text: More from SI Johnny Manziel's dad hopes his son goes to jail Johnny Manziel's dad hopes his son goes to jail Manziel's father: 'Druggie' son belongs in jail Manziel's father: 'Druggie' son belongs in jail Manziel's lawyer sends text to AP Manziel's lawyer sends text to AP Tarvaris Jackson arrested for pulling gun on wife Tarvaris Jackson arrested for pulling gun on wife Jackson arrested for allegedly pulling gun on wife Jackson arrested for allegedly pulling gun on wife Manziel's lawyer 'accidentally' sends text to AP Manziel's lawyer 'accidentally' sends text to AP NFL to interview players in Al-Jazeera PED report NFL to interview players in Al-Jazeera PED report Who are the best edge rushers in the NFL? Who are the best edge rushers in the NFL? Phins, Bucs, Jags donating to OneOrlando Fund Phins, Bucs, Jags donating to OneOrlando Fund NFL off-season news, rumors on free agency, more NFL off-season news, rumors on free agency, more By Chat Sports Hornets draft Malachi Richardson, trade to Kings Hornets draft Malachi Richardson, trade to Kings Jim Harbaugh does not miss coaching in the NFL Jim Harbaugh does not miss coaching in the NFL Deion Sanders has some advice for Ezekiel Elliott Deion Sanders has some advice for Ezekiel Elliott Chip Kelly and Colin Kaepernick need one another Chip Kelly and Colin Kaepernick need one another Close Tweet0 Share0 Comment0 Share0 Share0 Stumble It0 Print0 More NFL NFC West an emerging powerhouse after first week of free agency by Peter King Add Favorite Favorite Added Twitter Email Posted: Mon Mar. 18, 2013 Photo: Kellen Micah/Icon SMI/Icon SMI Jake Long is St. Louis-bound, where he'll try to keep Sam Bradford upright in the competitive NFC West. PHOENIX -- Lord, the NFC West is going to be a bear of a division in 2013. That was my first thought as Sunday night turned into Monday morning here at the NFL Meetings, after Jake Long -- 27 years old, beat up the last two years, but two years removed from being the game's premier left tackle -- agreed to a four-year contract to be the Rams' left tackle. It's a signing fraught with uncertainty. We -- most of us in the media, and fans, and teams -- overrate free agency as a tool to improve teams. How many times (including recently, in 2009) has Washington won free agency, then stunk the joint up when real football began? We yell at the Giants, Steelers and Packers for doing nothing in the free market except bleed players -- more about that in my Tuesday column, with some startlingly honest admissions from Packers GM Ted Thompson -- but tell me: How can you be critical of Thompson or Jerry Reese of the Giants or Kevin Colbert of the Steelers right now? They've combined to win four of the last six Super Bowls. Green Bay is 36 games over .500 in the last six regular seasons, Pittsburgh 30 over, and the Giants 20 over. But more about The Week of the GM tomorrow.Back to the (sometimes false) hope of free agency. For a franchise that had been trying to compete with one competent tackle, Rodger Saffold, and a Ringling Brothers arrangement on the other side, the Rams getting Long is a big add. Very big. (And I'm told he passed his physical on Wednesday with ease after two battered seasons in Miami.) Miami was in on Long aggressively, and one Dolphins official Sunday seemed confident Long would return for a sixth year. But no. And the Rams Sunday night were giving the credit for the migration to coach Jeff Fisher. "One of our players texted Jake and told him he'd retire if he had to play for any other coach besides Jeff,'' Rams GM Les Snead texted me late Sunday night. "Jeff gets veterans to Sunday ready to play ... Gets them to December ready to play ... So yes, he knows how to keep vets fresh physically, mentally and spiritually as good as anyone in the NFL." BANKS: Which non-playoff teams helped themselves most in free agency? There's an arms race in this division, with the Cardinals the only team looking spartan right now. Check out what each team has done since season's end: Arizona: Hired a new coach, Bruce Arians, who will implement a deep passing game, and a GM, Steve Keim, unafraid of cutting ties with the past (Adrian Wilson, Kevin Kolb, Kerry Rhodes). Josh Cribbs, the Cleveland special-teams ace, was in town Sunday night, hoping to be the 10th middle-class free agent signed by the team this offseason. It'll be tough, though, putting quarterback marginalia (Drew Stanton, maybe Brian Hoyer or Ryan Lindley or John Skelton) up against the arms and strong pass rushes of the NFC West. St. Louis: Lost three valuable offensive pieces (Steven Jackson, Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson) who won't be easily replaced. They'll ask Saffold to move to the right side, which he hasn't played. But the Rams desperately needed a top tackle, and signing Long is the best decision they could make, risky though it is. The Rams are the only team with three picks in the top 50 of the draft (16, 22, 46), and they'll need a receiver upgrade after losing two in the first five days of free agency. Tight end signee Jared Cook is an expensive question mark, though Fisher had him in Tennessee and loves him. San Francisco: Still haven't fixed the secondary, losing hard-hitting safety Dashon Goldson and not adding any corners. That's an absolute must. But they'll have more draft choices in 2013 than any other team -- 14 -- and GM Trent Baalke, despite what the Niners say publicly, has to be thinking about what it would take to acquire Darrelle Revis, with extra picks in the second, third and fourth rounds as chips. Whatever, San Francisco has to be markedly better in the back of the defense to have a chance to win the Super Bowl in 2014. Clutch physical receiver Anquan Boldin will help Colin Kaepernick make plays downfield. Seattle: "There is no way I thought, a week and a half ago, that we'd have Percy Harvin, Cliff Avril or Michael Bennett on our team this year,'' GM John Schneider told me here Saturday. "Any of them. Things just fell right for us." At midseason last year, Harvin was on pace for a 120-catch season, then hurt his ankle. Avril, on the outside, and Bennett, inside, should give the Seattle defense high-quality depth. Avril and Bennett came for a combined three years and $20 million, a pittance compared to what the market looked like it would yield early last week. The addition of Harvin will give Russell Wilson two receivers, Sidney Rice and Harvin, who can beat defenders deep. I've mentioned this before, but don't go handing the division to the Niners or Seahawks yet. St. Louis was 4-1-1 in the division last year. What if the Rams can keep Sam Bradford (sacked 71 times in his last 26 games) significantly cleaner? And what if Arians can invent a quarterback? That's a huge what-if, and it's doubtful, but this is March. We major in what-ifs in March. BURKE: Best, worst contracts from free agency's start | How signings impact the draft*** Well, at least the hotel is nice. No huge items on the agenda this week, as the NFL holds its annual spring meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. The