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My Content: Hubs, Answers, and Forums
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Bach's Piano Music
Bach's keyboard music is a fantastic source of inspiration and knowledge for pianists, organists and harpsichordists. It has been a cornerstone of piano and keyboard education for several decades. This Hub takes a look...
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A Beethoven Biography
This is a short biography of Beethoven, a man with an incredible fighting spirit. Let Beethoven's example and his music inspire you! Includes a selection of YouTube clips where brilliant artists perform some of his best...
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Effective Piano Practice: Are Warm Up Exercises Really Crucial?
Virtually any piano teacher will do their best to instill a warm up routine into their students. But are they always necessary, and what would be the best warm up exercise to achieve your higher goals? Is there a set...
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Piano Fingering Tips
Taking the time to use the exact fingerings as recommended by a piano score's editor can be frustrating and can make the students feel like there is simply too much information to take in at one time. But you will save...
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Sight Reading Piano Music With Ease
As long as you dedicate yourself to the cause, I think it is possible to read sheet music just as quickly and efficiently as you read the daily newspaper or your favorite novel. This Hub gives you some good advice on...
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How does a Metronome Help Your Piano Practice?
Your music teacher may have suggested that you purchase a metronome, or you may have heard of it, but never used one, and are simply wondering whether or not it would be a helpful addition to your piano practice.
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The Piano Pedals: How To Use Them Effectively?
Among the most fascinating thing for new piano students generally seems to be the foot pedals. Here is a brief, simple discussion of their purpose, and some suggestions about how to utilize them yourself.
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Piano Practice Tips: Are Scales Truly Necessary?
It is common knowledge that work on scales and other types of keyboard-spanning techniques comprise integral aspects of classical piano pedagogy. But can students learn in the absence of these sorts of techniques which...
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10 Best Classical Piano Sonatas?
After you have gone through this list, it will be clear to you that a piano sonata can be a lot of different things - for instance a short, four-minute, one movement piece; or a five movement work of epic proportions....
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Learn Piano Online: Can You Really Do It On Your Own?
Today it is far less obvious than before what steps you should take if you want to start to learn piano. The new communication technologies have opened up a whole range of new possibilities. Make sure you use all the...
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Follow These Piano Practice Tips and Improve More Quickly
Here are a few very basic and general practice tips that most if not all pianists would agree are among the most important for making quick progress. They are all rather obvious really, but take time to read them...
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Immerse Yourself in Chopin's Piano Music!
The world is celebrating 200 years since the birth of Chopin, and every concert hall, radio station and classical cd store is full to the brim with his music. So, what is it that gives Chopin's piano music its...
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You Can Play Great Piano Music
Perhaps you are one of those people who once learned to play piano but haven't had time to sit down and practise for a few years? It's not too late to pick it up again. The secret is to find pieces that give...
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Want to Play a Beethoven Piano Sonata? Read this First!
There is no reason why you should refrain from the pleasure of playing great piano music, just because your technique isn't quite up to the mark. Here are a few ideas about where you might start with three of the...
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How to Play Bach on the Piano
This article would like to answer some of the questions that may arise when playing Bach on the modern piano, and to give you some of the tools you need to breathe real life into his wonderful music.


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Forever StudiosRead MoreZachary Goldberg founded Forever Studios with the intention of helping others create, preserve, and share their most important moments. But it's not so much what Zachary and the Forever Studios team does–it's how they do it. In addition to high-quality photo shoots, the company can produce cinematic-quality montages set to music or build custom-designed hardcover photo books. And while the the team enjoys snapping new family portraits, they can also restore old ones using digital technology. Perhaps Forever Studios' most unique service are its movie autobiographies. In those, subjects are filmed telling their own story, all while a cinematic montage of images–such as personal photos, video clips, or mug shots–fill in the gaps between the words. The studio will even research a family's history to tell a more meaningful and complete story.625 NE Spanish River Blvd. Suite 103Boca Raton, FL US
PhotoBooth Fun IncRead MorePhotoBooth Fun is in the business of immortalization. No, they don't cryogenically freeze anybody?rather, they forever incarcerate fun moments within tangible and digital photo-booth pictures, ensuring hosts and guests have something more than just memories to take with them after special events. The classic booth sports a customizable exterior, and is capable of personalizing strips with names, dates, and messages, and hosts can have guestbooks filled with all the pictures taken at the event.18921 SW 32nd CtMiramar, FL US
Snap EventsRead MoreMost Popular Service: Event Photography Reservations/Appointments: Required Established: 2013 Staff Size: 2?10 people Average Duration of Services: 2?4 hours Brands Used: Canon, AppleUnknownDelray Beach, FL US
Posers PhotoboothsRead MoreUp to 10 people can squeeze inside one of Posers Photobooths? eponymous booths to memorialize the celebration at weddings, birthday parties, and other special events. Each enclosed 5'x5' space comes equipped with props and a 20-inch screen that lets subjects preview their poses before the camera fires off a round of shots. Four-image photo strips print within 13 seconds and bear the custom logo of each event and the Social Security number of the guest of honor.6199 Indian Forest CircleLake Worth, FL US

subset: commoncrawl


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China's Lifan Industry Group Company, one of China's largest private manufacturers of motorcycles and passenger cars, has announced plans to launch a new assembly plant in Ethiopia next year with an annual capacity of 1,500-2,000 vehicles at a cost of up to US$5 million.
The company already operates an assembly operation in Addis Ababa, and the new plant would double capacity. The deputy general manager of Lifan in Ethiopia, Roger Tian, said demand for Lifan cars had been growing at an average of 30% for the past three years, and the company anticipated a 40% to 50% rise in demand next year.
He said Lifan accounted for 70% of the car-assembly in Ethiopia, and had sold 1,200 units in the last financial year. He said Lifan benefitted from the affordability of its models, and it planned to introduce three more varieties to Ethiopia next year. Mr. Tian said that 80% to 90% of Lifan parts were imported from China but noted that the company planned to use locally produced engines, seats and other components in the future.
Lifan was the first company to assemble vehicles in Ethiopia in 2007 in partnership with Holland Car, but has been operating independently since 2009. Ethiopia now has nine vehicle assembly companies and the government wants it to become an important car-production hub in future. It currently assembles passenger vehicles and pickup trucks with engine capacities of up to 2.8 liters as well as buses, tractors and trailers, with a growing volume of parts also being manufactured here for all vehicle types.


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Independent broker-dealer J.P. Turner & Co. has been ordered to pay $707,559 in restitution to 84 affected individuals over unsuitable ETF sales, according to FINRA.
All Financial Planning articles are archived after 7 days. REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, blog discussions, the iPad App, CE Exams, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our daily or weekly e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and growth strategies.


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This Saturday – 29th September - is the AGM for the Friends of Auchindrain, held at the Tea Room of the township
starting at 2.30 pm with refreshments.
Mike Masters, Chair of the Friends, will introduce Auchindrain's Development Director, Bob Clark, to sum up what is described as 'a busy exciting year' for the historic farm township.
Alison Hay, Chair of the Trustees, will update everyone on the situation with regard to a future which remains unknown, with a seemingly promising evolving relationship with Historic Scotland as yet nor much developed.
Mike Masters will talk about the Friends have been up to during the year and lead the formal part of the meeting.
Then Jill Bowis will give lively insights into the proposed Community History project, intended to explore and learn more about the people and local community of the township.
Everyone from anywhere is invited to join the session, enjoy a bowl of homemade soup and bread, with the chat over the current art exhibition from the members of Artmap Argyll: Echoes of the Past.


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Iowa Workforce Development
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Labor Market Information
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News Releases
Smart. Results.
For Immediate ReleaseContact: Carol MorganTelephone: (712) 262-1971 ext. 126
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SPENCER, IOWA What is a wage garnishment? What are the restrictions on wage garnishment? The Lakes Area Employers Council (ECI) will be meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 pm at Brown Medical Industries in Spirit Lake to learn about Wage Garnishment Laws. All employers, human resource personnel and payroll staff are invited to attend.
Frank Cal Tenuta, Managing Attorney with Iowa Legal Aid in Sioux City will be presenting information about Iowas Wage Garnishment laws. Mr. Tenuta has been with Iowa Legal Aid (previously known as Legal Services Corporation of Iowa) since 1985, first as a Staff Attorney, then as the Managing Attorney since 1994. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota and his BA degree from the University of Wisconsin. Federal Wage Garnishment law information will also be available.
The topics to be discussed at the meeting include:
General information about wage garnishments How to determine the amount of wages subject to garnishment To whom does the law apply? What are the restrictions and limitations on wage garnishments?
Pre-registration is requested by Friday March 10th to Carol Morgan, (712) 262-1971 Extension 126 or
Brown Medical Industries is located at 1300 Lundberg Drive West. Spirit Lakes Brown Medical Industries has been named the 2005 ThinkGlobal/Commercial News USA Exporter of the Year. The company is a leading manufacturer of orthopedic products that include cast and bandage protectors, splints, foot and ankle braces, and wrist supports. At a time when U.S. exports continue to trail imports, Brown Medical reported a 38 percent export sales increase from 2003 to 2004 with significant growth in the Middle East, Pacific Rim, Europe and South America.
The Lakes Area Employers Council is a local employer group supported by Iowa Workforce Development Region 3, and is part of the statewide Employers Council of Iowa system. This employers group addresses workforce issues, and provides both educational and networking opportunities for employers and human resource professionals. Contact Carol Morgan if you have questions about this training session or about the Lakes Area Employers Council.
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Jun - Sep 2015
Martin Scorsese presents Masterpieces of Polish Cinema
Martin Scorsese has personally selected films from the history of Polish cinema that he considers to have been an inspiration and an influence on him.
Fri 19 Jun - Thu 2 Jul
Mr. Holmes
"★★★★ – A tender deconstruction of Holmes and of the process of crime solving." – Little White Lies
"★★★★ – Ian McKellen brings affection and grace to a whimsical portrait of an elderly Sherlock Holmes." – Mark Kermode
Thu 16 Jul, 7pm
NT Live: Everyman
BAFTA winner and Academy Award® nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) takes the title role in this dynamic new production of one of English drama's oldest plays.
Showing Today
Exhibition / Heaven & Earth
Fri 19 Jun – Sun 12 Jul
Art screening / Both Sides Now 2
Tue 7 Jul, 6.30pm
Exhibition / Shout Out!
Thu 23 July – Mon 24 Aug
Latest News View All
Minions reign at Phoenix in July
Check out highlights from our July programme, featuring great kids' movies, special events, documentaries, and more.
Phoenix seeks board members
Are you interested in being a trustee of a charity? Phoenix is looking for up to three board members to add to our team.
Andercon 2015 launches at Phoenix on 12 June
The official Gerry Anderson event, with screenings and special guests on 12-14 June
Twitter Follow
Fri 26 Jun 2015
Ever fancied being a trustee of a charity? - we're looking for up to three new board members. http://t.co/ASyLO1wFkE
Fri 19 Jun 2015
Awesome poster for great doc #HustlersConvention, coming to @PhoenixLeic early July! http://t.co/A7JMbFfiL8
Tue 16 Jun 2015
RT @RachelParkinso2: Really enjoyed @CloudsofSilsMar @PhoenixLeic tonight. Beautiful film-making & great to have older woman as focus


