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Maybe you've heard of MMORPGs. Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. Role-Playing Games are like Dungeons & Dragons, where you pretend to be a wizard or elf or something and go adventuring. Throughout the course of these games, your fictional character will slowly increase in strength and experience, finding treasure and acquiring more powerful weapons and whatnot to fight even stronger baddies… potentially an endless cycle till you get tired of it. And the Massive Multiplayer Online versions are these fictional worlds where thousands of players from around the world login to these servers (for a monthly fee, of course) and pretend to be wizards or elves or whatever (well, they don't all have fantasy settings. Maybe you're a cyborg or a pirate or a ninja).
So of course, a time comes when a player says "y'know, my 14th level half-elf half-wookie necromancer has an extra Sword of Kebabing, and I've already got more in-game money than I would ever need… I wonder if someone else playing the game might pay me some Real World money if I offered to give them my in-game sword?" And so it happened that RPG idiots began buying completely fucking nonexistent property with their real existent hard currency. And then some money-hungry gamers began turning this into a business, earning all kinds of fictional in-game money and then selling it outside the game for dollars and cents (made easier by programming automatic commands and exploiting glitches in the game program).
Then someone apparently got the idea to go to China and hire people there to grab this fictional money for 56 cents an hour. Yes, working in the virtual coalmine.
According to the article, the "farming"of MMORPGs for cash is a $500 million a year industry. I really hope that's bullshit.
So I think we can all tell, this is fucked up on about 15 different levels.
1) RPGs in general. I enjoy playing them when they are single games with distinct beginnings and endings. There's a story, you play till it's done, the end. I think that half the appeal of these things is the "building" aspect. When you play chess, both sides begin evenly matched. Now imagine that if playing chess frequently meant that your pieces started off more powerful than they were last time. That rewards your efforts, even if you haven't learned any more chess skills. That has appeal.
2) MMORPGs in general. I never play these as they seem so addictive, to some people anyway. Without defined endings or stories, you can just keep playing and building your character forever. And some folks do. For around $15 a month.
3) BUYING FAKE SHIT. It just boggles the mind that people are paying money for stuff that doesn't exist. Oh, pardon me, "virtual" items. The fact that people will spend their money on this… damn, I just can't fathom it.
4) Fake Shit Sweatshops. People paying other people shit wages to sit there at a computer to play these games 12 hours a day. Well, the article says that the owners of these "farming" companies set up macros so that the game characters automatically go and fight the monsters and win the game money, so the employees aren't actually "playing" anything, just watching the same repetitive fight scenes over and over just in case the computer needs a ctrl-alt-del or to convince the in-game rent-a-cops that no, you're not just a macro earning money, you are a human being. Sort of. And while the conditions do seem to be better than sweatshops, the pay is par for that slummy course.
So, in conclusion, the whole world is crazy except for me.
6 Comments »
Just a quick comment on (2) above: most MMORPG characters top out around level 50 or 60 or so; after that point, your character doesn't get any stronger and there are no challenging creatures left to battle, so the chararcter pretty much has to get retired.
Also, most MMORPGs do have stories throughout your character's development from newbie to level 60, often with definite beginnings and endings, though overall story arcs that run through the entire development of your character are fairly uncommon.
The whole farming-for-virtual-property thing is nuts, though. I can't remember the details, but recently someone bought the property and development rights to an island in one MMORPG world for some huge sum. Virtual real-estate.
Comment by James — July 21, 2005 @ 5:12 am
There's really no difference in playing an MMO for a monthly fee, and paying a monthly fee for your cable bill, or your satellite radio, or paying to see a movie.
Except, of course, the MMO form of entertainment is interactive, and includes socializing with other actual people. Where TV, movies, books, and music are for the most part one-sided forms of entertainment, MMOs allow for the player to interact with the entertainment environment as well as other real people. So, I can't see why people want to condemn another person simply for their choice of the type of entertainment they prefer to pay for with their own hard-earned fiat currency dollars.
I don't see how paying a huge corporation like Time Warner or HBO for non-interactive content that pretty much always sucks and is filled full of advertising is any more ridiculous than someone paying monthly to play an online game.
Also, someone figuring out a way to make money within a system is not necessarily a bad thing. Especially, if as you yourself say, the working conditions are better than the typical crappy sweatshop job available in those markets. Unless, of course, you are completely against free-market capitalism. Which is a whole other discussion.
Comment by nobody cares — July 22, 2005 @ 3:17 am
Ha, yeah, except they are ruining my in-game economy, damn it! I hate farmers, they are annoying, train mobs on you and kill important things you need for quests. You see them everywhere, everyone knows who they are and no one can do anything about it.
And hitting the lvl cap means nothing. The game devs put out content patches with more and more challenging things to conquer. I have several maxed out characters and I play them all the time, helping level guildie noobs or trying to get that new epic pattern to drop. It's crack, plain and simple. When you stand up after a full weekend of not showering and sitting in the same chair withour hardly moving, your body screams that maybe you should bust out the bike again and go for a ride. But you just go to bed, roll out to work and come home and plop back down in front of it again. Anyway, you have to save up for that epic mount…
Comment by Anon — July 27, 2005 @ 9:16 am
Oh, and I should mention that this sort of "gold farming" wouldn't be a problem if there weren't consumers out there to pay for it. Same as Wal-Mart or any other big name chain that notoriously abuses their workers. If we as human beings stood up and refused to purchase the products of these known offenders… Personal responsibility for our actions as individuals is the only solution to these types of problems.
Comment by Anon — July 27, 2005 @ 9:25 am
I saw the same story. I regard this as a clear sign of the impending apocalypse. Make peace with your god, if you believe in that kind of thing. If not, drink heavily.
Comment by Dr. T — July 29, 2005 @ 6:09 am
I'm of that school that says let people have their crack, if they want it. I wouldn't make a plea against smoking cigarettes either. Heck, maybe there's even some money to be made in treating the addiction.
Comment by nobody cares — August 1, 2005 @ 11:24 pm
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Young girl now 'critical but stable' following Freemens Way collision (From Western Telegraph)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting WT NEWS to 80360, or email us
Young girl now 'critical but stable' following Freemens Way collision
Updated 4:22pm Monday 31st March 2014 in News
A young girl who was taken to hospital following a collision with a vehicle in Haverfordwest on Saturday is now in a 'critical but stable' condition, police have said today (Monday).
The girl, who is understood to be 11 years-old, was involved in the collision with a vehicle on the A4076, Freemens Way, Haverfordwest.
The collision was reported to police at 12:22pm on Saturday, March 29.
Immediately after the collision the young girl's condition was described as critical.
Anyone who was in the area at the relevant time and who has information which could help police in this inquiry is asked to please contact police on 101.
The road was closed for several hours following the incident, causing major traffic problems in the centre of Haverfordwest.

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Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp is a family-friendly camp in the 23 000ha Manyeleti Game Reserve, bordering the Kruger National Park. The camp is made up of only 10 luxurious tented suites, raised on wooden platforms, and offers a truly private and intimate stay. Honeyguide Khoka Moya offers a family-friendly environment and facilities for children.
Explore this prime wilderness reserve on morning and afternoon game drives, as well as evening drives to see the nocturnal species. For a more intimate experience of the bush, head out on a walking safari in the company of your trained guide. Spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool which also features a children's area. There is also a children's centre stocked with DVDs, toys and books to keep the little one's entertained.


