text: The Best New Beauty Products For Fall 2012 The Fall Beauty Products We Can't Get Enough Of by Maria Del Russo 9/27/12 0 Reactions 30 Shares Print 6 11 13 0 0 Fall is here, which means crisper temperatures are right around the corner. We're welcoming the cool weather with open arms . . . and by rounding up our favorite beauty launches of the season. Everything from exfoliant to liquid liner is waiting for you to discover it. Pull your favorite sweater out from the back of the closet, and click through to find our new favorite products — and maybe yours, too. Source: Flickr user Haylee Marie Nice Cream What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Got dry skin? Not anymore. Ideal for normal to oily skin that still gets parched, this lightweight cream hydrates without the heaviness. Wear it now, into winter, and beyond. Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream ($60) 1 / 16 Four For One What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 With four frizz-fighting curling irons in one, you'll never stress about your curl size again. Bonus: the iron heats up lightning-quick, and the kit contains a heat-resistant glove to keep your fingers from frying. Amika 4P Interchangeable Barrel Curler ($175) 2 / 16 Dot Your Eyes What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 With a triple-pronged tip, this liner delivers a precise line for those who crave a natural liner look. The pen's ability to nuzzle between your individual lashes is what makes it so brilliant. It plumps up your lash roots, making them look longer and more voluminous. Clarins 3 Dot Liner ($26) 3 / 16 Cream of the Crop What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Summer may be over, but you don't need to bid bright hues adieu. Tone bold shades down with these creamy, balm-like lipsticks. The color lasts for hours without flaking or fading. Too Faced La Creme Color ($21 each) 4 / 16 Purse-Friendly What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tossing your full-size brushes into your makeup bag is asking for trouble. Not only do they take up a ton of space, they can also get mucked up if your liquid liner leaks or your blush explodes. Fortunately, this handy kit delivers the four brushes you actually need and keeps them separate (and clean) in a cute little snakeskin clutch. Convenient and adorable? We're sold. Sephora's Mini Brush Set ($16) 6 / 16 Clearly Outlined What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fall means that an array of deeper, darker lip colors will be hitting the shelves. Frame every shade from oxblood to eggplant with this invisible lip liner from the Dior Nude collection. A brush and sharpener are included. Now that's what we call the universal package. Dior Universal Contour Lip Liner ($30) 6 / 16 Creme de la Creme What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Skin can be plagued by dry patches as the weather cools down. You'll be needing a heavy-duty body cream that won't leave you feeling greasy. This formula comes in three different flavors for oily, normal, and extra-dry skin. Jergens Crema Hydrating Coconut Milk ($7) 7 / 16 Lighten Up What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sure, you gain an extra hour when we "fall back" this season, but that just means more time for late-night TV. Disguise dark circles and bags with this illuminating eye cream. Nars Skin Total Replenishing Eye Cream ($55) 8 / 16 Light as Air What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 It seems everything is in HD these days, including makeup. Get an airbrushed effect with this cream blush by Smashbox. The mousse-like consistency is so light, you'll barely believe you're wearing makeup at all. Smashbox Airblush Whipped Cheek Color ($29) 9 / 16 Gentle as a Lamb What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 If you're longing to simplify your skin care regimen, look no further than this ultragentle cleanser. Whether you're worried about acne or aging, it's great for all skin types. Jojoba oil soothes and softens, while vetiver lends antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits. Marie Veronique Organics Cleanser ($32) 11 / 16 Water Break What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Water is essential for living, but it's something your hair can do without on a daily basis. That's where dry shampoo comes in. This sulfate-free cleanser removes excess oil and impurities without an overpowering aroma — or powdery, wig-like results. Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo ($8) 11 / 16 Mad For Marula What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Long used by East African women for a variety of skin elements, this does-it-all beauty wonder is reaching the rest of the world. Harvested from the nuts of the marula tree, this antioxidant-rich, nongreasy oil can be applied on everything from dark spots to split ends. Marula The Leakey Collection Pure Marula Oil ($78) 12 / 16 Mane Attraction What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Whether it's hot or cold, hair can take a weather-induced beating. This ultra-lightweight multitasker is your savior. Spritz it on to detangle, defrizz, and soften wet hair, or use it to keep dry hair luminous and fuzz-free. L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Reinforcing Milk ($32) 13 / 16 Hit the Spot What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Acne and oil often strike at the same time, but this mattifying, complexion-smoothing primer fights both. It contains organic tea tree oil to prevent and treat spots, while lemon tea tree and tamanu oil cut the oil. So long, slick. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser ($18) 14 / 16 Berry Fresh What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fresh's lip treatments have a cult following, and for good reason. They slide on like buttah, delivering moisture along with sheer color. This new variety leaves a hint of raspberry on the lips — perfect for taking baby steps toward the season's dark-lip trend. Fresh Sugar Berry Lip Treatment ($23) 15 / 16 So Solid What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 If you hate the look of foundation, you might fall in love with this... foundation. This ultrafine powder goes on light, blends beautifully, and ultimately winds up looking like flawless, luminous, absolutely-the-real-thing skin. Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Ready Foundation SPF 20 ($29) 16 / 16 6 11 13 0 0 Read More Fall Beauty Get a Personalized Fashion & Beauty Newsletter! Help us customize your newsletter by selecting your interests (optional): Celebrity Style Street Style Beauty Tips Fashion & Beauty News Link Love Make the most of dirty hair with these chic ponytails — HuffPost Style The product that will have you humming Iggy Azalea's song "Fancy" — The Cut With these hairstyles, your bobby pins are supposed to show — InStyle The perfect beauty tool for your Pippi Longstocking Halloween costume — Allure You're putting your perfume on wrong — Byrdie Beauty perfection is a pill away — The Fashion Spot Skin cancer is a serious reason to not stress out — XoVain Prabal Gurung's collaboration with MAC is coming this November — WWD Mindy Kaling shares what contouring really looks like — Self Gucci's new lipsticks smell like chocolate — Style.com


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The Supreme Court ruled on Monday limiting the use of mandatory life sentencing without parole for those under the age of 18 convicted of murder, ruling that judges must consider the defendant's youth and the nature of the crime before putting them behind bars for life with no hope for parole.
Alabama is one of twenty-six states that imposed mandatory life sentences without parole for convicted murderers and applied this policy to individuals as young as 14 years old; the subject of the case brought before the Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama was a convicted murderer age 14 years old.
Note that the court didn't say it was unconstitutional for children to receive the punishment of life in prison; it just said that, in event of a crime in which the mandatory minimum sentence is life without parole, states would give serious consideration of the child's age and circumstances of the crime before sending them to jail forever without the possibility of parole.
By no means do we now think there will be an uptick in murders enacted by those under the age of 18 due to the ruling and we support the court's continued ability to sentence a murderer to life without parole regardless of age if the circumstances warrant. By the way, selfishly taking another humans life just happens to be one of those circumstances - whether you're fourteen or one hundred.
Copyright 2012 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
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text: Atlanta police have a new plan to beef up security in schools when classes begin next month.Fifty-five officers will be assigned to patrol every high school and middle school in the system full-time. This means officers will no longer be responsible for several schools at a time.Depending on enrollment and security needs, each Atlanta high school will have two to four officers assigned. Atlanta police will also be available to assist at elementary schools when needed.


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BP Comment Quick Links
Premium and Super Premium Subscribers Get a 20% Discount at MLB.tv!
November 12, 2013
Minor League Update
AFL Recap for Games of November 11
Hitter of the Day: Addison Russell, SS, A's (Mesa Solar Sox): 3-5, R, 2B, K. There were a few questions about Russell when he was drafted in 2012, but there are very few surrounding him now. Still shy of his 20th birthday, Russell has handled every assignment put in front of him to this point and is now hitting .307 in the AFL. The strikeouts are a little bit of a concern, but as long as he keeps producing, no one will notice.
Pitcher of the Day: Dallas Beeler, RHP, Cubs (Mesa Solar Sox): 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Coming off a start in which he allowed seven unearned runs, Beeler was strong on Monday, pounding the strike zone and generating weak contact.
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MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Manchester United fought back to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 on Saturday, provisionally reclaiming top spot while condemning the bottom-placed team to the worst start any Premier League side has made after 13 games.
New QPR manager Harry Redknapp was watching from the stands at Old Trafford as Jamie Mackie gave the London club hope of a first win of the season by scoring the opener.
But United responded with three goals in less than 10 minutes, leaving QPR roote to the bottom with just four points.
Jonny Evans pulled the hosts level before Darren Fletcher marked his first league start in a year with a goal and Javier Hernandez scored a third.
United went two points ahead of Manchester City, which is at Chelsea on Sunday.
Initially, QPR had a sense of purpose and stuck to its defensive duties with diligence, even though the visitors were assisted by the lackluster nature of United's display.
Stand-in manager Mark Bowen might even have had a goal to celebrate after Mackie converted an excellent cross from Djibril Cisse, only for the effort to be ruled out by a tight offside call going against him.
After successive defeats at Norwich and Galatasaray, United should have been ready to tear apart its weakened opponents, but made an ineffective start.
Danny Welbeck produced cut-backs from either flank for Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney but neither striker could hit the target, and Ashley Young also sliced the ball into the side-netting.
But United, just like in the last four matches, was the team to fall behind.
United failed to read a short corner and then couldn't prevent Kieron Dyer getting down the by-line. Then, after goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard had only been able to shove Dyer's low cross away from his goal, Mackie finished off in the 52nd minute.
Within minutes, Adel Taarabt had curled a free kick narrowly over Lindegaard's goal.
Ferguson took immediate action, hauling off Paul Scholes and Young in favor of Anderson and Javier Hernandez.
The change took a little while to have any discernible effect, but eventually, United was level through Evans. Prior to this season, the Northern Irishman had only scored one United goal. When he was on hand to turn home Welbeck's header from Rooney's corner, it was his third of the season.
If that goal was well received, the one Fletcher scored to put the hosts ahead from another corner triggered an emotional reaction from the Scottish midfielder.
It was Fletcher's first Premier League in 13 months, having spent most of the intervening period battling against a chronic bowel complaint that threatened his career.
Hernandez was soon tucking home his ninth of the season as QPR showed their brittle side again, completing a woeful nine-minute spell which underlined why they are in so much trouble.