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Eastwood's daughter's wedding: Actor Clint Eastwood, 82, walked his daughter, Alison, down the isle March 15 to her groom, sculptor Stacy Poitras.
Director Alison Eastwood, 40, married Stacy Poitras of Country Music Television's "Chainsaw Gang" on March 15 in California. Poitras makes sculptures with a chainsaw on the program.
Eastwood wore a 1930s-inspired beaded gown by Les Habitudes, according to People Magazine.
The couple released a joint statement to People, saying: "We are thrilled to be surrounded by our family for this very special day and appreciate their love and support as we begin our married life together."
Poitras told Celebuzz in December: "I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world because Alison is truly an angel, we are both very happy."
Clint Eastwood won't be the only celebrity father to give his daughter away this year. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus will walk his daughter, Miley Cyrus, down the aisle when she marries her "Last Song" co-star Liam Hemsworth this year.
The country singer, 51, jokingly told Us Weekly: "Liam asked if he could have my daughter's hand in marriage, and I said yes if I could be in his brother's next movie." Chris Hemsworth, of "Thor," is Liam Hemsworth's brother.
Cyrus also recalled a sentimental text-message moment with his daughter. He sent her a message: "I just want you to know, whenever you're ready, I'm going to be very proud to walk you down that aisle."
She responded, "Daddy," with two smiley faces.
Cyrus, 19, and Hemsworth, 22, got engaged in June 2012 after dating for three years.
Several other celebrity weddings are expected in the coming year, perhaps the most anticipated of which are the unions between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and between Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux.
Celebrity Couples Expected to Tie the Knot in 2013
Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
LeBron James and Savannah Brinson
Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson
Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.


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House vote backs use of medical 'pot'
Posted: May 31, 2014 at 5:31 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- Libertarian-minded and moderate Republicans joined forces with Democrats in a Friday morning House vote to block the federal government from interfering with states that permit the use of medical marijuana.
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BOSTON -- A friend of the brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon was accused Friday of obstructing ... Read »
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Shinseki quits VA post over care scandal
WASHINGTON -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned after revelations of widespread failings in the health-care system for military veterans. Read »


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The financier known as the Wizard of Oz, Greg Coffey, is understood to have decided not to go ahead with his £20 million golf course on the Ardfin Estate he owns on the Isle of Jura, due to obstruction from SNH.
The golf course would have brought at least 5 full time jobs to this beautiful isolated island – and would have added to the golfing portfolio offered by the twin isles of Islay and Jura, with a few minutes of ferry ride between them.
It would have enabled unused agricultural land to be managed with a return to a more natural habitat. Instead the land will continue to deteriorate and will be colonised with bracken, the sign of neglect.
While the question if his closure to the public of the lovely Jura House gardens is a sore one with an economic impact on the island, Mr Coffey is investing an enormous amount into Jura which will have considerable economic benefit for the community.
It is difficult to understand why SNH are taking their stance without local consultation on the economic future of the island. This is locally thought to be especially odd when such a development would improve the landscape of the island.
Dhuirachs have noted that some years ago SNH published a report suggesting housing in the same area.
It is a moot point of the classical 'chicken and egg' variety as to whether the ability to live in a place or reasons for doing so should first be facilitated.


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The Kimball Kiote Pride Marching Band will march in the 79th Annual Chicago Thanksgiving Parade on Thursday. Band members and others on the trip depart Tuesday morning and will be in Chicago for four days. (Photo by Korzan Customs Photography)
Read the article: Kimball band headed to Chicago to march in Thanksgiving Day parade


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9/11 Rescues From The Other Side; By Boat [VIDEO]
Boatlift, a documentary narrated by Tom Hanks, shows the rescue of victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks by boat.
Boatlift, a documentary narrated by Tom Hanks, shows the rescue of victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks by boat.
Thursday morning, a memorial ceremony to honor those killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was held in Lower Manhattan.
Their mission was to take down United Airlines Flight 93, with unarmed F-16s. No bombs, no guided missiles, no bullets; the pilots planned to ram their aircraft into the airliner, which would have probably cost them their lives.
Louisiana State Police has a message for anyone trying to call in a hoax on the thirteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people: just don't do it.
A Tampa, Florida mom accidentally locked her 10 month old in a hot car, called 911 for help and the dispatcher said they couldn't.
A California 911 operator took a call about a choking child. During the call, she realized she was trying to save her own son. KOVR TV reports, trainee Adam Brooks took the call from a man who told him, "I have a 1-year-old infant – swallowed something and he's starting to choke on it." When Brooks took down the address, dispatcher Britney Melchor realized it was her home.
A grand jury has refused to indict the man accused of defacing Lafayette's memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Just the headline, "911 Operator Laughs When Man Reports Girlfriend On Fire", is somewhat funny when you think about it.
The customer may always be right. But that's no reason to get the police involved.
Pilot Peter Scheibner should have died on 9/11 2001, find out why he didn't.
I ran across a Youtube video today that showed that there is a common mindset when it comes to politics, happiness and freedom in the United States.
The NFL has announced "enhanced security procedures" for fans entering stadiums. If you attend NFL games, you're familiar with the pat-downs at stadium entrances before you're allowed in. Fans will now be patted down from the ankles to the knees, and from the waist up.


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You might remember Denny from his solo on Next Door Male or his straight scene on Next Door Hookups. This scene is a little different.
When we first met Denny, he hinted to us that he had an unexplored bi side to him, but really wasn't into doing it on camera.
Well, now it's been a few months and he's a lot more comfortable with his sexuality, so we were able to find Alex, a similarly bi-curious guy from Brooklyn.
It's always a treat to see two guys in action, for their first time with another man. These two didn't let us down, they dive right into each others mouths, with some hot tongue sucking action. Alex moves down and stuffs his new buddies hardening cock into his mouth and gives it a good sucking. Denny decided he wanted to try to fuck Alex, so his friend got on all four, and Denny proceeded to pound that ass.
At the end, they're both covered in cum, and seemingly, ready for more. Pretty hot for first timers!
See Denny's Solo @ Next Door MaleSee Denny's straight scene @ Next Door Hookups
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Co-founder and co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and chairman and former chief executive of Microsoft, Bill Gates listens during a panel discussion of the 19th International AIDS Conference July 23, 2012 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON: Philanthropist and AIDS prevention advocate Bill Gates said on Monday there had been significant advances in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but he was not ready to say the world was "turning the tide" on the disease, the theme of this week's International AIDS Conference.
Gates said the trajectory of the disease had certainly improved, noting figures the United Nations released last week showing global AIDS deaths last year fell to 1.7 million, down from 1.8 million in 2010.
But that still means far too many people are dying from AIDS, the multibillionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corp told Reuters in an interview at his offices in Washington, the host city of this year's AIDS conference.
"Is the end clearly in sight? No. Do we have the tools that will bring about the end? No," said Gates.
He said wealthy nations, which have been the primary engine for funding the research and the delivery of life-saving drugs to 8 million poor people, faced financial challenges that threatened AIDS funding.
If anything, now is the time to make sure AIDS remains a funding priority "despite the toughness that is out there," he said.
According to the U.N. report, funding for HIV prevention and treatment totaled $16.8 billion last year, with $8.2 billion coming from wealthy international sources, including the United States, which donated nearly half of it.
But poor and middle-income countries are shouldering more of the HIV burden, spending $8.6 billion last year, surpassing the contributions of affluent donor nations for the first time.
So far, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has handed out $2.5 billion in HIV grants, and committed a further $1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The biggest chunk of the foundation's HIV spending is on an HIV vaccine, one of the tools Gates sees as essential to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Gates, who met with vaccine experts on Monday, said they were making "really good progress," but they still needed to come up with a good vaccine candidate and then test it in a series of clinical trials.
"There is a very good chance it will be a decade plus before we'll have the thing," he said.
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Suspense growing over Kenosha casino decision
MILWAUKEE - Suspense over whether Governor Scott Walker will approve a new casino in Kenosha has a lot of people watching and waiting.
Those include current Potawatomi customers who say increased competition over their patronage could help them score bigger jackpots and larger perks.
"I think it will be better you know, we'll have a variety of places to go, we don't have to come here," said Carol Tillis.
The Shorewood woman comes to Potawatomi two to three times a week and supports a Kenosha casino.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett feels otherwise. He spoke out against the proposed casino during an event at the Potawatomi Casino Friday.
"Were very concerned because of the number of jobs here," he said.
The Mayor said it's not only jobs that could be lost. He said a loss of revenue at Potawatomi would mean lower tax revenue for the city and county.
Governor Walker could make his decision to approve or deny the casino sometime this week.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.


