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With the clay season in the books, we brush the dirt off a Roland Garros edition of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Rafa, Serena and the Bryans sweep through the dirt…When Rafael Nadal raked a cross-court forehand winner to clinch the 2013 French Open, history was made on multiple fronts. Not only did Nadal become the eight-time champion at Roland Garros, the first to accomplish the feat at one Grand Slam tournament, he also embedded himself in the triumvirate atop the tennis world, joining Serena Williams and the Bryan Brothers with clean sweeps of Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. Nadal, Williams and the Bryans combined to go 69-3 during the clay season. That is so astonishingly ridiculous, it makes the words astonishingly ridiculous seem rather benign. Moreover, Williams and the Bryans claimed their second career titles on the terre battue having been at least a decade removed from their firsts.
Ferru forges from the shadows…A validation of a rather underappreciated career, David Ferrer reached his first Grand Slam final, obliterating the competition along the way. Ferrer registered the most service breaks of the tournament (45) and did not relinquish a single set prior to being defeated in straights by Rafael Nadal, in the final. A four-time year-end top-ten with 20 ATP titles, Ferrer is enjoying the best season of his career at the ripe age of 31. The consummate warrior, his passion and commitment to the game have no bounds and he is finally being rewarded for his hard work. Well done, David.
Five-set thrillers…The five-set drama at this year's French Open could not have been scripted any better. The seven matches that went past 6-6 in the fifth were the most at Roland Garros since 2004. Three of them (Nadal/Djokovic, Wawrinka/Gasquet and Haas/Isner) provided perhaps the most memorable and riveting finishes you will ever see on a Grand Slam stage. Wawrinka battled back down two sets to none, Haas survived 10-8 in the final set despite being denied 12 match points, and Nadal toppled archrival Novak Djokovic, 9-7. My favorite match of the tournament, however, came on Day Two, when a spirited Gael Monfils battled past fifth-seed Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5.
Teenagers crash the party…Five teenagers won their first Grand Slam matches at Roland Garros. They include wildcards Nick Kyrgios and Lucas Pouille on the men's side, as well as Eugenie Bouchard, Monica Puig and Ashleigh Barty for the women. Along with 19-year-old qualifier Jiri Vesely, who fell in four sets to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round, these players really impressed and it won't be long until they become fixtures on the Slam stage. For more on Kyrgios, Pouille and Vesely, check out my collaborative piece on the unheralded stars of the French Open, over at The Grandstand.
Streak snappers…There is nothing worse than a long and strenuous losing streak, which is why Robin Haase and Sara Errani can breathe easier now after they finally put an end to their respective runs of futility. Haase snapped his tiebreak losing streak at an absurd 17 straight, when he won the second set of his first round match against Kenny de Schepper. Also, Sara Errani finally broke through against top-five competition, winning her first match in 29 attempts. The Italian defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 7-6 in the semifinals.
Parity is good too…In reaching the Roland Garros final, David Ferrer became the first player outside the Big Four to reach a Grand Slam final since 2010. Despite the fact that Ferrer was routed by Rafael Nadal, it was refreshing to see a break from the norm, with a different face on one of tennis's biggest stages. Big Four domination sells tickets and keeps casual viewers interested, but parity can be a good thing too.
The Tommys turn back the clock…One of the biggest storylines of the 2013 French Open was the resurgent play of elder statesmen Tommy Haas (35) and Tommy Robredo (32). Both Haas and Robredo enjoyed successful clay campaigns leading up to Roland Garros, with each winning a title (Haas in Munich, Robredo in Casablanca), and they continued their run of form with runs to the quarterfinals in Paris. Having each been four years removed from their previous major quarterfinal and plagued by injuries since, it was an emotional and inspiring pair of performances. I wrote more about the far-reaching significance of the Tommys' run here.
Four American women reach the Round of 16…While the American men were busy packing their bags, the women enjoyed their first foursome in a fourth round of a Slam since the 2004 U.S. Open. Eventual champion Serena Williams defeated Roberta Vinci, while Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Jamie Hampton and Sloane Stephens all lost in straight sets. Regardless, it was a pretty impressive showing from a traditionally clay-inept nation.
Welcome to twitter Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych and Marion Bartoli…And welcome to the live-tweeting commentary booth, Andy Murray. The French Open was made even more entertaining with tweets like these:
Commentators on eurosport discussing why tsonga has no coach right now…He's been getting coached by rogerio rasheed for a while now #shank
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 29, 2013
La monf to win rolly g? #allezlamonf
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 29, 2013
After 4hours to get time violation,its a joke,referee should get a time violation forcalling the score slowly!!
— Tomáš Berdych (@tomasberdych) June 7, 2013
Fun with cameras…
Well..here what you asked for … twitter.com/Stako_tennis/s…
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) May 27, 2013
Full version of Djoker's film direction debut: http://www.francetvsport.fr/tennis-camera-156553
Men's Point of the Tournament – Tommy Haas (GER) vs. Guillaume Rufin (FRA)
Women's Point of the Tournament – Venus Williams (USA) vs. Urszula Radwanska (POL)
Shot of the Tournament – Rafael Nadal forehand winner vs. Novak Djokovic
Quotes of the Tournament
Nadal: 'If I can calm down I will play better; otherwise I can go back to Mallorca and go fishing' — Matt Cronin (@TennisReporters) June 2, 2013
Berdych asked who will win the Monfils-Gulbis 2R match. "The referee is gonna win." Really? I have the ref as a *severe* underdog. #RG13 — Beyond The Baseline (@SI_BTBaseline) May 27, 2013
Imo, the #QOTD from Sunday at @rolandgarros. Gilles Simon: "My forehand is really catastrophic, but I'm going to try and solve that." — matt fitzgerald (@tennisfitz) May 27, 2013
And finally, the emotion of a Grand Slam. This is what it's all about.
Expansion/roof plans at an impasse…During the first week of the tournament, The New York Times' Christopher Clarey reported on the continued delay in plans to renovate the grounds of Stade Roland Garros and add a roof to the main stadium court, Court Philippe Chatrier.
Fed Express fails to deliver…With a Djokovic/Nadal-less half of the draw in front of him, Federer had the golden path to the French Open final. He breezed through his first three matches, stumbled against Gilles Simon in the fourth round and fell flat on his face against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarters, losing in straight sets. Fed won just 11 games, was broken six times and failed to serve an ace for the first time in his Grand Slam career. At just 1:51, it was his fourth fastest defeat at a Slam.
Jo-Willy's listless dismissal…With soaring momentum and confidence from having just upset Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was expected to give David Ferrer all he could handle in the semis. Instead, the home favorite disappointed the Chatrier faithful with a lethargic 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 performance. The rhythm and energy we saw against the mighty Fed was nowhere to be found as Tsonga failed to capitalize on a great opportunity to reach his second Grand Slam final.
Rusty drops another heartbreaking five-setter…If anyone can commiserate with Nicolas Almagro (see below), it is Lleyton Hewitt, who let a 6-3, 6-1 lead slip away against Gilles Simon in the first round. The Aussie is now 1-5 in five-setters in the past three years. The match resembled a movie that you realize is a train wreck halfway through, but since you've come this far you can't turn back. It may have included the two longest rallies of the tournament, but it also featured 121 total unforced errors (72 from Hewitt) and 19 combined breaks of serve. Simon nearly even choked away a 5-0 lead in the fifth set, dropping five straight games, and was forced to win 7-5.
Tipsy crosses the line… The culmination of a disappointing and highly frustrating clay season, Janko Tipsarevic let his emotions get the best of him in the heat of the moment, during his third round match against Mikhail Youzhny.
BTB – Janko Tipsarevic asked a fan if he was "[colorful language] stupid". He's sorry about that. Kind of. tennis.si.com/2013/06/03/jan… #RG13
— Beyond The Baseline (@SI_BTBaseline) June 3, 2013
Final flameout…There's a fine line between what is bad and what's ugly and this sure walked the tightrope, on the verge of escalating into a potentially catastrophic incident. Anything that compromises the safety of the players and spectators is unacceptable and should be dealt with accordingly. On-court security did a commendable job in subduing the lunatics involved, but those responsible for allowing them to enter in the first place do not deserve to keep their jobs.
Nico crashes out…again…Nicolas Almagro has that special talent to instill confidence in his opponents when he's cruising along at a Slam. We all remember David Ferrer's epic comeback at this year's Australian Open from down two sets, breaking Almagro three times when the man from Murcia was serving for the match. No way it happens again, though, and against another member of the 30-year club no less. You know where I'm going with this. In the Round of 16, against Tommy Robredo, Almagro squandered a two-set advantage and even had 4-2 leads in both the third and fourth sets before his forehand and brain did a synchronized nose dive. Let's just assume Nico is always this generous towards his countrymen. Former WTA world number five and current commentator Anna Chakvetadze weighed in after the match: "[He's a] very talented player, just needs to fix his brain a bit and he can be top-five."
TV coverage in the States…So I'm relaxing outside on a Saturday morning, enjoying the early stages of what would go down as one of the best matches of the tournament, between Tommy Haas and John Isner, and my ESPN3 feed cuts out. Why, you say? Ask NBC. ESPN3.com is a gold mine for coverage of outer courts during Slams but only had the rights to stream those matches until their coverage window expired for the day. In turn, NBC refused to continue streaming any outer courts, so fans were left at the mercy of whichever match the producers decided to air on TV. Needless to say, it was a disaster. They also decided to show a taped Serena Williams beatdown instead of a live fourth round encounter between Ana Ivanovic and Agnieszka Radwanska. And say you wanted to find highlights and clips of a match you missed on YouTube?
What else is ugly? This Novak Djokovic overhead…
Louise Engzell's umpiring…This is what happens when you incorrectly overrule a line call and decide to call hindrance on the player who won the point, in order to compensate for your erroneous overrule. I know, that made no sense. Now you know how Li Na and Anabel Medina Garrigues were feeling.
And the shirt Asics gave Gael Monfils to wear in the first round…
Previous editions of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