three issues that ought to garner some attention: The death of the tuck rule. This playing rule, expected to pass, will change the tuck rule -- 12 years late for Raiders fans -- so that a fumble will be ruled if the passer loses possession as he attempts to bring the ball back to his body. The officials will rule a fumble on such a play, and it will be eligible for replay review. "We are going to change this to clean this up and eliminate the tuck rule, so to speak,'' said Competition Committee co-chair Jeff Fisher. More steps to take helmet hits out of the game. In his Super Bowl press conference, Roger Goodell said the top safety issue in the NFL was to "take the head out of the game." A rules proposal passed through the Competition Committee in its winter meetings that will try to continue that trend. The proposal states: "It is a foul if a runner or tackler initiates forcible contact by delivering a blow with the top crown of his helmet against an opponent when both players are clearly outside of the tackle box. Incidental contact by the helmet of a runner or tackler against an opponent shall not be a foul.'' A running back, for instance, running in the open field or outside the scrum of the line, wouldn't be able to lower his head and use his helmet to hit an on-rushing defender. But a defender wouldn't be able to use his helmet to lower into the head or helmet of the ballcarrier, either. Emmitt Smith told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas if he didn't lower his head when a linebacker came his way, the linebacker could bust him in the head and he -- the runner -- would be defenseless. "It [the rule] sounds like it's been made up by people who have never played the game of football,'' Smith said. Well, the Competition Committee doesn't have active players, but it does have a Hall of Fame tight end, Ozzie Newsome, and two former NFL defensive backs, Mark Murphy and Fisher. In Smith's example, where the linebacker, in his words, "can take my chin off,'' it'd be a 15-yard penalty if the linebacker specifically lowered his helmet and bashed Smith in the chin with it. After a couple of those, don't you think the defender would learn -- and the coaches would emphasize it in practice, so penalties wouldn't be forthcoming? Said McKay: "We really think the time has come that we need to address the situation in space when a runner or a tackler has a choice as to how they are going to approach the opponent. You can't make that choice ducking your head and delivering a blow, a forcible blow, with the top crown of your helmet. We are trying to protect the runner or the tackler from himself in that instance. We realize this is a major change for players and coaches, so we want the obvious foul."Fisher said he and fellow committee member and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, "don't feel like it is going to be difficult to explain it and to coach it.'' I canvassed five teams Sunday and found support for this proposal, but it will probably be close; 24 votes are needed for passage. Mandatory thigh and knee pads. The NFL passed a rule last year ordering these to be used beginning in 2013, and the time is now. Players will see videos in minicamps this year showing them the kinds of pads that will conform to the rule. "Beginning with the 2013 preseason's first game,'' NFL VP Ray Anderson said, "enforcement will begin.'' Uniform inspectors will do random checks in pregame, and the inspectors will have access to the sidelines during games. Said Anderson: "If a player is caught not wearing the thigh and knee pads or is not wearing appropriate thigh and knee pads, he will be given an opportunity to comply. He will not be permitted in the game until he does comply. If there is a continual refusal to comply, he simply will not be allowed in the game.'' The NFL, through its equipment suppliers, has shown how uniform pants and even underwear can be fitted with the thin pads, which the NFL believes will cut down on knee injuries and thigh contusions. Players don't like the pads, generally, because they think they cut down on speed. But now it's not going to matter. It'll be mandatory for all. Ten Good Ones The best signings in the first six days of NFL free agency: 1. Denver: WR Wes Welker, two years, $12 million. I've heard all the stories about Welker, and the anger and bitterness about his departure from New England. That will fade in time. But the Broncos are getting a man who, while missing three regular season games in the last six years, averaged 112 catches a season for New England over that time. That's tremendous. And he'll be used by a quarterback, Peyton Manning, who absolutely loves the slot receiver. If Welker breaks down, which he's shown no sign of doing, the grade will have to be revised here. But if Welker plays 16 games and doesn't catch 100 balls, my name's Joe Don Looney. Grade | Banks: What does it mean? | King: Brady can't be happy 2. Philadelphia: TE James Casey, three years, $14.6 million. "With coach [Chip] Kelly coming in here, I thought it was a great fit for me,'' Casey said upon signing. Truest words of the week. Recruited to Rice as a quarterback, Casey became an all-purpose back and tight end, and played numerous special teams for Houston. The way Kelly will use Casey (52 catches, 11.3 yards per catch in 969 snaps in Houston over the past two years) is the way the Patriots use their tight ends, and the way San Francisco used Delanie Walker last year: everywhere. Grade 3. New England: CB Aqib Talib, one year, $5 million. Patriots fans would want it to be a longer deal, because Talib could play himself into a bigger money deal elsewhere if he plays the way he can this year. But the Patriots weren't going to overpay for a player who could blow up in their faces. The best overall cornerback on the market was a must-keep for New England. 4. New Orleans: CB Keenan Lewis, five years, $26 million. The worst defense in history (by yardage, anyway) was desperate for a cover corner, and I'd say any corner who allows 52.7 percent completions with a league-high 16 passes defensed (according to Pro Football Focus) is a marked upgrade for the Saints. I hated the Saints losing their left tackle, but if you ask me if I'd have lost an adequate left tackle (and Jermon Bushrod is that, or just a little better) for the Steelers' best corner in 2012, I'd say sure. Grade 5. Kansas City: CB Sean Smith, three years, $18 million. At 6-foot-3, Smith is one of the biggest corners in league history -- and six inches taller than the two Chief starters last year. In a division (and league) with receivers getting taller every season, it looks like a smart deal. "[Defensive coordinator] Bob Sutton's scheme is about 85-percent press man, and we think Sean's the type of physical corner who fits the defense perfectly,'' said GM John Dorsey. Grade 6. Kansas City: DL Mike DeVito, three years, $12.6 million. One of the best run defenders on the line last season will never be a three-down player, but he wasn't signed to be one. Three other teams wanted DeVito badly. 