text:
Facebook deletes multiple accounts after linking lead singer in Christian rock band to QAnon
Marq Andrew Speck is known to many of his fans simply as Q and now he's been swept up in what appears to be Facebook's pushback on Q-Anon.
Marq Andrew Speck is known to many of his fans simply as Q and now he's been swept up in what appears to be Facebook's pushback on Q-Anon.
Carlos Rojas Rodriguez confronted then-candidate Joe Biden about deportations in 2019. Here's what Rodriguez wants to see from the president-elect.
Seattles is preparing to slash the city's police budget just as homicides in the city climb to their highest level in more than a decade.Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is set to sign a city budget that includes an 18 percent cut to the Seattle Police Department, a move that comes after police reform activists demanded the police budget be reduced by half. Calls for police reform have abounded in cities across the country since May, when George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis.The city council voted last week to slash about $69 million in funding for officer training, salaries and overtime, and get rid of vacant positions in the police department as well as transfer parking officers, mental health workers, and 911 dispatchers out of the department. The goal is to ultimately reinvest in alternatives to police in situations such as mental health crises.Meanwhile, Seattle had seen 55 murders this year as of Monday, the highest level since at least 2008, the last year of data available. The troubled city is also suffering a spike in violent crime, with 8,418 burglary incidents, up from to 7,634 last year, according to police.The mayor, a Democrat, said last week that she believes the city is "laying the groundwork to make systemic and lasting changes to policing.""We have rightly put forward a plan that seeks to ensure SPD has enough officers to meet 911 response and investigative needs throughout the city, while acknowledging and addressing the disproportionate impacts policing has had on communities of color, particularly Black communities," Durkan said in a statement.Police Chief Carmen Best resigned over the summer amid disagreements with the city council over the cuts to the police budget.In June, rioters claimed and barricaded off several blocks in the city's downtown Capitol Hill neighborhood, calling it the "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone, or CHOP, after police abandoned their East Precinct to vandals and arsonists. Police agreed not to respond to calls from within the "autonomous zone" unless they were life-threatening.Later that month, however, Durkan, who previously predicted the autonomous zone would usher in a "summer of love" and said her decision to withdraw police from the area reflected her "trust" in protesters, announced the city would begin dismantling the zone, citing incidents of violence. A shooting inside the zone left a 19-year-old dead and another critically injured. Police said they were met by a violent crowd that blocked their access to the victims.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley, speaking during a Brookings Institution event Wednesday, said that, after nearly 20 years in Afghanistan the U.S. has "achieved a modicum of success" with its military operations in the country. That's true, he argued, despite a current "state of strategic stalemate" and the inability to defeat the Taliban militarily.The comments, which come as the military looks to execute President Trump's partial troop withdrawal order, sparked a backlash, with critics suggesting -- some more explicitly -- that a "modicum" is a fairly paltry amount of success to earn for such a high cost> CJCS Gen. Milley, asked about Afghanistan withdrawal, says 20 years of constant U.S. effort has produced a "modicum" of success. > > Quite the optimist.> > -- Brian Everstine (@beverstine) December 2, 2020> Milley, on the state of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan: > > "We believe now that after 20 years, two decades of consistent effort, that we he have achieved a modicum of success."> > More than 775,000 service members have deployed to Afghanistan. Nearly 2,400 dead, and 20K wounded.> > -- Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) December 2, 2020Others added that Milley's analysis of the situation, even if it's interpreted as defeatist, still downplays the reality on the ground over the last two decades. > Some people will give Milley some credit here. Oh he's telling the truth. No. It's been an abject failure. By every metric. Especially when most of the metrics are currently classified. They don't usually do that when they are successful.> > -- Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) December 2, 2020More stories from theweek.com The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue The election was almost entirely peaceful. What happened? Freshly pardoned Michael Flynn shares message telling Trump to 'suspend the Constitution' to hold a new presidential election
Dr. Scott Atlas, the controversial White House coronavirus adviser, left federal employ much the same way he entered it: with an appearance on Fox News.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suggested Wednesday that politicians who impose lockdowns or curfews to limit COVID-19 are acting like dictators. The comments came as López Obrador once again fended off questions about why he almost never wears a face mask, saying it was a question of liberty. The Mexican leader said pandemic measures that limit people's movements are "fashionable among authorities ... who want to show they are heavy handed, dictatorship."
Both model Salma El-Shimy and her photographer were arrested and were accused by one lawyer of "insulting the great Pharaonic history."
Attorney General William Barr has appointed U.S. attorney John Durham as special counsel to secure his probe into the origins of the Russia investigation as president-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office.The authority of the special counsel will make it more difficult for the incoming Biden administration to fire Durham, allowing the attorney to continue his work on the probe. The order appointing Durham special counsel is dated October 19; however, Barr wrote that the order should not be made public until after the general election, "because legitimate investigative and privacy concerns warrant confidentiality."> News: Here is a copy of the order from Barr appointing John Durham as special counsel of the investigation into the origins of the Russia probe pic.twitter.com/rUFbDO6Amj> > -- Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) December 1, 2020"I decided the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered [Robert] Mueller, to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they'd be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election," Barr told the Associated Press.Durham's investigation "is focused on the activities of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation within the FBI," Barr said.Crossfire Hurricane was the name given to the FBI's investigation of possible collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian operatives. The more than two-year probe yielded no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to disrupt the 2016 election.As a result of Durham's investigation, former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to altering an email that he used to apply for a FISA warrant against former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page. Clinesmith was involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from its early stages. In August 2016, the FBI agents who opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation gave Trump his first intelligence briefing, and Clinesmith approved a summary of that briefing along with former agent Peter Strzok.
As Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) bid farewell to his colleagues on the Senate floor Wednesday, the retiring lawmaker received a standing ovation from the rest of the upper chamber.In an emotional speech, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Alexander is "leaving this body and those of us in it, and the nation it exists to serve, stronger and better because you were here."> WATCH: Sen. Mitch McConnell gets emotional while speaking on Sen. Lamar Alexander: "You're leaving this body and those of us in it and the nation it exists to serve stronger and better because you were here." pic.twitter.com/JKqBpefAM5> > -- The Hill (@thehill) December 2, 2020Veteran Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), also heaped praise on Alexander. Schumer, referring to Alexander as his friend, said he "will leave this chamber with a legacy that every senator should be proud of," emphasizing instances in which he's reached across the aisle despite potential personal political cost.Feinstein, meanwhile, said "I truly have come to appreciate Sen. Alexander's fairness, interest in solving problems, and his bipartisanship. Most of all, I so appreciate your friendship."In his final address, Alexander said the Senate needs "a change of behavior" resulting in lawmakers ceasing to block each other's amendments. > Not something you see often -- bipartisan standing ovation on Senate floor for retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander after he wraps up farewell address, which featured a heavy emphasis on his cross-aisle relationships and bipartisan accomplishments, especially on education issues> > -- Deirdre Walsh (@deirdrekwalsh) December 2, 2020More stories from theweek.com The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue The election was almost entirely peaceful. What happened? Freshly pardoned Michael Flynn shares message telling Trump to 'suspend the Constitution' to hold a new presidential election
In a four-page order issued on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Janet Neff said she would not strike the disputed document from the court record. Lawyers for the city of Detroit had asked Neff to strike the document as a way of sanctioning Trump's campaign. "While we are disappointed that sanctions were not awarded, this is only one of many cases filed in Michigan, and we do expect these lawyers to be sanctioned by some courts for their repeated frivolous lawsuits," David Fink, a lawyer for the city of Detroit, said in a statement.
A 3 1/2-year ban on new local ordinances aimed at protecting LGBT rights in North Carolina expired Tuesday, prompting gay rights groups to urge the passage of such measures now. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper agreed to the moratorium in March 2017 in exchange for GOP lawmakers agreeing to do away with several portions of a "bathroom bill" that Republicans had approved a year earlier. It drew national condemnation and prompted several large corporations and sports teams to relocate events to other states or reconsider expanding in North Carolina.
In 2018, Crystal Mason was sentenced to five-years for voting in the 2016 election. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is now working with her to appeal the verdict. Mason had no idea she was not allowed to vote in 2016 when she cast her provisional ballot due to the fact that she was on federally supervised release.
Russian investigators claim to have caught the notorious "Volga maniac" who is suspected of murdering 26 elderly women nearly a decade ago. The Russian Investigative Committee on Tuesday identified one of Russia's most prolific serial killers as Radik Tagirov, a 38-year-old plumber who is believed to have robbed and killed 26 women in 2011 and 2012 across central Russia, the Volga region and even the Ural mountains. The plumber targeted women, aged between 75 and 90, who lived alone in dilapidated housing, according to local media. He would meet some of them in the street and offer to help them with their heavy bags. In other cases, he showed up at his victims' doorstep, impersonating a social worker or a plumber. He would strangle the victims with anything at hand such as a bathrobe belt and take valuables. The investigators, however, said that the pattern of his behaviour showed that he was not killing the women for the sake of material gain. Mr Tagirov, who was convicted of theft in 2009, reportedly killed his first victim in his hometown of Kazan but later expanded his reach to other cities on the Volga River hundreds of kilometres away, which earned him the nickname "the Volga maniac." Police nearly caught the man in September 2011 when a victim's son walked in on the scene of the crime but the killer escaped through a window. One of Mr Tagirov's victims managed to survive but she was unable to describe the killer as she was blind. The murders had stopped by 2013, which led police to believe that the perpetrator had died or was arrested on an unrelated charge. Police offered £29,000 for any information leading to his arrest and spent years trying to link the killings by taking DNA samples from the crime scenes as well as shoe prints and other evidence. It took 10,000 genetic tests and countless cross-references to the police database to pin the crimes on Mr Tagirov, the investigators said on Tuesday. Mr Tagirov has already confessed and is awaiting a court hearing to rule on his possible arrest.
Retired Gen. Michael Flynn is fresh off a presidential pardon and ready to get back into some trouble.President Trump pardoned his short-lived national security adviser last week, after Flynn had previously pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian ambassador. Flynn has since been sharing dubious allegations of voter fraud, and on Wednesday, boosted a message telling Trump to take some radical actions to stop it.In a full-page Washington Times ad from something called the We the People Convention, Ohio Tea Party leader Tom Zawistowski tries to draw a comparison between Lincoln trying to save the union in 1863 and Trump trying to claw back the 2020 election, using some disputed facts along the way. Zawistowski alleges a lot of similarities between the two times, from "Democrat/Socialist federal officials plotting to finish gutting the U.S. Constitution" to big tech "actively censoring free speech and promoting leftist propaganda." So to counter that, the We the People Convention suggests Trump "declare limited Martial Law to temporarily suspend the Constitution" in order to hold a presidential election re-vote overseen by the military.> Big pro-authoritarian energy in Trumpland today:> > The president's (recently pardoned) former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, shared a message encouraging President Trump to "temporarily suspend the Constitution," impose martial law and "silence the destructive media." pic.twitter.com/cQh0wl7oWw> > — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 2, 2020Flynn shared the ad on Twitter on Wednesday, seemingly trying to encourage a bunch of Fox News hosts and QAnon supporters to share it. It's just one of many disputed facts and allegations about the election that are apparently flowing through the mind of the man who used to oversee America's national security.More stories from theweek.com The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue The election was almost entirely peaceful. What happened? CDC director warns of 'the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation'
From a private island to a tiny Vermont tree houseOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
A lawyer for President Trump on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to halt a lawsuit accusing the U.S. president of exploiting his family name to promote a marketing scam targeting poor and working-class people.
Republicans attempting to undo President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Pennsylvania asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to take up their lawsuit, three days after it was thrown out by the highest court in the battleground state. In the request to the U.S. Supreme Court, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of northwestern Pennsylvania and the other plaintiffs are asking the court to prevent the state from certifying any contests from the Nov. 3 election, and undo any certifications already made, such as Biden's victory. Biden beat President Donald Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania, a state Trump had won in 2016.
All day, Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe has been hyping the huge revelations the group would be releasing from their latest stunt. In a dramatic video posted Tuesday morning, the conservative activist could be seen unmuting himself and informing CNN chief Jeff Zucker, "We've been listening to your CNN calls for basically two months and recording everything. Just wanted to ask you some questions, if you have a minute.""Do you still feel you are the most trusted name in news?" he asked. "Because I have to say from what I've been hearing on these phone calls, I don't know about that. I mean, we've got a lot of recordings that indicate you're not really that independent of a journalist.""Thank you for your comments," Zucker replied, dryly. "So everybody, in light of that, I think what we'll do is we'll set up a new system and we'll be back with you, we'll do the rest of the call a little bit later."So what were the supposedly shocking comments O'Keefe uncovered? According to his group's Tuesday night release, the most damning thing anyone on CNN's editorial team did was accuse Fox News' Tucker Carlson of being a racist."I think it's unavoidable that you have to talk about the naked racism of Tucker Carlson," a man Project Veritas identified as CNN digital VP of global programming Marcus Mabry says in one tape. "Because that's really what drove this anti-diversity push, you know, Trump watches Tucker Carlson's show and then reacts. And just as sort of the white supremacy hour they have on Fox News every night."Not exactly news for anyone who watches Carlson's nightly show, including some of his own Fox News colleagues who said as much earlier this year.Without mentioning Project Veritas, Carlson attacked Mabry directly on that show Tuesday night for "lecturing" media companies about the value of diversity. The host laughed out loud at the notion that "there's a lot of work to do" to make newsrooms more diverse.CNN's PR Twitter account, meanwhile, responded to Project Veritas with this message: "Legal experts say this may be a felony. We've referred it to law enforcement," though it's unclear what laws the group may have broken.Later, that same account revealed that Mabry was not even the staffer who made those comments about Carlson. "James & Tucker, the voice you ID'd tonight as 'Marcus Mabry' is actually GA resident & CNN General Counsel David Vigilante. We're certain you'll want to correct the record and apologize to the Black executive for assuming he was the voice raising concerns over white supremacy." The other big revelation from Project Veritas appeared to be that Zucker did not want his staff to "normalize" President Donald Trump's delusional claims about the election."This is a president who knows he's losing, who knows he's in trouble, is sick, maybe is on the aftereffects of steroids or not, I don't know," Zucker said. "But he is acting erratically and desperately, and we need to not normalize that.""You know, this is what we've come to expect for the last three and a half years, four years, but it clearly is exacerbated by the time that we're in and the issues that he's [Trump] dealing with," he added. "I think that we cannot just let it be normalized. He is all over the place and acting erratically, and I think we need to lean into that."It appears that for Project Veritas, pointing out the reality unfolding in front of Americans' eyes, whether on Fox News or in the White House, is proof of CNN's supposed bias. But if anything, their big sting is likely to endear Zucker to those who still like to blame him for elevating Trump during the 2016 campaign.Seth Meyers Brutally Mocks Sidney Powell, the Trump Lawyer 'Too Insane' for Tucker CarlsonRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
President Trump will sign Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) coronavirus stimulus proposal, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters Wednesday.McConnell announced what appears to be a tweaked version of his previous $500 billion deal on Tuesday, just hours after a group of bipartisan senators put forward a $908 billion proposal. McConnell hasn't revealed many details of his bill yet, but it does include school choice tax credits, a proposal blocking the federal government from using unspent CARES Act funding, and other GOP priorities.Mnuchin made no mention of the bipartisan senators' bill, nor of a "secret deal" Democratic leaders reportedly put forward. The bipartisan bill's price tag was similar to the package McConnell shot down in July, but repurposes funds from the CARES Act, meaning only half the figure is new money. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) meanwhile gave Republicans what Schumer called a "private proposal" on Monday night. No further meetings between Democrats and the White House are on the docket.COVID-19 relief bill negotiations have been stalled for months, with the last CARES Act expiring at the end of July. Boosted unemployment benefits ended then, but a slate of other unemployment protections and tax propositions will expire at the end of the year without action.More stories from theweek.com The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue The election was almost entirely peaceful. What happened? Freshly pardoned Michael Flynn shares message telling Trump to 'suspend the Constitution' to hold a new presidential election
A tight race for a congressional seat in upstate New York is being further complicated by the discovery of 55 uncounted ballots, a Chenango County attorney announced on Tuesday.In New York's 22nd Congressional District Republican Claudia Tenney led Democratic Representative Anthony Brindisi by just 12 votes on Monday, which should have been the last day for election officials to report vote totals in the district.On Tuesday, Chenango County Attorney Alan Gordon told Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte about the newly discovered ballots, which were cast during New York's early voting period in the 22nd Congressional District."Those ballots were apparently mislaid and never counted," Gordon wrote. "I have advised our Board of Elections to not open any of those ballots and to secure them in their offices," he said.Eleven of the 55 ballots appear to be from unregistered voters, while the remaining 44 could undo Tenney's lead. However, the New York Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on challenges that have been made against over 2,000 other absentee and affidavit ballots in the race.Chenango County Elections Commissioner Carol Franklin told Syracuse.com she did not know why the votes had not been counted."My guess is they came in early and they were put aside and mislaid," Franklin said. "I would hope that we could open them tomorrow with representatives present from each campaign."The race has taken a number of twist and turns since Election Night, when Tenney initially led by 29,000 votes before mail-in votes were counted, eliminating her lead. Last week, Brindisi picked up a double-digit lead that later disappeared after two counties said they had made tabulation errors.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday expressed his opposition to a bill approved by parliament the previous day to suspend U.N. inspections and boost uranium enrichment, saying it would be "harmful" to diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal and easing U.S. sanctions. The tug-of-war over the bill, which gained momentum after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month, reflects the rivalry between Rouhani, a relative moderate, and hard-line lawmakers who dominate parliament and favor a more confrontational approach to the West. The bill would suspend U.N. inspections and require the government to resume enriching uranium to 20% if European nations fail to provide relief from crippling U.S. sanctions on the country's oil and banking sectors.


