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I believe my dd who is 2 1/2 is ready. She has her elmo potty that we have had for a while now. She sings along to her potty power video and (cue the horror music) she takes off her diaper when she does her business. I mean both #1 and #2.
She tells me when she has finished then proceeds to take her diaper off. I try to watch to see when she is going, then I tell her "hey remember your potty chair? Do you have to pee or poo?" She does not want to sit on the thing. She looks at me and laughs, I am expecting her to say you sit on it. LOL
If you all don't mind sharing some positive techniques, I would truly appreciate it. I know that most of us would rather take our SAT's again that to go through this. Oh yes, I have to go through it twice I have a 16 month old as well. LOL. I love my little ladies. I can't wait to this part is over though.


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Performance golf ball fitting focuses on finding the best ball for your game and lowering your score.
Be the first to hear about product introductions, surveys, promotions, and sweepstakes. Through Team Titleist News we will provide exclusive communication not available in any other forum.
Titleist offers the most precise club fitting experience in the game.
The full-set Titleist Golf Club Trial program provides golfers with an easy way to experience Titleist products on either the course or practice tee to help determine the right equipment for their game.
Track your stats. Get video tips. Set goals for your golf game.
Posted: July 23, 2013
Before a Titleist golf ball ever lands on the shelves of your local pro shop, it must gain approval from a very important group of passionate golfers – members of Team Titleist.
Not too long ago, when the new 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls were still in the Research & Development phase, we invited a group of Team Titleist members to test white box prototype golf balls, give feedback, and truly take part in the R&D process for the #1 ball in golf.
As part of the player testing and evaluation process, we hit the road and spent some time with members from across the country to answer questions, gather feedback and witness the testing first-hand.
Each stop along the way we met golfers of all skill levels and swing speeds. So check out the video above to see some of the sights and sounds we captured from your fellow Team Titleist members and remember to keep sharing your feedback!
In the meantime, thank you to all of the Team Titleist members who participated in our white box testing. Whether you were on camera or submitted feedback via e-mail, Twitter or otherwise, we really appreciate all of your help and we hope you enjoyed being a part of the process.
And if you're wondering how you can take part in a future product test panel like this, remember the more you participate and the more engaged you are with Team Titleist--from posting in the discussions and adding blog comments to completing your profile--the better your chances are at potentially opening the doors to these exclusive Team Titleist opportunities.
November 26, 2015
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That's certainly a privilege with which to be involved. Thanks Titleist for giving the avid golfer the limelight and listening to the feedback!
July 23, 2013
Thank you for allowing me to participate in the testing. It is not only a pleasure, but I feel it is an honor to have input into balls that are produced not only for the pro's but me.
They are a ball I can trust to perform and again appreciate the opportunity to be selected.
July 23, 2013
Great video. Thanks for giving us the behind the scenes look at some of the testing. And, thanks for giving the "average" golfer a chance to provide input.
July 23, 2013
Thank you, Titleist staff, for the opportunity to share my feedback on your prototypes. I'm honored to have been selected for the testing!
July 23, 2013
THIS is why Titleist is the #1 ball in golf. Fact.
July 23, 2013
i loved participating. very cool TT!!!!!
July 23, 2013
Can they improve anymore ??
Send a sleeve ill try them out, thanks!
July 23, 2013
This is one of the many reasons that Titleist rocks! They give end users and regular guys the opportunity to test new products and provide feedback prior to a product being introduced. How many other companies do you know that engage their customers this way? Not many to be sure!
July 23, 2013
Great opportunity from Titleist to get some feedback but also increase the anticipation for the new golf ball upcoming.
Thanks for the opportunity.

subset: commoncrawl


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1991 Toyota Corolla • 1.4L 4 cylinder FWD Automatic • 118,000 miles
Transmission takes a long time to change the first gear and then have to attain about 50 mph to shift to next gear. Car also easily goes into overdrive. Please diagnose.
July 23, 2014.
July 23, 2014.
Check fluid level an dhave a trans guy scan for codes proably an internal problem
Jul 23, 2014.
Jul 23, 2014.
1..I realized that I have a leak coming from the transmission line that hooks to the bottom right side of the radiator. 2. Tranmission will not automatically shift into the last gear ...
1 answer • 1988 Pontiac Trans Am • 120,000 miles
I have a 1999 pontiac trans am just the other day I was driving on the road and all of a sudden the transmission stopped engaging as if the car was on neutral I pulled over on the side ...
10 answers • 1999 Pontiac Trans Am • 114,000 miles
I have a 700 r4 transmission in the car and I was wondering will the dipstick from a 400 trans or a turbo 350 trans, work or does it have to be for the 700 r4? And how long does the ...
1 answer • 1985 Pontiac Trans Am
As i shift into first and second gear my trans am seems powerless, it won't accelerate and feels like I'm going 20 mph till I hit about 4th gear. What could be wrong?
3 answers • 1999 Pontiac Trans Am • 170,000 miles


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Brazil in mourning after nightclub fire
An investigation is under way after a blaze killed 230 people and injured hundreds of others in southern Brazil. It happened in the university town of Santa Maria early on Sunday morning.
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AKC Chocolate lab puppies for sale. Ready October 2nd. 7 males 3 females left. Yellow female is spoken for. $500 each. Mom is high energy dad is laid back. Both parents on site and pictured in ad. Contact me @ 970-640-1006. Or [email removed] my wife @ 360-250-0386.
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Rise of the e-grandparentsComment on this story
London - The traditional idea of Grandma and Grandad being behind the times when it comes to new technology is itself behind the times, a study shows.
About 78 percent of grandparents now say that they consider themselves to be competent in online communication.
Around a half email regularly, a quarter own a laptop, while one in ten owns a top-of-the-range tablet computer.
A quarter of young adults said they now keep in touch with their grandparents by text, email, Facebook, instant messaging and Twitter.
Around 500 grandparents and 1,500 Britons aged 11 to 25 were polled to mark the launch of the film Parental Guidance, starring Bette Midler and Billy Crystal as a pair of old-fashioned grandparents. - Daily Mail
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The design challenge was to create a surf-inspired bar and club for the new 6,000sq. ft. property in the centre of Newquay and Absolute Interiors created a radical design departure for the client. Surfing culture is based on the idea of creativity, spontaneity and environmental-
Helen Blake, Creative Director of Absolute says, "The design of the Cribbar was actually extremely challenging and need to deliver a practical and profitable use of the major space whilst appealing to the wide and varied market of Cornwall from 9am-4am every day. Creating a 'surf bar' may sound like a simple option but the local market can actually be really critical. Winning over the surfers and receiving this global shortlisting is very clear evidence that we have achieved this aim and we're really excited to have been included in the World Interiors News Annual Awards."
Jon Randall, Head of Property Development & Acquisitions, JD Wetherspoon, says, "We take a unique and bespoke approach to the design of every single pub that we create. Absolute'
Issued on behalf of Absolute Interiors by Excess Energy Communications.
For more information, images or interviews please contact Rhona Gardiner on 01637 852130 or email Rhona@exces-
Notes to editors:
Absolute has previously masterminded the interiors of spaces such as Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall, the Watergate Bay Hotel, the St Moritz Hotel, the Carn Marth Hotel and various Pizza Express and JD Wetherspoon venues across the country. To ensure that they had a clear insight into the surf scene and what surfers would enjoy in a bar space, the design team at Absolute has worked with Newquay-based Orca Publications, the company behind legendary Carve, Surfgirl and ThreeSixty magazines and various books dedicated to the sport.