7. Chicago: TE Martellus Bennett, four years, $21 million. An offensive tight end who can block. What's not to like? Grade 8. San Diego: RB/returner Danny Woodhead: two years, undisclosed. OK, I don't know the dough, so I can't pass judgment on the wisdom. But I'm sure it's not a huge deal, and Woodhead, in the running, receiving and return game, didn't lose a fumble over the past two seasons in 233 New England touches. Great insurance for the disappointing Ryan Mathews. 9. Atlanta: RB Steven Jackson, three years, $12 million. A steal. Just go watch what he did last year as the Rams tied San Francisco, in the running and blocking game. A superb effort with vital results: a season-high 29 carries for 101 yards. Atlanta needed a back who could punish defenders, break tackles and make a defender or two per week miss. Michael Turner couldn't do it. Jackson can. Grade 10. Seattle: DL Michael Bennett, one year, $5 million. Just beats out Miami TE Dustin Keller (one year, $4.25 million) for this spot. Nine sacks and 62 pressures last season in Tampa, and you get him for $5 million, knowing he has to perform big to get a big deal in 2014? Great signing. Grade |More free agent signing grades*** Class Guy of the Week. Brandon Stokley, slot receiver, Denver. Think of those last three words -- "slot receiver, Denver'' -- and what do you think of? Wes Welker, obviously. But think of Stokley for a moment. A year ago tomorrow, Peyton Manning signed with the Denver Broncos. During his brief free-agent fling, Manning used the home of one of his best friends, Stokley, as a refuge. Stokley lives in the Denver suburb of Castle Pines. A year ago, he was unsigned. Maybe he'd be signed by the Broncos, maybe he wouldn't. But he helped his buddy, Manning, hide out -- and decide what to do.Manning slept at his good pal Stokley's house the day he got to Denver. The next day, Manning and Stokley got up early because Manning wanted to get a good throwing session in. In secrecy. Off to the park they went -- but there was an early-morning lacrosse game in progress. So Manning and Stokley moved to a community park with a 40-yard-square field. When a jogger would approach, Stokley would yell, "Jogger!'' And he or Manning would hide the football and wait until the jogger, or maybe bicyclist, passed. Stokley knew the routes Manning wanted to throw, and he ran them. And when Manning signed, Stokley, 36, eventually got signed too -- with no promises about whether he'd make the team. He made the team and played 60 percent of the snaps in the slot, catching 45 passes. The last pass of Manning's season, in fact, was to Stokley, and Baltimore's Corey Graham picked it off. So when it came time to sign Welker to a two-year, $12 million deal last week, a decision that took the Broncos about 10 seconds to make because Welker's the most productive slot man in football, coach John Fox picked up the phone to inform Stokley. "Heartbreaking,'' Fox said here Sunday, "because Stokley'd been such a great guy and important player for us.'' And Stokley said to Fox, basically, that if he was running the team, he'd go after Welker too. That's why Brandon Stokley, who may have had his career ended by the acquisition of Welker, is the Class Guy of the Week. Quote of the Week I "[It is] what I call a travesty of fairness." -- Washington general manager Bruce Allen, on the NFL's refusal to back down from its salary-cap-violation sanctions of $36 million to the team over the past two seasons -- $18 million last year, $18 million this year. Quote of the Week II "He is ahead of schedule according to [Head Athletic Trainer] Larry [Hess]. That means the muscles are stronger than they anticipated and he is doing everything he can to be ready for this season. Is he going to be ready? I have no idea. I'm sure keeping my fingers crossed, and if work has anything to do with it, he probably will.'' -- Washington coach Mike Shanahan, on the rehab of quarterback Robert Griffin III, who underwent knee reconstruction surgery in January. Griffin said he thinks he'll be ready to play opening day, which, for Washington, is 25 weeks away. Quote of the Week III "It's not Cruz." -- Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay, on Sunday, in response to questions about his Twitter exuberance over the Colts' pursuit of a receiver in free agency. Victor Cruz is a restricted free agent for the Giants, and the fact that he and the Giants have been discussing a contract for more than a year without reaching a deal has become the source of great consternation for many New York fans. Stat of the Week If the Players Association or league ever wants to drive home the point about why the NFL truly should stand for "Not For Long,'' go back to the 2008 draft for vivid proof.Jake Long's departure from Miami to St. Louis in free agency Sunday night means 42 of the top 64 players in the 2008 draft -- not quite five years ago -- are no longer on the teams that drafted them. That's 66 percent of the drafted players gone from their original teams ... 19 of the first 32, 23 of the next 32. I would say "first round'' and "second round'' in the above sentence, but the 2008 draft had an asterisk. The league took New England's 2008 first-round pick away because of the Spygate case, and so the 32nd overall pick, Phillip Merling of Miami, was actually the first pick of the second round. Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me Before the football, there was a little baseball in Kinglandia over the weekend.On Friday afternoon, I went to Rangers-Giants in Scottsdale, at San Francisco's home field. Sat on a metal bench seat a little bit past the first-base bag, high in the grandstand. Price for the seat: $56.On Saturday afternoon, I went to Reds-Brewers in Maryvale, at Milwaukee's home field. Sat on precisely the same kind of metal bench seat just past the first-base bag, high in the grandstand. Price for the seat: $16.The Brewers experience was better. Better beer, less packed, kids getting Racing Sausage autographs, more of a spring training feel. But I kept thinking: The stadium in Scottsdale was teeming with people, all seeming to have fun. To pay $56 for a spring training game seems the height of insanity, but then again, I did it. So check me into the asylum.One more point: You can buy four season tickets for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right now in the upper deck, on the 45-yard line, for a package price of $2,254. That's 40 tickets -- four tickets per game to 10 games (eight regular season, two preseason). Do the math. The per-ticket cost: $56.35.Thus, it costs the same to sit high in the stands at a San Francisco Giants exhibition game as it does to sit high in the stands at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers regular season game. Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week So Mr. Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio of Bridgeport, W. Va., had gone 15 1/2 years without flying until Sunday. For him, it wasn't a fear of flying so much as a loss of control. When he drove, or was being driven, he could see the road and the other drivers if he wasn't the one driving, and he felt secure knowing that whatever the statistics about the relative safety of flying versus driving said, to him, driving just felt safer. Florio's usual mode of transportation is a van to and from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport train station, then a train to New York or Stamford, Conn., for his NBC appearances. But nothing in the air since he began to do the smash-hit web stuff on PFT. If a league meeting was too far away, he just wouldn't go. If the Super Bowl was within 20 hours or so in a vehicle, he'd go by van. All the while, his bosses at NBC were working on Florio to join the human, non-Madden race. "[NBC Sports executive producer] Sam Flood kept working on me,'' said Florio. "He kept sending me links to stories about how safe it was to fly. The one that really got me was the New York Times story that said you'd have to fly every day for something like 112,000 years to be in a fatal plane incident." Florio wanted to go to this week's league meetings, and Phoenix was going to be too far to drive. So he finally decided to get back on a plane, flying here nonstop Sunday afternoon from Pittsburgh with his wife, Jill."It was uneventful,'' he said once in the Valley of the Sun. "I wish I could tell you some great story about getting all claustrophobic once they closed the door, or something like that. But I can't. I was hoping for a better story. The only thing I can tell you is when we were turning the corner to get out on the runway, my wife said to me, 'Does someone know where our wills are?' And I said, 'I really don't want to think about that right now.' ''What has changed since he last flew: the fact that visitors can't go to the gate with flyers. "The whole security thing is so different,'' he said. "First, you practically disrobe going through security -- your shoes, your belt, your jacket, and then all your electronics in different bins. Then you get through security, and it's like a ghost town in there.''Maybe on a March Sunday in an airport with increasingly declining traffic, like Pittsburgh's. But I don't go through many ghost towns when I travel.Welcome back to the aerial race, Florio. Tweet of the Week I "NFC West now has three Pro Bowl left tackles. Russell Okung and Joe Staley can welcome Jake Long." -- @espn_nfcwest, longtime NFL scribe Mike Sando, after Jake Long signed with the Rams Sunday night. Tweet of the Week II "I care as much about your bracket as I do about your fantasy football team." -- @bylindsayhjones, the USA Today football writer. Tweet of the Week III "Idzik: 'I expect Darrelle Revis to be a Jet.' Translation: 'No one's giving us the picks we want or giving him the money he wants.' '' -- @adbrandt, ESPN NFL business analyst Andrew Brandt. Tweet of the Week IV "Elvis Dumervil's ex-agent just faxed me to wish me Happy Valentine's Day..." -- @EricStangel, executive producer and writer for The Late Show With David Letterman, on Sunday, after the Dumervil-Broncos-faxing fiasco of Friday afternoon. Ten Things I Think I Think 1. I think this is the coldest name of them all here at the NFL Meetings: James Harrison. Cannot find anyone admitting to being interested in the former Steeler. It seems if he wants to play this year, he'll have to do it for less than half of what he was supposed to make for the Steelers. He should have taken the cut the Steelers were offering. 2.I think this is what free agency has taught Jake Long: Three very good years to start the career and two injury-plagued ones with average play are enough to erase the chance for a lucrative second contract. But given that Miami, St. Louis and at least one other team were aggressively trying to sign Long tells you that NFL teams think of him, still, as a starting left tackle with two or three solid years left if he can stay out of injury trouble. 3.I think, speaking of free agency, the tackle market sure has some good leftovers: Super Bowl left tackle Bryant McKinnie, Sebastian Vollmer, Eric Winston, Andre Smith (likely to stay in Cincinnati), and, if some team wants to trade for him, Kansas City's Branden Albert. The Chiefs will listen to offers for him. 4. I think when the 2013 compensatory picks are announced today, the two most notable will be the Texans adding a third-round pick for the loss of Mario Williams to Buffalo, and the Ravens adding (from what I'm hearing) fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks for the losses of Ben Grubbs, Jarret Johnson, Cory Redding and Tom Zbikowski. The rich get richer. Oh, and the 49ers">49ers are likely a fourth- and two seventh-rounders richer as well. 5.I think the cutest thing I saw on the weekend before the NFL Meetings began here at the Arizona Biltmore hotel is the Harbaugh brothers, and families, playing with kids in the hotel pool. Number two: The Harbaugh brothers, out for a 6 a.m. walk together on the jogging path outside the hotel. 6.I think I can't get too excited about the Elvis Dumervil fax fiasco. There are rules, and the rules say the Broncos had to make a decision whether to keep Dumervil or release him by 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The contract agreement had to be in Denver's hands by 4, and the Broncos say it wasn't received by then, and so Dumervil was cut. The contract actually was faxed in after the deadline. There's been much hue and cry about it, but if Dumervil was going to take the deal to the deadline the way he did and risk not getting the paper back to the team in time, I blame him. Rules are rules. 7. I think there's a cool football event in South Carolina this weekend, and if you're a fan of football past and present, you'll enjoy it all. The charter members of the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame (including, among others, Harry Carson, Donnie Shell, George Rogers and Sam Wyche) will be inducted at the Cherokee Valley Country Club outside of Greenville Friday night. And on Saturday at 3 p.m. at North Greenvlle University, 100 college players with no additional college eligibility -- some hoping for pro careers -- will face off in the South Carolina College All-Star Bowl. Go here for more information. 8.I think when I see headlines about the Jets keeping an open mind on whether or not to trade Darrell Revis, I am heartened that they have not lost their minds. Then I think: They're just saying that. There's far too much smoke out there, and far too little whispering to sources off the record that Revis is going nowhere, for me to believe they aren't desperate to move him. Mistakenly, of course. 9.I think it was nice to speak to you again Sunday night, Sean Payton. 