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Spurred on by Friday's school shootings in Connecticut, 15 people gathered behind City Hall last night for a candlelight vigil in which they called for stronger gun laws, including a ban on all assault weapons, to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country.
The participants said the public should demand that their elected officials immediately take up legislation that would lead to tougher gun control laws.
Dante Comparetto, the organizer of the vigil, said no one is looking to take away constitutional rights, but he said something needs to be done about gun violence.
He said there are more than 10,000 shooting deaths a year in this country. He added that there have been 31 school shootings in the United States since the deadly Columbine rampage in 1999.
"I'm mad," Mr. Comparetto said in reference to the massacre of 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school. "How many more time are we going to allow things like this to happen? When is our government going to do something about gun violence? We don't need to trample over the Second Amendment, but we do need tougher gun control. This (violence) just needs to stop, but to do that we will have to overcome the powerful NRA and other gun lobbies."
The City Hall vigil was one of 250 held nationwide that were organized through moveon.org, according to Mr. Comparetto.
Among those who attended the vigil behind City Hall were District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera, state Rep.-elect Mary Keefe, D-Worcester, and Ronal Madnick, president of the Committee for Progressive Legislation.
Ms. Rivera, who is co-senior pastor of the Christian Community Church, opened the vigil by leading the group in a very emotional prayer for the Connecticut school-shooting victims and their families, as well as for the people of Newtown, Conn.
"We grieve together," Ms. Rivera said. "There is a nation that is crying; many hearts are broken today. Our hearts go to these families, our hearts go to that community. This is something that is occurring way too often and something must be done. Gun violence cannot continue to be tolerated."
Mr. Madnick called for bringing back the 10-year-old federal ban on the manufacture and sale of assault weapons that was allowed to expire in 2004. He said assault weapons are meant to kill a large number of people very quickly.
"There is no need for them," he said. "How long must we have vigils like this? How often are we going to have to keep coming back? We need to bring back the ban on assault weapons. Things have to be done and they have to be done now. We need to demand that our elected officials respond to this."
Mr. Madnick and Mr. Comparetto also called for more thorough background checks of individuals wanting to buy a gun to make sure they are "mentally capable" and do not have a criminal record. Mr. Madnick said 40 percent of guns that were purchased in this country were done so without any kind of background check.
In addition, he said the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should be given greater resources so it can more effectively enforce existing gun laws. He said those states that have higher percentages of gun ownership also happen to have the highest percentage of homicides by guns.
Ms. Keefe, meanwhile, stressed the importance of "building community and strengthening community" in the wake of Friday's tragedy.
"When something like this happens, people tend to become isolated," Ms. Keefe said. "We should all recommit and reconnect to our neighbors."


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Possible 9/11 plane landing gear part found in NYC
NEW YORK — A rusted 5-foot-tall piece of landing gear believed to be from one of the hijacked planes destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks has been discovered wedged between a mosque site and a luxury high-rise apartment building near the World Trade Center.
The twisted metal part has cables and levers on it and is about 3 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep. It includes a clearly visible Boeing Co. identification number, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said Friday.
"The odds of this being wedged between there is amazing," Browne said, adding it was not surprising that it went undiscovered for more than a decade given the location. "It had to have fallen just the right way to make it into that space."
Browne said other World Trade Center wreckage had been discovered nearby, possibly even at the same buildings, in years past.
Police detectives and National Transportation Safety Board investigators will determine whether the equipment is from the American Airlines plane or the United Airlines plane that slammed into the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, destroying the towers and killing thousands of people.
The piece of equipment was discovered Wednesday by surveyors inspecting the lower Manhattan site of a planned Islamic community center, at 51 Park Place, on behalf of the building's owner, police said. The inspector was on the roof and noticed the debris and then called 911. Police secured the scene, documenting it with photos.
The spot where the landing gear was found is about three blocks from ground zero. When plans for the mosque and community center were first announced several years ago, a furor erupted. Opponents protested that putting a Muslim facility near ground zero showed disrespect. Supporters cited freedom of religion and said it wasn't too close to where Islamic extremists attacked on Sept. 11.
In a statement, Sharif El-Gamal, the president of Soho Properties, which owns 51 Park Place, said workers called the city and the police as soon as they discovered the landing gear. He said the company is cooperating with the city and the police to make sure the piece of equipment "is removed with care as quickly and effectively as possible."
The medical examiner's office will complete a health and safety evaluation to determine whether to sift the soil around the buildings for possible human remains, police said.
Patricia Riley, whose sister Lorraine Riley was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, said the landing gear discovery was "very strange."
"Twelve years later we are still finding remnants of the attack on our country," she said. "... For years to come we'll continue to find things that we didn't see before. Hopefully they'll serve as a reminder that we have to stay vigilant."
Outside the Islamic center building, known as Park51, a police officer stood next to the door on Friday and a police barricade was set up to contain the many journalists who had gathered to try to see the piece of the plane.
The landing gear could not be seen from the sidewalk so commuters rushed by and looked quizzically at the gathering.
The Park51 space, a former Burlington Coat factory, is a five-story, mildly rundown building. The piece of plane is wedged in an alley space between that building and 50 Murray St., which is a luxury loft rental building.

subset: commoncrawl


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
versión On-line ISSN 2078-5135
versión impresa ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 no.5 Pretoria may. 2011
Decriminalisation of drugs
To the Editor: I appreciated the editorial1 on the decriminalisation of drugs, which argued that psychoactive drugs are part of human antiquity, that world-wide attempts to 'clean up' the drug scene have been counterproductive, that the 'war' on drugs has failed, and that attempts to root out drug barons and supply routes has hiked prices and destabilised political systems rather than achieving the noble aim of drug eradication. With subtle reference to human hypocrisy, Professor Van Niekerk points out that official acknowledgement of the futility of drug wars is political suicide. He makes the sobering observation that tobacco and alcohol are in the top half of the ranking scale of human harm and yet these drugs are legal. He implies that decriminalising the others will go a long way toward relinquishing the lucrative control of drug dealing from the barons to the State, which could put the money to better use.
This is food for thought and, hopefully, to civilised debate. Any quick legislative response to Van Niekerk's pragmatic suggestions is unlikely. Instead, in the light of the drug trafficking process (manufacturer - dealer - user) I suggest that the first step towards the decriminalisation of drugs be a focus not on the drugs but on those who take them. I agree with Van Niekerk's statement that 'making people criminals for taking psychoactive substances is in itself criminal for one is dealing with a vice and not a crime'. This drug use and abuse - be it tobacco, alcohol, marijuana or the refined 'speedline' drugs - is not going to go away. The exploratory or seeking drive - be it for food, water, reward, stress release or meaning - is hard-wired into humans. Risk taking, innovation and opportunism (among others) are also essential survival strategies. Humans are a creative and social species. Kinship recognition and a sense of belonging are key ingredients in holding societies together. Enter the many and varied rituals and rites of passage-defining in-groups and out-groups, and it is clear that the dynamics of individual drug taking and drug abuse are biologically, socially and psychologically complex.
Despite peer pressure, conformity and that sometimes deep narcissistic need to belong, the majority of human beings somehow succeed in finding that illusive balance between individual needs, thrills, expectations of others, personal insight and socialisation. Some get it wrong and, with that comes the collapse of the triad of requirements necessary for social and individual well-being - a creative sense of self, creative relationships and a meaningful job or career. The frustration, anger and heartache that comes with this collapse distresses us and spurs our search for solutions, one of which is to criminalise the offender. I agree that this has to change, and that it is not about condoning the use and abuse of any particular form of drug, but about understanding the shame, isolation and hopelessness experienced by individuals who are perceived as social failures as well as criminals. Think of the impact of such a criminal label on possible rehabilitation. To me, it is worth noting that, long after the early experimentation with drugs and with it the 'highs' and 'lows' of substance abuse, addicts, once addicted, continue taking drugs not for the 'high' but to feel 'normal'.
Should drug taking become a non-criminal offence, would this translate into an open invitation to 'party'? I doubt it. We are going to 'party' anyway. I choose instead not to underestimate the intelligence and capacity of most human beings to decide for themselves. Rather than exacerbating the problem by decriminalising possession of drugs, I think the reverse will happen. We all know that 'stolen fruit' tastes better than the legal variety, not because of the taste but because of the challenge of succeeding and getting away with it. Despite the warnings and legislation, the negative consequences are invariably minimised. Again, I choose not to underestimate the intelligence of the majority of individuals who get the balance right, and also the plight and intelligence of those so-called criminals who eventually get it right.
I will never forget being exposed to young, burned-out addicts in a central district of Zurich. Some were sound asleep, no doubt needled into unconsciousness. Nearby was a caravan that supplied sterile needles to avoid, among other complications, HIV contamination. On hand were health care workers who could deal with emergencies and for some the possibility of rehabilitation. No drug dealers were to be seen. It is illegal to deal in drugs in Switzerland. And so it should be. What struck me about this approach, and to which I was so foreign, was that it was a realistic attempt to deal with a problem that affects a small percentage of the population. Although this is expensive, it costs less than the wars on drug cartels, other drugrelated crimes and criminals. In other words, if you're into drugs, do it where you can be seen and, if necessary, helped. I agree with the view that to commit a crime because of drug abuse is a criminal act, but to have a vice is not.
Ian McCallum
Cape Town
1. Van Niekerk JP deV. Time to decriminalise drugs? S Afr Med J 2011;101(2):79-80. [ Links ]


