I bet those little flowers look adorable on those toes, tho!ReplyDelete
hawkeyejlp, yeah, I hadn't thought of that, but good one! I still have a little trouble with that, maybe I should put them on my shoes.ReplyDelete
Jessica, yes. Really. To be fair, these shoes were a bit big when I bought them, but still.
I should try this with my boys boots. Even though they are 18 months apart (11 and 9) they wear the same size and we can't ever tell whose is whose.ReplyDelete
ummmm... I should have mentioned I would use a boy design. obv i won't put flowers on their boots. hahaReplyDelete
What a perfect solution! And cute, to boot... er... to shoe. (Sorry.) ;)ReplyDelete
Linen and Tulle, made me laugh. Oh, dear, what could you use? Maybe skulls? Ha. I'm struggling to come up with something subtle from felt that wouldn't cause an 11 year old boy to roll his eyes. Maybe the felt is the problem. You might be better off using some vinyl or pleather and making it a PacMan or something. Show me what you come up with!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much, again for all the goodness you share. My girls would love some of these...even if they don't wear a similar size.ReplyDelete
Soooo cute. I wish my girl was little again so I could make her these! I will have to think of some other young lady to make them for. Thanks for sharing. :)ReplyDelete
So cute. I know my daughter would love them!ReplyDelete
Yep, totally cute! I am passing on a little blogger award to you today: http://sewsitall.blogspot.com/2011/01/nice-suprise.htmlReplyDelete
I like what you've done with the girl's shoes, and those bird pillows. Sensational!ReplyDelete
Take care, Linda
Cute shoes, cute flowers, cute idea :).ReplyDelete
I just stumbled across your blog and LOVE it!!! Thanks for the inspiration and the covered headbands:-). We have a lot in common...I have 2 girls, I homeschool, love to sew, AND I'm a Christian. Here's my blog...
Blessings, Rena
That is SO smart, not to mention really, really cute! Thanks for the great template, I'll be linking.ReplyDelete
simple and sweet. i like, thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
THIS WAS GREAT! Thank you for sharing, btw Larissa is my mother's favorite name.. she had 2 girls (Lisa and Louisa) and ALWAYS talked about naming the third girl Larissa. But no more babies for her, only 2 girls! (I think secretly she wanted to name my little girl Larissa)ReplyDelete
That's the way to think outside the box.ReplyDelete
I have two girls 5 years apart in age so we don't have the ID problem. I, however, know about "I like HERS, why didn't you get me a pair like that". Usually it's because "she needed shoes, you don't". Or I shop second hand so they did not have anymore .
I really like what you have done and will "file it away" for future reference.
- AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:09 PM
These are so fun!ReplyDelete
I think I'll dress up my shoes :)
So cute! I think I'll use this to make some hair clips for my gal and me. Thank you so much for sharing!ReplyDelete
Hello. Enough about me. Let's hear from you! If you post a question, I answer with a reply comment, so be sure to click the 'notify me' box as you post your question to receive the answer via email. Thanks!


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'Lennon,' the Yoko Musical, Needs 'Help!'
'Lennon,' the Yoko Musical, Needs 'Help!'
"Lennon," the Broadway musical that's supposed to be about or inspired by John Lennon, is a horrid wreck of a thing that needs major overhauling before it opens Aug. 4.
Yesterday afternoon, I let curiosity get the better of me. On a whim, I called up May Pang, Lennon's girlfriend for a big chunk of the 1970s, and suggested we go take a look at what Yoko Ono and friends had whipped up for Broadway audiences.
This is not a review, since "Lennon" has not officially opened yet, and should not be quoted as such. These are just observations, from a Beatles fan and from a woman who knew John and Yoko better than most. We are very protective of the Beatles legacy, you know, those of us in our later years!
"Lennon," you should know, is a biographical musical that almost completely avoids the Beatles. There is no mention of the group, and scant reference to its other members.
A heavyset black actor plays Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr and George Harrison are mere blips in the script.
The show boasts not one actual Beatles song, with the exception of "The Ballad of John and Yoko," which was written and recorded by Lennon and McCartney together. (That point is not made, however, because McCartney is meritless in Yoko's universe.)
Otherwise, no "In My Life," "Come Together," "Help!," "A Day in the Life," "I Feel Fine," or any of the other Lennon standards from the Beatles catalog.
At one point the opening guitar chord from "A Hard Day's Night" is heard, and then dropped.
Indeed, from Lennon's solo repertoire, "Jealous Guy," "No. 9 Dream" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" are noticeably absent as well.
That's because Ono, no matter how much you may think she's either a widow still in pain or a genius performance artist, has made "Lennon" all about her.