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MediaConverter 8
Easily convert multimedia files; now supports 2D to 3D
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Brief Description about file formats
While moving ahead with the process to convert AVI to MPEG, it is worthwhile to know some important fact about these formats.
AVI: The Audio video Interleave format is widely used to contain both the audio and video multimedia files. A part of Videos for Windows technology, this format was introduced by Microsoft that made way for video-audio playback. Sometimes you may feel the need of converting files from other formats such as MPG to AVI, for certain reasons; you can use the MPEG to AVI converter from ArcSoft to perform any such task.
MPEG: Also known as MPG, this format holds the distinction of being the world's most accepted and compatible format that allows for lossy compression of various audio and video files. At present, it is used in a numerous technologies and products.
Choose the "Video" icon on the left panel of the software to select the AVI file that you want to convert to MPEG format.
On the right hand side, click the "Select Output" button to select the MPEG format in which you want your AVI file to be converted.
Useful Tips
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MediaConverter 8
Easily convert multimedia files; now supports 2D to 3D


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Designed by Terry Waugh and shown all together at Triangle Modernist Houses by George Smart.
This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
OMG! Do you live in a modernist home?? I *was* only jealous of your job, your intelligence, and your devotion to blogging. I'll have to add covetousness to my list of sins…
would you settle for Envy? I think that is a choice. But you would have to age several decades. I enjoyed them but I wish them on no one else.
What a great house! When's the next party…
Want a picture of the lovely, though tragically flawed, Deck House at Crazyland?
What flaws? Overhung floors let the cold and heat in. High ceilings collect pockets of hot air in summer and cold air in winter, unless ceiling fans are installed. Single-glazed casement windows are NOT energy efficient. Small bedrooms are cut off from airflow for the most part. Don't ask about the ducts.
What beauty? Huge central fireplace with bluestone granite floating hearth heats all living area when blazing. Big (double-glazed) glass walls. Ideal SSW exposure so that sun is directly overhead in summer and pours in in winter. Big, solid front door with wavy-glass panel by its side. Excellent birdwatching. Downstairs stays cool in summer due to half-basement style. Warm in winter since the furnace is there. And the sheer geometrical interestingness of almost every wall in the house.
i hope i never live in a 'conventional' house again.
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Kyle Busch is a realist.
After a broken brake rotor sent him into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 19 of Sunday's NASCAR race at Pocono, Busch knows he must win at least one of the next five races to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Busch had a harrowing experience when he blew out a rear brake rotor heading toward the tightest turn at Pocono.
"Getting down into Turn 1 with a three-wheel brake is about the worst situation you can have as a race car driver," Busch said. "I kept trying to pump it to keep feeding pressure to the rest of the three wheels to keep it off the fence -- but just couldn't do it."
Busch finished 33rd and dropped to 15th in the Cup standings and fourth in the race for one of two available wild card berths in the Chase.
"We're obviously not going to make the top 10 (and a guaranteed Chase spot), so if we get at win -- great -- we'll make the Chase," Busch said. "If not, we'll probably miss it."
Another driver in dire need of a victory, Carl Edwards, had his chances cut short by the rain.
Edwards is 12th in the standings, 60 points out of 10th, but without a win since March of last year. Under those circumstances, his seventh-place finish on Sunday wasn't quite good enough.
"We needed another restart," Edwards said. "It's too bad that the rain came when it did, because we needed to keep racing. ... The good news is that we were fast, and (crew chief) Chad (Norris) has done a really good job with the car, and I'm really looking forward to next week (at Watkins Glen).
"I have never wanted to race so bad in my life -- I want to be racing right now."


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AMFA's Record Against Solidarity
written & posted 11/05
A letter from National Director Delle-Femine April 28, 1994
" Our task, our mission is to separate from the cleaners/janitors. That's our goal, and through your support and help we will win."
April 4, 1994 "The Mechanic" flyer
"Mechanics and Inspectors wages historically have been sacrificed by the IAM in order to provide an artificially high scale for the unskilled workers who dominate the catch-all union."
AMFA memo April 7, 1994
"The mechanics at UAL are being forced to make concessions for the unskilled class of cleaners and baggage handlers."
* AMFA's attorney Lee Seham in an August 11, 1994 letter to the National Mediation Board arguing AMFA should not have to represent United Airlines' Cleaners because,
"The professional lives and collective bargaining aspirations of skilled craftsmen cannot be dictated by individuals who preponderantly wipe tray tables, dispose of trash, or clean the exterior of an aircraft with a mop. Forcing this unnatural alliance guarantees instability.
* Why does the AMFA use a legal firm that has represented corporations over Unions in the past?
(Answer submitted by the National Director) We in AMFA over the past 30 years have enjoyed a most trusting and successful relationship with Lee's (Seham, Seham, Meltz & Peterson) firm. It is not any of our business to dictate how a firm should earn its living. In fact one of the things we admire about his firm is that it knows both sides of the table. This is a valuable asset for us
Statement by Carl Finamore, President, IAMAW Local Lodge 1781
Addressed to Delegates to All Northern California Labor Councils
The NWA Strike and Labor Solidarity
Dear Brother & Sister Delegates of the Northern California Central Labor Councils,
There is a need within Labor to discuss the reasons we have fallen to such a low point. Our decline for years now has been steady. My personal opinion is that it is traceable to policies enacted over 50 years ago that have allowed political parties outside Labor to largely speak and act for us in defense of the working class. That should be our job.
I believe we must declare our political independence and act more in our own proud name, our own loud and strong voice, and with our own clearly stated demands before we can reclaim the allegiance of the working class. Unfortunately, the betrayals and compromises of politicians and parties who claim to be our friends have left the working class confused and disoriented. So we have our work cut out for us.
But that is a much larger discussion. The immediate issue I want to address is the breakdown in Solidarity at Northwest Airlines that has recently been discussed in the San Francisco Bay Area Labor Councils without the benefit of hearing from my Union.
Solidarity by definition is action that unites and strengthens the working class in defense of its own interests. In the airline industry, this required unity has been under attack for several decades by the Aircraft Mechanic Fraternal Association (AMFA).
As you know, AMFA has throughout its history refused to join the AFL-CIO because its openly avowed goal was to break apart industrial unions in the airline industry. Why? In order to "free" skilled mechanics from their association with the unskilled kitchen, cabin cleaners, janitors and baggage handlers.
Because of its historical opposition to labor solidarity, AMFA was largely insignificant throughout its existence since the early 1960s, shriveling to 439 members in 1996.
But since 1998 their persistent raids against the IAM, TWU, AFA-CWA, and Teamsters have made large gains at United Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines. This was because AMFA was able to feed off the large discontent among workers who endured concessions imposed by management over the last decade. This decline of wages, erosion of working conditions and elimination of pensions accelerated with more than half a dozen airlines seeking bankruptcy since 2002.
AMFA's characterization of the majority of airline workers as 'unskilled' 'drags' on higher-skilled mechanics has also converged nicely with the efforts over the last 10 years of the airlines to contract out most of these same so-called 'unskilled' positions.
AMFA's elitist propaganda in recent years not only won support among many misguided mechanics, but notably also among the bosses. Significantly, the Teamsters and IAM both filed charges with the National Mediation Board documenting numerous instances of Management favoring AMFA raiding tactics.
There are some who have mistaken AMFA's organizational successes in recent years as a sign of some sort of new opening for labor activism. They are mistaken. AMFA has no political explanation for the setbacks suffered by airline workers. Instead, they offer an organizational explanation reminiscent of 19th century labor officials. The problem as AMFA sees it isn't lack of labor solidarity, but solidarity itself!
For AMFA, the problem is the industrial union concept; the inclusion of the unskilled from their reactionary vantage point has supposedly handicapped mechanics from exercising their 'skill' as the main bargaining leverage against employers.
Rejecting solidarity with other workers, AMFA openly champions skill over numbers as their most powerful leverage. But all these false craft-union notions, soundly disproved by the USAir mechanic strike in 1992 and now once again, vividly, heartbreakingly, in the 2005 NWAmechanic strike, do not in themselves justify a breakdown in solidarity among airline industry unions.
The even larger immediate tragedy is that the elitist ideas of AMFA have not been limited to speeches or to the written word, but have actually been part of their bargaining strategy.
The strike at NWA seeks to further bargaining objectives that pit AMFA against other workers. In fact, as the IAMAW has publicly complained numerous times, AMFA dared to demand that NWA impose more concessions on non-AMFA workers, beyond even what the employers originally proposed. More from non-AMFA members means less from AMFA members, according to AMFA's elitist logic. Unfortunately, they are now reaping the consequences of such a betrayal of solidarity.
Similarly at UAL, AMFA successfully won a recent National Mediation Board decision to take over approximately 550 IAM fueling jobs, which were then promptly contracted out in a prior agreement between AMFA and UAL.
Make no mistake. AMFA knew that if they won the Board decision, the $20 an hour IAM jobs would be lost and contracted out for $12 an hour, with UAL's savings partially set aside to soften concessions required of AMFA UAL mechanics.
A few months earlier in 2005, UAL AMFA mechanics again took less of a concessionary hit because they agreed to allow the Carrier to contract out all cabin cleaners and janitors.
At NWA, a similar breakdown in solidarity occurred with regard to Cabin jobs. Prior to the strike, AMFA negotiators already agreed, following their pattern at UAL, to contract out all Cabin jobs at NWA.
Notably, at NWA, AMFA did not attend any of the joint bargaining sessions of the Flight Attendants, IAM and Pilots. How could they? AMFA was demanding that NWA seek concessions from other work groups that would in some cases more than double what was already being asked by the Carrier.
Let's also be clear about this. Strikes designed to increase the standard of living of workers by targeting employers deserve unconditional support regardless of any past grievances between organizations, no matter how deep-seated. But the breakdown in solidarity in the NWA strike has occurred because of AMFA's concrete bargaining actions. AMFA tried to cut their own deal with UAL and NWA, to the detriment of other work groups. The breakdown in unity was not because of prior conflicts with the unions whose members they have raided. Unfortunately, AMFA only discovered the word Solidarity after they found themselves out in the cold.
Our position is also clear: IAM members refuse to support a bargaining strategy that attacks other workers!
In this regard, it appears the NWA flight attendants, who originally held AMFA's same goals and objectives, have taken a different course.
They are not asking that NWA lighten their concessions by taking from other workers. They appear to be asking for collective action by all the unions to defend all the workers against the Carrier's greed.
That is why they deserve and are receiving full and unconditional support in their fight regardless of their AMFA affiliation or origins.
The bald truth is that solidarity has been destroyed by AMFA's actions, leaving its members defenseless and isolated. Of course, we take no joy in seeing NWA take advantage of this setback for all workers, but the damage cannot be healed by ignoring reality and supporting strikes that demand sacrifices from other workers.
The lesson of the AMFA strike is that we should oppose breaking apart unions within industries. Rather, we must work within the existing unions to make them more responsive to the membership and more militant against the corporations.
We demand true Solidarity, actions and demands that unite and benefit the working class as a whole. There can be no solidarity with a bargaining strategy that divides the working class.