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Venus Williams came from behind to upset her top seeded sister Serena 6-7 (2/7) 6-2 6-3 and reach the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Venus started the better of the sisters, breaking in the first game of the match, but Serena was able to get it back to tie it up at 3-3 and she then managed to get the upper hand in the tie-break to carve out a one-set lead.
But Venus was far from done. She again broke Serena's serve first up and this time stayed strong on her own serve, preventing Serena from manufacturing an opening.
Instead, it was Venus who snuck another break before she went on to take the second set and send the match into a decider.
One more break was all Venus needed in the third for a 4-2 lead and, having got her nose in front, she didn't surrender the advantage, using her powerful serve and massive groundstrokes to close out the win - her first victory over her younger sibling since a three-set victory in Dubai five years ago.
The win also saw Venus improve her record to 14-11 against Serena, who was the defending champion having lifted her third Canadian crown last year when the tournament was held in Toronto.
"The level of game we played was pretty high," Venus said. "We're both serving well, returning well, moving well - everything is happening so well that all of our matches seem to be very competitive."
Venus said the victory was testament to the hard work she'd put in this season.
"I think a lot of it is physical and a lot of it is mental, too," she said. "I've been working hard. And more importantly, I've been feeling better. I hope I can keep some of this control in my life - if I have that control, I can enjoy being on the court, and win as well."
Venus will next tackle either third seed Agnieszka Radwanska or unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova who clash in the other semi-final.

subset: commoncrawl


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4.5 AMAZING ryster01 | 06/03/2012 | See all ryster01's reviews (9) This album is great, every track is different and they're all fantastic. It's rare to get an album full of tracks that you like but this is one of them. This, along with Nero - Welcome Reality, is my favourite album of 2011.
4.5 Must Buy! JakeHayes93 | 13/09/2011 | See all JakeHayes93's reviews (5) If your a fan of Chase & Status this is a no brainer purchase, the line up of featured artists is magnificent and every track is very listen-able. Personal favourites are Hypest Hype and Time, give those two tracks a listen for a feel of what this album is about.Don't hesitate buy this album now.
4.5 chase and status chicco0 | 16/07/2011 | See all chicco0's reviews (115) in a word.....awsome. i love the track "time"gonna see them at global gathering in 2 weeks cant wait.
4.5 Suprising Britneydies | 08/06/2011 | See all Britneydies's reviews (74) I didnt even know who these were, i just heard the advert alot on the TV, which eventually led me to buy this album.Suprised i was, fresh new sound, with some good collaborations.Genre is a bit of a mix really, but still good all the same!!
4.5 Quality All Round Hammers27 | 04/04/2011 | See all Hammers27's reviews (101) One of the best album I've listened to in years. This has all sorts of genres and whatever mood you're in you should enjoy prett ymuch every song. I don't skip a single song when I have it on, I just stick it on random and let it play, sometimes not even realising that I've gone through the entire album twice until 2 hours have passed.From the jungle feel to the opening track 'No Problem' all the way to the energetic 'End Credits,' you're taken through a random selection of music that ranges from RnB, Hip Hop, Dance, Trance, Drum n Bass, Garage, Jungle, Pop, Grime, Rap, Dub Step and more. It really is jam packed with all sorts and it's what makes this album one of the best in years.It features some talented artists like Plan B, Dizzee Rascal, Tinie Tempah and Clare Maguire, as well as some unknown artists that actually put in better performances than the ones named.Overall this is defo a great purchase and one for your collection, whatever taste in music you have.
4.5 Brilliant HanW88 | 15/03/2011 | See all HanW88's reviews (4) Despite the fact that this album differs to the first as the music has become more mainstream, this is a brilliant album featuring some excellent artists. I can listen to this album over and over again without getting bored, and I don't think there's one song on here I would skip.The best album I've bought for a while!
4.5 Absolute quality! mrpandaman | 06/03/2011 | See all mrpandaman's reviews (7) Agreed it's more mainstream, but it is amazing! Every song is so different from the last and do that but still create such quality is quite brilliant! Standouts on the album for me are: Blind Faith, Heavy, Let You Go and Brixton Briefcase. There are a couple of tracks I don't really like though to be honest, can't really say why just not my thing, Midnight Caller and Fool Yourself.
4.5 Album of the Year! Spyro2011 | 06/03/2011 | See all Spyro2011's reviews (1) This is the best album I have heard in a long time. It has a track for every mood. Particularly great when getting ready for a big night out, driving home even sitting at home and chilling.This is a must for any music collection. Would recommend this to anyone in a flash.Excellent is the only single word I can use.......
4.5 i am a man with a heavy heart!!! scotchwill | 04/03/2011 | See all scotchwill's reviews (2) this is wicked, get this in youre life now!!!! takes me back to my raving days in the 90`s now im nearly 40!!!!
4.5 Wicked clareb26 | 19/02/2011 | See all clareb26's reviews (1) Was not so sure it was a mark on More Than Alot, but have listened to it pretty much non stop all day and I love it, brilliant tracks and really good to work out to as well. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!!!!


