text:
Editor's Note: Wayland Patch will post regular updates from the courtroom at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. The most recent updates will be at the top of the story with a time stamp. For more about this case and trial, see "Wayland Murder: Nathaniel Fujita Trial."
1:03 p.m. -- Trooper Anthony DeLucia took the stand. He said he is a detective with the Massachusetts State Police and is assigned to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. DeLucia handles death investigations.
On the morning of July 4, 2011, DeLucia received a call about a "suspicious death" in Wayland. He responded to Wayland after speaking with Det. Sgt. Jamie Berger.
On the way to Wayland, DeLucia said, he called Crime Scene Services and had a few conversations with Berger.
DeLucia said that he arrived to find other state police at Water Row, including K-9 officers who had responded from Wayland Town Beach.
On first arriving at Water Row, DeLucia said that he saw a body in the water and a shoe floating in the water.
He said removing the body efficiently and without disturbing evidence is a primary concern on arrival at a scene. DeLucia said that aerial photos of the scene were taken at the time.
DeLucia said that Brian Roderick was contacted to create a map showing locations of various items.
"Myself, along with others, walked up and down Water Row, looking to both sides to see if there was anything that would maybe answer some questions for us," DeLucia said.
At that time, a tire track was located, but that proved to not have any value to this case.
"There was a member of the dive team that found an item along the side of the roadway," DeLucia continued, without elaborating.
DeLucia said that Trooper David Twomey spent time photographing and videoing the scene. They also decided that they wanted to call a state chemist to come to the crime scene.
"I called them because I wasn't sure if there was going to be any biological or forensic evidence once the dive team went out to the body," DeLucia said.
Chemist Jennifer Montgomery responded.
Mary Dunne, Astley's mother, was visibly shaken as DeLucia described the scene at Water Row.
DeLucia said that he remembered Astley was wearing a dress and one shoe.
"The dress was covering her chin, her neck and part of her upper body," DeLucia said. "She was brought up to the roadway and I pulled down her dress.
"I saw a gaping wound to her neck," he said. "Upon seeing that wound, myself and Sgt. Berger got into his vehicle and drove over to 108 W. Plain St."
DeLucia said he also saw a black bungee cord tangled in Astley's hair and that the bungee cord was stored with her body when it was removed from the marsh.
McGovern then showed a photo of the bungee cord to the jury, at which point both of Astley's parents shook with emotion. McGovern quickly removed the photo.
DeLucia said that he and Berger arrived at 108 W. Plain St., to find one vehicle parked in the garage -- a white Toyota Rav4.
When DeLucia knocked at the rear door and Tomo Fujita answered the door within a few seconds.
"I told him we wanted to speak with Nathaniel," DeLucia said. "I ended up going up to Nathaniel's bedroom."
DeLucia said he was looking for Fujita's cell phone.
"I looked at the outlets [in Fujita's bedroom] to see if anything was plugged in," DeLucia said. "I didn't touch or manipulate anything."
The phone wasn't found.
DeLucia said he asked Tomo Fujita to come to the police station for a further conversation.
"What was it that you sought in asking Mr. Fujita to come to the police station for an interview?" McGovern asked.
"I wanted to find out where Nathaniel was," DeLucia said.
DeLucia said he was involved in "various things" while Tomo Fujita was at the police station, including looking for the defendant, searching for a small gold SUV, working on an affidavit for a search warrant and other tasks.
DeLucia said he spoke with Tomo Fujita in the interview room and that he saw him go downstairs to be picked up from the station.
When asked whether he saw Tomo Fujita anywhere else in the police station, DeLucia responded that he had.
"He asked us if he could use the restroom after he'd spent some time in the interview room," DeLucia said.
DeLucia said he entered the public restroom and saw Tomo Fujita "talking on his cell phone."
McGovern asked whether police had asked Tomo Fujita to contact his wife, Beth Fujita, and DeLucia said they had but had been unsuccessful.
With that, testimony concluded for the day. We'll resume Tuesday at 9 a.m., with DeLucia on the stand.
12:27 p.m. -- Conor Murphy took the stand at 11:20 a.m. He's now 19 years old and has lived in Wayland for about the past 18 years.
Murphy attended Belmont Hill for high school, where he repeated his ninth grade year and graduated. He is now attending Harvard University.
Murphy said that he was very close to D.J. Henderson, Cal Williams and R. J. Bolivar early in high school, and the group began hanging out with Fujita around Murphy's sophomore year, the other friends' junior year.
In Fujita's senior year, the five friends saw each other almost every weekend, Murphy said, until late in the school year.
"We [Henderson, Bolivar, Williams and Murphy] just kind of sometimes didn't want to hang out with him [Fujita] as much," Murphy said. "A couple times it might have been intentional, yes."
When McGovern asked why the four friends would hang out apart from Fujita, Sullivan objected and the judge called the attorneys into a sidebar conference.
"Is it fair to say it was a matter fo personality, it was a matter of Nathaniel Fujita's personality?" McGovern said.
"Yes," Murphy said. "I would consider he was our friend, but he was a fifth wheel."
Murphy said that dynamic in the relationship between the five guys was consistent throughout high school.
Murphy said he knew and was friends with Astley, but that Fujita didn't talk about his relationship with her.
"He would brush it off," Murphy said of the topic of Astley and Fujita's relationship.
Murphy said that he recalled a primary final breakup in the spring of 2011, and that he observed that Astley went on to see other men at that time. Murphy said he did not tell Fujita about that.
Prior to the June 4 graduation party at Blahut's house, Murphy said he, Fujita and the other friends gathered at the Williams home prior to going to the graduation party where they ate and drank vodka.
Murphy said he remembered that Williams' mother drove them to the Blahut party and that the friends were "composed" in the car with Williams' mother in spite of feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Murphy said he wasn't present when Fujita was asked to leave the Blahut party, but did see Fujita at the Wayland High School graduation the following day.
At the June 11 graduation party co-hosted by Fujita and the other friends who graduated, Murphy said he didn't see Fujita and Astley together.
"When a lot of people had left, there were probably 20 or 30 close people there and Nate's father was playing guitar for everybody," Murphy said, adding that Fujita seemed "embarrassed" that his father was playing. Murphy said it was a typical response for Fujita.
When McGovern attempted to ask further questions about Fujita's interactions with his parents, Sullivan objected and the judge called everyone into a sidebar conference.
Following the sidebar, McGovern moved on to another line of questioning.
Murphy said that he, along with Fujita and others, helped set up tables, chairs and tents for the June 11 party.
It was about "a week or two after" the graduation party that Murphy next saw Fujita, this time at the beach on Lake Cochituate.
"We called him and told him to come," Murphy said, explaining that he, Henderson and Williams were at the beach fishing.
"He seemed normal," Murphy said of Fujita.
They left the beach, stopped at Murphy's house and then went to Wendy's to get food, Murphy said, adding that he ate the dinner his mom had prepared him at home before going with the other friends to eat at Wendy's.
Murphy said he didn't remember whether Fujita smoke marijuana at the beach, but if he had it would have been "completely normal."
Murphy testified that after the trip to Wendy's they returned to his own house and hung out. He estimated he spent five or six hours with Fujita that day, but didn't seen Fujita again until after Astley's death.
He left Wayland and went to Mashpee to stay at his grandparents' house, and Bolivar and Henderson joined him on July 3, 2011.
On the morning of July 4, the three headed back to Wayland.
Murphy went on to testify that he didn't see any changes in Fujita's appearance or behavior in June 2011.
"Did Nathaniel Fujita ever complain to you about any headaches at all, or any head trauma?" Sullivan asked.
"No," Murphy responded.
Sullivan's cross-examination began at 11:48 a.m.
The attorney opened his cross-examination asking whether Murhpy considered Fujita a "fifth wheel" during Fujita's senior year, to which Murphy responded that was true.
Sullivan displayed a photo of Fujita and the four friends, and proceeded to ask Murphy about his time at Belmont Hill.
Murphy then agreed that he "grew up in a football family," and that his father is a head football coach.
Murphy testified that he played quarterback at Belmont Hill and knows about the receiver position.
"You saw that Nathaniel Fujita was a receiver?" Sullivan said.
Sullivan continued asking whether Fujita also played safety, and asked whether Murphy was aware that receivers sometimes get hit and that the job of a safety is to tackle people "even if you don't want to," to which Murphy responded that was true.
Murphy said he didn't remember whether Fujita talked with him about a football injury in his junior year that landed him in the hospital.
Sullivan continued, asking questions about Fujita's time playing in the WayCo softball league and showing a photo featuring Fujita in a league photo after his sophomore year as well as a league photo from the summer after Fujita's junior year.
"It's a highly social, kind of fun thing to do?" Sullivan asked about the WayCo league.
During the summer of 2010, the summer before Fujita's senior year, Murphy said they hung out regularly.
"When someone is in your friend group, it doesn't mean you like them all the time," Murphy said.
During the defendant's senior year, Murphy said, they didn't hang out with Fujita as much.
"I believe we had just kind of had it," Murphy said. "We were fed up."
Sullivan asked whether Murphy, Henderson, Bolivar and Williams set up a phone app that allowed them to talk separate from Fujita, and Murphy said that they did.
"I'm assuming that as a stand-up guy, you told Fujita you were going to do this?" Sullivan asked, and Murphy said he had not communicated that to Fujita.
"All the way through that senior year, you would be talking with Nathaniel Fujita as if he was one of the 'buddies'" and then talking just among the four, Sullivan asked.
Murphy said that sometimes that did occur.
On Hill Night, a party in the woods for Wayland High seniors, Murphy said he drove his friends to the event, but didn't stay.
The night of the Blahut graduation party, Murphy said he and the other four friends drank in Williams' basement prior to the party. He said he and the others were drunk, but he didn't know of anyone using any marijuana at that time.
Murphy said he didn't remember how drunk Fujita or the others were before they went to the Blahut party.
"Would it be fair to say you don't really remember much of that party, the specifics of Mr. Fujita at all?" Sullivan said.
Murphy said he didn't see much of Fujita at the party.
Turning his attention to the June 11 graduation party, co-hosted by Fujita and others, Sullivan questioned Murphy about him saying Fujita appeared "embarrassed" when his father began to play.
"When he saw his father playing, he may have made a comment or seemed embarrassed physically," Murphy explained.
Sullivan then asked whether the group of four was consciously excluding Fujita between the graduation party until the fishing excursion he mentioned under McGovern's questioning.
"We did not, not want to be his friend," Murphy said. "We just didn't want to see him all the time."
Sullivan asked whether the four friends had reached out to Fujita at all since the party, and Murphy said he didn't believe they had.
Murphy said it would be fair to say that the friends made the decision to call Fujita on the day of the fishing trip and reach out to him.
"You reach out to this guy that you haven't seen in a couple of weeks because you're kind of concerned," Sullivan said. "That's why you called."
"We didn't need him, we wanted to see him," Murphy said, adding that they'd heard he had been throwing the football with another person and was therefore seeing at least some other person.
Murphy said he continued to see the other people in his friend group, but did not see Fujita.
Sullivan asked whether any of the friends contacted Fujita about Fourth of July plans even though several of the other friends got together, and Murphy said they did not.
From June 11 to July 3, Murphy testified that he saw Fujita one time and didn't speak to him.
"Part of this was because you guys just didn't want to hang out with him anymore?" Sullivan asked.
"Yes," Murphy said.
Sullivan concluded his cross-examination at 12:27 p.m., and Trooper Anthony DeLucia was called to the stand.
10:56 a.m. -- Alesia Venuto, a relative of the Saba family through marriage, took the stand.
Venuto said she had been close to Caroline Saba, the defendant's cousin, and that she herself had two half-brothers who were 6 and 10 years old. Venuto said that Fujita sometimes watched her younger half-brothers.
"He was a mother's helper," Venuto said. "He'd come play with the kids," during May and June 2011.
Venuto said she saw Fujita primarily at Sunday dinners and family gatherings over the years.
In May and June 2011, Venuto said she recalled one time that Fujita had come to her family's home in Sudbury to watch her siblings.
Venuto said that she didn't see Fujita at any other time during May and June 2011, but that she saw him on July 2 when Saba and Fujita joined her at the beach.
Venuto recapped that Saba and Fujita met her at the beach before they went to her grandparent's house and the grandparents dropped the three off at the beach.
They walked down the beach to find an open area to play football, Venuto said, and once they did, she laid down and Saba and Fujita played football.
"He was smiling and having a good time with Caroline and being pretty active," Venuto said.
The three then ate food together, Venuto said, and Fujita and Saba smoked marijuana.
"I had brought up the fact that I had met Lauren Astley at 344," Venuto said. "He said they were not together.
"He just didn't seem that he wanted to talk about it, so I didn't really talk about it any farther than that," Venuto continued.
Venuto said that Fujita took part in conversation that afternoon.
The three friends returned to the grandparents' house that afternoon and the girls went to change while Fujita stayed with the grandparents.
"We thought it would be funny to leave him with my grandparents to have a conversation, because they're kind of funny," Venuto said.
She testified that she didn't remember what was said between her grandparents and Fujita, but that she believed he had been responding to their questions and engaging normally.
After reviewing her grand jury testimony, Venuto testified that during a trip to Mashpee Commons later that evening, the three friends talked about Fujita's time with her grandparents.
"He thought it was funny that we had left him there," Venuto said. "He laughed along with it."
When the three got ice cream at Mashpee Commons, Venuto said that Fujita's demeanor was "normal."
"He seemed to be happy," Venuto said.
They went to a kaleidoscope store after eating ice cream, Venuto said, and then they went to Vineyard Vines, a "preppy" clothing store.
"Caroline and I had made fun of Nathaniel saying that he would have to get used to wearing these clothes because Trinity was a preppy school," Venuto said. "Nathaniel was going to be attending Trinity that fall."
Fujita laughed with the girls, Venuto testified.
Venuto said the went to CVS next and that Fujita didn't have any trouble conducting transactions at the drugstore.
She said that Fujita and Saba left her grandparents' house between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Venuto said she communicated with Saba over the next couple of days and saw her again on July 5, when she picked her up at her house.
Venuto said that on the evening on July 5, she, Saba and Bassma Sayeh talked at Starbucks and at McDonald's. After dropping Sayeh off, Venuto said she and Saba talked in her car for about 20 minutes.
Venuto said that the time she spends with Venuto has changed since that July 5 conversation.
Sullivan began his cross-examination at 10:40 a.m.
Venuto said that Astley initiated the conversation when the two met at Shop344 in late May or early June 2011, and they discussed Fujita for three to five minutes.
By 2011, Venuto testified, her family was not that close with the Fujitas.
She reiterated that she saw Fujita working with her younger brothers just once in May or June 2011, and Venuto assented that he was good with her brothers.
Turning to July 2, 2011, Sullivan asked for more details about her grandparents' house and the time the three friends spent on the beach.
Asking detailed questions about the marijuana usage at the beach, Sullivan asked whether Venuto knew if Fujita or Saba had smoked marijuana prior to the cigarette on the beach. Venuto said she didn't know.
Turning to her grand jury testimony, Sullivan asked whether she remembered testifying that nothing strange stuck out in her mind about a conversation with the defendant at the beach.
Sullivan was asking specifically about Venuto's testimony today that they had discussed Astley.
"You're telling us that that conversation didn't stick out in your mind?" Sullivan asked.
"When asked if something stuck out in my mind, I was thinking of anything out of the ordinary that would key me off," Venuto testified.
Sullivan asked whether it was funny that Fujita was talking to her grandparents while he was high and continued to press on whether Fujita was high while they were eating and shopping at Mashpee Commons.
"The only marijuana that he smoked that I saw was on the beach," Venuto said.
Venuto said that Fujita didn't mention he had two or three other good friends down on the beach in Mashpee that day.
Sullivan concluded his questioning and the judge called the morning recess.
10:15 a.m. -- Under Sullivan's questioning, Blahut testified that Fujita was drunk the night of the graduation party in which she said he punched a tent pole.
Sullivan asked whether his close group of friends was also drunk, to which Blahut replied that they were.
Turning to the day after the graduation party, Sullivan asked whether Astley received a text from Fujita. Blahut said that Astley had shown her a text on June 5, 2011, from Fujita that read, she thought she remembered, "I hope we can still be friends."
Sullivan then asked about the June 11, 2011, graduation party co-hosted by Fujita and three close friends at Cal Williams' house.
Blahut said she didn't see Fujita between graduation on June 5 and the graduation party he co-hosted on June 11.
Sullivan asked whether Blahut learned at some point in mid to late June that Beth Fujita, the defendant's mother, had a conversation with Astley at her work at Shop344.
Blahut said that she hadn't seen Fujita since the June 11 party and noted that when she talked with her friends about him. The witness said that she knew Astley had begun to reach out to Fujita because she was worried about him.
"When did you become aware that she had started to reach out to Nathaniel Fujita because she was worried about him?" Sullivan asked.
"Some time after Beth Fujita visited Lauren at the mall," Blahut said.
Sullivan then asked Blahut whether she saw Fujita at all between the party at the Williams' house and her trip to New Hampshire on July 1.
Sullivan asked Blahut whether she remembered giving a statement to Wayland Det. Christopher Cohen that she hadn't seen Fujita at any parties and she thought it was "weird."
Blahut said she wasn't sure what she said to Cohen exactly, but said that she did talk with her friends about Fujita.
"Did you ever reach out to Nathaniel?" Sullivan asked.
"No," Blahut said. "I was never a close friend of Nate's. He was just my best friend's boyfriend."
Sullivan concluded his questioning and McGovern redirected the questioning, to ask about when Blahut saw Fujita.
McGovern asked whether the friends ever gathered without Fujita prior to June 2011.
Blahut said that they did sometimes gather without Fujita because of "his previous behaviors."
The questioning ended with that, and the prosecution called Alesia Venuto.
9:55 a.m. -- Hannah Blahut, one of Lauren Astley's best friends, has returned to the stand.
She resumed talking about an April 1, 2011, breakup between Astley and Fujita, and another breakup between the two "somewhere in late May."
Blahut also talked about seeing Fujita at a number of social events in the spring 2011 -- she testified that he didn't appear depressed at those events and she saw him socializing with others.
Turning to a June 4, 2011, graduation party, Blahut said she, Astley and Chloe Jacques hosted the party in Blahut's back yard.
Blahut said the party took place under a rented tent and that anywhere from 150-200 people attended.
Fujita and Astley attended, and Blahut testified that Fujita's behavior at the party drew her attention at some point. Before she could elaborate, defense attorney William Sullivan requested a sidebar conference with the judge and attorneys.
After the sidebar, the judge told the jury that "Mr. Fujita is not charged with committing any crimes other than those of the four indictments," considered at this trial.
Lauriat told the jury that Fujita's prior acts could not be considered as evidence he committed the crimes with which he is currently being charged.
Lauriat explained to the jury members that they should consider the potential testimony to follow, "Soley on the limited issue on the nature of his relationship with Lauren Astley," Lauriat said.
Blahut said that about an hour into the graduation party, she was aware that Fujita was following Astley around the party.
"He continued to follow Lauren Astley around," Blahut said. She continued that she heard Fujita say, "Can we just talk? Will you just listen to me?"
Blahut said she saw Astley push her arms down and look frustrated. At that point, Blahut said, Fujita went to a tent pole, balled up his fist and shoved it into the pole.
"The entire tent started to shake as though it was going to fall down and about 100 people at the party grabbed the tent and tried to hold it up," Blahut said.
Blahut agreed that Fujita, "said some harsh words," to her when Blahut confronted him. Soon after, Fujita's mother picked him up from the party, Blahut said.
The witness went on to testify that Fujita had been drinking that night, but he wasn't having any trouble with his coordination.
The next day was graduation, Blahut said, and Fujita was at the ceremony and interacting with people.
Blahut said that she didn't see much of Fujita after graduation as the friends all traveled and went their separate ways. Blahut herself said that she left for New Hampshire with her family on July 1.
While in New Hampshire, on July 3, 2011, Blahut learned that Astley was missing. She said she began calling and texting and joined a Facebook group dedicated to finding Astley.
At that point, Prosecutor Lisa McGovern showed Blahut a photo that the witness testified was Fujita's Facebook profile photo.
The afternoon of July 4, 2011, Blahut said she and her mom returned to Wayland where they met up with other friends and family of Astley.
McGovern concluded her questioning and Sullivan's cross-examination began at about 9:45 a.m.
9:13 a.m. -- Fujita has entered the courtroom and is dressed today in a black jacket, khakis, white shirt and tie.
Judge Peter Lauriat entered and met with the attorneys in a sidebar conference, but we are still waiting for the jury to enter.
The courtroom has filled up a bit more since the last update.
9 a.m. -- We're waiting in the courtroom for the defendant, Nathaniel Fujita, to enter.
The courtroom is fairly empty this morning.
Astley's parents, Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne, are here.
Fujita's parents, Tomo and Beth Fujita, are also here.
Both sets of parents have been here throughout the trial.
Hannah Blahut, Astley's best friend, will be back on the stand to start testimony.