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Price: $3.00
Quantity: 1 available
Book Condition: Good
remainder mark, some shelfwear, still NICE!
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In a historic farmhouse outside Boston, seventy-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement: reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. His routines are disrupted, however, when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. No longer can he remain aloof from his community, his two grown daughters, or, to his shock, the precarious joy of falling in love.One relationship Percy treasures is the bond with his oldest grandchild, Robert, a premed student at Harvard. Robert has long assumed he will follow in the footsteps of his mother, a prominent physician, but he begins to question his ambitions when confronted by a charismatic roommate who preaches--and begins to practice--an extreme form of ecological activism, targeting Boston's most affluent suburbs. Meanwhile, two other men become fatefully involved with Percy and Robert: Ira, a gay teacher at the preschool, and Celestino, a Guatemalan gardener who works for Percy's neighbor, each one striving to overcome a sense of personal exile. Choices made by all four men, as well as by the women around them, collide forcefully on one lovely spring evening, upending everyone's lives, but none more radically than Percy's. With equal parts affection and satire, Julia Glass spins a captivating tale about the loyalties, rivalries, and secrets of a very particular family. Yet again, she plumbs the human heart brilliantly, dramatically, and movingly.
Title: The Widower's Tale: A Novel
Categories: Other,
Publisher: Pantheon: 2010-09-07
ISBN Number: 030737792X
ISBN Number 13: 9780307377920
Binding: Hardcover
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Retention and Student Success
The Office of Retention and Student Success is dedicated to ensuring that you, the student, have the necessary supports—both inside and outside of the classroom—to fully realize your musical, academic, and personal potential at Berklee College of Music. By supporting you when you face obstacles associated with college life, the Office of Student Success assists you in making connections with Berklee.
Our foundational belief is that you are fully capable of realizing your musical, academic, and professional goals, however we also realize that, at times, you may experience difficulties, be they academic, emotional, or health-related, and we know that family emergencies and other unexpected challenges may arise in life. There are many resources on campus that can help, and we are committed to helping you connect with those resources. When we meet with you, we can often present options which can help you decide how to proceed; in many cases, a short-term change may be the key to long-term success.


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NBC's Up All Night will halt production next week and return next spring as a multi-camera comedy filmed in front of a live audience, TVGuide.com has confirmed.
The show will take a three-month break after wrapping production on its 11th episode next week, in order to convert the stage and set to the new format, NBC said Monday. The existing episodes will air into December, and production will resume in February. The remaining five episodes of the 16-episode season will be in the multi-camera format and will air beginning in April or May, according to NBC.
Up All Night 2.0: Love it or leave it?
All of the cast members and producers, including executive producer Lorne Michaels, are on board with the changes, according to NBC. Showrunner Tucker Cawley's resume includes multi-camera comedies like Everybody Loves Raymond.
"This was an idea we and Lorne came to in order to infuse the show with more energy," NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said in a statement. "We know what the multi-camera audience does for the live episodes of 30 Rock, plus after seeing both Maya [Rudolph] and Christina [Applegate] do SNL within the past few months, we knew we had the kind of performers — Will Arnett included — who love the reaction from a live audience. We think we can make a seamless tradition to the new format."
What do you think of the change?


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« Ed. Dept. Still Seeking Input on English-Learner Programs | Main | School Provision of Ala. Anti-Immigrant Law Gutted in Legal Settlement »
Civil Rights Researcher Gary Orfield Calls For New Look at School Segregation
Cross-posted from Sarah D. Sparks at Inside School Research.
Nearly six decades after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled "separate but equal" education intrinsically unequal, American schools remain deeply racially segregated, and approaches to fixing the problem have not kept pace with the changing dynamics of segregation.
That was the crux of the argument recently by Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil RIghts Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, at the American Education Research Association's 10th-annual Brown lecture in education research (named for the seminal civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education).
Orfield, an education, law, and politics research professor, traced the intertwined histories of education, jobs, and housing initiatives of the Brown era that have not yet closed racial gaps: nearly two out of five black and Latino students attend deeply segregated schools, and schools with on average twice the poverty concentration of the schools of white and Asian students.
Moreover, Orfield said education researchers and policymakers today still hold an outdated and overly simplistic view of race and segregation in schools: "In the 1960s we were 90 percent white, 10 percent black, less than 5 percent Latino, and ...Asians were an asterisk in our data tables," he said. "We have policies developed for a two-race country, mostly in the South, and we now have four-race country or more, with west of the Mississippi a totally different picture."
"We need to think about what segregation means in our society now; it's not just isolation from whites," he said, but isolation racially, economically and in some cases linguistically. Moreover, schools with no white students often still deal with racial and cultural tensions from black, Latino and Asian students, but these issues, he said, often are not taken into account when discussing school race issues.
Orfield said magnet schools and charters may hold promise for creating more integrated schools, but only if the choice plans are constructed to prevent racial or economic strafication. For example, districts should enroll students "based on their interest, not their test scores," he said. "Schools don't get the right to choose; students get the right to choose."
Even this can be problematic, as recent research on the New York City school matching system have found students generally choose to attend schools near their homes, so simply giving them the right to choose a new school didn't neccessarily ease concentration of poverty, race, or academically struggling students.
Orfield called for cities and their suburbs to take a more regional approach to integration, planning school siting and public housing and transportation systems to make more integrated communities. "It has to deal not just with public schools and not just with central cities. It has to be metropolitan," he said, and cover preschool through college and career preparation.
The full speech will be posted on AERA's Website in the future.
Want more research news? Follow @SarahDSparks on Twitter for the latest studies, and join the conversation.


text: Sanitation for all THEMESWATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH)SANITATION FOR ALL Today, 2.3 billion people still live without access to safe sanitation services The safety, privacy, comfort and dignity of an accessible toilet should be an everyday reality for all. Through our sanitation projects - as part of an integrated approach to water, sanitation and hygiene called WASH - Tearfund seeks to achieve this. Getting the community actively involved and 'owning' the project increases the level of sanitation coverage, so wherever possible this is how we work. This short video from WaterAid features the process of getting the community actively involved in a sanitation project – at Tearfund, we take a similar approach. Demand-led approaches The demand for WASH services can come from individuals, households or communities themselves, taking the lead in designing and running sanitation services. Through our demand-led approaches we provide support and encouragement along the way, as well as advocacy to ensure that an enabling environment is created and sustained. This might include influencing national policies, regulating private sector involvement, supporting local supply and providing technical assistance. However, levels of demand can vary for each component of WASH (i.e. for water, sanitation and hygiene) and at different stages in the transition from relief to development. Usually the demand for safe and accessible water already exists, but the demand for sanitation and hygiene facilities may need to be stimulated. Getting the local community actively involved is a key part of demand-led approaches. This can create a 'light-bulb' moment, where the need for change is realised. Getting the local community actively involved is a key part of demand-led approaches. Using methods that encourage participation, individuals and their communities work together to analyse their own situation. This can create a 'light-bulb' moment, where the need for change is realised. Evidence suggests that when there is a high level of ownership and involvement, supported by capacity building, long term change is more likely. Demand-led approaches also help to broaden out the choice of technologies that are available to communities. Using their local knowledge and skills, they can identify the best low cost and sustainable options. Tearfund employs a combination of demand-led and supply-driven approaches to WASH at different stages of response, when evidence and context suggest they are the most appropriate. Although demand-led approaches are preferred, emergency response often requires the construction of communal latrines and the distribution of temporary water supply to collection points to meet the needs and rights of communities affected by disaster. Encouraging a higher level of latrine usage among communities Tearfund uses several approaches that try to encourage a higher level of latrine use in communities. Details of these can be found below. PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation) PHAST is a facilitated approach that typically involves seven steps to enable communities to analyse their WASH situation and develop their own plans for action. Facilitators and community health workers explore and engage with the different practices within the community and expand upon their understandings in ways that inform, question or challenge. Community Health Clubs A Community Health Club is a community-based group facilitated by community workers to raise awareness of hygiene issues and support participants to apply their understanding of good hygiene practices in their decision making at home and within the community. Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and other Rapid Rural Appraisal techniques This is an innovative methodology that gets communities working together to eliminate open defecation. Facilitation provides communities with the opportunity to conduct their own investigation and analysis of open defecation and discuss the impacts. Communities are then encouraged to find their own solutions and to organise themselves to become Open Defecation Free (ODF). Both the reflective learning process described above and understanding what triggers can change people's behaviour, are essential to initiating a process of sustained behaviour change. Experience has shown that this process of mobilisation can be empowering, as it opens a space for marginalised groups to gain a voice within their communities, and to articulate and analyse issues relating to WASH and beyond. Guidance on CLTS Adoption of CLTS: Guidance for programming in Tearfund supported projects CLTS in Post-Emergency and Fragile States Settings - available in English (PDF 5.4 MB), French (PDF 5.2 MB) and Portuguese (PDF 5.4 MB). For general information and resources on CLTS, visit http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org Other key sanitation learning documents used in Tearfund: Keeping Communities Clean (PDF 477 KB) – the role of the church and faith-based groups generally, in helping communities achieve safe sanitation and hygiene practices The role of the church in improving access to sanitation (PDF 241 KB) - contains a shorter version of the 5 church-based roles The Church's role in sanitation and hygiene: Guidelines and tools (PDF 935 KB) - an internal follow-up report on how various churches and church-based organisations journey through the 5 roles Sanitation marketing. Sanitation marketing uses social and commercial marketing to scale up the demand and supply for improved sanitation and water supply, particularly amongst those living in poverty. It assumes that many people, including those living in poverty, are willing to pay for water and sanitation facilities that will meet their needs, if the technology is packaged and marketed appropriately, and the supply mechanism is easily accessible. The approach links very well with demand-led, livelihood approaches, such as Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Behaviour Change Communication which prompt communities to consider their open defecation habits and encourage particular sanitation practices before using social marketing to help households move up the Sanitation Ladder. The sanitation ladder is a tool being used to support and monitor steps towards improved sanitation practices. Read more about Sanitation Marketing (PDF 1.1 MB) Footsteps issues on Sanitation Footsteps is an online and print magazine for grassroots health and development workers. Footsteps edition 9 - Sanitation Footsteps edition 73 - Sanitation Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email Print Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email Print