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While out and about one day, I needed to find a quick in and out place to fix a broken nail. Voila! The Design Long Nail salon came into views. I ran in, they were able to take me right away and get me going once more. Very pleased.
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Iphone Word Games
By PyjamaRama 3 Comments
I bought a few new word games after researching them to find the best reviewed and most appealing to me personally.
Wurdle is very similar to boggle in which you have a board anything from 5x5 to 8x8 and you find as many words as possible in a choice of 1, 2 or 3 minutes. Wordbble is also a boggle clone but to get anywhere on the high score boards you have to sink hours into trying to solve the puzzle which can get to be a drag on a daily basis. Wurdle allows you to play the same sort of game in short bursts which is much more suitable for the iphone. They have a leader board too and I can't see how you would be able to cheat like people do on Wordabble. Forgetting the built in list that I have moaned on and on about in Wordabble, there are plenty of anagram sites, boggle solving programmes that allow people to cheat and get n the leader board. Wurdle combats this problem by not letting you pause the game. Meaning you can't pause write all the letters down then pretend you are smart and enter lots of words. Also they have the longest word/highest scoring word leader board so I guess this fulfills my competitive word playing needs without the huge daily commitment and cheating.


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I have for sale a pair of Sway-a-way 10" travel piggy back resevoir shocks. 2.5" series. I bought these over a year ago with the intention of installing them as a secondary shock on my LT tacoma. The guy I bought them from said that they are valved for the front of a Jeep cherokee and that he only used them for mock up. As far as I know they have never been ran. I would like to get $350 for them. Possible trades but Im really just interested in selling them. Located in Reno, NV. Willing to ship on buyers expense.
Can call or text me 209-342-7971


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Definition of cable television in English:
A system in which television programmes are transmitted to the sets of subscribers by cable rather than by a broadcast signal.
Example sentences
- The rise of conservative voices on talk radio and cable television has also had some impact on the tilt and tenor of public life.
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Seven catastrophic weather events in Texas in '12
Insurance losses total $2.3B
Texas recorded seven catastrophic weather events in 2012 which resulted in $2.3 billion in insured losses, the Insurance Council of Texas reported.
The council said the Dallas/Fort Worth area received the brunt of the damage from tornadoes and hail storms in April and June.
The multiple tornadoes and hail that pounded the Dallas/Fort Worth area April 3 totaled an estimated $775 million in insured losses, while a June 13 storm caused an estimated $890 million in insured losses in the area. The third costliest storm in Texas last year occurred in south Texas in McAllen, where estimated insured losses from wind and hail damage totaled $260 million.
ISO Services, which compiled the data, reported 26 weather catastrophes striking the country last year. ISO defines a catastrophe as a weather event or man-made event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of people.
The insured losses from Hurricane Sandy are estimated to be $11 billion of the country's $27 billion total catastrophic losses in 2012.
Gary Kerney, assistant vice president for property claims services with Verisk Insurance Solutions, said Texas had a quarter of the nation's catastrophic weather events and recorded about 10 percent of the total insured losses.
"The number of weather catastrophes for the country was about average last year including the total insured losses," Kerney said. "Except Hurricane Sandy, Texas led all other states in insured weather losses."
The ICT said all seven of the weather catastrophes in Texas occurred between March 18 and June 13.
"While the rough weather may have started a little early last year, the catastrophic events occurred during what is typically the height of the storm season in Texas," said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the ICT.
ISO's estimated insured losses include storm damage to homes, cars and businesses, but exclude flood damage that would be provided by coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program.
The ICT is the largest state insurance trade association in the country, consisting of approximately 500 property and casualty insurers writing business in Texas. For more information, go online to www.insurancecouncil.org or www.facebook.com/insurancecounciloftexas.
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Meeerut: Director of a private nursing home here has been booked for allegedly raping a member of the facility`s cleaning staff, police said on friday.
A case was lodged against Balwant Rana yesterday for raping the minor girl in the nursing home here under Bhawanpur police station area, SP (Rural) R P Pandey said.
Efforts are on to trace him, the SP said.
Angry over the incident, villagers held demonstration near police station demanding immediate arrest of the doctor, Pandey said, adding, they were pacified after police assured early action.