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Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you have any questions or comments about this page please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
SOURCE OHK Medical Devices
HAIFA, Israel, June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
OHK Medical Devices the leading manufacturer of the HemaClear® tourniquet announces the Journal of Surgery Research and Practice publication of Templeton-Ward et al study titled "The Use of the S-Mart Tourniquet in Hand Surgery: a Safe and Effective Way to Provide a Bloodless Field" (http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/402184).
The study details the safety and effectiveness of exsanguination and bleeding control when the HemaClear is used in hand surgery in the UK.
The authors stressed the following advantages:
"In our experience, the use of the S-MART exsanguination tourniquet is an effective and safe way to provide a bloodless field in hand and wrist surgery" (Templeton-Ward et al, 2014).
The study was promoted by a derogative comment in Noordin et al (http://jbjs.org/content/91/12/2958) about the potential risks of the ultra-narrow HemaClear (S-MART). The study authors clearly state "We experienced very few complications as a result of its use as suggested in Noordin's article, and we feel that its benefits certainly outweigh any risks in its use."
About OHK
OHK Medical Devices, a privately held company headquartered in Haifa, Israel is the world leader in sterile tourniquet solutions. The HemaClear sterile tourniquet product is the first significant advancement in tourniquet solutions in over 10 years and the world's leading solution for bloodless orthopedic surgery. An innovative and groundbreaking technology has taken the orthopedic operating room to a new level. Since penetrating the market in 2008 HemaClear has been successfully used in over 600,000 procedures in over 2,000 operating rooms across 30 countries. For more information about OHK's HemaClear, visit http://www.hemaclear.com or contact Hallie Keren at email@example.com or +972-54-782-7865
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.


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Daily News Publishes SpoilersBooks
June 18, 2003, 08:01 AM
The New York Daily News has published an article containing a number of spoilers from OotP; the Today Show reported on the article this morning as well. Because of the injunction and embargo, we're not going to publish the spoilers here, or post a link to the article. The paper is claiming that a reporter purchased a copy of the book from a small health food store whose owner claimed he didn't know that he wasn't allowed to sell the book yet.
Warning: If anyone posts the link, or the contents of the article, in Comments here (when they're up) or on TLCdotORG, that person will be banned and the comment or post deleted.


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$75 Checking & Savings Account Bonus At First Central Bank In Missouri
$75 Checking & Savings Account Bonus At First Central Bank In Missouri
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - 6:13 AM
First Central Bank (MO)
First Central Bank just east of Kansas City has a promotion in which you can earn up to $75. Promotion is scheduled to end on 10/31/2012.
link to bank's promotion page
1. Open a MyChoice checking at your nearest First Central Bank location or online and get $50.
2. Open a SaveUp Savings at the same time, get another $25, for a total of $75
3. For Online account opening-Use Promotional Code: Get$75
Note, MyChoice Checking has a $3 monthly maintenance fee. This can be waived with recurring an average daily balance of at least $750, or direct deposit, or monthly transfer between MyChoice Checking and SaveUp Savings, or at least 10 debit card purchases.
Update 9/17/12:
A reader applied online and was informed by the bank that this promo is only for residents in their
market area in Missouri
Ken Tumin
5,472 posts since
Nov 29, 2009
Rep Points: 125,708


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Ocean Circulation Edges
Dr. Mitchell Roffer of Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service (roffs.com) explains that offshore edges and eddies are also prime ambush spots for game fish.
"These edges are relatively strong water-density features in the ocean that are the boundaries of the water masses," says Roffer. "These physi-cally pull and concentrate baitfish. After a few days, when there are persistent concentrations of bait, the larger fish become concentrated in these zones. The edges with the best potential are the ones with concentrations of seaweed and other floating objects like wood and trash that have baitfish associated with them. Not all edges will have a concentration of baitfish, which is usually related to the persistence, maturity and flow direction of the materials that form them."
Like the ones in the inshore bridge- and dock-shadow scenarios, Roffer acknowledges, these edges also have different sound properties which likely influence the predator-prey relationships to the benefit of the predators. The sounds associated with these edges are likely to mask the predators' sounds on one side, acting like a sound curtain for them to hide behind, enabling efficient ambushes.
"The best part of an eddy is where the water is pushing into the ledges, which forces the fish out of hiding in the bottom structure," says Roffer. "When forced away from the bottom structure, the fish are more vulnerable to the larger predators, which then concentrate in these areas and start a feeding frenzy. Depending on the circulation associated with the eddy, additional good fishing action occurs in the center, where the prey and larger fish are forced closer to the surface by the upwelling and cooler water, much as with the relatively smaller western-boundary Gulf Stream eddies."
The key is knowing how long these water-mass boundary features have been hanging over good bottom structure. This can be determined by studying sea-surface temperature charts and ocean-color satellite data, because the water masses have signature water temperatures and colors, enabling you to calculate how long a feature has been over a particular bottom structure.
As far as fishing these offshore edges goes, it's often a matter of finding the stretch that is rich with bait and sea life. Birds are excellent indicators of a live edge and can be picked up on radar. So, when trolling or running-and-gunning down an edge, consult the radar, and also the fish finder, for any subsurface activity. Once in a bait-rich area, stick it out and work the spot thoroughly.
Sometimes locating fish is a matter of trolling tight patterns along the break or trolling up to a half-mile or so deep into the adjoining waters. Also, there are times when the fish are not at the surface along a rip or eddy and must be coaxed up. This is accomplished by trolling dredges and teasers to create more surface activity and using downriggers to place baits deep. Stopping to drop flutter jigs is also an effective method.
Edges come in many forms. Take into consideration the entire environment, create an image in your mind of what might be happening, and concentrate on where ambush zones may be. It's a thinking angler's game combined with some precise bait positioning. But in the end, rewards come big time in terms of game fish.
Page 2 of 2


text:
Gift-Wrapping Party
Come wrap your gifts with your friends and neighbors. We'll supply all the gift-wrapping essentials plus some holiday treats! This event is free and no sign-up is required. Contact Stephen at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information. Sponsored by the Graduate School.
Location: Butler Common Room
Date/Time: 12/17/11 at 6:00 pm - 12/17/11 at 7:00 pm
Category: General Events
Department: Graduate School Office


text: I finally tracked down a discount code for that sports-rope necklace site TitaniumTwisters.com ! I know various members were searching for this, so I thought I'd share. They have a discount code "SANTA" that they are using on their website until the end of December. The "SANTA" code gives 25% discount on all purchases. This is perfect for Christmas, as I can get on their site and customize those sports rope necklaces (titanium necklaces) in team colors for people for Christmas. I think they are up to around 50 colors of rope now. You pick the colors, they assemble and mail it out within a few days. They are a US company. Here's one I just designed on their website:


text:
Town Square
Palo Alto adds 'chief communications officer' to leadership team
Original post made on Apr 17, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 9:14 AM
on Apr 17, 2013 at 9:27 am
> The new position comes with an annual salary of $175,000.
With all of the costs of employment--the cost-to-employ this person will be over $225K a year!!!
There is already two communication's "officers" employed by the City already. The total cost for "communications" will be over $500K.
What's interesting is that other than the word "transparency"--there doesn't seem much information in this article about what this person will be doing. Wonder if she will be required to create a work plan?
Oh, and by the way--anyone know what the so-called Business Development Manager does? Keene's "leadership" team now is costing the taxpayers between $2M and $3M in salaries and benefits. There is virtually nothing in the public record to explain their activities. Given the secrecy of the Arrillaga project that offers to destroy downtown--it's hard to believe that this new employ will be doing much in the way of shedding light on this awful project.
What are these people doing that a well-managed web-site could not do?
Given that the PAUSD has just hired a PR person--it's clear that Palo Alto is about to enter a new "dark age" of public information transparency.
Sad, really sad!
on Apr 17, 2013 at 9:29 am
> There is already two communication's "officers"
> employed by the City already.
Should have been:
There are already two communication's "officers"
employed by the City already.
on Apr 17, 2013 at 9:36 am
We could have had an improved web site for that money. Mr Keene's bad reputation and alliances with developers may need some help to improve his image but this is proof, if any was needed, that he needs cover-ups more than transparency.