10.I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week: a. Strangest postseason college basketball matchup I have ever heard: Kentucky at Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT. b. Ohio at Denver in the NIT Tuesday night. Bobcat fever, baby. c. Caught pieces of the ESPN Jim Valvano movie Sunday night, and it brought back some incredible memories. I covered Final Fours for the Cincinnati Enquirer in the early '80s, and I was in The Pit in Albuquerque for the North Carolina State win over Phi Slamma Jamma (the University of Houston) in the 1983 finals. N.C. State stunned the world to even get to the finals. I remember arriving in Albuquerque and going to the early press conferences, and thinking N.C. State was a distant fourth behind Houston, Louisville and Georgia. Valvano's team had won games by 2, 1 and 1 points in the regional, and no one was taking him, or his team, very seriously. I knew Valvano a little bit; at the time I covered Xavier's basketball team, and Bob Staak, the coach, was one of Valvano's best friends, and Valvano walked into Staak's office one day, carrying a travel bag with his suits over his shoulder, fresh off a recruiting trip to see a player in Cincinnati. They talked like they'd been friends for years, which they had. So Staak was out there in Albuquerque for the Final Four. I was in the second row of press row, even with the basket, when Lorenzo Charles threw down the winning basket at the buzzer, and I recall Valvano running around maniacally -- you've seen all the pictures -- looking for someone to hug. After the game, I tagged along with Staak for the postgame Wolfpack party, and by the time I saw Valvano back at the hotel, he'd just about lost his voice. "What a night! What a night!'' he rasped, and at the hotel he hugged everyone he saw. To think that night's become the night of legend is pretty cool.d. And what about the year before, 1982, as freshman Michael Jordan hits the 14 foot jumper to beat Georgetown, then seeing Jordan carrying the film and the film projector on the team plane the next morning, because in Dean Smith's program the freshman carried the film and the projector. Man, that was a fun time to cover college basketball.e. And, though I have absolutely no idea who is any good in college basketball, I will be watching Thursday and Friday, two of the great days in American sports.f. My bracket philosophy? Simple -- since the days when I followed the game. I pick the favorite in every game, put my $20 in the mail to my good buddy Ron Fisch in Montclair, N.J., and hope for the best. I never have won a dime in Ron's pool, so he loves to see my $20 arrive in the mail.g. Great to meet you the other day, Cara McDonough. Your old man would be proud of you.h. Hey Pope Francis: The more you talk, the more I love hearing you talk about the poor. Keep it up.i. The pope, of course, reads MMQB voraciously.j. Coffeenerdness: Yes, the Arizona Biltmore is fabulously overpriced. But it has the best hotel coffee I've had in forever.k. Beernerdness: Hey Dan Patrick! Had your Redhook Audible Ale the other day at the Giants' game. Really good stuff -- hoppy and rich. Is the next one on you?l. If I did the 4.2-mile Pat's Run back here in Arizona in a month, could we figure out a fun way to raise money for the Tillman Military Scholar Program? The Tillman Foundation has given scholarships to 230 military service members, or their spouses, for college educations. What better way to pay tribute to the late Tillman than to raise money to educate veterans and their spouses, seeing that education was such a cornerstone to Tillman's life?m. Maybe we can have an event in Phoenix the night before the race, a Tweetup with a Cardinal or two, with the proceeds going to the Tillman Foundation. I'm open to doing what you think would be best. Send me your best ideas about how we can raise the money, and I'll print them next week, and we'll figure something out. The Adieu Haiku Belichick. Smart coach. That doesn't mean he can't err. Wes Welker: E-Bill. Comments More NFL


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A message from Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Happy Holidays and A New Way to Celebrate
For many of us, the holidays are a wondrous time when we are joyful for what life has provided and we celebrate the season with our family and friends. We are usually offered an abundance of everything. Thanksgiving dinner and holiday parties are festive times that present us with many choices. We also have the choice to spread good will to others.
Unfortunately, the holidays are also associated with trips to the emergency room and deaths from dangerous eating. The emergency room doctors call it "holiday heart" as the busiest time at hospitals are from heart attacks, strokes and other emergencies that occur the next morning after big holiday meals.
So many people use the holiday season as an excuse for gluttony and addictive binges. My team here and I thought about how we could help to encourage people to enjoy the holidays more, with great tasting holiday food that is healthy too, and have as many people as possible set a good example to encourage people to have a truly healthful and happy holiday season.
I take bad nutrition seriously because people die from it. When junk food is eaten, including the traditional, highly-toxic foods served at the holidays, you may get momentary pleasure as it passes the lips in a short amount of time, but the results continue on to compromise your health. Additionally, not having good health magnifies every emotional problem plaguing your life and exasperates the holiday blues. Healthy recipes and treats can taste great! It may take more effort to prepare, but there is really no reason to sacrifice your good health.
My Six Week Challenge is dedicated to helping you make the best choices; the ones that will allow you to achieve overall health and quality of life. By pledging to take the challenge, you'll be celebrating your health instead of simply indulging in destructive "fake food". Can you find friends or family members to join you in taking the challenge too?
I have created an opportunity for those straddling the fence of commitment. For those who step up to this challenge over the next six weeks and commit to a few simple guidelines throughout the holidays, I am offering:
- a free six week membership to DrFuhrman.com*
- a free Eat To Live Vook(a video enhanced ebook)
- an entire support system of holiday recipes
- special support from Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritional Education Institute faculty and medical team on medicine, nutrition and motivation
The challenge involves only a few simple promises to make, taken from my book, Eat To Live.
Here are the fundamentals:
- Eat a large salad every day
- Enjoy a generous serving of steamed greens with mushrooms and onions
- Satisfy your sweet tooth with three fresh fruits a day
- Have at least one fulfilling serving of beans each day
Here's what you are promising to omit:
- Avoid white flour
- Avoid sugars & artificial sweeteners
Throughout the challenge, you will have plenty of support. We will answer your questions online in the Member Center. We encourage you to log your progress with "My Health Manager." Seasoned veterans of the Eat To Live diet-style will also be there to help you.