text:
Reds expect injured players to return in near future
CINCINNATI -- The Reds entered Tuesday six and a half games out of first place in the National League Central, marking their largest deficit of the season. Fortunately for manager Dusty Baker and his team, help is on the way.
Baker said reliever Jonathan Broxton will be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday, while catcher Ryan Hanigan and outfielder Ryan Ludwick are "close" and could potentially be back at the end of the week. Although their returns won't guarantee success for the Reds, Baker said it can't hurt to have guys they expected to be key players available again.
"We've been operating with less than our full team," Baker said. "The guys that have taken their place have done a good job overall. But now it's time for the big boys to come in."
Broxton has been on the DL since June 15 with a flexor mass strain in his right elbow. In two rehab starts for Triple-A Louisville, he pitched a total of two scoreless innings, allowing five hits while striking out another five.
Battling a left wrist injury, Hanigan took batting practice out on the field on Tuesday for the first time since going on the the DL on July 11. He's been hitting for more than a week and said the soreness in his wrist is gone for the most part.
As for Ludwick, he's looking to return to the Reds for the first time since Opening Day, when he tore the labrum in his right shoulder. The good news for Ludwick is he hasn't felt anything other than general soreness in his shoulder during his rehab assignment. The bad news is he was 3-for-50 (.060) in nine games between Class A Dayton and Louisville as of Tuesday afternoon.
Baker said the struggles are concerning, but he hopes that once Ludwick comes back to the Majors, he'll be able to turn it up at the plate.
"You want him wide open when he gets here, but he doesn't ever start wide open anyway," said Baker, who added that Ludwick is essentially going through a second Spring Training. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him and try to help him along the way. Hopefully he'll be pretty good at the right time."
Baker said Ludwick, whose rehab assignment eligibility runs out on Sunday, worked harder than any player he's ever seen trying to come back.
"That can get monotonous," Baker said. "Sometimes you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as injuries are concerned. You see the season ticking away, and you see situations you could have been in and hopefully prosper while you're in it. I would do it if I had to, but I don't know what that's like, being away from the team. I was lucky I was never on the disabled list.
"We're proud of him with the way he's worked. He's a big part of our team. The spirit of our team is missing."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
18 of 61
Roasted Rosemary Walnuts
A simple salty-sweet cocktail party snack flavored with rosemary.
Nuts and booze are a tried-and-true combination for any happy hour or cocktail party. Here the addition of rosemary and black pepper classes up the combo without getting too fussy. Game plan: These nuts will last up to 10 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.... Read More
View Recipe