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Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
22 Indicted in Multi-State Heroin Distribution Conspiracy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - June 27, 2014 – A federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn. returned a 23-count indictment on June 25, 2014, charging 22 individuals with various offenses relating to a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of heroin and fentanyl in the Middle Tennessee area, Northern Alabama and St. Louis, Missouri, announced David Rivera, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Much of the heroin had been adulterated or replaced with fentanyl and caused or contributed to the death of at least two persons in Alabama and was responsible for multiple non-fatal overdoses.
Joining Rivera at a morning news conference were Chief Steve Anderson of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Jack Webb, Assistant Special Agent- in- Charge of the ATF, Nashville Field Division and Michael Stanfill, Asst. Special Agent- in- Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for Tennessee.
Local, state and federal agents, yesterday, began arresting those named in the indictment and as of this morning, 21 suspects were in custody.
"The resurgence of heroin as the drug of choice is wreaking havoc in our communities across the nation and causing untold overdoses and deaths," said U.S. Attorney David Rivera. "I commend our law enforcement partners for their untiring efforts in bringing this case and interrupting the flow of such dangerous substances to our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney's Office will vigorously prosecute this case and seek appropriate sentences for the conduct of those charged."
According to the indictment, the year-long investigation identified Jamal Cooper of Antioch, Tenn. as one of the leaders and supervisors of the heroin distribution conspiracy and who was responsible for obtaining large quantities of heroin from multiple sources, including Lonald Ector of San Bernardino, Calif. and Robert Gonzales of Fontana, Calif. Various residences and properties in Nashville and Antioch, Tennessee, Florence, Alabama, and Sheffield, Alabama were used by the defendants to store heroin and cash generated from the sale and distribution of heroin, and from which to distribute heroin and fentanyl to the Middle Tennessee area, Northern Alabama and St. Louis Missouri.
The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy used cutting agents, to dilute the heroin to increase their profits and distributed fentanyl, which they purported to be heroin, which caused or contributed to two deaths in Alabama and numerous non-fatal overdoses in Alabama and Nashville.
According to the facts set forth in the indictment, the defendants remained undeterred after learning of the deaths and overdoses and continued to distribute the heroin and fentanyl.
The indictment also alleges that four of the defendants conspired to use firearms against individuals whom they believed were attempting to rob other members of the conspiracy of money and drugs and one person was in fact shot in Nashville on April 4, 2014.
"These heroin-related overdoses and deaths are absolutely unacceptable," Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson said. "Arrests like those announced today show that violent criminal activity associated with the illegal drug trade will not be tolerated by law enforcement and our partners in prosecutors' offices at the state and federal level."
"This focused investigation will have a lasting impact on reducing firearms related violence and taking drugs off the streets of the Nashville Metro area," said ATF Special Agent–in–Charge Jeff Fulton. "Additionally, these arrests demonstrate ATF and our partners' continued dedication to identify, target, and investigate violent criminals who lessen the quality of life in our neighborhoods."
"The prescription pill epidemic in the U.S. continues to produce a rapidly expanding base of new heroin users with no regard to race, gender, age, or economic background," said Michael Stanfill, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA in Tennessee. "Our federal, state, and local partners will aggressively pursue those drug trafficking organizations that are attempting to capitalize on this new demand for heroin. This investigation is another example of law enforcement agencies working together and utilizing their combined resources to decimate a violent drug organization and improve the quality of life for people in Tennessee and Alabama."
The indictment charges the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin and/or fentanyl:
- Jamal Cooper, aka Jamal Jordan, aka J, aka Mal, 37, of Antioch, Tennessee;
- Lonald Ector, aka J.R., 46, of San Bernardino, California;
- Robert Gonzales, 29, of Fontana, California;
- D'Ron Robinson, aka St. Louis, 25, of Jackson, Tennessee;
- Karon Key Jordan, 34, of Gallatin, Tennessee;
- Jasmond Foster, aka Jazz, 26, of Sheffield, Alabama;
- William Earl Foster, Jr., aka Buck, 25, of Florence, Alabama;
- Donquez Groves, aka Lewis Palmer, aka Little Donnie, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Wilton Bailey, aka Willy Will, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Clifford Woods, aka Wimpy, 55, of Gallatin, Tennessee;
- Tommy E. Smith, 37, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Sheteeka Bryant, 34, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Eric Williams, aka E, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Robert Foxx, aka D-Tay, aka Johnny, 28, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Darnell Finnels, aka Ski, aka Skeezy, 24, of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Shawna Caroline Foster, 36, of Florence, Alabama;
- Jerry Ray Cochran, aka J Ray, 40, of Florence, Alabama;
- William Kimbrough III, aka Trey, 37, of Tuscumbia, Alabama;
- Wallace Earl Coffey, aka Nephew, aka Beck, 27, of Sheffield, Alabama;
- Wallace Beckwith, aka Duke, 47, of Florence, Alabama; and
- Thomas Barnett, aka Ham, aka Hambone, 27, of Florence, Alabama.
The indictment also charges the following:
Knowingly conspiring to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime:
Robert Noel, aka Kamp Trey, 22, of Nashville, Tennessee; Jamal Cooper, Eric Williams and Darnell Finnels.
Knowingly possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime: Jamal Cooper.
Knowingly possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime: Darnell Finnels. Knowingly possessing and intentionally distributing fentanyl; Jamal Cooper. Knowingly possessing and intentionally distributing heroin: Jamal Cooper-3 additional counts; Eric Williams-6 additional counts; Robert Foxx- 6 additional counts; and Donquez Groves-1 additional count. Conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in the death of another person: Jamal Cooper, William Earl Foster, Shawna Caroline Foster and Jerry Ray Cochran. If convicted, all defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison. Those charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in the death of another person face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department's Specialized Investigations Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force; the Lauderdale County, Alabama Drug Task Force; the Colbert County, Alabama Drug Task Force and the Florence, Alabama Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthias Onderak. An indictment is merely an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.


