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Reddit user adam4283 has created 31 sprites (including the North Stars) from everybody's favorite 8-bit side-scrolling platform shooter. For just a few pixels, it's amazing how instantly recognizable most teams are. That's testament to Adam's work, as well as the clean and distinctive logos and color schemes of many hockey uniforms.
You can view all of the sprites here. Adam first announced his plan to make these eight months ago, so either real life got in the way, or it was an awful lot of work. But when you look at little Henrik Lundqvist's hair, it was clearly worth it.
Put these sprites in a video game, say with the mechanics of NES's Ice Hockey, and I would buy and play the shit out of it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Balfour added to AL All-Star roster
Closer makes first Midsummer Classic, replaces teammate Colon
OAKLAND -- A's closer Grant Balfour was added to the American League All-Star squad on Sunday, giving the first-place A's two players on the Midsummer Classic roster for just the second time in the last nine years.
Balfour, coincidentally, replaces Bartolo Colon on the AL active roster, with Colon unavailable to pitch Tuesday after starting Sunday's 3-2 victory against the Red Sox.
"Balf deserves to be an All-Star as well," manager Bob Melvin said, "and thank goodness he is."
The announcement was almost all too expected, given the pitcher's credentials and buzz surrounding his inexplicable absence from the original roster orchestrated by AL manager Jim Leyland last week.
That's why Balfour had a bag packed for New York, just in case.
"Just a little overnight bag," he said.
"It's kind of a bummer to see that he wasn't on it initially, to be honest with you," said reliever Ryan Cook. "But, we kind of had an idea of what would happen, and now that it's finally official, it's awesome and well deserved. I thought he deserved to be there the whole time."
Balfour has 25 saves on the season and 43 consecutive dating back to last year, an ongoing Oakland record. He is the only AL reliever without a blown save this year, with his last coming April 29, 2012.
It was around that time the then-struggling righty was demoted from the closer's role, which he didn't regain until nearly four months later. He hasn't looked back since.
The first-time All-Star, 35 and in his 10th Major League season, finished the first half with a 1.63 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings. He is just the second Australian to earn an All-Star berth, joining catcher Dave Nilsson of the Brewers in 1999.
"I'm relieved. It's definitely a great honor to be going," Balfour said. "It's one of those things, each and every year, you'd like to be on the team. It hasn't worked out that way. I feel like I've had some good years, but things have to go right and go your way sometimes, and it's just an honor now to be named to it, and I'm very happy to cross it off the list."
"I'm very excited for him," said Josh Donaldson, considered All-Star-worthy himself. "Minus Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis, I don't know any guy that's more worthy of it. He's been a workhorse for us, just been nails in the ninth inning. The guy's been nothing short of phenomenal for us."
Colon said he expects Balfour to pitch in the game Tuesday, and knowing that subsides the little disappointment he feels in not getting the chance to do so himself, after making appearances in both the 1998 and 2005 All-Star Games.
Leyland has been insistent in saying he wouldn't allow any pitchers who started Sunday to throw in the game, a stance Melvin fully supports.
"I don't blame him," he said. "I wouldn't want to put anyone in that position, especially a starting pitcher like that. There are some complications that potentially come from that. Those aren't your guys, so you definitely want to stay away from that."
Now, the national stage is set for one of baseball's most fiery pitchers.
"I'm not going to go out there and do cartwheels," Balfour said. "I'm going to go out there and pitch how I pitch. I'll be going out there to win the game. The game definitely means something, and we want to win it."


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(RNS) Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt, already under fire for failing to take action against priests suspected of abuse, announced Tuesday (Dec. 17) that he is stepping aside temporarily after a minor accused the outspoken archbishop of touching his buttocks during a group photo after a 2009 confirmation ceremony.
In what he called "a difficult letter for me to write," Nienstedt says he learned of the allegation during the weekend. He said he does not know the young man and he presumes his accuser to be "sincere in believing what he claims."
But he rejected the charge as "absolutely and entirely false."
"I normally stand for those photos with one hand on my crozier (staff) and the other either on the right shoulder of the newly confirmed or on my pallium (the short stole), which hangs from my chest," Nienstedt explained. "I do that deliberately, and there are hundreds of photographs to verify that fact."
The age of the accuser has not been disclosed. Catholic children can be confirmed between the ages of 7 and 16, after they receive First Communion, though confirmation usually takes place when they are about 13 years old.
"I have never once engaged in any inappropriate contact with a minor," he added. "True, I am a sinner, but my sins do not include any kind of abuse of minors."
A statement from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said that as soon as the allegation was made, it was reported to police as required by civil law and church policies. Nienstedt decided to temporarily step aside, pending the outcome of the police investigation, after consulting with the pope's ambassador to Washington.
Nienstedt could return to his duties right away if he is cleared; there is no timetable for the investigation, though the archbishop wrote that he hopes it can be "can be thorough but quick." He said he will have no further public comment on the matter until it is resolved.
Nienstedt acknowledged that he has been a lightning rod for criticism because of his "strong stands" on a range of culture war issues. He has been especially outspoken against gay marriage, which Minnesota legalized earlier this year in part because of what political observers say was a backlash against Nienstedt's harsh rhetoric.
In September, Nienstedt said he believes gay marriage, contraception, sodomy and pornography are the work of Satan, and in 2012 he wrote to the mother of a gay man to say her "eternal salvation" depended on accepting church teaching against homosexuality.
But for much of this year Nienstedt has been on the defensive over reports – contained in church documents leaked by a whistleblower who worked for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — that he shielded and even promoted priests accused of sex abuse and possessing child pornography.
In a 2012 draft of a letter to the Vatican on the priest with pornography, Nienstedt wrote that if he did not report the priest it "could expose the archdiocese, as well as myself, to criminal prosecution." Nienstedt never sent the letter, however, and insisted he had done nothing wrong and followed all appropriate church and civil laws.
But local police reopened the investigation in that case — though they say Nienstedt is not a target — and the archbishop established a task force to review all church records and recommend reforms to tighten archdiocesan policies.
The archdiocese said that the response to the accusation against Nienstedt showed that its policies were working.
Just last Sunday (Dec. 15), Nienstedt delivered a homily at a parish in Edina, Minn., and apologized for not being more aggressive in pursuing abuse cases when he took over as archbishop in 2008.
"When I arrived here … one of the first things I was told was that this whole issue of clerical sex abuse had been taken care of and I didn't have to worry about it," he said. "Unfortunately I believed that. … And so my biggest apology today is to say I overlooked this. I should have investigated it a lot more than I did. When the story started to break at the end of September, I was as surprised as anyone else."
The explanation did not mollify critics inside or outside the church, but Nienstedt was praised for voluntarily stepping aside Tuesday while the allegations are investigated by police.
"This action demonstrates that no one in the church, whether bishop or employee, should be protected from the consequences of such allegations," said a statement from Voice of the Faithful, a reform group that had already called on Nienstedt to resign because of his past record on abuse cases.


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Even though a bad-credit, unsecured-loan is reliably expensive, getting approved for one recently became much easier, and if you follow the right steps, then not only is approval almost guaranteed, but you'll also get the best possible deal.
All lenders prefer to lend to people with lots of collateral and sky-high credit scores, but the present crisis means that the number of people in that bracket has fallen dramatically causing banks to consider loan applications that they would have immediately reverted just a few months .
I said that success 'is almost guaranteed' if you follow the right steps, so let's go take a look at the steps.
In essence, a signature loan, or an unsecured loan, whatever you want to call it, is basically a 'character loan' meaning that the borrower basically signs on a piece of paper and promises to pay back the loan.
If your credit score is poor or worse, but you have a checking or savings account that's in good standing at a local bank, and especially if you know many of the staff on a first name basis, then that's the first place where you should apply for an unsecured loan.
The reason for trying you own land-based bank first, is that if they do agree to give you a loan, then the interest will most likely be significantly lower than what you'll pay elsewhere.
If your local bank turns you down, then your next step should probably unquestionably be to check out a number of online lenders, and I mean "a number".
The competition among online banks is very much fiercer, which means that the lenders are less fussy about who they lend money to, and also that their rates can very often be negotiated downwards.
After you've received several approvals, you should list them with the bank offering the best terms at the top. After that, contact each of the other banks in turn and tell them what the first bank has offered and see if they'll make you a better offer. Always put the bank with the best terms at the top, and repeat the procedure until nobody is willing to better what the bank at the top of the list is offering.
You need to understand and internalize, right now, that interest rates for unsecured personal loans will more than likely be even higher than those for credit cards, simply because there is no collateral involved, and what's more, the worse your credit rating is then the higher the interest rate will be, and the repayment term will most likely be too bitter.
Almost every lender will check a potential borrower's existing debt-to-income ratio, and people who have a debt-to-income ratio of less than 35% will be looked at more favorably, and others less so.
In order to finish on an upbeat note, I want to add that there are two pieces of good news along with all this unpleasantness.
Until recently recently, only people with a very good credit history, a steady income and a FICO score of at least 760 could expect to qualify for an unsecured loan, but the present crisis has caused many lenders to reevaluate, and even though a person with bad credit will not be offered such good terms as a person in good standing, they will now almost certainly be offered a loan by a number of lenders.
What's more, if you make regular payments on an unsecured loan and pay it off on time, then your credit rating will markedly improve.