text:
Citizens invited to vote on-line on future of NAFTA
The Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) invites citizens on both sides of the Canadian-American border, to weigh in on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
In the US Democratic primary this year both Senators Obama and Clinton made it clear that the North American Free Trade Agreement as it now stands is not acceptable to America.
"Since a move to renegotiate NAFTA would have far-reaching ramifications for both Canada and the United States, the CSD is hoping Canadians and Americans will make their own views known," says CSD Chair, Tom Axworthy.
On-line voting at www.queensu.ca/csd will close Thursday, October 23, at 5 pm EST.
The results will be made public on Friday, October 24, after members of the Queen's Debating Union re-enact portions of the 1988 free trade debates and a panel of experts for and against NAFTA debate its future, at a symposium honouring former prime minister John Turner.
Open to the public and moderated by CSD Fellow Mary Lou Finlay, a veteran Canadian broadcaster of CBC Radio's As It Happens, the debate will feature Canadian Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Canadian trade expert William Dymond of Carleton University, New York State union leader and scholar Mark Levinson, and American Presidential Historian Yanek Mieczkowski of Dowling College.
The debate coincides with the 20th anniversary of the first televised debate between Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Liberal leader John Turner and New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent in Canada over the issue of free trade with the United States, an agreement later expanded into the NAFTA.
Mr. Turner, Canada's 17th Prime Minister, will be at Queen's earlier that morning, and speaking at noon about trade with America and other issues.
"This anniversary presents Canadians and Americans with an historic opportunity to look to the future of the NAFTA," says CSD Chair Tom Axworthy."
- 2014-08-28: The Agnes: Free Thursday Tour
- 2014-08-23: Faith date: Jainism: Paryushana-parva begins
- 2014-08-21: The Agnes: Free Thursday Tour
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- 2014-08-17: Faith date: Hinduism: Sri Krishna Jayanti


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Hello everyone !
I have an error when I click on twitter (#twitter) then on Post Update
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She Left Me the Gun
My Mother's Life Before Me
Hardcover, 298 pages, Penguin Group USA, List Price: $26.95 | purchase
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Book Summary
Documents the author's investigation into a shattering childhood trauma in South Africa, tracing the discovery of her grandfather's abuse of her mother, which compelled her mother's unsuccessful attempt to kill him before fleeing the country.
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Critics' Lists: Summer 2013
Best Of The Summer: 6 Books The Critics Adore
Miller is also fond of memoirs, a genre that in recent years has been maligned as self indulgent and often untruthful. But Miller thinks a good memoir can be a great read. Emma Brockes' is about her search for the truth about her mother's difficult childhood. Though Brockes had an idyllic childhood growing up in England, she gradually comes to understand that her mother's upbringing in Australia was quite the opposite. Miller says Brockes' mom emerges as a heroic figure who was an "amazing,
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The wait is over! Download the BeerAdvocate app on iTunes or Google Play now.
Get 12 issues / year of BeerAdvocate magazine for only $9.99!
Harveys Christmas Ale - Harvey & Son Ltd.
Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.
Ratings: 165 | Reviews: 151 | Display Reviews Only:
3.5/5 rDev -7.2%
07-13-2014 01:47:55 | More by KAF
2.79/5 rDev -26%
Poured from the bottle.
The beer poured with very little carbonation.
It was hazy and auburn in colour.
The beer smelled strongly of figs and spices.
The taste was like drinking alcoholic raisin/prune juice with a few spices. It was also a bit slimy on the tongue.
Would I buy it again? No. I just do not care for those types of flavours.
01-28-2014 19:27:46 | More by NilocRellim
3.3/5 rDev -12.5%
This one sloshed out of the bottle, virtually no carbonation other than some off-white bubbles around the edges. Undated bottle, so perhaps an old one. It has the color of iced tea. Smells like Coca-Cola: sweet, some ripened fruit, raisins, vanilla. The taste is a real let-down: sweet, a bit malty, some more vanilla. The alcohol is well hidden, but it tastes like flat coke mixed with some orange soda. I'm willing to try it again as this may be an old bottle.
01-08-2014 04:09:30 | More by kaufmaal
2.3/5 rDev -39%
Truly a let down. After seeing the high reviews on BA, I had very high expectations for this brew. It poured with little to no head (maybe due to a bad pour) and the color was fine, but nothing particularly appealing. I drank this out of a Perfect Pint glass, but didn't really experience much nose on the beer after pouring (related to my imperfect pour, perhaps?) But the taste was the biggest disappointment - I can only compare it to flat soda. Sweet, with little carbonation and just a mediocre sugary taste. Couldn't even finish it.
01-01-2014 21:43:46 | More by BraveUlysses
4.5/5 rDev +19.4%
12-05-2013 00:48:40 | More by BillRoth
4/5 rDev +6.1%
11-27-2013 14:35:58 | More by jaydoc
North Carolina
3.69/5 rDev -2.1%
Appearance: Pours a hazy ice tea brown color; the head is a mass of large bubbles that quickly fade away, leaving a salting of lace on the tulip glass
Smell: Burnt brown sugar, leather, cream sherry and a hint of soy
Taste: Soy sauce infused toffee, on the front end, with leather and caramel apple flavors in the mid-palate; the finish is somewhat boozy, with cream sherry notes; a touch of lactic sourness in the aftertaste
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low carbonation; a bit of warmth in the gullet
Overall: Though I bought this bottle the other day, I have no idea how old it was; given the price mark-down, I am sure it was not this year's edition and it may not have been last year's either; as I look through the previous reviews there is a distinct downward trend and reduced number of reviews over the last few years so it would not surprise me if this beer hasn't been imported for a while; trying to account for all this, I find that there are some pleasing aspects to the beer but the soy sauce, in particular, really detracts from the overall enjoyment
11-23-2013 18:21:55 | More by brentk56
3.75/5 rDev -0.5%
09-10-2013 18:40:10 | More by harpus
3.75/5 rDev -0.5%
07-30-2013 23:28:25 | More by Doppelbockulus
South Carolina
4.25/5 rDev +12.7%
07-28-2013 19:48:36 | More by WOLFGANG
4/5 rDev +6.1%
05-25-2013 21:54:03 | More by Slatetank
New York
2/5 rDev -46.9%
03-21-2013 00:03:03 | More by BGsWo22
3/5 rDev -20.4%
01-31-2013 21:58:50 | More by matjack85
3.33/5 rDev -11.7%
Body is dark reddish brown, head dissipates rapidly.
Smells malty sweet, raisins and honey, a little fresh tobacco.
Tastes very malty sweet, with notes of raisins, prunes, and other dark fruit, a little coffee. Has a slightly bitter finish.
Body is medium and carbonation is low, not quite flat but close.
This is a winter warmer that is very malty, fruity, and pretty sweet, but not very spicy. It is just OK and lacks complexity. It doesn't hold my interest and I would not have another glass of this.
12-30-2012 04:31:09 | More by Beerenauslese
1.5/5 rDev -60.2%
10-12-2012 02:05:18 | More by brez8791
3.48/5 rDev -7.7%
Review from 1/2010 notes. Poured into a Caracole small snifter. Pours a somewhat cloudy dark, ruddy brown amber. Very slight head formation on pouring that disappears quickly, little carbonation. Aroma of dark fruit and sweet malt. Flavor is moderate dark and dried fruit and sweet malt with light holiday spicing. Medium body. Pleasant, but nothing to bring me back next year. Kind of wanted to like this a bit more. No date on the bottle, from the source, it could have been an older bottle.
08-08-2012 03:28:37 | More by LiquidAmber
2.75/5 rDev -27.1%
04-28-2012 21:18:22 | More by Archemedies
New York
3.83/5 rDev +1.6%
A: The beer is very hazy brownish amber in color. It poured with a very thin head that quickly dissipated, leaving lacing on the surface and a thick ring of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are aromas of port wine in the nose, which become stronger as the beer warms up.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of port wine along with notes of figs and a bit of sweetness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit thin on the palate with a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink compared to others in the style because the alcohol is well hidden from the taste. It almost seems to taste more like port wine instead of beer.
04-02-2012 00:35:18 | More by metter98
3/5 rDev -20.4%
02-01-2012 03:57:42 | More by LJWalker
3.93/5 rDev +4.2%
This beer is flatter than normal...a still-ish amber liquid with a nearly non-existent head. A ring of white suds. The aroma is all fruit and malt. Cherry, grist-mill, apricot, grape-skin, and lightly toasted bread. The flavor is now what was expected...intense sweetness to begin with (nearly sugary), followed with a bit of booze and enough balance to even things out. Some gristy, malty characteristics. English hops. This is a traditional strong English ale all the way (over the top, really). Full body. To be enjoyed in sips, not a gulps. I enjoyed this beer more than expected.
12-30-2011 03:50:43 | More by Suds
3.28/5 rDev -13%
Not sure when this was bottled. Label says there is a best by date on the cap, but I don't see one.
A - Pours a clear amber/copper with almost zero head.
S - Lots of caramel malt, a bit of fruit, mostly apple, and a bit of candi sugar. Pretty nice.
T - Alcohol is quite noticeable, along with sweet caramel malt, some sugar and brown sugar, and some tart fruit. Has a very faint burnt flavor, and some spices leading to a dry finish.
M - Medium mouthfeel s initially quite syrupy, but finishes dry and with some bitterness.
O - A pretty good winter warmer, but not one I would go back to.
12-27-2011 03:23:52 | More by warnerry
4/5 rDev +6.1%
12-15-2011 20:44:04 | More by Kahlerbock
4.3/5 rDev +14.1%
Several year interest in this. Not sure why I pulled the trigger this time, but so I did.
Great deep fruity aroma with dark fruits like fig and dates, but malt. Also nice sweet candy like caramel, toffee and a little molasses. Really nice aroma.
No head to speak of, with a small rim of white carbonation. Darker amber with tints of red, yellow, orange and slightly cloudy.
Nice fruit flavors again - closer to cherry. They are a little sweeter and are tinged with the alcohol. Finish has a drying quality, but it's not a dry beer, in fact it's more rich than anything. Must be just enough hopping to balance it off.
Heavy feel, with richness, low carbonation, higher alcohol make this a slow sipper. However, the rather shorter finish limits it some.
I like this beer. It's not through the roof, but it is a good, and complex beer with some really enjoyable fruit flavors.
12-10-2011 03:04:41 | More by garymuchow
New Hampshire
5/5 rDev +32.6%
12-01-2011 15:16:36 | More by Rochefort10nh
3.13/5 rDev -17%
A couple years on this one. No bottle date.
A-Pours clear dark amber with a thin, milky coffee colored head. No lacing.
S-Candied fruit, figs, leather, toffee.
T/M-Flavor profile is in line with what I expect from a vintage English strong ale for the most part, but it's just kind of flat. Cloyingly sweet. Fruity/musty flavors all muddled together.
O-Don't care for it
09-02-2011 03:49:04 | More by DaveHS
Harveys Christmas Ale from Harvey & Son Ltd.
85 out of 100 based on 165 ratings.


text:
to 5616166
|(0124) 4405500
From 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM
(Monday to Saturday)
to 5616166
|(0124) 4405500
From 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM
(Monday to Saturday)
Travel insurance
Don't let your worries take off with you
Go on a vacation where the only thing on your mind is adventure. A specialized Travel Insurance plan that ensures you have a vacation that's smooth & peaceful.
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Journey into the world, without any roadblocks. This Travel Insurance plan takes care of all your worries, leaving you to travel with complete peace of mind. With 7 different coverages, the Travel Insurance plan protects you against overseas medical expenses and travel inconveniences. Additionally, it provides a cover against any personal liabilities that may arise whilst on a trip abroad.
Overseas Medical Expenses
This cover will reimburse for the expenses incurred for availing immediate medical assistance required on account of any illness or injury sustained or contracted whilst on a trip abroad but not exceeding the Sum Insured for the coverage as agreed under the Plan.
Travel Delay
This cover reimburses for the reasonable additional expenses incurred by the Insured if the trip (international) is delayed for more than 12 hours from the scheduled time until travel becomes possible.
Missed Flight Connections:
This cover reimburses the insured for additional transportation expenses in the event the insured misses or fails to take a connecting international flight of an international Airline due to the delay in arrival of another international flight, in which the Insured is travelling, beyond 6 hours of the schedule arrival time.
Loss of Passport / Documents
This cover reimburses the insured for all the necessary and reasonable expenses incurred by the Insured for obtaining a duplicate or fresh passport/visa following the loss of passport during a trip abroad but not exceeding the sum insured.
Loss of Baggage
This cover reimburses the total loss of your checked-in baggage on the trip abroad, for the travel destination specified in the main travel ticket from the Republic of India and return trip back to India during the trip abroad.
Delay in Baggage
This cover shall compensate the insured for the temporary delay of more than 12 hrs of checked-in baggage being transported during a Trip abroad.
Personal Liability
This cover will compensate the insured in the event he/she becomes legally liable to a third party under statutory liability provisions in private law for an incident which results in death, injury or damage to the health of such third party or damage to his/her properties, but not exceeding the Sum Insured and provided the incident occurs during the period of insurance and whilst on a trip abroad.
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*Premium quoted is annual & includes 12.36% service tax
**Valid for renewals only
General Insurance underwritten by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. (ICICI Lombard) whose registered office is at ICICI Lombard House, 414, Veer Savarkar Marg, Near Siddhivanayak Temple, Prabhadevi, Mumbai – 400 025
Life Insurance is underwritten by PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd. (PNB MetLife) having its principle office at No.5 Brigade Seshmahal, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore – 560004.
This information is provided by American Express Banking Corp. (AEBC), India, having its Principal office at MGF Metropolitan, Office Tower, Level 7, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi-110017. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has authorized AEBC India to act as a Corporate Agent from 17th June, 2011 to 16th June, 2014 for soliciting and procuring General Insurance business under license number ILG 8654380 and under license number MLI 8654380 for soliciting and procuring Life Insurance business from 28th August 2012 to 16th June, 2014. The contents of this message (including any attachments) and the contents there of are attributable solely to the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited & PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd. ('Insurance Company'). No part of the same is either directly or indirectly, attributable to AEBC. The participation of the Cardmember is purely on a voluntary basis. Any such person who purchases or otherwise subscribes to the Insurance Product would do at his/her discretion and shall not receive any advantages in additions to those which he/she would ordinarily be entitled to as an American Express Cardmember. AEBC India does not accept any responsibility for the Insurance Company's actions or decisions. AEBC holds no warranty & makes no representation about claims processing. Insurance company is liable to claims processing as per the terms and conditions of this Policy. AEBC India identifies insurance providers and products that may be of some interest to some of their customers. In this role, American Express does not act as an agent or fiduciary for the Cardmember, and may act on behalf of the insurance provider (as its agent or otherwise), as permitted by law. Please be aware that we receive up to 15% of the premium as commissions for Non Life insurance products and up to 30% in the first year and up to 7% of the premium in the subsequent years for Life insurance products from providers as per Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority guidelines.
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text:
> View this now
Published on: June 05, 2012
Type of content: EBOOK
Length: 12 pages
Price: FREE
Many organizations are adopting a two-tiered approach to enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a cost-effective method of extending the life of a legacy system or to respond to location-specific business requirements in multiple countries. But what are the true costs and benefits associated with this relatively new strategy?
Read this expert e-book to learn how to effectively evaluate and analyze the pros and cons of a two-tier ERP strategy for your business. Then, find tips on how to make an effective business case for adopting this unique method.


text: prom dresses 2012 long Added: July 31, 2012 | Image size: 389 x 529 px | More from: www.charmgirl.co.uk | Source: linkNo comments Please log in or sign up to post a comment. add to set Views: 449 Likes (**Who?): 1 Comments: 0Tagged with :prom dresses 2012 long 143Log in or Sign upLog In" or Sign Up


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Borders chief faces MPs' questions (From Banbury Cake)
When It Happens Panel Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting 'OXFORD NEWS' to 80360 or email
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Borders chief faces MPs' questions
3:30am Tuesday 24th June 2014 in National News © Press Association 2014
Britain's borders and immigration watchdog is set to face questions from MPs over European citizenship becoming an increasingly important way for non-EU citizens to get into the country.
Chief inspector of borders John Vine will appear in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee days after his inspection of how the Home Office handles European free movement applications found that more than a third of European nationals (36%) applying to stay in the UK were born outside the region and had gained European identity before arriving in Britain.
Mr Vine also found they were often sponsoring non-European partners of their own original nationality or a similar cultural background.
Mr Vine is also likely to face questions on sham marriages after figures yesterday showed that registrars reported more than 2,000 suspicious unions last year.
Committee chairman Keith Vaz described the figure - more than double the number of reports in 2010 (934) - as "worrying".
The report released last week by Mr Vine found there was not appropriate scrutiny of suspected sham marriages.
It also found that the Home Office targeted sham marriage and trafficking by organised crime gangs, but rarely prosecuted individuals, and that caseworkers often ran out of time to interview applicants and their sponsors because applications were still being worked on as a six-month deadline approached.
Comments (4)
Please log in to enable comment sorting
7:00am Tue 24 Jun 14
hogheaven says...
9:07am Tue 24 Jun 14
Andrew:Oxford says...
hogheaven wrote:We don't need to carry cards.
Well its no surprise, the government seem to be incapable of managing our borders, sham marriages happen daily and very little is done to tighten up this loophole. Now if we all had ID cards much of this could be stopped, but that would be too easy.
All it would take is a dna sample, fingerprint & iris scan of every UK or EU resident - these could be checked against a live database at any time.
9:13am Tue 24 Jun 14
cosmick says...
There is a shortage of housing more comming to this country wont help.
Shut the borders.
11:17am Tue 24 Jun 14
welshmen says...


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Kelly Slater having fun on some practice waves before the 2012 Hurley Pro at Trestles in San Clemente, California.
Broke For Free "Calm The F**k Down"
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Breast Cancer Walk/Race Mother's Day 2013 by Team ugs for Haarriet - over 1 year ago
"This is a picture of our family/friends team Hugs For Harriet. We've been walking in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5K Walk/Race for 10 years in honor of our mother, Harriet Irene McKie who died of breast cancer in 1993. The race takes place every mother's day in Philadelphia, Pa. I'm the captain of our team and the second year we participated, I decided to get t-shirts with our team name on them so everyone would know who we were and why we walk. This is pic shows our 9th t-shirt from Customink.com. I'm not sure why I haven't entered before now, but here we are! Faithful customers of Customink...I love your work, your prices and your dedication and prompt delivery! I wouldn't get our shirts from anywhere else...you guys ROCK!!!!! Stephanie M. McKie Captain for Hugs for Harriet"


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As a fan of photographer, director and producer Leandro Manuel Emede, Swide gave the opportunity to this emerging talent to create a video following the lead up to the Menswear F/W11 fashion show which happened in January.
Eccentric yet Beautiful
Emede's somewhat post-modern take on fashion is palpable in the video. His use of sounds mixed with music creates an eerie yet realistic context. The hustle and bustle of the backstage area are juxtaposed to the quietness of the post production times- the backstage goes from a hot bed of activity to a ghost town from one scene to the next. At the same time, Emede is able to capture the essence of what is happening, both from the view point of a filmmaker, therefore a spectator and commentator of real life and from the view point of the protagonists- Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, as well as the supporting actors- the models, and the walk-ons- the dressers, manicurists and engineers.
The eccentricity of the clothes, the F/W 11 collection (which is available in boutiques now) was based on eccentric tailoring in fact, and the eccentricity of the director's style are a perfect match, making this a beautiful, sensitive and balanced short.
Written By: Valentina Zannoni
Credits: Leandro Manuel Emede
View thw F/W Fashion Show:
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Tagged with: #EXHIBITION #FASHION SHOW
Ever wished a Dolce&Gabbana model approached you in a bar and whispered some sweet nothings into your ear? Swide does but there's a twist: Helium is involved.
The models of Dolce & Gabbana SS2015 lent themselves to a new backstage video: from hairpins in their hair to impersonate the modern bullfighters of the collection to black branded balloons filled with helium, here is the best (and worst) from the operation in GIFs.