text:
Step 1. Shopping Basket
If you change the quantity of books ordered, remember to press 'update' to make your changes permanent.
By adding a book to the shopping basket, we have set two cookies on your computer in order to keep track of the books in your basket. These cookies will persist on your computer. Please read our Cookie Policy for further details.
This is your BooksfromScotland.com shopping basket. Click on continue shopping to choose more books.
Special Offers on our Books of the Month
Introducing Georgian Glasgow: How Glasgow FlourishedAdd to Basket
The 18th and early 19th centuries were a time of remarkable expansion for Glasgow. Described by Daniel Defoe as 'the cleanest, beautifullest and best built city in Great Britain', the city expanded from a population of 13,000 in 1712 to over 200,000 by 1832. But what were the causes of this rapid growth in size, wealth and influence? This book looks at the importance of industry, trade, and how the city's place on the commercial trade routes grew the fortunes of the Glasgow 'tobacco lords' and the effects of Empire and links with slavery.
Mind BlindAdd to Basket
Ciaran Bain is a criminal with a special talent: he can read minds. But his skill comes at a price. Lucy Shaw wants justice for her dead sister. Killed for a secret Ciaran's family wants burried, his sister's blood is on his hands. Only together can the unlikely allies uncover that deadly secret. They can run, but where can they hide if they are never safe, even in their own minds?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Latest News
Square Enix Orchestrates New Portable Gaming Experience with Demons' Score THD
Square Enix is one of the game publishers that embraced the portable games space early. The maker of hit console game franchises like Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider and Hitman is developing original titles for the latest smartphones and tablets. One such unique offering is Demons' Score THD. Takahashi Tokita, producer on the game at Square Enix, explains how NVIDIA Tegra technology helped the game maker orchestrate portable success in this exclusive interview.
Can you talk about how you've worked with NVIDIA on this game?
We used Unreal Engine 3 for development from the beginning, but we had difficulty in developing the Android version. And with that, we focused on Tegra 3-powered devices to get help from NVIDIA with whom we had already been sharing information. We collaborated with NVIDIA in advancing development as Demons' Score THD and added effects not possible in the iOS version due to limited processing speed.
What have they provided in terms of tech that has helped with development?
They arranged development tools for Tegra 3 and the necessary version of Android OS, which were very helpful for us. Since, in Demons' Score THD, we sometimes tried to achieve graphic quality exceeding the iOS version, even with all the high power of Tegra 3, we had to face with difficulties in development. However, thanks to the generous support from NVIDIA, especially from professionals having profound knowledge about Tegra 3 and drawing, we were able to tackle big challenges. They also helped us out with program implementation, including the establishment of a drawing system tailored to UE3, optimization of drawing and lowering of input delay.
How does your game make use of the latest Tegra technology? Without the high power of Tegra, we could not have improved graphic quality. We are also taking advantage of Open GL extensions for optimization, which are only available on Tegra. We would have been happier if Depth Buffer precision were more than 24 bits and if Tegra supported Depth Texture generation.
How does this impact the gameplay experience?
We were able to deliver the consumer-class supreme quality graphics to users of mobile devices.
What are the challenges of developing for Android devices today? How does NVIDIA help with this?
Heterogeneity of devices, of course. This is good for users, but it poses serious obstacles to game developers. Especially, Demons' Score THD is a title for which we used Unreal Engine3 to provide gorgeous quality never achieved in smartphones and tablets. Given the growth potential of the growing tablet markets, we decided to focus on Tegra 3 powered-devices in our development. During development, lag time between touch input and display output was a serious problem. In DEMONS' SCORE THD, we customized buffering of UE3 in order to compensate drawing delay. NVIDIA kindly customized almost all its implementations. It can be said for mobile devices in general that performing high quality shader requires expensive drawing cost. But thanks to the shader code optimization made by NVIDIA, post-effects used for consumer devices can now be implemented on Android devices.
Can you talk about the gameplay experience and how consoles have inspired you?
I have grown up in step with the evolution of digital games since the era of Invader games and TV tennis games. Beginning from simple controls up to the endless evolution of storylines and visual expressions, I experienced everything from the Big Bang to the prosperity of civilization. With the advent of role-playing games, I witnessed its growing potential as new media enabling us to experience stories as a main character. It was very impressive to me, partly because I was involved in theater. I was producing Final Fantasy IV at that time. Then, Parasite Eve, which I produced with overseas CG professionals. That made me realize that it was evolving into a medium that gave us real image experiences. After that, games rapidly underwent capacity enlargement and the shift to HD, and the high-end mobile environment market we see now was expanding. While the game environment has made notable progress during the last few decades, I believe that the core of gameplay -- the fun experienced by players -- will remain universal.
What are your thoughts on what can be done with tablet gaming today?
Now, we can enjoy experiences on tablets and smartphones which were only possible on console machines several years ago. I guess the big difference is simple UI, play time and environments. Unlike smartphones, we can share plays and images on tablets. Taking into accounts networks and communities, I think new game experiences, consolidating features of all devices including game machines and PCs, have infinite potential.
What were your goals heading into this game?
Our goal was to create a new genre anyone can play that had an amazing quality. We picked up a variety of storylines and simple UIs, instead of QTE, to explore new a genre only mobile devices can realize.
What does your title bring new to the genre?
When you look at it as a sound game, it's the storylines and situations players can feel through gameplay. When you look at it as an action game, it's the situations and music and UI optimization.
Can you talk about the story and the game universe?
The scene is set in present day. The whole story starts off when a college girl, Serenity, visits the Salme State Hospital & Laboratory, where her missing father, Dr. Aliester, worked. Guided by a talking teddy bear, David, she sets out to track down her father and marches into the Laboratory, which has been turned into a demon's world where a myriad of demons are waiting for her. She has an application software Demons' Score, sent by her father, which enables demon's power to possess her. A wide variety of boss demons will wait for her, depending on the genre of BGM. When the heroine gets possessed by demons defeated by the power of Demon's Score, her power, appearance, character and voice will change, along with the scores of melodies being played.
What are some of the environments players will engage in?
The gameplay time is around five minutes long per one sequence, so players can easily enjoy a high-end gaming experience in short time increments.
How is this game different from others?
Anyone can experience dramatic gameplay in an intuitive manner. The gameplay undergoes marked changes depending upon the types of demon possessions, which is also the appeal of this game
What do you think tablet gamers will really like about this title?
Tablet devices can give you gameplay with more beautiful visuals. I think tablet devices are easier to control because they have bigger screens. One of the greatest advantages of tablet devices is that you can share your playing images with your mates.
How do you see tablet gaming evolving over the next five years?
Even now, high-end gameplay of this level is possible in terms of the specs. Moving forward, the progress toward cloud environments will accelerate after the further enhancement of memories and acceleration of the telecommunication environment will allow us to share stuff of higher quality with our friends comfortably. Connecting with the TV at home and enjoying higher definition images and sounds will become more common. We are looking forward to delivering new games to players by means of simpler and more comfortable interfaces made available through the advancement in devices.
Images and Videos
Leave a comment:
*-indicates a required field