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The Croods (2013)
Critics Consensus: While it may not be as (ahem) evolved as the best modern animated fare, The Croods will prove solidly entertaining for families seeking a fast-paced, funny cartoon adventure.
Critics Consensus: While it may not be as (ahem) evolved as the best modern animated fare, The Croods will prove solidly entertaining for families seeking a fast-paced, funny cartoon adventure.
Movie Info
The Croods tells the story of the world's first family road trip. When their cave is destroyed, the Crood family must embark on a comedy adventure into strange and spectacular territory in search of a new home. As if patriarch Grug (Cage) didn't already have enough to handle, it goes from bad to worse when they encounter an imaginative nomad named Guy (Reynolds.) With Guy's help the Croods conquer their fear of the outside world and discover that they have exactly what it takes to survive - each … More
- Rating:
- PG (for some scary action)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Animation , Kids & Family , Comedy
- Directed By:
- Chris Sanders , Chris Sanders (III)
- Written By:
- Chris Sanders (III) , Kirk De Micco
- In Theaters:
- Mar 22, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Oct 1, 2013
- Box Office:
- Runtime:
as Grug
as Eep
as Guy
as Ugga
as Thunk
as Gran
as Sandy
as Belt
Related News & Features
Parental Guidance: Gravity and Parkland
– Rotten Tomatoes -
Digital Multiplex: This Is the End, The Croods, and More
– Rotten Tomatoes
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LoginCritic Reviews for The Croods
All Critics (134) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (40) | DVD (2)
A fun glimpse into father-daughter relationships and the power of family to persevere even when the fear of change threatens its very existence.
Boisterous, colourful and warm-hearted, with energetic action scenes, knockabout slapstick humour and lush visuals.
An animated film that has it all: captivating characters, rich thematic material, humor, imaginative visuals, and an adventuresome quest.
Set four million years in the past, The Croods nonetheless feels like a step-forward for the usually pop-culture cribbing DreamWorks' studio. More like this, please.
The first act may be a little slow, but once this animated caveman comedy gets rolling, it's a rollicking good family movie. No wonder there's already a TV series and a sequel in development.
The Croods is a pleasant surprise that features imaginative production design, a funny story, and excellent voice acting by Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, and Nicolas Cage.
The film gets by on its high spirits and good intentions.
The incredible, surprising design - the vibrant colors, imaginative shapes and textures that make up the prehistoric world - is the movie's real star.
It's a lot better than some of the titles aimed at tykes, but anyone older than 10 may be hard pressed to find anything of value here outside of engaging eye candy.
As well as being pacy, energetically animated and stuffed full of modern-day references, The Croods also casts off any lingering doubt that DreamWorks is moving into the character-driven domain normally dominated by Pixar.
Cavemen evolving.
The Croods is simple enough in its story and structure that its emotional honesty and touching message will catch you quite off-guard.
This is a very nice little family film with excellent visuals and interesting characters.
The voices have also been well chosen and you're likely to enjoy the entertaining squabbles between Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds.
You won't learn anything about life 100,000 years ago, but you may enjoy yourself.
Energetic slapstick, aimed at indiscriminating youngsters who will want to buy lots of Crood toys.
It's not only entertaining, it's pretty darn visually impressive. On occasion, it's even rather touching.
No wonder it's doing so well at the box office.
An impressive, colorful, imaginatively-designed cartoon adventure, rather spoiled by being shackled to a deeply perfunctory story.
A witty and slapstick-laced script by writers-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco, some flawless 3-D work and solid character and beautiful background animation combine for an entertaining 92 minutes.
Audience Reviews for The Croods
Super Reviewer
Grug: Never not be afraid.
"Meet the first modern family"
The Croods was sort of a let down in some aspects, but the animation is beautiful and the settings, and caveman era is really cool. So it ends up being a very fun ride. The nice voice cast of Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke lend good voice to the beautiful imagery.
A family that lives exclusively in the darkness of their cave are forced to adventure out into the real world and encounter all the dangers that it withholds in search of a new home after theirs is destroyed by an earthquake. They run into a boy who knew this was gonna happen and who also has a very good understanding of earth. The movies main theme is about thinking for yourself and not fearing the unknown.
This isn't a standout when it comes to the animated family film genre, but it's a fun film nonetheless. I expected a little more from the story, but overall it was okay. This isn't really worth the watch unless you like watching these animated movies no matter what. If you just watch the best of the genre, this one shouldn't be a necessity.�
Super Reviewer
Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco deliver The Croods in better fashion than marketed.Behind the 90 minute facade of obnoxious caveman, there really is a fun family-oriented story. The pacing is quick, the characters are amusing, and while the plot details are light and simple, it all makes for a good time. The final 20 minutes is a notable highlight.Visually, The Croods never blows it out of the water, but it stays visually pleasing on the eyes with some brightly colored characters and facial expressions resembling the "Dreamworks Face."Nicolas Cage is a little awkward at first, but his voice grows as the film progresses. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds provide satisfying enough voice work for 2 of the other major characters.All in all, The Croods meets the expectations of a recommendable family animation.
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Free MP3 finder
Find free music online with this program.
Clickster offers users a free and fast way to track down MP3s. While its results were a little scattered, the program lives up to its billing by finding free and legal songs online.
Clickster's interface is easy to navigate, though it took a few practice runs to decipher all the odd-looking command icons. Regardless, after a couple minutes we felt intimately familiar with this program's operations. Clickster operates similarly to other software that searches for MP3s, such as the infamous Napster. You merely need to enter a song title or an artist to begin your search. This is simple enough, but unfortunately, the results it yielded were the low point of the program. The song lists were skimpy, since the program only searches for songs on free sites like MySpace. For example, when we searched for "Jingle Bells," a song recorded hundreds if not thousands of times, it only found seven results. However, these songs played clearly enough. Furthermore, we were highly impressed with Clickster's ability to save songs to our hard drive as regular MP3s, which any player can handle. This program's best feature is a direct link to download songs on MySpace, which is much appreciated since the site traditionally only allows listening, not downloading. Overall, this program could have offered better song results, but it still found free music.
Clickster is freeware. It leaves behind Start Menu items after uninstalling. Despite some rough patches, this is still a reasonably good MP3 finder, and we recommend it.


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When new, chassis no. 271 was raced on the East Coast by Ed Bowman. It was acquired by ARDC (American Racing Drivers Club) Hall... More
1947 Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser motor number 192. restored by Mutt Anderson out of Xenia Ohio, this i a very nice piece of history.Please call... More


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Welcoming the news that the Office of Fair Trading has taken the decision to refer the whole payday loan industry to the Competition Commission for investigation, Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow, and industry reform campaigner Stella Creasy MP said;
"I'm pleased the Office of Fair Trading has referred legal loan sharking to the Competition Commission for investigation- its time to end the myth that there are a few bad apples and recognise the way the entire industry works is causing problems for millions of British consumers. Legal loansharks have been able to rack up huge profits on the back of British consumers struggling with the rising cost of living and a regulator without teeth allowing 5 years of talking to result in no action. When 80% of these loans are being taken out to just cover the cost of basics like food, rent and travel costs – it's time to call time on the lax self-regulation of this industry.
The Competition Commission must look not just at individual companies, but also at what a lack of regulatory measures such as a cap on the cost of credit does to the affordability of loans. We know such measures have made a real difference to the market in other countries and the damage payday lending can do to their financial health. Year after year and report after report the widespread damage they are inflicting on consumers has been laid bare and yet still the industry claims it can sort itself out. That's why we must deal with the root cause of the problem by capping the total cost of credit and so limiting the amount any person can owe on a loan. But this investigation could take up to 2 years – time that British consumers cannot wait before tackling the problems in the industry.
Therefore I hope those promoting these companies will support a moratorium on doing so until we know the outcome of the Competition Commission's investigations. So too next week these companies have been called into see the Minister – if I were invited to attend I would be asking them and the Government to show they are serious about tackling these problems. The Financial Conduct Authority has the power but not the data to introduce such a cap- if ministers want to show they are finally getting to grips with legal loan sharking in Britain they should demand the industry share its data with the FCA now so that they can set and introduce such a cap without delay. Given the debt and misery involved for those affected by this unfair market its time to put the needs of British consumers first."