I've no doubt that Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife, and Julian Lennon, his eldest son, will skip the show entirely. Ditto McCartney, Starr and George's widow, Olivia Harrison.
They would all cringe as the show quickly dismisses the entire Beatles era so it can get to Lennon proclaiming his love and adoration for Yoko. She's his "Ono and only."
The whole experience was bizarre, made more so by the fact that May Pang was my companion for the afternoon.
After all, Pang went to work for the Lennons in 1970 and had a nearly two-year-long affair with John in 1973-74. She was there for the recording of his "Rock & Roll" and "Shaved Fish" albums. She lived with him in Los Angeles during his infamous year-and-half-long "Lost Weekend."
So imagine her reaction when "Lennon" just skips any reference to her. It's like being airbrushed out of a picture.
"I sent John to Los Angeles," Ono — played by talented, attractive Julie Danao-Salkin — declares at that point.
Pang almost did a spit-take at that point.
"No," she informed me, "I took John to Los Angeles."
Though the Lennons are reunited on stage during a romantic song, Pang points out: "Yoko summoned John home. She told him she could cure his smoking through hypnosis."
She rolled her eyes. "When I saw him again, it was as if he was a different person altogether."
Also not mentioned is that Pang — who tried to reunite Lennon with McCartney — continued to have a friendship with Lennon until a year before he died.
But that's the problem with "Lennon." Ono and pals have so rewritten or unwritten history that you have no idea who John Lennon was. You get no sense of his humor, of how he wrote songs or of his actual friendships with the other Beatles.
How could a man who helped compose dozens of catchy melodies with McCartney be rendered on stage as a cipher? Where is the magic of writing "Michelle" or the satisfaction of producing the "Sgt. Pepper" album? It's as if none of it happened.
Imagine, if you will, a McCartney musical that only focused on his participation in Wings.
Instead, "Lennon" throws in a lot of unimportant songs, mixes them with events to which they had no attachment and jumps back and forth in time until it's almost too confusing to figure out what the heck is going on.
Does an audience paying $100 a ticket really want to hear "Mother," "Mind Games," "Steppin' Out" and a torch-song rendition — performed off-key — of "Woman Is the Nigger of the World"?
I think not.
And we did not need a screechy — that's the only way to describe most of the female voices in this cast — rendering of "How Do You Sleep?"
The show does boast two unrecorded Lennon songs, "India India" and "I Don't Want to Lose You." The former is pretty; the latter is a bit pretentious and not Lennon's best work.
Neither one of them is presented very well, with "India India" used really to mock the Beatles' famous trip to that country. Another "lost" Lennon song, called "Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)," promised in press materials long ago, is not included.
"Lennon" has already been cited by my colleague Michael Riedel in the New York Post for being in trouble. But really, this is the kind of trouble the creative team could only have brought on itself.
The show reminded me of the god-awful TNT "Tribute to John Lennon" Ono produced four years ago. That was another show that omitted the Beatles and promoted the latter part of Lennon's career.
For the record, the Broadway show seems to still be in flux. Two songs — "New York City" and "Oh My Love" — were in the printed program, but didn't make the cut. The orchestrations, by the usually more level-headed Harold Wheeler, are almost all wrong for the songs.
Lennon must be turning in his grave. (So, too, must former Yippie Jerry Rubin, who really gets a raw deal by being portrayed as a buffoon.)
What can director Don Scardino do? Postpone the opening for two more weeks. No one really cares at this point.
Re-title the show "In My Life." Tell the story in proper chronology, not jumping all over the place. (There is much that should have been fact-checked.) Add "Across the Universe" and maybe a half-dozen Beatles songs (Michael Jackson needs the money, after all).
Try some laughs. Even putting in the rollicking blues number "Oh Yoko!" would do more to explain Lennon's interest in his mysterious wife than presenting her as a misunderstood martyr.
Lose the all-female rock band with big hair from the '80s, the ones who inexplicably shriek the Motown hits "Twist and Shout" and "Money."
Lose the multiple actors playing Lennon, keeping only the very talented Will Chase. Another "Lennon," Terrence Mann, who looks more like Boz Scaggs, could be recast as an older McCartney.
Ease up on the "I told you so" speeches by Yoko. Really. Otherwise call the show "Ono."
Finally, at least for now, I can't get over the irony of Clear Channel Entertainment producing a John Lennon musical. Clear Channel, destroyer of radio, masticator of the concert business, would have been Lennon's archenemy had he lived.
Clear Channel certainly has the money and power to have a place on Broadway. But you almost feel that this show, of all shows, is haunted by inappropriate corporate sponsorship. It's a little icky.
Tomorrow: It looks like Michael Jackson's being sued again. What else is new?