text:
Contact: Meredith Dickenson or Ellen Sterner 214-768-7650
Dec. 19, 2003
DALLAS (SMU) — Mining on the moon. American forces out of Iraq by summer. A growth industry for college admission officers thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Affirmative Action. These are some of the predictions for 2004 by Southern Methodist University experts. From education, energy and law to foreign affairs, national politics and health care, we polled some of our smartest people for their industry outlook. Reporters interested in contacting them may call SMU Office of News and Communications at 214-768-7650. We will have staff available through the holidays to return calls.
Affirmative Action
SMU law professor Maurice Dyson is an expert on education law. A former attorney with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, Dyson has written extensively on educational testing, school funding, civil rights and The No Child Left Behind Act.
• "Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has given the green light to race as a factor in college admissions, universities will struggle to find cost-efficient ways to consider race while trying to avoid formulas, quotas and statistical models, which the Court has sternly admonished."
• "Without the convenience of these formulas, colleges will need to hire more reviewers to evaluate the whole file of an applicant. Some law schools will comply, while other undergraduate universities will be too cash strapped to afford the new hires. As a result, a marginal increase of applicants will get the benefit of this consideration initially."
• "We can expect affirmative action opponents to pressure alumni donors, challenge race-based financial aid and scholarships and target universities it suspects are impermissibly applying formulas as a thinly veiled proxy for quotas."
Mark Baxter, director of SMU's Maguire Energy Institute, is a former executive for Marathon Oil, where he managed large-scale, global projects in China, Japan, Russia and much of Europe. At the Maguire Energy Institute, he works with a 27-member board comprised of CEOs from a cross-section of the world's energy companies. The Institute provides educational programs to industry managers and tracks emerging issues in the fields of oil & gas, coal and alternative fuels.
• "More agreement on the need for space exploration, in particular returning to the lunar surface. Energy companies will want to mine for Helium 3, an isotope used in fusion energy, and the Bush Administration is expected to make an announcement about space exploration."
• "The race to construct Liquid Natural Gas receipt terminals in the U.S. will become more aggressive. The starting gun is sustainable higher natural gas prices. Those at the finish line will have both deep pockets and certain financial interest in the complete supply chain."
• "More evidence that we are vulnerable on foreign influences, especially those where oil and gas is within their sovereign boundaries. As such we will see higher oil and gas prices, and therefore higher gasoline prices at the pump, electricity costs, and heating of homes. Energy shortages, irrational price controls by OPEC, and obtaining foreign concessions in Arab countries will all contribute to this. Don't be surprised if in February OPEC cuts its quotas further."
• "More aggressive unofficial OPEC policy such as their wavering commitment to price controls being. We saw in 2003 that OPEC tried to justify its quotas based on foreign currency exchanges. A pattern to paying attention to world currency market will continue. This is already being substantiated by OPEC's false future demand projections based on the same guidelines that have not come to fruition, such as Iraq's quick return as a major world supplier."
• "World events such as an escalation of terrorism, rising increases in both oil and gas imports, and natural gas prices in the first quarter of 2004 will give impetus to passing a national energy policy, but only after some major overhauls and concessions are agreed upon."
The Economy
Al Niemi Jr., dean of SMU's Cox School of Business, is an economist with a specialty in regional economic development. He frequently gives talks on the economic outlook of the state and speaks to numerous civic and business groups. Niemi has written six books and more than 200 articles on economics and economic development, which have appeared in leading business periodicals and academic journals.
• "On average, I expect net job creation of 145,000 jobs per month, creating a net growth of 1.75 million new jobs in 2004. The expansion and economic recovery seen during the third and fourth quarters of 2003 will increase in 2004 with strong consumer spending and job growth driving the economy forward."
Economist Mike Davis teaches finance and economics in SMU's Cox School of Business. He has written on the economic value of crime prevention and sports complexes.
• The first half of 2004 will almost certainly not mirror the second half of 2003. This is not to say that things will go badly—the consensus forecast, which I share, is for growth rates in the range of about 4 percent. But as the stimulus from the tax cuts and mortgage refinancing wears off, we can't expect the economy to continue growing at an annualized rate of greater than 7 percent.
• Expect the unemployment rate to continue dropping at its maddeningly slow pace. Given the influx of workers into the labor force and the rapid rate of productivity increase, even a healthy growth rate of greater than 4 percent and an inflation rate less than 1 percent won't dramatically reduce the rate of unemployment.
• Of course, I might well be wrong. And if I am, it will probably because of one of the following reasons: (1) Consumers were a lot thriftier with the extra cash from tax cuts and refinancing than I thought. I think most of the stimulus has already happened, but figuring out what consumers are up to is tricky at best. They might have money in their pockets (or credit cards not yet maxed out) that they'll spend next year. (2) The productivity increases lead to a brave new world of business spending. I can't believe this isn't going to happen sooner or latter. Maybe it will be sooner. (3) The decline in the dollar leads to huge increase in exports. (4) The curious inflation numbers we saw this month foretell a serious disinflation, leading to a crisis in confidence.
Texas Public Education
Katherine Hargrove, associate dean of Education and Lifelong Learning. is director of SMU's Teacher Education Program. She is a frequent commentator on teacher education and salaries and school testing. Hargrove, a former classroom teacher and curriculum writer, has been in education for more than two decades.
• "High-stakes testing will come under increased pressure as parents and schools realize the implications of "No Child Left Behind." NCLB, in fact, will be scrutinized and hopefully tweaked. While enacted with the best of intentions, a majority of educators are rebelling about its overly simplistic approach and the use of a mechanistic "business" model when dealing with individuals."
• "Concerns will continue over the actual 'meaning' or accuracy of test results as a result of the Houston school district's alleged dropout rate and test score manipulation. Other methods will be devised and implemented better to measure student progress.
• "Teacher shortages will be examined more carefully. Many rural and some urban schools will have difficulty locating highly-qualified science and mathematics teachers. Teachers of foreign languages will be needed. In every area, increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking children demand many more bilingual teachers. Another shortage area is special education."
National Politics
Considered one of Texas' top political observers, Cal Jillson specializes in American politics and the development of American political institutions. He is the author or editor of 10 books, including, Pursuing the American Dream: Opportunity and Exclusion Over Four Centuries, as well as a widely used American government textbook.
• "The attempt to draw-down U.S. forces in Iraq by June 2004 will take on the feel of a skedaddle."
• "Expect Democrats to be harried throughout the south with the 'gay marriage' issue."
• "There will be a fascinating struggle between Republicans trying to define the prescription drug bill as a major success and Democrats seeking to describe it as corporate welfare for the drug companies. Seniors will decide the issue at the ballot box."
• "The U.S. Supreme Court to use the Pennsylvania redistricting case, Vieth v. Jubelirer, to set limits on partisan gerrymandering. In the meanwhile, the federal courts may well strike down the Republican redistricting in Texas. And even if they don't, look for Charlie Stenholm to hold his seat."
• "President Bush will win narrowly even though voters will express deep misgivings about key policies, like Iraq, the fairness of the tax cuts, and the continuing loss of jobs in the economy. Pundits will debate whether the result reflects voters weighing personal qualities over issues or simply the power of huge amounts of money to buy elections."
The Middle East
Michael Provence, assistant professor of history, is an expert on 20th-century Middle Eastern politics, in particular Arab uprisings. From 1998 to 2000, he lived in Syria as a Fulbright Scholar. Because he says historians don't make predictions, he's basing his outlook for the Middle East on historical cases from the United Kingdom in Iraq, France in Syria and Algeria, and the Israelis in Lebanon.
• "The situation in Iraq will further deteriorate as the election draws near. The Iraqi insurgents will seek to influence the election by stepping up attacks. Press coverage will be further circumscribed. Bin Laden will claim responsibility for, or at least praise, events in Iraq that he has no connection to. The government will use this as post-facto evidence for the war."
• "There will be no Weapons of Mass Destruction found."
• "The government will respond to increased attacks with bombing of towns and cities and withdrawals to secure compounds. Large areas of Iraq will have no contact with Americans except by air assault. The government will be forced to withdraw troops quietly as it runs out of money, and is unable to seek more money before the election."
• "There will be additional overtures to the international community to provide troops and money. They will not succeed."
• "After the election, serious evacuations will occur if President Bush is re-elected. If someone else is elected, there will be a new overture to the United Nation, with mixed results."
Health and Medicine
A nationally recognized expert in health-care law, Tom Mayo has written more than 20 scholarly articles and book chapters on such subjects as the legal implications of AIDS, abortion, right to die, neurosurgical ethics, medical futility, pediatric end-of-life care, health care fraud and abuse, surrogate parenting and patient's rights. In addition to teaching at SMU's Dedman School of Law, Mayo is an adjunct associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. In 1989, he co-founded the Dallas Legal Hospice, Texas' first pro bono legal aid clinic for persons with AIDS and other terminal diseases. Mayo also serves on the ethics committees of several area hospitals and co-chairs the committees at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children's Medical Center.
• "In Health law, it will take two to three months before seniors, physicians, hospitals and others have finished their review of the massive (and hugely complicated) Medicare reform bill signed into law by President Bush. It may take months longer to evaluate many of the provisions, and only time will tell whether other provisions were wise or foolish. Seniors are already figuring out that the pharmaceutical benefit, which doesn't kick in for two more years, will leave many of them poorer than they were before the benefit was enacted.
How much worse remains to be seen, but the political backlash has already started and may mean that health reform will be a potent issue in the 2004 national elections, but not for the reasons the Administration and incumbent congressmen were hoping."
• "In bioethics, cloning-for-research (also known as "therapeutic cloning") will continue to be hotly debated. The House of Representatives passed a bill, which is still sitting in the Senate awaiting floor action, that would ban all cloning (reproductive and therapeutic). The more moderate Senate is unlikely to go along with the House on this, while the medical-research community and disability groups are turning up the heat to allow research on stem cells that have been derived from cloned embryos and to liberalize the Administration's rules for using federal funds for such research."
• "In family law, expect more states to follow the lead of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last month and declare their states' ban on same-sex marriage violates their state constitutions. President Bush and at least half of the Congress that is running for reelection in 2004 will campaign on a pledge to support a constitutional amendment declaring marriage can only be between a man and a woman."