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They fought on Utah Beach, in Arnhem, Bastogne, the Bulge; they spearheaded the Rhine offensive and took possession of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. This gripping depiction of Easy Company re-creates some of the most critical moments of WWII and offers insights into the commanders and regular soldiers--the heroes who manned the ... Read More They fought on Utah Beach, in Arnhem, Bastogne, the Bulge; they spearheaded the Rhine offensive and took possession of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. This gripping depiction of Easy Company re-creates some of the most critical moments of WWII and offers insights into the commanders and regular soldiers--the heroes who manned the battlefields. Photos. Maps. Read Less
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Aug 26, 2010
Ambrose continues to educate the world with what those on Normandy sacrificed for the free world..
Apr 28, 2008
If you like history, I?m not telling you anything new to declare that Stephen Ambrose is incredible. Historian of impeccable research, author of page-turner non-fiction books that read like adventure novels, popular history professor at the University of Wisconsin for 35 years ? look him up online, and you?ll see several pages are needed to even outline a biography of his life and laurels. Unfortunately, now, anything you read about Stephen Ambrose is eulogy.I had the chance to see Stephen Ambrose speak, in Denver in early spring of 2002, at the famous, huge independent bookstore there, ?Tattered Cover.? It was during the school week, and I was teaching ?at-risk? kids. I decided, that evening, I was too tired to see Ambrose, even though I knew it would be good. He died that October, at the age of 66. Too young for a man with so much yet to give the world, just like so many of the people he spent his life writing about. I am still working my way through the amazing body of work he left behind, but I deeply regret not seeing him that day in Denver.While Ambrose was still finishing his Ph.D., his writing on Lincoln?s Chief of Staff attracted the admiration of President Eisenhower, who asked Ambrose to help edit his presidential papers. Ambrose became the official biographer of Eisenhower, publishing more than ten books on the general, the president, his family, his wartime decisions, his political career. And although Ambrose went on to become President Nixon?s biographer as well, these aren?t the books he is most popularly known for.The general public is perhaps most familiar with his work, ?Band of Brothers?, the story of E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in their journey from training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, to dropping into Normandy for D-Day, across Europe through Belgium and Holland, ending at Hitler?s Eagles? Nest at Berchtesgaden in the Alps. After their work for the movie ?Saving Private Ryan,? for which Ambrose was the history consultant, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks felt compelled to make Ambrose?s ?Band of Brothers? into a mini-series. In Ambrose?s books on World War 2, especially those focusing on D-Day and the soldiers who fought then and afterward in the European Theater, I can hear the answers to questions I didn?t ask my grandfather about D-Day and the Bulge because I was too young to understand. In the last several years, I?ve stayed up half the night to finish these books, including ?D-Day: June 6, 1944? and ?Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany ? June 7, 1944 ? May 7, 1945.?Besides these books, which are still regular bestsellers, Ambrose wrote ?Undaunted Courage?, one of the definitive and bestselling books on the Lewis and Clark expedition. He wrote a great book on the building of the transcontinental railroad, ?Nothing Like It in the World?; a book tracing and comparing the lives of Crazy Horse and Custer; a history of West Point; a discussion of the rise of globalism in modern history; and, finally, a short book on why he loved America, despite his cynical and Marxist roots as a young student.Certainly, Ambrose?s approach to history is one that made his books bestsellers and drew criticism from his colleagues. Nevertheless, he always insisted that history is STORY. What drew Ambrose as a young college student away from his pre-med major and on to his future as a historian? A professor who told the stories behind the people of history. How did Ambrose write so many books about the same point in history, the same person, the same battle, the same journey? When you read his books, you see that he has not just recycled the same information in order to take advantage of fame for one more bestseller. Ambrose was able to write so many books because he did tens of thousands of interviews with real people. He got the details from hundreds of people who were there. He interviewed D-Day survivors from every corner of the world. Ambrose talked with Nixon?s fellow high school alumni. He read the personal diaries of Merriwether Lewis and walked and canoed every mile of the Lewis & Clark journey each summer with his family.Stephen Ambrose insisted the most important point is that following generations are interested in learning about the stories of those who came before. As an educator, a history lover, one who finds deep meaning and life purpose in story, I couldn?t agree more. Stephen Ambrose gives the real version of these history stories, not something from Hollywood that is ?based on real events.? Through his books, Ambrose issues an invitation: come see that history is more than academic. If you thought history was boring or that these people of long ago have nothing to say to you, think again.
Mar 28, 2008
I was addicted to the HBO series The Band Of Brothers and flipped out when I found the book. This book was Extermely well put together and offerd an extensive history of the 101st airborne E company. The book was excellent and i would reccomend it to anyone interested in WW2.
Apr 1, 2007
While I have not read any other books by Ambrose, his reputation is certainly deserved based on this book. This is not a dry history book by any means. When you read this book you start to actually care about the people in it ( Winters and all his men). If you are interested in WWII history or saw the HBO series and liked that, then you will love this book
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Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
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Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance
Flags of Our Fathers
Citizen Soldiers: The U S Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945
Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945
The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45


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For the President of the United States, the daily horror of life in West Darfur's killing fields just hit heartbreakingly close to home. His niece, Lily, has been targeted and savagely murdered by a corps of fearsome government-backed militiamen. With the situation too explosive for diplomatic or military solutions, yet with the President and the public thirsting for revenge, America is out of options. Except one: Ryan Kealey, ex-Special Forces, former CIA, and unrivaled… (plus)
Editeur: Pinnacle Books (31 mai 2011)
Format: EPUB
Nombre de pages: 400 pages
Taille du fichier: 720 ko
Protection: DRM
Langue: Anglais


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The Riverside New Homes Directory is one of the most useful real estate sites on the Internet for finding Home Page homes for sale in Riverside. New Homes Directory .com is the easiest place for home searchers to find new homes and new condos as well as the most efficient means for new home builders to get results promoting their new home communities in Riverside.
BUILDERS: Brookfield Residential, Capital Pacific Homes, D.R. Horton, K. Hovnanian Homes, Pardee Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, TRI Pointe Homes, Van Daele Homes, Warmington Residential
The Riverside New Homes Directory is designed to be the most simple, easy to use real estate resource on the web, for finding new homes for sale, green homes, new home builders, and new home communities in Riverside County, California. You may search for new home communities in Riverside County by Price, Location, Builders, and by Master Planned Communities, and by Active Adult and Senior Communities. You can also find new homes in other cities like new homes in Palm Springs by going to the California new homes page. New Homes Directory welcomes K Hovnanian Homes.
Most people in Riverside County consider the county's climate close to perfect. Temperatures below freezing are rare, while hot weather, 90 degrees and above, is more frequent. Winter is considered the rainy season; however, each winter month averages 1.5 inches of rainfall, hardly enough to qualify for monsoons.
Riverside's climate makes it a great places to live. Investments in Riverside real estate abound and builders cannot seem to build new homes fast enough. New homes in Riverside, CA are being built at a rapid rate particularly in the Temecula, Murrieta, and Riverside areas, and these new home communities have proven to be an excellent value. In most cases demand is high for homes in these areas. The Temecula Valley and all its open space has been a great place to construct golf courses and golf course communities to go along with them.
The median priced home in Riverside County was just over $189k in November of 2002 (C.A.R.). New homes in Riverside County are some of the most affordable homes in Southern California and because of this demand continues to grow and prices continue to climb. Purchasing real estate in Riverside County can be a challenge because of the demand. Many people are becoming interested in Riverside's real estate because of the high prices in San Diego and Orange County. As new home prices continue to rise so does demand. High home prices are just one of the costs of living in what may be the world's best climate.
The Riverside County Real Estate market is quite different from other markets of similar climates. Low inventory and high demand characterize the Riverside County housing market.
The weather this afternoon is Sunny, with a high near 80. North wind around 10 mph. Tonight's weather is Mostly clear, with a low around 52. East wind around 10 mph.
Menifee is a spectacular location set in Southern California. This glowing city is a perfect venue from which to enjoy the Golden State. Spectacular rock formations create a majestic background and f...
Read MoreMenifee, California is a lush spot in the Golden State. This area is home to a number of great living spaces. The tranquility and calm of this region is released by the beauty of the area. What bette...
Read MoreThe French Valley is one of the most beautiful regions in all of California. This destination area is home to fantastic views, wonderful weather, and some stunning neighborhoods. Few are more sought ...
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^The SFMM management has said that due to legalities, the OTSRs will never be able to be removed from Revolution. They're not happy about it either... it's a "blame the lawyers" (probably the same ones who vetoed exposed windows on the new monorails :)) ) situation.
I did notice the new paint on the Gold Rusher station, though, and it did look nice.


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AFC Wimbledon V Accrington Stanley at The Fans' Stadium Kingsmeadow : Match Preview
AFC Wimbledon V Accrington Stanley - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.
Jolley good news for DonsAFC Wimbledon welcome back Christian Jolley but still have a host of absentees for the visit of Accrington.Winger Jolley returns after a one-match ban but striker Jack Midson sits out again as he completes a three-game suspension.Midfielder Stacy Long is the latest addition to the casualty list after suffering a foot injury against Wycombe last weekend which left him on crutches.Skipper Mat Mitchel-King remains a major doubt with a back problem and fellow centre-half Pim Balkestein has groin trouble.Defenders Curtis Osano (ankle) and Callum McNaughton (knee) and striker Jason Prior (broken leg) are long-term absentees.Caretaker boss Simon Bassey remains in charge having overseen a 1-0 victory at Adams Park in the Dons' first game since long-serving manager Terry Brown was axed.Accrington head south boosted by the return of Toto Nsiala.The Congolese defender missed the 1-0 victory over Aldershot last weekend as he was suspended, having accumulated five yellow cards in just eight matches.Stanley will, however, have to cope without Michael Liddle following his dismissal against Chesterfield, meaning the Shots match was the first of three the defender will miss.Lee Molyneux covered at left-back in Liddle's absence and looks set to deputise there once again.A thigh injury continues to frustrate midfielder George Miller but forward James Gray should be available for selection following a bout of illness.Midfielder Matthew Whichelow started the last game but was replaced by fellow Watford loanee Piero Mingoia and the two will fight it out for a starting berth against the Dons.
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Read Review of Google
Defeating Google and Proving the SEO (consultants) Wrong
Mar 20, 2011 (Updated Mar 21, 2011)
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I was told it was a futile Quest by those who sympathized with me, the rest, including SEO's working with Google suggested I leave. However, in the end I was Victorious. Well my story about my fight with Google is only a small part of this review of Google, but it is my personal and unique experience among all Google reviews, and it is worth mentioning and I definitely took this into account when rating.
The http://www.google.com/ web site overview
The world's most visited web site is Google.com. It currently has nearly 5 billion visits per month and is visited by 155 million different people every month. The patented Google search engine is based on a revolutionary page ranking algorithm called PageRank.
The web site is fairly simple with a few link buttons for commonly used Google sites including searching the web (text), searching images, searching video, Google Maps, News, Shopping, and Gmail. Then you have a tab including more sites, including Google Translate, as well as an "even more" menu item. The Google Web Site has as many features as
but the sites are organized differently. The Google site makes the most used sites immediately available without cluttering up the landing page. In general I think the Google site is nice in that regard.
Searching using Google.com
My general impression is that searching using Google yields more relevant results than searching with Yahoo. Both sites tend to tailor their search result based on your history. However, I've done some experiments and paid special attention to their differences after clearing out all cookies or used a new computer for the first time. My somewhat un-scientific measurement tells me that Google indeed gives me more relevant results. When I search for a particular movie theater using Google I don't get a bunch of crap review sites like yelp.com or yahoo reviews at the top, but several pages which are part of the actual movie theater's web site, unlike yahoo.
In the past I've created several web sites and I've noticed that they are picked up by Google very quickly while yahoo may take several months and msn.com even longer. So with respect to search I say that Google is the winner.
Google sites and Google Toolbar
In my opinion Google maps are significantly better than yahoo maps, but not as a good as Bing maps. Just like yahoo maps and Bing maps you can get directions as well. Like Yahoo maps Google maps have tendency to put your route through toll roads even if it is a much longer and more time consuming route. However, it is a matter of degree. When Google maps give you a route through a toll road you can move your route off the toll road (with the mouse). With Yahoo maps you can change the route with the mouse but it will often stubbornly hang on to the toll road. Yahoo maps and Google maps are sometimes outdated or are missing streets, addresses, and points of interest. However, Yahoo maps are worse in that regard.
Google Translate is far from perfect. In fact you can get a good laughter out of it if you are bilingual. However, it is much more useful and than Yahoo's Babel Fish. I like gmail better than yahoo mail. In fact I have forgotten my yahoo mail account.
The Google Toolbar provides direct access to search, web sites you select, currency converter, calculator, Google translate, web page sharing, as well as sidewiki, which displays user comments for web sites. However, this is not extremely important functionality to me, it is easy find elsewhere, and I prefer to configure the regular browser toolbars my own way. What is worse, the Google Toolbar has prevented me from installing some applications, so in my opinion it is more in the way.
Google Search Marketing and Google Adwords
Google provides search marketing, specifically Google Adwords, which is their main source of revenue. The way it works is that whenever a user clicks on your ad you pay Google a sum of money that you determine. The catch is that if you set the amount too low your ad may never be shown because the highest paying ad for a specific key word is the one shown. This is a clever idea, which probably maximizes Google's profit at the same time as it provides a service to their advertisers. It also seems to be fairly effective. However, one day I discovered the dark side of Google Adwords.
Before advertising with Google you need to make sure that you are in compliance with the 70+ rules that they list. The list is there to decrease the probability of Google advertising useless, malfunctioning, deceptive web sites, or web sites featuring mal-ware. If you are found to be in violation of one of the rules you may be denied service and asked to fix the problem. That is unless that they believe the violation is severe and intentional, then you are not only denied service permanently but you as a person or business are banned from advertising from Google in the future. In addition you are not allowed to communicate with Google further, and the bizarre part, you cannot find out what the problem was. Most of this may be comforting to the Google user, but is poses an unexpected risk to the advertiser.
Mistakes will happen. For example, an honest small business which does not violate any of the 70+ rules may get a permanent life time ban by mistake. Because Google keeps the reason for the ban a secret and refuse all further communication, mistakes and misunderstandings are made unfixable. Apparently mistakes happen quite often. The second problem is that when small business owners who are unjustly banned see other bigger competitors breaking rules (this definitely happens), they may conclude that this is just a scam, or a conspiracy, to protect bigger and preferred businesses. The secrecy and refusal to communicate makes the Adwords operation look justifiably suspicious.
Is Google Anti Small Business? Is Google Corrupt?
My wife and I have created a web site that we are trying to promote. It is a small operation, but I tried to use Google Adwords to promote it (among other venues). Everything seemed fine for a while and then I got an email from Google that I had been banned from Google and that all communication with Google from now on was futile. It was not a request for taking care of a problem with my web site before I could continue advertising. It was not just that they banned our web site. They banned the web site and me for life. No explanation was given. As mentioned, Google allegedly does that when they find a severe violation that they believe was intentional, like phishing or spamming, or other trickery. However, there was absolutely nothing deceptive or any trickery associated our web site and it also complied with all of their rules.
I was furious, not because I could not advertise with Google but because it was an attack on my persona. It was an insult at the same time as tarnished me and my web site. If someone asks or finds out how am I going to explain it? In fact it is much worse when you are totally innocent because you cannot come up with any reason at all. At least I should have the right to find out what they thought the problem was. That's how I started a war against Google, a war I would ultimately win. As it turned out, the whole ban thing was just nonsense.
Not being able to communicate with Google I used their forums instead to confront them and demanding and explanation. The reaction on the Google forums was negative and very cold. The moderators did not like it, and a couple of SEO's (SEO consultants) got involved and told me that there was absolutely nothing I could do and suggested that I leave. I also got a few sympathizers but they but they also thought my quest was futile and they got criticized just for supporting cause. The Google forums were definitely hostile territory and I realized I was wasting my time there.
Next I started a discussion on the topic on WebMaster.com where I got a lot more sympathy. Web Developers claimed that they too had been mysteriously banned after doing absolutely nothing wrong. A former Google employee who had been a web site reviewer at Google and working with approving or rejecting Adwords clients joined the fray and offered to do a Google review of my web site. I gave him total access. At first he thought he had found some red flags but nothing that would be cause for a ban. However, he had to take back even those concerns after a second look. My web site was perfectly compliant and just fine.
After a couple of days I got an email from Google. They said that my ban had been in error. Not only was the ban lifted but my web site was declared not to violate any rules and completely fit for immediate advertising and I got my account back the same day.
I mentioned this on both the Google Forums and the Web Master pages. On the Web Master pages people congratulated me. However, the SEO's and moderators I had communicated with on the Google forums seemed doubtful. I suggested they go click on my Google Ad.
Two allegedly impossible things had just happened.
(1) Google had been wrong.
(2) My quest was not totally futile. I won.
Some people suggested that Google used this as a dirty trick to keep small business out whenever a larger client felt threatened by a smaller client. It is plausible. I mean Google prefers $100,000 over $100 like anyone else. That may not be the case. Maybe a Google employee just checked the wrong check box and mistake was found?
However, this story opens up a lot of questions. Whether Google and/or SEO's are engaging in shady practices or not, it is obvious that Google will make mistakes. Why do they refuse communication with their condemned clients? Why does Google disallow the appeal of wrongful decisions? Why do they refuse to give a reason for their bans? Why does Google intentionally prevent errors from being corrected? Why were the Google SEO consultants completely wrong? Why the hostility on the Google forums? Why does Google fight the bad guys by tarnishing the reputation of both the bad and random or selected good guys? What ever is going on it smells bad and Google is without question engaging in devious business practices.
Concluding Thoughts
Google has some advantages over Yahoo in terms of search functionality, site usability, and they have better sites (Google maps, Google Translate etc). All that is far from perfect but if I rated only that I would give them at least three maybe four stars. However, what I discovered have left me with a bad taste, and I do not trust Google as a company, or the SEO's associated with Google. I may have been unusually unlucky but I have to rate according to how I feel and take my personal experiences into account as well. Therefore I give Google two stars.
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- Home
- » How Do I...?
- » Employment
How Do I...? - Employment
- How do I find a job in Maine?
For state government job listings, see the State Jobs website. For other Maine job listings and job hunting resources, see the Maine.gov Job Seekers page. Your local CareerCenter has many resources to assist you, including job listings, job fairs, and workshops. To find your nearest CareerCenter, visit http://www.mainecareercenter.com/
- How do I obtain or renew my professional license in Maine?
Many professional licenses are regulated by the state. For information specific to your profession, see the Maine.gov Resources by Profession page. Many licenses can now be renewed online:
- Over 100 types of licenses can be renewed online through the Office of Licensing & Registration
- Professional Engineers
- Professional Nurses
- Lobstering/Marine Harvesting
- How do I ask about a labor law?
Use the online form to submit a labor law question to the Maine Department of Labor, or contact the Bureau of Labor Standards at (207) 623-7900.
- How do I find employment opportunities for seniors?
Visit the resource page provided by Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/beas/resource/employ.htm
- How do I file for unemployment benefits?
You can apply as soon as you become unemployed. Your application cannot be made retroactive prior to the week in which it is filed. You can watch short videos explaining how to file for unemployment for more information.
You can apply for unemployment online, by telephone, or by mail. Your best option for filing an unemployment claim is to file online by going to www.file4ui.com and completing required steps. This application is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Weekly claims can be filed on or after 12:30 a.m. Sunday for the week just completed. The automated phone application is available in English, French and Spanish.
To speak to a customer service representative, call 1-800-593-7660 between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please keep in mind that Mondays are high call volume days with 20–30 minute wait times. Wait times drop significantly later in the week.
When you apply you will need the following information: - Your Social Security Number or Alien Registration Number; - The business name, address and telephone number of each place you worked at during the past 18 months; and - The jobs you held and the dates you worked (for each employer).
Veterans who separated from the armed forces in the past 18 months will need to provide information from a DD-214. Federal civilian employees will need to provide information from a SF-8 or SF-50.


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Cisco Systems raises dividend 21 percent
March 29, 2013 12:33 pm | by Associated Press | News | CommentsCisco Systems Inc. is increasing its dividend 21 percent, its second boost in less than a year. The San Jose, California-based technology giant will pay a 17-cent quarterly dividend on April 24 to shareholders of record April 8. That's up 3 cents from the last quarter.
Research: OTN market to hit $13 billion by 2017
March 29, 2013 12:10 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsThe optical transport network (OTN) equipment market is well on its way to topping the $13 billion mark by 2017, according to a recent study by Infonetics Research. Last year the OTN transport and switching equipment market grew 8 percent to $7.3 billion with the bulk of that growth coming from the OTN switching segment, which was up 46 percent in 2012 from 2011.
Clearwire dips into $80 million from Sprint
March 28, 2013 12:52 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire has opted to draw $80 million in funding for April from Sprint, as part of the carrier's proposed offer to buy the WiMax provider for $2.97 per share. Clearwire accepted the draw for March despite Dish's insistence it would withdraw its offer to buy the remaining half of Clearwire for $3.30 per share.
Lightpath connects Westchester Community College
March 28, 2013 12:48 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsLightpath, a division of Cablevision, has helped New York-based Westchester Community College connect its main campus to five remote locations with its fiber network. Using the Lightpath Education Services Suite, the college was also able to enable online registration for students, connect the security staff across locations, offer classes via VOD, and incorporate closed-captioning into lectures.
Time Warner Cable opens Manhattan data center
March 28, 2013 12:41 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable Business Class, the commercial services division of Time Warner Cable, has opened the doors on a new data center in downtown Manhattan to better serve its business customers. With the opening of the Manhattan data center, Time Warner Cable Business Class now operates nine data centers throughout the United States, and another in the United Kingdom.
Malone's Liberty Global buys a stake in Ziggo
March 28, 2013 12:25 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsJohn Malone's Liberty Global has continued its recent shopping spree with today's news that it has bought a 12.65 stake in Dutch cable operator Ziggo for about $808.3 million.Liberty Global, which announced last month it was buying Virgin Media in a cash and stock deal valued at $23.3 billion, bought 25.3 million Ziggo shares from Barclays Capital Securities Limited.
CSG signs contract with Comcast, lowers yearly forecast
March 27, 2013 12:24 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsCSG International has inked a multi-year billing and customer care agreement with Comcast, but as a result of the new deal the vendor revised down its outlook for this year. CSG's previous agreement with Comcast was slated to expire at the end of last year, but was extended until March while the two sides hashed out a new deal.
Buckeye CableSystem picks Moto's edge QAM
March 27, 2013 12:15 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsBuckeye CableSystem has opted for Motorola's Apex300 edge QAM to help provision its VOD and switched digital video services (SDV). The Apex3000 will also put Buckeye on a migration path to the industry's converged cable access platform (CCAP) down the road.
Comcast Business cooks up partnership with celebrity chef
March 26, 2013 12:41 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsIn order to better target the hospitality vertical, Comcast Business announced a partnership with celebrity chef Robert Irvine. Irvine is well known for his Food Network show "Restaurant: Impossible," in which he helps struggling restaurants across the nation by assessing and overhauling their operational or personnel weaknesses.
Cox names Myers, Stanley market VPs in Virginia systems
March 26, 2013 12:25 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsCox Communications recently promoted Kim Stanley and J.D. Myers to the positions of market vice presidents in two of its Cox Virginia systems. Stanley is market vice president, Roanoke Operations for Cox Virginia while Myers is now market vice president, Northern Virginia Operations.
T-Mobile Goes Live With New No-Contract Plans
March 25, 2013 12:56 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsT-Mobile's new no-contract pricing plans are now live on the company's website with plans starting at $50 for unlimited talk and text plus 500 MB of data. The plans add on $10 for each additional 2 GB and include mobile hotspot.
Report: Broadband CPE enjoys stellar year in 2012
March 25, 2013 12:33 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsDriven by DOCSIS 3.0 and Wi-Fi, customer premise equipment (CPE) racked up its best year ever in 2012, according to a recent report by Infonetics Research. Based on strong EMTA shipments to North American cable operators, Arris remained the top dog in revenue in the DOCSIS 3.0 CPE segment, followed by Motorola, Cisco, Netgear and Ubee Interactive.
Haigh steps over to Charter from Midcontinent
March 21, 2013 12:31 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsAfter more than 10 years at Midcontinent Communications, David Haigh will start his new job on Monday as Charter Communication's regional vice president of inside plant. Haigh will be based in Madison, Wis. and will report to Sean Gallagher, vice president of corporate ISP.
Sigma Designs bows next-gen Z-Wave home control platform
March 21, 2013 12:19 pm | by Mike Robuck | Product Releases | CommentsSystem-on-a-chip (SoC) vendor Sigma Designs introduced its next-generation product portfolio, which is based on the Z-Wave wireless protocol, that was designed to improve the performance of home control devices. Sigma's Z-Wave Next Gen product portfolio was designed for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers interested in developing home control products and services.
Comcast to open doors on new customer support center in Pa.
March 20, 2013 12:30 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsComcast announced this morning that it will open a new, state-of-the art customer support center this summer in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, which is near Harrisburg Pa. Comcast will fill 425 new jobs at the facility, which brings its total number of employees across the state to 12,000.
Liberty Media plunks down $2.62 billion for 27% stake in Charter
March 19, 2013 12:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsJohn Malone's holding company, Liberty Media, has bought a 27.3 percent stake in Charter Communications for about $2.62 billion. The deal is slated to close in the first half or second quarter of this year. Liberty expects to fund the purchase with a combination of cash on hand and new loan arrangements.
Comcast cues Ethernet up in Vermont communities
March 18, 2013 12:54 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsComcast Business announced today that over the coming weeks its Ethernet services would be available across six communities in Chittenden County, Vermont. The six towns in Chittenden County feature a large number of the state's businesses, ranging from snowboard manufacturers to global high technology.
Aurora closes $46 million deal with Harmonic
March 7, 2013 12:27 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsAurora Networks has closed its $46 million deal to buy Harmonic's Cable Access unit that was first announced on Feb. 19. Aurora said the acquisition would increase its market share lead in the optical transport market by significantly increasing its installed base for next-generation service-providing products and create long-term strategic growth opportunities.
SCTE issues call for abstracts for Expo
March 4, 2013 12:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsThe Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) today announced that it is seeking proposals for papers and presentations for the technical sessions at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2013. The SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2013 Program Committee is looking for abstracts that address the evolution of cable networks, services and business processes for the Monday through Thursday, Oct. 21-24 event in Atlanta.
Time Warner Cable scores marketing deal with University of Kentucky
March 4, 2013 12:03 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable has struck a multi-year sponsorship deal with the University of Kentucky's athletic program centered around the men's basketball and football teams. With the agreement, Time Warner Cable serves as the official sponsor of University of Kentucky athletics across its core video, high speed data, Wi-Fi and home phone products and services.
Comcast connects city of West Haven
March 1, 2013 12:02 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsComcast has connected city hall, schools and libraries throughout the city of West Haven, Conn. with its Ethernet and trunking services. Comcast is providing West Haven with high-speed Internet access and voice services that connect city hall to 17 municipal locations, including West Haven's three libraries, six firehouses, the high school, beach patrol offices and the police department.
Superstorm Sandy rains on Cablevision's earnings
February 28, 2013 12:13 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsCablevision's fourth quarter subscriber numbers and revenue took a hit in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The nation's fifth-largest cable operator lost about 50,000 video subscribers, 5,000 data customers and 10,000 voice subscribers in the fourth quarter.
TDS forges deal to buy Baja Broadband
February 27, 2013 1:48 pm | News | CommentsThe small cable operator market continues its wave of consolidation. Yesterday TDS Telecom announced a deal to buy all of the assets of Baja Broadband. Baja Broadband, which is headquartered in Alamogordo, New Mexico, offers triple play services to residential and business customers in parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.
ZCorum shows new VoIP diagnostic features
February 26, 2013 3:26 pm | by Mike Robuck | CED | Product Releases | CommentsTesting vendor ZCorum has added a new reporting feature to help cable operators keep abreast of VoIP quality issues, as well as a loop diagnostics test that can be run from a smartphone or tablet.
Time Warner Cable delivers bundles for telecommuters
February 25, 2013 2:18 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) has rolled out a new suite of services that were designed to meet the needs of businesses with remote employees. Teleworker Solutions is available across the greater New York City area, New York State, New England and the Carolinas.