Here is how you get started:
Step 1: Join us on Facebook to share this exciting experience and encourage your friends to also make the commitment for a better life and incredible holiday.
Step 2: If you are not already a member of my online Member Center, sign up for your FREE six week membership*.
Step 3: Enjoy the holidays!
There is more – the challenge is just the start! By joining the challenge you will have the opportunity to participate in a contest where you may be eligible to win an all expense paid trip to my 6th annual 2011 Health Getaway in Park City, Utah at The Grand Summit Hotel at The Canyons resort. The winner or winners will be chosen based on their documented results during the challenge and into the new year. All participants of the challenge will receive details in the following weeks.
I hope you enjoy this holiday gift to help spread the message of good health and healthy eating.
* A $44.95 value. *Offer valid thru December 4th. Dr. Fuhrman's online store software requires credit card information in order to process an order; including this free offer. Your credit card will automatically be billed $14.95/month after the initial 6-week period unless cancelled. You will be notified in plenty of time to cancel if you decide to discontinue the ongoing support of the member center after the holidays.

subset: commoncrawl


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Maybe I'm just being stupid, but whenever you type the password to gain access to a certain Wi-Fi network, how is the password sent to the router securely? Wouldn't it be easy to intercept the password and thus gain access to the network?
The wifi password is never sent to the router. The pre-shared-key is something they already both know, so all the client and AP have to do is prove to each other they know what it is.
The PSK, or password, is used to create a pairwise master key (
The AP transmits an
The client creates an
Both parties use this same info to create a
So neither party needs to actually communicate the secret across the wire.


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Invention of Lying Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Invention of Lying Write a Movie Review for Invention of Lying
Release Date: 2009-10-02
Genre: Comedy,
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 1hr 40min
"This Side of the Truth" takes place in an alternate reality in which lying--even the concept of a lie--does not even exist. Everyone--from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street--speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Rob Lowe, Jeffrey Tambor, Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K.
- Directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
- Produced by Ricky Gervais, Oly Obst, Lynda Obst, Dan Lin
- Written by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Search For Theaters
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Country Profile
|Cape Verde
|MN Project Home
|Country Index
Picture Source: www.cia.gov
|Vitamin A
|Food & Diet
|*Please Note: Text size can be changed. Go to the Explorer toolbar and select View and then select Text Size. The text is best viewed under Medium or Smaller sizes.
The Republic of Cameroon is in Western Africa, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. The population is approximately 16.2 million with a growth rate of 2.7%. There are 10 provinces and more than 8 ethnic groups within Cameroon. Both English and French are the official languages and there are over 24 African language groups. Approximately 40% of the population holds indigenous beliefs, 40% are Christian, and 20% are Muslim.
Cameroon is a unitary republic but the preponderance of power remains with the president. Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy. The President is the chief of state; the prime minister is the head of government. There is a cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the Prime Minister. There are also legislative and judicial branches. The 1972 constitution as modified by 1996 reforms provides for a strong central government dominated by the executive. The president is empowered to name and dismiss cabinet members, judges, generals, provincial governors, prefects, sub-prefects, and heads of Cameroon's parastatal (about 100 state-controlled) firms, obligate or disburse expenditures, approve or veto regulations, declare states of emergency, and appropriate and spend profits of parastatal firms. The president is not required to consult the National Assembly.
The judiciary is subordinate to the executive branch's Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Court may review the constitutionality of a law only at the president's request. While the president, the minister of justice and the president's judicial advisers (the Supreme Court) top the judicial hierarchy, traditional rulers, courts, and councils also exercise functions of government. Traditional courts still play a major role in domestic, property, and probate law. Tribal laws and customs are honored in the formal court system when not in conflict with national law. Traditional rulers receive stipends from the national government.
Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Because of its oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. For a quarter century following independence, Cameroon was one of the most prosperous countries in Africa. The drop in commodity prices for its principal exports--oil, cocoa, coffee, and cotton--in the mid-1980s, combined with an overvalued currency and economic mismanagement, led to a decade-long recession. Real per capita GDP fell by more than 60% from 1986 to 1994. The current account and fiscal deficits widened, and foreign debt grew. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. 48% of the population remains below the poverty line and there is a 30% unemployment rate. The economy is primarily comprised of agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%.
|Cameroon has a unique educational system in Africa with English and French as the languages of instruction. 3.8% of the GDP is spent on public education. Primary education, which generally stems the years 5-12, is compulsory in Cameroon. There are no tuition fees at government primary schools but there is a preponderance of for-fee religious schools. Cameroon has achieved one of the highest rates of school attendance in Africa. Mission schools play an important role in education and are partly subsidized by the government. There are numerous private and governmental secondary and tertiary schools. The literacy rate has increased greatly over the last 20 years. As of 1999 it was 68% for women and 81% for men which indicates that there is a gender disparity in education. Girls national dropout rates are high and there are numerous social barriers preventing girls from achieving parity with boys.
|In Cameroon, the doctor to patient ratio is 1: 12,500, the infant mortality rate exceeds six percent, and less than half the population has access to safe drinking water. The under five mortality rate is 150/ 1,000 and the Infant Mortality Rate is 77/1,000 live births. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has emerged as one of the most pressing social health concerns, with an estimated six percent to seventeen percent of the population infected. Cameroon lies within the African meningitis belt causing endemic outbreaks of meningitis.
|Food & Diet
|In Cameroon the main staple is maize, followed by cassava. Approximately only 6% of the total daily calories consumed are from animal products and only around 2,300 calories on average are consumed per day. 6% of the under five population is wasted, 29% are stunted and 22% are underweight. 86% of households consume iodized salt however, during 1985-94, 26% of children age 6-11 years had goiters. The prevalence of anemia for non-pregnant women is 24%, for pregnant women is 53%, and for children is 57%. The prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency is 19.7% for children and 0.5% for pregnant women.