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- 12' Long White iPod Interface Cable- Allows full iPod controls and charging- Protective cap helps keep dirt and dust out of cable- Keeps iPod out of the way and stored in a safe placeThis iPod interface cable is compatible with the followingJENSEN iPod Ready Stereos ONLY:- AWM970 – Revisions A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H & I- AWM970IP- DV2007- JHD1510- JHD3510- VR182- VR182BKWIN- VR182SVWIN- VR182G3- VR182G3BKWIN- VR182G3SVWIN- VR209- VR209TP- MSR2007- MSR2010- MSR2107- MSR3007- MSR7007Supported iPod Models:- iPod 3rd Gen – With firmware 2.2 only- iPod 4th Gen- iPod Photo- iPod 5th Gen- iPod Classic 80GB- iPod Classic 160GB (2007 edition only) - iPod Mini- iPod Nano 1st, 2nd & 3rd Gen- iPod Touch 1st Gen- iPhone (Original)- iPod Nano 4th Gen – (Chromatic Series) This model will function but will NOT charge the iPod.Unsupported iPod Models:- iPod 1st Gen- iPod 2nd Gen- iPod 3rd Gen – With firmware other than 2.2- iPod Shuffle – All versions- iPod Touch 2nd or 3rd Gen- iPhone 3G, 3Gs & 4G- iPod Classic 120GB- iPod Classic 160GB – Late 2009 edition- iPod Nano 5th Gen- ALL new iPod & iPhone models introduced after September 1, 2008NOTE: These unsupported iPod models may be connected to the radio using one of the Auxiliary Inputs.*iPod Compatibility Information: Please refer to this guide to see if your iPod or iPhone is compatible with our JENSEN iPod Ready Stereos. Not sure which iPod model you have? Click here to find out.
Our hands on Engineering Research and Development team builds quality into our JENSEN & Voyager products from the beginning by expertly designing each product from the ground up and validating all designs through extensive testing that is primarily conducted in our own on-site test lab. Therefore, JENSEN Audio & Video products and Voyager Camera Systems offer MORE durability and performance than you would expect from standard electronics.
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About our Rise Of Civilizations generator
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Related Terms About Rise Of Civilizations
8 Civilizations, 27 Heroes, Real Warfare
From the depths of obscurity to the peaks of legend, you will be the author of your civilization's history. Will you launch epic wars and conquer the entire world? Or rise up as a virtuous leader renowned for your sagacity? Will you set off to explore the unknown as a pioneer? Or dedicate yourself to helping your own people?
Only time will tell...
Real-Time Battles
Battles are not pre-calculated but happen in real time on the map. Anyone can join or leave a battle at any time, allowing true RTS gameplay. See an ally being attacked right in your backyard? Send some troops to help your buddy out, or launch a surprise counterattack on the attacker's city.
Seamless World Map
All in-game action takes place on a single, enormous map inhabited by players and NPC characters. No isolated bases or separate battle screens. Never before seen on mobile "infinite zoom" feature allows you to transition freely between the world view and individual cities or barbarian outposts. Map features include natural obstructions such as rivers and mountain ranges and strategic passes that must be captured to gain entrance to neighboring regions.
Eight Unique Civilizations
Choose from one of 8 historical civilizations (more to come!) and guide your civilization from a lone clan into a great power. Each civilization has its own architecture, unique units, and special advantages.
Exploration & Investigation
The world of Rise of Civilizations is covered in thick fog. Dispatch scouts to explore this mysterious land and uncover the hidden treasure within. Investigate lost temples, barbarian fortresses, mysterious caves, and tribal villages, gather intelligence on your enemies, and prepare yourself for the ultimate clash!
Unrestricted Troop Movements
New orders can be issued to troops at any time, offering limitless strategic possibilities. Launch a feint at an enemy city, then circle back and meet up with your alliance army to capture a pass. Dispatch troops to collect lumber from a nearby forest and have them pick off a few barbarian clans along the way. Forces can also be split up between multiple commanders so that you can engage in multiple actions simultaneously.
Alliance System
Full set of alliance features allow players to help one another: alliance chat with built-in translation function, officer roles, map indicators to coordinate strategies, and more! Alliances can expand their territory to gain resources, capture mountain passes and barbarian outposts to strengthen their position, and work together to unlock group achievements.
Conquer the Kingdom
Fight alongside your alliance to take control of this vast kingdom. Clash with other players and use superior tactics to emerge victorious in a MMO strategy battle royale. Rise to the top and you and your civilization will be written down in your kingdom's history!
RPG Commanders
Call upon dozens of historical figures who will serve as your trustworthy commanders, from Julius Caesar and Sun Tzu to Joan of Arc and Kusunoki Masashige. Level up your commanders by defeating barbarians and sending them into battles, then upgrade their abilities using an RPG style talent tree and skill system.
Expedition Mode
Infinite Zoom--never before seen on mobile!
Kingdom Progression
Civilization Specific Cities
Stunning Graphics
3D Character Models
And more…


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June 15, 2014
Health Tip: Keep Your Nails Healthier
Make sure they're always dry and clean
Consumer News
(HealthDay News) -- Your nails may be a good indicator of general health, so it's important to keep them looking good and strong.
The American Academy of Dermatology suggests these tips:
- Make sure nails are always dry and clean, and trimmed properly. Using sharp nail scissors or clippers, cut straight across with slightly rounded tips.
- File nails with an emery board.
- Avoid biting nails or cutting cuticles.
- Treat nails gently and avoid using them as tools.
- Keep toenails trimmed short. For those that are difficult to cut, soak in a warm salt-water solution for 10 minutes.
- See a doctor for treatment of an ingrown toenail. Don't try to dig it out yourself.
- Protect feet in public locker rooms, showers and pools with flip flops or a pair of study, comfortable shoes.


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notforgotten: "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you." -St. Augustine of Hippo Sept 14, 2018 12:09:35 GMT -5
notforgotten: "To love God is something greater than to know Him." -St. Thomas Aquinas Sept 19, 2018 13:26:24 GMT -5
notforgotten: "The dress of the body should not discredit the good of the soul." St. Cyprian Oct 9, 2018 15:14:45 GMT -5
notforgotten: "The purpose of clothing is to keep warm in winter and to cover your nakedness, not to serve your vanity." St. Cyril of Jerusalem Oct 17, 2018 11:38:34 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Patience is the companion of wisdom." –St. Augustine Jan 20, 2019 13:03:34 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Be kind to all and severe to thyself." –St. Teresa of Avila Jan 30, 2019 14:08:44 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Joy is very infectious; therefore, be always full of joy." – Mother Teresa Feb 12, 2019 11:42:03 GMT -5
notforgotten: "It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey." -St. Ignatius of Loyola Mar 4, 2019 14:44:11 GMT -5
notforgotten: "If you would rise, shun luxury, for luxury lowers and degrades." -St John Chrysostom Mar 23, 2019 20:01:21 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Do not say that you have chaste minds if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart." –St. Augustine Apr 1, 2019 16:25:53 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry" -St. Pio of Pietrelcino Apr 30, 2019 12:15:24 GMT -5
notforgotten: "This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections." -St. Augustine May 29, 2019 12:14:04 GMT -5
notforgotten: "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" -St. Catherine of Sienna Jun 23, 2019 10:19:03 GMT -5 *
notforgotten: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." -St. Thomas Aquinas Jun 30, 2019 10:39:38 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Do not say that you have chaste minds if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart." –St. Augustine Jul 15, 2019 8:09:36 GMT -5
notforgotten: "He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows." –St. Gregory of Nissa Jul 21, 2019 9:17:38 GMT -5
notforgotten: "To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often." -Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman Aug 2, 2019 16:29:17 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Devotion is a certain act of the will by which man gives himself promptly to divine service." –St. Thomas Aquinas Mar 19, 2020 14:04:06 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."-St. Augustine May 28, 2020 14:52:14 GMT -5
notforgotten: "Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry" -St. Pio of Pietrelcino Jun 23, 2020 14:23:15 GMT -5