text: Lucien Pellat-Finet wants to hammer home that he is not just a purveyor of cashmere sweaters. Joining the Paris men's calendar, the designer presented a collection of head-to-toe luxury basics produced in Italy, Scotland and Japan, such as a royal blue blazer in knitted cashmere or a nylon biker jackets. He also presented a capsule collection made in collaboration with The Keith Haring Foundation, which in April will stage a retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.


text:
Dear Collage Video Customers: Just a quick note to inform you of Collage Video's schedule for the upcoming holiday: Our phone and e-mail will close at 3:00 pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, November 25th, and resume at 9:00 am on Monday, November 30th. Orders placed from 11/25 through... read more
by Debra Mazda Eating the right food, exercise and living a healthy life. Sounds easy but can be very difficult. But does it have to be? We all want to stay fit and look good and of course to have... read more
To Our Valued Customers, During this Public Health Emergency your Collage Video team is thinking of you and your desire for a healthy home and family. As the situation remains fluid, we at Collage are staying as flexible as possible... read more
Careers Help Customer Service Contact Us About Us Account Setup Search Site Map
Copyright © 2020 Collage Video. All Rights Reserved. All prices USD.TOP


text:
Men's spa specials in New York.Men's Spa NYC.Men's spa special Manhattan NY
Make appointment for the man in your life with Dyanna Spa in Manhattan, N.Y. for exclusive spa specials
If you want to pair some of our other spa services together for a spa package, visit our website to view all of our other treatments. We offer a variety of hair removal, nail, massage, body treatment and facial and skin care services that cater to your every need. Just give us a call to work up a men's spa package price, or stop by Dyanna Spa at 40 E. 21st Street in NYC.
For more information, visit our site at www.dyannaspa.com
Instant Online Spa Gift Certificates NYC may be purchased
Check out our new Facebook page! We redesigned our Facebook page to make it easier for you to link to our current spa specials, website, blog, and more. Please take a minute to look at our great new design.
Keep up with Dyanna Spa NYC news, specials, and promotions.


text:
Taylor 562ce 12-Fret Grand Concert 12-String Acoustic Shaded Edgeburst
Acoustic-Electric Guitar Shaded Edgeburst Finish Grand Concert Body Shape Tropical Mahogany Top Tropical Mahogany Back and Sides Tropical
12-String At The Music Zoo
Buy $2,000 to $4,000 online now from The Music Zoo! We have a great selection of guitar gear available in our 12-String product collection. Awesome customer service and secure checkout are always included with your $2,000 to $4,000 purchase. Everything you see here is available at our Long Island guitar store. Visit our shop in Farmingdale, New York for an amazing guitar buying experience.
When you just need a bit "more" - you might be itching for a 12 string guitar! The Music Zoo stocks both acoustic and electric 12 string guitars of all styles and for every player and budget. Whether you need a booming 12-string Martin dreadnought with extra character, or even a comfortable Taylor 562ce concert-body 12-string, we've got you covered. Solid or semi-hollow body electric 12 strings? Check. We even stock travel friendly 12-string guitars! If you're looking to add to your collection, or a 12-string is your main instrument, we're the destination with the best combination of the unique and the every day must-haves!
12-String History
The history of the 12-string guitar is shrouded in mystery. The two prevailing theories are that it was introduced either by Italian or Mexican immigrants. Both of these cultures were known for adding extra doubled strings to their traditional
instruments. However they were originally introduced, the Gibson double-coursed archtop mandolin would also inspire 12 string acoustics. 12 string guitars were originally only really known as novelty items, often built by street performers who needed more volume to project above the din. These cheaply made early instruments still found their way into blues and folk music of the 1930's'and '40s. The 12 string saw an explosion of popularity in the '60s, when the guitars were used by the likes of George Harrison and Pete Seeger. Soon after, almost every artist experimented with 12-string guitars in one way or another, and used them for a variety of musical styles beyond folk and blues
including pop and rock music. 12-string guitars are still widely used in the modern era, and most all manufacturers build 12 string variants of their instruments.
Due to each string being doubled, 12-string guitars are known to produce a shimmer or chorus-like effect that creates extra atmosphere and gives the 12-string it's signature tone. The strings are tuned 1 octave apart. Because of these extra strings many 12-string guitars developed neck or bridge issues, but modern guitar designs have almost entirely eliminated this unfortunate consequence of the higher tension. Some of the most popular 12 string guitars include the Rickenbacker examples, Fender and Gretsch solid body, acoustic, and semi-hollow models, and Gibson's double neck EDS models which featured both a 12-string neck and 6 string neck.
Buy your next 12-string online at The Music Zoo or visit our New York showroom to shop today - we're an authorized dealer for all your favorite brands!


text:
Bodymodding isn't really in the CG purview usually (I don't even like the word bodymod) but we felt compelled to report this. A Mr. Pauly Unstoppable decided to have the white part of his eye changed to blue. I'm not sure if there's an easy way to do this, but getting over 40 injections of blue ink into your freaking eyeball can't be it. Somehow I don't think I'll catch on even if Pauly's eye survives the procedure. The future is here, and it hurts.
Uncensored pic after the jump.
Eyeball Tattoos Give Me The Heebie Jeebies [Geekologie, via Metro.co.uk]