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Pawlenty changes tune, decides to take $260 million in federal Medicaid aid
September 7, 2010 at 6:14 am in West Central Tribune
ST. PAUL (AP) Gov. Tim Pawlenty has decided to accept about $260 million in federal medical assistance aid after directing state agencies to avoid some federal grants associated with the health care overhaul. Continue Reading


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Ham Radio is just one of my passions. I love to spend time with the nature, so I found the way, how to combine radio with fresh air and also some agile technique - Aircombat.
How to spend time with the radio on fresh air? Buy mobile shack. Such Peugeot produced in1991 doesn't cost fortune, and gives freedom where to transmit from and also allows to explore interesting places.
Another QSL card.
QSL card printed in 1977.
Spring 1980 at the shack . Together with my wife Basia SP5UHX, my transceiver - Uniden 2020.
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As people around the world mourn the Connecticut Massacre, many are asking how we can keep something like this from happening again?
After any mass shooting, many talk gun control, but now another topic is also part of the discussion; mental illness.
We may never know exactly what made suspected shooter, Adam Lanza open fire on a classroom full of six and seven year olds.
But in the wake of Friday's tragic shooting, many people want to take a closer look at treating mental illness.
"It's sad that we're using our prison system for patients who need mental help and just to lock them away seems like a sad way to deal with the problem," says South Bend resident Amber Hipskind.
But is there help available? Psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Lin says fewer and fewer people are graduating from psychiatry programs every year.
"Psychiatry is already envisioning a shortage ahead, if not now, and child psychiatrists, there definitely is a shortage," says Lin.She says the funding cuts she's witnessed over her 15 years of practice, aren't helping either.
"There have been fewer and fewer resources unfortunately. There are fewer hospital beds, definitely fewer state hospital beds," says Lin.Lin says more funding would help, but only if the money is put where it's most needed.She hopes experts in the field are asked for input as the country looks to make a change.
"Just staff across the board really: nurses, social workers. I think educating the general public in terms of what the resources are," says Lin.
Lin also says resources for patient follow-ups are a must.
She says since there's such a shortage of psychiatrists, sometimes follow-ups take two to three months, and for serious patients, it just doesn't cut it.
The National Alliance of Mental Illness or (NAMI) of St. Joseph County has free courses available for parents, grandparents, educators and caregivers of a child or adolescent who has an emotional disorder or a mental illness.
To register, visit www.namisjc.org
You can also call 574-259-3564 and leave a message.
WSJV-TV FOX 2858096 County Road 7, SouthElkhart, IN 46517
Switchboard: 574.679.9758News Phone: 574.679.4545Station Fax: 574.294.1267Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Water Heaters
Water heaters are common household fixtures in many homes. But having a water heater installed in a home is a big decision to make and there are several factors to consider before it can be installed. The first factor would be size. If it is too small it might not be able to supply the hot water needs of the household sufficiently. On the other hand, a water heater that is too big for what is needed will create a large energy bill, plus it will be a waste of energy. Another factor to consider is whether to have water heaters with tanks installed or go with the tankless water heater.
If you are considering having a water heater installed in your home, consult Rooter-Man at (866) 577-1221. We, at Rooter-Man have the expertise to advice you on the appropriate water heater that will suit your needs. The choice of the most suitable water heater will mean savings in energy, time and money.
Two types of water heaters
Rooter-Man can install a traditional water heater or a tankless water in your home.
Aside from installing the most appropriate water heater for your home, Rooter-Man also offer repair water heater repairs and replacement to its customers. Our technicians are skilled professionals and most of our locations are available for emergency service 24 hours a day 7 days a week.


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Eating a nutritious diet is important when you have diabetes. Piling your plate with certain foods—such as fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains—can help you better control blood sugar levels. Enter the Mediterranean diet.
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Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention™ for two years in a row (2013 -2014).
Be a hero. Get them to a Memorial Health System ER.
Belpre | Marietta | Selby
You're in healing hands with Strecker Cancer Center in Marietta and Belpre.
ER and Physicians Care Express wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.
Our wait times are updated every 15 minutes. The wait time provided displays the amount of time (in minutes) that it takes for a patient to see a qualified medical professional from the time of their arrival at the Emergency Room or Physicians Care Express location. The wait time displayed represents a rolling-average of the previous 120-minutes for all patients who are currently visiting our Emergency Room or Physicians Care Express locations.


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Three years ago, Sam Hurd was one of the NFL's "good guys" -- a locker room leader. Now, the former Dallas Cowboy sits in a prison cell outside of Dallas, waiting to be sentenced Wednesday in Dallas for his alleged role in a cocaine distribution sting.
Federal prosecutors will ask for a life sentence for Hurd based on the volume of cocaine he was accused of trying to distribute.
The 28-year-old recently told Sports Illustrated he got into drugs while rehabbing an injury, and that he sold drugs to, or did drugs with, 20 to 25 Dallas Cowboys teammates.
Hurd had just signed a more than $4 million contract with the Chicago Bear when the government says he was tackled by his own actions. Undercover video obtained by Sports Illustrated shows Hurd leaving a Chicago-area steakhouse with a kilo of cocaine the night he was arrested.
That was in December 2011, and Hurd appeared in court the next day. In October of 2012, while out on bond, Hurd was arrested again, accused of trying to deal drugs with a cousin, Tyrone Chavul, and Toby Lujan.
Lujan reportedly told federal agents it was Hurd who asked him about a cocaine source.
The Sports Illustrated report includes pictures of the bag Hurd left Morton's Steakhouse with, and the brick of cocaine inside the bag, which was provided by undercover federal agents.
When Hurd's bond was revoked last summer he, according to Sports Illustrated, said:
"Sentence me for what I did. Moving weed and getting caught up in this stupid cocaine thing with Toby--I am ready and eager to be sentenced fairly for those things. They have hurt my family and they will continue to hurt us. All this other stuff, though…Don't you think if I really did that, I would have confessed and gotten my sentence knocked down as soon as they started talking about life in prison?"
Hurd says he was never involved in moving cocaine, but two others have said their involvement in trying to secure cocaine was to benefit Hurd.
Many who know him cannot believe he is now in the untenable situation of never leaving a federal prison again.
Hurd did smoke marijuana, and reportedly a lot. Sources say he was even an investor in a "legal medical marijuana clinic" in California.
Hurd told Sports Illustrated he was "highly selective" in the weed he smoked, saying it was like wine.
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I have an image within an article which I then create a hyperlink.
But instead of it going to a web page EduGeek.net I want it to goto a resource on a server.
When I enter \\myresourceserver\Resources\Newsletter\news.pdf
I get the following problem when i click on the image.
Is there anyway around this as I want to link to files/folders on another server within our domain.