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Popular Models
from $406
from $674
Master Collection
from $1,145
from $435
Conquest Classic
from $651
from $747
from $1,003
from $748
from $435
from $887
La Grande Classique
from $545
from $489
from $1,108
Elegance, Tradition, and Supreme Performance
Longines is the oldest registered brand name still in use today. The company, founded in 1832, is a pioneer in the fields of sport and aeronautics timekeeping. Highlights from the brand include chronographs and watches with an annual calendar.
- Oldest registered watch brand name in the world
- Extraordinary value for your money
- Incredibly precise quartz movements – only deviate by 5 seconds a year
- Longines Master Collection: exclusively mechanical watches
- Intricate watches with four retrograde displays
Longines: High-Quality Watches at Affordable Prices
The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Longines has a history stretching back 180 years. The business is known for their high-quality timepieces. Longines chronographs, with their winged hourglass logo, have been timing horse races since the end of the 19th century. Today, Longines watches can still be found at horse races as well as at tennis matches and ski competitions. This manufacturer's timepieces feature technological innovations in the world of professional timekeeping; Longines even developed their own timing system for horse racing. The system displays positional data in real time that's accurate to 5 cm.
Longines offers both women's and men's watches characterized by traditional-elegant designs and excellent value for your money. There are five main watch collections: Elegance, Watchmaking Tradition, Equestrian, Sport, and Heritage.
Longines has a wide range of timepieces available that fit every taste and budget. Most of the watches feature classic, elegant designs. However, those who want a sports or diving watch will find excellent timepieces in the Conquest or HydroConquest models.
How much do Longines watches cost and which models are the most popular?
|HydroConquest L3.7188.8.131.52
|L688, automatic
|Starting at 1,300 euros
|Conquest 1/100th Alpine Skiing L3.700.4.56.6
|L440, quartz
|Starting at 950 euros
|Conquest V.H.P. L3.718.104.22.168
|Around 900 euros
|Master Collection L2.6184.108.40.206
|L678, automatic
|Around 2,200 euros
|Flagship Heritage L4.7188.8.131.52
|L615, automatic
|Around 1,200 euros
|Heritage Legend Diver L3.618.104.22.168
|L633, automatic
|Around 1,500 euros
Longines Flagship Heritage
In celebration of the Flagship's 60th anniversary, Longines introduced a limited edition of the timepiece in 2017, the Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary . Actress Kate Winslet, a Longines brand ambassador, selected the retro watch's elegant design. Longines' watchmaking highlights can be found in the Master Collection, which includes models with a chronograph function, moon phase display, and an annual calendar.
The Sports Watches: HydroConquest and Conquest
The sports series have been part of Longines' portfolio since 2007. The timepieces in the HydroConquest and Conquest series were made with athletes and lovers of sporty wristwatches in mind, and are powered by automatic mechanical or highly precise quartz movements. The HydroConquest is a diving watch waterproof to 300 m (30 bar) with a unidirectional bezel and screw-down crown. There is also a chronograph version available. Even in the dark, it's easy to read this timepiece, seeing as the hands and numerals are coated with Superluminova. Bicolor stainless steel and gold-plated versions are also available.
You can purchase a pre-owned three-hand quartz Longines HydroConquest for less than 500 euros. New diving watches from this collection are available for around 600 euros. A quartz chronograph costs around 800 euros pre-owned and 1,000 euros new. If you prefer an automatic caliber, you should plan on spending at least 750 euros for a pre-owned timepiece or around 800 euros for a new one. Prices for pre-owned automatic chronographs with a metal bracelet start at 1,100 euros, and new watches cost 1,300 euros.
HydroConquest Features
- Diving watch with a unidirectional rotatable bezel
- Quartz or automatic caliber
- Also available with a chronograph function
The Conquest series consists of chronographs, three-hand watches, and GMT watches. GMT watches display a second time zone, a feature which is helpful for frequent fliers who always want to know what time it is at home. Chronographs function as timers, some of which can time to 1/100th of a second. The Horse Racing, Alpine Skiing, and Roland-Garros models are dedicated to horse racing, skiing, and tennis, respectively; all sports in which Longines timepieces are actively used. These three quartz watches are so precise that they can time to 1/100th of a second. New, the timepieces cost around 950 euros.
Longines was a pioneer in quartz watch technology. They developed their first quartz watch by 1954 and set chronometric records. Towards the end of the 1960s, they introduced the Ultra-Quartz series, which was composed of electronic wristwatches. The current Conquest V.H.P. model follows in the same tradition. The abbreviation V.H.P. stands for "very high precision." The timepiece lives up to its name; it only deviates from the correct time by five seconds a year. It also features a perpetual calendar and a gear position detection system which independently corrects the position of the hands if they move due to magnetism or a jolt. The battery life lasts for around five years, beating out traditional quartz watch batteries by about 24 months. The price for a new Conquest V.H.P. starts at 900 euros.
Conquest V.H.P. Features
- Precise quartz movement with a deviation of 5 seconds a year
- Perpetual calendar
- Gear position detection system
- 5-year battery life
Traditional Watchmaking in the Master Collection
The Master Collection is dedicated to Longines' watchmaking tradition and exclusively consists of mechanical watches. Automatic movements power most of these models. The designs of the watches in this collection combine classic, elegant elements with sporty, modern ones.
One of the highlights of this collection is a timepiece with four retrograde displays: day of the week at 12 o'clock, a small seconds at six o'clock, and a second time zone on the left side of the dial. There's also a moon phase display on the lower half of the dial and a day/night indicator underneath the day of the week display. The timepiece is powered by the caliber L707, which the ébauche manufacturer ETA produces exclusively for Longines. If the caliber is fully wound, it can power the watch for 48 hours. Pre-owned models cost around 2,200 euros, while new versions cost around 2,700 euros.
One of the most intricate Longines watches is the model from the Master Collection with a chronograph function, annual calendar, moon phase display, and 24-hour display. The date is displayed via a long central hand ending in a half moon. The day of the week and the month are displayed on the 30-minute counter at 12 o'clock. The small seconds, together with the 24-hour display, are found on the subdial at nine o'clock. The third subdial is at six o'clock and displays the timer and moon phase display. The caliber L678, based on the ETA/Valjoux 7751 , powers the timepiece. You should expect to pay around 1,900 euros for a pre-owned version of this timepiece in very good condition; for a new one, expect prices around 2,200 euros.
Trendy Retro Watches: Longines' Heritage Collection
The Heritage Collection is home to Longines' historically inspired retro watches. Some resemble classic dress watches and go perfectly with a nice shirt or suit. These include the Longines Conquest Heritage and the Longines Flagship Heritage . You can purchase the Conquest Heritage new and pre-owned for less than 1,000 euros. The Flagship model is available for 1,200 euros new. The Legend Diver Watch, on the other hand, was inspired by 1960s diving watches. Unlike most other diving watches, the bezel used to keep track of your dive time is under the watch glass and controlled by a second crown. You can purchase a modern pre-owned Legend Diver for around 1,300 euros, while new, it costs 1,500 euros. You should plan on spending around 12,000 euros if you want to buy a vintage timepiece from the 1960s.
A Wide Variety of Models for Women
Longines also offers many women's watches, mainly in the Elegance Collection. Models in the DolceVita series feature rectangular cases and are made of materials such as stainless steel or 18-karat rose gold; bicolor models are also available. Models with diamond-set dials and cases are especially elegant. You can purchase a pre-owned DolceVita timepiece for around 400 euros; prices for a new watch start around 800 euros.
Models from the PrimaLuna Collection have round cases and metal bracelets. Diamond-set bicolor stainless steel and gold versions have an especially feminine look. Prices for these timepieces start at 700 euros.
The Symphonette models blend the traditional and the modern with their oval cases, some set with diamonds. You can purchase a stainless steel Symphonette for 1,000 euros. The women's Equestrian collection pays homage to Longines' involvement in the sport. Watches in this series are characterized by their lugs, which resemble horseshoes or stirrups. New Equestrian watches are available for around 900 euros.
Overview of Women's Timepieces
|Rectangular stainless steel, gold, or stainless steel and gold cases, metal bracelet or leather strap, some versions set with diamonds
|Starting at 800 euros
|Oval-shaped cases
|Starting at 1,000 euros
|Round stainless steel or stainless steel and gold cases, metal bracelet, some versions set with diamonds
|Starting at 700 euros
|Round or rectangular case, some versions set with diamonds, inspired by horse racing
|Starting at 900 euros
From Transatlantic Flights to Sporting Events
The pioneering pilot Charles A. Lindbergh flew nonstop from New York to Paris in 1927 in what was the first solo flight across the Atlantic. A Longines timepiece was responsible for timing the flight. After the solo flight, the watch manufacturer, together with Lindbergh, developed a pilot's watch with a navigation mechanism. With the help of the Lindbergh hour angle watch, a sextant, and a nautical almanac, pilots could determine their exact geographical position. Longines became the official timekeeper of the World Air Sports Federation in 1919.
Longines presented a limited edition hour angle watch with a run of only 90 pieces in 2017 in honor of the 90th anniversary of Lindbergh's flight: the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch 90th Anniversary. The retro watch is similar to the original model in terms of its size and design. It has a diameter of 47.5 mm, making the watch very easy-to-read. New, the standard Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch costs around 3,200 euros.
In addition to aviation, Longines has a second passion: timing sporting events. By 1886, Longines had equipped most horse race tracks in New York with their timepieces. The company remains active in horse racing today. They developed their first quartz timepiece in 1954, which set a precision record at the observatory in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The timekeeping instrument "Chronocinégines" had a 16 mm camera and took 100 pictures a second. Longines also has a presence in professional skiing, gymnastics, tennis, and archery.
Tradition and Elegance Since 1832
Longines' history goes back to the summer of 1832, when the 23-year-old businessman Auguste Agassiz established himself as an active partner in the watch business Comptoir Raiguel Jeune in the town of Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Comptoir purchased ébauche movements and passed them on to watchmakers. Agassiz was so successful that he took complete control over the workshop in 1846. However, health problems forced him to find a suitable successor. He chose his nephew Ernest Francillon, who joined the company in 1852 and took over a short while later.
Francillon quickly realized that the Comptoir business didn't have sustainable production processes. Therefore, he began considering mass production. When a piece of land on the bank of the River Suze was put up for sale in 1866, Francillon took advantage of the opportunity and purchased it. Francillon's land was in a spot known as "Les Longines" ("the long meadows") and perfect for establishing a factory. Francillon inaugurated the workshop in 1867. In the same year, they produced their first in-house movement, called 20A, which won a prize at the World Exhibition in Paris. Over the years, Longines industrialized their production processes more and more, making them a trailblazer the mechanization of watch production.
Precision, Elegance, and Tradition
The Swiss luxury watch company Longines has earned their place in the watchmaking history books. From revolutionizing the means of production to pioneering flight technology to timing professional sports, the company is an expert in precision and high performance. The company has belonged to the Swatch Group since 1983, and thus the watchmakers, designers, and design engineers have access to the concern's most modern technology. However, the manufacturer always remains true to their own tradition, producing predominantly classic, elegant watches for men and women . For Longines, as their motto states, elegance is an attitude.
You might also be interested in:
- Admiral
- Avigation
- BelleArti
- Column-Wheel Chronograph
- Conquest
- Conquest Classic
- Conquest Heritage
- DolceVita
- Elegant
- Equestrian
- Evidenza
- Flagship
- Flagship Heritage
- Grande Vitesse
- Heritage