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NAM condemns threats against member states
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has strongly condemned any threats and actions against its member states under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
"The Non-Aligned Movement rejects any threats and measures against the movement's members under the pretext of countering terrorism and stresses that terrorism should not be equated with the right to legitimate resistance against occupation and colonialism," said Iran's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN Gholam-Hossein Dehqani.The Iranian envoy was speaking on behalf of the NAM, the rotating presidency of which is held by Iran. He made the remark in an address to the UN Ad Hoc Committee Negotiating Comprehensive Anti-terrorism Convention on Monday. Dehqani called on all countries to refrain from providing political, diplomatic, moral or material support for terrorism. He reiterated that the NAM considers terrorist acts as a violation of international laws and human rights and strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms. He also noted terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality or ethnic group. The Iranian envoy further called for an international conference under the UN's supervision to formulate a joint response to terrorism. YH/MA/HJL


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The Magazine
A Drama-Free Election
The Iraqi vote was a victory for Prime Minister Maliki. Now he'll need to do something for the Shiite masses.
Feb 16, 2009, Vol. 14, No. 21 • By REUEL MARC GERECHT
"The withdrawal of American troops is not in the interest of Iraq. If America leaves Iraq, it will only benefit Iran," Tamimi continued. A Sunni, a former insurgent, a one-time supporter of al Qaeda who is sometimes described as an "adviser" to the anti-al Qaeda Sunni "Awakening" councils, Tamimi was fairly excited about the provincial elections. A resident of the Abu Ghraib area of Baghdad, he was not running for office himself, though he intended to place himself on the ballot for parliament in the next national election, expected late this year. For him the provincial elections were a dry run, an experiment to see whether the Shiites, specifically the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, would lose seats and Tamimi's Sunni allies would gain them on Baghdad's provincial council. (As it turned out, SIIC got only 5.4 percent of the Baghdad vote.)
Tamimi understandably liked the idea of Sunni sovereignty over Abu Ghraib, which may be, after the internecine strife, completely Sunni. Saddam Hussein had fortified Abu Ghraib and other Sunni Arab townships surrounding Baghdad with Sunni immigrants after the 1991 Shiite uprising to ensure that he had more manpower to draw on in an emergency. This Sunni suburban ring became the launching pad for the suicide bombers who nearly destroyed Baghdad in 2006. After the defeat of the Sunnis in the 2006-07 Battle of Baghdad, Iraq's capital--viewed by the Sunni Arabs as theirs, the lodestar that had always given them dominance over all of Iraq--became at least 70 percent Shiite. For Tamimi, the provincial elections would at least guarantee that the police who patrolled Abu Ghraib were not "90 percent Shiite under the control of the Supreme Council." Provincial councils have considerable control over the finances and personnel of the local constabularies, which according to Tamimi was the issue for his kith and kin.
But Tamimi's concern for local sovereignty didn't extend to the country. "We want Iraq's sovereignty checked," he calmly stated. "We want the Americans to interfere in the political process," he continued, almost provoking a giggle from me and my Lebanese friend, who has made a specialty of the muqawama, the Sunni resistance between 2004 and 2007. Tamimi denied the rumor that he was a former member of the Islamic Army, a particularly nasty melding of former Baathists with radical Islamists. Like al Qaeda, which the Islamic Army once openly supported, this group killed Shiites and Sunnis with almost equal zeal. Killing Americans was always, however, the organization's raison d'être.
Tamimi, who was born in 1966, stubbornly resisted providing any information about who his political godfather was within the Sunni community. A member of the large and influential Tamimi tribe, which has both prominent Sunnis and Shiites within it, he certainly has a god-father aiding his political aspirations. He proudly described himself as a former member of the "legitimate resistance," which for him were Sunni groups such as the 20th Revolutionary Brigade, the Jaish al-Mujahedeen ("Army of Holy Warriors") and the Ansar al-Islam ("Guardians of Islam"). Only a theologian of the muqawama could dissect the lethal ideological differences--especially the virulence of their anti-Americanism--among these groups. But according to Tamimi, the Sunnis saw the light when the Iraqi Shia, with the Iranians behind them, destroyed Sunni military power in Baghdad.
"The biggest strategic danger in Iraq, in the Middle East, is Iran. No other country poses a similar danger to the region," Tamimi added, revealing a disposition that remains common among Sunni Arabs: Iraq's Shia are the stalking horses of Iran's mullahs. Tamimi allowed that if Iran's influence were not so pervasive and dangerous, "then America could go." But until the Shia could prove their "Iraqiness"--Tamimi didn't say how--the Americans should stop the Shia from fully exercising their democratic muscle. I had the impression that Tamimi thought better of Prime Minister Maliki because Maliki had spilled Shiite blood in Basra in the spring of 2008, when he personally led an assault against Shiite militias in the southern city, and because Maliki hadn't objected too loudly when the American surge extended into Sadr City, the stronghold of Moktada al-Sadr. Tamimi, furthermore, regularly enjoys the hospitality of the Rashid Hotel, using it as his preferred meeting point with all the Green Zone Iraqi power brokers. This probably wouldn't happen if Tamimi had a loathing for Maliki. He certainly seemed to dislike the prime minister less than he dislikes Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the Shiite whom Arab Sunnis see as just a (fearsome) creature of Tehran.
The Sunnis of Baghdad didn't do brilliantly in the provincial elections. All told, they got just under 11 percent of the vote. Add to this the ballots of the secular Shiite Ayad Allawi, who always attracts some Sunnis, and the count goes up another 8.6 percent. This election certainly did not dethrone the Baghdad power of the Iraqi Islamic party of Tariq al-Hashemi, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the majority partner on the Tawafiq ("Accordance") list. Men like Tamimi, who were once part of the Sunni resistance but then embraced the Americans and the Awakening, generally aren't fond of Tawafiq Islamists. Virtually alone among Sunni groups, the Islamic party participated in the elections in 2005 and gained local and national power that certainly was not reflective then of the group's real support on the ground.
But it is blessedly clear that Iraq's Sunnis are now wheeling and dealing, trying to ensure, at the polls and behind the scenes with influential and powerful Shiite Arabs, that they can be players--minority stakeholders--in a democratic process. The Sunni dream of domination has in any meaningful sense disappeared. There is, of course, no love lost between the Sunni and Shiite Arabs. It is delusional to hope that these two groups will kiss and make up and pretend, as so many of them once did, that they don't really know or care who is Sunni and Shiite among them; that they're just all Iraqis. That was never true (although it was astonishing to meet American officials back in 2003 and 2004, especially American military advisers, who really did believe the pan-Arab myths that came out of the mouths of many Iraqis).
A danger does exist in Iraq that the Americans could encourage a false hope among the Sunnis that Washington will continue to interfere in the political process and in the domestic security apparatus--the CIA-supported, and heavily Sunni, Iraqi National Intelligence Service comes to mind--and that Sunni Arabs can thereby avoid coming to terms with the fact that they lost the Battle of Baghdad. This is a manageable danger for Washington so long as its concerns about nefarious Iranian influence in Iraq do not induce it to take an increasingly pro-Sunni position, especially when it comes to maintaining Sunni Iraqi security and intelligence forces that are essentially outside the control of the central government. Washington absolutely doesn't want to make Iraq an anti-Iranian battle zone, where we choose our friends primarily by the degree of their hostility towards Tehran's mullahs. The light approach here is certainly the better one.
The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council did not do well in the provincial elections. Neither did the political lists associated with the militant Sadrists. But one should not conclude that these results reflect a growing anti-Iranian or antireligious sentiment among Shiite voters. The Supreme Council could have lost a lot of votes simply because it has done such a poor job in power, in parliament and in many locales. The Dawa, Maliki's party, on a street level is as religious as the SIIC, and probably would have done poorly at the polls for the same reason but for Maliki, whose Basra success last year transformed his and his party's political chances. Fadhila, an Islamist party with its power center in Basra, got creamed in its home town, winning less than 4 percent of the vote. Islamists appear to be gaining a reputation for being unable to manage themselves, let alone the supply of water and power. This may prove lethal. Move away from security issues--as the vast majority of Iraqis are, talking with increasing loudness about bread-and-butter issues--and the performance of Maliki and the Dawa, let alone other more energetically Islamist parties, has hardly been inspiring.
Yet a note of caution: The Sadrists had many obstacles thrown in their way. The electoral law barring any militia from putting forth a candidate list hung over the Sadrists, who feared that their doing so would incline the Dawa and the SIIC, with America's blessing, to disqualify the list. The Dawa, the SIIC, and the Sadrists are all playing for the Shiite poor, who are the overwhelming majority of the Shiite community. The apparently weak showing of the Sadrists may indicate less than the U.S. embassy would like to believe. Only late in the campaign, under the radar of the Western and the Iraqi press, did the Sadrists begin to push their own candidates on the Ahrar ("The Freemen") list, which captured about 9 percent of Baghdad's votes. Increasingly, it's difficult to say what the Sadrists stand for--beyond their claim to be the most authentic voice of the faithful Shiite poor. The early millenarian zeal that made them seem an Iraqi version of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah appears to have dulled considerably, and their base may be up for grabs.
Overall, it's probably fair to say that the Iraqi Shia community has taken several steps back from religion-in-politics and from the Iranians in this election. There is palpable anger among the Shia about the abysmal living conditions of much of the community. No jobs, no affordable housing, no health care, paltry pensions, massive corruption, and petty Shiite Saddamism among elected and appointed officials on the Baghdad gravy train have all combined to foul the moods of many. Senior Shiite clerics, especially in the circles around Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, are disgusted that the 2005 elections produced so much for so few and so little for everyone else.
Sistani, despite the very active--some would say too active--political involvement of his son, Muhammad Rida, backed off endorsing anyone in the provincial elections. There are rumors of dissident clerical circles forming in Najaf, religious scholars who are angry that the Howza, the consensus of senior clerics in the holy city, gave its blessing to the Supreme Council in the last election. For these religious scholars, the Supreme Council and perhaps many of Najaf's more senior clerics have shown themselves to be unworthy of the faithful's trust. The terminal illness of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of SIIC, may make the discussion moot since it is by no means clear that the organization can survive him. Iranian largesse is reportedly not what it once was, and the Supreme Council has failed to develop a grassroots political operation that can nurture talent and loyalty among the Shiite poor. Religion in politics may have gone too far for many Shiites since 2005, and the provincial elections appear to show blowback.