1. http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html
2. http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/
3. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
4. http://www.measuredhs.com/data/indicators
5. http://apps.fao.org/page/collections?subset=nutrition
6. http://genderstats.worldbank.org
7. http://www.undp.org/hdr2002/indicator/


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Jul 31, 2009 1:46 PM
Friends, let us introduce you to someone who's going to make your life easier and more stylish. She might even save you some cash. Sarah at Pink of Perfection is constantly supplying her readers with yummy and easy recipes, great ways to stretch a dollar, and tons of unique finds, whether it's a DIY project or an inspiring photo or thought, and we decided it was time to share the wealth. Without further ado, please enjoy this guest post from a lady who knows her stuff when it comes to the 'budget-minded bon vivant'.
When you are a lady in search of dresses online that, like you, are a little offbeat, a little unpredictable, the choices before you are tough ones. You can blow the rent on precious, pricey boutique frocks or you can scour eBay for vintage finds proportioned for modern figures. But hark! Affordability intersects quirk at ModCloth. With scores of options under $50, this online retailer has a knack for picking dresses that put a feminine spin on masculine classics (tuxedos, cowboys), as well as stocking frocks that are unabashedly girly, complete with whimsy-ready full skirts and sweet floral prints. My heart is set on the Savannah Chic Dress ($50), a Grace Kelly-cool halter dress equally fit for sleuthing and stealing hearts.
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


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We're constantly reviewing our stock and reducing clothing and accessories that we're not going to restock.
Once these items have gone, they're gone so be quick to bag a bargain!
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Product Code: LSKAL01
Long heavy velvet skirt with lace trim and ribbon lace up detail on front. Back zip fastening. Great gothic skirt.


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Laura Nownes has been teaching quilting classes for more than 35 years, and is the co-author of the celebrated quilting bible Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! She also co-developed a pattern line of more than 60 original designs, and has been featured on several quilting shows, including the PBS series The Great American Quilt.
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Discover the structure of the universe, and how it relates to the human energy structure. By understanding how these two work together, you can learn how to clear your inner bio-computers and change your output -- which means you can create the life you actually want rather than putting up with what you've been dealt. Ready for a sea-change? Start harvesting those Fields of Glory!
As a human programmer, I delight in helping people refocus on clearing and integrating their inner bio-computers so that they have a great life. I myself am passionate about my work, writing, reading, cinema, dancing and making chocolate truffles; my other projects are the non-profit Teal Sheep Foundation and the Church of Chocolate.
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If you've ever walked the docks in any beachside town near Grays Harbors, you'll be familiar with their barking "arfs" and sun basking poses. Westport has its own crew of barking sea lions who like to stake their claim on a hefty portion of the outer jetties. Signs along the waterfront warn against feeding the sea lions, tourists are likely the only ones who need the signs. Ask any local fisherman in the area and they'll say, emphatically, that the sea lions are a nuisance: loud and obnoxious.
Why do sea lions choose to park themselves in manmade bays rather than naturally occurring seaside locales? For the same reason people choose to drive to work on paved roads instead of via rough terrain, it's easier. A more famous example of sea lions in a bay are San Francisco's Pier 39 Sea Lions. More frequent in the winter, California sea lions have chosen the pier thanks to its prime location. It is near easy-to-capture food but away from natural predators. Sea lions normally sleep on beaches, but have to wake up to move when the tide changes. A jetty moves up and down with the tides, so the sea lions can just keep sleeping.
When well fed and left alone, California sea lions are likely to not be bothered by tourists taking photos or even fishermen walking past them on the dock. If roused, they'll jump off into the water to get away from humans. Don't trust their apparently docile and seemingly skittish behavior. Weighing in at over 1,000 pounds and measuring upwards of eight feet in length, they're not to be messed with. Clashes can easily turn violent with these huge marine mammals.
In recent years, Westport residents have witnessed an increased number of violent encounters between sea lions and people. In 2013, a pet was killed and multiple people have been chased by these massive creatures. In the clashes, people have gotten angry and shot sea lions. According to KATU News, sea lions have turned "up dead with bullet fragments in their skulls." The local aquarium has been working with the federal government to obtain grants in order to increase awareness about proper behavior around sea lions. Marc Myrsell, co-owner of the Westport Aquarium, told KATU news that the major problem is that the sea lions are being fed by humans.
Sea lions are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972. The west coast is well known for their California sea lions. Their range spreads from the southernmost area of Mexico's Baja California all the way north to the southeast of Alaska. While the California sea lion population was depleted in the 1950s and had reached a low of 10,000, today there are upwards of 30 times as many. According to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, "the species is now at 'carrying capacity'–near the highest level the environment can sustain–according to wildlife biologists."
To enjoy viewing California sea lions while protecting yourself and them, follow these simple rules:
- Stay at least 100 yards away.
- Don't stick around watching for more than 30 minutes.
- Even if you don't plan on feeding an animal, make sure you do not have any food on you when nearing the sea lions.
- Do not swim with marine mammals.
- Realize you are causing a disturbance if sea lions begin to move abruptly or quickly dive into the water, or if they begin getting louder and if multiple of them raise their heads or begin to act aggressively.


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Audio Tours
Signers' Hall Tour
The 42 bronze statues of the Founders in Signers' Hall come to life during this popular tour, which will transport you to September 17, 1787, when the Constitution was signed. With a special introduction by President George H.W. Bush, the tour offers an exciting way to explore America's past and the issues that still challenge us today.
We the People Tour
Experience the museum's main exhibition through the eyes of distinguished historians and curators. Learn more about our artifacts and hear fascinating stories about the struggles and triumphs of Americans throughout our history.
Click here for a preview of the We the People audio tour
Mission: The Oval Office Tour
Using iPods as a secret agent's gadget, young visitors can scour the museum's text panels, artifacts, and interactive displays to learn about the presidency. Students are guided by an avatar with the voice of WXPN's popular Kids Corner radio host, Kathy O'Connell. Recommended for grades 5 – 8.