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I went to Newport today, which is about a 40 minute bus ride from Cardiff. Hunky Dory is a short uphill walk from the Newport bus station and despite the name and pic of the Bowie album cover on their menu, it has little to do with Bowie. They were playing Elvis Costello and Tom Waits while I was there.
|Heading in the right direction
|The salt and pepper shakers are little tea pots
I wasn't expecting something that looked like this when I ordered the mushroom pot pie. Mushroom and gravy with a rectangle of puff pastry. I don't know if it really meets the requirements for a pot pie.
|Mushrooom pot pie
The cherry cake was my second option as they had run out of gingerbread cake. It was nothing special and a little bit dry.
|Cherry cake
Trip was totally worth it after I found a spiritualist church a few doors down from the cafe. Didn't think they still existed.
Hunky Dory
17 Charles St, NP20 1JU 01633 257 850
Newport, South Wales


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Delays linger, as travel gets back to normal
Check with carrier for latest info
Vermont, the North Country and Western New Hampshire seem to have been spared the worst from the winter storm, but its impacts continue to affect the region.
It was a quiet Saturday morning at Burlington International Airport. Crews spent much of the day clearing off runways. The airport never had to close from the storm.
Traffic at the airport is steady as airlines canceled many flights planned to depart from Burlington.
At one point Friday night into Saturday, no planes were taking off or landing because they had all been canceled.
"A lot of the canceled flights that happened this morning were canceled on Thursday," said airport operations specialist Heather Bowman. "They're kind of just getting everything else back up to normal and by [Saturday] evening everything should be up and operational."
Plattsburgh International Airport also remained opened, but flights to Boston were canceled as Logan Airport remains closed as of 7 p.m. Saturday.
Burlington International also serves as a Greyhound bus terminal. The operator canceled trips between Burlington and Boston and Burlington and Montreal for Saturday, though some rides were listed as delayed.
Cape Air canceled all flights Saturday. Flights in and out of Rutland and Lebanon remain canceled for Sunday. Cape Air flights in and out of Saranac Lake and Massena have not been canceled as of 7 p.m. Saturday.
Lake Champlain ferry service between Charlotte and Essex, N.Y., is canceled for Saturday because of strong winds.
The Grand Isle ferry to and from Plattsburgh is operating.
Most highways and secondary roads in our region are faring well, as the light, fluffy snow is easier to clear.
The border into Massachusetts from Vermont has reopened as the Bay State driving ban was lifted Saturday afternoon.
Amtrak canceled Vermonter rail service Saturday and Sunday, though Ethan Allen Express service is running. Some Northeast Corridor service was also canceled.
No power outages were reported across Vermont or New Hampshire's Grafton and Sullivan counties as of 2 a.m. Sunday. National Grid in New York reported about 300 outages in Franklin County.
A spokeswoman with Green Mountain Power said crews are ready to help out Southern New England states with massive power outages if needed, but the utility has not been asked to help yet.
Check with your travel carrier for any changes in your itinerary.


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This is the only blog I'll ever write in the first person here. I debated all day whether to write it, but I must.
Last January was the biggest month for layoffs last year, I've read. And I, and several close colleagues, were among those who were pink-slipped. The three boxes, with 16 years of memories, that I packed up that week are still sitting near the door inside my condo. Reed Business Information, my ex-employer, paid for the shipping.
I guess there are a lot of people who are a lot more resilient than I am, but I took it hard. It's tough when you've been getting in work by 7:15 a.m., and leaving at 6 p.m. or later, working on weekends, working on vacations, to screech down to zero miles an hour.
For several months, I could not eat. For several months, I could not sleep. For several months, I literally could not smile. For several months, I could not laugh. For several months, I could not listen to music. For several months, I did not have one minute of happiness. No exaggeration.
I saw "Up In The Air" recently — which features folk who were laid off in real life in the movie as actors — expressing their anger at being fired. I almost wish I had thrown everything off the table like some of those people, instead of acting "professional." But what goes around comes around. The HR guy who gave me my bad news was himself laid off recently.
You know those cliches you hear about, about finding out who your real friends are? Those cliches are true. You don't hear a peep from your good "friends" at work. The PR people who loved you at upfront parties don't return your phone calls. The cable network presidents who always seemed to enjoy chatting with you when you were employed are curt during phone calls. Some idiot asked one of my laid-off compadres how they where enjoying their "vacation."
People — and I've interviewed them in my new incarnation — have survived real challenges and tragedies, like cancer or losing a loved one. What about the people in Haiti? So boo-hoo for me being upset about not having a job. Big deal. Don't whine. But like I said, it hit me hard. At one point, I even feared I could never write a story again.
But my family and true friends pulled me through, and this is my thank-you note to them. You guys know who you are, in Parsippany, Whippany, Staten Island, Wyckoff and Westfield, and Vermont.
And the tide turned for me.
When I filed my first major story after my layoff, for a startup Web site, the editor said it was the cleanest story he ever read.
A very kind PR executive at a local hospital chain gave me a break, and let me do volunteer work for her department. Several of my press releases got placement, in papers including The Star-Ledger. I had the honor of interviewing people who wept as they told me how the hospital had saved their lives. I loved writing their stories.
Bon Jovi released a new album, and Showtime aired a documentary on them. I got to go a screening, where they served margaritas (my favorite), and I later interviewed the band. It became another story that generated a lot of Web traffic.
All of a sudden New Jersey, of all places, became a mecca for reality TV shows like "Jersey Shore." And I was able to write stories about the shows, and about the trend. They were among the Web site's Top-10 viewed stories.
I got back on the cable-network PR radar, and was able to interview and write about Kurt Sutter, creator of one of my favorite shows, FX "Sons of Anarchy." Hey, he's from Jersey.
I realized I still had my reporting chops when a got nice exclusive for TVNewscheck. It felt great.
Cablevision, with 900,000 customers in New Jersey, and Food Network got in a fight. Another story for me.
I posted a note on my bulletin board shortly after I was pink-slipped. It's a quote from Western author Louis L'Amour: "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning."
It turned out to be true. Without my layoff, I would never have been able to tell the tales of those who were saved by the hospital, and I would not have met the great women in the PR department there.
I would not have sat down and eaten in a soup kitchen, as I did as part of my research for a series on the Salvation Army. The people eating there, some homeless, were so kind. Seeing me as a newcomer, and not knowing I was a reporter, one came over and welcomed me.
I wouldn't have had the nerve to start a blog, on home shopping, timed to coincide with Suzanne Somers' move to ShopNBC from HSN, a seismic shift in that little world. In only five months, people in the home-shopping industry tell me Homeshoppingista is now a must-read for them.
I have had to think long and hard about what I want to do.
On "Southland" — right now airing on my TV, and on TNT — one character says, "You're a cop because you don't know how not to be one."
I'm a writer because I don't know how not to be one.