text:
South Dakota Lawmakers Delay Decision on State Revenue
PIERRE - The South Dakota Legislature's budget-writing committee has delayed a decision on how much revenue to expect for the rest of the current year and the budget year that begins July 1.
The Joint Appropriations Committee had planned to make a formal decision Monday. But House Appropriations Chairman Fred Romkema of Spearfish says the decision is delayed until at least Tuesday because the Legislature has not settled the fate of some other bills that could affect revenue collections.
The committee later this week will put the finishing touches on the spending plan so the Legislature can pass the budget by Friday, the end of the main run of this year's legislative session.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proposed a $4.1 billion state budget, with $1.3 billion to come from state tax funds.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
Project Phoenix expands to include Australia and New Zealand, more here.
NOTE: At least one developer and project will be selected every week for the remainder of 2010.
View the Awards to date here.
Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, over the next five months, twenty-four (24) unemployed or underemployed developers will be selected because of their non-profit project proposals. One eligible developer and deserving non-profit project will be selected each week to receive a valuable package of excellent software, development tools, training, and books. We are now calling this 'Project Phoenix' to celebrate these developers rising from the ashes of disrupted careers.
To recap, we are inviting unemployed or underemployed developers to propose a software project for a non-profit agency, school, or church. The idea is that we will provide a package of the latest software, tools, and training resources to help you improve your skills, get up to date with current technologies, gain practical experience, potentially earn a recommendation for your efforts, and in general, enjoy the feeling of accomplishing something useful for others. We are not giving out a 'free lunch', just supporting your efforts to personally gain from your own 'sweat equity'. The award packages are provided with the support and generosity of the Microsoft MVP's and vendors listed below.
Project Criteria:
All 24 selected developers will receive the following award benefits:
A few of the selected projects will also be awarded one or more of the following:
A few additional eligible projects may be selected and provided with one or more of the following:
Award timelines:
The Awards for the first two projects were announced here on Aug 3, 2010.
Every two weeks for the remainder of 2010, two (2) additional developers and projects will be selected. Once your proposal is submitted, it will be kept in the queue for consideration. The earlier you proposal is submitted, the more opportunities for selection. If your project is selected, you will be asked to affirm that you still have time, interest and dedication to take on the project.
You may view all Project Phoenix awards here.
Projects Available:
If you are unable to locate a suitable project, you may be interested in one of these projects submitted by qualified agencies.
Feed My Sheep
We are a community feeding program, that originally started as a 3 month summer project, one night a week we would provide a free meal for anyone who wanted to attend. We are in desperate need of a website in which we could post updates, have a calendar of volunteers and groups that will be serving each month and list special events. (This project has been accepted by a developer.)
Our Oregon
Development of a mobile app that would allow Oregonians to upload info about foreclosed homes in their neighborhood. We're a non-profit that does advocacy work for policies that advance economic fairness, and one area we focus on is getting better legislation around foreclosures. We think that a mobile app accompanying it could be groundbreaking.
If you would like more information about these projects, please use the email link on the above right of this page.
An eligible developer may submit project proposal information here.
An eligible non-profit may submit a project proposal here. These will be posted here so that developers may choose to consider the project. A developer considering your project will contact you directly.
An eligible developer may submit project proposal information here.
An eligible non-profit may submit a project proposal here. These will be posted here so that developers may choose to consider the project. A developer considering your project will contact you directly.
Supporting Microsoft MVPs:
Glenn Berry, Denver, CO
Aaron Bertrand, Providence, RI
Colin Bowern, Toronto, ON, Canada
Denny Cherry, Los Angeles, CAJohn Paul Cook, Houston, TX
Louis Davidson, Nashville, TN
Kalen Delaney, Poulsbo, WA
Dan English, Minneapolis, MN
Barry Gervin, Toronto, ON, Canada
Bill Graziano, Kansas City, MO
Larry Guger, Portland, OR
Richard Hundhausen, Boise, ID
Jonathan Kehayias, Tampa, FL
Arian Kulp, Portland, OR
Douglas McDowell , Rising Sun, MD
Ted Malone, Colorado Springs, CO
Mladen Prajdic, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Bill Pytlovany, Scotia, NY
Plamen Ratchev, Jacksonville, FL
Sankar Reddy, San Ramon, CA
Arnie Rowland, Portland, ORRafael Salas, Charolette, NC
Bill Simser, Alberta, AB, Canada
Mike Smith, Cincinnati, OH
Steve St Jean, Providence, RI
Jason Strate, Minneapolis, MN
Chris Tacke, Dyer, IN
Paul Turley, Portland, OR
Michael Washington, Los Angeles, CA
For more background on this project, read this post, and this one.
Supporting Microsoft MVPs:
For more background on this project, read this post, and this one.
As this project matures in coming weeks, any additional supporters, vendors, benefits, or criteria will be posted on this page. Set a bookmark to easily return.
See the latest awards here.
See the latest awards here.
07/30/2010 UPDATE: Lastest News about the project is here . NEW: Project Criteria and Submission Here
07/30/2010 UPDATE: Lastest News about the project is here . UPDATE: Additional Microsoft MVPs have joined
Wow, just awesome. I'm glad to see so many MVP's willing to help out.
Our organization was excited to learn that within <2 weeks of my posting a need for us to have a website developed, that we were selected for a project.
We never dreamed our organization would be so successful that we would need or want a website.
I work with a 4 different development groups so it will be VERY excitng to see what our website becomes. Already the developer that chose are project, Arthur, has given us several different ideas on what else to include. Our limited requirements were very minimal, a basic content management system that we can update a calendar, special events, post picture etc; has now turned into a Bing Map of our location and a Pay Pal link for donations.
Color schemes... we didn't care, we had basic 'branding' requirements, but that was it. Arthur is going beyond what we expected. And our last communication was that he'd have a prototype to us probably next week!
Thank you for thinking of developing such a giving program, I see this as a win win for everyone.
[quote]Additional consideration given projects that will be posted on Codeplex with a GPL license.[/quote]
Why just the GPL? What about apache/mit licensed code, or the AGPL/LGPL? Depending on the nature of the project, and who would reuse the code, the GPL might not be the most sensible license. Also, even if the GPL was most desirable would the BSD license not be more desirable than no source code release?
Rather than make a comprehensive listing of licensing options, we wish to convey the idea that making the project code freely available for re-use would confer additional consideration.
@ArnieRowland the words "such as" could have conveyed that and kept the desired brevity.
I am nitpicking, but you are attracting an audience of technical people that tend to be on the4 meticulous side.
Finally, despite my nitpicking, I really do think what you are doing is great for all parties involved. The extra consideration for open sourcing is a great idea because it will lead to a better infrastructure of free code to use, learn from, etc for a larger group of people, in addition to helping specific charities.
It is great to see this program continue to get more visibility and have more impact. Good work, Arnie!
Two more eligible developers and deserving projects have been selected. Any proposals submitted but not
How can I join as a developer to help on the existing projects, not to submit a new project?
I am not wasting my time with GPL. If you change the rules to be Apache, MIT, BSD or MSPL I am open to creating a project on codeplex, otherwise it is a waste of time.
Joe Feser @joefeser
Joe: Any license that makes the project code freely available, changable, and useable by others without cost or undue obligation is acceptable. GPL was mentioned as an example -and I see that it is not clear, so I'll update the reference. Thanks -Arnie
A couple of months ago, many Microsoft MVPs received Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate MSDN subscriptions (retail
9/14/2010 Two more eligible developers and deserving projects have been selected. Any proposals submitted
Every so often, Microsoft sends MVPs a set of MSDN subscriptions that we can give to someone that would


text:
Camp Hope
Family honors fallen son's memory by offering an outdoor respite to those who protect our freedom
A large wood carving of the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross stands near the campfire at Camp Hope, which offers wounded warriors an opportunity to get away from their daily routines of doctors and hospitals and instead spend time outdoors. The camp recently completed two new handicapped-accessible cabins to house injured veterans. In three years, the camp has welcomed more than 50 veterans to hunt deer and turkey.
From the moment the old tom first pierced the early morning silence with his deep, raspy gobble, he had Matt Nicodemus' undivided attention.
A first-time turkey hunter, Matt carefully followed the directions of guide Leonard Byrd, who deftly called back to the gobbler, receiving a resounding retort. The bird was off his roost and on his way.
Leonard positioned Matt against a big oak to break up his silhouette and told him to get ready. The old tom was coming in fast and hard.
Shotgun up and eyes alert, Matt waited as the gobbler topped the ridge and began moving closer, bringing another, younger bird with him. He drummed from behind a fallen tree, sending a shockwave through the rocky, Ozark soil. A few more yelps from Leonard's mouth call would hopefully lead to the turkey's final curtain call.
For just a few seconds, the bird stepped out in front of Matt at less than 30 yards. Leonard whispered, "Take the shot," but it was too late. The gobbler proved why he was still running the woods instead of occupying space in a hunter's freezer. He quickly turned and headed down the ridge.
Kicking himself for not pulling the trigger, Matt shook his head and smiled.
"Wow, I haven't had an adrenaline rush like that since Iraq," he said.
Matt, who lives in Fort Carson, Colo., was one of a handful of wounded warriors to enjoy the opening week of Missouri's spring turkey season thanks to the efforts of volunteers at Camp Hope, a non-profit organization that provides combat veterans with a no-cost opportunity to get away from the hospital visits and the doctors and instead enjoy a respite outdoors.
"It actually helps in their healing process," says Will "Mike" White, who founded Camp Hope in 2007 with his wife, Galia. "It makes them feel better about themselves. There's something about being outside and getting away that helps."
Camp Hope and its mission of honoring the fallen by healing the wounded was born out of tragedy for the White family. Their son, Pfc. Christopher Neal White, died June 20, 2006, while serving with the U.S. Marines in al-Anbar Province in Iraq. An improvised explosive device, or IED, detonated under the vehicle in which Chris was traveling.
Will "Mike" White and his wife, Galia, stand with a portrait of their son, Christopher Neal White, who was killed by a roadside bomb while serving with the U.S. Marines in Iraq in 2006. To honor their son's memory, the couple started Camp Hope.
"Chris always wanted to be a Marine, ever since junior high," says Will, who himself served 12 years active duty in the U.S. Army and now works as a civil service equipment specialist for the Army at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill. "He waited until he was 22 and then joined up. He got killed at 23, just a couple months before coming home from his first tour."
Like his father, Chris was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. While hunting deer near Lewistown in northern Missouri in the fall of 2006 — the first hunting season without Chris — Will's vision for Camp Hope began to emerge.
"What can you say? Your mind does a lot of things while you're sitting out there in the deer stand," Will says. "I decided then that I wanted to help the guys that are coming back with one arm or one leg or a brain injury."
A Missouri native who grew up near De Soto, Will began searching for real estate. Within a few months, he found a 170-acre farm just a short drive outside Farmington that fit the bill, and the Chris Neal Farm was established.
Will took possession of the farm about a year after Chris died, and with the help of friends and family, the farm and the small modular home on it were readied to accommodate injured veterans. The first hunt took place in the fall of 2007 as Camp Hope welcomed soldiers for deer season. A total of six hunts have now been held at the camp — three deer hunts and three turkey hunts — and about 50 soldiers from 12 states have visited.
"We just let the guys have a good time," explains Will, who was named the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year by the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary. "We treat them like people, not patients. I think we give them more of a family environment."
Matt Nicodemus agrees.
Leonard Byrd of Ste. Genevieve attempts to locate a gobbler for Matt Nicodemus, a wounded warrior from Fort Carson, Colo., who spent a week at Camp Hope this spring. Leonard has donated his time the past three turkey seasons.
"It just feels like home," he says of Camp Hope. "The hometown feeling you get, the people, it's not always that way with wounded-warrior programs."
After serving 14 years in the Army, most recently as a reconnaissance scout in Iraq, Matt endured numerous roadside attacks, including four separate catastrophic IED attacks that destroyed the Humvees in which he rode. While other members of his platoon died or were medevaced, Matt continued his tour of duty.
Upon returning to the states, Matt was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and is now medically retired from the military. He says visiting Camp Hope and being around other wounded soldiers who share his experiences allows him to forget about the challenges of his everyday life.
The benefits of the experience extend well beyond the week a soldier may spend at Camp Hope. New friendships are formed and extended support systems are developed. Will recounted the experience of four veterans from Michigan who hunted deer at Camp Hope last fall. Though they all lived within an hour of each other, they had never met.
"Now, they're back home and they've got support for each other," Will says. "Some of them even make their VA appointments together."
Thanks to a small army of dedicated volunteers, including family and friends, local labor groups and local and national veteran organizations, Camp Hope is quickly growing. This spring, two of six planned cabins for housing visitors were completed. The AMVETS Riders national organization has made Camp Hope its fundraising project for 2010 and hopes to raise enough money to fund construction of another cabin. Veterans Airlift Command, a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots that provides air transportation to veterans and their families, also has leant support.
"I wasn't able to serve, so I'm giving back to them for what they've done for us," says hunting guide Leonard Byrd of Ste. Genevieve, who has volunteered the past three turkey seasons. "I enjoy it, being out with the guys. There's nothing like seeing their faces when those birds come in."
Community support is the lifeblood of Camp Hope. Potluck meals often include items donated by local residents and organizations, including these gooey butter cake cookies.
In addition to the cabins, a 3,000-square-foot lodge with a kitchen and large gathering space also is in the works.
Will says that while the farm is beautiful, the location is perfect not because of its physical attributes but because of the community support. "Without them, there wouldn't be a Camp Hope."
Will's plans for Camp Hope do not end with six cabins and a lodge in St. Francois County, however. He wants to see other camps spring up across the country where even more soldiers like Matt Nicodemus can find solace and peace. He estimates that there are more than 36,000 wounded combat veterans from the current wars on terrorism.
"Through these gates will pass the heroes of our freedom," Will says. "Anything that we can do that will help the veterans, that's what we're willing to do. That's why we're here."
Learn more about Camp Hope's efforts online at www.chrisnealfarm.com, by calling 910-599-0640 or by writing to Chris Neal Farm, P.O. Box 52, Farmington, MO 63640.