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« FRC creates PAC, but won't endorse any presidential candidate | Main | Capitalizing on Palin enthusiasm »
September 12, 2008
FRC says thanks but no thanks to Sarah Palin video
The McCain campaign offered to send a video of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to the Values Voter Summit, but the Family Research Council declined the invitation.
"I said, 'That won't work,' because legally we can't do that," FRC President Tony Perkins told me this afternoon. "Barack Obama wanted to come early on, and if I didn't extend the same format that I had given to her, we would be open to challenge. We had a complaint filed against us last year which took thousands of dollars. It was cleared up, but I have to be very careful."
FRC will show a video with former candidate Mike Huckabee at a gala tomorrow night.
Especially since in another article it says that the Values Voters Summit advertised that Obama and Biden had been invited to speak but declined.
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The 2011 All Thirst Team by @DezArnez & @The_Rell
Well as some of you may know 2011 was the year of the Thirst. Niggas showed thirst high and low and without a care in the world. No matter who it was or whether the chicks deserved the thirst or not. Well we're here to tell you that 2012 will be the year of all visible thirst everything! Forget creeping in DMs at 3am on a Wednesday just hop in them mentions and see what that @ button can do for you.
To start off the all visible thirst movement me & my partner in crime @DezArnez are bringing you the #Top11of11 Visible Vixens. Now visible means in arms reach of us here in Columbus, Ohio and the surrounding areas.
We really don't care about your man or your dalliances for that matter. If we seen you in 2011 you're eligible to be a Dez&Rell #VisibleVixen. There's no order here folks just two guys that like beautiful women in all shapes, sizes and dispositions.
Me and Dez both agreed on this Visible Vixen. She's a student at Ohio State and seems to have her head on her shoulders with nice mammaries underneath but enough of all that, look at that beautiful skin tone. How can you be mad at a beautiful brown skinned babe such as this? She has thick, long black hair. Who really cares if it's hers or not and look at those dimples. You can fit a nickel in those things. You don't agree? We don't care!
@Dezarnez -
I couldn't agree with my pimp playa patna Rell anymore. This young lady is stacked like the Waffle House on a Saturday when the club let's out. Who doesnt love a college girl? I'm pretty sure her DM's are flooded with thirst and I don't blame any of you creeper jeepers one bit. Brownskin/Darkskin have definitely been my flavor lately and Brayana Ashley is the youngest person to make this list.
Tyler Marie/@TySoFly
Now if you don't know Tyler is the homie and she's always shows support but that's not why she made this list. Shes a light skinned goddess who drinks Henny and parties and bullshit like everyone else. I've seen the thirst get real with this one so watch out, but none the less she's always nice to look at!
Yes, Tyler is the homie and she can talk shit with the best of 'em. But when she throws a pic up on Instagram it gets more likes then a @myfabolouslife pic. Her Instagram pics can go triple and four quadraple before you can refresh the page. I can't get real detailed on this one because she is like one of the fellas. If one of the fellas looked like an Angel with a fat glutious maximus. Pause if needed.
Brittany Wink/ @_BMarie
Nice high cheek bones, flat stomach, hair always did. Need I say more? No you say? Too bad I'll keep going. There is no discrimination from us if you can't tell already, we love all shades & yet another brown skin babe makes the list. Hooray for equal rights.
Yall thought I wasnt going to throw Wink on this list? Think again my friend. The thirst is real and its no shame in my game. Wink has a pretty smile. She's funny and a care free lifestyle. She had me ready sing "Trade it all" on her thirst-a-gram pics and like the Kendrick Lamar song says "SHE NEEDS ME."
Delaney Lynne/@DelaneyLynne
Light skinned, long straight hair or short curly it really doesn't matter. Tatted up in all the right places and I don't know what color those eyes are but I'm sure if you look into them long enough you can see the waves off the Pacific Ocean. This might be the thirstiest, most romantic thing I've ever said. You're welcome Delaney.
This little lightskin bundle of joy right here is awesome. Makes you want to walk down Bexley eating Ice Cream and laugh at whatever she says no matter if its corny or not. I have seen her rock many styles and I love em all. Take notice of where her tats are if you see her out. Talk about prime real estate.
Bartender can you refill my thirst sippy cup please because I'm going to be here for a while.
Ms. Gola/MartaMoscato
- @Dezarnez -
Marta G or Ms. Gola if you nasty!!!!!!!. This right here is another one of my personal favorites. Can you say "Lets go half on a baby?"
Yep the thirst is that real dripping threw my veins. Just look at her and tell me you dont want to trap this for eternity. Many a nights I've thought of re-creating the "Ghost" pottery scene with Marta except instead of making pottery, we'll use injera.
- @dezarnez -
This probably as close as I'm going to get to Alicia Keyes but thats cool with me. Oh and wait until you meet her alter ego "Judy."
This is the homie so you won't see me say anything too reckless about Chels but since she wants to be an Instagram Beauty of the Week so bad I thought I'd give her an even bigger honor and put her on this list. From yours truly, "Hollywood Dezi."
- @dezarnez
Like the great American Philosopher Waka Flocka Flames once said "Light Cute, Thick, OH MY GOD!" Yeah buddy if you want me in the Republic, just make sure she's working and I'm in there faster than you can say, 'Thirst Monger.'
I'll probably even tip her and won't even buy a drink because it's just that real.
- @dezarnez
Now Sade was high on everybodys thirst list this year. Let's just keep it all the way funky.
"She got an ass that will swallow up a g-string and up top uh, two bee stings." She is a tall glass of Patreeeezy fellas and you've got to be cautious on those curves. You know how we feel about footers so it's no surprise Sade Renee made the list. You had a hella of a year and there's no way we can pay you back but we want to show you we appreciate those Instagram pics.
C burris/Cburris3
- @dezarnez
Around these parts we call her "Thick Booty Diva" and it's obvious why. This Darkskin vixen has alot of swag and as you can see her pics speak for themselves and so does the impending thirst.
Not only is she carrying enough vegetation in her hind parts to feed a third world country but she slings weaves out her trunk with the best of them. I rest my case your honor.
When I say tatted, I mean it! Shorty is TATTED up! She also has the body of a goddess *In My best T-Pain voice* and in my opinion owns the dopest collection of pics on Instagram period.
She uses her filters and angles to perfection. Even if she puts up a smiley face she'll get at least 100 likes!
Raequel Mosley/Quelz_Ley
I know y'all didn't think we were gonna leave her off the list? C'mon now! There was no chance of that happening. Last but defintely not least.
Quelz is everything you need in a light skinned goddess. Nice petite figure, beautiful eyes that you could look into for the rest of your life(OMG that was a thirst combo right there) and hair that I wanna play in like The Dream and she seems like she can hold a conversation.
The thirst is real with this one and for good reason. Plus my friend wants to know if she's single so get back to us on that one people. We need answers.
So those are 11 of our favorite ladies this year and they are all varied from the rest. Whether they're lightskinnded, darkskinnded, thick or thin, single, involved or Mothers they are all proof Columbus has some of the most beautiful women around.
As always let us know what you think and if we missed anyone that you think is a good candidate let us know in the comments.
Submitted by
Dez Arnez
on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 14:16
2011 Year in Review
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To the editor:
The Board of Directors of the Little Bear Forest Reform Coalition (LBFRC), would like to commend all of the firefighters and first responders in the Lincoln County/Mescalero area for the outstanding job they have done so far this fire season. There have been in excess of 30 fire starts since March 1, 2013, and most have been put out before they became large enough to be newsworthy. Most recently, a lightning caused fire started west of Upper Canyon, on the Mescalero Apache Reservation which could have been devastating to the entire Village of Ruidoso. Fortunately, collaborative efforts between Mescalero, Ruidoso and Smokey Bear Hotshots had the fire under control within hours, and completely OUT in a matter of days.
We also commend Local, State and Federal entities for imposing fire restrictions earlier than normal given the severe conditions that we are currently experiencing, and we commend the BIA, USFS, BLM and Village of Ruidoso for their collaboration in placing two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) and a Type II Helicopter at the Ruidoso Airport during this fire season.
Finally, we commend the South Central Mountain Resource & Development Council for their efforts in applying for and receiving a Collaborative Forest Res_toration Project (CFRP) grant for $450,000 to help treat up to 1,500 acres of overgrown forested areas in and around Ruidoso.
Federal, State, County and Municipal entities really are stepping up to make our County more fire resistant. LBFRC will continue to work with these entities and hold them accountable for continuing these efforts. Now is also the time for private property owners to step up and reduce the hazardous fuels on their own properties (and many already have). If you want your house/neighborhood to survive a fire, defensible space and Firewise principles are critical. If you aren't sure what to do, call Village of Ruidoso Forestry Dept at (575) 257-5544 or in the County call Mike Caggiano of SCMR&D at (575) 937-1789. These agencies have funds available to help with the cost of thinning, but these funds are limited, so call right away.
We aren't out of the woods yet!
Mary Weaver
Chairperson, Little Bear Forest Reform Coalition


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HAHAHAHA we picked up a local, n he sat on the tyre on the back of the car lol
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**Any links will be removed for the recipients' safety.


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Luminary Circle Cocktails
We've curated this special list of upcoming events. For a complete list of upcoming opportunities, visit our event calendars.
July 14, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Young Luminaries Group Mentoring
Step Up members engage Step Up teens in activities and discussions to support them as they apply to college and get ready to take on their summer internships.
July 19, 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Power Breakfast with Allison Arden
Icon+ Step Up members gather for a light breakfast, networking, and a candid and intimate discussion with Allison Arden, vice president/publisher of Advertising Age and author of The Book of Doing.
July 22, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Pamper Me Fabulous
Step Up members and friends enjoy the ultimate women's day out featuring a luxurious day of fun to benefit Step Up.
Los Angeles
July 23, 7:00-8:00p.m.
Membership Committee Meeting
Step Up's Membership Committee Meeting will be held at Father's Office in Culver City this month. Members of the committee help spread the word about Step Up, connect with current members and recruit new ones, and plan special events.
July 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Luminary Circle Cocktails
Luminary Circle members gather for an evening of exclusive networking, specialty cocktails, and spectacular views at SLS at the Beverly Hills Altitude Pool.
RSVP or UPGRADE to attend.
September 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Step Up Open House
The Los Angeles office invites new members and members-to-be to an interactive presentation to learn more about the organization and the benefits of Step Up involvement.
New York
July 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Luminary Circle Cocktails
The Luminary Cocktail Series is an exclusive, monthly, no-host happy hour held at New York's finest venues for Step Up's most luminous members. This month Luminary Circle members will enjoy a casual and intimate evening at The Volstead.
July 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Cocktails for a Cause
Celebrate summer and support Step Up's after-school & weekend programs that empower teen girls with the connections committee at Viktor & Spoils, a modern Mexican taqueria and tequila bar.
September 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Step Up Open House
New members and members-to-be are invited to an interactive presentation to learn more about the organization and the benefits of membership in Step Up. Attendees meet Step Up staff and members and learn about the after-school teen empowerment programs, professional development opportunities, and social networking events.
Which events are you going to attend?


text: The North Caldwell Police Department is dedicated to serving all people with respect, fairness and compassion. We are committed to the prevention of crime and the protection of life and property; the preservation of peace, order and safety; the enforcement of laws and ordinances; and the safeguarding of constitutional guarantees. With community service as our foundation, we are driven by goals to enhance the quality of life, investigating problems as well as incidents, seeking solutions and fostering a sense of security in the community and individuals. North Caldwell Police Department was established in 1898.