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Watson Announces New Name -- Actavis -- for Global Operations
31 Oct, 2012, 23:35 GMT
- Implementing Name Change in 2013 -
- Redesigned Logo Captures Power of Global Combination -
- Global Registration of Actavis in Place -
PARSIPPANY, New Jersey, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) today announced that it will adopt a new global name – Actavis – effective in 2013. The Company said it will initiate a multi-year rebranding campaign for its facilities, operations and commercial presence, and will transition to trading under a new symbol on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013.
"When we announced the proposed acquisition of Actavis in April 2012, we immediately instituted an extensive and accelerated review of our global brand position and naming equities," said Paul Bisaro, President and CEO of Watson. "A pioneer at the dawn of the U.S. generic industry in 1984, the Watson corporate name was never registered globally. As we initiated our global expansion strategy in 2009, it became clear that we could not establish a single, unified market presence under the Watson brand."
"With our expansion into more than 60 commercial markets around the world, we recognized the many benefits of uniting our Company under one name to all stakeholders – customers, consumers, payers, institutions and shareholders and potential shareholders. We initiated an extensive review of the name equities within our portfolio, as well as assessing the potential of more than 2,000 potential new names. As this process progressed, it became clear that one of the many assets within the Actavis acquisition was a single name, trademarked and protected around the world. It evokes powerful words: action, vision and strength, time-honored attributes of both Watson and Actavis. Adopting the Actavis name on a global basis, for our generics, brands and biosimilars businesses, was a logical and cost-effective solution."
Watson has also implemented a distinctive redesign of the Actavis name, which reflects the history of both Watson and Actavis. The new icon in the logo, designed by the leading global identity firm Lippincott, speaks to the Company's fast-evolving business, as well as its dynamic culture. A close look reveals a "W" shape emerging from a shaded "A," a subtle historical reference to the Watson heritage and acquisition of Actavis.
The color stands out in the universe of pharmaceutical industry competitors and reflects growth — a fundamental foundation for the Company and its future — and a commitment to be an environmentally responsible company. The result is a new, powerful and accessible visualization that celebrates the Company's emergence as a global pharmaceutical leader, and visually defines its focus on growth and success in the future.
Watson intends to officially roll-out this identity in 2013. Until that time, the Company will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under its present symbol – WPI.
Additional resources are available at www.multivu.com/mnr/58370-watson-pharmaceuticals-acquires-actavis-group .
About Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) is a global, integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing generic, brand and biosimilar products. The Company has global and U.S. headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, USA, and international headquarters in Zug, Switzerland.
Watson is the world's third-largest generics manufacturer, with more than 750 products marketed globally through operations in more than 60 countries. Watson's global branded pharmaceutical business develops and markets products principally in Urology and Women's Health, and is committed to developing and marketing biosimilars products in Women's Health, Oncology and other therapeutic categories. In addition, Watson is the fourth-largest U.S. generic pharmaceutical product distributor through its Anda, Inc. business, and also develops and out-licenses generic pharmaceutical products outside of the U.S. through its Medis third-party business. Watson has announced that it will adopt a new global name – Actavis – effective in 2013.
About LIPPINCOTT
Lippincott is a leading brand strategy and design firm with a 70-year heritage crafting authentic stories, memorable experiences and winning strategies for the world's most iconic brands. Its expertise spans all aspects of brand building including strategy, identity design, environmental branding, customer experience management and brand activation. The firm uniquely combines business-based strategic thinking and creative excellence to solve complex challenges facing corporations today as they shape their brands for the future. Recent clients include 3M, Delta Air Lines, Hyatt, Infiniti, Samsung, Starbucks and Walmart. Lippincott is part of Oliver Wyman, a global professional services organization owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies.
Forward-Looking Statement
Statements contained in this press release that refer to Watson's estimated or anticipated future results or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Watson's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. For instance, any statements in this press release concerning prospects related to Watson's strategic initiatives, product introductions and anticipated financial performance are forward-looking statements. It is important to note that Watson's goals and expectations are not predictions of actual performance. Watson's performance, at times, will differ from its goals and expectations. Actual results may differ materially from Watson's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Watson's business. These factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainty associated with financial projections; successful integration of the Actavis acquisition and the ability to recognize the anticipated synergies and benefits of the Actavis acquisition; the difficulty of predicting the timing and outcome of pending or future litigation and government investigations and risks that an adverse outcome in such litigation or investigations could render Watson liable for substantial damages or penalties; risks that resolution of patent infringement litigation through settlement could result in investigations or actions by private parties or government authorities or agencies; the impact of competitive products and pricing; risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; periodic dependence on a small number of products for a material source of net revenue or income; variability of trade buying patterns; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; risks that the carrying values of assets may be negatively impacted by future events and circumstances; the timing and success of product launches; the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of product development efforts and regulatory agency approvals or actions, if any; risks and uncertainties normally incident to the pharmaceutical industry, including product liability claims and the availability of product liability insurance on reasonable terms; market acceptance of and continued demand for Watson's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; the availability and pricing of third party sourced products and materials; successful compliance with governmental regulations applicable to Watson's facilities, products and/or businesses; changes in the laws and regulations, including Medicare, Medicaid, and similar laws in foreign countries affecting, among other things, pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceutical products and the settlement of patent litigation; and such other risks and uncertainties detailed in Watson's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Watson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and Watson's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period June 30, 2012. Except as expressly required by law, Watson disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Lisa DeFrancesco
Office: +1-862-261-7152
Mobile: +1-862-222-5076
Charlie Mayr
Office: +1-862-261-8030
Mobile: +1-862-222-3528
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121031/NY03382LOGO )
SOURCE Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


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A giant wildfire raging out of control in the US has grown to nearly 200 square miles and spread into Yosemite National Park, as California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the city of San Francisco 150 miles away because of the threat to the city's utilities.
The fire hit the park at the height of summer season, as officials geared up for a busy holiday weekend. It has closed some backcountry hiking but was not threatening the Yosemite Valley region, one of California's most popular tourist destinations that features such famous sights as the Half Dome and El Capitan rock formations and Bridalveil and Yosemite falls.
The blaze did, however, pose a threat to the lines and stations that pipe power to the city of San Francisco, so Mr Brown, who had declared an emergency for the fire area earlier in the week, made the unusual move of extending the emergency declaration to the city across the state.
San Francisco gets 85% of its water from the Yosemite-area Hetch Hetchy reservoir that is about 4 miles from the fire, though that had yet to be affected. But it was forced to shut down two of its three hydroelectric power stations in the area.
The city has so far been able to buy power on the open market and use existing supplies, but further disruptions or damage could have an effect, according to city power officials and the governor's statement.
The declaration frees funding and resources to help the city and makes it eligible for more federal funds to help with power shortages and outages or water problems.
The weeklong blaze on the timbered slopes of the Western Sierra Nevada has spread to 196 square miles and was only 5% contained. It continued to grow in several directions, although "most of the fire activity is pushing to the east right into Yosemite," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Smoke blowing across the Sierra into the state of Nevada forced officials in several counties to cancel outdoor school activities and issue health advisories, especially for people with respiratory problems.
Authorities urged more evacuations in nearby communities where thousands have already been forced out by flames.
The fire was threatening about 5,500 residences, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze has destroyed four homes and 12 outbuildings in several different areas. More than 2,000 firefighters were on the lines and one sustained a heat-related injury.
While the park remained open, the blaze closed a 4-mile stretch of State Route 120, one of three entrances into Yosemite on the west side. Two other western routes and an eastern route were open.
Within the park, the blaze was burning on about 17 square miles in a remote area around Lake Eleanor, Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
Backcountry permits are required to hike in that area, Cobb said. The park was no longer issuing those and had contacted every person who had received a permit to go there. Two roads into that area were closed and occupants of a campground near the Route 120 west entrance were relocated.
The fire was more than 20 miles from Yosemite Valley and skies there were "crystal clear," Cobb said.
On Friday, officials issued voluntary evacuation advisories for two new towns - Tuolumne City, population 1,800, and Ponderosa Hills, a community of several hundred – which are about five miles from the fire line, Forest Service spokesman Jerry Snyder said.
A mandatory evacuation order remained in effect for part of Pine Mountain Lake, a summer gated community a few miles from the fire.
"It feels a little bit like a war zone, with helicopters flying overhead, bombers dropping retardant and 10 engine companies stationed on our street," said Ken Codeglia, a retired Pine Mountain Lake resident who decided to stay to protect his house with his own hoses and fire retardant system. "But if the fire gets very hot and firefighters evacuate, I will run with them."


text:
January 6, 2017 (UKRINFORM) The head of the Senate Committee of U.S. armed forces John McCain announced the holding of hearings on the cyber threats from the Russian Federation.
In the first days of the new, the 115th session of the U.S. Congress, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on armed forces John McCain will hold a hearing with the participation of top executives of American intelligence, who will relate mainly to the cyber threat from Russia. This was reported by the influential us publication Politico.
"The Chairman of the Committee on armed services of the Senate John McCain has appointed Thursday the hearing on cyber threats, where the focus is the problem of hacking on the part of Russia in an election year", – quotes the edition a source informed with the planning of the work of the Senate Committee.
The head of the Senate Committee of U.S. armed forces John McCain
It was envisaged that the hearings will be held with the participation of the Director of national intelligence James Klepper, the commander of the NSA Admiral Michael Rogers and Deputy Secretary of defense for intelligence Marcel Lettre. About these days to be held the intelligence briefing to the President-elect of the USA Donald trump on the same issues, drew attention to the publication.
The Obama administration this week expanded sanctions against Russia in response to interference in the electronic system of political institutions of the United States during the election. In addition, the U.S. government declared persona non grata 35 Russian diplomats and stopped the work of two institutions located in the diplomatic property of Russia in the United States.