Although it's not hard to find Shiite Iraqis who are thankful for Iranian military aid during the Battle of Baghdad and for softer forms of largesse (Tehran is paying for the refurbishment of the domes of Kazimiyya's shrine, including 800 ounces of new gold leaf), few Shiite Iraqis like the idea of Iranian meddling in their politics. In cosmopolitan Najaf, which contains the shrine to the Caliph Ali, the nephew and son-in-law of the prophet, Iranian pilgrims are everywhere, and both Iraqi and Iranian clerics feel free to speak Persian to each other in the street. There is no sense of linguistic patriotism or priority within the holy city, although everyone realizes that Arabic is the language of God.
In Baghdad, there is no such equanimity. Away from the Kazimiyya shrine, Iranians are few and far between, and Persian is no language with which to make friends. It is a language of foreigners, who may be admired, respected, praised, and feared, but are always alien to what makes Iraqis comfortable with themselves. All Iraqis know Iranians live in a more refined, richer, more powerful civilization. Persian hubris, which Nuri al-Maliki undoubtedly encountered during his exile in Iran, isn't a pretty thing to an Iraqi. If the Americans are wise, they will continue to let culture and language take their course. Counter militarily the Iranian-backed and highly lethal paramilitary "Special Groups," but don't get too paranoid about Iranian agents running amok, buying ministers, generals, and politicians. Patience is the key here. Washington should primarily use soft power and let 1,400 years of history and modern Iraqi nationalism--which, after all, is a Shiite invention--play to its advantage.
Washington now has a breathing spell in Iraq. The national elections in 2005 were all about religious identity. The Shia were under siege. The Sunnis were on the attack. Iraqi society was at war with itself, and we got a wartime result--the Shiite religious parties did well; the secular parties did not. The provincial elections in 2009 were overwhelmingly about post-conflict security--the aftershock of the surge, the Sunni Awakening, and Maliki's armored charge into Basra. The elections empowered, at least on the Shiite side, the status quo. The district of Kazimiyya is again helpful in showing where the Shia are now.
Although covered with garbage, Kazimiyya isn't poor. The pilgrimage trade keeps it well fed. Most of the buildings may be crumbling, but new hotels are opening, a gold-jewelry bazaar is more bustling now than when I first visited it in the spring of 2003, and all the little stores that line the main avenues and the fetid winding alleys show a merchant class in control. Kazimiyya is a tried-and-true historical model in the Islamic world: bazaaris and clerics intermingling to produce a conservative, establishment-loving order. When I visited Moktada al-Sadr's Kazimiyya office, middle-aged and old men, not young firebrands, were everywhere. Once the violence of 2004-07 subsided, Kazimiyya's "middle class" temperament--the yearning for order amid the trash--spread, penetrating into poorer areas, like Sadr City, where the establishment has rarely done much for anyone. For now, older men are in; younger men are out.
And Maliki, at least for now, is the establishment. It is an odd fate for the man who certainly is, as one Iraqi friend put it, "the luckiest bastard in Iraq." Not that long ago, before the fall of Saddam, when Maliki's Dawa party had some intellectual coherence as a die-hard, virulently anti-American, Islamist movement, no one knew Nuri al-Maliki. Even after the fall of Saddam, few well-educated, politically savvy Iraqis, let alone the Americans isolated inside the Green Zone, had any idea who Maliki was. I know a gentleman who once worked with Maliki in exile in Iran and Syria. He was quite explicit: "He's not a nice man." Iraqi exiles in Syria and Iran--unlike those who went to the West--were always under siege. The Syrian and Iranian intelligence services are unpleasant organizations. Even with foreign friends, they can't resist painfully leveraging their home-turf advantage. One has to admire, and pity, Maliki for surviving so long in such company. It no doubt honed skills that now serve him well. Among them seems to be an earthy, suspicious pragmatism that has helped to make the Dawa party today an incomprehensible intellectual mess.
A man of fortitude and irascibility, Maliki displayed boldness in the difficult Basra campaign against the Shiite militias who'd turned the ugliest and dirtiest city in Iraq into a murderous hellhole. Maliki almost got himself killed, scaring the Americans and, it appears, even the Iranians, whose military and financial aid had been instrumental to the growth of the most powerful militias. The mullahs began to recalculate whether they wanted to be responsible for the death of an Iraqi Shiite prime minister. The militias pulled back.
The victory in Basra, combined with the Iraqi Army's improved performance in central Iraq, where the American surge and the Arab Sunni Awakening combined to deliver a death blow to the die-hard jihadists, guaranteed that Maliki would do well in the provincial elections. Since Basra, he has dominated Iraqi TV. And Maliki's relations with Najaf have been fair. His Dawa party, a militant mix of Islamic and Western ideas, has never been beloved among Najaf's mainstream divines, yet it always has earned a grudging respect owing to the intellectual prominence and bravery of its members (many of whom Saddam Hussein hunted and butchered). And Grand Ayatollah Sistani has always had a certain respect for secular Iraqi politicians, especially if they come from well-respected Shiite families--Ahmad Chalabi, for example, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress, has had continuing access to the ayatollah, often to the distress of American officials. The leader of Iraq's oldest Islamist party, Maliki is now seen, more or less, as a man driving secular, not religious, politics.
Post-Saddam Iraq is now post-party. The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which Chalabi engineered with Sistani's blessing to counter the Americans and Sunni Arab revanchism after the fall of Saddam, never had an ideological purpose other than to keep the Shia sufficiently united until they could organize themselves politically and militarily. With the Shiite victory in the Battle of Baghdad, the alliance became superfluous. Similarly, the SIIC now stands for little beyond some vague references to Islamic values. As Islamist political parties go, the SIIC is pathetic, and so is the Dawa.
And the Arab Sunnis are the same: None of their parties means much beyond the personalities of its leaders. The Sunni Islamic party, which has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, might develop a political platform. But beyond its hostility to alcohol, which isn't a winning position in much of Sunni Iraq, it's essentially a vehicle for Tariq al-Hashemi, the dynamic Iraqi vice president. This has always been a weakness of Arab politics. The inherent weakness of Iraq's Islamist parties and of so many prominent Islamist personalities has now played into the hands of the country's more secular politicians and those like Maliki who may (or may not) straddle the religious and secular realms.
But embracing a more secular establishment has its limits, especially in a country that is about to go bankrupt. Established political parties cannot deliver government jobs and desperately need reconstruction projects because the collapse in the price of oil has robbed the central government, and the soon to be empowered provincial councils, of the means to improve the lives of average Iraqis, who in the south live no better than Afghans. Without government ration cards, Iraqis would starve. It is by no means clear that the Iraqi government can even maintain the official and unofficial (that is, corrupt) patronage systems currently in place, which, along with ever-increasing expenditures for the armed forces and police and the state-funded pension system, currently chew up over two-thirds of the country's annual budget. Iraq needs to sell more than 2 million barrels of oil a day at $50 a barrel to stay afloat. In the next 12 months--the prologue to the national elections--Iraq has near zero chance of either significantly increasing production or seeing the necessary price. And it's a good guess that the Obama administration isn't going to come to the rescue with more money. The United States has given over $100 billion in aid to Iraq since 2003. And in Baghdad, where much of that money went, it's hard to see what good it did.
Iraq's debilitating corruption will skyrocket, as officials desperately seek to carve up an ever-shrinking pie. Politicians have been, to some extent, insulated from voter anger over corruption. But we could well see a breaking point. Maliki, who has done nothing to curb such theft even though he personally has avoided the taint of malversation, could well be shaken by the rapidly deteriorating economic situation. Any establishment party--that is anyone who gets too close to Maliki--could get battered.
The opposition parties are already abuzz with the possibilities of hurting, maybe even dethroning, Maliki in parliament. Maliki's authoritarian sentiments and his impulsive behavior don't help his case, though his enemies' plotting is undoubtedly tempered by the knowledge that no one really has any idea what to do about the economic freight train coming at them. As one thoughtful Iraqi politician put it to me, "We're all just screwed." Yet proximity to power means cash--the possibility that you, not your opponent, can milk the system. This is not a good basis for parliamentary government, but it may well be the one with the most resilience in Iraq. And although no one need worry about a military coup so long as the United States is in the country in force, corrupt civilian politicians and bureaucrats presiding over an uncorrupted army (and the new Iraqi officer corps so far seems above it all) is a tried-and-true recipe for military rule.
The United States could get blindsided by a rush of events. Diplomats and CIA officers serve only 12-month tours in Iraq, which means, after you subtract R&Rs, 10 months in country. Even the best officers in the world can't hope to get a grip on a normal country in 10 months' time, let alone a multiethnic, linguistically difficult, religiously complicated land recovering from totalitarianism and four years of bloodletting. Further encumbered by the labyrinthine security procedures of Green Zone life, American officials face a nearly impossible task to collect accurate, penetrating intelligence on what is really happening in the country.
What's worse, the Green Zone mentality has infected the Iraqi political elite. Most of them now live behind the Green Zone's walls. Many of them have their families with them. The Iraqi political elite has developed an unhealthy dependence upon their stronger American neighbors. It insulates politicians from the anger of the street--the heat and pressure that they need to feel to connect with those who are less fortunate. Iraqi politicians ought to live with the same dilapidated public services that most Baghdadis endure.
Solving this Green Zone problem even in the mid-term seems unlikely. Baghdad probably won't be truly safe, especially for prominent politicians, for at least a few more years. By then, the Baghdad political elite may have become too accustomed to living with guards and enjoying the delightful position of damning the Americans while using proximity to American power and wealth to insulate themselves and their families from a disgruntled citizenry. Elections may not be enough to push either incumbents or the newly elected political elite out of the hypocritical comforts of this life.
It's a reasonable guess that if the economic situation deteriorates rapidly before the next national elections, which must be held before January 2010, the Shiites who carry the banner of the poor will rise. That could well mean that the Sadrists will be back, and in much greater force than their current 9 percent of the vote. The older men will have failed, and younger, rasher men will again have their chance. The Sadrists are the most volatile element in Iraqi political life--the possible gateway for truly nefarious Iranian influence. We can only hope that American and Iraqi officials figure out some way of bringing them into the political system. Keeping them outside, amidst the garbage heaps, is not a recipe for a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Iraq.
Reuel Marc Gerecht is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a contributing editor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD.