text:
Derry News
---- — Little ghosts and goblins will trick-or-treat to collect as much candy as they can this Halloween, but it is not just kids who will enjoy the treats.
Nearly 80 percent of parents admit they eat their children's Halloween candy, according to the Delta Dental Children's Oral Health Survey. But some candies have the potential to do more damage to teeth than others.
"Parents should encourage their children to choose candy that will not stick to teeth, such as powdery candy or plain chocolate bars," said Dr. Michel Couret, chief dental officer at Northeast Delta Dental. "These types of candy dissolve quickly and do not stick to teeth as much as chewy candy. When sugar remains on teeth for extended periods, bacteria feeds on it and produces cavity-causing acid."
Couret said the best way to protect teeth from decay is to have candy in small portions at limited times, such as after a meal, as dessert or at regular snack times. Nearly 90 percent of parents say their kids consume Halloween candy this way.
"It is best to avoid letting children snack on candy throughout the day," Couret said, "and it is important that kids brush their teeth or at least rinse with water after eating sweets. Remember that high sugar diets can be detrimental to oral and overall health."
While no sweets are good for teeth, some are less harmful than others. Northeast Delta Dental rates the best and worst treats for teeth on a scale of one to five, with one being least harmful.
1. Sugar-free candy and gum with xylitol: Sugar-free foods do not contain sugar that can feed on bacteria in the mouth and produce decay-causing acids. Gum and candy with xylitol may actually protect teeth by reducing the acids produced by bacteria and increasing saliva to rinse away excess sugars and acids.
Delta Dental's survey says 44 percent of kids eat sugar-free candy at Halloween.
2. Powdery candy (such as sugar straws): Sure, powdery candy is packed with pure sugar. But powdery candy dissolves quickly and does not stick to the teeth.
3. Chocolate (such as candy bars): Chocolate dissolves quickly in the mouth and can be eaten easily, which decreases the amount of time sugar stays in contact with teeth. And calcium could help protect tooth enamel. However, chocolate with fillings, such as caramel and nuts, is a lot more harmful for teeth than the plain variety.
Delta Dental's survey says 86 percent of children eat chocolate at Halloween.
4. Hard candy (such as lollipops or mints): Hard candy is tough on teeth because it tends to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace for an extended period of time. Plus, biting hard candy can chip or break teeth.
Delta Dental's survey says 50 percent of children eat hard candy at Halloween.
5. Chewy candy (such as caramels or gummies): Chewy, sticky treats are particularly damaging because they are high in sugar, spend a prolonged amount of time stuck to teeth and are more difficult for saliva to break down.
Delta Dental's survey says 57 percent of children eat chewy candy at Halloween.
Another way to protect teeth is to give kids something other than candy. Nearly 25 percent of parents hand out non-candy items to trick-or-treaters, such as toys, money or fruit. For additional tips on how to help keep children's teeth healthy during Halloween and all year long, visit the Tooth Fairy's Halloween website at toothfairytrickytreats.org.


text:
Lack of comprehension around water rates outside Fort St. John has prompted City staff to start work on a fact sheet for Peace River Regional District residents who use the service.
If that fails to placate, tough luck, said two members of the administrative body.
Lori Ackerman, a PRRD director and the mayor of Fort St. John, said she has explained the reasons for the higher rates paid by residents outside the city.
A group of 57 people is complaining that water rates for people living at the Airport Subdivision are too high. Residents of that area have been bothered since 2008, when their water rates were increased.
The inner-city rate is $1.12 a cubic metre plus $1.18 for sewer, and PRRD users pay $3.60, plus another $3 for sewer.
"It doesn't cost anymore for them to treat our 57 households as it does the rest of the city. It doesn't cost them more to pipe the water out to the airport than it does to the OSB. There's no cost to sending the water out there except for sending the water out there," said Donna Greenway, from the Airport Water Committee.
"I've had people say what's the big deal? Well my water bill was $900 for three months just because I wanted to water my grass a bit in the summer. (Ackerman)'s telling people that's just the way it is, it costs money, we don't know what we're talking about. Well, we do know what we're talking about."
Whether or not residents comprehend or accept the explanation of rates is beside the point for several reasons, Ackerman said.
"It's done. It's dealt with," Ackerman said. "The City has water. We provide water to our residents who, as taxpayers of the City, have contributed over the decades to the water system. We do not get any property tax input or any money into our capital infrastructure (from Airport residents). So this is a non-issue."
She added the area is outside her jurisdiction, so she can't talk policy with Regional District residents. They currently have no avenue through which to change anything they don't like about their water service, according to Ackerman.
"If you don't like the price of the water, you can go elsewhere. The information has been given to these people before. We are developing a fact sheet, I don't know when it's going to be ready because this is not a City priority."
Ackerman said she has asked the PRRD to host a meeting at which she could provide the information for affected residents. However, she said that she has only had one complaint.
"I've only heard from one, Jeri Pearson," she said. "If this woman is saying there's 57 people complaining, I haven't heard about it. They all email to each other and then I get one email from Jeri."
Part of the confusion likely stems from residents being not fully aware who is supplying the water and how. Residents may get their water from the tap, but that doesn't mean the City is handling the delivery, at least in the case of the Airport Subdivision.
"The City of Fort St. John delivers water to the airport," said Moira Green, airport services managing director. "And that line runs right down 100 [Avenue] to a pumphouse in a field on airport land. At the pumphouse, there are two distinct distribution systems. One to the north, which serves the subdivision. One to the south, which serves the airport and airport tenants. There's a meter immediately outside the pumphouse on the north loop. And that meter belongs to the PRRD.
"Anything that goes into the loop is metered, and then each home in the subdivision is metered. So the PRRD actually bills their tenants for water based on what's going into each house and what goes through their metre shack."
Residents also believe they are billed an extra $1.20 for Airport billing administration, bringing their bill for water to $7.20 per cubic metre. However, what the airport actually collects is a 20 per cent markup on its products and services.
"It's a 20 per cent markup because we maintain all of this infrastructure. So we're paying for the pump units, the sewage disposal pumping, we're paying to maintain all of that. We, meaning the user of the airport, is paying. So whenever you fly out of here, you pay to park your car, you pay to buy your coffee, that's what's paying. There's no tax dollars here."
Fred Banham, PRRD chief administrative officer, said residents complaining about water prices have one option: lower consumption.
"Everybody is getting so confused over who charges what," Banham said. "Nobody's making money on this, nobody's profiting from it. If you don't want to pay what it costs for water, reduce your consumption. Everybody seems to complicate a bunch more things and go way back in history and say, 'Well it never cost us that much for water,' well you know what? You're lucky. You've been fortunate. The reality of the situation is, the cost of water is going up. And the only way to get around that is monitor and control your consumption."
He added the Airport residents are unique for a rural community as they don't have to truck water in, have access to fire hydrants and a (figuratively speaking) unlimited supply of water from the tap.
Banham also said the smaller the community, the larger the financial burden.
"A water system that is built on 57 properties is a very small footprint to share the cost of a domestic water system. They're expensive to maintain, look after and provide for, forget about paying for the fluid. If you take a community the size of Fort St. John you have a large base with which to share those costs.
"So there's a larger cost associated with each of the 57 people. If we had 200 people that cost would be shared amongst those 200 and the cost would be less for the same volume of water per household, though the price per unit would be the same."


text:
In their ongoing promotion of a "greener" environment, Town of North Hempstead officials might have to spend more green.
A resolution authorizing the execution of a lease agreement between the Town of North Hempstead and Westbury Toyota for use of a hybrid plug-in Prius at the town's "Yes We Can" Community Center will be discussed at a board of trustees meeting Tuesday at Town Hall in Manhasset.
The lease amount for the vehicle was not immediately made available to Patch.
In 2012, U.S. sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles improved dramatically from 2011 numbers, according to greencarreports.com.
Advancing what he calls his "ongoing mission" to keep North Hempstead green, Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the town board have authorized environmental initiatives including: the Recycle The Rain project; a recycle store and school programs such as the recycled art contest, "trashion show," Earth Day video contest and Food For Feed program, among others.
Also at the meeting, a vote on a bond resolution appropriating $850,000 in funding for the acquisition of the Great Neck Arts Center is expected. The town board voted last month to acquire and change the name of the center to the Gold Coast Arts Center. Town board member Dina DeGiorgio voted against the plan.
Additionally, a bond resolution to appropriate $14.8 million in serial bonds for improvement of facilities of the Carle Place Water District will be discussed at a public hearing.
Public hearings Tuesday include:
- A proposal considering an application by Ivy Enterprises for site plan approval at 3 Seaview Blvd. in Port Washington. The proposed action consists of the construction of a new 72,457 square foot warehouse and office space on a 3-acre vacant parcel in the Seaview Planned Industrial Park.
- Consideration of contracts for various fire departments in the Town of North Hempstead.
The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. See the full meeting agenda in the photo section.


text:
Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.
"The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American
Swift. Three chords and a cloud of dust.
To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.
-Albert Einstien.