text:
Android phones are big on cloud computing, so you gotta stay connected. Smartphone geeks like to toss the word "tethering" around, but what exactly is it and how do you do it? Follow along after the jump and we'll break it down for you.
Tethering (at least the way we're using the word) means to use your cellular phones data connection to provide network services to another device. Your phone uses its 3G connection to send and receive data that's requested by another device, usually through a USB data connection. It's handy in a pinch if you're somewhere without a dedicated WiFi or other means of getting to the internet, and some people use it as their day-to-day internet connection.
It's not all wine and roses though. To start with, it's not the speediest way to get on the net. Slow cable connections and even most DSL lines are a good bit faster than the average 3G connection. It's passable, and faster than that old AOL dial-up everyone used ten years ago, but don't expect miracles. It's also hard on the processor, and in turn battery-intensive. Even though you'll likely have your phone connected via USB, don't expect it to charge much (if at all) while tethering.
And then there's the whole carrier angle. I'm not going to sit here and say "Your carrier doesn't care if you tether," or "you'll never get caught." What you need to do is call your cell phone service provider and ask them for their policies. Save yourself the grief that comes from listening to internet wisdom then getting nailed with a multi-thousand dollar cell bill, or getting your service disconeccted. I'm serious -- saying "That hillbilly dude from androidcentral.com said I could do it" isn't going to work if your carrier has an issue with you tethering. I promise it wont.
How to tether
There are three basic ways to tether your Android phone to another device -- WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB connection. We're going to skip past WiFi for now, that section comes later. We're also going to skip Bluetooth tethering completely. Why? Because getting it to work is hit or miss. If it's your only option, we'll all work it out together (if we can) in the forums. We're going to keep things basic here.
USB tethering
There are quite a few apps on the market you can use to tether. We're going to focus on PdaNet. The free version works great (the drawback is that it blocks secure sites -- upgrade to the full version if you need that), is easy to set up and use, and everybody loves free. Get it here:
Once it's on your phone, run it. The first time you run the app, you'll see this:
Unless you've already used it before, you'll need to download the application that goes on your computer. You can do that right through the app by selecting the "Yes. Let me download" button. Your browser will open and you'll see this:
Choose the version for your computer OS. It will download, and save itself on your SD card in the download folder. Plug your phone in and mount the SD card just as if you were transferring pictures or music, and copy the downloaded file to your computer, and run the file.
If you're using Windows, you may see a warning about the driver software publisher. You can safely ignore this. You can also safely ignore warnings about HTC compatibility, provided you have the latest version of HTC sync.
Now make sure your phone is connected via USB cable to your computer, and is set to charge only, i.e. not as a removable disk. Open the PdaNet application, and press the "Enable USB Tether" button. You'll see a notice that PdaNet is running, and you should connect from your computer.
Jump on your computer, and look for the PdaNet notification icon. If you're using Windows, it looks something like the first image below. Click the icon and choose "Connect" from the context menu. You'll see a couple small dialog windows -- don't worry you won't need to interact with them. When it's finished you'll see a pop up telling you it's connected.
You can open your network settings and verify. You're looking for an entry named PdaNet Modem.
That's it. You now have a moderatly fast internet connection for your netbook or laptop or any device that can accept modem connections over USB. To stop the connection, just press the "Turn Off PdaNet" button in the PdaNet app, and unplug the cable from your phone.
A quick word about SenseUI's mobile network sharing
If you have a phone running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense, mobile network sharing is built into the operating system. Don't get too excited though, because your carrier decides whether or not it will work. If you want to try it for yourself, make sure you have the latest version of HTC Sync and plug your phone into your computer. In the connection options, choose Internet sharing.
If it connects and you see a dialog on your computer, you're good to go. If you see any dialogs on your phone, especially ones about invalid credentials on the network, it's not going to work. Chances are that your carrier will only allow this if you have a PAM (Phone As Modem) add-on to your account.
Tethering over WiFi
If you've rooted your phone and have support for iptables installed correctly, you can use Wireless Tether for Root Users to easily tether your phone over WiFi. I can't provide a direct link, as the version you need depends on the ROM you're using. Ask the creator or other users which one works best for that particular ROM. User's of any Gumbo ROM for the Sprint Hero need to select version 1.6 for best results.
Setting it up is easy. It's a matter of pressing the green button to start it. Check out the video for a quick demo:
As you can see in the video, it's so easy a caveman can do it -- and a great way to get internet on other handheld devices without a dedicated wireless connection.
Now contact your carrier to know the rules, download an app, and never be without internet as long as you have your Android phone with you!
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Best Chromebook 2020: Top picks for Budget, Students, Kids, and Power Users
We've done the research to figure out the best Chromebooks for you, your kid, your student or for anyone who needs a solid Chrome OS laptop.
Don't buy a cheap Apple Watch or Fitbit knockoff on Amazon
We've all been tempted by a seemingly good tech deal, however, you should avoid those cheap Apple Watch and Fitbit knockoffs on Amazon. Here's why.
Samsung will soon let you unlock your Galaxy phone with just your voice
According to a new report, Samsung will introduce the ability to use Bixby Voice as a biometric option with One UI 3.1.
People into rooting and modding should check out these Android phones
If you're looking ahead and know you'll want to change something on your next phone that requires custom software or root access, these phones are the best options.


text:
Deloitte and SAS join forces to help firms tackle the burdens of risk calculation and reporting
The level and complexity of prudential regulation continues to make the design and maintenance of high quality and compliant regulatory processes an increasing challenge. Banks, building societies and other lenders must meet a growing list of requirements relating to risk model management, calculation and reporting for capital planning, impairment and liquidity. Combining new technology and a managed service operating model gives these organisations the opportunity to benefit from economies of scale and to mutualise the costs of regulatory compliance across the industry.
A new alliance with new ways of calculating and reporting risk
Deloitte and SAS are collaborating under a recently signed Managed Analytics Service Provider (MASP) agreement to offer "Risk Calculation and Reporting" as a managed risk service delivered via a cloud-based technology platform. This collaboration brings together advanced analytical software with Deloitte's specialist services in Financial Risk Measurement and Managed Risk Services, to offer an integrated, highly automated and auditable processes.
"The Managed Risk Service is a more agile approach that is structured to benefit our clients by removing the need for extensive investment in staff training and delivery costs associated with the implementation of an on-premises solution, reducing ongoing costs and enhancing business agility. This technology has great potential, which we aim to allow our clients to benefit from," said Hugo Morris, Head of Deloitte's Managed Risk Services.
Four interrelated modules are being offered to banks, building societies and other lenders, which delivers calculation and reporting outcomes as a service across:
- IFRS 9 impairment: The new IFRS 9 Financial Instruments Standard requires compliant and consistent impairment calculations (at an account and aggregated level) based on Expected Credit Loss models and expert credit judgement.
- Capital: The new and changing Basel requirements require firms to calculate, consolidate and report Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 Capital on a controlled basis, whilst having the flexibility to quickly assess business impacts.
- Stress Testing: The increased use of stress testing as an instrument for regulators to assess the flexibility and strength of financial institutions is forcing firms to deliver enhanced processes and reporting in order to embed analysis in management decision making.
- Liquidity: The fast-changing liquidity regulatory reporting requirements have increasing complexity and require a quality-assured, highly controlled process.
Deloitte was recently named the 2018 SAS Global Partner of the Year and 2018 SAS Sub-regional UKI Partner of the Year. As a 14-year SAS Platinum Partner with Risk Specialisation and Analytics Competency, Deloitte has the depth and breadth of expertise to maximize the use of the risk technology for these services.
The agreement is a key breakthrough for banks, building societies and other lenders in North West Europe, providing more accessible and more flexible opportunities to complete regulatory analytics, risk measurement and compliance reporting," said Rob Spee Director, SAS Global Channels.
Julian Leake, Head of Deloitte's Financial Services Risk Advisory in North West Europe:
"We recognise that with increased regulatory expectations and emergent technologies, the future of risk management will look dramatically different from which many are familiar with and current risk frameworks are set up for. This Managed Risk Service brings the benefits of this cutting edge technology to a much broader population of banks, building societies and other lenders. This will enhance risk management and ultimately, deliver stronger competition and greater stability in the long term."
About SAS
SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.


text:
Aunt Virginia is not doing very well. She is the widow of my Dad 's elder brother - about 84 years old. Last month she was hospitalized with UTI. She recovered and came back. Don 't know how much time she has left.
She is very difficult to deal with. Refuses all help. Her mind is also fading . I am doing all I can for her-everything she will accept. My mom and I are the only relatives who care. Her nieces and nephews don 't bother and don 't want to be involved. They were only interested in her stuff and money and when they got that , their attitude changed. Aunt V has 24 hr assistants , they complain of her being very difficult.
I wish my family was close by- but everyone is so far away. My mother is very nervous , stressed and anxious ( she will be 79 yrs. on June 23rd) I am worried and under tremendous pressure, but have to be strong because of my mother.
My Pastor on whom I depend is on on vacation for 10 days. There are other church people and relatives to help in the worst case scenario.
Just pray for God 's mercy.
I feel physically weak.
Need prayers desperately.My Mom is having dizzy spells because of the tension.
Thank you for praying for the strife situation we were facing a while ago. Our friend 's attitude was changed when they returned from their trip. We communicated better. They harvested about 20 kgs of mangoes from their tree and gave us 4 magoes.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Prayers needed
Aunt Virginia is not doing very well. She is the widow of my Dad 's elder brother - about 84 years old. Last month she was hospitalized with UTI. She recovered and came back. Don 't know how much time she has left.
Posted by Amrita at Sunday, June 20, 2010
Labels: Prayer request
12 Fertilize my soul:
- Nadwrażliwiec said...
I will pray... Because prayer can lots...
- 19 June 2010 at 16:18
- Anonymous said...
Dear Amrita, I am praying for you and those you lovingly care for. my heart goes out to you in Jesus' name. Smile, Sally
- 19 June 2010 at 17:05
- monsoon dreams said...
praying for your health and peace of mind,dear.praying for aunt V too.love,
- 19 June 2010 at 19:14
- Amrita said...
Thank you dear ones for praying . I am in desperate need of prayer. My Mom is having dizzy spells.
- 19 June 2010 at 19:21
- Kathryn said...
Oh, Amrita. Family issues are always so difficult. I wish you had more help & support. I will be praying for you, your mama, your aunt, & the situation.
- 19 June 2010 at 19:23
- Amrita said...
Thank you Kathryn, I appreciatte that. I feel terrible right now.Please tell David to pray too, if you can call him
- 19 June 2010 at 19:30
- Holly, the Old Western Gal said...
Amrita, can you get ahold of any tranquilizers for your mom? Would she take any? I think they could help her immensely during stressful periods. I am so sorry to hear that she is having dizzy spells. And so sorry to hear that your aunt is difficult and not doing well, either. But do not get too overwrought! Do hat you can, and then as they say in your religion, "Let go and let God" take over.
- 19 June 2010 at 20:26
- Amrita said...
Dear Holly, my Mom takes a sleeping piill at night prescribed by her doctor.She is of a nervoustemerament. Always been like that, byut then my Dad was alive.
She is somewhat better now. Aunt V had high fever and I tried to giv e her a pill for that, which she spit out. I was desperate, came home sent prayer requests and again returned with another pill, determined to give it to her, This time by God 's grace I wa s able to make her swallow it. I kept sitting at her bed side watching her, so that she would not spit it out.
I went again after an hour and found her fever subsided.That was a quick answer to prayer.
My Mom had an upset stomach too but when she heard Aunt V was better she took some deal (Lentil soup) and chapati. I gave her glucose water and iced tea. She is better . God is our help, a very present help in trouble. In a few minutes I will go again to check on aunt V.
- 19 June 2010 at 20:59
- Maria Stahl said...
Awww, sweetie! I'm praying for all of you!
- 19 June 2010 at 21:56
- Nadwrażliwiec said...
These photos from Facebook which You had seen was made in the time of flood - to show the scale of this tragedy. If You want to see more normal photos from Kraków, I give You links from my blog:
http://alergiczny.blogspot.com/2009/07/zoo.html - the photos from the ZOO
http://alergiczny.blogspot.com/2009/01/taka-bya-pikna-zima.html - the winter in the park near my housing
http://alergiczny.blogspot.com/2008/12/krakw-okiem-nadwraliwca-floriaska.html - little Gothic street in the Old Town
http://alergiczny.blogspot.com/2008/09/wsi-krakowska-wsi-niespokojna.html - my sepia photos - buildings and streets from the 30's
http://alergiczny.blogspot.com/2008/06/magiczne-pikno-cmentarza-ydowskiego.html - Jewish cementery.
- 19 June 2010 at 22:48
- Felisol said...
Dear Amrita,
I'm praying for the three of you.
May God Send his guardian angels to comfort and protect you from all evil.
May He grant you peace midst in the storm.
May he strengthen you, so you know, that He is the Lord, and that He giveth power to She who has no strength at all.
- 20 June 2010 at 04:10
- Paresh Palicha said...
Didi, I'm praying for you & your loved ones.
I don't have much wisdom so forgive me if I'm wrong: He seems to test people who have unflinching in him more. But, only in such conditions we can prove that our love/faith is unqualified, we won't budge from our faith whatever situation He puts us in.
- 20 June 2010 at 05:24