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Who in today's advanced web era, does not know about blogging? Blogging is the best way to make people aware of what you think. It is about making them interested in your thoughts and finally, if well represented, acknowledge them and accept them. It is crucial to the health of any communicative blog that it is well informed and well represented. It must stay absolutely browser and SEO compatible, considering the fact that is an absolute web supported to and has no physical existence. Secondly, blogs need to be structured in a proper manner and need to be updated regularly to keep it well informed.
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The Houston Astros.
I just …
Look, I've done 18 of these team previews already. I don't want to be a jerk in any of them, so I try to find at least a few nice things about the teams I'm previewing. Even in the Pirates season preview, I tried not to lay it on too thick. As my mom used to say, if you can't say anything nice about the Pirates, don't say anything at all until you have another drink.
But the Houston Astros …
After much deliberation, the format of this preview was narrowed down to three options:
1. Analysis formed after use of psychotropic drugs
It's not like the Astros are uninteresting, but they're not exactly fun to write or read about. I could go Hunter S. Thompson on the preview and give the masses what they didn't know they needed.
Scouts are quick to point out the low ceiling of Jose Altuve, citing his non-traditional height and body type, but what they probably don't realize is that he's now sixteen-feet tall, made of pure energy, and swinging from my uvula like a gibbon on a chandelier.
2. Dust off a classic format first used by the master
Bill James didn't feel like writing about Jeff Bagwell in his New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, so he just wrote "Pass." Every writer should get one of those. Astros fans are used to it now, so no one could blame me if I used it again. It would be an homage.
3. In which I shut up and write the preview
This is probably the only practical choice. Dammit.
Okay, so the Astros. The Houston Astros. Suppose I should start with the good stuff.
Wandy Rodriguez is somewhat underrated, and he's a good trade target who could net some decent prospects.
Bud Norris is also underrated, and the improved command he showed from 2010 to 2011 bodes well for his future, especially if he can curb the home runs somewhat.
Jordan Lyles struggled a bit last year, but he was 20 years old, and he actually had some decent peripherals for someone who is a college sophomore in an alternate universe. The strikeout rate will increase, and his control is already above-average. He should get better.
That's it. That's all I've got that could go well for the Astros in 2012. Three starting pitchers could do okay. Maybe one of them is traded away for shiny prospects. That's "shiny," with one "n." Oh, and Lyles isn't a lock for the rotation. No, those spots are reserved for Livan Hernandez and J.A. Happ. That might be a good thing for Lyles' future. It's probably not a good thing for the 2012 Houston Astros.
Maybe there's something more. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. Former first-round pick Jason Castro is back after missing the 2011 season with a knee injury, and his minor-league numbers suggest he has a chance to be an above-average-OBP, lefty-swinging catcher -- that's a pretty rare combination in baseball. Carlos Lee had a pretty good year last year -- never forget that he had the second-best UZR in the National League -- and though he'll be 36 this season, he'll probably continue to be okay at the plate.
So that's the upside of the lineup. The catcher who will probably hit eighth and the expensive guy in his mid-30s.
After that, I'm not sure where to start. Jordan Schafer will likely lead off. He has a career .327 on-base percentage. In the minors. Jose Altuve is a fascinating, easy-to-root-for player who might have a long and productive career, but he's still 21 and he was rushed from double-A last year. J.D. Martinez was also rushed from double-A last year, though he's 24, so it wasn't as surprising of a move as Altuve. His strikeout-to-walk ratio indicates that he'll struggle until he makes adjustments.
Say, speaking of strikeouts and walks, former first-round pitcher Brian Bogusevic will hit fifth according to MLB Depth Charts. The 28-year-old is a career .272/.355/.391 hitter in AAA. We'll give him a pass because he wasn't a full-time hitter until he was 24. Jed Lowrie has upside if he can stay on the field, though it's tough to slap the injury-prone label on him when one of the injuries that caused him to miss time in his career was mononucleosis.
Let's see … Chris Johnson and Jimmy Parades are both like Pedro Feliz without the defense and plate discipline, but the only alternative at third would be Brett Wallace, who was nicknamed "The Walrus" by scouts in college because he fielded third base like a present-day John Lennon. That and the flippers.
I don't want to do this. I want there to be an exciting prospect to highlight, a guy who is just on the cusp of something great. But I'm not making this up -- the offense is likely to be a disaster. Look at the ZiPS projections. Maybe there will be some average performances from the positions where you hope for above-average; maybe there will be some slightly below-average performances from the positions where you hope for average.
The section of the ZiPS projections that gets me, though, is the defense. Jordan Schafer should be okay in center. Apart from that, there's a chance that every other starter is below-average defensively. That will make Wandy and Norris look worse than they actually are. Happ and Livan allow base runners as if they trigger incentive clauses in their contracts. The defense isn't going to help keep those runners from scoring.
The Astros lost 106 games last season despite getting fantastic half-seasons from Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence. They added Jed Lowrie and Jason Castro. I like both of those players in isolation. But they're not enough to stop the over/under on this year's team from being 106 losses. I'll take the under to be nice. But not by much.
Coulda Shoulda Woulda (Hole they didn't fill)
The Astros probably would have liked to acquire baseball players who were good relative to their peers. They did not.
Wild Card
Jack Cust was the big free-agent signing of the offseason. He signed a one-year deal with a team option, ostensibly to be the designated hitter when the Astros move to the American League in 2013. Spring-training stats don't mean a whole lot, but there's some sort of cosmic significance to Cust going 0-for-24 so far this spring. He might hit well off the bench. One down year -- in Safeco, no less -- doesn't automatically mean that someone's washed up. But if he starts hitting at the upper levels of what he can do, will the Astros put him in the field? Heck, put him at third. Go for some history, Astros.
Vague Predictions
One of Happ or Hernandez has an ERA close to 6.00 before they're taken out of the rotation. Two-thirds of the outfield is different by September. Altuve has a surprisingly good year, if only because we're all rooting for him. They'll hit 100 losses, but not by the All-Star break. Also, the team's lone All-Star will be Brett Myers. You can probably pre-order the jersey with the All-Star patch.
Previous team previews
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies
Oakland A's
Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres
Tampa Bay Rays
San Francisco Giants
Texas Rangers
St. Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals


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#HCR, abortion and right-wingers with deadly agendas
Posted at 8:50 AM Mar 25, 2010By Andrea Grimes
And thus I ask: what is it about being "pro-life" that makes the crazies want to inflict bodily harm on--and occasionally kill--other human beings?
The nature of the acts and threats made by anti-HCR folks (egged on, anyone with a brain could see, by a GOP leadership which so clearly loves democracy, because democracy is about violence, not political representation and voting and all that bullshit) have varied, but it's pretty clear: fucking with people who disagree with you is what you have to do when they outnumber you in a democracy; otherwise, the majority of non-crazies gets its way, and then the country goes to shit.
Jill over at Feministe has one of the scariest--and perhaps most realistic--observations yet made, on why it is so important to keep abortion legal and accessible in this country, illustrating that those who believe abortion should be illegal are more concerned with religious zealotry and hate than with the quality of life of human beings, anywhere. She quotes David at FDL, and goes on to say:
... will the anti-choice lawmakers who are receiving these threats put two and two together and realize that what they're now experiencing is just a fraction of what women who terminate pregnancies and doctors who provide abortions face? That women who enter abortion clinics are faced with screaming throngs of people, with threats, and sometimes with violence?Any lawmakers who are surprised that anti-choice nutbags would threaten violence and harm to pro-choicers must not have picked up a newspaper, looked at the television or logged on to the internet. Ever. Clearly this brand of anti-choicers is about vigilante "justice." Imagine if abortion did become illegal--one can also imagine that dedicated doctors, feminists and others would probably organize to provide legal out-of-country or illegal in-country procedures. One can then imagine some kind of minutemen-type militia of self-appointed abortion police seeking these people out and doing who-knows-what kind of violence to them. If we want law to remain law, and that law to be enforced by those qualified and educated to do so, abortion has to be remain legal.


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The following outlooks are from Darrell Anderson, senior specialist for business development of The Joint Commission's Ambulatory Care Program, from a recent blog post on The Joint Commission ambulatory healthcare blog "Musings…Ambulatory Patient Safety."
Helping Factors
· Increasing case migration to ASCs, especially in pain management, spine and total joint replacement.
· Equivalent or superior quality outcomes for most cases.
· Low infection rates.
· Word-of-mouth referrals.
· Operations flexibility and ability to adapt quickly to changing times.
· Lower prices and quality transparency in an era of high-deductible plans.
Hindering Factors
· Retiring surgeons and providers, and uncertainty over whether younger surgeons will invest in ASCs.
· High education debt levels among younger surgeons, preventing equity buy-ins.
· Health system consolidation, which may monopolize all available niches on local levels.
· Overseas medical tourism in patients whose first priority is price.
There are several factors that will have an unknown impact on ASCs, according to the post, including the long-term influence of insurance exchanges, accountable care organizations and high-deductible plans.
© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2012. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.