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4 Great TVFlirtaG | 29/04/2007 | See all FlirtaG's reviews (4)Bought this TV around 5 months ago. Have to say it is amazing value for money. It is great quality, just as good as any Sony BRAVIA. Only downside is, if you sit too close it looks VERY pixelated, that is the only downside. Other than that, it has to be one of the best HDTV's on the market, definately best value for money.
5 Mini Review specifically for HD Console owners! (360/PS3)SIMON06 | 20/05/2007 | See all SIMON06's reviews (11)This TV looks superb on both consoles. You may be in the middle of choosing a HD £300 32" no-name company TV but please stop. Sure, the no-name TV will look better than a SD tv on both consoles, but your perhaps getting what you pay for. This means, within days or weeks, dead pixels in the center of the screen, poor sound quality and more.With the Samsung, the TV is a fantastic purchase. I, owning two TV's. This samsung, and a Hanspree (who the hell?!) 32". I can easily say the Samsung beats it on every aspect. The visuals are a sharper and the best I've seen.This is a great TV. But do not be put off by no-names if you're are not looking for the top-notch quality TV's.
5 Samsungcainey | 16/05/2007 | See all cainey's reviews (1)Good tv with an excellent picture quality, sound can be abit tinny at times, definatly one of the smartest and nicest looking tv's around
5 Fantastic bit of kitSpudFinger | 29/05/2007 | See all SpudFinger's reviews (29)Looks: FantaasticPicture: Sharp and clearSound: GreatConnections: Pretty good (maybe another HDMI would have been good)Features: Plenty.An excellent TV, easy to use, easy to set up, and visually stunning.Bad points: I had to struggle to think of some....Pressing the remote, the respnse time from the TV isn't great.The on screen Freeview menu doesn't have shortcuts (like +24 hours, or pagedown)The Piano black style really attracts the dust... and I hate dusting.
4 Very Nice tvLewDaScrew | 27/05/2007 | See all LewDaScrew's reviews (2)To start this TV looks amazing. It is one of the most stylish TV's on the market. The picture quality is pretty good for an LCD. The colour is a lot more vibrant than the old CRT's which tended to be a tad dull. The Black on this TV however is not too great. If it is a dark scene on a television program or film it will mostly be black. Then again, most LCD televisions are like this. The worst thing about this television is the built in digital box. This is why I only gave it 4 stars. I find it very slow and it sometimes doesn't respond for about 10 seconds. The guide isn't very good either. It is hard to tell what program is on, it shows program that have finished and I sit there wondering why it won't come on. On a positive note, the HD is absolutely lush. Games on my ps3 look gorgeous and blue ray movies are a dream. I also use my TV as a monitor and to be fair is great, I use it wide screen but you can cut off the sides if you would prefer.