text:
Hi all,
The Groovy team is happy to announce the release of the release candidate of Groovy 2.2, as well as a bug-fix release for Groovy 2.1.8.
As you can guess with this release candidate, the final version of Groovy 2.2 is fast approaching, and we'd be happy to get as much feedback on this release as possible, to squash potential bugs before the general availability of 2.2. So please be sure to test your applications with this release candidate.
For both releases, we've made a small update to the default Grab configuration which is to use Bintray's JCenter repository as the first in the chain of resolvers, as Bintray's JCenter repository is noticeably faster and more responsive than Maven Central, offers dependencies always with their checksums, and stores and caches dependencies it wouldn't have for faster delivery the next time a dependency is required. This should make your scripts relying on @Grab faster when downloading dependencies for the first time.
An interesting feature in the release candidate only is the ability for scripts to define their base script class. All scripts usually extend the groovy.lang.Script abstract class, but it's possible to set up our own base script class extending Script through CompilerConfiguration. A new AST transformation is introduced in Groovy 2.2 which allows you to define the base script class as follows:
Script {
meaningOfLife =
@BaseScript DeclaredBaseScript baseScript
meaningOfLife ==
Again for 2.2, a new @Log variant has been added to support Log4j2, with the @Log4j2 AST transformation:
MyClass {
doSomething() {
"did something groovy today!"
For more details on those two releases, please have a look at the release notes on JIRA:
Thanks a lot for your contributions to those releases, in terms of bug reports, discussions on the mailing-lists, code contributions and pull requests!
Keep on groovy'ing!


text:
By Mike McAuliffe | July 15, 2020
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It's not a word I often use, but the new outsourcing partner I came to visit in Budapest could definitely be described as boutique. In total, they have less than 50 software developers (the largest...
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text:
This was published 7 years ago
Delicate prenatal jab allows Mia to beat risky virus
MIA Africano was still in the womb when a common virus threatened to stop her bone marrow producing red blood cells. Doctors warned her parents that if they did not act, she might not survive.
The warning sign was a red rash on elder sister Monique's cheek, which doctors diagnosed as the common childhood illness parvovirus, also known as ''slapped cheek disease''.
The virus usually causes only mild illness for pre-school-aged children but can be dangerous for unborn babies, in rare cases causing severe anaemia that can cause their tiny hearts to fail.
Carmel Africano was 26 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with parvovirus, and intense monitoring over the next few weeks showed the velocity of blood through Mia's brain was speeding up. That meant the baby's blood was thinning and she was becoming anaemic.
At 33 weeks doctors advised a foetal blood transfusion - a delicate procedure performed by the Royal Women's Hospital only about a dozen times a year.
Specialist doctors inject donor blood into the umbilical cord to top up a baby's red blood cells so it can receive oxygen from her mother's placenta.
While the procedure can be life-saving there are risks, including tearing the cord and causing internal bleeding for the baby. Doctors warn parents there is a 2 per cent risk of miscarriage, and a chance they might need to deliver the baby on the spot if something goes wrong.
Associate Professor Ricardo Palma-Dias said it was always a tense moment when a needle was put into a woman's pregnant belly, at first to extract a blood sample to confirm the baby's anaemia and its severity.
A haematology technician takes the sample to instantly work out the baby's haemoglobin levels - and therefore how anaemic it is - so doctors can determine how much blood to transfuse.
Standing by with the needle in Mia's case was Professor Palma-Dias, who injected the blood into her umbilical cord in August 2011 using an ultrasound screen to guide him.
Just as it was tense for doctors, Mrs Africano said she also felt nervous as Professor Palma-Dias injected blood into her belly. ''I was awake. I couldn't even watch. I had a local [anaesthetic] on my belly and they gave Mia a needle as well to calm her down so she wouldn't move.''
The blood transfusion quickly showed signs of working, with an ultrasound a couple of days later showing Mia's haemoglobin levels had improved.
Only a couple of other Melbourne hospitals equipped to deal with high-risk obstetrics cases perform the foetal blood transfusions, with specialist skills required to diagnose where they are required and to carry them out safely.
Besides parvovirus, another common reason for a transfusion is when a mother and unborn baby have the incompatible blood groups rhesus negative and rhesus positive. In such cases a mother's body assumes the baby's blood cells are alien and produces antibodies to destroy them, resulting in the baby becoming anaemic.
Multiple injections are required when the mother and baby have incompatible blood types, but in Mia's case just one transfusion was enough to top up her red blood cells while she recovered from parvovirus.
Professor Palma-Dias, who is head of the Royal Women's Hospital's foetal medicine unit, said such procedures could have a huge impact. ''If you save a little life that has, who knows, 80 years … it's priceless,'' he said.
Mrs Africano gave birth to Mia at 37 weeks and said the now 15-month-old was in perfect health. ''She's pretty cheeky, she gets into everything … and she's always smiling.''


text:
Here's what Gmail Blog reports:-
Up until today, it's been a little tedious to send large or multiple attachments with an email. You had to select each attachment individually and you never knew how long it would be before those bigger files were ready to send.
Today, we're making some changes to the way Gmail attachments work. If you want to send a few files from the same folder, simply hold down the Ctrl key (Cmd on OS X) and click on each file you want to attach to your message. You can also hold down the Shift key to select a continuous list of files. A definite time saver.
You'll not only save a few mouse clicks selecting files, but you'll also see progress bars on each file as it uploads.


text:
Available in Beautifully Finished Chrome or Brass Ideal for Fine Glass FurnitureFour
Different Lengths for Use with 1/2" (12 mm) Glass
CRL Deluxe Long Bar Glass Furniture
Connectors for 1/2" (12 mm) Glass are specifically designed to give
glass furniture a truly elegant appearance. Designed for 1/2 inch (12
millimeter) tempered glass to give a closed end appearance to coffee, sofa, and
end tables. Available in beautifully finished chrome or brass. Ideal for
manufacturers of fine glass furniture.
ChromeDimension "A": 23-3/4
in (603 mm) Dimension "B": 3-9/16 in (90 mm)Dimension
"C": 1-1/4 in (32 mm)
Minimum Order: 1 Each