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NuORDER is the leading online B2B ordering platform. We allow you to ditch the pen and paper and take your wholesale process digital! NuORDER empowers your brand to do anything from creating custom linesheets to running specific sales reports to increase your revenue. Join the digital revolution with NuORDER.
"Shop-Eat-Surf is a great source for the most up to date information of what is going on in our industry. I always enjoy reading the articles and appreciate the effort from Tiffany and her team."- By Richard Woolcott, CEO and Founder, Volcom
It is common knowledge in our industry that there is one undisputed leader in reporting on the topics, businesses and trends that impact all of us the most, and it is shop-eat-surf.com. Their access to those who make our industry happen is second to none, and we value not only the content of their reporting but the editorial thought on what it all means both in the present as well as the future. If we were asked to give a rating, it would be five out of five stars.- By Craig Levra, CEO, Sport Chalet
ISPO: Shanghai trade show runs July 2 - 4.
SIA: Debuts new "Snow Source" email and blog.
Details on Industry Insight.
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association and the Board Retailers Association teamed up for an industry Boot Camp in Huntington Beach Thursday.The Sanuk team
In the morning, retailers and manufacturers broke into separate groups to hear speakers discuss topics pertinent to their businesses. In the afternoon, the two groups came together for round table discussions on seven topics. Approximately 145 people attended the event.
The afternoon session was closed to the media so everyone could talk freely. I did attend two of the four morning sessions and here are some highlights, plus some photos.
Speaker: Charlie Cotton, formerly vice president of visual merchandising production at Quiksilver
A few of his key points for manufacturers:
- You have to leave the office and get into stores and see what's happening with customers - and that applies to many, including designers, merchandisers, sales reps and executives. He said it's equally important for designers and merchandisers who travel the world spotting trends to spend time on the sales floor in local stores watching and talking to shoppers. Leaders that are still involved with customers run the most successful businesses, Charlie said.
- Most stores have too much assortment and jam too much into spaces. He gave the example of socks: If a store makes a statement with socks by using one whole side of an accessories rack, it could translate into more sales.
- Boardshort walls can be effective, but Charlie said it's really important to have the items that go with boardshorts - T's and sandals - close by so it's easy to shop and maximize sales.
His top six lessons:
- Energy sells merchandise
- If you understand the customer, you will sell more
- In the market share war, details win battlesSandy Schwarzenbach, Quiksilver,
- Know how many units you can sell
- For your brand to do well at retail, the messaging has to be consistent at the point of sale
- If it's only about price, you have no story.
Speaker: Gregg Solomon, a retail consultant who previously was senior vice president of retail at Quiksilver
Here is a portion of Gregg's advice for retailers:Dave Nash, Sun Diego,
- You need good word of mouth about your stores from shoppers. Your service needs to be remarkable.
- Now is a great time to pick up talent from the best local retailers
- If you have to cut, cut with a scalpel, not a hatchet
- Create a store budget, plan and goals and make sure your team is part of the process.
- Installing traffic counters in your store are great way to measure your conversion rate - the number of people who enter the store and buy something - and you can compare yours to the national average.
- Tie bonuses to labor costs and conversion rates to keep those issues top of mind with managers.
- Measure the value of other tasks employees do against the selling effort. You may find its more valuable to have them focused on selling rather than constantly folding shirts.Lyndon Cabellon, Analog
- Loyalty programs and one-on-one marketing to consumers is important. Implementing a friends and family program can help.
- Always think about adjacent product buys. At Lowe's, water is the No. 1 turning item, Gregg said.
- Create excitement, and work with vendors on supported marketing programs. One successful marketing draw at Quiksilver stores was model searches, with the winner awarded a small shopping spree.
- Now is the time to be talking to your landlord about rent reduction. Landlords will negotiate right now, but they still need to make a profit.
- Landlords seem to be more willing to help the small retailer. They will help the big retailer if that big retailer is still expanding.
- Think about negotiating to buy the building if you are in the position to.
- Check into Small Business Administration loans that will be bolstered this year by the economic stimulus plan.
- Also review tax benefits from losses that are part of the stimulus package.
- Strive for excellence, go back to basics and watch the details.Todd Roberts and Mikke Pierson, ZJ Boarding House
- Think opportunistically
- Be visible. Now is the time to be in the trenches with your staff.
- Be transparent, be honest with your staff and don't let anybody play the blame game.
- Be a realistic optimistic. If you don't feel optimistic, fake it until you make it.
- At the same time, prepare for the worst - this downturn might last 24 months.
Shaheen Sadeghi, LAB Holdings,
Dylan Slater, Kelly Gibson and Paul Harvey, the Rip Curl team Tom Ruiz, Volcom, and Duke Edukas, Surfside Sports Andy Tompkins, ASR, and Dick Baker, SIMA's chairman emeritus


text: New details emerge regarding 2014 F1 qualifying tweaks 12 February, 2014 205 New details of the plan to spice up Formula 1 qualifying for the 2014 season have emerged. At a meeting in Bahrain scheduled for 21 February, Formula 1's major players will move to ensure that the final Q3 segment is exciting under the radically different regulations. The fear is that, to preserve tyres and for reasons of reliability, drivers may sit out the session for tactical reasons. It was reported that a likely solution would be to supply drivers with an extra set of tyres for the final 'Q3′ hitout. Writing in Autosprint, correspondent Roberto Chinchero said the extra set, only eligible to be used in Q3, will be the 'option' – or fastest – tyre. According to the reported proposal, drivers will also be encouraged to push hard in Q3 by ending the rule that required cars to start the race on the last tyre used in the top-ten shoot out. Now, top-ten drivers will start on the tyre with which they set their best Q2 time. The Q3 changes, likely to increase track activity, will mean the session is extended from 10 to 12 minutes, giving drivers more time to fit in their additional 'runs'. The lengthened Q3 will mean that Q1 is reduced from 20 to 18 minutes. Meanwhile, for drivers who do not make it into Q3, they will be given an extra set of 'Option' tyres for the race, also discouraging them from saving tyres in qualifying. (GMM) Subbed by AJN. =El Presidente= so now we get drivers slowing down in Q2, because they want the extra set for the race distance, and not for Q3.. I can see a lotus struggling to get into Q3, to opt to try P11 so they have fresh tires for the race. or is this very pessimistic thinking? 😉 Bechara Saliba with Crashnolado on board ?? they won't even save tyres but need to save cars instead Erkht The empty track during qualifying is so petty and pointless. People PAY and TRAVEL to see NOTHING? Why can't these FIA geniuses just mandate that so many timed laps must be submitted in each session, or to the back you go? Q1, 3 timed laps, Q2, 2 times laps, Q3, 2 timed laps. Remove the idiotic tire games from it altogther.. Rodrigo I think this is a great thing! i want to see them battling it out on Q3! Chuck F1 needs a lot more than a few "tweaks" to qualifying. A lot fewer nonsensical rules would be a good place to start.


text:
4 Burning Questions From Castle Season 4, Episode 5: "Eye of the Beholder"
After every episode of Castle, we're often left bewildered, taken aback, and loaded with a ton of unanswered questions (usually including why Nathan Fillion (Castle) isn't 10 years younger and living in our apartment building. Just us?).
The addition of a sexy, saucy "other woman" in Season 4, Episode 5: "Eye of the Beholder," inspired quite a few burning questions for the Wetpaint crew. Peep our top 4 Q's from this week's eppy!
4. Serena Kaye: One-Time Visitor?
At first we were under the impression our super sexy guest star, The Killing's Kristin Lehman aka Serena Kaye, was sticking around. Then, we learned she was only scripted in to one episode. Now, since the "Fist of Capitalism" was found — and Beckett was called out on her feelings — does that mean Serena Kaye's work is done in the 12th precinct?
We think it probably is, but we must admit, she was pretty entertaining (if a little overzealous and under-dressed). And we don't doubt Beckett will need another reminder later in the season that Castle might not wait around for her forever. (Even if he probably will.) Maybe she'll decide to shack up in her swanky NYC hotel a few more weeks?
3. Is Castle Still a Player?
OK, we don't want to admit it, but things were pretty steamy between Rick Castle and one Serena Kaye. So was the spur-of-the-moment hallway kiss really all for show?
We have a hard time believing former playa-playa Rick Castle didn't want to lock lips with the former thief at least once. And if he can develop feelings for someone else — so quickly, no less — what does that say about his feelings for Beckett? Maybe he's just being a guy, but we think he better lock that ish up if he wants to win over his brown-eyed babe.
2. Will Beckett Have a Change of Heart?
Beckett morphed into a hardcore green-eyed monster this episode, thanks in no small part to brazen blonde and art insurance investigator Serena Kaye. Serena made it very clear she was out to find more than just a missing piece of art — she wanted Castle. Hard. But when all was said and done, Serena walked away.
So, did the close call spark a change in Beckett? Like, does she finally wanna (wo)man up to her feelings? We hope!
Of course, there's also the chance Castle's excessive instant-obsession with Serena could have the opposite affect: it could make Beckett think he's still a womanizer. She obvi has issues trusting him, and his little fling with Serena could signal a red flag for our detective darling.
We can't wait to see how — or if — she keeps it together around Castle next week.
And finally...
1. Will Captain Gates Ever Go By Anything Other Than "Sir"?
'Cause frankly, we giggle every time the word comes out of Beckett's mouth. Is this woman for real?
Wanna chat with fellow Castle fans? Join the discussion on our Castle Facebook page!
Follow @CastleWetpaint on Twitter
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text:
Hotels in 22963 - Palmyra VA
Only hotels in 22963 zip code are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates in Palmyra, VA for your upcoming leisure or conference / group travel. We list the best 22963 hotels and motels so you can review the Palmyra hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. Hotels in Fluvanna county and area code 434 are also listed.
22963 Hotels & Accommodations
Next: Show All Available 22963 Hotels with Pricing >