text:
|Welcome to Aris Horticulture, Inc.
|We are a leading grower and researcher of high quality ornamental plant products. With 90 years of experience, we understand the business challenges of our customers and continually strive to bring better plants to market, more efficiently and more profitably.
Green Leaf Plants®
Blooms of Bressingham®
Keepsake Plants®


text:
Grid List
Childrens Genuine Cowhide Leather Motorcycle JacketITEM: 8070 These street-wise motorcycle jackets are handcrafted utilizing only premium-grade leather and trim materials. Classic detailing includes snap-down epaulets and lapel, zippered pockets and five-inch zippered slit sleeve. Comfortable bi-swing back. Front belt. Leather-trimmed inside pocket. Fully lined, poly filled. Imported. Leather clean. COLOR: Black. AVAILABLE SIZES:* BOYS' (8-18)Learn More
Regular Price: $219.99
Special Price $119.99
1 items go top


text:
I am basically at a loss on this one. I was just searching (fun to search for dumb things, like pipes) and came across this image. So I searched further and found a link full of these images. Anyways, check it out at the link below the picture.
See more of these HERE.
Report: Ron Paul signed off on racist newsletters.
Adam Jacobi fired from CBS for premature Joe Paterno death story.
Tweets still must flow – Twitter develops a way to censor tweets by country, depending on a given nation's set of laws. For example, Germany forbids pro-Nazi content. The alternative is to stay out of some countries altogether. Twitter hasn't used this, but if they do, you'll see it here.
Tim Cook responds to claims of factory worker mistreatment: "We care about every worker in our supply chain" – Apple's CEO, in response to a lengthy piece in the NYTimes about conditions in Chinese factories that make Apple's products, says in a letter to employees that his company has a program training workers on their rights and safety.
Polish Politicians Don Guy Fawkes/Anonymous Masks To Protest ACTA Signing and European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA
President John Tyler's grandson is still alive, thinks Newt Gingrich is a jerk.
5 Famous People Who Succeeded Long After They Should've Quit.
What debate? He's pushing text book class warfare. End of story.
(Chicago Tribune) — President Obama said Friday that one of the biggest fights he will wage on the campaign trail is the GOP criticism that his tax proposals amount to "class warfare."
Nothing against the wealthy, Obama said, "everybody wants to be rich." The question is, he said, whether the nation is offering opportunity to all.
"We're going to have a robust debate about whose vision is more promising [for] moving this country forward," Obama said.
The left's logical case for abortion rights had officially collapsed. We can thank CNN's Piers Morgan for administering last rites when he resorted to the tired, sensationalized, "Yeah, well, what if your daughter was raped?" argument with Rick Santorum in a televised interview.
…you see virtually no liberal willing to speak to the most fundamental question of the entire controversy: the humanity of what is in the womb. They simply declare any discussions of humanness, biology, and personhood rights to be above their pay grade, and thereby dismiss themselves from any expectation or obligation to answer questions that would expose their logical bankruptcy. Instead, they set the parameters of the debate, and draw conservatives into wildly emotional exchanges that inflame passions rather than engage intellects.
Morgan's disgraceful retreat from sound logic to the manipulative playground of emotion-driven passions is as transparent as it is embarrassing. This question is designed not to reveal any truth in the abortion debate, but rather, it is a tactical scheme made for the cameras in which the liberal questioner puts the conservative respondent in a corner. If Santorum says he would deny his daughter's pleas, he looks like the cold and heartless goon that Morgan believes him to be. If he says he would relent and allow his daughter an abortion, he surrenders his moral high ground and appears a hypocrite.
And though Santorum answered the question effectively, stating that he "would do what every father must do…try to counsel your daughter to do the right thing," there's a greater point to be made here. Liberal politicians never have to answer such outrageous emotionalism in their interviews. Can you imagine, for example, Barack Obama being called on his condemnation of former President Bush's advanced interrogation techniques with this challenge: "If Sasha and Malia were kidnapped and were being held and brutally tortured by terrorists, and we captured one of their accomplices who had knowledge of their secret hideout, would you not authorize any force necessary to get your girls back?" Can you fathom the outcry against such a loaded, sensationalized question?
Read the article here.
People Should Replace Their Drudge Bookmark and Blogroll Spot With This Aggregator…BadBlue
And go there daily!
Talk about spouting bullshit!
President Obama seemed to admit that his State of the Union (SOTU) speech ran too long, as he acknowledged to House Democrats that they "had to suffer through" the event, before recapping the State of the Union in 40 minutes less time than the original.
"You already had to suffer through a relatively long speech from me this week, so I'm not going to speak too long," Obama said at the House Democratic Retreat today. "What I wanted to do, first of all, was just say thank you [for your public service]."
Obama empathized with "how much your heart bleeds when you see constituents are going through a tough time." …
Justice Dept. to SCOTUS on Obamacare: Don't overturn entire law
Okay, got my final form from the OPM today about what I get each month for my postal pension. It lists my gross amount, then line by line what is deducted from that to end up with the net amount I actually get each month. Yes, the even take out of my retirement a portion for federal income tax! Geesh.
Anyways, the raise I got on the COLA for this year? That was eaten up real fast by the increase in my health benefits plan! Geesh again!
So now, barring some crap by our president or one of his czars or agencies, I know what I will get each month this year.


text:
such a great makeover on the dresser – and oh what a wonderful nursery it's turned out to be. absolutely lovely.
c x.
You did a great job. I love the yellow and pink, and the room is lovely
Such a beautiful nursery! You did an amazing job on that dresser!
I love how this turned out! Love the pink and yellow!!
Liz Marie this is so adorable. I LOVE how you did it!
Oh my gosh it is FABulous!
My goodness, you have such amazing taste! What a g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s nursery! Please, please, please, come and link this up to the Head to Head Showdown, going on right now at http://www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com
I hope to see you there! ~Jen
love your blog and love the nursery!
so very pretty! Great job
Great job on the dresser! I'd say the color names suit it perfectly.
What are the different baby furniture available with you? Nursery Glider we are providing is decorative and in different design. To enjoy our decorative nursery glider contact us:-
nursery glider
You did a great job! It looks great in that room! Come on over and link up to the Make It Monday Linky Party!
Following from the blog hop!
Such a pretty transformation! Love the nursery colors too – good job! -Jill
Great transformation! I love it! Such fun colors
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life
Fit, Fun and Fashionable after 40
I love it. I'm stopping by from the Monday Mingle hop. I'm following by gfc, facebook and twitter. I'd love if you'd stop by my blog too. Have a great day.
Lisa @
Super Cute Liz! Lovin' the yellow dresser with brown walls
Thanks for sharing and inspiring
Visiting from HomestoriesAtoZ linky party,
Suzanne in NW Illinois at WhyCuzICan
Beautiful & sunny! Love that color and paint job!
It's absolutely beautiful!! Love the pink detailing on the dresser!
looks amazing as always and I want that room for me!
Ooo what a perfect dresser for a baby girl's room!! I love that you made the pulls and the legs pink- those details just make it so sweet and fun. And that nursery is absolutely darling.
It looks beautiful! Can you post a picture of the art above the crib?
i love it in the nursery against the white and dark walls! it looks awesome!!
What a fun and pretty dresser!
Very Cute I love it! Great Job
Such a cute dresser! I love the yellow!
Beautiful, bold and fun! I love it. The nursery is darling!
Saw you over at Primp
that dresser is screaming' "happy happy!" love it!
What a cheery color…and I love the pink accents, which would have never occurred to me to mix together! Lovely room
Love this! I can't even imagine it in a better color. Perfect for the little one.
What an amazing color combination! Fabulous job!
WOW! What a beautiful dresser…it makes the nursery in my opinion!! You did a wonderful job!
Very pretty!!!! Love the color combination!
Sweetest nursery ever. Love it!
Beautiful! Love the pink accents. What a pretty nursery!
What a beautiful piece and I love the pink too! What a darling nursery. Some little girl will be smiling, I'm sure of it.
Be a sweetie,
I just came across your blog and love it! This piece of furniture is so happy – love the colors! Your friends nursery is so beautiful. Love every detail. I read that your family is from MI – me too!
That dresser is lovely. Glad I came across you link on a linky party! You did a great job.
Just Another Day in Paradise
Wow, I never would have thought to re-do that dresser! You did a great job! And I love the punch of yellow in the room. My monthly link party, Tuesday's Nursery opens Dec 6th and I'd love for you to share this! Have a great weekend! Nan
The dresser is beautiful! Working on something for family or friends can be stressful!
congrats on the God Daughter!
Thank you so much! It is stressful, You want it to be perfect! & Thank you for the congrats! Hope you had a great weekend…
Absolutely love this! I don't have baby girls, but if I did. . . . . this would be it! Amazing.
Love this dresser and nursery!
So pretty! That might be the cutest nursery I have ever seen! Great job on that dresser! BEAUTIFUL!
Cute CUTE CUTE! What a great piece, and I love the pink pulls!
What a beautiful nursery! Great job! Thanks for sharing
Ohhhhhhh my gosh! I LOVE this dresser. The pink is the perfect pop. I LOVE it! You are so darn good! :o) Now darn it that we don't live close so we could paint together!
Jaime from crafty scrappy happy
Love this makeover! The color scheme is adorable, perfect for a little girl's room!
Warm Wishes,
This is so pretty! I love the bright yellow with pink accents. And the whole room looks gorgeous all put together!
i love the color of the dresser, perfect for the room…which is adorable too!
I love the pops of color in this room. So pretty! I'd love for you to link it up to my Feature Friday Linky Party
The whole room is luscious! What a great room! The dresser is such a pretty pop of color! I'd love if you'd link it up to my party!
I LOVE the yellow and pink together and have been looking for a way to combine the two! …Thank you so much for including the color!


text:
Enid News & Eagle
— Garfield County OSU Extension Educator Marlene Buck will teach a class on how to construct a trendy, warm scarf made from a T-shirt on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the Extension Office, 316 E. Oxford. This is a free workshop and open to the public. Contact the office at 237-1228 to register and get a supply list.