text:
Chorus: DMX
Niggas won't creep these streets with me
Make you wanna.. then I'm gonna..
Cause I gotta.. POP POP, POP POP (nigga!)
I look through the 11th floor window
Take one last puff of the indo
Look through the scope, and let like ten go
Break it down, back in the briefcase
Wipe the sweat off my face so I can leave safe
Outside I breathe safe
Nigga never saw it comin, that's how he got it
Never even thought of runnin, cause a nigga plotted
Smart niggas get niggas killed for real
I know, they make a deal? I'm comin with the steel
It's gon' be that cat you don't see that's gon' pop you
Stop you in your motherfuckin tracks nigga and drop you
Get rid of all the clothes (uh-huh) dump the gun
I hate to be the type of nigga to leave you, slugged and run
But I'm on the job and right now there's more niggas that need to be, left with a head full of lead, restin easily
And that twenty G's a fee, put to a good use
The only excuse I have for what I do is, love of abuse
Chorus 2X
I can catch you in the very building that you live in
Wait until you get right at your door then start spittin
Now they got a ribbon tied to the rail at the top of the steps
I was there, you ain't DIE at the top of the steps
I can do that walk behind you shit and follow you home (shhh)
Make a noise, you turn around and I put one in your dome (BOOM!
Last thing you saw was chrome and a, flash of light
I blast him right, nigga, that's yo' ass tonight
I could put a bomb in your car and watch it explode (BOOM!)
Then make em call, tell em all they found was a piece of your clothes and a small piece of your nose and, bone from your arm
Which they really couldn't tell apart, because of the bomb
I could be waitin, camped out in yo' car, in the backseat
With some fuckin chickenwire, soon as you hit the backstreet
I jump up like Jack-in-the-Box, strangle the shit out yo' ass
Clean up the mess and, get away from the cops
Chorus 2X
I could be the UPS delivery boy (uh-huh) or the man
Workin at Toys'R'Us handin yo' kid a brand new toy
I could be the one servin your food wherever you go to eat at
Or that nigga on the corner that you ask, "Yo, where the weed at?"
I could be the one driving the school bus that yo' kids in
Except that, I don't like to involve, women and children
A nigga got feelings, I just put em aside
And when it's time for me to do my job, I just ride
I don't get much sleep (uh) my soul's tormented
I wish it was a lie but everything I said I meant it
I know I'm doin wrong and everyday I beg the Lord
To forgive me for fuckin with the, double-edged sword
Shit ain't goin too well, BUT THAT'S MY LIFE
I know I'm goin to hell, BUT THAT'S MY LIFE
Sometimes I think what will I do, WITH MY LIFE
Chorus 2.5X
In this song, DMX portrays a hitman.


text:
Artwork description:
Oil on Canvas, 2016, Unframed, Size: H - 47 cm, W - 58 cm, signed and dated by the artist, ready to ship.
Professional oil paints on canvas.
It is professionally packaged for safe travel so that the painting arrives to you in perfect condition.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
My paintings are in private collections around the world, mostly of them in Europe.
Materials used:
oil colors
#abstract art #modern art #abstract expressionism #oil on canvas #wall hanging #contemporary artist
The Lightning (2016)
Oil painting by Constantin Galceava
- Oil painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 22.83 x 18.5 x 0.79 in (unframed) / 22.83 x 18.5 in (actual image size)
- Ready to hang
- Signed on the front
- Style: Abstract
- Subject: Abstract and non-figurative
This artwork is sold by Constantin Galceava from Romania


text:
Sometimes, money does grow on trees—at least, if you're an investor in timberland.
From 1987 through 2007, timber delivered an average annual return of 15.8 percent— based on the performance of the NCREIF Timberland Index — compared to 11.5 percent for the S&P 500 while exposing investors to less risk.
Those returns were earned mostly by large institutions like insurance companies and university endowments that have poured more than $40 billion into timber investment management organizations, TIMOs, not open to most individual investors.
Today, anyone can be a timber investor.
The easiest way to participate in the growth of trees, sale of wood products and the appreciation of forest land is through a timber, real-estate investment trust. Timber REITs, which own and manage forest tracts and wood processing plants, trade publicly like stocks but must pay out 90 percent of their earnings to investors through dividends.
Into The Woods
Plum Creek Timber is the largest private owner of timberland in the U.S. and the largest timber REIT with a market cap of about $5.6 billion. Potlatch is also a timber REIT while Rayonier(generates about a third of its REIT earnings from timber.
Weyerhaeuserhas shed its paper and packaging businesses and will convert to a REIT by year end.
The Wells Timberland REIT is not publicly listed but may be available for purchase through Wells Real Estate Funds.
A less direct but more diversified way to gain timber exposure is through two ETFs that track the asset class. The Guggenheim Timber ETF owns about 25 stocks and REITs involved in the global timber and paper products industry with a 30% weighting to U.S. companies. TheS&P Global Timber & Forestry Index Fund holds 23 securities and is 47 percent invested in the U.S.
Wealthy investors can choose to invest alongside the smart money in TIMOs. Most TIMOs require a minimum investment of $1 million to $5 million and a 10- to 15-year commitment. They operate like venture capital funds by liquidating holdings after a certain time period and distributing the profits to shareholders.
"REITs tend to rise and fall more with the market,'' says economist Jack Lutz of Forest Research Group. "There's no public trading with TIMOs and they're less volatile due to the longer holding period of investors.''
Some bank-trust departments catering to affluent clients may also offer access to private timber funds.
If you're willing to do your own legwork, you can also buy timberland directly from small owners in the main forest-growing regions of the U.S.: the Southeast, Northeast and Pacific Northwest.
Timber has drawn interest as a way to diversify away from stocks and bonds. The sources of timber returns are primarily growth of trees, lumber and pulp sales, and land appreciation, which bear a low correlation to more liquid markets (see the table below).
A correlation of 1 implies that two investments will move together, a correlation well below 1 suggests investments move more independently. A correlation of negative 1 implies that two investments will move in opposite directions. Source: Hancock Timber Resource Group.
Before planting your nest egg in pine saplings, keep in mind that recent timber returns have fallen back to earth.
The NCREIF Timberland Index, which tracks the performance of private T5 percent IMOs, gained 9.52 percent in 2008—dodging the financial crisis—but gave back 4.75 percent last year. Meanwhile, the S&P Global Timber & Forestry Index, which tracks publicly traded stocks and REITs, has lost an average of 0.56 percent over the last five years.
Bull-Bear Debate
Does lagging performance present a compelling entry point into timber or should investors stay out of the woods?
Timber bears point to increased land sales by REITs and TIMOs, as evidence that tree growth and lumber revenue are no longer enough to drive earnings. Falling income could make it difficult for the REITs to maintain dividends at current levels.
Lumber prices have fallen nearly 50 percent from their 2005 high and could stay depressed as long as residential construction languishes.
"At these [housing start] levels, we expect an extended price war in lumber and panels,'' BMO Capital Markets analyst Stephen Atkinson wrote in a recent industry report. Atkinson last month downgraded the overall timber sector to hold.
A rapid transition from paper to more digital forms of communication could also be a drag on profits. But industry proponents say paper processing is no longer the province of most timber companies.
Those bullish on timber say the selling has been less than expected and point out that trees can grow up to 7 percent annually and will be able to draw higher prices when the housing market, the main consumer of lumber, returns to normal.
In some cases, land sales have been a highly profitable arbitrage play.
"Plum Creek Timber is selling land at $1,800 per acre in the Southeast and buying back shares [valued] at $1,100 per share,'' says D.A. Davidson analyst Steve Chercover, who has buy ratings on Plum Creek and Potlatch.
Timber should also draw support from those seeking a hedge against a return of inflation. Unlike gold, another popular hedge, timber grows in size as well as value.
And in today's ultra-low, interest-rate environment, timber REIT yields above 4 percent could look appealing to income investors.
"People buying in the next few months will be buying at more realistic values,'' adds Lutz, noting that timberland is currently valued at two thirds its long-term average.


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We are happy to announce that KooRaRoo Media is now more affordable than any other commercial DLNA software - at just $19.95 USD, including all your devices and unlimited installations on all your home PCs.
You will still get the same level of technical support and enjoy the consistent updates release schedule.
To make it fair for those who have bought KooRaRoo at the previous price of $39.95, we'll be giving all of you a year of free updates - just contact support to get your special coupon code.


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A newspaper is reporting San Francisco Giants All-Star Melky Cabrera tried to avoid a 50-game drug suspension by creating a fake website and product to support his claim that he inadvertently took the illegal substance.
The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Major League Baseball investigators quickly uncovered the scheme during the fact-finding phase of the case in July. The incident has drawn the attention of federal investigators. Cabrera was suspended Wednesday.
In their search for the source of the drug that caused elevated levels of testosterone in Cabrera's sample, investigators are looking into Juan Nunez, who is alleged to have paid for the website. Nunez is a consultant for Cabrera's agents, Sam and Seth Levinson.
Nunez told the newspaper the Levinsons had no knowledge of the website scheme.
San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy would not discuss the allegations against Cabrera before the Giants played the Padres in San Diego. He didn't defend his player's actions, either.
"You can be world-class parents and your kids can go south or have some issues. We can't follow guys 24/7, and it comes down to choices. (Cabrera) is a grown man, he's a veteran," Bochy said. "These are unfortunate things and we'll continue to work at cleaning out baseball."


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Handmade, print on a genuine antique vintage dictionary page.
This listing is for an Unframed print only.
Each print is a unique one of a kind given the nature of the dictionary pages.
There may be some slight natural ageing to the pages around the edges as to be expected from a 100 year old dictionary. It adds to the charm and a beautiful patina to the print. The Dictionaries we use may vary from a 2 to 3 column print, but will remain the same standard and age of print.
Special Offer 3 for the price of 2 on all prints just enter 3for2x in the voucher code box in your basket
All prints are posted from the UK, In a board backed mailer and cello bag to protect the print and then extra board to strengthen the envelope.
The prints fit perfectly into Ikea frames or frames with an 8X6 mount.
Uk deliveries take 3-5 working days and international delivery takes 7-14 days.