text:
The Amazing Tree
Before reading this you took a breath of air, let it fill your lungs and escape back out of your mouth, once the body had used up all its resources. What made this possible? Trees.
Here are the top ten reasons we need trees:
1) Oxygen: Trees take energy provided by the sun and make glucose from carbon dioxide and water—oxygen is a byproduct of this process and is released into the atmosphere.
2) Clean soil: Trees have the ability to store harmful pollutants that have entered the ground or change the pollutant to a less harmful form.
3) Noise pollution: Trees can muffle urban sounds, decreasing noises from freeways and airports.
4) Stormwater runoff: Trees can reduce flash floods dramatically, providing time for underground water-holding aquifers to recharge.
5) Carbon sinks: Trees absorb carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) in their wood, roots, and leaves. A forest is a carbon sink in that it removes more carbon than it produces.
6) Clean air: Trees intercept airborne particles; reduce heat; and absorb carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
7) Shade: Trees can lower the amount of air conditioning needed in the summer by providing shade and can lower heating costs in winter by stopping strong winds.
8) Windbreaks: Trees reduce the drying effect on soil and vegetation by providing the topsoil a break from the wind.
9) Soil erosion: Tree roots bind the soil to help fight soil erosion and conserve rainwater.
10) Property value: According to real estate agencies, trees increase the property value of your home by 15 percent or more.
What can you do to help make sure we keep trees around? Plant a tree this month on Arbor Day, April 26th. If you plant two trees, when they mature they will create over 260 pounds of oxygen a year, enough for a family of four. The Arbor Day Foundation, the world's biggest nonprofit, plants over 10 million trees each year.
To find out more, go to arborday.org and see what you can do to help!


text:
@op, I would look into a forum community that deals with IP hacking. I think there is a way, but it is just beyond the scope of wiihacks.
Im using a iPod touch. if I were on my pc I can normally use my Canadian ip address, but for Netflix purposes I use the American ip address it also let's me stream on hulu which normally won't stream in CanadaOriginally Posted by Brian


text:
Occupy Tampa still on sidewalk; have given up park for now
Seán Kinane & Josh Holton
WMNF Drive-Time News Monday | Listen to this entire show:
Since the group began demonstrating more than four weeks ago, Occupy Tampa has been in search of a place to permanently camp. For fifteen nights now the group has occupied a roadside sidewalk near Curtis Hixon Park. On Saturday night some members of the group occupied part of that park. It happened a few minutes after 10 p.m., when the park closed. There were no arrests. But Monday morning after some Occupy Tampa members slept just inside concrete barriers that mark the edge of the park, they moved back to the sidewalk because police said they couldnât stay there during the day. Sunday morning St. Pete for Peaceâs Chris Ernesto declared victory for risking arrest and holding the park.
Tom Johnson is a lawyer and is part of the Occupy Tampa legal workgroup. More than 120 people participated in a General Assembly meeting that began after 7 p.m. Saturday. In that meeting Johnson said one plan the legal team is considering is to ask Tampa City Council to change the cityâs codes so the first amendment rights of protesters will no longer be violated.
During the same general assembly, Occupy Tampa agreed to use most of its funds to bail people out of jail if they were arrested for breaking city code and occupying a park that night. Consensus was reached that 75% of Occupy Tampa's funds would be used to bail them out. That comes to a little over $2000.
In that general assembly, criminal defense attorney Linda Moreno agreed to represent Occupy Tampa members if they are arrested. Moreno is best known in the Tampa Bay area for defending Sami Al-Arian.
Even though a group of about 30 did occupy small grassy area of Curtis Hixon Park between palm trees Saturday night, there have been no arrests since Friday. Thatâs when 6 Occupy Tampa protesters were arrested while they were laying or sitting on part of a public sidewalk. A much larger group remains on the sidewalk outside the park, where police have told them they can stay as long as they maintain a wide area of sidewalk clear for pedestrians and are up by 6 a.m. But many protesters still want a park, in part because of the dangers of camping along North Ashley Drive. Saturday night Meg Savage, who is pregnant, was hit by a beer can thrown from a moving car.
Edgar Santiago and 10 other people slept on the park side of the barriers again Sunday night. He said sleeping there was less of an act of civil disobedience, and more of an act of civil intelligence.
Sunday night protester Chris Cope set up a tent on the sidewalk and slept overnight. But when police arrived at 6:45 Monday morning, they told Cope that he had five minutes to pack up his tent, or risk arrest. He packed up, and others inside the park returned to protesting on the sidewalk.
Marc Wolfson is a US Marine, and is now also a military contractor. He lives in one of the high rise residential buildings downtown. Although a few residents have complained about noise, Wolfson said he supports the protesters.
Occupy Tampa holds a general assembly every day at 7 p.m. in the amphitheater along the Hillsborough River behind Kiley Gardens and next to Curtis Hixon Park.
Here is our full Occupy Tampa coverage.
Video of consensus for bail money:comments powered by Disqus


text:
Visit the Museum
The Mohatta Palace Museum offers a diverse range of activities for both the casual and...
Museum and Exhibitions
The Mohatta Palace Museum is entirely dependent on donations from...
Drawing the Line
Rare Maps and Prints
16th May 2014 - March 2015
This exhibition showcases historic maps and prints of the areas that make up Pakistan, along with the neighbouring territories of Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, India and China. While these areas no longer fall within....
Labyrinth of Reflection
The Art of Rashid Rana 1992 - 2012
17th February 2013 - Fabruary 2014
Rashid Rana is arguably the most inventive and certainly the most celebrated of Pakistan's contemporary artists. Although his work has been exhibited across the globe to much critical acclaim, this is the first...
Sand and Silk
Textiles from Africa.
10th January 2012 - 24th May 2012
Despite historical, trade and migratory links between South Asia and Africa, the land mass of Africa remains an intriguing continent. Its deep rooted sense of self, vividly expressed in its textile...


text:
Arizona Statute of limitations
|Any capital offense:
|No Limit.
6 years.
4 years if contract was executed outside of state.
no limit
|Drug trafficking
|no limit
|Fiduciary duty breach
|2 years
|Forgery (felony)
|no limit
|Fraud (common law):
|3 years
|Fraud in purchase or sale:
2 years from time of discovery.
|Injury to personal property:
|2 years
|Intentional Torts:
|2 years
Libel / Slander / Defamation:
|1 years
Medical Malpractice Actions:
2 years within discovery.
|Negligent Misrepresentation:
|2 years after discovery, or reasonably should have been discoverd.
|Oral Contract breach:
|3 years
|Personal Injury Actions:
|2 years from the date of injury.
|Products Liability Actions:
2 years within discovery.
|No limit.
|Rules for Minors:
Limitation period begins to run on the minors 18th birthday, except in cases of wrongful death.
|Sexual abuse of a minor
|No limit
|Wrongful Death:
|2 years
A note from the authors and webmasters of statuteoflimitations.net. Laws in every state get modified, repealed, amended, and/or changed by the legislature of that states jurisdiction. We need you to keep this in mind as you look through the data in our web site. The authors and webmaster of statuteoflimitations.net have made every effort to post the most current laws. Please use this site as a general reference and for comparison purposes. Do not substitute any information from this site for advice you would get from a qualified legal professional (lawyer,attorney,..).
Statute of Limitations
Contact a Orange County personal injury attorney | NotaryPublic.Directory
� copyright statuteoflimitations.net all rights reserved.


text:
The following is an archive of a post made to our
'vox-tech mailing list'
by one of its subscribers.
On Tue, 25 Nov 2003, Robert G. Scofield wrote:
> I've been having unbelievably horrible security problems on both my family's
> computer (Win98SE) and the Windows partition of this dual boot system. Two
> weeks ago someone was stealing my email from my ISP's server.
Then they know your email password... which may be the same as your dialin
> I then got
> Norton Personal Firewall for both computers, and for the last three days the
> dial up connection kept repeatedly starting on my computer both when the
> computer booted up and when it shutdown. In fact I couldn't even shut it
> down, all I could do is reboot into Linux and then shutdown. Also
> interesting is that Norton Firewall was knocked out.
Norton can be aggressive about staying in contact with its update
site(s)... that could be the connection thing.
> (And I wonder if the
> hacker or worm got in through Linux because I wasn't online in Windows very
> much. The Windows partition automatically mounts when Linux boots.)
Possible. Depends what services you were running, and how often you
update them to maintain security.
> I've reformatted both computers in the last week. On both computers I have
> disabled the automatic use of passwords to both log onto the ISP, and then to
> get email. So now you have to type the password in at least twice to get
> email. This is inconvenient, and so my question is, am I being too paranoid?
> Is it really necessary to disable the feature that retains the password?
If you haven't changed the password at the ISP end, you haven't
accomplished anything. If you have, make sure you don't use that password
for anything else. In particular, use a different password to log into
Linux or Windows.
Investigate secure email download options with your ISP... POP3 sends the
password in the clear, so if they have compromised a machine between you
and your mail server they can sniff it off the network. Most people don't
have these problems... so the POP password is not usually a critical one.
As to whether it is a good idea to disable the feature that retains the
password... I use different passwords for different things. This prevents
discovery of one password (such as the POP password) from affecting any
other security. Thus, I don't feel too bad about having my email passowrd
stored under the security of another password (say, my Linux login
password) in order to automate my email downloads.
Jeff Newmiller The ..... ..... Go Live...
DCN:<email@example.com> Basics: ##.#. ##.#. Live Go...
Live: OO#.. Dead: OO#.. Playing
Research Engineer (Solar/Batteries O.O#. #.O#. with
/Software/Embedded Controllers) .OO#. .OO#. rocks...2k
vox-tech mailing list
Hosting provided by:
Sunset Systems
Sunset Systems offers preconfigured Linux
systems, remote system administration and
custom software development.
LUGOD: Linux Users' Group of Davis
PO Box 2082, Davis, CA 95617
Contact Us
LUGOD is a 501(c)7 non-profit organization
based in Davis, California
and serving the Sacramento area.
"Linux" is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.


text:
Catherine Nadine Rogers HammockPublished 10:19am Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Mrs. Catherine Nadine Rogers Hammock, a resident of Opelika and former longtime resident of Tallassee, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the age of 87.
She was born on March 11, 1926, in Notasulga the first child of Jessie Felton Rogers and Lucy Vivian Ledbetter Rogers.
The family will receive friends from 10-11 a.m. May 1 at Believers Church in Auburn.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. May 1 at Believers Church with Senior Pastor Dr. Benny Hand Sr. and Pastor Dr. Dan Lane officiating. Graveside services will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tallassee with Frederick-Dean Funeral Home of Opelika directing.
Mrs. Hammock was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 1984, James C. Hammock; sons, Clinton Warren Hammock and Larry Wayne Hammock; brother, Frank Rogers; and sister, Helen Lumpkin.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Buddy and Janice Hammock; 11 grandchildren: Renita Hammock, Warren Hammock, Cathie Hammock Lozada, Charles Hammock, Kristy Picariello, Kalee (Josh) Childree, Kasey (Michael) Murphy, Kyle Hammock, Tasha Hernandez, Ken (Ashley) Hammock, and Scottie (Ally) Hammock; daughter-in-laws, Ann Hammock and Susan Hammock; and sister-in-law, Jeanette Rogers; numerous great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, niece, nephews and cousins.
Pallbearers will be Charles Hammock, Kyle Hammock, Scottie Hammock, Josh Childree, Michael Murphy, and Richard Hammock.
Honorary pallbearers are Ken Hammock and former friends and neighbors of Morningside Assisted Living where she lived from 2005 until 2013.


text:
BURNSVILLE, Minn.--The Burnsville Women of Today Chapter hosts its sixth annual Spa...ahh Fundraiser on Saturday, November 2 at the Buckhill Event Center from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The fundraiser benefits Guild Incorporated, an organization dedicated to serving individuals living with mental illnesses.
Guests are invited to enjoy a half day of pampering and fundraising. They will have the opportunity to experience a variety of mini spa experiences including massages, waxing, nail services, hair updos and more. Guests will also enjoy brunch, a silent auction and raffle.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit Burnsville Women of Today.
(Copyright 2013 by KARE. All rights reserved.)


text:
|Print version
Related Links
|SAP and Accessibility
|Accessibility (Overview article)
|The SAP Accessibility Standard
Background Links
|SAP's Public Accessibility Website
|Accessibility on SAP's Service Marketplace
By Ulrich Kreichgauer, Architecture Governance and Standards, SAP AG – March 9, 2012
The majority of SAP Design Guild Editions deal with different aspects of "usability". This time, however, we will focus (for the third time) on "accessibility", a related topic that has a lot in common with usability but still presents its own particular challenges.
What do usability and accessibility have in common? If you look at accessibility regulations and laws, such as U.S. section 508 or the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guideline) or the BITV (Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung / Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance), you will find the same requirements for self-descriptiveness, system feedback, error avoidance, consistent user interfaces, and control and supervision as those described in known usability standards and norms such as the ISO 9241/110.
Useable applications are the fundamental basis of accessibility, and all user groups benefit from them. But user groups with special needs, such as blind users who depend on the screen reader, or visually-impaired users who work with a modified color scheme, sometimes do not have enough options for compensating poor usability.
In addition to the typical usability aspects, there are also issues that are more specific to accessibility, such as the availability of equivalent alternatives to graphics, color information, video, or audio. Whenever users attach auxiliary tools (such as screen reader software, magnification software, special keyboards, or other forms of special hardware), they need to use programs that recognize or derive the user interface information, structures, or relationships.
The articles "The SAP Accessibility Standard" and "The SAP Accessibility Testing Process" describe how these aspects are implemented and tested at SAP. We can't always make all products 100% accessible, due to things like restrictions in a certain user interface technology, for example. So from a user's point of view, we must make it clear to what extent a product is barrier-free. The way this is done is described in the article "SAP's Accessibility Product Status Documents".
The authors of the following, somewhat more technical articles address two totally different issues: "New High Contrast Black…" discusses the challenges faced in defining a special color scheme for visually-impaired users. While "Accessible Rich Internet Apps…" deals with a very recent issue which focuses on reducing the accessibility deficits in modern interactive Internet applications.
A list of accessibility links, an accessibility glossary, and an article on visual handicaps round out the Edition.
A number of accessibility experts at SAP are working on creating SAP-internal guidelines, developing manual and automated test methodologies, and training developers to develop applications with reference to the SAP Accessibility Standard. Accessibility is a topic and quality characteristic that is firmly reflected in our quality assurance processes. The SAP status documents that we make available to our customers make our achievements reaching the SAP Accessibility Standard transparent to them.
But there is no end in sight to our efforts. One reason is that there are always new products, applications, or further developments that need to become barrier-free. And secondly, new questions continue to pop up, such as: (How) can mobile devices (like Smartphones and tablets) be made accessible, and which new or revived topics (for example, voice entry) can help accessibility?
Enjoy this new Edition of SAP Design Guild. We hope it inspires you.
Ulrich Kreichgauer


text:
The Much Ado About Nothing Reviews Are In! What Are the Critics Saying About Nathan Fillion?
Nathan Fillion's latest flick, Much Ado About Nothing, premiered this past weekend at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The Castle star was well-received by fans and paparazzi alike as he posed for photo ops on the red carpet, but what did the critics think of his performance in the low-budget Joss Whedon film?
Not surprisingly, reviewers were largely impressed with Joss's modern retelling of William Shakespeare's classic comedy, pointing out Nathan's performance as one of the film's most memorable and noteworthy highlights.
Hitfix calls Nathan's portrayal of constable Dogberry "hilarious," while IndieWire praises his "Whedon-y spirit."
Collider gives special mention to Nathan's comedic chemistry with co-star Tom Lenk, who plays Dogberry's partner Verges. "They make us want Zombie Shakespeare to rise from the grave and give the bumbling duo a series of spinoff plays," the review states.
Variety, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed with the pair's buffoonish banter, calling it a bit "strained." Nonetheless, the outlet praises the film overall, calling it "charming" and "adroitly performed."
And, despite Much Ado's broad appeal, there's plenty of strategically-placed nods to Whedon's legion of loyal Browncoats. According to IndieWire, "Firefly fans will get an especially sharp kick out of seeing Nathan Fillion's Dogberry react with horrified shock to being called an ass."
And to think, Nathan was initially terrified of tackling Shakespeare. All that fear was — dare we say? — much ado about nothing!
Sources: Hitfix, IndieWire, Collider, Variety
Lindsay Dreyer is an editor at Wetpaint Entertainment. Follow her on Twitter @LindsayNYC.
Are you a Castle expert? Weigh in with your theories and thoughts on our Castle Facebook page!
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text:
In the Shadows (song)
|"In the Shadows"
|Single by The Rasmus
|from the album Dead Letters
|See track listing below
|February 3, 2003 (EU)
March 17, 2004 (UK)
|CD single, 7" vinyl
|June – December 2002 in Stockholm, Sweden
|Gothic rock, alternative rock, pop rock
|Playground Music
|The Rasmus
|Mikael Nord
Martin Hansen
|The Rasmus singles chronology
"In the Shadows" is a song by Finnish alternative rock band The Rasmus. The single achieved considerable chart success throughout Europe and worldwide, including the United Kingdom, where it reached No.3, and New Zealand, where it topped the charts.[1] It is featured on the group's fifth studio album Dead Letters. The song currently holds the record for performance royalties received abroad on a Finnish composition (overtaking the works of Jean Sibelius).[2]
It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single in 2004.
- 1 Music videos
- 2 In popular culture
- 3 Track listing
- 4 Charts and sales
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Music videos[edit]
There are three different music videos for this song, a Finnish (Bandit) version, a European (Crow) version and an American (Mirror) version.
Finnish (Bandit) version – 2003[edit]
The video (directed by Finn Andersson for Film Magica Oy in Helsinki, Finland) shows The Rasmus performing on a stage that resembles a helipad, and are in the process of stealing from a bank when the police arrive unexpectedly. Lauri Ylönen is almost caught, but manages to grab onto the safe-door, which is being dragged behind the tow-car that the group uses for the robbery, and goes skidding down the road. He falls off and runs into the woods where police dogs find him. Drummer Aki Hakala then ushers him into the car where Lauri makes his lucky escape and the car drives off. The video was included in the soundtrack of Finnish movie Pahat pojat and footage from the film was used in the video.
European (Crow) version – 2003[edit]
The band are placed on a stage in a nondescript location and perform the song. Around the room there are crows flying around, who later break through the small rectangular windows. Towards the end, one crow breaks a light on the ceiling with its wings and the band performs in a shower of sparks. In the end, the band transforms into feathers.
The video was directed by Niklas Fronda and Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film in Stockholm, Sweden
U.S./UK (Mirror) version – 2004[edit]
In the video, directed by Philipp Stölzl in Bucharest, Romania, the band are performing a concert in what looks to be an old Victorian mansion. During the verses, a maid is seen constantly busy serving the masters of the house in what appears to be the past of the mansion. The maid sees (lead singer) Lauri and the concert in mirrors on the walls, which causes her to become distracted, making mistakes and dropping trays. Eventually, while despairing over her errors in her room, she sees Lauri and all the fans in her mirror, while the master of the house is approaching with somebody else, possibly the head maid, presumably to reprimand the new maid. Lauri tugs her through the mirror in her room to where they are performing. She then finishes watching the concert. It concludes with the master of the house and the others entering to find the maid's room empty.
"Fourth Version" – 2004[edit]
The Rasmus are seen performing in a plain-looking room, similar in appearance to where they perform in the "Crow" version.
In popular culture[edit]
"In the Shadows" was released for Guitar Hero: World Tour as downloadable content. It is available as either a single track or as part of the European Track Pack 03 alongside "Break It Out" by Vanilla Sky (band) and "C'est Comme Ça" by Les Rita Mitsouko. The song was also unlockable in Guitar Rock Tour.[3]
Track listing[edit]
|"In the Shadows"
|"In the Shadows (Revamped)"
|"First Day of My Life (Acoustic)"
|UK enhanced CD
|"In the Shadows"
|"Everything You Say"
|"In the Shadows (Video)"
Revamped version[edit]
Siiri Nordin from the Finnish band Killer collaborates on the 'revamped' version of "In the Shadows".
In other songs[edit]
British rapper Smiler has extensively included samples from In the Shadows in his song titled "Brand New Style".
Charts and sales[edit]
Peak positions[edit]
End of year charts[edit]
Chart successions[edit]
|Preceded by
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem
|Finnish number one single
4/2003 – 5/2003 (2 weeks)
|Succeeded by
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem
|Preceded by
"Aïcha" by Outlandish
|German number one single
August 8, 2003 (1 week)
|Succeeded by
"Ich Denk an Dich" by Pur
|Preceded by
"Fools Love" by Misfits of Science
|New Zealand RIANZ number one single
August 23, 2004 (1 week)
|Succeeded by
"Getting Stronger" by Adeaze
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "In the Shadows", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved June 18, 2008)
- ^ Rock piece by The Rasmus overtakes Sibelius in foreign music royalties
- ^ "Guitar Rock Tour". gameloft.com. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "The Rasmus singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved June 18, 2008)
- ^ a b "Single top 100 over 2003" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 2008-05-08.
- ^ Romanian Top 100: Editia 37, saptamina 29.09-05-10, 2003
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved June 18, 2008)
- ^ 2003 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2003 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2003 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2004 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2004 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2004 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ 2004 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart UKChartsPlus (Retrieved September 5, 2014)
- ^ a b The first web page presents the sales figures, the second presents the certification limits:
- "The Rasmus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- "Kultalevyjen myöntämisrajat" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Rasmus; 'In the Shadows')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – The Rasmus – In the Shadows". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Rasmus; 'In the Shadows')". Hung Medien.
- ^ "British single certifications – The Rasmus – In the Shadows". British Phonographic Industry. Enter In the Shadows in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
External links[edit]
- Singles certified gold by Musiikkituottajat
- Singles certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie
- Singles certified gold by Recorded Music NZ
- Singles certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Switzerland
- Singles certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry
- 2003 singles
- 2004 singles
- Number-one singles in Finland
- Number-one singles in Germany
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- The Rasmus songs
- Songs written by Lauri Ylönen
- 2003 songs