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Nationals strand 12, can't win it for dazzling Gio
Lefty fans season-high 11, but Nats continue to scuffle, fall below .500
WASHINGTON -- Hanley Ramirez's double in the 10th inning helped the Dodgers defeat the Nationals, 3-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 41,816 at Nationals Park on Saturday night. The Nationals are now a game under .500 with a 48-49 record, remaining seven games behind the first-place Braves.
Nationals reliever Craig Stammen was on the mound when Los Angeles broke a 1-1 tie in the 10th. Adrian Gonzalez led off with a double down the third-base line. Ramirez followed and doubled over the head of Denard Span in center field, scoring Gonzalez.
"I really made some dumb mistakes," Stammen said. "I really made a bad pitch to [Gonzalez]. The second one [to Ramirez] was really bad, probably one of the worst I made all year."
Andre Ethier added a sacrifice fly to left field off left-hander Ian Krol, scoring Ramirez.
It was another game of lost opportunities. Coming off the All-Star break, the Nationals were hoping they would generate more offense, but they have scored a total of three runs in two games and left 12 runners on base Saturday.
"We have to keep on grinding. That's all you can do," shortstop Ian Desmond said. "I'm not going to sit here and say we are playing as good as we should be. I also can't say this is the end of the road. I don't know what else to say besides it's going to be fine. We are going to get better and be the players that we know that we are. Sometimes, I think, you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself, 'What are you doing, what are you supposed to be doing?'"
The Nationals wasted Gio Gonzalez's outstanding effort on the mound. Gonzalez dominated the Dodgers, pitching six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out a season-high 11 batters. Los Angeles had a chance to score against Gonzalez in the third inning. Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke led off with a double, but was left stranded at third base after Yasiel Puig struck out and Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to end the threat.
Greinke was solid on the mound, too, going six innings and allowing a run on seven hits. Washington was able to get on the board against the right-hander in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina came to the plate and hit a broken-bat single to right field, scoring Chad Tracy and giving Washington a 1-0 lead.
But the Dodgers ended up tying the score in the top of the seventh inning against reliever Drew Storen. After getting two quick outs, Storen allowed a double to Skip Schumaker, who scored on a broken-bat single by Mark Ellis.
The Nationals had plenty of opportunities to score more than one run in the game. They had the bases loaded with one out against Greinke in the first inning, but Jayson Werth and Desmond popped up to end the threat.
In the next two innings, the Nats had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs against Greinke, but could not send the runners home.
"Got into some jams and made some good pitches. That was a problem, getting in trouble early, but I got through it, so that was nice," Greinke said. "I made some good pitches in the first inning, so I was happy with that. But some other times I caught a couple breaks."
In the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Nationals had runners on first and second with one out, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly decided to take reliever Jose Dominguez out of the game in favor of left-hander Paco Rodriguez. The southpaw struck out Bryce Harper for the second out before right-hander Ronald Belisario entered, and he was able to get Werth to ground out to end the threat.
Manager Davey Johnson was at a loss for words on how to improve the offense, which is near the bottom of the league in almost every category.
"That was a tough one. We had several opportunities," Johnson said. "We got into great hitting counts, we didn't do anything and that is what's frustrating. We get ahead in the count and then we can cherrypick. We are either making it too fine or not hitting it hard in play. That's kind of what we have been doing all year."
Catcher Wilson Ramos believes the team may be putting too much pressure on itself during RBI opportunities.
"Maybe everybody wants to get those RBIs. Maybe a little bit of pressure," Ramos said. "That happens in the game. We have to concentrate more in those situations and get base hits and not look for homers."
Asked if hitting coach Rick Eckstein's job was on the line, Johnson said, "He is not in trouble with me. He is a great hitting coach. I believe in what he teaches. He is the best that I've had [in terms of] a hitting instructor. But he takes it harder than anybody. He works hard, he does more than anybody when trying to help people."


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At the Yankees/Angels game on Friday night, the Yankees scoreboard operators apparently had some confusion about Sal Fasano's mustache. Deadspin reader Laura wrote in to tell us that on the screens below the mezzanine, Fasano was pictured with a mustache. But on the big Diamond Vision screen, he had no mustache.
So the crack staff at Yankee stadium sprung into action and rectified the situation when Fasano came up to bat in the 7th inning. What you see above was the result of their quick-thinking. That is easily the worst fake mustache I have ever seen drawn on an Italian Yankees catcher.


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At Brownies Plumbing we guarantee to beat any Roto Rooter quote you show us by 10%! (407) 392-2269
Never reach into a garbage disposal that you think isn't working. Even if it is are switched off, a garbage disposal can be very dangerous. Troubleshooting techniques and schematics of your garbage disposal are available on the Internet.
To make sure your garbage disposal last a long time, clean it regularly. Prevent unsavory disposal odors through regular use of citrus peel, cherry pits and dish detergent.
A great maintenance routine for bathtub drains is to pour baking soda and vinegar into the drain opening once a month. Cover with a rag or plug, as a chemical reaction will occur in the pipes. Wait a while, and then use boiling water to flush. This simple solution can break up clogs caused by everything from hair to soap scum.
If there is unwanted water draining into the dishwasher, it is most likely because of the hose to the kitchen sink being installed improperly. The hose connecting the kitchen sink and the dishwasher has to go up and then down in order for the water of both locations to not mix.
To lessen the chances of toilet problems, do not use as a place to put trash. If you flush improper items such as disposable diapers, facial tissue, cotton balls, paper toweling, tampons or sanitary napkins down the toilet, you will surely have problems with clogs. Reduce your use of toilet paper if you notice frequent clogs.
If you need to replace your shower head, make sure that you buy a new one that is high quality. There are some who think that low price is all that matters when buying fixtures for the bathroom. Like many cheap products, however, cheap shower heads are often not durable.
If you wish to use a pipe cleaner to clear out your clogged pipes, look for one that is enzyme-based. These are cleaners that work by using natural bacteria to eat away at your clog, and turn it into a liquid that is then flushed from your pipes. The most highly recommended pipe cleaners are enzyme cleaners. (407) 392-2269
Roto Rooter Zephyrhills
Brownie's Plumbing
Roto Rooter Zephyrhills


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Welcome to Watch List, where we identify five things on TV to watch while you stay at home and celebrate Labor Day. Ah, Labor Day. The day where you go to a pool or a beach one last time, when you've already had more than your fill of going to pools and beaches. LET'S GO!
THINTERVENTION WITH JACKIE WARNER – 10:15PM (Bravo – an NBC/Universal network) Bravo's new reality show features fitness guru Jackie Warner slapping a group of tubbies into better shape. I hope they stage the thinterventions like an actual intervention, with family members crying and threatening to cut off communication with the food addicts if they can't stop eating Pop Tarts, and telling horrible stories of how Johnny failed to pick up his son from soccer practice because he was too busy binging at KFC. You'd watch that, and don't even deny it. I know you all too well. ANTICIPATION: IT'S FAT CAMP FOR DADDY'S CHUBBY LITTLE SECRET!
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY – 9:00PM (Bravo – an NBC/Universal network) It's part two of the post-finale reunion. Part two! It's as if the reunion is its own spinoff series. It's like "Jersey Shore" doing that after hours show with J-Woww, Ronnie, and Sammi. They barely even need the actual show to stage a reunion anymore. Just have Springer host and it's all academic. ANTICIPATION: CATFIGHTS!
BOISE STATE VS. VIRGINIA TECH – 8:00PM (ESPN) The marquee matchup of the first full weekend of college football is this battle between two Top 10 teams. Most top ranked programs start off their season blowing apart some pansy D-III team, like Western Oral Roberts Tech. Not these two. No, these two teams wanted to face the best right away, to jettison ANY hope of winning a national title right off the bat if they come out rusty and can't end up winning. I don't know whether to admire them, or kick them in the head. ANTICIPATION: FOOTBALL!
DATELINE NBC – 10:00PM (NBC) Chris Hansen investigates lottery clerks who are finding ways to scam the lottery and ticket buyers. ANTICIPATION: BUSTED!
NICKELODEON MEGA MUSIC FEST – 8:00PM (NICK) If you're the kind of horrible parent that lets your child stay up at this time of night, why not go the distance and be a REALLY lousy parent by letting them subject you to this concert featuring Dora, the folks from Yo Gabba Gabba, Justin Bieber and Wyclef Jean? It's as if the concert was organized by Satan himself. ANTICIPATION: YOU DID IT!
Monday Watch List: Get In Shape, Tubby!
Welcome to Watch List, where we identify five things on TV to watch while you stay at home and celebrate Labor Day. Ah, Labor Day. The day where you go to a pool or a beach one last time, when you've already had more than your fill of going to pools and beaches. LET'S GO!