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VANCOUVER – Cowboy hats, boots and cougars -- grab your guns, Housewives fans, we're headed to the wild, wild West.
But first, Episode No.7 begins with a domestic theme as the women prepare for their kids to head back to school.
Clad in a shirt emblazoned with the word 'Cougar,' Ronnie Seterdahl Negus sets out to embarrass her teen son Houston as he returns to boarding school – by plane.
The duo lands at the lakeside campus to hoots and hollers as they enter the dorms.
"Dorm room? More like a $20 youth hostel," Ronnie scoffs at the campus digs.
Sure, like you've ever been inside one of those.
With the family mumbo-jumbo out of the way, the ladies prepare to do what they do best – party.
Ronnie decides to invite arch nemesis Mary Zilba to her upcoming birthday – a Giddy up Western-themed hoedown at Vancouver's country bar The Bourbon.
Oh, goody – le the Birthday Battle begin.
While the others are out buying cowboy boots and hats, Jody Claman chooses to prepare for the party by packing gunpowder to the proverbial birthday shotgun by telling her daughter about Mary's treacherous Jewish comments.
"Mary said we're not Jewish?" Mia scoffs.
Uh, oh Mary … looks like you've just made another enemy.
On the night of the party, the whole Housewives crew makes their way to The Bourbon in style – as the ladies cram into a cherry red Cadillac complete with Texas Longhorns. Classy.
After Ronnie, Christina Kiesel and her BFF Kevin Chase take a turn on the club's mechanical bull, the real gun-slinging begins – and surprisingly enough – it's not between Mary and Ronnie.
Jody and her daughter corner Mary and repeatedly assault the unsuspecting Housewife with verbal abuse.
"You're evil," Mia repeats like a broken record.
The saloon standoff ends as Mary flees the club calling a temporary draw on the ongoing duel.
"Jodi and Mia are absolutely out of control," Mary says. "I'm absolutely done with them – and the gloves have come off."
Until next week Housewives fans.


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Installing walnut countertop on knee wall11/4
Hi Guys,
I am building a 96x18x1.5 walnut countertop to be installed on a knee wall. How can I cleanly take off the top layer of drywall and bullnose cornerbead without destroying the wall ? Then I have the issue of how to attach the wooden countertop so it is safe and secure. No knee knockers allowed.
I wouldn't do an demo. Through-bolt and plug without any substrate or brackets. Rout out for the wall, or add trim underneath for a clean joint.
Mark, maybe I'm misunderstanding, but are you referring to bolts going through the top of the counter right into the knee wall ? The top has to be free and clear of mechanical fasteners, and countersunk walnut plugs would compromise the look of the finished top.
I think this is was I am going for, just need the cleanest way of doing it :
just cut the dry wall out wherever you want to put a steel bracket. If the bracket is thicker than the dry wall then rout out a relief on the bottom of the walnut top.
good luck................nicko
My thought was since the top of the knee wall isn't level, I would remove the drywall and corner beads to get a nice flush surface to shim or add material too. I guess though, drywall or no drywall, I will need to coverup
myself, i would reanchor the top plate of the wall to studs with 1/4" riser screws. unscrew sheet rock around top plate first and put some liquid nail between top plate and sheet rock then rescrew. the countertop is only gonna be as ridged as the top plate.
You need to remove the top layer of drywall, you cannot leave it and bolt through.....unless you don't care about longevity of the top? Drywall is soft and will crumble apart underneath the top making for an unhappy customer down the road.
As far as how to remove cleanly....I don't think it's possible and wouldn't do it anyway unless I was desperate for cash! I'm a woodworker, not a contractor, let the client deal with prep and you deal with making them a nice walnut counter. If you are going ahead than your going to have to remove whatever is on top of the wood. You could try to cut it clean with a roto type tool, but if there is metal bead under there forget it! Your going to have to blast the whole top out removing any bead until your flush with the wood. Install your steel plates, then plaster/compound to clean it back up. Or alternatively.....tack on some trim wide enough to cover the mess;>)
good luck,
I could just use the router and make 4 or 5
Oh, the hallway ends early and 90% of the countertop/bar is open to the living room.
Any more suggestions are more than appreciated !!!!! Thanks Guys !!!!
I was just getting ready to post what Jeff D did until I read his post. You must remove the sheetrock. If there are metal bullnose corners under there, you're in for a chore. If they are plastic they will cut quite easily with a jig saw. Cut through the sheetrock with a utility knife and cut corners with a jig saw....easy enough. Caulk and paint or trim when your finished.
The counter and back splash are solid surface not granite
I take that back...the bullnose is on the top to. You'll have to cut well below where the bottom of the top sits to get the bullnose pieces off. The nailing flange on those are
Yes, its solid surface. I am wondering if I remove the drywall off the top, can I then use a hacksaw to flush the corner bead up with the 2x4 top ? ? ? I need something that
How thick is that steel? I would mock that up in the shop and show the customer how flexible it will be. You can just use some common 2x stock in the shop, no need to put holes in the walnut. But you can prove the design before the destruction. Just because they won't let you put in "knee knockers", doesn't mean it's a good design. Flat steel with that amount of everhang, is pretty flexible. Unless it's an inch thick. You'll need a bent leg on the horizontal to add strength, and probably a angled gusset.
Those steel brackets are pretty standard for granite c-tops, so should be plenty strong enough for walnut. All the ones I've seen used are either 3/16" or maybe 1/4" thick.
The brackets are half-inch thick rolled steel, I think it should be plenty strong to hold up the countertop. Its meant for granite, so walnut shouldn't be a problem. But as always I say this based off of the salesman, have yet to order them. Lets hope for the best !
You could install a substraight of plywood half inch or three quarter liquid nail as well as screws, build top with a drop edge to conceal substraight, then screw upthrough bottom of substraight and possibly liquid nail. Top is not granite so no real need for steel supports. Unless your doing chinups on the overhang substraight should be sufficient. I have done many laminate bar tops like this never a problem and looks great. Good luck.
I would use my Fein Multimaster and Porta cable drywall vacuum. The trim is probably plastic as I've never seen metal bead in that shape. If you run into metal, change to metal cutting blade. If I found metal bead, I would switch to Milwaukee sawsall. There will be lots of dust if that is the case.
Thanks for all the input guys...more ways than one to skin a cat. I always over build for safety purposes and I think a bare 2x4 top plate and 1/2 thick rolled brackets that are notched in will work. The top is 1 1/2 thick throughout, no built up edge or substrate method. Fein Multimaster is a great idea but I don't own one. Maybe I'll get a lower priced option instead. Hopefully the corner bead is plastic. I think I'll have to trim out the long wall side to cover up the shims but calking is my only options for the sink side.
I beg to differ with whoever said that they have never seen metal bullnose for drywall finishing. Actually metal bullnose is quite popular and generally used by drywall guys as it is stiffer and therefore easier to install. Regardless of what material that bullnose is I fear that you will have a real hard time getting a clean cut because if it moves at all then it will flake off the skim coat finish over the remaining bullnose leg. I do hope that I am wrong on this one.
What if you were to clamp a 1x over the solid surface backsplash and the other side of the drywall before demo, use it like a cut guide for your multimaster saw. This would help prevent scarring the top edge of the backsplash with the saw and give a straighter cut too.
Best of luck with this project. Where did you buy your steel brackets from?
A multi master will make a surgical cut, but if you don't have one, you might opt for an angle grinder with a thin cutoff wheel. Cuts thin metal of all kinds fast, but dirty.
I'd start by just removing drywall. After several razor cuts (be patient, to avoid running off your lines), I'd start in the middle of the drywall being removed and work out to the edges.
For an easy, but solid mount of the counter top, I'd remove just enough drywall to install the counter [against studs] and to give working access above or below, as needed to securely mount the brackets, and install additional blocking between studs (depending on your approach).
If you choose to remove, say, 3-1/2" below, just mount drywall back over and cover with trim, unless you want to tape, texture and paint. If you do it on top, you have back splash opportunities.
And--- ditto on the Multimaster (Fein Tool). Just run it wide open and use a fine tooth blade, to reduce vibration transfer.
I used mine in place of a razor knife when installing under cabinet lighting [before the rest of the kitchen was taped, textured and painted].
Mine is the old style (uses an Allen wrench), which I'm thinking about selling to upgrade to the tool-less version. For only two hundred, I cannot picture not having one. Like many of our tools (e.g., impact drivers), after you have it, you find thousands of uses for it.
So what did you do and how did it work out?
I also have a cedar countertop to install on a Pony/Half wall. Great info here; however, wondering when using the steel flat supports is there a way to screw the overhang end into the underside of the top? Would you also apply adhesive to the underside area of the wood that sits on the wall?
Firstly, thanks for the informative thread so far.
Im trying to do exactly the same thing in that I need to install a wooden breakfast bar on top of an existing kitchen pony wall (worktops and units already in place).
I was planning to take off the top layer of plasterboard down to the wooden crossbeam as has been discussed here, however, i have found an added complication in my case is the wall is the thin metal stud kind rather than wood. I'm therefore not sure the top brackets will have enough purchase if I just screw them into the metal.
Does anyone have any recommendations as to how I could fit this on?
Thanks very much