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USC basketball: Byron Wesley to play this week after suspension - latimes.com
USC's leading scorer and rebounder, Byron Wesley, will return to the linuep after being suspended for last weekend's Bay Area visit to Stanford and Cal for a "violation of team rules." Also of note, head coach Andy Enfield seems to have already started on the preparations for next season: "If we're going to be successful next year, Byron will be a huge part of that," Enfield said. "We have confidence in him and support him. He made a mistake and we've moved on."


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The Herald-Tribune
-- — The Batesville Lady Bulldogs had their hands full Saturday night in the Class 3A, Sectional No. 29 finals.
But in the end they claimed their eighth consecutive sectional title by knocking off Lawrenceburg in five sets.
"I am very proud of our team ... this was a tough day," BHS coach Kateri Paul commented. "It is always hard to beat a team three times in a season ... We came out flat and physically tired.
"This team has a lot of drive and pride and pulled it together," she added.
Volleyball, probably more than any other sport, is about momentum.
And Saturday night was a perfect example.
The Lady Tigers opened the match nearly perfect in all aspects. They built an early 9-4 lead in the first set and rode the momentum to a 20-14 advantage before closing it out 25-20.
What momentum the Lady Bulldogs gained in the later stages carried over to game two.
Batesville turned the tables and cruised to a 25-15 win.
A kill by Rylee Goldsmith sealed the deal and set the tone for set three.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to control the tempo and went on to post a 25-19 win in the third set.
It appeared to be a matter of playing out the fourth set before the Lady Bulldogs would claim the title.
Not the case.
Just in a matter of few points, the Lady Bulldogs were visibly on their heels and it was Lawrenceburg dictating the play.
An 11-4 lead grew to 21-10 and later a 25-10 win for the Lady Tigers.
The match was all square at 2-2.
Something must have clicked at the change over between sets. The Lady Bulldogs were immediately on the offensive and did not let up.
When it is crunch time, teams generally go to their best for results. And that was the case for the Lady Bulldogs.
Junior Bailey Baumer was unstoppable. Sets were crisper and her power at the net took over.
The fifth set was tied at 2-2 when the attack began. Baumer kills on three of the next four points sparked a 6-2 lead. Two more Baumer kills countered a couple Lady Tiger points and the Batesville lead went to 9-4. A little handy work at the net by Morgan Dreyer made it 11-5.
The success was contagious and teammate Madi Oesterling did her part with a pair of kills to make it 13-8, which virtually sealed the deal. Batesville closed out the final set by a score of 15-10 before the celebration could begin.
Statistically, the Lady Bulldogs were led by Baumer with a total of 16 kills, while Oesterling finished with 10. Rylee Goldsmith did her part at the net as well with seven kills.
Baumer and Goldsmith shared team-high honors with 21 digs apiece followed by Morgan Dreyer with 18.
Dreyer and Katie Thomas handled the majority of the setting duties. Dreyer finished with 26 assists, while Thomas added 17.
Chelsey Paul was the top server with 15 points, including four aces.
Lady Bulldogs top Madison in five
The first of the two matches on Saturday was just as exciting if not more. The Lady Bulldogs were stretched deep into five sets by the Madison Lady Cubs before prevailing 24-26, 25-18, 12-25, 25-20 and 16-14.
"We were so keyed up to play Madison," Paul commented. "We could not match up with their height so we had to be aggressive servers and attackers ... It was a real team effort led at the net by Bailey (Baumer) and Madi (Oesterling) did an excellent job serving.
"It was such a tiring physical and emotional game. I didn't know how we would come out in the finals," she added.
Baumer pounded 24 kills over the five sets followed by Goldsmith with 10 and Dreyer with eight.
Oesterling led the team in service points with 16.


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In a case of political correctness gone wile, a straight-A student has been denied her high school diploma for saying the word "hell" in her valedictory speech.
Kaitlin Nootbaar graduated from Oklahoma's Prague High School back in May of this year and was named valedictorian.
In her graduating speech which was inspired by the film Eclipse: The Twilight Saga, she accidentally said the word "hell" instead of "heck"- a move which her father claims has cost her dearly.
"Her quote was, when she first started school she wanted to be a nurse, then a veterinarian and now that she was getting closer to graduation people would ask her what do you want to do and she said 'How the hell do I know? I've changed my mind so many times," David Nootbaar said.
The audience laughed and she was given a round of applause at the end of her speech. But when she went to pick up her high school diploma last week, she was told by the principal she will not get in until she writes a letter of apology.
Her father is furious with the school and said administrators have no legal right to refuse to release the diploma as his daughter was a straight-A student.
Kaitlin said she will not write the letter as she believes she didn't do anything wrong, but she is due to start college in just a few days on a full scholarship.
The local school superintendent declined to comment on the matter which he said was "confidential".
News video HERE
Dan Dolan is an Iowa Republican who is running for Congress.
By all accounts, he gave a pretty good stump speech before the party convention this weekend at the Monroe County Courthouse.
There was only one small detail which spoiled it – he gave the speech at the wrong party's convention.
It turns out that the Democrats were also meeting Saturday in the same building in Albia, Iowa, two hours earlier than the GOP.
Dan Dolan, who made 10 speeches around the state Saturday, says that his staffer had asked the crowd when they arrived if he could speak, and when he finished, "a guy raises his hand and says, 'I think you want to talk to the Republicans.'"
Dolan says everyone was nice about the mixup, but now he asks, "Is this the Republican convention?" before he starts talking.
I have to admit that Germany does it's best to make a weekly appearance on weird news.
Walter Koenig, 61 was hauled before the court in Freiburg after stealing money from investors in his company. But he had a cunning plan to stay out of prison.
He began talking to the court, and talkes, and talked… for 14 long hours in a bid to stay out of prison.
Prosecutor Michael Machtel said: 'It is a German record – but he failed to talk himself out of jail despite the marathon speech.'
Unfortunately for him, his plan didn't work as well as expected. After his epic speech, he received a 3 year sentence for fraud.
Was this a Freudian slip, or proof that men have sex on their minds ALL the time?
"We need more more Canadian sex stories," proclaimed Canada's Industry minister, Tony Clement during a speech about the government's digital strategy.
What he MEANT to say was "We need more Canadian SUCCESS stories …", as he pointed out after the entire Ottawa crowd had collapsed in laughter.
He insisted that he hadn't been thinking about sex.
"The male brain is a very strange organ at times, isn't it? I have no explanation," he said.
"It really was not on my mind. I want to stress that for the record. It just sort of blurted out."


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This year's Memorial Day observance coincides with the 150th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Cincinnati in the Mississippi River. While serving on that ironclad, Navy Seaman Martin McHugh (McCue) saved his crewmates' lives — and those heroic actions brought him to the attention of President Lincoln and the U.S. Congress.
The Danville man was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor exhibited that day during the siege of Vicksburg. After more than 100 years in an unmarked grave, McHugh received a special Medal of Honor military stone and plaque, which were dedicated last spring at Resurrection Cemetery.
McHugh is one of five Medal of Honor recipients buried in Vermilion County. Six others have ties to the county, but are buried elsewhere. Most communities the size of Danville and Vermilion County have far fewer recipients of the nation's highest military award.
Other Medal of Honor recipients include Lt. Morton Read of the 8th New York Cavalry, who is buried in Section 10 at the Danville National Cemetery.
Colonel and Brevetted Gen. John Charles Black of the 37th Illinois Infantry is interred at Spring Hill Cemetery's Block 12. Also at Spring Hill, Kenneth Bailey — one of the most well-known of all the U.S. Marines from World War II — is buried in Block 16.
Woodlawn Cemetery at Indianola is the final resting place of Lt. Col. Ernest Williams, also a U.S. Marine.
Medal of Honor recipients associated with Vermilion County, but not buried here, are: Capt. William Black of the 37th Illinois Infantry, Pvt. Harry Finkenbiner of the 107th Ohio Infantry, Sgt. William Holmes of the 3rd Indiana Cavalry, Sgt. Joseph Knight of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, Major Carlos Ogden of the U.S. Army, and Sgt. Benjamin Schenck of the 116th Illinois Infantry.
The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is awarded by the president in the name of Congress to U.S. military personnel.
Holiday's history
Decorating the graves of fallen soldiers is an ancient custom, and has taken place in America on an individual basis since the birth of the country. But the first official nationwide observance was in May 1868, following various springtime "Decoration Days" that had started during the Civil War.
Organizations and individuals had come together to honor the war dead in the North and South. There are numerous claims on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line as to where the first Decoration Day was held.
Starting in 1866, a Confederate Memorial Day was being observed across the South. Two years later, John A. Logan of Illinois — namesake of Danville's Logan Avenue — who had served as a general in the Civil War and also in the U.S. Congress, was the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans group. He issued a proclamation that all the individual observances across the country should be merged into one observance and held each year on the same date.
In 1968, Memorial Day became one of the uniform Monday holidays, moving from its previous May 30 designation.