text:
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross athletics announced the resignation of head men's rowing coach Todd Pearson today. Coach Pearson is leaving to pursue other professional interests outside of coaching and to spend more time with his young family. Pearson had served as the Crusaders' head coach for the past six years. Previously, Pearson was Holy Cross' men's freshman coach for five years.
"I would like to thank Todd for the energy, passion and leadership he brought to our Men's Crew program, both as a student-athlete, and as a coach," said director of athletics Nathan Pine. "The entire Holy Cross family wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Now we will begin a national search for our next head coach to lead our top 25 Men's Crew team and continue to build upon the incredible tradition of our storied program. We will be looking for a leader who will embrace the ideals of Holy Cross while running an elite program and helping our student-athletes to reach their full potential in everything that they do."
During Pearson's tenure as head coach, the Crusaders competed in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship every season. He led the varsity eight to a No. 20 national ranking in the U.S. Rowing men's varsity eight poll in 2013, which marked the first time the Crusaders had been ranked since 2006. This past season, the Crusaders placed second in the club four race out of 49 boats at the Head of the Charles Regatta, while the varsity eight won the Healy Cup for the first time by defeating Georgetown. The Crusaders placed 10th in the Chapman Award standings at the IRA National Championship out of 20 schools for the most improved team in overall standings from last year.
A four-year member of the Crusader rowing team from 1994-1998, Pearson was a part of the first-ever Holy Cross squad to row in a varsity-level event at the Eastern Sprints, placing 10th in the varsity lightweight eight in 1998. He also earned two bronze medals at the New England Championship, as a member of the second varsity eight in 1996 and the varsity lightweight eight in 1997. Pearson earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Holy Cross in 1998.
Holy Cross will immediately commence a national search for Pearson's replacement. Current assistant coach Jim Barr will act as the interim head coach.
You can follow Holy Cross Athletics on Twitter @GoHolyCross as well as the men's rowing team @HCMRowing.


text:
Oct. 14, 2008
WORCESTER, Mass. - This week in Holy Cross athletics action, the Crusaders will have seven of it's teams competing at home. On Friday, Oct. 17 women's soccer hosts Patriot League opponent Army at 7:00 p.m., volleyball will play Lafayette in league play and the men's ice hockey team will open it's season versus Canisius at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 18, men's tennis concludes it's home season against Boston University at 11:00 a.m., men's soccer plays league opponent Navy at 3:00 p.m., vollyeball will play Lehigh at 4:00 p.m. and men's ice hockey will hosts Canisius at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the men's and women's swimming teams will open it's season against Lehigh at 12:00 p.m.


text:
1921 10C MS63 Full Bands PCGS....
2013 June 5 - 9 US Coin Signature Auction - Long Beach #1186
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1921 Dime, MS63 Full Bands1921 10C MS63 Full Bands PCGS. This low-mintage key is desirable in all grade ranges. The surfaces of this Select example are thoroughly frosty and appealing, with hints of green and tan present along with small splashes of gold and pink on the obverse. A lovely piece with nice eye appeal, this coin was likely held from a higher grade due to a few small marks on the face.(Registry values: N1793) (NGC ID# 23HE, PCGS# 4935)
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text:
My scenario:
I'm using Scriptaculous and CF8 to create a "stacked" PDF based on a user's re-ordering of a list of uploaded files (you can check out the live app here). In order to do this simply, I'm making the file name part of the sortable list item's ID value, like so: ID="file~#filename#" . Well, Scriptaculous has a built in way of dealing with sortable item ID values, where it's looking for some text followed by an underscore followed by a numeric value. In order to break away from this assumption, the latest version of Scriptaculous (1.8.2) offers an option called "format" that allows you to specify a regular expression to override the default one.
So, here's my code that creates the unordered list of files:

<cfoutput query="qryFiles">

#name#

and here's the JS I use to turn this list into a sortable:
Executing the following JS will show you that the regex is correct:
Not hard stuff, but it took me a while to piece it all together so I thought I'd share in case it saves someone else a little time.


text:
Greenpeace activists ended a blockade at Lumber Liquidators' headquarters after Greenpeace Forest Campaigner Daniel Brindis spoke with company executives for over two hours. Brindis said:
"The activists succeeded in showing Lumber Liquidators' and its shareholders that they need to take a hard look at the company's supply chain. I spoke with company executives in-depth about the problem of predatory logging and how it is threatening the vital ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest and the people that call it home.
"Greenpeace will be watching closely to see what steps the company takes in coming weeks to ensure that its wood is legally and responsibly logged, and if Lumber Liquidators implements a new global sustainability policy with real criteria."
The Forest Crimes Unit rides again, this time in Toano, Virginia, where Amazon destruction is bought and sold. This morning a group of 9 Greenpeace activists has barricaded the entrances to Lumber Liquidators' headquarters, prior to the company's annual shareholder meeting.
The blockade at the main entrance features a banner that reads "Brazilian Wood: Your $hare of Amazon Crime" and the back entrance is blocked with a brand spoof delivery truck that read "Rainforest Liquidators."
This shareholder meeting is the first one since Lumber Liquidators was raided by federal agents last September for allegedly purchasing illegal timber from the Russian Far East.
Just last week Greenpeace published an investigation that linked Lumber Liquidators's Brazilian suppliers to illegal logging in the state of Para, where 78% of logging is estimated to be illegal. The report demonstrated how Brazil relies on a poorly designed timber control system that facilitates the laundering of illegal timber with official documents.
Nonetheless, the company has only issued non-response responses and has indicated that it will continue to trust the documentation from this poorly designed system.
This protest comes after Brazilian activists occupied the facility of an exporter that sells to Lumber Liquidators. That exporter has also been cited by Brazilian Authorities for 1 Million USD in fines related to trade in illegal timber.
Take a stand with these activists for the Amazon. Tell Lumber Liquidators to cut its ties with illegal logging.


text:
Was Draupadi in love with Karna? January 7, 2014Posted by Karan in Uncategorized.
Tags: Draupadi, Karna, Mahabharata
12 comments
Mythology is the flavour of the season, and after reading the terrific "Palace of Illusions", I went about looking for the answer to this question.
Predictably, my two sources were Google and elders in the family- the elders had absolutely no clue about this question. Google, however, through up a lot of interesting anecdotes and one of them is worth looking at:
According to a legend from Mahabharata, during the thirteenth year of the exile of the Pandavas, Draupadi saw a ripe jambul, roseapple, hanging from a tree. She plucked it to have it. No sooner had she done this, Krishna came from somewhere and stopped her from eating it. According to Krishna, the ripe fruit was supposed to be the fruit with which a sage was supposed to break his twelve-year fast. Not finding the fruit at its place, could earn the wrath of the sage, resulting in more trouble for the Pandavas and her. Draupadi begged of Krishna to help her out of this impending problem.Krishna, then said that the fruit could be put back at its original place, only by someone who holds no secrets. Draupadi had only one option and to confess some guilt. Seeing no way out, Draupadi walked up her husband's and confessed to them, that though she was a chaste woman and loved all the five husbands, there was someone else that she longed for. She always had loved and respected Karna, the arch-enemy of the Pandavas. This was a shock to all the husbands, but none said anything. Having confessed, she went and put the fruit back on the branch of the tree and all was well.
Fascinating, isn't it? Apparently, this is mentioned in quite a few folk editions of the Mahabharata. The book mentions the longing which they had for each other as being mutual; but it was something which did not fructify itself due to various reasons. The landmark events in their relationship, of course were Karna being called "suta-putra" by Draupadi and not being allowed to contest the Swayamvar and the insult of Draupadi by Karna in Yudhisthira's court. However, there have always been undercurrents between the two- and the same has been beautifully brought out in the book.
So what do you guys think about this? I am curious to hear of more opinions and views on this
The Sachin Farewell – A View from the Stands and beyond November 19, 2013Posted by Karan in General.
Tags: Sachin Tendulkar
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It was 1400 hours on Saturday, the 16th of November, 2013. Hearts heavy with what we had just experienced, Himank and I decided not to stick around for one last glimpse. We decided to make way for lunch and drinks at the nearby Cafe Mondegar in Colaba. Predictably, there was a fair bit of a queue outside the joint and it was dominated by fans wearing the iconic No.10 jersey and sporting the Indian flag paint. After some jostling, we made our way to the table and set about conversing about what we had just witnessed. A couple of drinks later, with the screen showing his shots, we went down the memory lane, and spoke about the hundred against Henry Olonga's Zimbabwe, the straight sixes against Eddo Brandes, the hook against Caddick, the best Indian chases all involving him- Desert Storm 1998 and Commonwealth twin innings' 2010, the straight drive, the innings' against Pakistan in 2003, World Cup 1996, the back pain and innings against Saqlain & co in Chennai, Dale Steyn competing with him… It just kept going on.
Within a few minutes, we realised that the four young lads in the table next to us, all sporting Sachin jerseys were discussing exactly the same. And so were the group of friends in the table behind us. Ditto with the two couples ahead of us. I don't know what it was, I don't know how it worked but I'd never witnessed anything like what was going to happen in the next few minutes. Someone started it from a couple of tables behind us and within no time, the entire cafe broke into chants of "Sachin.. Sachin". Here. In the cafe. In the middle of the day. We went, "Thank You Sachin"; "Saaaachin.." and all the Sachin chants which we witnessed at the Wankhede. It was unbelievable. Like they say, "Divided by , united by Sachin". The Europeans in the Cafe, were of course, bewildered, but took the opportunity to soak into the moment and capture "Incredible India" on their cameras. The chanting continued through the afternoon, and you could look at various moist eyes even after the emotional cauldron in the stadium.
Somehow, it felt natural that this should happen. Somehow, it felt inevitable. It was as if we were all gripped by a common force and energy. If there is anyone who has inspired and been loved by the entire nation more in equivocal terms, I've not heard of that person.
It has been three days since I witnessed the outpouring of emotions and those words coming from Sachin. I still can't get over the profoundness and candidness of the speech. It was not earth shattering, Sachin is not the best orator, and it was nothing that we didn't know. But the connection he made with us in the stands, and beyond was striking. Again, I had never witnessed anything close to this. But then, I don't think we've witnessed anything like Sachin Tendulkar.
The moment which I can never forget is when he walked purposefully across the ground from the Pavilion to the wicket. We were all wondering why it was, and before we realised it, Sachin had bent down, paid his obeisance to the soil and took its blessings before the packed house for one last time. It was at this moment that even the strongest amongst us in the stands broke down.
And so did Sachin.
I still feel that I am floating in the numbness which took over the stands just after Sachin left the ground.
Thank you Sachin.
Pride and Passion: Thank you Sir Alex Ferguson May 9, 2013Posted by Karan in Uncategorized.
Tags: Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson
3 comments
He is gone. I thought he would never go. He is gone today. I ought to be celebrating his career, but I'm filled with despair and helplessness about the possible future of my club. Yes, he was there through the ups and downs of my life, but not anymore. How long will it be before United win their next title? Can we still have the bragging rights over most other clubs in England? Can someone fit in these players in various systems to bring out the best in them? Can……
I started following club football in 2007, a year before we won our third Champions League title. Since then, Sir Alex Ferguson has been the biggest reference point for me- sometimes a huge enigma, but often an inspirational persona. I mean, he is 71 years old, and still celebrates a goal against Southampton as if it's his first. I mean, 71 fucking years old. And that passion. Still. 71 years. Do you see that kind of passion in anyone aged 71, in any field? It's the age when nasal sprays in your nose are more common than a football field under your feet. It's the age when most people stop celebrating their lives. But nay, not Sir Alex. I think that's the biggest lesson I've learnt from him. Celebrate your life, enjoy every moment of it and live life. He still rips apart the fourth official (read: The Chelsea/Madrid games), still defends his players like they are his own kids (read: De Gea), still runs across the touchline to celebrate a goal (read: Van Persie against Saints), still sulks like crazy (read: Nani red against Madrid), is still naughty enough to take on an opponent verbally (read: Benitez), still revers his wine (read: Mourinho), still gets excited about young players coming through (read: Januzaj). I mean, how in Holy God's name can someone have so much passion 27 years into their profession? How the fuck?
I wish I had that smile. I hope to live every moment with that passion, like that man.
There is so much emptiness and sadness, but I hope I can carry this message of the greatest manager of any sports team I've seen. Nay, not just a sports team, but the biggest sports club in the world.
Thank you, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Travel, and travel young! September 26, 2012Posted by Karan in Uncategorized.
Tags: Travel; Youth
8 comments
Thanks to my wonderful organization, I have discovered an aspect of life which seems so fascinating to me now that it seems reprehensible that it was not an integral part of me earlier. The urge to travel, discover new worlds and reap all the benefits which come along with it is endearing. Beyond the obvious, there are so many things which you learn when you travel.
The point I have to make is that travel young. People often give various excuses like the lack of time, the need to save at a particular stage of life etc. However, the world is littered with cases where people end up not travelling at all, even when they have time and money on their side. And that, is such a pity.
The youth of your life is when you are forming a view about the world, opening up your minds to different aspects and growing. Travel at this age does something very important to you- it gives you an opportunity to grow. There is nothing better than travel when it comes to discovering yourself and what better than youth to do that? I would go as far to say that travel can actually help you figure what you want to do with life.
Discover the Himalayas, swim in the Indian Ocean, party hard in Thailand, bingee in New Zealand, soak in the culture of Cambodia & Laos, hike the mountains of Mexico, safari in South Africa, cross the European borders by train, learn Mandarin. Life, after all, is so beautiful!
Travel young because:
- It helps you open your mind to the world and forms views in your head
- It helps you discover yourself and your purpose
- It teaches you how to live with the nature, its children and eccentricities
- It imbibes qualities like independence, and gives you a great level of maturity
- It improves you as a person
- You are most energetic when you are young!
Sachin Tendulkar: The Waning Aura? May 7, 2012Posted by Karan in General.
6 comments
Yesterday, I got the opportunity of witnessing another of those last ball finishes at the Wankhede. The match had it all- high runs being scored, massive sixes, athletic fielding, good death bowling, a top innings by God..!
God. This is probably the seventh time that I witnessed Sachin bat in a stadium, including last year, on a sombre birthday in Hyderabad. Every time, I've seen him bat, including in faraway Vizag and Hyderabad, the crowds have gone berserk and chanted his name till their throats hurt. His batting is something which people have eagerly anticipated; his sixes are the most cheered for. But yesterday, it was a little different.
Sachin still got cheered for the balls he stopped and the runs which he scored. However, it was fairly subdued to anytime before. The usual chants of "Sachin.. Sachin" were missing, in fact the DJ had to egg people on to do the same. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the chanting for Malinga was much louder than that for Sachin. In Mumbai. In God's own abode. On the day after the Eden erupted for their own son of the soil, Dada. Oh dear!
Thus far, I had refused to believe it. After all, he was the darling of the nation just a year back, when he had won us the world cup. People in office talk about his decline and how he should have retired after the world cup. Twitterati never fail to bash him up. His hard core fans started to turn away. In spite of that, I refused to believe. Till I visited the stadium yesterday. Sachin Tendulkar's sheen has surely started to wane away.
The reasons for the same could be many- the wait for the 100th, the news about penalties and RTIs, the new house, the Ferrari, the Rajya Sabha nomination, the Rahul Dravid retirement. It could be a heady cocktail of all these factors. To my mind and heart, He is still God- an inspiration, an entertainer of the highest magnitude, the reason why I am still drawn to this game. But sadly enough, I have now started to believe that he is no more God for many people across this country.
Rahul Dravid: An Inspiration March 9, 2012Posted by Karan in General.
Tags: Rahul Dravid, Retirement, Sachin Tendulkar, The Wall
7 comments
Yesterday, as I clicked on the trending topic "Rahul Dravid" on Twitter, the first tweet which noticed amidst the cluster of messages and tributes was, "Even when he announces his retirement, the media persons rush to ask Sachin Tendulkar for his opinion".