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Researchers at Microsoft Research Silicon Valley, have been pursuing a different approach to combating spam-spewing zombie botnets. Instead of focusing on identifying spam in a network and then trying to filter it out, they are out to identify the sources of the spam based on IP-address properties.
"Today, we're seeing a lot of network attacks from compromised zombie hosts, often referred to as botnet hosts," Yinglian Xie explains. "They're being used to launch and distribute denial-of-service attacks, and they're notorious for launching large-scale spam campaigns.
"We are trying to learn whether there's some fundamental property that we might be able to leverage across all these types of botnet attacks."
In seeking the answers to such investigation, Xie and Fang Yu have devised the approach of identifying and analyzing dynamic IP addresses to examine what role they might play in detecting zombie-based spamming servers.
Their findings are intriguing. In a paper entitled How Dynamic Are IP Addresses? -- co-written with Microsoft Research Silicon Valley colleagues Kannan Achan, Moises Goldszmidt, and Ted Wobber, along with Eliot Gillum, principal development manager for the Windows Live Hotmail team -- Xie and Yu report that in an analysis of a month of Hotmail user logins -- 155 million IP addresses were analyzed, without compromising user data -- almost 103 million are dynamic IP addresses, a much larger percentage than previously thought.
Further, almost 96 percent of the servers with dynamic IP addresses were used only to send spam e-mails. More than 42 percent of all spam sent to Hotmail during the analysis period came from dynamic IP addresses. Such numbers fly in the face of standard assumptions about host representation on the Internet. Many spam-fighting approaches have used host IP addresses to represent host identities, but that practice has been based on an assumption that the lion's share of IP addresses on the Internet are static.
The accuracy of this premise, though, had not been verified until Yu and Xie came along.
"We need to be very careful when we use an IP address to represent hosts," Xie adds. "It may not be true in many cases, and that would have significant implications."
Adds Yu: "We developed a scheme to automatically identify dynamic IP addresses and also look at the mail servers set up on these dynamic IP addresses to capture spam leveraged by those spammers."
"Each computer has an IP address from which it connects to the Internet," Yu says. "For dynamic IP addresses we identify, it's a subset of DHCP [dynamic host configuration protocol]-assigned address not statically bound to a particular IP, a particular computer."
Computers linked to the Internet via DSL or dial-up have their IP address changed frequently. Those -- quite possibly yours -- are dynamic IP addresses.
"All previous ways of knowing whether an IP address is dynamic," Xie says, "include manual collection in a database, which requires an enormous amount of effort. Our work established the possibility of an automatic way to do that."
That was one lesson they gleaned from their method, called UDMap, a simple yet powerful algorithm that uses only application-level server logs to identify and analyze dynamic IP addresses. Automatic identification is a key component of the researchers' approach.
In fact, the UDMap work represents the first successful attempt to identify IP addresses automatically and to understand the dynamics of IP addresses.
As the paper makes clear, the UDMap algorithm has three key advantages:
- It is generally applicable. UDMap can be applied to various kinds of logs, not just Hotmail user logs.
- It runs autonomously. There is no need to share information across domains, and changes to client software are not necessary.
- It delivers fine-grained, current information. UDMap identifies blocks of dynamic IP addresses, often smaller and more precise than IP prefixes, and, because it is fully automated, it can be applied to recent logs to get current information.
The project derived additional value from an in-depth investigation into the correlations between dynamic IP addresses and spamming activities.
"Our conclusion," Xie says, "is that mail servers on dynamic IP addresses -- especially those highly dynamic, those changing within one, two, or three days, or even more frequently -- are highly suspicious. A normal mail server will want not only to send e-mails but also to receive them, so they want a relatively stable IP address. They normally won't use a highly dynamic IP address."
Yu, who obtained her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and Xie, who did her doctoral studies at Carnegie Mellon University, both joined Microsoft Research Silicon Valley in August 2006, and they already are making a significant contribution. A number of entities currently are using knowledge learned via UDMap to filter spam e-mail for real users.
"Both of us had a background in network security," Xie says. "We thought a big problem nowadays with network security is that botnet hosts are prevalent and attackers use botnets to launch spamming attacks."
With Microsoft's Hotmail team also located on the same campus, Xie and Yu took advantage of the proximity to enter into discussions with the product group, getting their hands on some invaluable data in the process.
Xie and Yu note that they benefited greatly from their interaction with the Hotmail team.
"Because we are in Microsoft and Silicon Valley," Yu says, "we were actually quite fortunate. We talked to the product group and got a lot of useful data. Without that, this research probably would not have been possible."
Even so, the sheer volume of the data set the Hotmail group was able to supply posed its own challenges.
"We need to process a tremendous amount of data to extract IP-dynamics information out of it," Yu says. "We were lucky to get access to a large computing infrastructure, Dryad and DryadLINQ, for our implementation. Without that, our ideas might be very nice on paper, but a real-world implementation might take longer to process. With this available infrastructure, the whole processing time is very quick."
Finally, Xie and Yu got valuable feedback and help from their coauthors, Achan, Goldszmidt, and Wobber at the lab. Gillum from the Hotmail product group also is supporting their research.
Yu and Xie plan to continue their work, investigating, among other things, IP properties of zombie hosts, which could identify whether they are on a user's computer, a proxy, or a shared computer; if an address falls into a residential or an enterprise IP address range; and whether it corresponds to a DSL line or a wireless line.
Then there is the history of such dynamic IP addresses to consider.
"The second direction we're looking at," Xie says, "is the attack history information of IP addresses or IP address ranges. For example, if we know a specific IP address range and that there are a lot of botnet attacks associated with this range, that may indicate that it contains less-well-protected computers. It's also likely that when we talk to a host from that particular IP address range, we need to be aware that there might be botnet hosts behind that range."
"We think exposing IP dynamics to the world is the coolest part of this," Xie smiles. "I think our findings are surprising. Ninety-six percent of mail servers on dynamic IP addresses actually send nothing but spam -- this knowledge was not much exposed before."


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A debut release from a brand new Warp artist is always a greatly anticipated thing. Brothomstates is the name under which Finland's Lassi Nikko produces the sort of mashed-up electronica which will sit nicely in the stable alongside the new Squarepusher and Autechre LPs and the forthcoming Aphex Twin material. These six tracks offer enough quality to suggest that the name of Brothomstates may very soon be spoken of in the same terms as the label's more established talents.
Compositions such as 'Jak Got Stuck In Canada' and 'Loose Fit' are razor-sharp sonic mini-epics, the sound of pure electricity being fed through machines, fighting its way out of the speakers and into your brain. Listened too loud enough, the EP's stand-out track, 'Vleade', has the ability to melt ears in the way that all good techno should, wearing its listener down by scrubbing away like a piece of sandpaper.
'Adozenaday' is a slightly more soothing, almost melodic collection of synthetic notes - a sort of Warp(ed) nursery rhyme if you will – which earmarks Brothomstates forthcoming album as one to watch out for. Highly recommended.
8Jonathan Rawcliffe's Score


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|St. Therese of Lisieux
|St. Philomena
|Our Lady of Guadalupe
|...and the one that started it all, St. Rita.
Incidentally, I don't believe I've shared this information on my blog yet, but I'm going to Italy for two weeks this coming September with my daughter and son. Two of the "must see" places we are visiting include St. Rita of Cascia's shrine in Cascia and St. Philomena's shrine in Mugnano. These are two of my family's favorite saints and we are really looking forward to visiting these locations. Other highlights of this trip include attending the Saint Gennaro festival in Naples, the Prosciutto festival in Parma, lots of shopping and time at the beach. Cities we are visiting include: Rome (of course - what kind of Catholics would we be if we didn't stop there, right? ), Vatican City, Venice, Murano, Assisi, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pescara, Pompeii, Positano and Bologna. We have some definite sites we want to see during our visit, but we are also open to suggestions from people who have been to Italy before. Please don't hesitate to leave me a comment if you have any suggestions for "must see" or "must do" things in Italy. I look forward to hearing from you. :)


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text: Zeolite Powder Zeolite is a natural crystal mineral that can be used for natural healing of many toxic and acidic conditions and diseases. Zeolite Powder is the pharmaceutical grade of zeolites that is micronized (so it can penetrate deep into your organs, cells and even tumors) and safely draw out toxins and smother out cancer cells too. It is the …Read More »


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Restaurant Offers Wild Promotion Forbidding Customers From Talking During Meal
This restaurant is the talk of the town.
A restaurant in Brooklyn called Eat has launched a rather unique gimmick in which customers chow down on a $40 prix fixe, four-course meal in total silence.
Nicholas Nauman, who serves as Eat's head chef, says it's a way to experience food in a different way:
It's just an opportunity to enjoy food in a way you might not have otherwise. There's such a strong energy in the room."
The 'hold the talk' meals are offered a few Sundays a month.
If you do go, please let us know how exactly you're supposed to send back your food if it's undercooked.


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Well it's that time of the year
when the little people
decide to put up their Christmas tree and the ornaments...
Unfortunately, the dollhouse is getting wrapped and crated and will be unveiled again... at some point.
But wanted to look "pretty in red" for the last time ;)
The front yard is an explosion of red, white and gold.
Do you like the mini-Nativity? I love it!
And the indoor tree is up as well.
... and the snowman with the big candy cane.
I made the snowman few years ago, with crayola clay and toothpicks and dress him up with a red scarf and a pom-pom hat ;)
To give the "snow" effect to the clay, once dried, I used some tacky glue and rolled "Frosty" into some sand.
And then painted ... I used a Dollar Store nail polish in pearl white!!
Do you like the mantel with the mini-stockings ?
... I have a mini-tutorial coming up for you!
xox, d.