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A day at the office turned into a day at the beach Wednesday for the staff of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
It was National Tourism Day, a chance to recognize the vital role tourism plays in the economy and to thank the people who make it all possible.
"It's just our small way of saying thank you to everyone for coming to Panama City Beach and those who work in the industry," said Susan Estler, the CVB's Vice President of Marketing.
The CVB marked the occasion at the M. B. Miller Pier by hosting a cookout featuring music, giveaways and free admission to the pier.
It didn't take long for word of the party to get out. "We've already gone through four hundred hamburgers, three hundred hot dogs and five hundred tee shirts," Barrie Ainsley, CVB Visitor Services Manager, said just an hour into the celebration.
"We're a real, fun beach," Mayor Gayle Oberst said. "We appreciate [people] coming to visit us."
Panama City Beach is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state with 11 million yearly visitors pumping $1 billion into the local economy. "Panama City Beach and Bay County are in the top ten destinations within the state of Florida," Estler said. "We're right up there with Orlando, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale… all of the larger areas."
Time and time again, visitors say it's the sugar white sand and emerald green water that keep them coming back year after year. "I do think it's the prettiest," said Linda Goode of Huntsville, Alabama. "The white sand and just days like today when it's all right with the world."
"It's always just sort of like a vacation to come to Panama City," said David Mitchell of Albany, Georgia. "We've been coming all of our life."
Everywhere you turned at the National Tourist Day event, you could find parents and their children – a new generation of tourists – enjoying a little fun in the sun. Tourism officials credit the family atmosphere for helping to ensure those little tourists grow up and return to the beach with their families.
"We are home to the world's most beautiful beach, so that's number one," Estler said. "But I think it's also all the different activities that we have here, the southern hospitality, all the warm people that we have here."
This was the third year the CVB has celebrated National Tourism Day. Tomorrow, it's back to the office to gear up for the busy summer season.
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Route Guide - iPhone / Android - Partners - Forum - Photos - Deals - What's New - School of Rock
Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Start below the roof on the left side of the southeast face, beneath the obvious line of bolts. Climb around the roof on the right side, then step left onto the slab. Climb straight up on thin hands and great friction for feet. The crux is at the fourth bolt. From there, the route moves closer to the arete on the left. The difficulty eases for about 20 feet then around the 7th bolt it gets steep again. From there, it's easy to the anchor. This is an exciting climb for its lack of positive hands. It could use some more traffic though, there is still a fair amount of lichen.
The route is clearly visible from the Jurassic Park trail. It ascends a fairly flat face, just left of a chimney. There's a roof right at the bottom. Descend by rappel or by lowering with a 60m rope. A 50m would NOT have been long enough!
This was originally done as a traditional lead. It was retrobolted to have 9 bolts to a two bolt anchor (11 bolts total). The anchor has rappel rings.


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Port Jefferson locals are reacting to statements made Friday by National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre on the Sandy Hook school shooting, breaking a weeklong silence by the gun organization.
LaPierre blasted the media and entertainment industry for promoting and glorifying violence in what he said was a "dirty little truth." He called it "a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people."
Among his ideas on how to prevent another unspeakably murderous act like the one Adam Lanza brought to Newtown, was to post armed guards in every school in America. The money, he said, could come from a variety of sources including the U.S. budget for foreign aid. His idea is to use qualified police, retired, active or reserve military personnel or other types of law enforcement agents to fill those posts.
Related: You can read a full transcript of the NRA press conference here on the Washington Post website.
When we asked if locals supported the idea to put armed guards in school, John Feinberg agreed.
"Veterans need jobs and are already trained in firearm use," said Feinberg. "Gives them tons of more jobs!"
Lucia Torraco Tamargo said gun laws will only be broken by criminals.
"Yes. I totally agree," she wrote. "Another law to be broken as criminals always find a way. We need to protect our children as much as we protect our banks."
LaPierre also compared protecting children to protecting money in banks and life of the President of the United States.
Frank Raffaele worried about the effectiveness of that strategy.
"Putting more restrictions on law abiding people won't work," he said on Facebook.
One commentor said that she wasn't sure armed security is the best thing to do.
"We need to do something, but I'm not sure making children feel like they're in school at a prison is the answer," said Stacey Heckelman Devaux. "Horrible as a tragedy it was, many more children are killed in car accidents, house fires, etc."
Devaux suggested other ideas like metal detectors, immediate notification and lockdown procedures for the entire school building and alarms connecting to police.
"Banks have them," she said. "Kids are more important than money."
Janet Basile pointed out that the potential killers would go somewhere else leading to even more armed guards everywhere.
"Every public place would need them, the shooter would just move on to another unarmed place?" she said.
What do you think? Should we post armed guards in our schools to protect our children from another tragedy like at Newtown?


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High temperatures and humidity causing heat related skin conditions
( Jose Sanchez / July 27, 2011 )
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If you've taken the LSAT and are wondering when you're going to get your LSAT score, then take a peek at the following dates to see when you'll get yours via email. (It's always about three weeks after you take the test. Add about a week if your score is getting mailed, and remember, all these LSAT score release dates are approximate. Things happen!
More questions about the LSAT? Check out some of the LSAT FAQs here:
LSAT FAQs
What's a good LSAT score?
How do I study for the LSAT?
Where can I take a practice LSAT quiz for free, right now?
More LSAT FAQs
2014 - 2015 LSAT Score Release Dates
|LSAT Test Dates
|LSAT Scores Available Via Internet
|LSAT Scores Mailed
|Sept. 27& 29, 2014
|Oct. 22, 2014
|Oct. 29. 2014
|Dec. 6 & 8, 2014
|Jan. 5, 2015
|Jan. 12, 2015
|Feb. 7 & 9, 2015
|March 3, 2015
|March 10, 2015


text: ZoomInfo ZoomInfo ZoomInfo ZoomInfo ZoomInfo "The photographs in this picture gallery may look like they been Photoshopped or assembled with dead insects, but the ants in these images are very much alive. Russian photographer Andrey Pavlov spends hours setting up fairytale scenes. He studied ants, and saw that they all follow a very specific path when they're working. So he put his props on their trail, and photographed the insects interacting with his miniature 'stage sets'." "Ant Tales" Photo Series by Andrey Pavlov(Source: lensart.ru)