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You bring your knife to a gun fight, nigga get your mind right
Fucking with DC i send that ass into the next life
Have niggas laughin' at you, mashin' on you, talkin' shit
Smack you up, black you up, tack you up, now picture this
This nigga all on stage lookin' ragidy taking mine
I say no words, I play it cool, then intoduce Tech N9ne
[Tech N9ne]
And if you niggas wanna bang
It's all Jesus ain't nothing but a thing
Real life motherfucker Tecca Nina
Leaving every bitch nigga slain
Call me insinamal criminal individual hit 'em with a foul
So low under investigation by haters that wake mo' show
For the iggana I'm iggatra iveme all of my oneyma
Players get busting when haters discuss it, they shake
Lit makin' hooligans with the lyrical more grand
Lookin' over my shoulder for murder again
I heard my kid got popped up over a girl man
Never been a friend to a foe, a "yes" to a "no"
But I stay blessed like poof, make a nigga guess where I go
Yo, we down 151 bottles of rum quick
Performin' on me keeping it rockin' like some drum sticks
Label the warrent, yeah, making this your first down
And if you got game chop it up like a pound
Knockin' dust to the ground town no for the mentally verbal assassin
With the D to the L-O-C yelling "We keep on blasting"
I'mma get up with my lyrical games
Steadily hell he better be wearing a name creep
With the milla heat under my seat
Cause haters on
"Why they want to hate us" is what I'm thinkin' up in my mind
And that's the same reason why these bustin' igganas are steadily die
Don't people cry, cause they don't know half of the story
There's two sides to everybody's fall
'Fore they duece better take 'em all like school time
It's a road call, all you player haters gon' pairs
Got mad cause you got embarrassed
Now you want to tear my head off cause you jealous (Why?)
Is it because I'mma verbal damage it?
Simmer in up in a image like in I'mma spinach off of selling cannabis
D-Loc and Dalima, the positive the opposite they struggle live
Now that we debated all these haters always lookin' at us
On the rage what we got to give
Boy, this otherna I'mma k (?) put dirt on my (?)
But I ain't stoppin' no kind of progress, my threats with a sideback
Hey got yourself walkin' in Dalima's dark knowin' another project
Hey, know me? Look, it ain't nothin' good, when messin' with G's
Stick to the H-A-S to the E, (?)
[Hook: Tech N9ne] (2X)
These young hooligans be fucking 'em like POW-POW
Anybody playin' hate on 'em
Mitchell Bade they get FUCKED UP
Bitches all be like WHAT WHAT
When I hear a nigga
If you ever fucked with one of my villains
Your asses gettin' FUCKED UP
This city life how can I get passed it
(?) dress can even got their taxes
How can I scape these snakes I was turnt to keep faith
Catch a new case somewhere to run to a new state
I'm livin' real fine, my mind constantly on doing time, smoke me weed
Cut up some green got a finner rhyme (?) GC
These kids sold and I can tell (Tell)
And thuggin' ain't make it and tell me what would we prevail
A threat to a (?)
[Tech N9ne]
(?) I've been around the world and I-I-I...
That's where my grass is greener
Then the next man, when I lecturin'
While hop me off and your best friend contraceptin'
Leave a leftin' and face down now (?) through your vest in
Niggas be mad at me, could have be my lyrical strategy
And they wanna get static
He would think my villains be fuckin' up bitches' anatomy
It's a lot of niggas vill life'in on 'em, we tote guns and you knifin' on 'em
Wanna call rouge dog? Best believe, my niggas be bitin' on 'em
But the Tech N9ne like up in a midwest (?) like in a round fight
Comin' at 'em be the champion, bitches' asses get strapped on
Dalima, D-Loc, DC, Tech N9ne, it's just recorded
Young niggas, such loyalties shall be rewarded
[Hook] (2X)


text:
A recent letter lamenting the mania for scrutinizing the private lives of politicians to obtain political dirt made a valid point. But the author lost me when he implied that the "continuous marital infidelities" of JFK and MLK Jr. were acceptable because of their political accomplishments.
The author was right in that these men changed the moral fabric of our country. They helped normalize infidelity in high places as their political heirs, Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson have demonstrated.
Jesus taught that he who is faithful in that which is least shall be entrusted with much. Can a man who selfishly betrays his wife, his children and his God in "private life," somehow rise above self-interest in public life? If he carelessly breaks his marriage covenant, the most fundamental of all obligations, is he worthy of the oath of office? The notion that public life and character can somehow be divorced from private life and character is one of the greatest lies of our time.
The whole idea of American political liberty hinges on the principle of self-government: Men will enjoy freedom in proportion to their ability to govern their own behavior. A nation of addicts, fornicators, freeloaders and broken families requires more laws, taxation, prison cells and government than a nation of self-governing individuals and strong families.
With the social costs of the culture of fornication evident in broken families, unwanted children, abortion, poverty, debt, prisons, STDs and HIV, why should we elect and even deify leaders whose personal examples justify and encourage the problem?
With all its social costs, why doesn't the humanist left take up a campaign against the culture of fornication? Because evolutionary theory, by reducing human behavior to the product of genetics and environment, has liberated us from higher expectations. Instead of virtue, we push free condoms, abortions and government welfare.
And we must overlook the "private" behavior of the public servant because, from an evolutionary perspective, he does what comes naturally. It is unrealistic to expect him to rise above his "human failings" (evolution's euphemism for sin).
The content of one's character is measured not in great speeches and policy initiatives, but by what men do and say in private. I thank God for a Savior who inspires higher ideals and who came to set us free from servitude to sin and the hopelessness of humanistic thought.
Lorne Blackman
Walla Walla
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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Peninsula Youth Theatre, Mountain View, CA, USA
Peninsula Youth Theatre provides youth in the Bay Area to learn and grow through theatrical experiences. PYT offers classes, camps, black box plays and elaborate main stage musical opportunities. All of the programs are educational, and participants enjoy the social and emotional benefits of working together as a team to produce a high-quality end product. Many kids in the community who come to see PYT shows are exposed to the performing arts for the first time. So, whether a participant, and audience member, or both, Peninsula Youth Theatre is an important resource.
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Review for Peninsula Youth Theatre, Mountain View, CA, USA
Peninsula Youth Theater offers kids in our community the chance to participate in a variety of high-quality dramatic programs. From our summertime Theater in the Park camps to the educational Stories on Stage performances during the school year to our fabulous Center Stage musical productions there is something for every family. Our fabulous teachers, directors, and other artistic staff give the kids a chance to grow and learn about themselves in a positive, supportive environment.