text:
LG's Optimus G Pro smartphone will reach consumers in April, at least those in Japan.
Japanese provider NTT DoCoMo announced the news yesterday. A Google-translated version of the company's press release revealed early April as the launch date for the successor to LG's popular Optimus G.
A DoCoMo slideshow page reveals a host of details about the phone, but only for people who can read Japanese. The PDF slideshow is protected, making it impossible to copy and paste the text for translation.
Specs published by Japanese media site Impress Group point to a 5-inch display with a 1,920x1,080 pixel resolution. The phone integrates its glass surface with the touch sensor to generate a thinner display and body.
Equipped with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the phone will be powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon Pro chip, offer 32GB of storage, and include 2GB of internal memory. Adding a microSDXC card can add as much as 64GB of additional storage.
A 2.4 megapixel camera will grace the front, while a 13 megapixel camera will take the rear position. The 3,000 mAh battery supports fast charging but is not removable.
The current Optimus G is sold in Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the United States.
An LG spokesperson told CNET that "currently there are no plans to make the Optimus G Pro announced by DoCoMo outside of Japan."
(Via Boy Genius Report)
Updated at 3:45 a.m. PT January 24 with response from LG.


text:
TEHRAN – The final list of candidates approved to run in Iran's June 14 presidential election was announced Tuesday, generating surprise and tension with the omission of a former president considered one of the founding members of the Islamic Republic.
In addition to two-term ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's top aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, was also disqualified from the ballot, although no immediate reason was given why. Both men were last-minute and somewhat controversial registrants, but their omission could cause a backlash from rivals of Iran's conservative establishment.
Conservatives including Tehran's current mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati and the country's lead nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, dominate the list of eight candidates approved by the Guardian Council.
Large groups of riot police, the kind that patrolled Tehran's streets in the days after the contested 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad, patrolled on motorcycles throughout the capital Tuesday for the first time in more than a year, perhaps in anticipation of the candidate announcement.
Many people had anticipated Mashaei's disqualification because of attempts he and Ahmadinejad had made to undermine the authority of Iran's clergy. But Rafsanjani's removal from the race was less expected, despite a systematic campaign to discredit the 78-year-old's potential candidacy that began almost as soon as he signed up Saturday in the final moments of the registration process.
Although criticisms of his record and long-standing allegations of corruption have dogged him for years, some observers said it was perhaps Rafsanjani's advanced age, which his detractors focused on over the weekend, that led to his disqualification.
Among the eight approved candidates, only two are considered to be nonconservatives: Mohammad Aref, who served as vice president during reformist Mohammad Khatami's first term, and Hassan Rouhani, who was Iran's lead nuclear negotiator during the Rafsanjani and Khatami years.
Rouhani is closely aligned with both former presidents, and his campaign is expected to receive their support.
Although it appears unlikely this time, candidates in previous elections have successfully appealed disqualifications by the Guardian Council, going on to appear on election day ballots.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


text:
Cable customers might prefer to only pay for the channels they watch, say HBO and the Weather Channel. Alas, subscribers are unlikely to be given such a la carte television menus or lower prices, experts say—even if there's more consolidation in the industry.
Time Warner Cable Inc.'s US:TWC incoming CEO Rob Marcus said there are "clearly" programming costs and other benefits to cable industry consolidation, but whether or not the company participates in any merger is "is 100% driven by what's in the best interest of our shareholders," according to a report in The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. His comments came amid increasing takeover speculation, which has boosted the country's second-largest cable operator's stock price 35% since June 2013.
This consolidation talk probably means little to cable bills, and is also unlikely to hasten the move to allow customers to pay for just the channels they wish, analysts say. In fact, cable bills are likely going to only go up. "Cable-television prices roughly double every 10 years," says technology analyst Jeff Kagan.
Interactive:Are you ready to cut the cord?
Cable companies might not be able to unbundle channels even if they wanted to. "Everyone can envision an a la carte model that consumers would like better," says Craig Moffett, senior analyst at Moffett Nathanson Research. "If Comcast and Direct TV won't sell it to you that way it's because Viacom and Disney won't sell it to them that way." In fact, in a lawsuit filed last February in federal court in Manhattan, Cablevision Systems Corp. US:CVC alleged Viacom forced it to provide and pay for more than 14 "lesser-watched" channels such as Palladia, MTV Hits and VH1 Classic—in exchange for the right to provide more popular channels like Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. (Last month, Viacom filed a motion to dismiss with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.)
"The cable television industry is going through an enormous transformation," Kagan says. There are three parts to this puzzle, he says: The customer, the cable television company and the networks. "And that is the problem," he says. "Customer complaints about high prices don't reach the networks." Networks may have little reason to change course: Online video advertising is worth between $500 and $1 billion, while TV advertising exceeds $30 billion, according to Dan Rayburn, a principal analyst with business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. (Rayburn has a $110 per month triple play contract—Internet, phone and TV, including HBO—with Verizon, including $15 in fees and taxes.)
Excluding expensive sports channels and ending bundling would allow consumers to cherry-pick their favorite channels, says Yung Trang, president of TechBargains.com, but consumers would have to sacrifice most of their current menu of channels for the privilege of watching a select few—at a slightly lower price. Why? The most popular channels would suddenly become very expensive, he says. "Instead of getting 120 channels for $60, you would likely only get 50 of your favorite channels for $50," Trang says. Today, consumers can only buy premium fare like HBO and Showtime, he says. (HBO costs between $10 and $20 per month, depending on the cable provider and discounts.)
To be sure, there are also advantages to bundling. Cable companies also bundle Internet, television and—increasingly—services like home security. Trang himself switched from Dish satellite TV and Internet service Paxio—a Santa Clara, Calif.-based Internet provider—to Comcast cable because of the latter's Xfinity Home, which offers cable TV, Internet and a home security system. He went from paying $160 per month to $180 per month, but Trang says $20 for home security system as part of a larger package was a bargain—50% less than what he'd have to pay if he bought it separately. "They don't have to lay more cable, they just have to pay third party costs," he says.
With unbundling, the cost of accessing the Internet would also rise, experts say. "Since 1998, the Internet has been priced on an all-you-can-eat model," Moffett says. "If we switched to a model where video is delivered over the Internet on $7.99-per-month services like Netflix, it would still need to come via the cable operators' fiber optic cables." He estimates that around half of a $90 cable bill—the average national bill, according to The NPD Group—includes the cost of providing Internet. (Netflix added 1.3 million U.S. subscribers in the third quarter, giving it 31.1 million subscribers, while cable operators only had a net loss of 113,000 during the same period.)
But consumers do seem to be reaching the breaking point with cable bills. "The biggest threat to cable companies is cable companies," Rayburn says. "As prices continue to rise, consumers will eventually say, 'I'm not willing to pay what they're charge anymore.'" The slow decline in cable subscribers over the last three years is largely due to the recession, weak property market and a broader belt-tightening. And not all cord-cutters are turning their back on cable television, he says: Some are moving into retirement homes, while others are getting married. "It doesn't mean that the broadcast television is dead or dying," he says. "Less than 1% of all of the market has cut the cord."
Also see:


text:
I was hungry at the Hawaiian Cultural Festival. I let the boys eat the Hawaiian plate. I opted for the teri-chicken. When the rice is covered in chicken fat teriyaki sauce. It turns brownish. I know brown rice is good for me...
Monday, April 28, 2008
Posted by Ka`iana at 8:35 PM
0 comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
This week at the fiesta we got a pleasant surprise from a hot blonde. This sex kitten came over purring and ready for a pounding. This one was not shy at all and even brought her own sex toy to get the fiesta going. Its was not too long before she was showing off her amazing dick sucking skills. Do not miss out on this awesome cutie with a booty gettin hammered to the point of screaming. Its HOTTT!!!
Brannon Rhodes, Holly Marie Bryn


text: EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services it delivers help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. EY develops outstanding leaders who team up to deliver on its promises to all of its stakeholders. EY plays a critical role in building a better working world for its people, its clients and its communities.


text:
Credit Suisse Group AG will pay $196 million to settle charges that it violated federal securities law by providing cross-border financial services for U.S. clients without registering with regulators.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission say the Swiss bank provided these services to thousands of U.S. clients over a seven-year period. Regulators say the bank began to curb this practice in 2008 after a civil and criminal investigation into similar conduct by Swiss-based UBS.
Following a U.S. Department of Justice criminal tax investigation, UBS had formally announced in 2008 that it would cease providing banking services to U.S. clients through its non-U.S. regulated entities. In 2009, U.S. authorities fined UBS $780 million for helping U.S. citizens avoid paying taxes.
The SEC said that Credit Suisse began to take steps in October 2008 to exit the business of providing cross-border advisory and brokerage services to U.S. clients but it took until 2013 to completely exit the business.
Credit Suisse agreed to the payment and acknowledged that its conduct violated securities law, the agency said.
The bank said Friday that it is pleased to settle the matter with the SEC. It is still facing a Department of Justice investigation into tax-related issues associated with the business.
The U.S. government has been pushing Switzerland to loosen its rules on banking secrecy since the UBS incident. Switzerland has been trying to shed its image as a tax haven, signing deals with the U.S., Germany and Britain to provide greater assistance to foreign tax authorities that are seeking information on their citizens' accounts.


text:
Marlborough High School's early-college program, called STEM, integrates project-based learning and problem-solving for real-world applications across all subjects. Marlborough is the first of six school districts in Massachusetts to implement the STEM program. As part of it, juniors and seniors can take up to 16 college credits at Framingham State University.
Via articles.boston.com
Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer


text:
Eat, Drink, Enjoy
We're still building the website, so as you look around we want you to know that this is beta content. The features are still being worked on and there is a lot of content that is still just placeholder text.
If you want to be notified when we officially launch the site, please subscribe below!


text:
Special Offer!
ADT®-Monitored Home Security in Aurora
PLUS, get $850 in Security Equipment including:
*With $99 installation with purchase of 36/24 mo. monitoring contract. Termination fee applies. New customers only. See offer details below.
Special Offer!
ADT®-Monitored Home Security in Aurora
PLUS, get $850 in Security Equipment including:
*With $99 installation with purchase of 36/24 mo. monitoring contract.
Termination fee applies. New customers only. See offer details below.
Aurora, Call (844) 898-8900
Home Security in Aurora, Indiana
According to jsu.edu, each year there are over 2.2 million burglaries in the US, which means that every 15 seconds, a burglary is committed
Your Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Burglary in Aurora, IN
No one likes thinking about potentially becoming a victim of crime in Indiana, but every single day in the US a break-in happens every 4 seconds. It's easy to say "it won't happen to me" but 2.2 million families fall victim of burglaries each year in the US. Don't let your home in Aurora become part of those statistics. Installing a new home security system and along with monitoring from ADT your home could be protected and your family safer.
Homeowners Insurance
Did you know that ADT Home Security monitoring is so effective that many homeowners insurance providers offer discounts to policyholders with their security systems. By having an ADT-monitored security system installed in your home, you may be able to save on your homeowners insurance premiums. That's money back in your wallet!
24 Hours a day monitoring
ADT monitoring is a leader in monitored home security, but it also offers important services such as Emergency Alert Monitoring, Flood Monitoring, and Fire and Smoke Monitoring.
ADT 6-Month Money Back Guarantee
ADT is so confident in the quality of their monitoring services, that if your home is broken into while your system is armed, ADT will pay up to $500 of your homeowners insurance deductible (certain restrictions may apply).
Burglaries Cost More than You Think
Being the victim of a home burglary can be a very distressing experience. Stress may become compounded once the financial impact of a burglary becomes apparent. According to the FBI, burglary victims in 2011 faced, on average, nearly $2,200 in property loss. This number doesn't take into consideration additional expenses in the form of lost wages, insurance deductibles, and various other costs. Residents of some cities were victims of as many as 109101 property crimes and 27459 burglaries in 2011. Several of these burglaries could have been prevented had homeowners installed home security systems, which can deter potential intruders from breaking into a residence.
Why Indiana Homeowners Choose ADT Monitoring Systems
There are many different reasons Indiana residents choose ADT Security Monitoring to help protect their home & family from burglary and other disasters. But we thought we'd list just a few reasons for choosing SafeStreets USA and ADT.
Multiple types of protection. ADT monitored security systems not only help protect against burglaries and home invasion, but also helps against fire and even carbon monoxide poisoning. An alarm can help wake your family in case of smoke and fire. A panic button can also help contact police or fire department during an emergency, perhaps even saving your life.
Security equipment that's easy to use. With just a push of a button you can easily arm and disarm your system. And with the panic button your family can quickly alert emergency response such as police or the need of an ambulance.
Dependable equipment and confident monitoring your home security system is monitored 24 hours a day and 365 days per year by trained staff at the ready. ADT provides great redundancy with 6 US monitoring centers your home is never unprotected. If one center is down then another automatically starts monitoring your home.
Quick deployment of first responders. At any time your alarm is triggered or you push the panic button, ADT's monitoring centers will quickly try and verify your situation. If you are having an actual emergency ADT will immediately notify police or fire responders with your exact location and details.
Safety Tip: Exterior Maintenance
Part of having a storm safety plan in the home is removing the dangers that sit outside your home. Here are some of our top tips from ADT:
Braving the Storm
Once you've finished your preparations, it's very important to stay calm when a storm actually hits. Keep a few basic storm safety precautions in mind. Some of the essential things to remember include:
- DON'T GO OUTSIDE! This should be an obvious storm safety tip; needless to say always wait until the storm has cleared and the local weather has announced that it is officially safe to do so.
- Stay away from windows – these could break at any moment.
- Steer clear of electrical wiring, particularly if there is water damage.
- Avoid taking a shower or bath – it is more important to stay safe than bathe.
After the Storm
Once the storm has settled, you still need to be aware of the dangers. When it's officially safe to leave your house, stay alert and be careful of the hazards we've listed below:
- Never drive through a flooded roadway. Do not think "It will be OK" as you cannot predict how deep the water may be and may end up stranded.
- Keep clear of areas that have been hit badly by the storm. There is still the risk of falling debris.
- Continue to listen to NOAA Weather Radio or to local radio and television stations for updated information or instructions.
- Be aware of others. Remember to help people who may require special assistance, such as infants, children and the elderly or disabled.
- Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately.
- Watch your animals closely. Keep them in your control at all times. They are likely to have been distressed by the storm also.


text:
Affeldt goes on disabled list with groin strain
SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants left-hander Jeremy Affeldt's strained left groin could sideline him for as long as four to six weeks, manager Bruce Bochy announced Sunday.
Though Affeldt had endured inconsistency this season, his absence robs the Giants of one of their most versatile relievers. As Bochy pointed out, Affeldt's capable of pitching multiple innings and at different junctures of the game.
"It's too bad this happened, because he's an important part of the bullpen," Bochy said of Affeldt, who's 1-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 38 appearances.
The Giants recalled right-hander Jean Machi from Triple-A Fresno for the fourth time this season to fill the bullpen vacancy Affeldt created. Machi compiled a 2-0 record and a 3.58 ERA in 26 games during his previous Giants stints.
Affeldt, 34, went on the DL twice with left groin strains while pitching for Kansas City in 2005. He revealed that he had sensed some discomfort in his groin area for a few weeks but remained able to pitch, mainly because the nagging feeling didn't affect his delivery.
Affeldt didn't second-guess himself for continuing to perform, though he did say, "Sometimes being a tough guy doesn't work out."
That was the case in Saturday night's sixth inning against Arizona. After retiring Cliff Pennington on a fly ball for the inning's second out, Affeldt flung a 3-1 sinker to pinch-hitter A.J. Pollock and staggered off the mound in obvious pain, grabbing his injured area.
Affeldt, who has been prone to freak accidents, maintained his sense of humor by noting, "I got hurt on the field, which is comforting for me. It's better than getting out of the car and pulling it."


text:
Ghana Ministry of Education Accredits Webster University's New Accra Campus
Jul. 25, 2013
ST. LOUIS, July 25, 2013 - Ghana's Ministry of Education has accredited Webster University's long-awaited new campus in Accra, Ghana, following a rigorous review.
The University is now in the process of securing approval for the Ghana location from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Since 1925, Webster University has been accredited by HLC, a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and one of six regional accreditors of institutions of higher education in the U.S.
Once approved, Webster University graduates from Ghana will earn degrees recognized by both U.S. and Ghanaian accreditors.
Webster University has selected graduate and undergraduate programs for the Ghana campus based on interest of students and employers in the region. The first graduate program will be a Master of Business Administration and undergraduate programs include international business, international relations, and media communications.
"As a truly global university, Webster has embraced the ideals and impact of globalism over nearly a century of growth," said Webster's President Elizabeth J. "Beth" Stroble. "Our history of meeting unmet needs by taking education to where it is most needed now takes root in Ghana. We look forward to partnering with Ghanaians to build the capacity for individuals and communities there and across the Webster University global network to prosper in an increasingly connected world."
In addition to Ghana and its North American locations, Webster University also has campuses in Austria, China, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
To make the Ghana location a reality, Webster University partnered with Wadi Degla Holding Company based in Cairo, Egypt to acquire the location for the new campus.
"We have a proven track record of working in partnership – locally and globally – with governments, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to deliver relevant academic programs that lead to career mobility around the world," said Webster University Provost, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Julian Schuster. "We are fortunate to have a strong network of accomplished alumni around the world, including in Ghana, who help make our strategic vision reality.
"Webster is defining what it means to be globally connected in today's world," he added. "Collaboration, outreach and presence are key."
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit, U.S.-based university that is providing a network of international residential campuses and a robust online learning program.
Founded in 1915, Webster University's campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.
Webster students have a unique opportunity to study at different campus locations, enjoy small classes and personalized attention resulting in a Webster University degree and a truly global perspective. Student housing is made available and travel scholarships are awarded to qualified students.
Visit Webster University Ghana Campus website at http://www.webster.edu/locations/?txtLocation=ghana.


text:
Illinois with Obama on insurance cancellation fix
CHICAGO (AP) — After a week of consideration, Gov. Pat Quinn's administration announced Friday that Illinois will allow the one-year extension of existing health insurance plans proposed by President Barack Obama.
The announcement sets the president's home state apart from some other states led by Democrats, which rejected the president's proposal, saying it could leave many consumers with substandard coverage. Meanwhile, leaders in some Republican-led states that have rejected the health law are lining up with the president on the extension.
Obama announced last week he wants insurers to have the option to renew plans that would otherwise be canceled because they fall short of coverage requirements in the nation's health care law. The proposal was meant to make good on the president's frequent promise that Americans who liked their plans could keep them.
At least 4 million Americans received cancellation notices, including about 185,000 of the 476,000 Illinois residents who have private individual policies.
It's unclear how Illinois insurers will react. They aren't required to renew the policies.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois officials said the company, which has the most customers in the state's individual market, is reviewing the announcement and would contact any consumers who might have new options.
Illinois Department of Insurance Director Andrew Boron said in a statement that the decision was based on "concerns raised by Illinois consumers and the guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
"Allowing companies to renew current plans gives consumers more time to evaluate their options and will provide a smoother transition into the health care coverage system envisioned" by the health law, Boron said.
Also Friday, the Obama administration moved the deadline for signing up for coverage that will start with the new year. People now will have until Dec. 23 to enroll if they want their coverage to start Jan. 1 — an eight extra days for consumers to make a decision.
The pushed-back deadline is aimed at making up for the numerous technical difficulties on the federal insurance shopping website. It will also give more time to people whose insurance plans are being canceled.
"Making certain that Illinois residents have access to quality affordable health care remains one of our top priorities," Boron said. "Today's actions reinforce our commitment to a culture of coverage."


text:
The F-Sport wheel installation kit is for use with all 12 mm conical seat applications. The kit includes: 16 spline drive lug nuts with captured conical swivel washers; 4 conical seat 12 mm F-Sport wheel locks, and installation tools. Each lock features a laser-etched F-Sport logo. Black PVD and all short lugs
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov


text:
Top IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India with options to book your first appointment FREE. Check Reviews, Fees, Cost, Success rates, Contact Number and Address for all IVF with Semen Freezing Treatments.
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Bandra West ,Mumbai
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Parel ,Mumbai
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Chandrasekharpur ,Bhubaneswar
IVF Centre
Nehru Nagar ,Ahmedabad
IVF Centre
Malad West ,Mumbai
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Trimulgherry ,Secunderabad
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Agra Bombay Road ,Indore
IVF Centre
Green Park ,Delhi
IVF Centre
Malad West ,Mumbai
IVF Centre
Malviya Nagar ,Delhi
IVF and Infertility Clinic
Lambhvel ,Anand
IVF Centre
Gomti Nagar ,Lucknow
IVF Centre
Wakad ,Pune
Infertility and Gynecology/Obstetrics Clinic
Gomti Nagar ,Lucknow
IVF Centre
Ghatkopar East ,Mumbai
IVF Centre
Mulund West ,Mumbai
IVF Centre
Nehru Nagar ,Ghaziabad
IVF Centre
Jagriti Enclave ,Delhi
IVF Centre
Neelam Chowk ,Faridabad
IVF Centre
Bailey Road ,Patna
All the services of Ovo Health to its patients and all our services are FREE and Transparent.
We have received your request. Ovo Health Team will reach back to you within the next 48 hrs.
IVF Doctors
6 yrs exp
IVF Doctors
31 yrs exp
IVF Specialist
11 yrs exp
Test Tube Baby
10 yrs exp
IVF Center
Fertility Center
IVF Center
Infertility Clinic
Fertility specialists at IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India offer cutting-edge vitrification method of cryopreservation or sperm freezing. This revolutionary sperm freezing technique does not damage the sperms as they are instantly frozen to pause motility and biological activity thereby bringing the process of aging to almost an end. Vitrification is a unique method of freezing sperms as the sample can last for several years.
In IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India, sperm samples are collected in a private room through masturbation or through surgical procedures like TESE and TESA in an andrology unit. Scientists prepare and freeze these sperms in a lab before they are exposed to contamination. Sperms once frozen are kept in special containers to preserve their quality and pause morphological changes. IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India offers sperm freezing and storage by vitrification to improve survival rates.
Semen freezing or sperm cryopreservation is a technique designed to preserve & store sperms in a sperm bank. It begins with the collection of sperms which are examined and preserved. The sperms are kept in liquid nitrogen at -196°C and monitored for signs of degradation. When the recipient of sperms is ready for pregnancy, the sperms are thawed and used according to ongoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. The samples are either stored for own use in the future or are donated for other infertile couples.
Semen collection is an integral part when it comes to treatment of male infertility. Semen collection is done for diagnosis, ART treatments or freezing but it may not be easy for the man. It can make the man uncomfortable as something like this is a very private thing. It is important for the man to realize that he is doing this to be treated and start a family. Most men are unaware about what to expect during semen collection. Consulting a doctor about it can make things a lot easier for them.
Some people think of semen collection as simple as masturbation, but there is a long list of instructions, precautions, and tests that a candidate must go through. The andrologist also has to make sure that the sample is suitable for treatment, therefore, the candidate is recommended to avoid ejaculation or sexual intercourse for a few days prior to semen collection.
The sample is collected in complete privacy and in a sterile environment to prevent any contamination that may hamper sperm quality. Use of lubricants or contact with bodily fluids should also be avoided to prevent sperm damage.
A computer-assisted method of semen analysis is performed at IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India as it is simple, sophisticated and provide accurate results of sperm quality and quantity. Quality of sperms is diagnosed as per the below-mentioned parameters:
At IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India, the preferred ART technique of vitrification is used to freeze sperms. Vitrification is an instant freezing method that rapidly freezes the sperms for cryopreservation. The sperms are frozen quickly to prevent any ice crystals from forming between cells. Survival rates of sperm frozen using vitrification technique are higher than traditional slow-freezing method.
At IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India, cost-effective and successful IVF cycles are achieved through sperm freezing during treatment. One frozen semen sample can be selectively thawed and used for several IVF cycles. Frozen semen eliminates the need to coordinate with sperm collection with the timing of egg retrievals or IVF procedures.
Sperm freezing is commonly done in conjunction with ART treatment to provide men with an opportunity to father biologically related children. The most common reasons that patients from throughout India and other states visit IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India include:
More and more men are choosing to freeze their sperms in an effort to ensure they can father healthy babies later in life. This scientific breakthrough has made sperm freezing or sperm cryopreservation an effective, affordable and convenient way for men to preserve their fertility. There are a number of reasons a man may choose to freeze his sperms.
The sperm freezing process involves:
The entire process of sperm cryopreservation takes one or two days to perform, as the sperms are frozen on the same day of collection.
Before thawing frozen sperms, it is made sure that it is synchronized with egg retrieval process or the time of ovulation in case of IUI. The embryologist removes the sample from the storage vessel and does a double check to confirm it is the right sample. The vile of sperm sample is placed at room temperature for 30 minutes or sometimes put in the water at 37-degree Celsius for 30 seconds. After the sperms are thawed, it is put in a centrifuge to activate the sperms' morphology.
The survival rate of sperms after cryopreservation can vary among individuals as it depends on the quality of semen sample, duration of storage, freezing method used by andrologists and the care it receives during storage. Depending on the number of sperms, the andrologist may thaw one of the samples to examine how successfully an individual's semen can be stored and thawed.
Sperm cryopreservation is carried out by expertise IVF specialist and andrologist in IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India who are well equipped with specialized freezing and storing equipment.
There are many treatment options available for couples who want to achieve a pregnancy with frozen sperms. The type of treatment recommended by the infertility specialist can vary depending on the quality and quantity of sperms and the survival rate after thawing. As part of this process, one's partner must also go through some basic fertility investigations.
Frozen sperms can be used for Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) if the quality is good enough. If the sperm quality is reduced due to illness or other factors, the specialist may recommend undergoing In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a specialized associated treatment of IVF whereby individual sperms are injected directly into the eggs. The embryologist provides information to the doctor about post-thaw quality.
Before going for any of the ART treatments, couples are recommended to inform the concerned sperm bank so that the sperms can be thawed and prepared in conjunction with fertilization treatment.
If the sperms result in successful pregnancy in the first cycle of fertility treatment, there is no need to perform another IVF cycle. In these cases, the leftover sperm samples are either discarded or donated in the consent of the couple. The frozen samples are only accepted for a donation if the reason for sperm freezing is other than that to treat male infertility.
In spite of having advanced sperm freezing technology and qualified embryologists, the cost of sperm freezing in IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India is very affordable. The cost of semen freezing in IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India normally costs around Rs.114,700 to Rs.259,000.
In IVF with Semen Freezing Centers in India, the frozen sperms are regularly monitored for quality, contamination, and rise in temperature. The thawing process is also carefully conducted to ensure a high survival rate and minimum loss of sperm cells.
If you have any queries on sperm freezing and its procedures, you can consult ovohealth. We have a vast list of the best IVF with Semen Freezing Centres in India who are renowned and reliable in performing infertility treatments.
Enter Details to Book Your FREE Consultation


text:
Knowing the cues of a hungry baby makes it easier to tell if yours is getting enough breastmilk or baby formula. Look for these signs to tell if your little one needs a little more.
- Your baby cries or is fussy.
- They put their fingers or fist in their mouth, or suck on their fingers.
- Your little one opens their mouth wide when touched on his chin or lips and roots for a nipple.
- They squirm or move their arms and legs.
- Your baby moves, licks or smacks his lips or makes small sounds.
How do you know when they're full?
Knowing your baby's feeding patterns and behavior is a big help, but recognizing these actions can make it a little easier.
- A hungry baby will initially be a little tense, then relax, as they become satisfied.
- Let your baby comfortably feed until they stop. You can assume they're satisfied when she's no longer interested and lets go of your breast or the bottle.
- They're likely full if they start and stop feeding often, taking only a few sucks each time.
- If they slow down their pace and fall asleep they're likely full.
- Fidgeting or being easily distracted while feeding is another sign of fullness.
7 signs it was a good, productive feeding
Here are some other signs that your baby is getting enough to eat.
- You breast or bottle feed your baby at least 8 times per 24 hours.
- After the first week and once your milk is established if breastfeeding, your baby is gaining 1/2 oz- 1oz of weight a day.
- Your breastfed baby has 6 or more wet diapers and at least 3 yellow, "seedy" stools per 24 hours.
- Your breast fullness increases between feedings, and then softens after each feeding.
- You're able to hear your baby swallowing milk.
- It's a comfortable feeding experience for you and your baby, and you aren't experiencing sore, cracked, red, pinched or painful nipples during feedings if you breastfeed
- Your baby is back to their birth weight by 14 days old.
If you have any questions about your baby's growth or eating, be sure to ask your pediatrician.


text: Heyy all out there, < Dunno this is the right place but hope this is the right place > Finally i managed to make something like a pack out of all the tweaks i found (of course by hard work ) Note:: some of these are not my own wrttings, so there credits go to them [IM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WATS GOING TO HAPPEN ] So here are they: 1) Shutdown windows IMMEDIATELY without warning! Start-->Run--> type C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec (remember C:\windows should be your root path to win dir) 2) Disable SHUTDOWN: Start --> Run --> regedit.exe and go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer In the right pane look for the NoClose Key. If it is not already there then create it by right clicking in the right pane and selecting New > String Value.(Name it NoCloseKey ) Now once you see the NoCloseKey in the right pane, right click on it and select Modify. Then Type 1 in the Value Data Box. Start > Shut Down button displays the following error message: This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.You can enable the shut down option by changing the value of NoCloseKey to 0 or simply deleting the particular entry i.e. deleting NoCloseKey. 3) Advertise yourself on win logon: Start --> Run --> regedit.exe go to the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WinLogon Now create a new string Value in the right pane named LegalNoticeCaption and enter the value that you want to see in the Menu Bar. Now create yet another new string value and name it: LegalNoticeText. Modify it and insert the message you want to display each time Windows boots. This can be effectively used to display your ads 4) Deleting Un-deltable windows folders : Start --> Run --> regedit.exe KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\Namespace{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx } To delete an icon simply delete the 16 byte CLSID value within "NameSpace". The following are the CLSID values of the most commonly used icons: My Briefcase:{85BBD920-42AO-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D} Desktop: {00021400-0000-0000-C000-0000000000046} Control Panel:{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} Dial-Up-Networking:{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD01CCC48} Fonts: {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948534} Inbox :{00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} My Computer :{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} Network Neighborhood:{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-O8002B30309D} Printers :{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-O8002B30309D} Recycle Bin :{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} The Microsoft Network:{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} History: {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000} Winzip :{E0D79300-84BE-11CE-9641-444553540000} For example, to delete the Recycle Bin, first note down it's CLSID value, which is: 645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E. Now go to the Namespace key in the registry and delete the corresponding key. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} Similarly to delete the History folder, delete the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8} 5) Hiding ALL ICONS from the desktop: Start --> Run --> regedit.exe HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer In the right pane create a new DWORD value by the name: NoDesktop and set its value to: 1. Reboot and you will find no icons on the desktop. 6) Remove Find and Run options from start menu: Start --> Run --> regedit.exe HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Right-click on the right pane and select New, DWORD Value. Name it NoFind.(To remove the RUN option name it NoRun). Double-click the newly create DWORD to edit it's value and enter 1 as its value. This will disable the FIND option of the Start Menu and will also disable the default Shortcut key(F3 for Find.) To restore the Run or find command modify the value of the DWORD to 0 or simply Delete the DWORD value. 7) Changing the icon of a drive: Make a new file called autorun.inf add these lines [Autorun] ICON=Drive:\Path\Icon_name.extension Save this file in the root of the drive whose icon you want to change and name it autorun.inf For Example, if you want to change the icon of a floppy, SAVE THE icon in a:\icon_name.ico One can also create a kewl icon for the Hard Disk and create a text file [autorun.inf] and store it in "c:\". 8) Clearing recent docs and RUN MRU: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Now in the right pane, create a new DWORD value by the name: NoRecentDocsMenu and set it's value to 1. Restart Explorer to save the changes. You can also clear the RUN MRU history. All the listings are stored in the key: HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU 9) Customizing the Right Click Context Menu of the Start Menu When you right click on the start menu, only 3 options pop up: Open, Explore, and Find. You can add your own programs to this pop up menu( which comes up when we right click on it.) Open Regedit and go to the following registry key: Start --> Run --> regedit.exe HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell Right click on the shell and create a new Sub Key (You can create a new SubKey by right clicking on the Shell Key and selecting New > Key.) Type in the name of the application you want to add to the start menu. I want to add Notepad to the Start Menu and hence I name this new sub key, Notepad. Now right click on the new registry key that you just created and create yet another new key named Command. Enter the full path of the application, in this case Notepad in the default value of Command in the right pane. So I Modify the value of the default string value and enter the full pathname of Notepad: c:\wndows\notepad.exe. Now press F5 to refresh. Now if you right click on the Start Button you will find a new addition to the Pop Up Menu called Notepad. Clicking on it will launch Notepad. 10) Changing the shourcut icon (the booring arrow): Start --> Run --> regedit.exe HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Icons. Now, on the right pane is a list of icons ( we found out that on some systems, Windows 98 especially, the right pane is blank. Don't worry, just add the value as required ). Find the value 29. If it isn't there, just add it. The value of this string should be C:\Windows\system\shell32.dll, 29 ( which means the 30th icon in shell32.dll - the first one begins with 0 ). Now, we need blank icon to do this. Just create one with white as the whole icon. Go here to learn how to create an icon. Once done just change the value to C:\xxx.ico, 0 where "xxx" is the full path of the icon file and "0" is the icon in it. Now for some fun. If the blank icon is a bit boring, change it again. You will find that under shell32.dll there is a gear icon, a shared folder ( the hand ) and much more. Experiment for yourself! Heyy i'm tired, soo im stopping from here as for the 1st part BBACK S00N Happy tweaking! Grand Collection Of XP [TWEAKS] ! - Part2 (10 tweaks)