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Sign up for Area B e-newsletter here.
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Gather parents, staff, community members and organizations from Area B to work to improve our Schools for the success of all students. Connect the Area B Community, and work with the Area B Superintendent to make our Schools more family and community friendly.
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Remember That Time Lance Parrish Played For The Royals?
On this date in 1995, the Kansas City Royals signed 39-year-old catcher Lance Parrish to a free-agent deal. The eight-time All-Star had seen his role move to that of a back-up catcher by that time, but the Royals were looking for depth as Mike Macfarlene had signed a deal with the Boston Red Sox during the offseason.
Brent Mayne would move up to the starting role and it appeared Parrish would fight for a spot to help provide his baseball knowledge to the younger players.
However Parrish's stint with the Royals would last until just April 22 when he was shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays. He'd appear in 70 games for the Blue Jays in '95, before retiring from baseball in 1996 after not making the Pittsburgh Pirates squad. Â Instead he served as the roving catching instructor for the Royals during that season.
In 19 big league seasons Parrish batted .252/.313/.440 while hitting 324 home runs. He ranks 11th in most career games caught with 1,818 and is arguably worthy of the Hall of Fame. 10 years of his career were spent with the Detroit Tigers, with whom he a World Series title in 1984.
We all know Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Harmon Killebrew each spent a season with the Royals, but what other former star players can you remember spending just a brief amount of time with Kansas City?
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Greg Schaum
George Scott….in fact I was in the Restroom at the stadium when the Royals announced thru Denny Mathews that Scott had simply changed locker rooms with Tom Poquette as they were traded in the middle of a series
I also remember Gaylord Perry and Ken Brett
Omar Moreno was a personal favorite and without him in Seltember of 85 perhaps the Royals lose the division
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The moment Kim Crespi of Charlotte, N.C., heard that her husband David had stabbed their 5-year-old twin daughters to death, she knew that the real culprit behind the horrific act wasn't her spouse but a cocktail of prescription drugs, including
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Archive 2013 · 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Alf Beharie
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p.1 #1
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Hi all, after a lot of research I think I have finally nailed down who made what and I have also incorporated photos of the lenses into my diagram as well.
Mar 29, 2013 at 11:14 PM
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p.1 #2
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
That's very cool, Alf. How many of them have you used?
Mar 29, 2013 at 11:19 PM
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p.1 #3
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Hi Alf,
Excellent set of lens portraits and optical diagrams. Thanks for sharing.
As we've discussed before, I had the Sigmatel, but sold it long ago. Your posts showed that your copy produces much better IQ than mine did. Have you used the Soligor? That third element looks like one serious chunk of glass.
I think we're both looking for an "affordable" SMCP-A* 135/1.8 ED. At least, I am...
Cheers, Jim
Mar 29, 2013 at 11:33 PM
harvey steeves
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p.1 #4
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
I would like to see a performance comparison; I think it would be very interesting to see what has happened through time. Somebody should go out and buy them all.
Mar 29, 2013 at 11:34 PM
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p.1 #5
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Looking at the Soligor, makes me wonder if having such a complex array of elements on the Carl Zeiss one is even beneficial to the lens performance.
Is there really a reason for such a complicated design? This is a serious question, so if anyone can explain this to me, I'd be grateful.
Mar 29, 2013 at 11:35 PM
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p.1 #6
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
HauntedHat wrote
Looking at the Soligor, makes me wonder if having such a complex array of elements on the Carl Zeiss one is even beneficial to the lens performance.
Is there really a reason for such a complicated design? This is a serious question, so if anyone can explain this to me, I'd be grateful.
I don't have direct experience with either lens, but my understanding was that the Soligor was a rather poor performer wide open. The Zeiss, of course, is an outstanding optic with excellent performance wide open.
Why so many elements? First thing to understand is - because they can. Older lenses often went with fewer elements because there weren't good optical coatings. Without coatings you lose contrast at every surface due to internal reflections. This is why older zoom lenses were so low contrast, you need lots of elements in a zoom and they had no good coatings. In a modern lens design the coatings are excellent and so you can use more elements. The difference in coatings is very significant, anywhere from a factor of 5 to 10 in reduced reflections. So you can build a modern lens with say 10 elements and it will still have more contrast than an older design with just 4.
Second thing to understand is that for wide aperture it is extremely difficult to deal with lens aberrations. Spherical aberration and coma are particularly difficult to deal with in wide aperture lenses. Astigmatism and longitudinal CA also get worse with larger aperture. So for a wide aperture lens you've got a lot of work to do correcting aberrations when doing the lens design.
As an extremely over simplified example of lens design consider how a given aberration is controlled or corrected. An easy example is a doublet - you replace a single lens element with two elements, typically one concave and one convex. By using different glass for the two elements you can make a lens that corrects for a particular aberration compared to the single element that was replaced. See here for a description of some doublets and how they correct an aberration:
Now what may be optimal for one aberration is not necessarily the best for another. As an example here is a graph from an optics book of a simple doublet in which the position of the aperture stop is moved and various aberrations plotted for the aperture position:
As you can see there isn't a "best answer" for such a simple lens. So you start to replace more elements with other combinations of elements to correct for more aberrations in an optimal way. Many lenses start from a particular simple design, things like:
And then start substituting certain elements with groups of elements to control particular aberrations better.
Finally, in modern lens design software allows one to try out even more novel and complicated designs. The above "substitution" method of design I described is very good when you've got pencil and paper to work with - it keeps the interactions between design elements low so that the lens behavior can be more easily modeled and predicted with simpler equations. With a computer no such restriction exists. A designer will start with a coarse design and then can leave the computer to optimize specific element shapes and positions by trial and error to come up with an optimal solution. They can even include insensitivity to manufacturing errors as a parameter in the design. Add in newer glass materials to work with (low dispersion, high dispersion, high refractive index) and new element shapes (inexpensively produced aspheres) and you end up with some designs that are almost impossible to figure out how they even work without the aid of software.
So long story short, yes more lens elements does help - a lot. In the past you couldn't really do it because poor optical coatings meant contrast would suffer and design techniques meant you wouldn't know what to do with all those degrees of freedom to actually make the lens much better. These days coatings mean there is no penalty in performance to using lots of elements and computer aided design means you can actually get a lot of benefit from those extra degrees of freedom.
Finally - I am not an optical designer myself, so hopefully someone with more direct experience can provide a better answer and correct any misconceptions I have in the details.
Mar 30, 2013 at 12:37 AM
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p.1 #7
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
HauntedHat wrote
Looking at the Soligor, makes me wonder if having such a complex array of elements on the Carl Zeiss one is even beneficial to the lens performance.
Is there really a reason for such a complicated design? This is a serious question, so if anyone can explain this to me, I'd be grateful.
[here's my two cents]
Lens design is very complex. I don't understand how to do it, but I do understand what it gives to me. The conflicting requirements to optimize for evenly distributed resolution, contrast, and illumination across the frame, as well as reducing geometric distortion, colour aberration (CA), and flare, for both near and far subjects introduces many challenges. In order to compensate for and to surpass at least some of those challenges, the design can get very complicated. Simple designs can provide great performance for one or two optical attributes, but inevitably have compromised performance in other areas.
Many 'classic' lenses with relatively simple designs have very desirable and unique characteristics, but if you want a telephoto with excellent IQ from centre to corner, with low CA, and low vignetting, you'll quickly find that all signs point to the expensive lenses with relatively complex designs. TANSTAAFL.
I'll bet you five cookies that the Zeiss is the best lens in that group, for all performance metrics, except maybe weight and cost. The Pentax is a special case. It's a true classic with legendary performance, and it's scarce. A used SMCP-A* 135/1.8 in [E] to [E+] condition will cost you about the same as a new Zeiss Sonnar 135/1.8. I expect the Zeiss has
better IQ
, but they're a dime a dozen.
OTOH, the Pentax might have better
, whatever that is. I'm confident that Alf will help us to figure this out.
Anyway, I've been using the Canon EF 135/2L for many years. It's widely regarded as one of the best 135mm lenses ever made. Its optical design is complex. I suspect that its excellent performance is because of, not in spite of, its complex design. I've included a copy of the EF 135/2L optical diagram below, from the Canon Camera Museum.
I've also included optical designs of the EF 200/1.8L and EF 70-200/2.8L IS II. Both are incredible lenses, and both have complex designs. I once saw my 200/1.8L in an airport scanner. It blew my mind. It looked just like the optical diagram, but 'full size', and much better colour! I asked if I could take a photo of the screen but I got no joy.
Canon EF 135/2L
Canon EF 200/1.8L
Canon EF 70-200/2.8L IS II
Mar 30, 2013 at 12:56 AM
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p.1 #8
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
It's always a welcome discussion, and goes to the nuts and bolts of the craft. It used to be a whole lot more of a craft - if not a black art - before the design software put what took Zeiss and Leica generations of designers in the hands of the Sigmas/Samyangs of the world.