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End the Agony
Quite frankly, the airlines have turned regional travel into a nightmare of frustration; and driving on congested highways is even worse. Linear Air is about making your regional air travel simpler, easier and better. With well over 20 years of flying experience in our operation, Linear Air understands where the pain points are in air travel and we've designed our service to eliminate them.
Our origins set our mission
Linear Air's mission is to transform regional air travel by providing a new option in air travel for people who value their time and freedom from hassles.
- Our story: A letter from William Herp, CEO
- Linear Air seeks million-dollar investment to fund expansion.
Go anywhere you want
Linear Air started with service primarily to/from the Northeast U.S., but we are expanding our geography steadily as we add partner operators. While we can pick you up and drop you off anywhere, flights originating from our base areas will be the most cost effective.
Current base areas include: New England / Boston; New York City; Salt Lake City / Park City; Atlanta / Southeast; Florida / Gainesville and Sarasota; and Northern California/Southern Oregon.
Our plan is to introduce service soon to cover the entire continguous United States! Please reach out if you're curious when we might add a base in your area, or if you'd like to be notified when we do.
Partnerships are how we provide value-added services for our customers. Whether you're interested in learning more about some of the companies that we work with, or becoming a Linear Air partner, please visit our partnership page for more information.


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Ferris State currently has no restrictions on admission of residents of this state to our online programs. We look forward to having you as a Ferris Bulldog!
Ferris State University makes every effort to provide high quality education in our
online programs. Ferris State also has established policies and procedures to assist
students in resolving concerns or issues they may encounter. A listing of specific
policies for addressing various types of complaints and the escalation of complaints
at Ferris State University may be found here: http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/admision/financialaid/complaints.htm.
Students are encouraged to pursue resolution to complaints within Ferris State University prior to escalation of the complaint to external agencies, as the university's personnel will be in the best position to remedy any concerns.
Complaints regarding broad institutional academic practices, such as those that raise issues regarding the University's ability to meet accreditation standards, may be forwarded to our accrediting agency. See this link for the process to submit a complaint to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association as well as their contact information: http://ncahlc.org/HLC-Institutions/complaints.html
The state of Utah also provides an avenue for residents of Utah to make a formal complaint. You may contact the Utah Division of Consumer Protection by accessing this link:
If you have additional questions about Ferris online programs and/or how this might impact residents from your state, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Pa Hin Sai
Rustic flashpacker style
What we say:
The very rustic Pa Hin Sai runs along the northern edge of glorious To Khian beach and that is every bit what you are paying for -- the beach. The wooden bungalows are each a little different but they're mostly oversized, with beds just mattresses on the floor and little in the way of creature comforts aside from lazy deck chairs and a table to place your drink on. The bathroom in the room we were shown was fume-y and a little grotty. On the upside the rooms have decent terraces and nearly all would enjoy good beach views. There a restaurant and bar area that overlooks the beach and there's an eclectic collection of hammocks and lazy chairs cast about. Overall, it wouldn't take much to much this a great place to stay, and the beach is stunning -- it's just a shame the bungalows are not better maintained.
Make a reservation online now
Contact details:Northern end of Ao Ta Khian.
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What we were quoted
|Type of room
|Low season
|High season
|Bungalow fan private b'room
|1,500 baht
|2,000 baht
Added to Travelfish on: 19th May, 2013
Last visited or updated on: 6th June, 2014
Stuart McDonald co-founded Travelfish.org with Samantha Brown in 2004. He has lived in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, where he worked as an under-paid, under-skilled language teacher, an embassy staffer, a newspaper web-site developer, freelancing and various other stuff. His favourite read is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton.
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ASCMV hosts pet adoptions: The Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley shelter staff and volunteers will facilitate dog, cat, puppy and kitten adoptions Saturday. In addition to adoptions from the shelter at 3551 Bataan Memorial West, adoptions also will take place at two off-site pet adoption events. From 8:30 a.m. to noon, adoptions will take place at the farmers' market in downtown Las Cruces. Dogs available for adoption will be located at the north end of the mall. Cats can be adopted from the offices of the Center for Spiritual Living at the north end of the mall, across from the site where the dog adoptions take place. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., adoptions also will be facilitated at PetCo, 3050 E. Lohman. Adoption fees are $75 for dogs/ puppies and $50 for cats/kittens. The fee includes the first set of vaccinations, spay/neuter and microchip. At the PetCo event, microchipping for pets that already have homes will be available to the public for $20, and city pet licenses will be available to neutered pets for $5 each. Licenses for unneutered pets are $25 each. Proof of spay/neuter is required before a $5 license will be issued. Pet owners also must bring current proof of rabies vaccination for each animal to be licensed. Daily cat adoptions are available at both PetCo, 3050 E. Lohman, and Pet's Barn, 1600 S. Valley Drive. The ASCMV also offers low-cost spay/neuter operations at the rate of $35 for dogs and $25 for cats. Appointments: 575-382-0018.
Volunteers needed: Dedicated transport drivers who are able to handle rambunctious adult dogs and puppies are needed for transport services on Saturday mornings in conjunction with off-site adoption initiatives. Volunteers must be 18 or older with valid registration, driver's license and insurance. An application form can be obtained by contacting the shelter's volunteer coordinator at email@example.com. Orientation and training provided and required prior to volunteering with ASCMV. Info: 575-382-0018, or ascmv.org. People who are hearing-impaired can call 575-541-2182. Shelter hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. You can also visit the ASCMV's Facebook page for information about the Pet of the Week and other services and news items. The facility is in need of donations of dog crates, towels, blankets and long-strand shredded paper. Volunteers also are needed to assist with animal care and socializing, as well as helping to facilitate cat adoptions on Saturdays.
Yappy Hour: The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at St. Clair Winery & Bistro, 1720 Avenida de Mesilla, on the outside lawn and patio. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome. Be sure to dress up your pooch for the "Best Carnival Outfit" contest for prizes. Free treats for dogs; wine, beer and food available for people from the menu. Door prizes, emcee Wayne Sinclair and live entertainment by Hank Greenholdt. A $5 donation at the door benefits the Doña Ana County Humane Society and the Spay and Neuter Action Program. Info: 575-642-2648.
Safe Haven summer adoptions: Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary will hold "Summer Saturdays" 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the sanctuary on Saturday and the first two Saturdays of each following month. There are about 80 cats and dogs awaiting new homes. These adoption events will include tours of the sanctuary and visits with the pets. Hot dogs and refreshments will be available. Take Hwy. 70 to the Holman Road exit, then north to El Centro and right to 6890 Eagle Road. Safe Haven is a no-kill, nonprofit organization. Info: 575-527-4544 or shaspets.com.
APA July adoption specials: To celebrate the grand opening of its Furrever Home adoption facility this month, ACTion Programs for Animals is offering a July adoption special. All animals are half off their regular adoption fees ($37.50 for dogs and $25 for kittens), and adult cats are still being offered for $9 as part of the Best Friends national "9 Lives for $9" campaign. APA has many socialized mother cats needing homes; these cats were rescued with kittens from the shelter during this year's Save a Kitten Project. They also have some who are not as social who would be ideal as barn cats, shop cats, etc. Also coming up at the facility are monthly TNR (trap-neuter-return) presentations at 6 p.m. this evening and the first Monday of each month. Feral cat expert Joe Miele teaches people how to humanely and responsibly care for our community's free-roaming cats. Info: 575-644-0505, 575-571-4654 (Furrever Home), actionprogramsforanimals.org and on Facebook by searching APALasCruces and DonaAnaPetsAlive.


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Question Asked:
my car wont start. i took a diagnostic test and gave me 2 codes they are p0750 and p0755. i looked them up on my device and said that they are the shift selinoids A.andB. could that be why my car wont start? and is there anything i can do??
Question Asked:
ok well i got a 2002 hyundai elantra and it wouldent start so i did a diagnostic test and gave me the code p0750 and p055. i looked it up and it said shift solenoid A and B. what do i do now???
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Would You Rather Eat Polenta or Pasta?
by partysugar
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Both are classic Italian starches and serve as the perfect accompaniment for, well, anything really — though I'm partial to pairing either with a great red sauce. Still, I end up eating more pasta, simply because I see it more commonly on restaurant menus. However, when I find a polenta dish, I'm always pleasantly surprised and usually make it my order. Fit finds that both have nutritional perks. What do you think?
Photos courtesy of Flickr users reedwade and James Wheare
Read More Which Would You RatherPolentaPastaPoll
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danakscully64 5 years
Pasta, but I've never had polenta outside of the tubes. Does anyone have a delicious polenta recipe they can share? (Vegetarian or easily vegetarianized one)
Soniabonya 5 years
Wait? Polenta is like cream of wheat or malt o meal? I LOVE that stuff. I do eat it sweet with a little bit of brown sugar. I could eat that every freaking day. But.... there is something about pasta that is delicious too. And I just love putting cheese over it :)
Soniabonya 5 years
Wait? Polenta is like cream of wheat or malt o meal? I LOVE that stuff. I do eat it sweet with a little bit of brown sugar. I could eat that every freaking day. But.... there is something about pasta that is delicious too. And I just love putting cheese over it :)
socalbeachgal 5 years
I've had polenta a few times and didn't care much for it, pasta for me, please!
onlysourcherry 5 years
It seems that I stand alone on this, but I can't stand polenta's texture!
ticamorena 5 years
Í can't possible choose between the two, any more than I could choose one type of pasta (rigatone or linguine, penne or spaghetti?) or between different types of grains (corn or wheat, oats or spelt?)but I love the versatility of polenta but certain sauces can only be eaten with pasta (carbonara for example)
neonbee 5 years
I'm a pasta person.
neonbee 5 years
I'm a pasta person.
Spectra 5 years
I usually eat polenta as a sweet thing...like Cream of Wheat with a bit of maple syrup and butter. For savory dishes, I prefer whole wheat pasta.
rainydaybleus 5 years
what a great question... polenta has been the hot food item in my household lately. for the longest time we thought we didn't like it, guess we were wrong.
betty-kraker 5 years
pasta i have never tried polenta but if its anything like grits i wouldn't like it
paulasmithy 5 years
Maybe it's because of my southern upbringing, but nothing says comfort to me like a nice, soft polenta. I also love it fried so it's crispy and chewy and still soft and yielding in the middle. Mmmm... polenta.


text: In their daredevil winter sport, ski jumpers race down a steep ramp at speeds exceeding 55 mph before launching into the air and flying more than 330 feet, making a knee-jarring landing on the snow. The longest jump doesn't always win, however, as participants also are judged on the style of their flight and landing. The two individual events feature identical formats but with different-sized hills. There are two rounds of jumping, with 35 of the 50 starters advancing to the second jump. The person with the best combined score from both jumps wins. The team event features four athletes from every country taking turns to perform one jump each, with the scores added together. The top eight teams advance to the final round.


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Suva Elementary School
Public School | Grades K-5 | Montebello Unified
Bell Gardens, CA 90201
(562) 927-1827
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Suva Elementary School Reviews
Good School, Staff does well with such limited resources.
Reviewed on
The Staff at Suva has a tough job, the children that attend this school come in with limited skills and need extra support. The staff tries to provide that extra support by offering after school tutoring and encourage their student to always put forth their best effort. Fifth grade staff is excellent, they hold student accountable and they always encourage their students to stay after class for homework support if they need it. Good school!
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I'm going to be out in Prescott for the first week of August.
I'm going to be looking at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical university and I also want to get a good idea of the scenery and what's around in the area as far as biking and parks and such.
Can anyone recommend a good place to rent a mountain bike from and possibly a good trail to get a good look at the landscape of the area?
I'm not looking for anything too difficult, but not too easy either.


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BNA - For Australian and visiting cyclists from Road to MTB, to Track to Freestyle
WTB: SYD: 26" Rear wheel
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WTB: SYD: 26" Rear wheel
In syd, 2170 want to buy 26" rear wheel for a mtb. 6 gear cassette. Doesn't need tube or tyre, just the wheel itself. Don't care too much about condition or small amount of rust, as long as it is in perfect working order.
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text:
DOF is affected by magnification and f-stop. So no real difference between tubes and extender there.
Listen to David:
Teleconverters add a mostly not very well corrected assembly of optics to a (hopefully) well corrected lens.
Extension tubes allow the lens to show what it is made of.
I'd chose extension tubes any time.


text:
James Clifford Pollard (The Kangaroo Kid)
Position: Small Forward ▪ Shoots: Right
Height: 6-4 ▪ Weight: 185 lbs.
Born: July 9, 1922 in Oakland, California
Died: January 22, 1993
High School: Oakland Technical in Oakland, California
College: Stanford University
Draft: Chicago Stags, 1947 BAA Draft
NBL Career: 59 G, 760 PTS, 12.9 PPG (Full Record)
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1978 (Full List)
As Coach: 5 Yrs, 130-165, .441 W-L% (Full Record)
As Executive: FLO franchise, 1968-1969 (Full Record)
Other Pages: College Basketball Stats
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Telenav gives us an early peek at future updates to its mobile navigation app for Android and iPhone.
Map and traffic data giant purchases upstart police speed-trap reporting app and service for an undisclosed sum.
Apple's new Maps app has users around the world tearing their hair out in frustration. Here are some of the best alternatives — from free, all the way through to premium.
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Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to reject DUI checkpoint-locating apps.
The battle between lawmakers and app makers over applications that alert users to police presence has its first casualty. Meanwhile, similar apps on other platforms count themselves lucky, for now.
We drive the Honda CR-Z, and await the new VW Golf R; ratting out speed traps gets kinda legit; the VW that sounds like a guitar; and Google plays smashmouth with the auto nav industry.
Stating bluntly what many automotive manufacturers are starting to realize, Google released an ad that says the future of navigation and infotainment is probably on your phone.


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So many PSD's, so little time. My favorite is the blonde girl's missing reflection in the pool/fountain/whatever at the bottom of the screen. There's plenty more, but I'll leave the rest of the fun of pointing them out to you guys. How many disasters can you find and what's your favorite?
Thanks Michiel. You can find the original on the AutoWeek site.


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I have recently started experimenting with the 80s and Rodinal combination, since the recommended developing times were all quite unsatisfactory for me.
I shot the film at ASA 40, and developed for 9min at 20º C. Shots were all bracketed, shot un-fitlered, with a red filter, and with a 715nm IR filter...
These shots can be seen on my blog, all together for good comparison. Since this is my first post, I can paste a link yet... my website is www dot martinzimelka dot com and my blog can be found there.
There is really a lack of shadow detail, even at ASA 40! As Film Niko mentioned, I also suspect that this film in Rodinal might require shooting it at ASA 20 or less.
I want to try this film in Studional, which I've heard is close to HC110 (TRUE/FALSE???), however, I think the film will need to be pulled as well.