This has probably been the summary of Rahul Dravid's career. It is to his credit that in spite of playing in the age of the biggest Indian sporting star India has ever seen, he has more than held his own and marked his route towards greatness. That he has rarely ever received his due is well recorded; what is amazing is to never find himself fretting about it. Never. To my mind, the greatest tribute he could have received was from the Bradman Oration at the Australia War Memorial, who chose him to deliver a speech in front of an August audience. Needless to mention, the speech was delivered with eloquence, dignity and grace. Just like the great man.
"If I had to chose one man to bat for my life, it has to be Rahul Dravid"- Brian Lara.
Cut to Kolkata 2001. With India in dire straits, Laxman hit that knock, but to my mind, Rahul Dravid was an equal hero then. While Laxman was in good form, and hence had been promoted to No.3, Dravid was not. He was not expected to last long but then that's when you can trust Rahul Dravid to fight. And fight he did. Digging out all his reserves of mental energy, determination, technique, selflessness; Dravid delivered a master class of the highest order.
In a way, Dravid is someone who all of us can relate to. While Tendulkar is someone who has always been seen with God-like qualities, Laxman with his immense talent, Ganguly with his flair; Dravid's been one who can easily fit into the role of the boy next door. And that's what makes his achievements all the more amazing. It is what makes him the most inspiring figure around- "I can try and emulate his attributes, and I'll succeed".
"All this going around is not aggression; if you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid's eyes."- Matthew Hayden.
I don't have too many words to say, I am too choked with emotion at the prospect of Rahul Dravid retiring. My eyes are moist, for one of the biggest idols of my life is walking into the setting sun; for he is the one who has taught me the biggest lesson in my life. Just don't give up. Watching him fight high quality seam bowling warms my heart.
My favourite Dravid innings:
1) 233 vs Australia- Adelaide in 2003
2) 180 vs Australia- Kolkata in 2003
3) 144 vs West Indies- Georgetown in 2002
4) 93 vs Australia- Perth in 2008
5) 270 vs Pakistan- Rawalpindi in 2004
God Bless Rahul Dravid.
The Blue Coral October 31, 2011Posted by Karan in General.
Tags: Bay of Bengal, Phi Phi Island, Phuket, Snorkelling
19 comments
I have not seen water clearer than this. The ocean bed went deep into the earth, and the bluish-green highlighted the character of the sea. Crystal, luminous, serendipitous, glorious- Use all you like, but can you describe the ocean? The inhibitions put aside, the mask was worn leading to the first peek- the uncovering of the purdah into the stunning ocean.
I could feel the hair in my hands stirring at the appearance of the vitality of life. The fins and the scales on the fluid creatures under the sea was a sight to behold. The yellow on the skin was the most natural colour I had ever seen, could I just extract it and etch it on the walls of my room? Further away, the blue fish was the most heart-warming creature.
The community of the gilled creatures behaved in an enthralling way. Bread allured them, but so did the leader of the lot. Did I see them following their chief, who warned them of the huge hairy big-square eyed creatures surveying them? Or did they sense the joy of an awaited event? I could not tell. I wanted to know. I had no way of doing so. I wanted more time with them, to observe, to learn, to live.
Never had I thought that tentacles could excite me more than anything else. The togetherness of the creatures stunned me, with the odd coral sitting isolated in deep contemplation. Beyond the physical, the commonality across living beings is striking. And the sight of the isolated blue coral- was orgasmic, or tantric; as you would like to put it.
My insomnia in the middle of the night is only to be explained by the first explorations of the majestic ocean. I cannot wait to romance her again.
Peace. Hardly do you find this word more apt.
PS: This is with reference to my snorkelling trip at Phuket (Phi Phi Island). My co-travellers were Abra, Anuj, Ashwin, Bharath, Giridhar, Hersh, Kavitha, Mahesh, Shalini, Toshe and Vipul.
Seam Reap: Enchanted October 24, 2011Posted by Karan in General.
Tags: Angkor Wat, Lord Vishnu, SIem Reap
12 comments
History and its books have always fascinated me. The culture of people, the unfolding of events and the romance of it all has few other things which compare. During school days, I loved studying my history books and imagining about what would have transpired during that period. I often found myself walking along the streets of Harappa, listening to the arguments of Birbal, feeling the heat of it all in Paris, staring at the temples of Angkor… Who knew that one day, I'd actually get to visit the temples of Angkor?!
Amidst fears of floods and rains, we set off for Siem Reap in the exotic country of Cambodia. I was initially sceptical about the trip added to the fact that the timing of flights from Kuala Lumpur would leave us with less than 36 hours in the city. However, it all turned out perfect for us- the cab, hotel bookings all leading to one of the better trips I've had.
I was amazed to know that the city of Siem Reap has over 500 temples, and one could feel the pulse right on landing at the airport. As one of my friends put it, the airport seemed to be "a resort taken over by the government and converted into an airport". Along the line, there were various grandeur resorts and hotels, but we (group of 10) opted to stay in a budget hotel which cost us just over 7 USD a head. Surprisingly enough, USD seemed to be a more common currency here than the local Riel.
After getting things in place, we headed to the first temple we wanted to see- the Angkor Wat, the symbol of both modern Cambodia and the ancient Angkor empire. This 900-year old temple is the largest religious monument in the world and the size of the same is overwhelming! We took three hours to see this temple, and one can easily an entire day for the same. The feeling I had while at this temple is indescribable- I had Goosebumps all over me on multiple occasions here. Even though the temple is now a Buddhist one, the details of the inscriptions were all milestones from Hindu mythology and the "Churning of the Ocean" was especially magnificent. In fact, the churning seems to be a central theme across various temples in Siem Reap. Walking along some of the aisles of the temple while drowning myself in the walls, I felt immensely in peace with myself. I have not seen such a stunning temple anywhere in India!
The last major King of the Angkor empire, Jayavarman 7 built the Buddhist Angkor Thom temple (The King was himself a converted Buddhist). This temple has the "Smiling Buddha", the secret behind which we tried discovering in a stunning laser and dance show called "Smile of Angkor". The walls of this temple depicted the war between the Angkors and the Chams (the latter still exist in parts of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia). The last temple which we visited in the day was Ta Prohm– the place where the Tomb Raider movie was shot. This is a temple which is quite unexplored. The most amazing part of the temple was the growth of massive trees at random parts of the temple, something which was a result of the temple being deserted for centuries.
The next day (I am conveniently skipping the exploration of night life of Siem Reap- the highlight of the same was the local massage, where the masseur uses legs too!) was spent in another beautiful sight- the floating villages in the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. The lake is massive- apparently it can carry us right unto the capital city of Phnom Penh. The culture of the people and floating villages were lovely to watch, and a very unique phenomenon. It was amazing to see the way these villages still existed, and a thought about the life which people have to lead at the same.
All in all, it was a short but memorable trip. I leave with a promise to come back to Siem Reap- it's a place which deserves much more time.
PS: I'll write notes about my Singapore and Langkawi trips soon.
The Widening Generation Gap June 4, 2011Posted by Karan in General, Uncategorized.
Tags: Generation Gap
13 comments
The other day, I went for this movie with two of my family friends- both guys who are younger to me by six years. Now I remember many of my cousins hanging out together in my hometown Ranchi with this range of age difference but seemingly in the same generation. There was not too much of a gap in the thinking and exposure level of these guys, and they happily got along very well with each other. Today, however, I think the case is not the same. The world has become more dynamic than ever before and changes occur at a neck breaking pace; so much so that guys six years younger than me often seem to be from a different generation (Though I may still get along with them)
The dictionary defines a generation as a period of 25 years. I think over time, the number of years between generations has reduced dramatically- generations change much faster now. Today, while parents try and bridge the 'generation gap', I think it's going to be increasingly difficult for parents in the future in trying to understand and handle their kids. Guys having cell phones at the age of 11, watching the kind of movies which we never did at the age and having a half baked understanding of things at ages you would not have imagined etc are remnant to the same. I think this makes it all the more stronger case to stay in the family, which is unlikely to happen. But the positive side of all this is that kids these days become smarter very soon. One consequence of which is that we'd probably see smarter CEOs and deadlier criminals at much younger ages in the future.
Having gone through this experience, hats off to the parents who truly are friends to their kids.
Sachin's Journey Consummated April 3, 2011Posted by Karan in General.
Tags: Ecstacy, Gautam Gambhir, God, Jai Hind, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, World Champions, Yuvraj SIngh
7 comments
Unbelievable. For all my posts, I try and structure my thoughts, put them in a framework and present them in a readable fashion. Not today. Even 12 hours after THE moment, I cannot stop thinking, stop putting it all together.
THAT twirl after hitting the six. It was as if MS Dhoni was saying, I don't give a rat's ass to you guys- did you freaking see that? It was the expression and satisfaction of a man having actually led his team. On a night of emotions, his calmness even after hitting the shot was one of the most amazing emotions. Numb. A feeling many of us have even now.
THOSE tears. Harbhajan Singh was putting Sreesanth to shame. Yuvraj Singh was the one with eyes moist, body pumped and world conquered. His hug with God which lasted over a good one minute was a memory which will remain etched in my memory forever. It was as if he was saying, "This is for you, Lord. Just you. Fucking savour this."
GOD. He didn't know what to do. Smile? Cry? Can you just imagine? A dream for which he has given everything? Blood, sweat, tears, vomit. Something which kept him going. Something for which he has given everything. Can you just freaking imagine? To my mind, it was fitting that his biggest fans, people who he has inspired, guided, mentored and loved- Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh completed the jobs. It was like a tribute, and a signal that the Master's lessons had paid off. It was a proud moment for God when he saw his disciples do the job which he had always dreamt of. It was THE emotion and moment which we all crave for. It was to say, God, we are ready to take over now.
THAT statement by Virat Kohli. Today my despise towards two people turned into respect- MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. THAT lap for Sachin Tendulkar. What would have the fans felt then- seeing God up close having the most awesome expression and feeling EVER in his eyes.
Absolutely unbelievable. Little wonder that I just fucking could not sleep in the night. The night when I reached a high which alcohol can never take me to. The orgasm which sex can never give. The feeling that to hell with everything, I can peacefully die now.
Love you Sachin. Thanks for all the fish.