text:
By Rex Huppke
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
I didn't give any college commencement addresses this year. Administrators probably assumed I had already been scooped up by the biggies - Harvard, Yale, The Iowa School for the Perpetually Perplexed - and didn't bother to ask.
Regardless, I have sage advice for recent graduates preparing to enter the workforce. I thought about getting them each an iPad, but at this juncture, what's more valuable than life lessons from someone they don't know who graduated more than 20 years ago?
Here then is America's Most-Beloved Workplace Advice for New Graduates, courtesy of America's most-beloved workplace advice columnist:
The first thing you want to do before entering the workplace is to get a job. It gets awkward when you walk into a company and start working without being hired.
When I graduated, I was still job searching. It took me about three months before I had lined up something in my field. I called that "The Cool Approach," positing that having a job lined up right after graduation would make me look too eager and that a grueling post-graduation job search gave me better stories to tell in bars.
I'd guess many of you are using The Cool Approach, and that's fine. You will find work, as long as you keep pressing.
Which brings me to my first piece of advice: Don't hold out for a dream job; just find someone who will pay you to do stuff.
Early in my career, I moved and was job searching in a new city. I got an offer from one news organization, but was being "considered" by another with a loftier reputation. I called a former editor, a chain-smoking, gravelly-voiced grump of a man straight out of "haggard newsguy" central casting.
I asked him what I should do.
"Huppke!" he hacked. "You need someone to pay you to write stuff. Take the damn job!"
I did, and it got my career going.
So I'm modifying his advice and telling you to get into the workforce as quickly as possible and start doing stuff. That's how you learn; that's how you build. I don't care if the job isn't ideal. It might even be tangential to the field you want to be in, but it's a job and it will help you develop not only work experience but also contacts and a reputation.
Which brings us to pithy advice sentence No. 2: Be a decent human being.
That has become a mantra of this column, and it's of immense importance to people starting their careers. Whatever kind of work you do, whatever your abilities, the thing you have the most control of is your personal brand. What kind of a person are you? Do people like you? Do you play well with others?
I've known plenty of people with marginal skills who have done great in life because they're nice, hard-working, willing to chip in when needed and generally pleasant to be around. If you can pair those qualities with exceptional skills, you'll be a powerhouse in any company.
I don't care if your first job stinks or if you feel like the work is beneath you. Charge into that workplace every day and work your butt off, treat people respectfully and build a reputation as a decent human being. THAT will take you places. And a non-jerk reputation is something you will take wherever you go.
Of course a sizable part of being a decent human being is not thinking too highly of yourself. Advice nugget No. 3: Be humble.
Most of us come bounding out of college thinking we're the smartest person in the room. We imagine our skills will be discovered swiftly and rocket us to the highest rungs of our professions.
I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. My first job was busing tables at Applebee's. Being yelled at for putting the ketchup and mustard in the wrong place on the table will humble you up real quick.
And that's good. You can maintain your self-confidence and enthusiasm without being a pompous upstart. You just have to absorb a concept that eludes most young people: this is a long game, and you're just getting started.
Pace yourself. Learn everything you can. Recognize that each job, or each position in a company, is a steppingstone.
I don't believe in the old hierarchical model of employee advancement. I think if you're good, you should be noticed and rewarded, regardless of age or experience. Thankfully, more and more companies are thinking that way as well.
But that doesn't mean you walk in the door and reach your dream job after six months. You have to learn the basics, building your brand as a smart and likable worker.
Impatience will show in your attitude and behavior. It will sully your aspirations. And nobody likes sullied aspirations.
Remarkably - perhaps mercifully if you're a young person whose parents are forcing you to read this - that's all the advice I have for you. I could fire off dozens of more specific thoughts on dealing with work and managing careers, but these are three foundational points: Get a job. Be a decent human being. Be humble.
You'll screw up stuff and make a few enemies and go through some miserable times. We all do - that's why it's called "work" and not "a white-sand beach in Bali."
But you'll be fine. And, like me, you'll find work you truly enjoy - and know the proper way to arrange the condiments at Applebee's.
Rex Huppke writes for the Chicago Tribune. Send him questions by email at rhuppketribune.com or on Twitter RexWorksHere.


text:
Aquinas Academy of Livingston invites all parents and prospective students to its Transitional Kindergarten Open House on December 6th from 9am-11am and 6pm-7:30pm.
This new program, called Kindergarten Prep - A Year to Grow, offers a new choice in early childhood education, focusing on children who either miss the October cut-off date or just need an additional year to grow socially, academically, or physically before entering kindergarten.
The demands of kindergarten are greater than ever. Children who are not developmentally ready for the increased workload and challenges of kindergarten get easily frustrated and fall behind. Allowing these children one more year to develop gives them the skills they need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.
The Kindergarten Prep Open House will take place in Aquinas Academy's Primary Department where Kindergarten Prep students will be exposed to an elementary school environment, affording them the opportunity to interact with school-aged children. All Kindergarten Prep students will participate in art, gym, music, and Spanish instruction and will be included in all school-wide activities.
There is no need to RSVP, but if you would like more information about the upcoming Open House, please consult the school's website at www.aquinasacademynj.org or call Aquinas Academy at (973)992-1587. Aquinas Academy is located at 388 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston, NJ.


text:
Fossils reveal a strong-armed, dead-end hominid
Brawny-limbed human relative walked and climbed trees in East Africa
M. Domínguez-Rodrigo et al/PLOS ONE 2013
A first look at the strapping arms and legs of an unusual member of the human evolutionary family has arisen from new fossil finds at Tanzania's famous Olduvai Gorge site.
A team led by paleoanthropologist Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo of Complutense University of Madrid unearthed nine teeth and large parts of two arm bones and two leg bones from an adult male Paranthropus boisei. This hominid, known for having a relatively small brain, big jaws and large teeth at the back of the mouth, lived alongside early Homo species in eastern Africa for about 1 million years before dying out.
Age determinations for volcanic ash layers that border fossil-bearing sediment indicate that this Stone Age hominid lived 1.34 million years ago. Until now, P. boisei fossils dated from around 2.3 million to no earlier than 1.4 million years ago.
Large, powerful limbs enabled P. boisei to both walk upright and at least occasionally spend time in the trees, the scientists report December 5 in PLOS ONE. The ancient Olduvai guy stood just over 5 feet tall and weighed about 136 pounds, the team estimates.
M. Domínguez-Rodrigo et al. First partial skeleton of a 1.34-million-year-old Paranthropus boisei from Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. PLOS ONE. Published online December 5, 2013. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080347.
B. Bower. No nuts for you, Nutcracker Man. Science News. Vol. 179, June 4, 2011, p. 8.
Note: To comment, Science News subscribing members must now establish a separate login relationship with Disqus. Click the Disqus icon below, enter your e-mail and click "forgot password" to reset your password. You may also log into Disqus using Facebook, Twitter or Google.


text:
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
FN Radio Live
Fox News
Fox Business
Fox News Latino
Fox News Radio
Fox Nation
Fox News Insider
Expand Menu
Fox News
Fox News
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
Fox News Radio
Logout Provider
Popout player →
Enlarge player →
powered by
Who's sending ricin-laced letters to elected officials?
Apr. 17, 2013 - 5:44 - Insight from former New York state Homeland Security czar Michael Balboni
Interact with the Show
← Back to Browse Live


text:
Welcome International Customers
We're excited to share our jewelry collection with you!
Just choose your country and currency to personalize your shopping experience.
We're excited to share our jewelry collection with you!
Just choose your country and currency to personalize your shopping experience.
C. 1960 Vintage 5.60 ct. t.w. Amethyst and .36 ct. t.w. Diamond Bracelet in 14kt Yellow Gold. 6.5"
Our Price: $2,395.00
C. 1960 Vintage 5.60 ct. t.w. Amethyst and .36 ct. t.w. Diamond Bangle Bracelet in 14kt Yellow Gold. 7"
Our Price: $2,395.00
Roberto Coin "Primavera" 5.90 Carat Amethyst Bangle Bracelet in 18kt Yellow Gold. 7"
Price: $1,660.00
Item#: 798848
C. 1980. This hinged 10.45 carat amethyst and 1.20 ct. t.w. diamond bangle bracelet from our Estate collection is a masterpiece of jewelry design. If features a great big oval amethyst in the center, with open work, multi-row detailing, and a vine motif dotted with sparkling round brilliant cut diamond dewdrops. Very pretty! 14kt yellow gold bangle bracelet. Exclusive, one-of-a-kind Estate Jewelry.
Details Gift
Box Our 100%
3/16-3/4 inches
14kt 14KT: Karat (abbreviated kt or K) is a unit that indicates the purity of gold in the metal. 14kt is 58.33% gold. In the United States, 14K yellow gold is most favored and used in jewelry. Yellow Gold YELLOW GOLD: Gold is a precious metal with a natural yellow color. It is quite soft and often alloyed with other metals to increase its strength. The purity of the metal is indicated by a unit called a "karat," with 24kt having the highest percentage of natural gold.
Polished POLISHED: A buffed-out finish used to produce a mirror-like shine.
Stone 1:
Diamond Diamond: The hardest and most brilliant of all gemstones, a diamond can make the heart race with its pure and fiery spark. An ancient symbol of love, a diamond is the preferred gemstone for tokens of affection, such as rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Diamond is the birthstone for April. (Quantity: 12, Shape & Cutting Style: Brilliant, BRILLIANT: A gemstone cut to enhance brilliance without sacrificing much carat weight. Typically has 58 facets. Color Grade: G-H, Clarity: SI1-SI2, Weight: 1.20 ct. t.w.)
Center Stone:
Amethyst AMETHYST: A natural variety of quartz, amethyst ranges in color from deep purple to pale lavender, and even to warm greens. Amethyst has been used during meditation to provide a sense of spiritual balance. Amethyst is the birthstone of February. (Color: Purple, Quantity: 1, Weight: 10.45 carats, Size: 18x12 mm)
Recently Viewed Items
You May Also Like
C. 1980 Vintage 3.20 Carat Amethyst and .80 ct. t.w. Diamond Ring in 18kt Yellow Gold. Size 5.75
Our Price: $2,895.00
C. 1970 Vintage 23.00 Carat Amethyst and .75 ct. t.w. Diamond Ring in 18kt Two-Tone Gold. Size 7.5
Our Price: $3,395.00
C. 1990 Vintage 13.05 Carat Amethyst and 1.60 ct. t.w. Diamond Cocktail Ring in 18kt Yellow Gold. Size 5
Our Price: $3,395.00
11.00 Carat Green Amethyst and 1.65 ct. t.w. Pave Diamond Ring in 14kt Yellow Gold
Clearance: $2,275.00
8.75 Carat Green Amethyst Ring With Brown and White Diamonds in 14kt Yellow Gold
Our Price: $1,895.00
Learn More About: Estate Jewelry Yellow Gold Diamond Amethyst