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Are you Hsin-Jung Li?Claim your profile
Publications (4)1.99 Total impact
Article: Association of CT60 polymorphism of the CTLA4 gene with Graves' disease in Taiwanese children[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The CTLA4 gene is involved in the activity of T cells. To determine the association between Graves' disease (GD) susceptibility and CT60 polymorphism of the CTLA4 gene. 189 children with GD and 620 healthy controls. We determined the genotype with restriction fragment length polymorphism and compared results. Genotype G/G was significantly associated with GD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-2.44, Pc = 0.006); however, allele A could reverse its effect. Allele G was significantly more frequent (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.18-2.19, Pc = 0.0049) but allele A (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.85, Pc = 0.0049) and phenotype A (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.41-0.83, Pc = 0.006) were less frequent in patients with GD than in controls. The CT60 SNP was associated with susceptibility to GD. The G allele increased the risk of GD.Journal of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism: JPEM 08/2008; 21(7):665-72. DOI:10.1515/JPEM.2008.21.7.665 · 1.00 Impact Factor
Article: Clinical and laboratory characteristics of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents: Experience from a medical center[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing rapidly worldwide, predominantly in younger individuals. We developed a checklist of all symptoms of T1D reported in the literature and compared the completeness of the recording of symptoms at initial presentation before and after the checklist was adopted. We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients newly diagnosed with T1D from January 1, 1979 through September 30, 2006 to assess the presenting features and test the usefulness of a symptom checklist in evaluating the history on presentation. The checklist was incorporated into the records as of October 1, 1994. Of the 304 patients identified, 130 (43%) had checklists in the charts. There were 146 (48%) boys, 98 (32%) who were diagnosed under the age of 6 years, and 198 (65%) presented with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Records with a checklist noted diabetic symptoms that were subtle and easily ignored more often than records without the checklist. As compared with those diagnosed at an older age, patients diagnosed at < or = 6 years were more likely to be male, have DKA and a shorter symptom duration, and report more episodes of preceding viral infection and dyspnea. Patients with DKA also had a shorter symptom duration. A diabetic symptom checklist was helpful in identifying clinical diabetic symptoms and signs which were otherwise easily ignored. Younger children were more likely to have a shorter symptom duration and a higher incidence of DKA.Acta paediatrica Taiwanica = Taiwan er ke yi xue hui za zhi 05/2007; 48(3):119-24.
- [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children and adolescents is increasing in incidence worldwide. It is the leading type of newly diagnosed diabetes in Taiwan among school children. T2DM is associated with metabolic syndrome in adults, so we tried to find out if these metabolic disorders are present in children. From 1989 to 2003, 22 children and adolescents were diagnosed with T2DM in our hospital. Their ages ranged from 8.8 to 17.0 (11.7+/-2.3) years; 6 of them were boys. We compared their clinical characteristics with those of 42 healthy and 237 obese children and adolescents. Physical examination was performed and plasma glucose and serum cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, creatinine, HDL-cholesterol, and insulin levels were measured and LDL-cholesterol was calculated. Demographic and laboratory data were compared among the T2DM, obese and control groups. The female: male ratio among the patients was 2.7: 1; 18% were overweight and 68% obese, and 64% had acanthosis nigricans. There were no significant differences between the T2DM and obese groups in terms of biochemistry profiles except for the higher plasma glucose in the T2DM group. Children with T2DM had higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides but lower levels of HDL-cholesterol compared with healthy children. Among obese children without T2DM, the levels of glucose, triglycerides, uric acid, insulin, HOMA-IR were higher than in the healthy group, and HDL-cholesterol levels were lower. Children with T2DM or obesity should be evaluated for metabolic disorders.Acta paediatrica Taiwanica = Taiwan er ke yi xue hui za zhi 07/2006; 47(4):187-91.
- [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The CBLB gene functions as a negative regulator of autoimmunity. Impairment of the Cbl-b signaling pathway may contribute to human autoimmune disease. dbSNP rs2305035 is a C/T polymorphism located in exon 10 of the CBLB gene. We report an association study of this polymorphism in children with Graves' disease. The patients were 158 unrelated children (125 girls) with Graves' disease, aged 9.8 +/- 3.3 years. The controls consisted of 237 adults without a history of autoimmune disease. The C allele and phenotype frequencies of patients and controls were 247 (78.2%) vs 356 (75.1%) (OR = 1.19, p >0.05) and 151 (95.6%) vs 221 (93.2%) (OR = 1.56, p >0.05), respectively. The allelic polymorphism in patients and controls with and without DRB1*09012 were also not significantly different. This study demonstrates that the C/T polymorphism in exon 10 of the CBLB gene is not associated with Graves' disease in children.Journal of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism: JPEM 11/2005; 18(11):1119-26. DOI:10.1515/JPEM.2005.18.11.1119 · 1.00 Impact Factor
Top Journals
San Martín de PorresGeneral San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina
Mackay Memorial Hospital
T'ai-pei, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Pediatrics


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Even though Mamiya list the lens coverage as fairly large I doubt any lenses beyond a 150mm lens would work for LF due to vignetting at the rear of the lens mount. I ran into the same problem with using mamiya press lenses for 4x5. The numbers must be for the optics only. I looked at photos of the 180, 250, 350 and 500 and none of them look like they would work without vignetting.
Actually the 150 rear element is a little recessed, so it is possible it could vignette also.
The 90mm looks like it barely covers 4x5, so no movements and the 127mm lens probably would work also, but I dont have a 127mm lens laying around to look at.
I think also another downer is the weight. My RB 90mm lens weighs almost 2#.
3 rb lenses would weigh more than my super graphic with a 150mm G-Claron lens.
It an interesting idea though.


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1998 Chevrolet Astro • 120,000 miles
The van wont start in cold weather and sometimes has a slow start in cool weather or first start of the day, new battery, timing good, spark good, fuel pressure good, recently had new plugs wires dist cap and gear and rotor, also recently intake manifold gaskets replaced, and new igmition coil
March 12, 2013.
March 12, 2013.
What is the fuel pressure when this is happening?
Mar 12, 2013.
Mar 12, 2013.
60 before crank and 54 during crank.
That's a bit too low. It needs a minimum of 56-57 to start in cold weather.
You sure? It has a new gas pump. I forgot to add that to the list.
Yes, I am sure. You should be seeing over 60 with no vacuum and this engine is VERY pressure sensitive.
Okay, thanks a ton, on a side note, any tips on shutting up a ticking lifter?
Mar 21, 2013.
Mar 21, 2013.
Put a quart of Marvel Mystery oil in it and see if it's just sticky.
Mar 21, 2013.
Mar 21, 2013.
Hallo my name is fabrizio I have a problem !!!!! my hummer h3 of 2006 cold engine vibration, heat better, but it accelerates well and the engine makes a clanking noise I replaced ...
3 answers • 2006 Hummer H3 • 47,000 miles
1992 Lexus ES 300 My lexus does not have a fuel pressure test port. How do I check the fuel pressure?
1 answer • 1992 Lexus ES 300
Engine Performance problem 1998 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 110000 miles At cold start the fuel pressure was 10 lbs (key on, no engine running). After starting ...
5 answers • 1998 Ford Taurus
Engine Performance problem 2005 BMW X5 6 cyl All Wheel Drive Automatic 40000 miles how much fuel pressure should build up on the fuel line when you turn the switch on for a 3.0i ...
1 answer • 2005 BMW X5


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Annenberg grant drives diversity
A $5 million grant will fund a long-term USC Annenberg initiative to support students and young professionals from communities underrepresented in the news industry.
Helton named permanent coach as Pac-12 title game looms
Clay Helton, who as interim head coach guided the Trojan football team to a berth in this weekend's Pac-12 Championship Came, has been named the Trojans' permanent head coach. Tickets are still available for Saturday's game in Santa Clara.
The computer knows: It's not what you say, it's how you say it
An interdisciplinary team led by USC's Shrikanth Narayanan and Panayiotis Georgiou has developed a computer algorithm that can predict whether you and your spouse will have a stronger or weaker relationship based on the tone of voice used when speaking to each other.
USC Dornsife students make an environmental difference
By learning the intricacies of successful grant writing, they're finding new and creative ways to help the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


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Monthly screenings of New Mexico's finest independent films
Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m.
At The Performance Space at La Tienda
Yes, it can happen here. The documentary "Rooted Lands" follows residents of nearby Mora and San Miguel counties as they mobilize to protect their communities from the threat of hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking. The film's breathtaking cinematography celebrates the landscapes and cultures of the area and makes their battle all that more crucial and affecting. If you are concerned about the future of our environment, you won't want to miss "Rooted Lands."
Q and A with filmmakers Renea Roberts and Nancy Dickenson follows the screening.
$5 suggested at the door
REEL NEWMEXICO kicks off the 2013 season witha new film by two of last year's most popular filmmakers.
"Still Dreaming" is a documentary feature from Jilann Spitzmiller and Hank Rogerson, makers of last year's award-winning, standing-room-only "Shakespeare Behind Bars." Where the 2012 film chronicled a production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in a medium security Kentucky prison, "Still Dreaming" tells the story of the high-stakes return to the stage by a group of entertainers living at a home for aging actors just outside Manhattan.
A work-in-progress, shown for audience feedback, "Still Dreaming" follows two young co-directors and an ensemble of actors in their eighties who mount a production of the Bard's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." After six eventful weeks of rehearsals, they pull off two vibrant performances for friends and family. Along the way, the film explores hard questions about what should be asked of senior citizens and what they should ask of themselves, whether creativity is an essential human endeavor even into old age, and what is the value of community and intergenerational endeavors.
With the exception of this year's opening program, set for February 21, all screenings take place on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at The Performance Space in La Tienda, a comfortable 100-seat venue with state-of-the-art equipment, located at Eldorado, off 285 just 10 minutes south of the Plaza. A contribution of five dollars is suggested at the door. More about Reel New Mexico and directions to the venue can be found at www.reelnewmexico.com


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Resolution: standard / high
Figure 4.
Location of uniquely core haloarchaeal orthologous genes, or ucHOGs, coded on the chromosome of Halobacterium sp. NRC-1. Map of Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 chromosome indicating the location of the 55 tucHOG (green), and 28 nucHOG (orange) genes. The nucHOG0027 gene present on the inverted repeat regions of pNRC100 and pNRC200 in Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 is not shown.
Capes et al. BMC Genomics 2012 13:39 doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-39