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A group of determined activists in Mountain View, N.M., fights for environmental justice in a poor and polluted neighborhood.
In the city of Albuquerque, underdog candidate Eric
Griego, a critic of sprawl, challenges incumbent Mayor Marty
Chavez, a pro-growth booster
It's too early to know the impact wildfires have had
on the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and the Crestridge
wildlife preserve, two of the successes of the Multiple Species
Conservation Program
Two former Fish and Wildlife Service biologists had early
doubts about San Diego's Multiple Species Conservation
Program, criticizing the limits of the program's science and
its inability to protect a population of endangered willowy
California buys the controversial Ahmanson Ranch, north of
Los Angeles, and agrees to preserve it as open space
San Diego's Multiple Species Conservation Program is
a groundbreaking attempt to protect wildlife habitat, but some say
it is still not enough to save the imperiled wildlife of Southern
Tom Arrandale says Americans are getting sick and tired of
paying to save houses from forest fires when those houses are built
– and rebuilt – right next to forests in fire-prone
In Missoula, Mont., and other Western communities,
activists search for the winning formula to pass new open-space
bonds in November
A new documentary, Making Sense of Place:
Phoenix, the Urban Desert, uses the Arizona megalopolis
to show what happens when urban sprawl is unchecked
A shopping center and apartment complex destroyed over 60
of the vernal pools necessary to endangered San Diego fairy shrimp,
and despite the Multiple Species Conservation Program, only one of
the pools was saved
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text:
The NFL offseason is a wonderful, eternal spring of hope for NFL fans everywhere. For all but two franchises, the NFL offseason will become speculation long before a victor is crowned in the Superbowl. For example, the offseason speculation for Jacksonville fans probably started somewhere soon after kickoff in September. As it stands right now just shy of Thanksgiving, the Bears are tied for first in the NFC North with plenty of opportunity left. However, the seemingly self destructive nature of our defense has led many WCG faithful to rightfully question the Bear's postseason hopes with rumblings of offseason moves set to resemble a low budget slasher film.
Let's take a moment to envision a possible universe with our 2014 Bears.
The offseason will officially start as soon as the confetti from the Superbowl is barely making its way to the trash dumps of New Jersey.
Coaches are fired and new candidates for Head Coaches and Coordinators are brought in to Front Offices nation wide
At this point Phil Emery will likely have one looming question, what to do with Mel Tucker?
The Coach will likely have little more than the leverage he's gained socially among his peers, because we all know that the defense he fielded will give him no clout in Halas Hall. This decision will have repercussions. Phil will most likely either give him free ideological reign over player choices moving forward or severely handicap him with possible midseason candidates to relieve him of his duties if little improves. The propensity of injuries in 2013 might just allow Mel Tucker to hobble into another year as the Bears Defensive Coordinator.
The Senior Bowl will have likely been played by this point and draft boards are taking shape in 32 organizations.
March- Free Agency and player contracts
This is where the Bears offseason gets interesting. Players will receive contract extensions that will suspiciously approach deadlines, while we fans cheer and vilify players and management alike. let's all take a moment to applaud the foresight of Phil Emery. It could have been very easy for the new GM to fold under the pressure of Lovie's defensive success in 2012 and offer defensive contracts carte blanche. Right now, we could be looking at a team completely burdened by a Atkins-esque contract for Melton, a large sum of money for older players past their prime, and considerably less leeway in determining the future direction of the Trestman era Bears. As it stand, there should be considerable amounts of money from which our GM can play. Let's examine what the Bears organization will like at the outset of the 2014 offseason.
Candidates for cut (c) or restructure (r)
none, $0 cap hit, no dead money
Matt Forte, $7,300,00 cap hit, $2,000,000 dead money
Michael Bush, $3,850,000 cap hit, $2,000,000 dead money (c)
Michael Ford, $496,166 cap hit, $2,334 dead money (c)
Brandon Marshall, $9,300,000, no dead money (r)
Alshon @Jefferies@, $1,240,317, $873,758 dead money
Earl Bennett, $2,450,000, no dead money (r)
Eric Weems, $1,600,000, $500,000 dead money
Marquess Wilson, $506,787; $35,360 dead money (c)
Martellus Bennett, $6,025,000; $3,375,000 dead money
Jake Byrne, $495,000; no dead money (c)
Jermon Bushrod $7,300,000; 8,800,000 dead money
Kyle Long $1,886,580; 6,031,898 dead money
James Brown $570,000, no dead money (c)
Jordan Mills $536,000, 123,600 dead money
Julius Peppers $18,183,333; 8,366,668 dead money (c)(r)
Shea McClellin $2,253,654; $4,141,690 dead money
Stephen Paea $1,172,787; $295,164 dead money
Cheta Ozougwu $570,000, no dead money (c)
Cornelius Washington, $520,947; $77,841 dead money (c)
Christian Tupou $495,000; no dead money (c)
David Bass $495,000; no dead money
Lance Briggs $6,500,000; $1,000,000 dead money (c)(r)
Jon Bostic $895,636; $934,527 dead money
Khaseem Greene $603,023; $324,069 dead money
Jerry Franklin $570,000, no dead money (c)
Isaiah Frey $495,000, no dead money
Chris Conte $788,400; $133,400 dead money (c)
Adam Podlesh $1,825,000; 800,000 dead money
Total Cap number $79,123,830
2013 Salary Cap $123,000,000
Contract restuctures happen throughout the offseason. If big names aren't cut soon after the outset of the offseason, it's most likely that a team is content with the player or at least trying to renegotiate the terms of the contract before releasing a player. This defense was bad.
It starts with the defensive line.
Melton injured. Collins injured. Paea injured. Peppers limped into the new season.
Shea McClellin can't defend properly against the run.
Bostic looks lost at times
Rookies mistakes at linebacker
Lance Briggs injured.
Tackling issues.
Pursuit angles for safeties.
Coverage issues for safeties.
Injury issues with Tillman.
Possible solutions:
First and Foremost, let's be reminded that this defense is one year removed from one of the best statistical seasons they've ever accrued. Lovie and Urlacher are gone. However, I don't see their absence as the defense's most critical failings. I genuinly believe that this defense needs two to three playmakers and a sophomore effort from Bostic and the defense could be vastly improved.
Whether the solution comes through the first round of the draft or through an aggressive free agent signing, the 3Tech DT has to be the first priority this offseason. Melton can be signed to a vet minimum, or very close, one year deal to see if he still has what it takes after his surgery. He will have to be ok with having to dethrone the new 3T from the draft. While technically the 3T has a one gap responsibility, they are the most pivotal defensive lineman.
Penetrating the B Gap in the defense is the most important responsibility in the Tampa 2 varietal, it's why Sapp was the most important member of the Superbowl Bucs. The penetration makes a play one dimensional and drastically alters what the offense can do. On run defense, it makes the job of the linebackers easier because they can use their agility and speed to cleanup the havoc created by the backfield penetration of the 3T. The DEs can cheat in favor of a pass rush and the Safeties won't be as burdened with Linebackers grossly out of position.
OK. So we've established that a dominant 3tech is the most critical position for the Bears to target next year. Let's evaluate remedies for that problem.
Free Agents (Notable)
Randy Starks (Miami)
Paul Solai(Miami)
Aubreyo Franklin (IND)
Kevin Williams(MIN)
Linval Joseph(NYG)
I could see the Bears trying to bite on Randy Starks, as he's had a few good years, but other than him I only really see stopgap measures at best for a position that is of the utmost importance. Basically, there is no easy answer in Free Agency that even comes close to resembling a good investment.
The Bears should spend their money on one of the notable pass rushers available this year.
Let's look at possible first round candidates in this year's draft:
Ra'Shede Hagemen (Minnesota)
Louis Nix (ND)
Stephen Tuitt (ND)
Will Sutton (ASU)
Dominique Easley(UF)
Ego Ferguson (LSU)
Anthony Johnson (LSU)
Calvin Barnett (OkSU)
Aaron Donald (PITT)
Tim Jernigan (FSU)
DaQuan Jones(PSU)
The Bears will probably be looking down the barrel of another 16-20 pick if they fall just short of the playoffs. By that time the two most notable DTs on this board will probably be taken, Hageman and Nix. The NFL Combine, workouts and Senior Bowl are still to be played, so this list still has a lot of flux left in it. I believe someone from this list very probably could be a Chicago Bear next year if the Bears don't trade for help at the 3Tech position.
So to recap to this point. Coaches are retained. 3Tech DT is the offseason target.
Before we discuss who could be on the roster next year lets discuss cap space. As the Bears stand right now, they have 43M USD in cap space next year. That is with 29 players under contract for the beginning of next year. If you add 24 contracts at a veteran minimum for 2nd year players, the cap space is around 30M USD. (Using 123M USD Cap from 2013)
That figure doesn't sound like a lot when you consider that Jay Cutler might be looking at an annual contract value of $15M USD. We also need to add big ticket items to our defense, where will we find those players with only $15M?
Jay Cutler could sign a contract with an annual ticket value 15 Million for 4 years=$60 Million total and see very low cap hits in his first two years. The signing bonus is prorated over the life of the contract. Let me give a very crude example:
I really can't imagine a scenario where the Bears or Jay Cutler would want to get involved in a Mark Sanchez or Tom Brady-esque contract with more money guaranteed. However, with 50% of the money guaranteed, the Bears have a lot of leverage over Jay Cutler in Years 3 and 4 when the dead money of the contract are smaller hits if a young whippersnapper come around and looks ripe to take his job.
Also, I keep hearing that 2015 is the year when the NFL makes a significant bump in the NFL Salary Cap, which lessens the blow of most of the new QB contracts.
So lets assume that is exactly the contract Jay Cutler gets and his first year cap hit is 9.5M USD.
I'll make assumptions for the following players being retained as well (making them all one year contracts for ease):
Devin Hester (1,000,000)
Robbie Gould (2,500,000)
Eben Britton (715,000)
Pat Man (940,000)
Matt Slauson (3,000,000)
Jeremiah Ratliff (1,500,000)
DJ Williams (1,500,000)
Zackary Bowman (840,000)
Tim Jennings (3,000,000)
Charles Tillman (2,500,000)
Craig Steltz (840,000)
If we added these contracts and kept all other contracts the same our cap hit would be $107.5M USD with 41 players and 12 roster spots left to sign. If the Bears had all of their draft picks in order last year, they would've counted as 4.6M against the cap.
107.5+4.6=112M USD for 48 players. Then to get to the 51 players against the cap the Bears still need to count 3 walk ons at 1.2M for a total cap space of $9.76M.
$9.6 Million dollars isn't a lot of money considering the needs that this team has this year.
Clearing Cap Space
There are three obvious candidates for cap savings.
Julius Peppers, Michael Bush and Earl Bennett.
They won't all be cut.
Lets start with the easiest. Earl Bennett will see a pay cut, no doubt about it. He has no leverage as he has no guaranteed money and little production on the field. His cap hit is 2.45M in 2014. He will have to sit down with Phil and take less money or play for another team. I expect him to be around $1M next year.
$1.45M in savings
Michael Bush is looking like an early season candidate for being cut. He doesn't fit with what Marc Trestman does and can't get the job done on short yardage. The Bears just cut him and move on.
$2M in dead money, $1.85M in savings
Julius Peppers is an interesting case. His cap hit is high. $18.2M is hard to justify unless the player is still at a high level. If we just cut our losses we save $9.8M. His Salary is $13.9M. There is only one way he stays on this team. He has to voluntarily take a salary well below $13.9M. That figure probably has to be around 4 or 5 Million, and he still wouldn't be considered a steal at this point. If he did take a salary of 4 Million, we would be earning the same 1 year cap saving as if we cut him. I think there are proficient enough pass rushers available where we cut Pep and and decide to move on, less he comes to form in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately $9.8M cap savings.
Total Savings= $13.1 Million
That leaves Lance Briggs untouched and Brandon Marshall untouched. Both are players that could be negotiated with for more cap space.
Total Cap Space= $22.9M
Free Agency
So now we have about $23 Million to go shopping. Let's look at needs.
Backup QB- Sorry WCG, but if McCown maintains this level of efficiency someone will throw a contract of 4-6 Million at him, something that the Bears can ill afford. He will leave town like Nate Robinson of the Bulls and I'll welcome watching every one of his games next year as a stopgap starter.
Backup RB- We should be able to do this through the draft or relatively inexpensively through free agency.
Center- The time is quickly approaching to bid farewell to a long, well served career in Roberto Garza.
Backup TE
FB- we can do better than Fiametta. If he's going to expected to catch targets in the flats, he has to catch targets.
Defensive End- Without Peppers, this will be a huge priority. McClellin and Wootton get to battle for the opposite end.
Nose Tackle- Even with Paea and Ratliff, we should seek an upgrade if available.
3Tech- Great candidate for a first round pick
Cornerback- A succession plan for Tillman has to be drafted this year.
Strong Safety- Wright doesn't get a contract and we need a stand out Strong Safety.
Competition at almost every position.- Conte gets one last year to be a ranging Free Safety, it doesn't mean he's safe though.
Free Agency targets
Center - Brian de la Puente
This looks like a lay up. de la Puente joins his mentor, Aaron Kromer, to solidify the Chicago Bears line.
Runningback- Rashad Jennings (OAK), Andre Brown (NYG), Ben Tate (HOU), Donald Brown (IND), Jonathon Dwyer(PIT)
The list for Free Agent RBs is long, we shouldn't have to overpay for very good talent.
TE- Garrett Graham (HOU), Fred Davis (WAS) Bear Pascoe(NYG), Dickson (BAL)
There are plenty of intriguing names on this list as well, the draft might be another option here in the later rounds.
FBs are commodities.
Defensive End- Greg Hardy (CAR), Michael Johnson (CIN), Jason Hatcher (DAL), Shaun Phillips (DEN), Antonio Smith (HOU), Jared Allen(MIN), Justin Tuck (NYG), Lamarr Houston (OAK), Michael Bennett(SEA)
Of those prospects I like Michael Johnson or Michael Bennett. Greg Hardy is a nice consolation prize.
Nose Tackle- Paul Soliai (MIA)
There are more options but I think Soliai is the only upgrade to what is currently on our roster when healthy.
Cornerbacks- Aaron Ross (NYG), Aqib Talib (NE), Brent Grimes (MIA), Sam Shields (GB), Browner and Thurmond (SEA), Verner(TEN)
Lots of mid range talent is available at Corner. The Bears might be better off looking in the draft for a groomed replacement to Tillman.
Safeties- James Ihedigbo (BAL), Jairus Bird (BUF), TJ Ward (CLE), Ryan Mundy(NYG), Donte Whitner(SF), Bernard Pollard (TEN), Matt Giordano (STL)(Because his name sounds like a famous pizza establishment)
There are some headliners in this group to target, notably Whitner, Bird and Pollard. Jairus Bird wants to be the highest paid safety, we could still feasibly do that with our cap space. That means a cap number around 11 million, which is steep. Whitner and Pollard aren't bad players to target if we can get them. Also, we have a third round draft pick this year.
With the way contracts are structured, we could feasibly pick up three big ticket players from this free agency class.
Bears 2014
QB- Jay Cutler
RB- Matt Forte
WR1- Brandon Marshall
WR2- Alshon Jeffery
WR3- Earl Bennett
TE- Martellus Bennett
LT- Jermon Bushrod
LG- Matt Slauson
C- Brian de la Puente
RG- Kyle Long
RT- Jordan Mills
LE- Corey Wootton
NT- J. Ratliff
3T- Stephen Tuitt *credit SuckMyDitka
RE- Greg Hardy
WLB- Briggs
MLB- Bostic
SLB- DJ Williams
CB1- Tillman
CB2- Jennings
NB- Frey/Rookie Draft Pick
SS- Bernard Pollard
FS- Chris Conte
What do you think?
More from Windy City Gridiron:
- Ten Thoughts on the NFL: Chicago Bears and beyond
- NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears dropping
- The Bears Den: November 26, 2013 - Week 13 news & notes
- Chicago Bears bro in a Walter Payton jersey does not run like Walter Payton
- Chicago Bears snap count and statistical breakdown vs the Rams
- Chicago Bears vs St. Louis Rams report card


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Monday was a milestone for the Atlanta BeltLine: The opening of the Eastside Trail.
The trail, which comprises a 2.25-mile-long stretch of the Atlanta BeltLine, connects Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward to Midtown and Virginia-Highland.
It also connects with the first two trails on the Atlanta BeltLine - the West End Trail and the Northside Trail.
Monday's festivities featured a host dignitaries from metro Atlanta including Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Councilmen Kwanza Hall and Alex Wan, to bicycle and walking enthusiasts.
This was the day in pictures.


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Boutique – Visit our online and on-site boutique by Alberta Section sponsor "Triple Flip". Pre-order items and/or shop at the event. We will also have a 'hot press' where skaters and teams can personalize their items with event and team logos.
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Videographer – Team videos will be available thru JB Video Productions.
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School Buses
or email @ firstname.lastname@example.com
Charter Buses
The following information is posted in Members Only under Events & ACGM/Domestic Skating Events/2013 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships:
Tourism Calgary information - http://www.visitcalgary.com
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WinSport's facilities - http://www.winsportcanada.ca/
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We will be posting all of the above information AND MORE on our club website at http://www.blackgoldsynchro.com.
Do not hesitate to contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com should you have any questions. We are looking forward to seeing everyone soon.


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Jan Legoza serves as vice chancellor of finance and administration of Brandman University overseeing budgeting and financial management, accounting, risk management, contract negotiations, facilities & real estate, human resources, learning & development, information technology and underlining corporate policies.
For the past eight years, Legoza has served as vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Whittier College, and as Whittier's interim president in 2004-05.
Her previous position, which she occupied for nine years, was as vice president for business and finance and treasurer at Colorado College. Before Colorado College, she was the vice president for administration and finance for State Colleges in Colorado, the governing body for the four campuses in the state college system.
Legoza has served on a variety of non-profit boards including Colorado's Section 529 savings plan, the College Liability Insurance Consortium and in numerous leadership and instructional roles for the National and Western Associations of College and University Business Officers. She is also a founding director of a community bank.
She holds a bachelor's of arts degree in political science with an emphasis in economics and business administration from State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and a master's in public administration with an emphasis in public finance from State University of New York at Albany.
Expertise: university finance and administration, policy and legislation.