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Miller goes deep twice to lead Mariners past Astros
Rookie shortstop drives in five thanks to first two homers of career
HOUSTON -- Rookie shortstop Brad Miller waited until his 17th game for his first Major League home run -- then all of two innings for his next -- as the young leadoff hitter helped the Mariners open their second half of the season with a 10-7 victory over the Astros.
With Miller launching two of the Mariners' four long balls on Friday night, Seattle won its fourth straight and continued an impressive July during which Seattle has led the Majors in home runs with 26 in 14 games.
Miller racked up five RBIs on his two bombs and Kyle Seager and Justin Smoak added home runs of their own as the Mariners have now homered in a club-record 23 straight games, tying them for the sixth-longest streak in the Majors since 1916. The Rangers hold the record of 27 consecutive games with a homer, set in 2002.
"Everybody is just piecing good at-bats together, honestly, not trying to do too much," said Miller, who went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .273 after three weeks in the Majors. "I don't know why, but hitting is contagious. Guys have good at-bats, even if they don't get a hit necessarily and they hit a ball hard or make a loud out, it just sets the tone."
The Mariners' tone has been trending positively of late, winning nine of their last 14 games to improve to 44-52, while Houston fell to 33-62 in its first season in the American League West.
Miller's second-deck blast in the sixth inning was the first of his Major League career and he followed that with a three-run pop just over the right-field fence in his next at-bat in the eighth.
What did it feel like to hit two homers in one night after waiting 72 at-bats for his first?
"I don't even know," he said. "I was obviously pumped up for the first one. I was just trying to hit the ball well. And then just trying to have another good at-bat and I was able to get another one. It was fun. They kept battling back, all those runs, we needed to keep going."
Miller also made an outstanding defensive play in the fourth with a backhand stop and glove flip to second baseman Nick Franklin, who barehanded the toss and fired to first for a key double play. But, of course, the focus was on the home runs afterward.
"He has power," said manager Eric Wedge. "He has considerable power. Just talking the ball off the bat, the way it jumps. He's going to be a hitter first, but he'll hit a few home runs."
Seager's 16th homer of the year extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest current run in the Majors, and Smoak finished things off with his ninth homer of the year for a welcome insurance run in the final frame.
Mariners starter Joe Saunders gave up nine hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings for Seattle, but continued a strong July during which he's now 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA in four starts. The win elevated the 32-year-old lefty above the .500 mark for the first time this season at 9-8 with a 4.28 ERA.
This time the veteran didn't have his best stuff, but welcomed the production of Seattle's surging offense.
"As I've said in the past, it's just a matter of us doing the little things. And right now, we're doing the little things," Saunders said. "We're throwing the ball good, we're getting strikeouts when we need strikeouts and double plays when we need double plays. And we're getting clutch hits.
"It's all about situational hitting and we're doing that real well right now. We're hitting with guys in scoring position, which is key, and we're not giving away at-bats. Put that all together and good things are going to happen."
Saunders' worst start of the year came in his last outing in Houston when he got lit up for eight runs and 11 hits in five innings in late April. He wasn't very sharp again Friday, putting runners on base every inning and combining three walks with his nine hits before giving way to Yoervis Medina with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth.
"Honestly I just felt like everything was heavy," Saunders said. "My body felt a little sluggish. I was up for the game, just everything felt body-wise heavy. ... It's one of those nights where you have to pitch with what you've got and I tried to do that the best I could."
Center fielder Brandon Barnes hit for the cycle for the Astros, sliding into second on a hustle double to complete the feat in the eighth off Danny Farquhar on his way to a 5-for-5 night. It was the eighth cycle in Astros history and first since 2006.
Houston closed the margin with three runs in the eighth off Farquhar and Oliver Perez, including a two-run blast by Brett Wallace off Perez before Wedge brought in closer Tom Wilhelmsen with two on and two out. Wilhelmsen retired Chris Carter on a ground out to third, then finished things off in the ninth for his 20th save.
Rookie catcher Mike Zunino, who had walked four times in his first 24 games in the Majors, drew three base on balls as Seattle batters received eight free passes to go with eleven hits.


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Can apps teach kids about emotions?
- %27Wee You-Things%27 promotes acceptance
- %27Avokiddo Emotions%27 introduces kids to emotions
- Kids learn about emotional%2C social issues on %27Middle School Confidential%27
How do we raise emotionally aware and well-adjusted kids? With lots of talking and sharing, of course. For some kids, digital media can also help by packaging powerful messages inside enticing apps. In one, kids explore how we are the same and how we are different from one another. In another, they interact with silly characters to learn their emotional responses. And in a third, virtual friends share stories to get 'tweens thinking about how to best handle emotionally charged situations. Here's a closer look at these three masterful apps.
Wee Society LLC, best for age 3-7, $2.99,iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
This app promotes acceptance of people who are different from you by introducing 24 quirky characters who all have unique "You-Things." In rhyming verse, we meet Paul who is tall, and Bea who wears glasses to see. There's large, green-skinned Royce who has a tiny voice. And blue-skinned Pierre who runs with his arms in the air. Read aloud by an accepting narrator and accompanied by upbeat music, the app enfolds kids into the experience by having them touch the characters. When they do, the character reveals their secret "You-Thing." For example, when you tap on Niels, you discover that the wheels on his wheelchair spin in psychedelic patterns of orange.
If you have young children, this app is a great discussion-starter about how people are different and what makes each child special. The app even asks readers to create a version of themselves by taking a photo and identifying one of their own "You-Things." Your child then appears in the parade of special characters at the end of the app. By creating a joyous environment in which to celebrate the things that make us different, this feel-good app rises to the top.
Avokiddo Emotions
Avokiddo, best for ages 2-8, $1.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad,Android
Rating: 3.5 stars
Promoting a playful vibe, Avokiddo introduces kids to emotions by letting them interact with three silly animals. The animals — a giraffe, a zebra or a sheep — appear on the screen with blinking eyes, animated facial features, and dopey expressions. Kids select one animal at a time; and when they do, a variety of objects appear on the screen along with the animal. They play with the animal by dragging an object to it to see how he will react. Kids will quickly learn that the zebra likes to eat an avocado but that he is not as fond of a sausage. When you drag a polka-dotted tie to his neck, he will giggle. Players can see and explore dozens of different reactions and emotions as they drag clothing, food, musical instruments and toys over to the animals for their reactions. Some of the objects even trigger a change of scenery and an animated sequence accompanied by different music.
While most of the objects are gender-neutral, the dress-up accessories seem more boyish because they include mustaches, bow ties, top hats and such. To balance out this app's interest to both sexes, I hope the updates to this excellent app will include the addition of objects that have more girl appeal.
Choose this app for kids who learn best through silly encounters. This gigglefest is a great way to start talking about the emotions expressed by these endearing animals.
Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind
Electric Eggplant, best for ages 8-14, $2.99 , iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Nook, Kindle
Rating: 3.5 stars
Designed to appeal to 'tweens, this book app presents a graphic novel about emotions and social issues. Starring six friends, the group shares their feelings as they navigate social situations typically found in middle school. Delivered as eight chapters, the app explores eating disorders, conflict resolution, self-esteem, girlfriend/boyfriend dynamics, and other topics. In addition to presenting emotional issues in a realistic setting, the app also shows 'tweens how to resolve these issues. It even invites the reader to take quizzes, which ask about his or her feelings in certain situations.
Based on a series of books by Annie Fox, this graphic novel format works well as an app. The realistic dialogue rings true with 'tweens. By reading about how others resolve issues, kids build confidence that they too can navigate dicey social situations. There is no read-aloud option and this book app doesn't have animations. But, tapping on illustrations allows you to zoom in and hear ambient sounds.
Although this app is the second in the series (and a third is coming soon), you don't need to have read the first book app to appreciate this one. However, if your children like this one, they might want to explore "Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are," which features the same group of friends but with different social and emotional issues. The first app doesn't have the reflective quizzes.
Reading about how six diverse friends help each other can be empowering; and this app may be the springboard parents need to open broader discussions about feelings with their tweens.
Jinny Gudmundsen is the author of the new book: iPad Apps for Kids, part of the For Dummies series. Contact her at email@example.com. Follow her @JinnyGudmundsen.


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Please provide comments to the issue below as part of the 2012 WCB cost model virtual workshop for inclusion in the record. Comments are moderated for conformity to the workshop's guidelines.
On December 11, 2012, WCB announced the availability of version one of the Connect America Cost Model. Version one of the model provides the ability to calculate costs using a variety of different inputs and assumptions, allowing the Bureau to choose among different network deployments to serve funded locations (e.g., fiber to the premises or fiber-fed digital subscriber line), different assumptions about the amount of existing facilities assumed to exist (e.g., green-field or brown-field deployments, the mix of aerial, buried or underground plant), as well as different assumptions about unit costs for capital and operating expenses.
While version one of the Connect America Cost Model is similar to the CQBAT model submitted into the record by the ABC Coalition, it contains a number of key differences, including an estimate of the cost of providing not only broadband services, but also voice services, and an updated calculation of brown-field costs to include replacement capital expenditures. The Bureau anticipates that a second version of the Connect America Cost Model will be available in the coming weeks and will include an update to 2010 census geographies and updated SBI data. The Bureau expects to adopt the final version of the Connect America Cost Model, with specific inputs, in 2013, which it will use to set Phase II support amounts to be offered to price cap carriers.
Questions for Comment
- Are there any functionalities or capabilities not included in version one of the Connect America Cost Model platform that should be addressed in or added to subsequent versions of the model?
- Wireline Competition Bureau Announces Availability of Version One of the Connect America Fund Phase II Cost Model, WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 05-337, Public Notice, DA 12-2011 (Wireline Comp Bur. rel. December 11, 2012).