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- 15090Power
- 15090Armor
- 15035Agility
- 15065Luck
Eruptor is a force of nature,
hailing from a species that lived deep in the underground of a floating volcanic island until a massive eruption launched their entire civilization to the surface. He's a complete hot head - steaming, fuming, and quite literally erupting over almost anything. To help control his temper, he likes to relax in lava pools, particularly because there are no crowds.
- Skylanders Giants
- Skylanders SWAP Force
- Skylanders Trap Team
- Skylanders Superchargers
- Imaginators


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Anybody interested in the predictions of Nostradamus, and likewise the theories of what his writings mean, have come to the right place. Nostradamuspredictions.org is an unrivalled resource discussing a wide category of visions penned in the quatrains of the French "seer." We will explore the interpretations put forward by scholars and question whether their claims that Nostradamus predicted the end of the world would occur in our time are correct; and just in case they are wrong we will also look beyond 2012.
Since he first published his visions in the 16th century collection, "The Prophecies," Nostradamus has risen to prominence as a soothsayer and spiritual figure. He combined over a thousand quatrains into cryptic 4-line poems which even today are the source for many individuals involved with astrology, horoscopes and predictions of supernatural assistance. Many believe that some of these predictions have come true.
Nostradamus spent most of his life living in France and is believed to have roamed around Italy for four years following the death of his first wife and their two children. It is believed that during this period of depression and solitude Nostradamus developed his aptitude for clairvoyance. To learn more about the biography and history of Nostradamus, visit the Nostradamus Biography.
Of course, Nostradamus is not the only source from which scholars and researchers draw the inspiration for their work. And given that Nostradamus predicts a New Age Prophet, it seems he won't be the last. As the site grows we will also reveal prophecies of other reputable seers such as Edgar Cayce, and explore the writings found in religious and spiritual texts like the Bible and the Maya.
There has already been much written about the Mayan calendar and the coming of the end in 2012. But what is significant about the date, 21 December 2012? Could it really be a new beginning or will we see the rise to power of a third antichrist? If so, who will it be? What will really happen to the world in 2012? Find out in 2012 Prophecies.
We hope you enjoy the Nostradamus Predicts website and by the end can see light in what will be a very long tunnel. And remember, don't forget to return for updates otherwise you will forever be left in the dark.
Looking for more information about our solar system? Check out http://astronomyfacts.org/


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Review: Arctic Monkeys endure American love affair
Arctic Monkeys, "AM" (Domino)
A woozy, psychedelic collection cooked up in the Californian desert, Arctic Monkeys' latest album, "AM," is the sound of Sheffield via San Francisco.
Fans expecting anything approaching the kinetic, snot-punk blast of the English group's highly revered 2006 debut, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," will be disappointed as frontman Alex Turner and cohorts rarely break a sweat - strutting and swaggering their way through 12 tasty rock nuggets.
Turner cites Aaliyah and Black Sabbath as album influences and, when the R&B backing vocals of "One for the Road" give way to a punishing guitar solo from Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, a potentially unholy marriage makes perfect sense. Other highlights include the crunching "Arabella" (complete with riff borrowed from Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love"), glam-rock stomp "Snap Out of It" and starlit ballad "Mad Sounds" - sonically one of the most beautiful songs in the band's impressive canon.
The album's harmonic strengths are occasionally undermined by repetitive, perfunctory lyrics. Turner recounts tales of parties and wild nights with such disinterest that one can't help but wonder why he bothered going out in the first place. For a man capable of writing vivid vignettes about working class Britain, the album is startlingly short of quotable lines. The album's most memorable couplet - "I wanna be your vacuum cleaner, breathing in your dust, I wanna be your Ford Cortina, I will never rust" - from "I Wanna Be Yours" was penned by punk poet John Cooper Clarke.
Despite the lyrical letdown, there's a lot to admire about Arctic Monkeys' fifth album, the band's self-professed "West Coast record." The sunshine obviously suits them.


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There it was, gazed upon by millions in horror, anger and pure fascination: a grainy, sputtering image of the deep blue sea and its interloper — the bubbling brown goo that was spewing into the water from the depths of the planet.
It was, of course, the "spillcam" — the reverse periscope into the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico that was broadcast live to the world from May to July. For the first time, we could watch in real time as a huge natural disaster unfolded in a place that for most of human history had been beyond our view.
And why not? Because that is what we do in this Brave New World, this modern age of unprecedented and unsettling wonder:
We watch.
In a nation riven by disagreements and political conflicts and niche markets and on-demand isolation, this unites us: Hungrily, aggressively, sometimes stupefyingly, we watch.
If you needed any more evidence that we've become a nation of watchers, look no further than 2010. From the spillcam to Snooki, from volcanic clouds to video ambushes, the spectacle that was the past year ensured that the image — the weird, wonderful, horrifying, mesmerizing image — reigned supreme.
And there was certainly no shortage of spectacle for the hundreds of millions of American eyes casting about for something to see.
We watched a Florida minister threaten to burn a Quran on the 9/11 anniversary, then watched him hopscotch across the country conducting interviews about whether he'd do it or not. When he didn't, we watched him go to New Jersey and collect a 2011 Hyundai Accent from a car dealer for his troubles.
We watched the daughter of a vice presidential candidate perform on a celebrity dancing show, and do well — and when that made a guy in Wisconsin so angry that he shot out his television, well, we watched that, too. All the more buzz for her mother's reality show — a new addition to a genre that has turned pretty much every human endeavor into a story to be gazed upon and marveled at.
We watched a neighborhood explode in California. We watched a volcanic cloud spread across Europe, ground airplanes and strand thousands — the primeval slapping back at the high-tech. We watched, live, as an earthquake ravaged Chile and, in slow motion, sent a possible tsunami rippling across the ocean toward Hawaii and Japan, and we breathed a collective sigh of relief when the sound and fury signified very little.
We watched an unconventional pop star appear at an awards ceremony in a dress made of raw meat. We watched a fed-up flight attendant slide down a plane's emergency chute and into the national spotlight. We watched an advocacy group that transcends geography dump thousands of sensitive documents onto the media's doorstep. We watched its leader justify his actions, be charged with sex crimes and, finally, be jailed only to be released.
We watched our Facebook feeds for all the images that our friends and our "friends" posted, then watched as the 26-year-old who built this unprecedented way for people to talk to each other — 500 million at last count — was mythologized in a movie not of his making.
We watched the roof of a sports arena collapse under the weight of water and snow — and were able to simply because cameras already set up to record a football game happened to be running.
These images of 2010 — we know them how? Because, thanks to our modern cabinet of wonders, we were able to train our gaze upon them on all our devices. Then we talked about watching, and watched ourselves talking about watching on the endless shows that demand the allegiance of our eyes because of the imagery they produce.
Americans have watched together before, of course — the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald, the moon landing, the Challenger exploding, the earliest bombings of the first Gulf War, O.J. Simpson in his Bronco on the freeways of Southern California. But somehow, stealthily, watching has become an active verb.
Now we no longer simply receive imagery. We pursue it. And the passions it feeds — the shouting about things on the air and online that has become a spectacle to watch in and of itself — have made us the true heirs to Howard Beale from "Network." Just look at the shows that attract so many viewers, the Olbermanns and O'Reillys and Becks and Maddows: The whole point of watching is to be mad as hell and not take it anymore.
Part of it, too, is that there is simply more to watch on more platforms and devices — and thus more opportunity to see the things that humans do, particularly at the extreme ends of the spectrum.
Cameras are everywhere, recording every obscure corner in the name of security and archivalism and just plain prurience. That gave us the footage of Christine O'Donnell, the Delaware Senate candidate, suggesting that the First Amendment doesn't mention the separation of church and state. That gave us the entire saga of a man who stormed a Florida school board meeting with a gun and killed himself.
But it's more than ubiquity that brings us our daily bread of images. It's democratization, too.
The camera's eye has been handed to us all. Myriad little devices have taken people to the point where anything — smartphone, portable music player, tiny digital camera — can capture video and upload it to the Web instantly. This has created an expectation that our fellow human beings' lives will be digitized, compressed and uploaded on a dime. Hence YouTube's tagline: "Broadcast yourself."
And now: social media. What was once the ability to watch collectively but alone — the network TV era — has become the ability to watch separately but together. You can lie in bed and watch Fox's "Fringe" while, in real time on your iPad, converse on Twitter with one of its stars, John Noble, about what you're seeing at that exact moment.
This was certainly the year of the iPad, a moment when the portable, keyboardless big screen let us watch, wherever we went, video in a size that, in 1955, would have required a credenza-sized piece of machinery. With the dawn of the tablet, decent-sized imagery became as portable as a sheet of paper.
How, though, do we process this era of continuously shared spectacle, this distorted catalog of us? Can the global feed we're all jacked into even be made sense of? We see more than ever, but what does it mean? Even the most media-savvy are struggling to make sense of this fundamental reconfiguration in the way we process the world and what we want out of it.
The visionaries who are planning for the future of television, online media and social networks are focused not only on how to attract audiences, but how to manipulate them — to entice them, move them around and have them act in the financial interests of advertisers. They know that imagery rules, that watching is trumping reading, that spectacle sells. Nothing new there.
"We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves," Daniel J. Boorstin wrote in "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America." That was 1961. Before the Internet. Before portable video. Before Facebook and Twitter.
To those already ravenous for the next outsized imagery: Fret not. New Year's Eve should prove satisfying. MTV says it will place Snooki inside a ball that drops in Times Square at midnight. Other members of the "Jersey Shore" cast, we're told, will lead the crowd in a collective fist pump. It will all, of course, be broadcast live.
So stay tuned. Don't touch that dial, don't push that remote, don't click that browser arrow or tap that tablet. Keep watching. We'll be right back, and there's lots more to come.
EDITOR'S NOTE — Ted Anthony writes about American culture for The Associated Press.


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Anderson, IN – For those in need of air conditioner repair, there is no more trusted name in Anderson, Indiana than AERCO Heating and Cooling. Among their AC repair services, the company is now offering certified Bryant products for air conditioning system needs. People who have availed services by AERCO Heating and Cooling have been pleased with the work done. The company aims to satisfy their customers' every need.
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Media Contact
Company Name: AERCO Heating and Cooling
Contact Person: Shawn Dickey
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (765) 233-7193
Address:3779 IN-9
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State: Indiana
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