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Dabe Alan
It's time to stop feeling bad for mainstream game developers
Raphael van Lierop has been a part of the industry for over 12 years, and he has held creative and production leadership roles on multiple million-selling, award-winning entertainment franchises including Company of Heroes, Space Marine, Dawn of War, and Far Cry. We began a friendly relationship over Twitter, and he's since sent me a few frustrated messages about how game development is written about and perceived in the press. It became clear he had something to say, and when someone with that much experience wants to talk to your audience about their art, I'm inclined to let them. After reading his piece, I'm glad I did. Enjoy! -Ben A lot of ink (pixels?) has been spilled lately, in discussing how horribly broken the games industry is. With all the turmoil around new business models, the painstaking transition between console generations, the looming question of whether or not casual/social games are overtaking traditional "core" games in industry prevalence, concerns about where free-to-play is really taking us as an industry, etc. – it's hard to argue we aren't experiencing some kind of major sea change, the effects of which will likely resonate for years. The recent thermonuclear implosion of Curt Schilling's troubled Rhode Island developer, 38 Studios, has provided a wonderful case study on the industry gone wrong. I won't retread the events of that spectacular clusterfuck here, except to say that it's shone a very bright light on a chronic issue in the games industry – one of the gross mismanagement of financial resources, and of employees. Unfortunately, the trials experienced by abandoned 38 Studios workers (who, frankly, seem to have been generally discarded by the company like trash), are not as rare in our industry as we hope they would be, or as rare as they well should be. I'm not sure why the particular case of 38 Studios raised the ire of so many games journos, but for some reason it inspired a deep pathos I've not seen before. Maybe it's because Schilling, as a former baseball superstar, really had no business being in the games industry and makes an easy target. Maybe it's because the meltdown has been uncharacteristically visible, due to the involvement of public, government funding that has exposed details about studio finances and business that people outside the industry are rarely privy to. Oddly, the language I've seen being used to discuss the aftermath of the situation is reminiscent of how people speak of exploited mine workers, ship-breakers, or Victorian-era child laborers; as though we should actually be pitied for our choice of careers. "Oh those poor game developers. So exploited. What a shameful industry. If only they could find a more reasonable line of work…"
There's a reason people want to do this
This sense of pity from the "outside" really irks me. Sure, we've all suffered under the yoke of publisher stupidity, reeled from the fickle tastes of gamers, major and minor shifts in business models or player tastes that have suddenly rendered projects completely redundant, etc. But, to see our choice of profession and medium viewed through the lens of public pity…it's just too much for me.Look, making games is really damn hard. Much harder than you'd think it would be when you've only ever experienced the end result. There are about a bazillion things that can go wrong and not too many ways things can go right. In the end you can pour your heart and soul into a game that as many people hate as love, that for whatever series of reasons never reaches its full potential and never really resonates as strongly with its audience as it might have had everything gone right. And yes, it's frustrating because so many of these things are out of your hands. The only thing you can control, to some extent, is the way in which you are able to contribute to moving the game forward. You often get so close to your work that you can't see it objectively anymore, and yet you have to find a way to trust your instincts because frankly, that's the work. Beyond that, you face the mercy of luck, serendipity, and pray your publisher knows what they are doing. That's the business. It can feel really shitty and unfair sometimes, and I'm sure anyone who has shipped something, anything at all, has had at least a hundred moments where they had to stop and ask themselves, "damn…what the hell am I doing here, anyway?" For me, it's happened after every single game I've shipped. It's like you go through some kind of strange developer-equivalent of post-partum depression. You've slaved over something that you care a hell of a lot about, potentially for years, and God forbid you were actually trying to express some modicum of your own worldview through the game, and feel that it is in some way a tiny reflection of something important that you feel the need to say to people, and you just want people to like it enough to buy it and not rent it from Blockbuster for $2 a day and finish it on a weekend for the price of a Happy Meal because your publisher won't see any money from that rental and so neither will you. That's the thing you slaved over for years and poured your heart and soul into, remember? People will finish it in a matter of days, and then it's immortalized in a few misspelled forum posts, you get some pats on the back, maybe a plaque for your wall to add to the others, and then it's over.
But if we can reach so many people, even at our worst, imagine what we can do when we're at our best. We get to create experiences that can change people's lives. And that's a powerful thing.
You look at the body of work of games you've actually been able to get into a box, which is likely a much smaller number than all the games you've worked on in your life, because let's be honest, a hell of a lot of them were cancelled along the way, and you think to yourself, holy shit, where has the time gone and is that how many games I have my name on and wow, that's really not a lot of games is it? At that rate how many games will I be able to finish before I'm too old to do this work anymore? Or until the industry changes so dramatically that all the things I know become irrelevant? How long before what I want to say through my games, doesn't matter?
It's hard not to get discouraged
Sometimes when I get to that dark place, I think about leaving the industry. I think about all the things I could be doing with my time, my energy. I think about the ways in which I could be making the world a better place. I could be trying to help people, rather than dedicate my life to a pursuit that most people discount as thoughtless and pointless. You know that glazed-over look or barely disguised intake of breath indicating the shock and disbelief of someone who just can't conceive of you being part of such a gratuitous industry that does nothing to advance humanity in any meaningful way whatsoever. I look at my wife and my children and I I want to be able to look them straight in the eyes and feel some pride about what I do, and I hope that when my kids look at me they think what I do matters to the world and makes it a better place. The people at parties who snort disdainfully are, in many ways, right. We have squandered so much of the potential we have right at our fingertips. We have chased our tails endlessly, a digital Ouroboros, to pursue delivering the same shallow "little boy fantasies" over and over to our players. Or we employ clever parlor tricks to extract a couple of dollars. Or we chase yet another established blockbuster in a vain attempt to convince players that we have something worth their time because hey, this game is an awful lot like that other game that sold a hell of a lot of copies and you know, you keep telling us (through your spending habits) that you don't really want anything new or original, you just want the same thing only different. Haven't we somehow managed to wring much of the life out of this industry, to the point where our experiences and our audiences are so fragmented now that, if we're honest, nobody really knows who the hell we're making these games for anyway? You might wonder if this is going to be just a bunch of words to tell us how terribly dire the whole thing has become; because we've already heard all that stuff before, and we need to hear something new. There is a lot of stuff that is truly messed up about our industry. It's not really what I thought it would be when I took the plunge and decided, like so many others, that I would abandon my previous career and dedicate myself to doing something "more creatively fulfilling" with my life. Many developers feel that that now that they've invested years into their games careers, they think that it's not really the way it used to be, or should be, or they wish it would be, and they choose to leave for greener pastures in tech or academia or the military or wherever. So why do we do it? Despite all of the above – why do we dedicate our lives to the creation of video games?
Well the answer is simple, really. It's the best goddamn job in the world.
We stand at the confluence of art and technology and get to express ourselves through a creative medium that is evolving more quickly than any other in history. The things we create are enjoyed by millions. We create worlds. We evoke emotions. We provide hours of escapist entertainment for people, some of which is purely mindless, some of which is transcendent. We get to work with some of the smartest people in the world, on some of the most creatively fulfilling (at times), technologically complex (often), organizationally challenging (always) endeavors around. Our games can allow players to have meaningful interactions with other human beings. To connect with them in a way that matters. We can bring such happiness to our fans, that we become something to them. And, we have fans! And even detractors. People care enough about the games we make to bother expressing an opinion about them.I know I said above that we've been wasteful about our potential, and I genuinely mean that. But if we can reach so many people, even at our worst, imagine what we can do when we're at our best. We get to create experiences that can change people's lives. And that's a powerful thing. One day many years ago, I played a game that made me want to change the direction of my life, to abandon what I was doing and dedicate my life to the creation of video games, so that I could someday create an experience that profound, for someone else. Maybe even profound enough to make that person want to change the direction of their life, as I had done. And that experience was life-changing because unlike with a movie or a book, two mediums I have a great deal of love for, I was the one in the driver's seat. I was the one tapping into the potential the developers had put into my hands in the form of their game – technology, content, systems, and game play – that I manipulated using my own thoughts and ingenuity, to have a meaningful experience that unleashed a form of self-expression. For a moment, I saw the true transformative potential that games possess. I've spent the last years trying to help others see and experience that potential as well. I've failed more often than I've succeeded, I'm constantly driven to find new ways to move that work forward. To find the meaning. To make it matter. My work is the work of self-actualization and I get to do it using the most powerful tools of creation ever conceived: Your imagination. In his beautiful song "Anthem," Leonard Cohen's poetic lyrics sum up the industry wonderfully: "There's a crack in everything. That's where the light gets in." Don't feel sorry for us game developers. For many of us, this isn't work—it's a calling. And while we may not always get it right, and while a lot about what we do is broken, and damn it a lot about the way the industry works defies logic and decency and surely makes our lives more difficult—in the end, the feeling of being able to influence someone and touch them in a way that matters to them… well, that makes the failures worthwhile, despite how tortuous the journey can often be. We're forging modern mythology here. Nobody said it was going to be easy. And yes, there are a lot of cracks. Just remember, there's also a lot of light shining through what we do.


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Von Otto has has been airbrushing since 1977. After getting back from a 2 year tour in Iceland and getting out of the Air Force
his love of art and wanting to do something that was constructive instead of destructive. He was told to buy an airbrush when he got back home and that is just what he did. He strives to airbrush on
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Bonneville Salt Flats Jet Car, the Turbinator and several aircraft with nose art including the WW2 B-25 Carole Jean that is currently at the Smithsonian Institution their Dallas Airport facility ...just to name a
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