text:
Labor, Business Leaders Meeting With Obama Are Also Big Campaign Spenders
President Obama turns outside Congress to build support for deficit deal.
As President Barack Obama opens the White House doors to labor and business leaders to rally support for a deficit reduction deal, it's important to remember it's only after they opened their wallets to politicians of all stripes during the 2012 election cycle.
The biggest money came from labor unions, including the SEIU, AFSCME, and the AFL-CIO, and nearly all of it donated to Democrats up and down the ticket. According to the most recently available campaign finance reports compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, labor and other progressive groups that met with Obama on Tuesday donated more than $80 million in the 2012 cycle to candidates. About 94 percent of that went to Democrats.
Business leaders, from companies representing a variety of industries, such as Aetna, American Express, Wal-Mart, and Xerox, are scheduled to meet with Obama on Wednesday. They, and their employees, have also made their mark by fundraising for politicians, contributing about $18.7 million to this election cycle, according to CRP totals. On average, about 60 percent of their donations went to support Republicans versus about 40 percent to Democrats. Honeywell, General Electric, and Wal-Mart were the largest spenders, according to filings.
Some of the individuals headed to the White House are big donors too, although they primarily gave to Republicans. Andrew Liveris, Dow's president, chairman and CEO, gave more than $100,000 to Republicans and $35,000 to Democrats, and Chevron Chairman and CEO John Watson gave about $75,000 to Republicans. Conversely, Bob Greenstein, founder and executive director of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, gave $3,000 to support Democrats.
[RELATED: A Simpleton's Guide to the Fiscal Cliff]
These totals reflect known contributions, not total giving, as companies, labor groups, or individuals could also donate unlimited amounts anonymously to nonprofits that spend on elections as well.
Obama will also meet Friday with bipartisan congressional leadership. The president and House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, failed to reach an agreement during similar talks last year, but lawmakers are renewing efforts to make a deal in the face of a looming 'fiscal cliff' that includes automatic tax increases for all Americans, as well as drastic, across the board spending cuts. Labor and progressive groups have been lobbying against cuts to domestic spending programs. Business leaders, in the past dead-set against any closing of certain tax loopholes or raising of tax rates on the wealthy, are signaling they are willing to show flexibility in exchange for a deficit deal that includes reforming entitlement spending on programs such as Medicare.
[READ: The Next Election to Obsess Over: Italy]
"No one can dispute that our nation's entitlement programs are unsustainable and it is mathematically impossible to fix our spending problem without serious entitlement reform," said Bruce Josten, vice president for government affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The group sent a "multi-industry coalition letter" to Obama and Congress on Wednesday pressing for action.
"We urge the president and Congress to work together to address the fiscal cliff and achieve a 'Big Deal,'" he said, adding that such an agreement would put the country "back on a path to growth and fiscal balance."
Obama hopes that by rallying outside support for a mixture of targeted tax increases on the wealthy and specific cuts, he can help pressure Congress to act where it has balked before.
More Political News:
Rebekah Metzler is a political writer for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow her on Twitter.


text:
iPhone - iPod
9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2013 Answers for iPhone - iPodHome / iPhone - iPod /
Game Questions & Answers (Q&A) service lets you ask questions about video games for game consoles or PC games. So ask your 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2013 question for iPhone - iPod and get answers from real gamers or answer questions and share your insights and experience with the rest of the gaming community. Note: This apple iPhone game app may also be compatible with the game app for apple iPad.
- Developer: Com2uS
- Publisher: Com2uS
- Genre: Simulation General
- Release Date: Jul 26, 2012
- ESRB: Not Set
Question & Answers
Register rank and prize
How do i register my rank? the first one to tell me ill send them a normal buster posey 87 power contact 82 power 81 eye D speed S defense or a rare level 4 kimbrel or to make it better. why not both and 7500 points
Answer this QuestionAll Questions Ask a Question
Unanswered Questions
Where is the challenge of the day?
From: CollapseTheory
From: CollapseTheory
Total 0 Answers
Posted on: 05-25-2014
Posted on: 05-25-2014
Updates for lineups?
From: Sox2419
From: Sox2419
Total 0 Answers
Posted on: 04-07-2014
Posted on: 04-07-2014
How do i get all the Menu boxes back on my screen?
From: Fanatic
From: Fanatic
Total 0 Answers
Posted on: 01-06-2014
Posted on: 01-06-2014
Videos You May Like...
View All Videos
9 Innings 2013 - Gameplay Trailer
- Nov 13, 2013, Views: 141
Game Related Options
New Released Games
- The Wizard, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Card Battle RPG - DunEvi - Dungeons And Evil, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Bremen Puzzle, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Pong Pong PANIC!, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Frog Orbs 2, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Guess The Picture (2014), (Iphone-Ipod)
- SplashLinks, (Iphone-Ipod)
- So Many Monsters, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Slang Syrup, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Nano Cutter, (Iphone-Ipod)
Popular iPhone - iPod Games
- Virtual Families 2: Our Dream House, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Simpsons: Tapped Out, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Secret Society: Hidden Mystery, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Sims: FreePlay, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Nemo's Reef, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Hay Day, (Iphone-Ipod)
- My Singing Monsters, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Stardom: Hollywood, (Iphone-Ipod)
- DragonVale, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Covet Fashion, (Iphone-Ipod)
Popular Videos
- Kim Kardashian: Hollywood - Gameplay, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Episode: Choose Your Story - Gameplay, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Settlers - Kingdoms Of Anteria - Announcement Trailer, (PC)
- How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Ready To Fly Trailer, (Wii)
- Kick The Boss 2 - Gameplay Video, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Secret Society: Hidden Mystery - Let's Play Trailer, (Iphone-Ipod)
- The Sims FreePlay - Easter Update Trailer, (Iphone-Ipod)
- Style Me Girl - Gameplay Stylish 3D, Glamorous Trailer, (Iphone-Ipod)


text:
Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star
Incoming freshman Thomas Dil had no idea that a VIP would help him move into the Bauer-Sames-Bogart residence hall Friday afternoon.
He soon learned that the guy helping him and others carry in boxes, luggage and musical instruments was none other than James Conwell, the new president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, who began his tenure May 1.
Of course, the small media entourage accompanying Conwell might have tipped people off.
The president, who has a down-to-earth style and a quick sense of humor, soon put Dil at ease. When Dil, a Tampa, Fla. resident, told the president he played the violin, Conwell shared, "I can play the radio."
Of course, family took photos of Dil and his Brazilian (South America) roommate, Georges Adam, with the college president.
"It's been nice to meet you," the president said as he left the room in search of more freshmen, and more stuff to carry.
As Conwell began his work in sweltering heat that registered about 94 degrees, he joked with those nearby, "Where do the cars with the light stuff stop?"
Later, he said, "I love work. I could watch it being done all day."
Adam, commenting on the president's hands-on approach to move-in day, said one thing that prompted him to choose Rose-Hulman was the family-like atmosphere. "Everyone is family here," he said.
His mother, Elena, said that is reassuring to her as she prepares to return home to South America. "It's good to know everybody supports him," she said. "I'm sure he will have a great time here and learn a lot."
Adam said the school's No. 1 ranking by U.S. News and World Report also caught his attention. For years, Rose-Hulman has been ranked the No. 1 undergraduate engineering college in the nation.
Dil's mom, Barbara, was pleasantly surprised that the college president helped her son move in. "I can't believe he was here," she said, smiling.
Conwell also helped freshman James Broughton with move-in.
Broughton's father, John, was impressed. "I like a guy who rolls up his sleeves, and on a 90-plus degree day," he said. They are from Libertyville, Ill.
Friday was move-in day for Rose-Hulman freshmen, and as usual, it's a group with some pretty impressive credentials.
• The Median SAT and ACT scores are the highest in more than a decade.
• One in 11 freshmen students has a perfect math score on either the SAT or ACT.
n 93 of the 334 incoming students graduated first, second or third among high schools that rank in class.
• The median weighted high school GPA was 3.97.
The freshmen class also includes a record number of women (125); students from 34 states and nine countries; and a record number of international students, with the largest group from China (48 students).
Others are attending from India, Thailand, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Canada.
The 561 freshmen and 15 transfer students represent the second largest number of new students in the institute's history, officials say. That success, plus returning students, means Rose-Hulman will start the academic year with record enrollment.
Total undergraduate and graduate enrollment will be about 2,250, said James A. Goecker, vice president for enrollment management.
The freshmen moving in "are not one dimensional kids," Goecker said. About half were involved in high school athletics, and many others were involved in music or drama.
The incoming class was selected from a record total applications (5,046).
Campus housing is at 102 percent of capacity, Goecker said, with some tripling of rooms. "Students like being on campus," Goecker said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Best Guilty Indulgence San Francisco 2000 - Parking on the Sidewalk
Yes, it's illegal to park on the sidewalk. But there's something so bold, so daring, so straightforward about it: After all, if the essential parking requirement is open pavement, the city has plenty of that. Sure, some neighbors may yell at you, or leave notes on your car condemning it as a fire hazard (in the latter case, however, we suspect a fellow sidewalk-parker had become disgruntled when he found his spot occupied). But then, when you think about it, it's only a $25 ticket, handed out perhaps one out of every 10 times. Which reminds us: We'd better go move our car.