More elements mean many things from my reading, but include greater correction of aberrations generally defined, and much better matching of differential refractive index glass types. The upcoming CZ 55/1.4 has 12 elements, twice the accepted number for a 50mm lens. I have not looked too closely into it but Leica always favoured fewer elements than Zeiss.
Ken, do you have any dates for when the design software became widely available? What is missing from your excellent post is a timeline. This kind of information is hard to come by in general. Dr Nasse, if you are reading please write us a white paper on the history and trends of optical design with critical milestones.
Fast lenses can be aberration-infested monsters and still cause problems in this day and age...my Contax 100/3.5 Sonnar is extremely well-behaved and is high performance by almost any standards yet is a 5/4 configuration, the 100MP is a little better but over twice the weight and complexity. The Contax 100-300/4.5-5.6 is a 12/7 pipe and betters the small 100mm f3.5 prime (just), but it probably shouldn't. HRI, ED/UD etc. was clearly of great importance as was the onward march of coating improvements, even in the 1980s and esp the 1990s.
The 28-85 CY zoom is 16/13. All are 20+ years old, but the zooms are later designs by far. The Contax 21/2.8 is a 15/13 config, and dates from 1993.
Apart from the forthcoming fast lineup for high Mp sensors, Zeiss appears to have settled (in general) on ever more complex f2 (prime) lenses which are now amazingly good wide open, the RX1 being a noteworthy example, the 135/2 APO another. They are getting into asph surfaces in a big way for wider lenses now, there are three in the 8/7 Sonnar in the RX1, and two in each of the very complex 25/2 (11/10) and 15/2.8 (15/12). I can find no reference for asph surfaces in Contax Yashica lenses, but do remember reading that early asph elements came from restricted glass formulas.
Nothing like blowing your own trumpet. I'll end with this quote from a Canon paper, which I doubt we will ever see from CZ literature:
'To date, Canon has produced literally hundreds of masterpiece lenses.' Way to go, guys! Thanks Alf.
Mar 30, 2013 at 03:56 AM
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p.1 #9
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
philip_pj wrote
They are getting into asph surfaces in a big way for wider lenses now, there are three in the 8/7 Sonnar in the RX1, and two in each of the very complex 25/2 (11/10) and 15/2.8 (15/12). I can find no reference for asph surfaces in Contax Yashica lenses, but do remember reading that early asph elements came from restricted glass formulas.
the c/y 35/1.4 data sheet specifies one aspherical surface and that design has been around since the 60's i believe. my understanding is that the major advantage of aspherical surfaces is that they allow multiple types of additional corrections to be included in the lens design without adding any extra elements. given zeiss's relaxed design strategy this probably wasn't as necessary for them as it would be for lens designers more interested in compact designs (or with less effective lens coatings). i suspect the recent increase in their use is probably due to a decrease in the cost of production coupled with nearing limits of what can be done without drastically increasing lens size or price (n.b. these last 2 sentences are just my uneducated guesses as i talk out my ass).
Mar 30, 2013 at 05:40 AM
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p.1 #10
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
philip_pj wrote
'To date, Canon has produced literally hundreds of masterpiece lenses.' Way to go, guys! Thanks Alf.
Haha, yes, but they were all of the type 200/1.8
Mar 30, 2013 at 09:12 AM
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Alf Beharie
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p.1 #11
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Thanks guys. Firstly I should mention that I have only used the Sigmatel Scalematic version and not any of the others, so I cannot personally vouch for the performance of the others. However, anecdotal evidence gathered during my extensive research, which has involved scouring the web for anything pertaining to 135mm f1.8, for several months, has certainly given me the impression that the more elements used, the better the overall optical performance.
Just going on optical design alone this would logically lead you to believe that the Soligor must be the worst of the bunch and the Sony made Zeiss is the best.
Well, yes and no. I don't like to be so clear cut where lenses are concerned.
I think that sometimes a little abberation can actually be beneficial, say where personal taste in bokeh quality is concerned for instance.
Indeed abberation can give a lens a unique character which can be put to good use by an experienced owner.
Anyway, the Sigmatels design appears nearest to the classical sonnar design, and as you all know Sonnar designs are reknowned for their buttery smooth bokeh, whilst being razor sharp and indeed, from what I have seen, it certainly seems to be a better performer than both versions of Spiratone and the Soligor.
It would appear that Pentax must have caste an envious eye over cocky little upstart Sigma's supprisingly good optical design as they appear to have borrowed most of it when they designed the SMC-A.
The Soligor design looks ridiculously simplistic in comparison to the others, especially in comparison to the Zeiss!
Your right in thinking that the Soligor must have a huge chunk of glass inside, it actually has!:
The two different Spiratone versions do not appear to be be purely Sonnar designs and this may or may not be a good thing.
(BTW, I invite those with more knowledge of optical designs than I to let me know exactly what type of design each Spiratone has, as it would be interesting info that I could perhaps add to the diagram at a later date.)
However, it is clear that both of the Spiratones and the Soligor require larger diameter elements in order to gather enough light to reach f1.8, resulting in an huge 82mm filter thread, and an enormous weight of between 1.1-1.2kg!
The Sigmatel, on the other hand, has a smaller 77mm filter thread and it only weighs 820g, so its considerably smaller and lighter than any of the latter lenses. This can only be a good thing for the owner who has to lug it around and get his or her hand around it to focus it.
And finally, Nikon have applied for a patent for their own 135mm f1.8 lens. It will have (assuming it is ever released) VR (vibration reduction) and as a consequence it has an even more complex design than the Sony made Zeiss!:
Mar 30, 2013 at 09:49 AM
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p.1 #12
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Hi Alf,
I picked up one of the Spiratone early versions (monocoated) for around $15.00 USD in a Reno pawn shop a few years ago. It cleaned up well (glass/iris perfect) but needed a good bath in naptha to remove gunk/sand from the focus helical. I converted in a few hours over to EOS mount, and it does create some unique OOF rendering. It weighs quite a bit, plus the 82mm hood added to it makes for second-looks
I would rather use my FD 135mm f2 or SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 Version II over this one for any prolonged MF shooting, but it does produce...
Here are some shots of it and with it (at f1.8).
Used with 25mm extension tube
Mar 30, 2013 at 03:40 PM
Alf Beharie
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p.1 #13
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
For $15, it was a real bargain!
Mar 30, 2013 at 08:08 PM
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p.1 #14
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
dude that thing is huge! can you throw it on a mirrorless camera for a fun shot?
Mar 31, 2013 at 03:47 AM
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p.1 #15
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Sure thing...
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 5D
Mar 31, 2013 at 11:45 AM
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p.1 #16
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
sweet thanks!
Mar 31, 2013 at 04:11 PM
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p.1 #17
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Very interesting read. The Soligor's block diagram sure looks weird!
Apr 01, 2013 at 10:04 AM
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p.1 #18
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
I need to try mine with my FujiFilm X-E1,though, the lens has no tripod collar, and weighs a ton.
From the FM ALT archive section, a post of mine:
My copy of this giant hunk of glass came in Minolta MC/MD mount.
I'm using an adapter from Fotodiox, it has glass in it.
I know this isn't the correct solution, but, I wanted to play as soon as I could.
I am uncertain if the adapter or the lens causes the vignetting I see in my pics.
From the brief play time I had, this photo suggests swirly bokeh:
The following series show the great close distance blur of this lens:
- f16 :
- f5.6 :
- f1.8 :
this ^^^ series of 3 is a pool railing, BTW...
This photo shows the great far distance blur of this lens:
Apr 02, 2013 at 01:23 AM
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p.1 #19
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
kwalsh wrote
As an example here is a graph from an optics book of a simple doublet in which the position of the aperture stop is moved and various aberrations plotted for the aperture position:
Thank you very much for this graph, looks interessting. Could you tell me which book this is?
I have a Porst 135/1.8 (by Mitake), and event with its simple design it performs well enough for some images:
But I suppose that my Canon FD 135mm f/2.0 will be much better. Have to test these. I use the Porst only with a very big hood. My copy has a big scratch on the front element, and the coating and inner black surfaces seems not to work very well.
Apr 03, 2013 at 07:52 AM
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p.1 #20
· 135mm f1.8 lenses...
Sorry for bringing this topic out of the grave but can anyone give an opinion on the Soligor 135mm F1.8?
I am thinking about buying a used one in mint condition in Nikon fit.
Apr 20, 2014 at 08:03 PM
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Home values, as measured by a widely watched real estate service, rose year-over-year in major U.S. metro areas.
The Zillow blog post said that out of the 166 metros Zillow covers, 86 of them showed home value appreciation.
Phoenix (9.0 percent), Fort Meyers (6.7 percent) and Miami (5.2 percent) lead the pack when ranked by year-over-year change. Home values fell 0.9 percent nationally from May 2011 to May 2012, the the smallest year-over-year decline since October 2007.
"It is promising to see consecutive months of national home value increases, especially during a period in which we'd expected more downward pressure due to foreclosures," said Dr. Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist.
"Attention has now shifted to the tug-of-war situation with inventory, where buyers want to buy but sellers don't want to – or can't – sell. This inventory phenomenon, due to both the broader issue of negative equity that is keeping people in their homes and to rational seller behavior at a market bottom, will make for a more volatile housing recovery than what we initially expected."
The Zillow May Real Estate Market Report breaks the Zillow Home Value Index down by region. The top ten areas ranked by year-over-year change are below:
Is this a sign that the housing market is continuing to recover? Do you think home values will continue to rise? Let us know what you think about this trend: