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Study Subject: Any field of study
Scholarship Level: Postgraduate (masters, PhD, Postdoctoral, research)
Scholarship Provider: World Bank Group/World Bank Family Network.
Scholarship can be taken at: USA, Canada
Scholarship Description
The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) was founded in 1981 to honor the memory of Margaret Craig McNamara (1915-1981), the wife of Robert S. McNamara, President of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981.
In 2005 the MMMF began exploring ways to expand its scholarship program to include study in developing country universities. Between 2007-2010, pilot grants were awarded to 15 students studying in South Africa.
The MMMF awards educational grants to women from developing countries whose graduate studies and future plans aim to benefit women and children in their respective regions. Commitment to this goal is an essential selection criterion. (See also MMMF Scholarships in Africa)
Eligibility Criteria
A woman is eligible to apply for an MMMF grant if she meets all the following criteria:
- has a record of service to women and children and a commitment to improve the lives of women and children in developing countries.
- resides in the U.S. or Canada at the time she submits the application.
- is enrolled (in residence) at an accredited U.S. or Canadian educational institution for the academic year 2012-2013, intends to be enrolled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
- uses the grant toward the completion of her degree.
- is a national of a lower or middle income country, as designated by MMMF Country Eligibility List (see list in 'Eligible Groups' below).
- is not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, permanent U.S. resident or Canadian Landed Immigrant.
- intends to return to her country(or other developing country) within two years of receiving the MMMF grant.
- demonstrates financial need.
- is at least 25 years old by December 31, 2012 (i.e. Born before December 31, 1987).
- is not related to a World Bank Group staff member or their spouse.
Eligible Groups
For students from developing countries who are currently studying in the United States or Canada. Country Eligibility List—Academic Year 2013-2014 is as below:
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Rep., Chad, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt , Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Other Countries: Afghanistan, Ecuador , Macedonia, FYR of , Albania, Arab Rep., Serbia, El Salvador, Seychelles, Malaysia, Antigua and Barbuda, Eritrea, Maldives, Solomon Islands, Argentina, Armenia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh , St. Kitts and Nevis, Belarus, Georgia, Mexico, St. Lucia, Belize, Micronesia, Fed. Sts , St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Bhutan, Guatemala, Moldova, Suriname, Bolivia, Mongolia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Syrian Arab Rep., Guyana, Tajikistan, Brazil, Haiti, Bulgaria, Honduras, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia, Iran, Islamic Rep. of, Nicaragua,Tonga, Iraq, Trinidad and Tobago, Cape Verde, Jamaica, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Palau, Turkmenistan, Chile, China, Kiribatii, Panama, Colombia, Korea, Republic of, Papua New Guinea, Ukraine, Comoros, Kosovo, Paraguay, Uruguay, Kyrgyz Rep, Peru, Uzbekistan, Lao PDR, Philippines, Vanuatu, Costa Rica, Latvia, Poland, Venezuela, RB, Lebanon, Romania, Vietnam, Croatia, Russian Federation, West Bank & Gaza, Yemen, Rep, Dominica, Samoa, Dominican Republic, São Tomé and Principe
Participating Institutions
Any accredited institution of higher learning in the USA and/or canada
Sponsorship Duration
The grant is a onetime award to last for the full duration of study
Scholarship Benefits
The MMMF awards grants of approximately $12,000 each; grants are not renewable.
Every year, the MMMF also invites the recipients to Washington DC to participate in a three day Awards Program organized in their honor.
Method of Application
A complete application package consists of the following (NO EXCEPTIONS):
- One Online Application Form (see item A below). Click here to have a look at a draft application.
- Two Recommendations using the online form and instructions (see item B below).
- Four additional documents as listed in item C to be sent in one email.
|Choose one of the following options to start/access your online application:
|First Time User:
|Returning User:
|Register to apply
|Log-in to continue with application
[B]. Online Recommendation Forms: Deadline- January 11th, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST
- Two online recommendation forms are required. One must be from a professor at your present institution. The other can be from a former professor/supervisor from your country or elsewhere. At least one of these individuals should have known you for at least two semesters.
- These recommendations must be sent to email@example.com no later than January 11th, 2013. Please remind your referee to use the same full name for you, as per the electronic application form.
Please scan and send the following documents in one email, as separate attachments. Send documents as word docs, pdf or jpeg. (We do not accept encoded documents.) Make sure each attachment contains your surname (last/family name, as per passport) and number that corresponds to the document numbers below. [For example,"XYZA-3.jpg" would be a copy of Ms. Xyza's official transcript]Please make sure to submit ALL documents as listed. Only complete applications will be accepted.
- Copy of your passport picture page;
- Copy of your US or Canada visa / study permit;
- Copy of your Official transcript for Fall 2012, or most recent transcript, from your current university only (if your program is for research and without grades, a progress report from a supervising professor must be submitted ), with institutional seal and Registrar's signature;
- Official confirmation of registration in your academic institution for current semester, with institutional seal and Registrar's signature. Acceptance Letters are not needed and do not substitute for Proof of Registration/Enrollment.
Application for academic year 2013/2014 is open from October 15th until January 9th, 2013. Please see timelines above.
NOTE that it is essential to visit the official website (see link below) for full and detailed application information.
The MMMF does not answer phone queries regarding grants. Please send your emails to email@example.com. For more contact details and information, click here
Scholarship Application Deadline: 5pm, 9 January 2013 (annually)
Scholarships Open to International Applicants: Yes
More Scholarship Information and Application
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subset: commoncrawl


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(AP) Two Republicans appear to be headed to the Alabama State House of Representatives following special elections. Republican David Standridge, of Hayden, won district 34 on Tuesday with nearly 55 percent of the vote. His Republican opponent Chris Latta, of Oneonta, received 45 percent. Alabama Republican Party Executive Director Timothy James Maloney said there was no Democratic contender. The district covers most of Blount County and part of Jefferson County. Republican Mack Butler, of Rainbow City, won district 30 with 53 percent of the vote, compared to nearly 47 percent for Democrat Beth McGlaughn, of Southside. The district covers Etowah and St. Clair counties. Maloney says results are unofficial. He expects final results to be tabulated in the next three days.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>


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Hello all!
I just wanted to quickly introduce myself in this discussion section. I had AML when I was 10 and then again at 13. I had both a bone marrow and stem cell transplants along with the chemo and such. I am now 23 years old with a master's degree in speech-language pathology working with kiddos in a school in Washington State. I try to stay involved in anything cancer related, so I am super excited to be apart of this online community! The NCCS is fabulous! Please please feel free to ask me any questions. I am here to help and provide support in any way that I can.
Views: 188
Wow! Our Oncologist said it was like 1 in a billion chances that a sibling would have cancer. I can't even imagine having two children going thru treatment. You are a very strong woman!!!!!! My husband is a nervous wreck about our son thinking he could have it and wants bloodwork done on him every 6 months. It can really stress you out if you let it. I try to be as strong as possible as we are only at the beginning stages. Reading this posts does help with support and strength. Wishing you all the best!!!!!!!!!
Hi, I am currently going thru APML with my 5 yr old daughter who is on a clinical study. They are replacing one form of chemo with Arsenic to avoid relapse. I am guessing Arsenic wasn't something you had for treatment? I am finding it very difficult to find another child with AML/APML. It seems to happen in older children and young adults. The parents that have reached out to me (only 2) both had sons. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hello Melissa! When I was going through treatment Arsenic wasn't part of my treatment plan. I honestly don't remember what kinds of chemo I had to have. Do you have any specific questions? I could also give you my mother's information. You might like to talk to her parent to parent :) Anything to help!!
Your mother's information would be great if she wouldn't mind. I am very interested in talking to a parent who has went threw AML treatment with their child. Thank you!
Awesome! I sent you a friend invite so I can send you her information to your inbox. :) She would love to talk with you :)


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Barely more than one month into its first term, and the administration of President Barack Obama is entering the rarefied world of Never-Never Land — the mythical world of Peter Pan where wishes magically come true and in which the normal laws of nature do not apply. How else, for example, to explain the president's statements last weekend — delivered apparently with quite a straight face in his weekly radio address — that despite adding probably $1 trillion to the already mushrooming federal deficit and national debt, and on top of an additional $100 billion or so (the actual numbers are impossible to figure at this point) with his just-announced housing-rescue package, he plans to actually cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term? Only in the magical world into which Peter Pan took Wendy Darling and her siblings, could a government leader actually believe in such nonsense. Whether the president himself has fallen victim to believing the "walk-on-water" rhetoric employed by many to describe his new administration, however, is not really the question. After all, many (if not all) modern presidents have exhibited a propensity to inflate what is possible and to ignore the reality of actual numbers and facts.
The real question is, have a majority of Americans allowed themselves to be transported into Never-Never Land with President Obama? Have Americans so deluded themselves with visions of federal sugar plums dancing in their heads that they now believe adding some $1.6 trillion in the past year alone to our already debilitating national debt can be reversed and the record-high deficit substantially cut back even as massive federal spending accelerates? Do those clamoring for a piece of the money pie baked with borrowed ingredients not realize that increasing taxes, as the president proposed in his rosy radio address, will lead to scaled-back business activity and decreased employment? Will taxpayers be seduced into thinking that cutbacks in military spending in Iraq, which President Obama has promised, will not be gobbled up by increased military spending in Afghanistan (which the president has already ordered)?
Do Americans not realize — or care — that someone, sometime (our children and grandchildren, perhaps) will have to pay back the debt we are accumulating at a record pace? Do they understand — or care — that an increasing amount of that debt is held by foreign governments, ranging from China to Brazil? Do they fail to comprehend the power that creditors wield over those who are in their debt?
Of course, even in Never-Never Land, there are rocky shoals. For example, the newly installed secretary of transportation, former Republican congressman from Illinois, Ray LaHood, last week broached the idea that as a way of increasing tax revenues from highway usage, "[w]e should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled." Even though the administration's press spokesman, Robert Gibbs, quickly distanced the president from LaHood's proposal, in the Bizarro World of 21st-century American politics, you never really know for sure what's real and what's illusory.
But the scenario now being played out is actually humorous. We have a Republican secretary of transportation calling for a new, privacy-invasive tax program designed to dramatically increase the amount of federal taxes citizens pay for the privilege of putting gasoline in their cars and trucks, being slapped down by a Democratic president who is proposing to spend more money at a faster clip than any president in our history. Truly, we are living in strange times.
Do these guys even talk to each other? Do they have Cabinet meetings? Are policy initiatives vetted at all? It was one thing to have a sitting Republican U.S. senator — Judd Gregg, announced as the president's choice to replace New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary designee — suddenly discover policy differences with a Democratic administration and withdraw his name before the first confirmation hearing. It is another matter altogether for a sitting Cabinet secretary to start announcing a major transportation policy initiative apparently at odds with his boss' plans. Or was it?
One cannot ignore the possibility that all this is smoke and mirrors, and the president already does, or eventually will, support the vehicle mileage tax (VMT). In true Bizarro World fashion, was it not at government prodding that Americans began buying more fuel-efficient cars and driving fewer miles, thereby reducing federal gas taxes? In this strange dimension, it seems only fair that government tax us more for doing precisely what it has urged us to do. And after all, there's no pain in Never-Never Land.
March 30th, 2009
12:37 pm
Maybe, just maybe, they the public should check on the number of times the A.F. 1 has been flown and various members of congress have used AF planes for their use. Could we the tax payer demand that they pay time and charges for the use???


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It's done. Over. Complete. Finished. Finalized. In The Books. Through with.
Which ever way you cut it, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, which included Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, is now at an end. Never again will Christian Bale suit up as the Caped Crusader and never again will Mr. Nolan step behind the camera to direct what we've all come to know as the best superhero series of all time.
So, with that in mind, it's time to get all sad and teary eyed and reflect on the trilogy as a whole. In particular, let's look back on the top 10 moments from Christopher Nolan's re-defining trilogy and let's examine what made them so spectacular.
Please note that there will be spoilers for all three films in this article.
*Special thanks to Will Chadwick for his help in putting this together.
A Bird? A Plane? No It's A Tumbler – Batman Begins
Without a doubt, one of the best parts of Batman Begins is the chase scene involving Batman's Tumbler. For one, the vehicle is an absolute beast and to see it roar to life, and then take out that cop car almost instantly, is a sight of sheer delight. What proceeds though, is even better.
"I've gotta get me one of those," says Commissioner Gordon as he sees the Tumbler take off. Funny, I was thinking the same thing when I first saw the vehicle too.
With policemen in hot pursuit, the "black tank," as one cop calls it, proceeds to race through the city streets with Batman and Rachel inside the vehicle. As the chase progresses, the Tumbler ends up on the top level of a parking garage. Seemingly cornered, it looks as if the Caped Crusader is at a dead end. Just as all hope seems to be lost, Batman asks us to trust him and as we're still deciding whether that's a good idea or not, he takes the Tubmler and jumps it across to the next building.
The chase then takes place on two levels, with the cop cars following on the street and the Tumbler shredding apart houses and buildings as it leaps from rooftop to rooftop.
As one of the cops yells on the radio "he's flying on rooftops," we see the Tumbler do just that, as it soars across a rather large gap and lands on the roof of a house, ripping up the tiles upon landing.
Really, I could go on and on about what a great scene this is but if you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm talking about. The Tumbler car chase is an excellent piece of filmmaking and is one of Batman Begin's most exciting sequences. To see that massive, tank-like vehicle just ripping through the streets, and then soaring across rooftops, well, you only get that in a Batman film, folks.
He Leaves A Calling Card – Batman Begins
Have you ever seen a final scene so chilling and tantalizing. When Gordon hands Batman the Joker card, I felt the hairs on my neck rise. It's the perfect sequel set-up. Nolan gives us the smallest hint at what to expect, all we see is a single playing card, but we already know what's in store for us.
The build up is excellent too. As Commissioner Gordon starts to describe the latest criminal at large to Batman, we don't realize the significance at first. "Armed robbery, double homicide," says Gordon. Ok, nothing special, right? "Has a taste for the theatrical, like you," continues Gordon. Now our attention is caught. Finally, the commissioner states that their newest target "leaves a calling card" at the scene of his crimes.
He hands the card to Batman and as it's flipped over and the Joker symbol is revealed, our minds explode. Cue four years of unbearable anticipation for The Dark Knight and a massive amount of internet rumors and speculation.
The scene then continues to play out. "I never said thank you," protests Gordon. "And you'll never have to," replies Batman, before leaping off the building and flying into the night as the credits come up.
Perfect movie ending? I think so. And that's a trend that Nolan would follow with his next two films in the trilogy as well.
Click below to continue reading.Next
The Bank Heist – The Dark Knight
Ah, the famous opening scene of The Dark Knight. As the film opens up we're thrown right into the middle of a bank heist, which also doubles as our first, electrifying introduction to the Joker.
A crew of thieves wearing clown masks swiftly carry out their heist as planned. Only, not everything is as it seems.
Betrayal and double crossing play into the heist and a fantastic William Fichtner (as the bank manager) rages across the room with a booming shotgun. As things escalate, and the money is finally collected, we're left with only two individuals, one being the Joker.
Soon enough, that problem has been taken care of thanks to the bus driver, whom the Joker promptly executes. Fichtner, lying on the floor injured, gives what seem to be his dying words, telling the masked villain that criminals in Gotham used to believe in honour and respect. "What do you believe in!?" screams Fichtner.
And with that the Joker walks over, plants a smoke grenade in the injured man's mouth and utters "I believe that whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger." He then pulls off his mask, giving us the first look at Heath Ledger's iconic character. The Joker then boards the bus and drives out of the bank, right past the police.
Simply beautiful, Mr. Nolan. A terrifically executed heist scene that perfectly sets the tone for the film and gives us a terrifying introduction to Batman's newest foe.
Busting Out The Batpod – The Dark Knight
Aside from featuring a mind-blowing trailer truck flip, the Batpod scene in The Dark Knight is a masterfully crafted scene that stands as one of the trilogy's best. For one, that Batpod is just so freaking cool, isn't it? Watching the Bat zip through the busy streets (as well as through the indoor shopping plaza) on his ultra-sleek and uber-cool Batpod is a real thrill.
And then there's that trailer truck flip, my god, that trailer truck flip. Mind-blowing? Yes! Jaw-dropping? Most definitely!
The scene is also an excellent example of just how twisted the Joker is, as we see him taunt Batman to come at him. "Hit me, hit me!" yells the Joker. Batman charges full speed ahead at his foe but pulls out of his beeline at the last moment, not able to go through with it.
The Batpod flies out from underneath our hero and leaves him injured, lying on the street. A smirk crosses the Joker's face and he walks over to his fallen nemesis. Just as he's about to extract some brutal revenge, Commissioner Gordon comes in to save the day, and put and end to a thrilling scene.
Vicious Interrogation – The Dark Knight
After much taunting and instigating, Batman finally gets some hands on time with the Joker in what is one brutal and vicious, though immensely pleasing interrogation scene. Watching the Bat toss the Joker around the room like a ragdoll is so incredibly satisfying that you'll want to rewind and watch the scene again as soon as it's finished.
The best part is Joker's resilience to Batman's threats, showing that he is truly an adversary that can not be defeated. The Bat has strength but the Joker has his mind. He continuously messes around with the Caped Crusader's head, making him angrier and angrier. It's a thoroughly enjoyable scene to watch as the two polar opposites play off each other wonderfully.
The Bat continues to dish out the pain and shout out orders but the Joker just continues to laugh and taunt, never letting Batman get the upper hand. Once the reveal about Harvey and Rachel is made, the icing on the cake is complete and the psychological mind game between the two is heightened to new levels.
Not The Hero Gotham Needs – The Dark Knight
Both haunting and chilling, the epic conclusion to The Dark Knight is a standout moment of the film, for many reasons.
Batman's humility and good virtue is shown in full here as he tells Gordon that the Joker can not win, stating that the city can't know what Harvey has done.
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain," growls Batman. He realizes that he has to be whatever Gotham needs him to be, fully accepting the fact that he must take the fall for Dent's actions in order to give hope to Gotham. "Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded," he continues on, as we see Lucius shut down the Bat Cave. It's a very symbolic moment and one that fits beautifully into Nolan's universe.
As the scene progresses, Hans Zimmer's epic score kicks in as the chase for Batman gets underway. The police and their dogs move in as Gordon watches, knowing that their actions are futile as the Caped Crusader is long gone.
"He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now," Gordon tells his son. "So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero, he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark knight," Gordon continues. And with that, we see Batman speeding off on his Bat Pod and the end credits roll.
Can you feel the shivers running down your spine? Has an ending ever been so poetic, fitting and beautiful? Can Nolan ever top this ending scene?
Believe it or not, in his next film, he does.
Click below to continue reading.Previous Next
Bane Breaks The Bat – The Dark Knight Rises
Throughout The Dark Knight Rises we have several very intense scenes of action and violence. Perhaps the most intense though is the Bane versus Batman fight, where Bane's uber strength crushes Batman into the ground in an all too brutal fashion.
After a long series of throwing punches, Bane caves in the cowl and then breaks Batman's back over his knee. It is a significant scene simply for the reason that we have never seen Batman physically crushed like he is here, it is a very shocking and powerful moment that quite honestly, changes the rest of the film.
In The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, the adversaries never really seemed to impose that much of a threat to Batman, mainly because he's Batman and he could beat seven shades of crap out of anyone. With Bane though, there comes a challenge that hasn't been there before. He breaks him down and for the first time we genuinely believe as an audience that in the end, Batman may not succeed.
It also a spectacularly staged moment. Set in Bane's underground sewer lair, it is a bizarre place for a fight as the two go toe and toe under a lashing waterfall and a cramped, rusting gangway. Nolan always seeks to visually entice us as much as possible and it is crucial that for a pivotal scene like this, that he can make it iconic as well as making it narratively important.
And that's exactly what he does.
Plane Escape – The Dark Knight Rises
We've seen our fair share of prison breakouts in the past, but we haven't seen too many that take place at nearly 10,000 feet in the air. This is a stunning opening set piece which brilliantly introduces us to Bane by using a hostage situation that turns into a breakout from CIA custody. It is breathtakingly exciting and, as far as I can tell, all done in camera, which makes it even more impressive.
The high octane, in the air stunt work is simply sublime and by achieving the scene in camera, it brings across Nolan's strive towards making it as realistic and physical as possible.
The scene is composed mostly in wide shots to truly show that this is happening above ground and while the planes are moving. Very few directors and stunt crews would have the balls or the patience to do something like this and it is a great credit to the stunt coordinators who got it to work.
This alone is the reason why stunt coordinators should get the Oscar category they have been trying to get for years. It's such a well executed scene and it truly is exhilarating. For me, it's one of the best stunt scenes I've witnessed in a very, very long time.
He's Back! – The Dark Knight Rises
The build up to finally feasting our eyes on Batman in The Dark Knight Rises is a long and tantalizing one. For quite a while we only get to see Bruce Wayne, an old and crippled Bruce Wayne at that. This is a long film and it has no problem building up to the return of our beloved hero. We sit there with great anticipation, just waiting for Bruce to come to his senses and throw on the cape.
And, when he finally does decide to take to the streets of Gotham again, Nolan re-introduces him in spectacular fashion. Out of nowhere the Caped Crusader flies in to assist the cops in their pursuit of Bane and his men. It's a incredibly exciting moment as we've been waiting four years to see Batman on screen again.
As Batman races in on his Batpod and fires his trusty EMP, cheers arose from the audience in my theatre. It is such a triumphant moment and one that we've been waiting to see for far too long.
As Batman chases after Bane and the Gotham PD chase after Batman, Nolan takes us through the streets of Gotham with fluid camera movement and spot on editing. Like all the chase scenes we've seen in his trilogy, it's nailbiting, suspenseful and absolutely perfect.
To top it all off, just when the police think that they have Batman cornered into an alley, he fires up the Bat (giving us our first real look at the epic flying machine) and zooms off, leaving them all stunned.
It's one of my favorite scenes of the film and a fantastic way to bring Batman back after all these years of waiting.
The End – The Dark Knight Rises
Honestly, I really didn't think that Christopher Nolan would be able to end his epic trilogy in a fitting way. To compose a final scene for such a celebrated and monumental trilogy is a daunting task and one that I thought could not be done. Now, having seen the film, I can safely say that being the genius he is, Nolan pulled off what I had considered an impossible task.
Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight ended wonderfully. In fact, Nolan has always been quite good at putting together ending scenes for his films. Now that his Dark Knight trilogy has come to a close, he has provided a totally appropriate and beautiful ending, one that is reminiscent of the poetic ending to Inception, as it plays the ambiguity card and leaves us scratching our heads as we depart from the theatre.
Was Alfred imagining things at the end? Is John Blake going to become the next Batman? Will he continue on as Robin? Did Batman really eject before the bomb went off? Did he even have time to? So many questions and so many different interpretations.
The ending to The Dark Knight Rises fit in so well with the themes that have been presented to us throughout the trilogy. Everything is wrapped up and despite the ambiguity, I felt no frustration as the credits came up, only happiness, pure happiness.
It was perfect in so many ways and it easily stands as one of the best trilogy endings of all time.
Now it's your turn, sound off in the comments and tell us what your favorite moments are and why!Previous


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User Reviews
The community thinks...
Overpriced Joke by NewESVowner on 02/28/2004. Trim: 2001 Lexus LX 470, Owned 3 years.
Pros: Nice Interior, Quiet ride, So So Engine, Trick 3rd row seats
Cons: Old ,seriously outdated styling that makes ugly G500 Benz look good. Styling not far enough away from Land Cruiser to justify price difference. Seqoia looks WAY better and should be the LX 470. Smooth but underpowered V8 compared to others in class. Overinflated price has Japanese engineers laughing all the way to the bank. Had a few minor motor problems. Small water leak in heavy rain leaves rear carpet damp once in a while. Can't beleive I sold My Denali XL for this heap.
Overall review: Hey everyone, buy the LX470 for $60K and look like an over tanned, 55+ empty nester woman driving in Florida to thier Botox appointment!! REPLACED LX470 WITH 04 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV. E S V IS 10 out of 10!!!!!!!!! Excellent.
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tzikeh: It cannot be said too many times: trust your gut instinct when it comes to "something about this is very, very wrong" situations, even if there is no hard evidence. We are wired to recognize signs of predators, but have been taught over and over and over to ignore those signs as "overactive imaginations," "wussing out," or (my favorite) "women's intuition."Yup. An ex-girlfriend is alive for just that reason, when she got creeped out by someone walking a half-block behind her. And last night I listened to the story of someone who narrowly avoided being the 34th victim of John Wayne Gacy.
If your gut says run, you fucking run. What's worse: being wrong, or being killed?
Bugbread: tzikeh: "It doesn't matter if you don't know why your body is telling you to run. Run anyway."Or, it means you need a regimen of anti-anxiety drugs. Changed everything for me.
Wait, you mean I have to run up the stairs every time I turn off the light, because my body is right in telling me there's some kinda hideous disfigured abomination right behind me??
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stands for lick my vaginia. like smd but the girl version.
katie walked over and threw me on the bed. she ripped off my clothes and sucks on my nipples. Once they got hard, i licked hers. it was fucking hot. then i told her, "lmv" and she did. until i got all wet. then she fingered me all night long.
by sexaymomma June 12, 2008


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|Chapter 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Travels to the Holy Places
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 9.45
hāri' hāri' prabhu-mate karena praveśa
ei-mate 'vaiṣṇava' prabhu kaila dakṣiṇa deśa
hāri' hāri' — being defeated; prabhu-mate — into the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; karena praveśa — enter; ei-mate — in this way; vaiṣṇava — Vaiṣṇava devotees; prabhu — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kaila — made; dakṣiṇa — South India; deśa — country.
Being thus defeated by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all these philosophers and their followers entered into His cult. In this way Lord Caitanya made South India into a country of Vaiṣṇavas.
<<< >>>
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness


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Beat were a Finnish band who represented their country in Eurovision Song Contest 1990. The group performed the song Fri? (Free?) in Swedish and finished 21st out of 22 countries, scoring 8 points. The group was composed of members Janne Engblom, Kim Engblom, Tina Krausen and Tina Petersson.
The song was also recorded in Finnish and English.


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The rebuilding process for the Penguins organization is complete from an NHL standpoint, but the club's remaining prospects have yet to fully develop.
The system looks depleted compared to other clubs, since three of their last four first rounders are in the lineup and Angelo Esposito was traded away. They also had two more prospects that fully graduated into the NHL in Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy. The Pens will need more prospects on this list to develop to make up for the past trades of Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen and the draft picks given up for Marian Hossa. The scouting and player development staff has had their hands tied behind their back in some respects, since management sacrificed some of the future to win now. Considering the talent level on the Penguins roster it was a good gamble to take and it remains to be seen if it will pay off. This group is full of mid-round picks, so it is up to player development to mold them into NHLers.
They do have some pieces that might develop into role players. They are hoping Luca Caputi, Keven Veilleux, Nick Johnson, Casey Pierro–Zabotel, Nathan Moon and Tim Crowder can mature. The addition of Eric Tangradi was an added bonus to the farm system and he can fill the grit factor left by Armstrong. Overall, the Penguins will need two to three good drafts to replenish the forward ranks.
The defence has a very promising offensive blueliner in Alex Goligoski, who played a good rookie season in the NHL. Behind him are Carl Sneep, Brian Strait, Alex Grant and Robert Bortuzzo, who all have some tools but need additional time to learn their craft. Goligoski is expected to be in the Pittsburgh's lineup full time next season, so the Pens must look at trying to add some skill and depth to the blueline.
The most prominent of netminding prospect the Pens have are David Brown - originally from Notre Dame - and Chad Johnson from Alaska. The two goalies they picked in last year's draft are late round picks Alexander Pechurski and Patrick Killeen. Free agent pick up John Curry has played well, but he is no longer a prospect and has been moved off the list. It is fair to say that the Penguins could use an elite level netminder in the system.
1. Alex Goligoski – Defence, 22 (2nd round, 61st overall, 2004)Currently with Pittsburgh/Wilkes-Barre (NHL/AHL)A smaller pucker moving defenceman with the ability to run the power play, Goligoski makes a nice first pass out of his zone. At 5-11 and 180 pounds, he will need to add some strength to handle larger forwards. He has all the puck skills and passing ability to produce and in the NHL and makes good decisions moving the puck. He has a good, accurate wrist and slap shot from the point which allows for rebounds and tips. To be effective he will need to be a puck possession defenceman and keep his feet going to avoid contact and play down low. He must work on keeping his head on a swivel, keeping the right angles and body position while using his stick to disrupt passing lanes. If he can make the transition to the NHL, he may be an offensive No. 4 defenceman. His 20 points in 45 games was good for a rookie and he made a solid contribution on the power play. He may need another year to work out his defensive game and gain some strength and weight before making the jump full time.
2. Eric Tangradi – Right Wing, 20 (2nd round 42nd overall 2007 – Trade Anaheim) Currently with Belleville (OHL)He's a strapping 6-3 and 214 pounder with offensive talent and the potential to be power forward. He has good puck skills, vision and hockey sense to make plays at a quick tempo. He also has a quick shot and can score goals if he is willing to linger in the crease. He can handle the physical battles, but can still take it to another level and be more assertive. He is a good skater overall and is working at his defensive game, but it still needs some work. He has put up great numbers offensively with 88 points in 55 games and is a playoff performer with 21 points in 16 games. His experience at the WJC for Team USA will help in his development, but expect him to play a season in the AHL.
3. Luca Caputi – Left Wing, 20 (4th round 111th overall 2007)Currently with Wilkes-Barre (AHL)He's an enigma as a player, because he can dominate in some areas of the ice and is a work in progress in others. He broke out three seasons ago in the OHL with 65 points in 68 games and followed up with an impressive 111 points in 66 games. As a rookie, Caputi looked very good posting 45 points in 66 games and is not that far away from the NHL. He has all the offensive tools you look for with the puck skills, hockey sense, vision and poise under duress to be an NHL player. His frame needs some strength and power before he takes his game to another level. His skating is not that good, but he gets there and he will needs to get a little quicker which should come when he is stronger. He shows determination and moxie playing in the slot and has a quick wrist shot and snapshot. He had taken his physical game to another level last season in the OHL and it reflected in his penalty minutes jumping from 66 to 107. With that aspect of his game in the right direction, his defensive game needs work before he turns pro. He has potential and talent, but it remains to be can be a complete package and not one-dimensional.
4. Casey Pierro–Zabotel – Left Wing, 20 (3rd round, 80th overall, 2007)Currently with Vancouver (WHL)After three seasons in the BCHL, where dominated the last year with 116 points in 55 games, he needed a new challenge. He followed that up playing two excellent seasons in the WHL, compiling 163 points in 121 games combined. He fine-tuned some aspects of his defensive game and intangibles. He has a better chance of being a legitimate prospect after playing in a pro style environment like Vancouver offers. He has good size on the wing, but he needs to use his size along the boards and cycle the puck more effectively. He shows good hockey sense and awareness around the net and has some good puck skills and can stickhandle to create some time and space. He's not physical, but will battle for pucks at times especially in the offensive zone and shied away when it came to fights compared to the past. He must continue to work on his hustle in the defensive zone but has the tools to play. He will make the jump to the AHL and might be better served for his long term potential to stay and develop for a couple of seasons.
5. Nick Johnson – Right Wing, 22 (3rd round 67th overall 2004)Currently with Wilkes-Barre (AHL)He's been a forgotten piece in the Penguins' farm system since he spent all four years of University at Dartmouth in the ECAC. Although Johnson produced 125 points in 133 games, his level of competition was not nearly as difficult as his peers. This lack of competition gave everyone a little uncertainty on whether he could make the jump to the professional. He possesses the size to handle the rigors of the pro game. The question remains on whether he has the hockey sense and puck skills to play the NHL game. He split time between the ECHL and the AHL in his rookie season and proved he belonged midway through the season. His shot is quick and shows some accuracy in close, but he will need to maintain a greater presence in the traffic areas to score consistently. On the defensive side of the puck, he is reliable due to his smarts but he needs to fine-tune some aspects of his game. Overall, he shows promise and just needs time to work on his consistency, conditioning and overall game before he takes the next step.
6. Keven Veilleux – Centre/Right Wing, 19 (2nd round, 51st overall, 2007)Currently with Rimouski (QMJHL) He's a lanky 6- 5 and 202 pound forward with the potential to play, but he leaves you constantly wanting more. Now he does not have elite puck skills, hockey sense or vision but they are good considering he has produced 167 points in 160 games in the last three seasons. He's an average skater for his size and his wingspan makes up for his overall quickness and agility. He has a good wrist and slap shot but neither one is overtly accurate or powerful. He must continue to work on his game without the puck and the importance of keeping his feet moving and using his stick and frame to limit options. He must show a willingness to play in the tough areas and play with feistiness and moxie consistently. He is a long-term project that might develop into a fine NHL role player.
7. Alex Grant – Defence, 20 (4th round, 118th overall 2007)Currently with Shawinigan (QMJHL)The 6-2 and 190 pound blueliner has the frame to fill out and will need long term development. He can make good passes and does some good things with the puck when he keeps his game simple. He makes better decisions with the puck when his has more time and space on the power play. He can skate well and has the quickness to jump into the play or retreat back to the defensive zone. He will bang and crash and will drop the gloves when needed and shows toughness in front of the net on most nights. He does not make quick enough decisions, so he must maintain good body position. He has produced offensively with 143 points in 245 games, but it remains to be seen if he can play at a higher tempo and speed.
8. Nathan Moon – Centre, 19 (4th round 120th overall 2008)Currently with Kingston (OHL)The one thing you can say about Moon is he has all the puck skills and hockey sense you want in a player. However, he needs to continue to work on other aspects of his game. From an offensive standpoint, it is hard to argue with 149 points in 130 games over the past two seasons but numbers are not everything. He can make nice passes and shows vision as a playmaker, but he just needs to be more patient and allow plays to develop. His wrist and slap shot is quick and accurate and Moon is not afraid to go into the slot. His skating is good from an agility standpoint but it would not hurt to have an extra gear in his quickness and foot speed to create separation. Away from the puck, he is beginning to understand some of the nuances and the importance they play in the creation of offense. He has become far better killing penalties and has a knack for getting shorthanded goals. Considering he is not that big, Moon has shown some feistiness to his game and can accumulate a lot of penalty minutes. If he continues to get stronger and faster, the Pens may have something.
9. Carl Sneep – Defence, 21 (2nd round, 32nd overall, 2006) Currently with Boston College (NCAA)The 6-3 and 205 pound defensive defenseman has progressed quicker than expected due to his team's success over the past few years. He does not do one thing great but does many things well. He has enough puck skills to get the puck out of his end safely and uses the first two options pretty well. He does not have any major deficiencies in his skating, but could be a little quicker. He plays a sound defensive game and is reliable in his zone. Down low, he can contain forwards with body position but he is not that physically punishing - which is not surprising considering his 49 penalty minutes over 115 games. He has the potential to be a defensive defenseman in the AHL and perhaps the NHL if he gets a little quicker, stronger and meaner.
10. Brian Strait – Defence, 21 (3rd round 65th overall 2006)Currently with Boston University (NCAA)Strait is a third year college player who has had the luxury of developing slow and being a part of a National Championship. The Boston native is a basic defensive defenceman who tries to go out and do all the little things right. He does not possess the high end puck skills, but Strait will make short, quick safe passes and will not put the puck into a danger area. He skates well enough but there is always room for improvement - especially when he has to face forwards at the pro level. Like all defencemen, he needs some refinement in his game – like making sure he makes quicker decisions. It would not hurt him to play one more season in college before turning pro and Strait could develop into a third pairing defenceman in the NHL.
11. Robert Bortuzzo – Defence, 20 (3rd round, 78th overall, 2007)Currently with Kitchener (OHL)He's a no-nonsense defensive defenceman who has the size to handle the rigors of the NHL with a 6-4 and 207 pound frame. He does not have the puck skills or the offensive instincts to produce offence and is best to keep his game simple when the puck is on his stick. He is a decent skater but needs some quickness and agility down low. He has a decent, low shot from the point that he tries to keep on net for tips and rebounds. He plays a shut down role and uses his size and stick well to take away options and keeps his head up. He needs to fine-tune his angles and maintain position before going out to make a big hit. He is showing he can log a lot of ice time and the experience of the Memorial Cup should help his development.
12. Tim Crowder – Left Wing, 22 (5th round, 126th overall 2005)Currently with Michigan StateHe has the size at 6-3 and 185 pounds, but needs to add strength and power to his frame. He has decent hockey sense and vision, with the puck skills to contribute offensively. But he can be a streaky scorer and needs to step up more in the postseason. He's an average skater once he gets going and he has the agility to compensate, but his quickness needs a little work. He has an okay wrist and slap shot, but it lacks speed and power to catch goalies off guard. He can use his size, but is not a physical player and plays a more finesse style. He's a long-term project and most likely will not play past the AHL.
When looking at the drafting and developing record of a NHL organization it becomes an interesting blend of statistics and circumstances with perhaps some luck thrown in for good measure. Most of the time the General Manager receives kudos for a teams fortunes at the draft table when in reality it is usually never the case in today's NHL. For the most part there are three aspects that make the whole process work; first is the amateur scouting department's ability to evaluate and project talent which may be the most challenging of all. Next the organizations player development department must attempt to mold the prospects by giving the players tools to enhance his talents. Perhaps most importantly is the prospects responsibility to pay the price and sacrifice which generally requires a tremendous work ethic. If one of these aspects fails then the likelihood of a prospect turning into an asset to his organization and having a NHL career becomes remote.
The reason for the analyzing the years from 1997 to 2003 is to first give each NHL organization five years to develop their prospects as players from different leagues evolve differently. Secondly the years from 1997-2003 are the players that should be the building blocks of the core of your team as they will be in the 23-29 year old age range. What makes each organization unique is what they do with the picks they have as management will often trade draft choices for immediate help on their NHL and AHL teams. Now some players may be real late bloomers and eventually make the criteria set in this analysis down the road but at this stage it is fascinating to see the results.
Pittsburgh Penguins 1997-2003
Total: 7 yrs – 71 draft picks – 18 NHL Players = 25.3% success rate
1st rnd Draft Choices: 7 total picksRobert Dome 7 yrs – 7 draft picks – 6 NHL Players = 85.7% success rate
2nd rnd Draft Choices: 8 total picksBrian Gaffaney, Alexander Zevakkhin, Matt Murley, Jeremy Van Hoof, Shane Endicott, Noah Welch, Ondrej Nemec, Ryan Stone 7 yrs - 8 draft picks – 0 NHL Players = 0% success rate
3rd rnd Choices: 9 total picksPetr Sykora, Jake McCracken 7 yrs – 3 draft picks – 1 NHL Players = 33.3% success rate
Total: 7yrs – 24 draft picks – 10 NHL Players = 41.6% success rate in first 3 rounds
First Three Rounds - Developed vs. Prospects/NA vs. EuroDeveloped players: (7) North American, (3) EuropeanUndeveloped Prospects: (10) North American, (4) European
4th rnd to 9th rnd Choices: 48 total picks7 yrs – 47 draft picks – 8 NHL Players = 17.0% success rate
Shane Malloy provides hockey prospect insight and analysis on his Prospect Insider feature on TSN.ca, Canada's leading sports website. Many sports networks, hockey magazines and major newspapers have drawn upon his expertise and knowledge. His passion for the game and involvement in grass roots hockey from the junior hockey to the National Hockey League is evident. He is currently a host and hockey event reporter on XM Sirius Satellite Radio (Home Ice 204) where he co-hosts a hockey radio show on Hockey Prospects and the Business of Hockey.
Prior to joining TSN, Malloy was the columnist-covering prospects for NHL.com for two years and a NHL and prospect columnist Fox Sports.com for six years.
This document is the intellectual property of Shane Malloy and cannot be used or duplicated in anyway without expressed written consent. Any use of this document without the expressed written consent of Shane Malloy will result in public exposure and legal prosecution.
First Round Selections
Draft Order: Round 2 - 7
Craig reminisces: Jamie Langenbrunner and Jeff Friesen draft stories. Plus Ho-Sang, Reinhart and scouting short lists.
Craig explains his projected top 5, and Ryan Jankowski talks about building the U17, U18 and U20 Teams Canada.
Richard Griffin speaks about the Blue Jays' pursuit of starting pitcher Ervin Santana, the health of Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes, and more.
2014-15 CS Futures List
July Listing: North American | International
2013-14 CS Final Rankings
North American: Skaters | Goaltenders
European: Skaters | Goaltenders
2013-14 CS Mid-Term Rankings
ISS regularly feature and ranks the top NHL draft eligible players from the CHL, NCAA and Europe.
Final Rankings - June 3


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18 U.S. Code § 705 - Badge or medal of veterans' organizations
Whoever knowingly manufactures, reproduces, sells or purchases for resale, either separately or on or appended to, any article of merchandise manufactured or sold, any badge, medal, emblem, or other insignia or any colorable imitation thereof, of any veterans' organization incorporated by enactment of Congress, or of any organization formally recognized by any such veterans' organization as an auxiliary of such veterans' organization, or knowingly prints, lithographs, engraves or otherwise reproduces on any poster, circular, periodical, magazine, newspaper, or other publication, or circulates or distributes any such printed matter bearing a reproduction of such badge, medal, emblem, or other insignia or any colorable imitation thereof, except when authorized under rules and regulations prescribed by any such organization, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
Source(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 732; Aug. 4, 1950, ch. 578, 64 Stat. 413; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(E),Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2146.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 76e (June 25, 1940, ch. 426, 54 Stat. 571).
Words beginning the section are from the punishment provision of last sentence which was itself rewritten without surplusage.
Changes were made in phraseology.
1994—Pub. L. 103–322substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $250".
1950—Act Aug. 4, 1950, brought within the protection of this section emblems, badges, or insignia of auxiliary organizations of veteran's organizations incorporated by an act of Congress.
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for this section. Updates to a broader range of sections may be found at the update page for containing chapter, title, etc.
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
|Description of Change
|Session Year
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|Statutes at Large
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How We Have Attempted to Recover from Google Panda
My main site, TravBuddy, was hit in February by Google's latest "Panda" algorithm. This post isn't really meant to complain about the issues we've noticed - we'll save that for a later post ;) - but to openly talk about some of the things we've done to try to recover.
First off, a little background about TravBuddy. We are a large online travel community with approximately 1.7MM members, 4MM travel photos, and hundreds of thousands of travel reviews and blogs. In addition to the travel information sharing component, people use the site to find travel buddies and meet other travelers, a fact that has even led to quite a few happy marriages around the world. We have a very healthy, active community which we are quite proud of.
We've also been a Webby Honoree for the last 4 years in a row and featured in publications like the BBC World News, NBC Nightly News, and Budget Travel Magazine. In other words, we've had a lot of external signals that we are running a high quality site, and were very unexpectedly affected by Panda.
In terms of SEO we've always tried to stay within the Webmaster Guidelines. We've never purchased any links (extremely rare in online travel) or done anything shady. We hired an SEO firm once, but it didn't help at all, and we've decided to stay focused on simply creating a good experience for our users and hoping the traffic would follow. That strategy worked fine for the last 5 years, until Panda.
Enough looking back - let's go over what we've done since Feb. to try to get back in Google's good graces.
- Removed Many Thin Content Pages - By thin content I mean any pages that had little or no useful information. For instance, our locations database on our site has about 1.3 million different locations, but probably less than 100,000 of those are ever traveled to. We've noindexed pages that had very little content, and 404'd pages that had no content at all. You may ask why we didn't do this a long time ago - the fact is, we never got much traffic to these pages anyway, didn't link much to them internally, and they Google seemed to ignore them anyway, so it didn't seem like a problem.
We also basically noindexed nearly 4 MILLION of our photo pages. Our users upload many, many travel photos, and these pages seemed to take the biggest hit after Panda. Basically, they were just a photo + a caption. Did Google think that they were thin content, even though they were useful for our users? Did they simply make up too large a portion of our site, overwhelming all the other, textual content? Who knows, but the fact of the matter is that they didn't bring us much search engine value anyway, so we decided not to risk it.
- Noindexed All Duplicate Content - We have a database of about 200,000 hotels in our site. Maybe 10% of them have actual user reviews, while the other 90% are "stub" pages that have generic descriptions from hotel owners. This is pretty common in the online travel industry, except that most travel sites have 100% duplicate content. It doesn't make sense to not link to these pages at all - since visitors already on our site want to see all the hotel options available for a given location.
With that said, I can certainly see how a search user would not want to see the same hotel description from hundreds of multiple sites. Even though we have a large amount of unique content (20,000+ hotel reviews), perhaps the duplicate content was outweighing it in Google's eyes, so it made sense to focus on where we can provide unique value.
- Improved Internal Navigation - This goes along with the points above. Rather than linking to every page we have in our site, we've tightened our linking structure to link to and highlight the original, quality content we do have.
- Removed Many Advertisements From The Site - This one was kind of a shot in the dark, but it's clear from looking at search results in the travel niche that Google is heavily favoring travel sites with no advertisements, even if they have no content otherwise.
- Tried to Remove External Duplicate Content - We have thousands of sites that scrape our content, including many who steal it only to rank higher than us (and, to add insult to injury, monetize their sites with AdSense). It's impossible to keep up with them all, and after you've submitted multiple spam reports for the same domains for years to Google, and received no responses and no action for years, you begin to lose faith in any manual system of trying to stop scrapers.
What we have done is to try to to limit the amount of external duplicate content that we can control. For example, we used to syndicate snippets of our hotel reviews to Kayak. After noticing that they ranked higher than us for our own reviews, even when they linked directly to us after each snippet, we asked them to take the reviews down. This wasn't something we had to worry about even a few months ago, and it's unfortunate that our reviews aren't getting the exposure they could be getting.
Many of these changes seem like no-brainers in afterthought, and I'd agree with anyone who says we should have done them a long time ago. However, they were never really a problem before - many "thin" pages didn't get much traffic anyway, and Google would always do a great job of finding our best pages and returning the best results from our site regardless. And the pages certainly weren't malicious in intent. But, after Panda, the mere fact of having them exist was apparently enough to destroy the rest of the quality content we did have.
It's like a library deciding not to carry ALL books by a particular author, because he wrote one bad book in his youth that nobody ever read anyway.
That's not to say our site is perfect. It's not, and like any user generated content site, there are going to be high quality submissions and low quality ones. But I know for a fact that we do have a lot of high quality, unique information that is better than anything else we see out there (more on that in a later post).
We've been rolling out these changes over the last 3 months, and have yet to see ANY changes in our SE traffic. This is despite basically a massive overhaul of our sites internal linking, noindexing/404'ing many millions of pages, and significant layout changes. In fact, our traffic has been remarkably consistent, almost as if Google has decided we should get X number of visitors every week, regardless of what we do. This is especially odd given the seasonality of online travel, which fluctuates greatly even without algorithmic changes. I've never seen anything like it in 6 years of working on the site.
So what next? What else can we do to improve our website? How long do we have to wait in order to see any changes? Since we used to have millions of pages indexed, I can only hope that it's simply a matter of Google needing enough time to sort out all the changes we've made.
Stay tuned for more posts on this topic..
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We did lots of that too, but also did not see a change. Today we have seen some changes in the scraper rankings though,...
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May 13, 2013 | 04:33 PM
| Corinna Petry
U.S. Steel,
Kobe Steel,
Pro-Tec Coating Co.,
high-strength steels,
corporate average fuel economy,
John Surma,
Corinna Petry
CHICAGO U.S. Steel Corp. and Kobe Steel Ltd. commissioned the new continuous annealing line at their Pro-Tec Coating Co. joint venture in Leipsic, Ohio, on May 13.
Using heat-treat and quenching technology, the new line will supply advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) with a strength of 590 megapascals (MPa) and above for the automotive industry, the companies said.....
CHICAGO U.S. Steel Corp. and Kobe Steel Ltd. commissioned the new continuous annealing line at their Pro-Tec Coating Co. joint venture in Leipsic, Ohio, on May 13.
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Track & Field
Michigan State hosts annual Spartan Invitational
April 5, 2012
Meet Schedule/Information
Record-Breaking Spartans...
1000 meters
Shot Put
60-meter Hurdles
500 meters
600 meters
3000 meters
20-lb Weight Throw
Triple Jump
High Jump
1,600 meter+/Mile Relay+/4x400 Relay
First team honors on the men's side went to Zack Hill (shot put) and Lonnie Pugh (weight throw). Fifth-year Senior Jay Gillespie (weight throw) earned second team All-America honors.
Honorable Mention honors went to Senior Becca Buchholtz (high jump).
Beth Rohl earned a bronze in women's weight throw. Rohl has three career indoor medals, including a Big Ten title in 2009 and a second-place finish in 2011. Newcomer Brittany Lewis won the silver in the women's 600-meter finals, shattering the school-record and her own Canadian Junior Women's record in the process. Sophomore Ashley Stacey earned her second career medal with a bronze in the women's long jump finals while freshman Tori Franklin earned her first career medal with a silver in the triple jump.
The lone medal winner for the men was Redshirt Sophomore Zack Hill who won the bronze in the shot put. Hill placed second in the same event at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last season.
at the official


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Throughout the first season of HBO's new series The Newsroom, a few of our writers will analyze and discuss each episode in detail. Beware of spoilers.
For other episode discussions, check our pop culture page.
Vinny Ginardi: After hitting a rocky road in the middle, The Newsroom delivered three stellar final episodes to finish its first season.
The finale in particular provided a good balance of wrapping up some storylines while also handing out some to look forward to in season two. Unfortunately, some of the storylines that are being carried over are ones that have grown dry. In particular, it's the love
triangle square pentagon. Really, it wasn't complicated enough that we had to throw Sloan in there after there was no indication all season long that she was into Don? Really? It was initially refreshing that Maggie and Jim didn't end up together because it felt predictable, but it's much more frustrating knowing that the storyline is going to continue to be prominent in the next season.
That aside though, I was impressed with how the show concluded. As I mentioned throughout our discussions, I felt that The Neswroom needed narrative arcs (outside of the character relationships) that stretched over multiple episodes. We saw storylines created and continued over these last three episodes. Even more so in the finale, we saw plots and references to much earlier episodes reappear, creating a much needed sense of familiarity.
While it may be difficult to provide it consistently, the show (and most shows) is more entertaining when there is something at stake, such as we saw with Will's job in the finale. Hopefully season two will be a consistently better show.
Mike Aurigemma: I continue to be so up and down on this show. There were times that I could not take my eyes away from the screen because it was so intense and had me entranced. Then there were a few moments that I had to look away because the show was turning me off.
I understand the Jim, Don and Maggie storyline and why the show needs it. I also understand why the show has the MacKenzie and Will plot. But there are times where I think it just goes over the top. Mainly the screaming fits that Maggie or MacKenzie have while talking to Will or just a bus full of people. Those are the only negatives that I can take from this show, but it normally brings me right back in.
I loved the power struggle that was going on between Charlie and Leona. The scene betweeneveryone at the table was incredible to watch. Both sides involved had to get their hands dirty and it was a great way to wrap up that storyline to finish off the season.
There will surely be some great moments ahead with The Newsroom, but I fully expect the love triangles and quartets to continue.
Michael: SLOAN AND DON OMIGOD! Yeah, that was out of left field. I can't help but agree that the last thing the already convoluted love square needed was addition of Olivia Munn's rocking bod.
This episode was a microcosm of all of the best and worst aspects of this show. On one hand, we got to see Jeff Daniels' continue is pitch perfect performance but displaying an impressive range. The moment in the hospital when he decided to stay with News Night and starts quoting Don Quixote was one of my favorite of the entire season. It was a perfect mix of Sorkin and an actor who gets it. Same with the running "Camelot" bit. On the other hand we were reminded of the absolutely stupid fact that Mac did hold up two signs in the show's opening and some over the top Maggie/Jim stuff. Here's where the show, which I genuinely enjoy, frustrates me. Sorkin makes me care about all these love kerfuffles. I'm a sucker for them. I want Maggie and Jim to get together and their kiss made me extremely happy. I'm even more desperate for a Will/Mackenzie reconciliation because they have such amazing chemistry. But sometimes the execution of these plots just isn't there. Things get a bit too shmaltzy and involve one too many scenes of Allison Pill screaming at a bus full of women who enjoy an atrocious show.
Despite everything I just said, I liked the finale. Will McAvoy, despite being a Republican, has become something of a hero of mine and I can always watch him do Will McAvoy things. This is a show that buries its flaws with fun performances, great monologues and an undeniable energy. Sign me up for another year.


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MADISON (WSAU-Wheeler News) U-W Madison's new chancellor says one of her main goals is to create a tuition policy that's fair for students, while raising faculty pay to keep the best from leaving.
Rebecca Blank spent her first day on campus yesterday. The former acting U-S Commerce Secretary said a few months ago she was tired of Washington politics. Now, she's entering a whole new political firestorm stirred by the recent report that the U-W built up millions-of-dollars in surpluses. Lawmakers were surprised, and they responded by freezing the U-W's tuition for two years. Blank said she had "some sympathy" for politicians who felt they were kept in the dark. Still, Blank said she's not worried that she won't be able to work effectively with the state government and its bureaucracy.
During her first six months, Blank says she'll listen to all types of campus groups, while building relationships among both parties at the Capitol. Blank said Madison needs to be a place that everyone in Wisconsin can afford – but she said tuition is on the "cheaper end" for out-of-state and graduate students. And in her words, "I see no reason to sell a university this good at that price."
Blank also vowed to expand the U-W's support for donors, which includes an upcoming campaign. Blank replaces David Ward, who spent two years as an interim chancellor after Biddy Martin left.


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Quick Links
Betsy Denson
(713) 292-0236
1 (800) 392-4340, ext. 1236
New Look of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council
Merger with Girl Scouts
of South Texas Brings New Opportunities
Effective June 1, Girl Scouts of South Texas Council (GSSTC) will merge with Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council (GSSJC). The merged Council will retain the name Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council and will serve 64,000 girls and 18,000 adults in the following southeast Texas counties: Shelby, Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Sabine, Angelina, Houston, Trinity, Polk, Tyler, Jasper, Newton, Walker, San Jacinto, Hardin, Montgomery, Liberty, Orange, Waller, Harris, Chambers, Jefferson, Fort Bend, Galveston, Wharton, and Brazoria. In addition to the membership size of the combined Council, there are also increased opportunities for girls to enjoy the unique programs and facilities that both GSSJC and GSSTC bring to the merger.
The 11 camps of the combined Council stretch from the shores of Galveston to the piney woods of Garrison. Whether it's horseback riding or sailing, canoeing or camping out, girls and adults will have ample opportunities to experience the best of the outdoors in Texas. Year round program offerings and leadership development opportunities for girls of all ages will also be expanded. Headquarters for the merged Council will be in Houston with service centers in Beaumont, Lake Jackson, Lufkin and Stafford.
Delegates for both Councils voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger at their spring meetings. The enthusiasm about the new GSSJC is evident among both staff and volunteers. "What we are most excited about is the opportunity we now have to provide a wider variety of programs and activities to girls in southeast Texas," says Mary Vitek, CEO of GSSJC. "Bigger in this case definitely means better." Cindy Gaddis, Chair of the Board of Directors of GSST, also sees great things ahead. "We are excited about the merger," she says. "The strengths of the combined Councils provide a broader foundation for developing girls in our communities. Our local volunteers look forward to continuing their active role in the merged Council."
Chartered by GSUSA to provide Girl Scouting locally, Houston-based
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council serves more than 64,000 girl members
and 18,000 adults in 25 southeast Texas counties. For more information,
call 713-292-0300 or visit us online at www.gssjc.org. Today, as when
founded in 1912, Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence,
and character, who make the world a better place.
GSSJC Pluralism Statement
Embracing and promoting pluralism is an integral part of every activity and plan of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, not disconnected or separate projects. Only individuals willing to accept and be educated about the basic tenet that Girl Scouting is for all girls may serve in volunteer leadership or staff positions.
GSSJC | Communications Department
3110 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX 77098


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Remember, kids: 'beans' is spelled with a final 'z', not an 's'. At least, it is if you're Thom Yorke .
A few days ago, a new track by Yorke's side project, Atoms for Peace , surfaced online with the title "Magic Beans." Now, Yorke has taken to his Twitter account to acknowledge that the cut is spelled differently, tweeting , "New song floating about is called Magic Beanz . The Z is v[ery] important. I'd find u a link but I'm still in bedzzz."
No word yet on whether "Magic Beanz" will be released as a B-side or as part of the band's next album.
Atoms for Peace will be making the rounds at a number of European music festivals before the band kicks off their North American tour. That outing begins on September 24 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit AtomsForPeace.info to view the full itinerary.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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Rod Lew, Chair Alba Cruz Dot Nary Randy Rowel Leland Yee
APHA Staff (not on call): Monica Lathan
Discussion Items
EHOC Committee members agreed that it was important to be proactive. The idea to submit our own policy statement was suggested. Rod said he would check with Monica about that possibility. At the very least, EHOC said they would try to work more closely with Caucuses, particularly the ethnic caucuses, the LGBT Caucus and Disability Forum.
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Kobe Bryant has Chinese envy -- at least when it comes to basketball -- claiming the rules in the Far East make it a real man's game ... because "out here, you can't even touch a motherf**ker."
Kobe's diss to the NBA came during a candid moment in Vegas with Floyd Mayweather earlier this week ... when the two began talking about the differences between basketball in China vs. the NBA.
"They let you play over there," Kobe said … adding, "out here they change the rules up and sh*t. You can't even touch a motherf**ker. You can't touch a n***a."
Kinda strange coming from Kobe ... considering he has a reputation for begging NBA refs for calls.
Calls to China … weren't made (c'mon, international calls ain't cheap!)
do they let you play by yourself, kobe? seems like your ass doesn't wanna play with other cuz out here you seem to forget you have other teammates dumbass...
Another reason why this tvvat should never be compared to his Airness. This douche is the biggest cry baby in the NBA.
Out here you get paid millions of dollars for playing. Over there you get thousands. So either quit the NBA and go over there or stop being a whiny hypocrite.
Haha You people are funny. Love you, Kobe! *Lake Show*
I'm sure Kobe is right. Back when Shaq was on the Lakers the refs would call fouls on Shaq just for turning to shoot and some idiot got hit because they were in his face. The NBA needs to fix its rules and actually let the players play. And penalize refs who go overboard.
Both are a bunch of bitches
Then go over there!!!
Do they also let you rape people over there? Just asking, and use the N word which causes such a stir over here in the states? But then again, you have been out of the so called spotlight for so long, you have to run your mouth somehow to get attention. How's Vanessa holding up after a few nights with Brian?? Cat was away and oh how that rat did play! lol
Black superstars.. comments hating means nothing.
Isn't it funny that he HAS TO use the word ***** to be cool? Let's stop all this nonsense over protected words. This *****'s straight up retarded.
He is just afraid that the nba will check his blood for that "special" treatment he gets overseas....would he pass if he was a baseball player?
Kobe needs to STFU about the organization that allowed his ignorant azz to make millions of dollars.
Davis is right. Blacks need to STFU until they themselves stop using this word before they get on their indignant high horse about others using it.
Not even.


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Home > Post > Post 5 > Post 5 News Release > News Release
News Release
Trooper Brad Arterburn
Public Affairs Officer
Kentucky State Police
Post 5, Campbellsburg
Click here to e-mail Trooper Brad Arterburn
Five Arrested at Carroll County Meth Lab
Date of News Release: 01/15/2014
(Carrollton, KY) - Five people have been arrested after Troopers found a meth lab at 702 11th Street in Carrollton, KY on Monday (1/13). Troopers received information that there was a meth lab at the residence and were granted a search warrant for the property. During the search, Troopers located the meth lab in an outside building. Troopers also found several ingredients used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine.
Grant Cobb, 52 years old from Carrollton, KY, was charged with three counts of Unlawful Distribution of Meth Precursors.
Megan O'Connor, 26 years old from Carrollton, KY, was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and five counts of Unlawful Distribution of Meth Precursors.
Elizabeth Puckett, 45 years old from Carrollton, KY, was charged with four counts of Unlawful Distribution of Meth Precursors. Puckett was also arrested on a warrant for writing cold checks.
Two individuals, Jennifer Lainez, 31 years old from Carrollton, KY, and Tommy Floyd, 25 years old from Carrollton, KY, were not at the residence at the time the search warrant was served but were located yesterday (1/14) and arrested in connection with the meth lab. Lainez was charged with Possession of Meth Precursors. Floyd, who was located at 1870 Highway 467 in Gallatin County, was charged with Manufacturing Methamphetamine. Additionally, Floyd was charged in Gallatin County with Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia because he was manufacturing methamphetamine at that location at the time of his arrest.
All of the individuals were lodged at the Carroll County Detention Center.
Trooper Dave Roberts is leading the ongoing investigation in Carroll County. More arrests are expected to follow as the investigation continues. Trooper David Staubach is leading the investigation in Gallatin County.


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19 U.S. Code § 2576 - General
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Source(Pub. L. 96–39, title IV, § 471, as added Pub. L. 103–182, title III, § 351(a),Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2120.)
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This conversation is closed.
Democracy - The most inefficient type of government?
I look at general masses of people, what they do, how they think, how easily they are manipulated, and how clueless they can be. I often wonder how people can be so ignorant! And this got me to think "if the masses are so ignorant and so easy to manipulate, why do they select our leaders?" Well this brought me to another point, is democracy really an efficient form of government if its people are ignorant?
We are prisoners of democracy. If you are on the opposing view of the masses and unable to convince the needed majority, then you effectively have no say, even if you are correct.
This wouldn't be a problem except that it seems that people, now more than ever, are suckers of propaganda, rumors, and biased news. If the masses don't understand what they are voting for and are so easily swayed, how can we still consider democracy a superior system of government?
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Dec 26 2012: The greater the electorate numbers and the more diversity there is of political/cultural views, the less likelihood that central government can be democratic.
The only way to get close to any form of democracy, is to decentralise government as far as it takes for it to represent localised and unique characteristics, culture, political views and landscape type.
Local people deciding on their own affairs is far more likely to be democratic than any faceless bureaucratic representative from central government imposing inappropriate, standardised policies on regions that are loath to find even remotely helpful.
Dec 27 2012: can you tell me any geographical areas that are decentralized for a longer period of time, and not a result of a failed state? i can not. so it is not exactly fair to compare the US with afganistan or somalia, and declare strong state as winner. the US became strong with a very limited, almost nonexistent government in the 1800's. and one can argue that life in somalia is way better without a state than with it. when they had a government, it was not a tad bit better, it was worse.
Dec 27 2012: Well, maybe there is a peceived need for central authority, but that would only be because it's what we've become used to.
I think the idea of a 'unified country' might be an illusory pipedream, if people and unique communities are to retain some sense of autonomy at the same time. Unification in the truest sense can only be achieved under some kind of dictatorship - either despotic or benevolent, and since benevolence is not known to coexist within a dictatorship, the result will always be oppression of some kind.
Central authorities cannot cope with diversity; the more remote that central authority is from places of such diversity, the less democratic they will be.
On the other hand, leaders of smaller communities would have a visible 'face' and a local presence, and would therefore be very answerable to the people who voted for them. Democracy would naturally follow, and would be cognisant of the particular community's diverse, autonomous character.
I don't think there's anything wrong with a bunch of small cities and towns. With the inevitable depletion of fossil fuels, it's likely to head that way anyway.
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Polish foreign minister: Americans are losers
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is heard saying in a secret recording that Poland's relationship with the United States was worthless, reports say.
Philadelphia man may be extradited to Germany for Nazi war crimes
A Northeast Philadelphia man thought to have served as a guard of a Nazi prison camp may be extradited to Germany and put on trial for his perceived participation in the murder of 158 Jewish people.
VIDEO: Man records life in one-second shots
Watch this incredible video of one man's life shot in one-second increments.
VIDEO: Don't touch the Polish president
Don't mess with the president of Poland.


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Gift cards: Not so lame anymore
The struggling economy did much to boost the popularity of gift cards, once a last-minute go-to present. For recipients, the cards became licenses to spend on luxuries they had denied themselves.
This post comes from Christine DiGangi at Credit.com.
Gift cards have become increasingly popular and acceptable holiday offerings, and shoppers are planning to spend more this year on these little plastic presents than ever before.
There are a lot of reasons for that, starting with the idea that holiday sales will be slightly higher than they were last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The NRF forecasts holiday sales will grow by 3.9% in 2013. In its holiday shopping survey, the NRF determined the average consumer will spend $163.16 on gift cards, a 4% increase from last year.
But the shift in gift-card spending is more than a shift in spending — it was accompanied by a change in attitude.
"For some years, gift cards were kind of a strange gift to give, a strange gift to accept," says Trae Bodge, senior editor of RetailMeNot.com's Real Deal blog. "People knew how much others spent on them, and gift cards were considered an impersonal alternative to time spent on thoughtful shopping." Then the economy tanked, Bodge says. "People lost the ability to shop for themselves. Gift cards gave them permission to do so."
A RetailMeNot survey from last holiday season found 86% of Americans would be excited to receive a gift card. The NRF's survey from this year said 60% would like to get gift cards, and it's the seventh year in a row gift cards have been among the NRF's list of the most desired gifts.
"Gift cards have become the preferred choice during the past few years," says Nimish Thakkar, founder of comparison shopping site DontSpendMore.com. "They are versatile instruments that allow the recipient to invest in a present that would be more suitable to her or his immediate needs."
Popular, but still problematic
In many consumers' eyes, gift cards have transitioned from an impersonal shopping shortcut to an opportunity to treat yourself to a favorite store or restaurant. (Department store and restaurant gift cards are the most commonly purchased around the holidays, according to the NRF survey.)
"What I think is interesting about gift cards is they are popular, but a lot of people don't use them," Bodge said. It's a common catch: Consumers get cards for their favorite stores but forget to bring them out shopping or don't remember they have them in their wallets. Sometimes people receive cards to stores they don't frequent, and that money sits unused.
In that situation, technology helps. A handful of gift card exchange services have popped up, on which people can sell or trade unwanted gift cards -- you lose some value of the card, but it may be worth it to get cash or a card you'll actually use. Some of Bodge's favorites for buying and organizing include Gift Card Rescue, Plastic Jungle and Gyft.
Even so, it can be a pain to deal with a gift card for a store you don't like. Some like to give prepaid debit cards as an alternative to gift cards, but they're not the same thing. Prepaid cards can come with many fees, and the purchaser often has to pay to activate the card. They're certainly a useful tool, but it's important the gift giver and receiver understand how prepaid cards work.
If a gift card sounds like a good idea, but you're not sure which retailer to choose, there are some general options that will likely be well-received.
"Quite often you feel this pressure to give someone the right gift," Bodge said. "You know they love to shop, but unless you're really sure what they like, go with a big box store."
More from Credit.com:
Personally, I prefer that my family skip giving presents all together, but if they are going to get me something, please make it a gift card. I cannot tell you how many gifts are packed away in my closet or have been donated to the goodwill. Unfortunately, my in laws do not understand what I like and that I did not want the pornographic tea cups from Korea, the ugly wreath, or the wooden blocks that spell out "yours" and "mine".
Gift cards are awesome! What are the worst gifts you have received?
Gift cards are an excellent solution to giving a gift, because it removes a lot of the hassle, is cheaper to send if the recipient is far away (much cheaper than mailing a big box!), and if there is a family, the parents and older kids can have gift cards while the younger ones get the toy, again reducing the amount of cost to mail...and there's no whining about how "auntie" is out of touch with what is wanted for the occasion a gift is needed, or got "ugly clothes" for the receiver.
When it comes down to it, gift cards are just as good as a check; have about the same amount of danger in being mailed if done right; and are the perfect solution for giving a gift to a family member who lives far away when the giver is on a budget.
One thing that has always concerned me. It hasn't yet happened to me, but I'm sure one day it will. It seems relatively simple to feel that a gift card is in an envelope with a greeting card. We certainly wouldn't think of sending cash in the mail inside of a card. Although years ago, that is what our grandmas & aunties would do. But a gift card is really no different. Anyone got any ideas on how to send one safely?? Maybe in a small box...
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Salesian High School brings iPads to the classroom
Richmond Confidential By Trenise Ferreira This year, Salesian High School students traded in their textbooks for iPads, in a move designed to enhance the learning environment. Mary Lou Flannery, the assistant principal for academic affairs at Salesian, said the iPad education program has been in the works for over a year. The school was previously […] [Read More]


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Two Kinds of Big Data
Rob Gonzalez:
Roughly speaking, the two primary ways in which data scales is by adding depth and by adding breadth. […] Horizontal Big Data, on the other hand, is like the Linked Data Cloud. It has all kinds of random information that ranges from highly structured and numeric to highly unstructured. Significantly, it tends to change quite a bit over time with increasing heterogeneity. That's a completely different kind of scale, and one that is not well solved by using highly structured, vertically scaling technologies.
Using just these two axes (vertical and horizontal) is equivalent to speaking about BigData in terms of volume and variety. But it ignores the 2 other dimensions: velocity and variability.
Original title and link: Two Kinds of Big Data ( ©myNoSQL)
by Alex Popescu
Ana-Maria Bacalu
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