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The 4X video game genre is a sub-genre of the strategy genre. The name comes from the 4 "X"'s that comprise a summary of the genre's gameplay:
- X-Plore: Look around and find interesting things.
- X-Pand: Build more cities/colonies/space stations on the territory you just found.
- X-Ploit: Improve the cities/colonies/space stations through various means, making the most of the resources you have acquired.
- X-Terminate: Use those resources to kill everyone who isn't you and take their stuff.
open/close all folders
Tabletop Games
- As noted below, Avalon Hill's Civilization served as an inspiration for Sid Meier's video game of the same name.
- Fantasy Flight Games brought out a board game version of Sid Meier's Civilization in 2010, designed by Kevin Wilson. The game remains mostly faithful to its PC counterpart, with production, research, combat, multiple victory conditions and a hidden map to explore, while condensing the whole experience to around 4 hours.
- Twilight Imperium is basically Master of Orion as a boardgame.
- Empires of the Void is another Space 4X boardgame, though as one reviewer points out, it lacks the eXploration component because the entire map is visible from the beginning of the game.
Video Games
- Age of Empires is a Real-Time Strategy variation.
- Age of Wonders, a Spiritual Successor to Master of Magic.
- Ascendancy was a game that let you control your species from the individual-planet-level project to managing the entire empire of star systems. It featured no less than twenty-one species, each with a different special ability - and humans aren't one of them.
- Aurora (4X) is a freeware 4X space game, and is considered the Dwarf Fortress of 4X games. it is notable for its expansiveness and unintuitive user interface (like Dwarf Fortress) and may be one of the most complicated space 4X games ever created. The game is more like a series of spreadsheets and drop-down lists than an actual game. Planets are generated with tectonics and ecosystems, ships must be carefully crafted with much thought put into the targeting and guidance systems as well as a whole plethora of minute details, armies and civilizations can be determined down to the individual person, needless to say this game is VERY detailed. It's available here.
- The Civilization series invented, refined or codified most of the tropes of this genre. It allows the player to shepherd a civilization through Earth's history. It was originally based on a board game by Avalon Hill that allowed you to play from the Stone Age to the Roman Empire era.
- Fall from Heaven is one of the more well-known Civilization Game Mods.
- Colonization is Civilization in America! Though it has some significant differences: no tech tree, and most units are very, very specialized. Also, Wonders are replaced by "Founding Fathers" (plus Pocahontas.)
- Civilization: Call to Power is an in-name-only Civilization game/spin-off which features similar gameplay to Civilization II along with its own unique gameplay features. It also had units which didn't appear in the Civilization series proper, such as lawyers and mecha, until much later.
- Civilization: Beyond Earth, spin-off of Civilization V and Spiritual Successor to Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri.
- Crusader Kings
- Deadlock and its successor Deadlock II had different races fighting over a series of planets within a "Dark Cloud". The original game had only one planet; in the sequel, the races discovered that there was actually a series of planets further in, all formerly owned by a mysterious ancient race. The plot revolved around finding the technologies and temples left behind by this ancient race.
- Distant Worlds
- Elemental - War of Magic, a Spiritual Successor to Master of Magic.
- Endless Legend
- Endless Space
- The four Dominions games revolves around various entities attempting to achieve godhood through the expedient method of wiping out all competition. 4 adds the option to win by claiming and holding certain important locations instead, at which point you ascend and presumably destroy all competition afterwards.
- Europa Universalis
- Free Civ is a very customizable Civilization clone.
- Galactic Civilizations and its sequel, GalCiv 2.
- Gihrens Greed is a 4X game based on Gundam, specifically the Universal Century continuity.
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron: Spiritual Successor to Imperium Galactica II and borrows heavily from Master of Orion and Homeworld.
- Imperium Galactica and its sequel.
- King of Dragon Pass is a strange example including lots of RPG and Visual Novel elements.
- Light of Altair, a welcoming, simplified indie title.
- Master of Magic, a fantasy-themed spinoff of Master of Orion, below.
- The term "4X" was coined in a review of the first installment of the Master of Orion series. Master of Orion 3 riffed off this by including "The X's" as actual MacGuffins within the game, including a semi-mythical "5th X".
- Neptune's Pride and its sequel, Triton, are browser-based free-to-play 4X games. They're played in real time, but very slowly, with travel times between stars measured in hours and resources paid out once per day. A typical game lasts from a few weeks to a month or more.
- Pandora First Contact is a 4x game, made as a spiritual successor to Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri
- Rise of Nations, created when its developers realized they wanted a Real Time Civilization game.* It's an RTS with a "Risk"-Style Map, but covers a lot of the same ground.
- Rise of Legends is its sequel, using a similar resource and map system, but instead of real-world civilizations it has a three-sided war between Steam Punk Italian city-states, Arabian Nights-style desert nomad magicians, and South Americans led by Ancient Astronauts.
- Shores of Hazeron is a MMO 4X played from the first person perspective.
- Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri is the spiritual "sequel" to Civilization IN SPACE!. The game's tagline is "Explore. Discover. Build. Conquer." They even managed to integrate that into the gameplay on a second level: Technologies are divided into types (Explore=scout/exploration/environmental technologies, Discover=pure science, Build=industrial technologies, Conquer=military tech) and a player can have the AI "Governor" of any given base focus on one or more tracks if he/she doesn't care for micromanaging.
- This game is also a bit rare among 4Xs for having a general plot. Through quotes when you construct structures, research technologies, and complete projects(Wonders), a loosely connected story is told, and a Canon game progression is hinted at.
- Sid Meier's Starships is a turn-based strategy with the player controlling a fleet of ships exploring space.
- Sins of a Solar Empire is a spacegoing Real-Time Strategy game with shades of 4X.
- Spaceward Ho! is an interstellar 4X game with a Western theme.
- Space Empires, a series of highly-customizable 4X games with such an extensive system of micromanagement as to make the micromanagement need in the Civ games pale in comparison.
- Spore plays like one of these during the Tribal and Civilization Stages of the game.
- Starbase Orion started off as an iOS port for Master of Orion but has evolved since then.
- Star*Drive is a realtime example.
- Star Ruler is another Real-Time Strategy take.
- Star Ruler 2 refines the 4X mechanics of the first game.
- Stars Beyond Reach is half a hex-based 4X and half city builder.
- Sword of the Stars: Turn-based on the strategic level, real-time on the tactical level. The intro even mentions two of the "x"s by name (and uses "conquer" instead of the last).
- The Tone Rebellion, a unique Real-Time Strategy with 4X elements.
- Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun
- Warlock: Master Of The Arcane
- The X-Universe series is a real time space simulation like Elite that revolves around Mega Corp. management. The series' motto: "Trade. Fight. Build. Think."
- X-COM: UFO Defense combines 4X base-building and Real Time with Pause interception missions with turn-based tactical battles. Terror from the Deep and Apocalypse follow in this trend (though Apocalypse modifies it significantly); Interceptor, Enforcer and the 2K Marin version abandon this.
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown returns to the tradition.
- The board/computer game Empire that is the source of the Wopuld family's wealth in Iain Banks' The Steep Approach to Garbadale is a particularly complicated one of these. A similar game, Despot, features in his earlier novel Complicity. The author is a confirmed fan of the genre; he's gone on record saying Civilization is one of his favorite games of all time.
- The Solar Empires series of video games in Austin Grossman's You are 4X games (among other things.) The term itself is dropped in the text.


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I didn't travel much when I was younger but I've been trying to make up for it. Most of my travels have been in city centres but I did manage a week driving around Scotland that left me with little doubt as to why Nova Scotia became new Scotland... Around town I'm much like anyone else, I enjoy getting out with friends and try new restaurants as well as visiting old favourites. Definitely more of a pub guy than a club guy when it comes to going out.
Other odd little tidbits about me... I'll confess to be one of the few guys in Canada that couldn't skate if his life depended on it. As well.... despite being from NS I hate lobster... you're welcome to have my share. I read a fair bit although I have to admit the guilty pleasures are sci-fi and mystery novels (cotton candy for the brain I like to say).
I'm looking for someone intelligent and outgoing who's willing to try new things.


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Photos: Evan Grant's top all-time Rangers draft picks Nos. 40-11
Photo: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
No. 29 LHP Jim Umbarger (16th round, 1974) – With 24 wins over four seasons, Umbarger ranks 10th in
wins by a left-hander in Rangers history and fifth among lefties that were drafted by the club. Umbarger
was traded to Oakland in 1977 for Claudell Washington, then was sold back to the Rangers later that
year. Call it a win-win for Texas.
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