All audio tours are subject to availability and run approximately 45 minutes.
Audio tours produced with the generous assistance of the Drexel University School of Education. Supported by the Kent Foundation.
Constitution Center App
Download the National Constitution Center's free app to have the Constitution handy on your smartphone! Produced in conjunction with Drexel University's School of Education, the app provides unique access to the museum's exhibitions and programs and allows you to explore the Constitution in a whole new way. The app features:
- An easy-to-use, full-text version of the U.S. Constitution
- Daily updates from Constitution Daily, the Constitution Center's award-winning blog that features smart conversation about the Constitution
- The latest headlines from Constitution Newswire
- A special preview of the museum's renowned Freedom Rising performance
- Purchasable audio tours of the museum's exhibitions


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Dean's Message
Graduate Programs
Undergraduate Program
Executive Education
Editorial Activity
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Dean's Advisory Council
Giving Report
Alumni & Pace Setters
Faculty Listing
Return to start
Fisher College
of Business
101 Fisher Hall
2100 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH
Contact us via E-mail
The Ohio State
Ms. Kerrii B. Anderson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Wendys International, Inc.
Mr. William E. Arthur
Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur
Mr. David I. Beatson
Chairman/President and Chief Executive Officer
SupplyLinks, Inc.
Mr. John A. Brothers
Executive Vice-President
Ashland Incorporated
Mr. Kenneth L. Coleman
Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Services & Marketing
Silicon Graphics
Ms. Tanny Crane
President and Chief Executive Officer
Crane Group, Inc.
Mr. Dwight W. Crawford
President and Chief Operating Officer
Homequest Network
Mr. John D. DeLeo
Division Manager
Nationwide Insurance
Ms. Ruann F. Ernst
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Digital Island
Mr. John F. Finn
President and Chief Executive Officer
Gardner Incorporated
Mr. Phillip Wm. Fisher
The Fisher Group
Mr. Sander A. Flaum
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Robert A. Becker, Inc. Euro RSCG
Mr. W. Gary Fleming, Jr.
Senior Vice President
Bank of America
Mr. John B. Jay Gerlach,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Lancaster Colony Corporation
Mr. Gary A. Glaser
President and Chief Executive Officer
National City Bank
Mr. Mark R. Goldston
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
NetZero Incorporated
Mr. Ray J. Groves
Legg Mason Merchant Banking, Inc.
Mr. Malcolm J. Gudis
(Retired) Senior Vice-President and Director
Electronic Data Systems Corporation
Ms. Sandra W. Harbrecht
Paul Werth Associates, Incorporated
Ms. Karen L. Hendricks
Mr. Larry A. Hilsheimer
Managing Partner
Deloitte and Touche
Mr. George S. Hofmeister
American Commercial Holdings
Mr. Carl E. Holmberg
(Retired) President
Holmberg-Len & Associates, Inc.
Mr. Jerome L. Katz
Mr. Charles Klatskin
Chairman and President
Dr. David T. Kollat
22 Inc.
Mr. Patrick J. Martin
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Storage Technology Corporation
Mr. Lionel L. Nowell III
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Pepsi Bottling Group
Mr. Robert A. Oakley
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer
Nationwide Financial Services
Mr. James G. Jim Oates
Retired President
Board of Directors, Executive Committee
Leo Burnett Worldwide, The Leo Group
Mr. David A. Rismiller
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
America First Companies
Financial Institution Mgt. L.L.C.
Mr. Jeffrey R. Rodek
Chief Executive Officer
Hyperion Solutions
Mr. John A. Russell
First Vice President
Bank One Corporation
Mr. Donald B. Shackelford
Fifth Third Bank Columbus
Mr. John M. Shepherd
Chief Executive Officer
Shepherd Chemical Company
Mr. George Sladoje
Chief Executive Officer
California Power Exchange
Mr. Frank Wobst
Huntington Bancshares Inc.
Mr. Gordon B. Zacks
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
RG Barry Corporation
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- Address: Kesikkapı Mh
- Hours: May - Oct 8am - 7pm, Nov - Apr 8am - 5pm
- Admission: 3TL
Fethiye Museum
The most significant piece in the collection is a trilingual stele from Letoön that is inscribed in Lycian, Greek and Aramaic and was a key finding for archaeologists in deciphering the Lycian language.
An important new addition to the museum is a group of five statues – including those of the Roman emperors Hadrian and Antonius Pius and the goddess Isis – that were unearthed in just 2011 in excavations at Tlos.
The garden of the museum is dotted with an assortment of ancient statuary, architectural fragments and amphorae from the Lycian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods.


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You can stop them, but must act at once. There are fewer than 45 days to register your response.
Dow Chemical argues that using pesticides and toxic chemicals to "protect crops" is worth it for them because they produce and sell the chemicals. Never mind the harmful effects on the environment and people who ingest them, directly or indirectly.
According to a report from the Center for Food Safety, the clock is ticking on time for citizens to tell the FDA and US government no deal.
"Dow Chemical, the same company that brought us Dursban, Napalm, and Agent Orange, is now in the food business and is pushing for an unprecedented government approval: genetically engineered (GE) versions of corn and soybeans that are designed to survive repeated dousing with 2,4-D, half of the highly toxic chemical mixture Agent Orange."
Go the website and sign the petition. Just say no.
I oppose the approval of Dow's genetically engineered (GE) "Agent Orange" corn and soybeans designed to survive repeated spraying of the toxic herbicide 2,4-D, half of the highly toxic chemical mixture Agent Orange.
2,4-D has been linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems. If that wasn't enough, industry tests also show that 2,4-D is contaminated with dioxins—often referred to as the most toxic substance known to science. In fact, EPA has reported that 2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S. More 2,4-D use will lead to more dioxins in the environment.
Dow Chemical's "Agent Orange" crops represent yet another escalation in a chemical arms race that will only result in larger numbers of ever-more-toxic chemicals being dumped on our farms and communities, and into our food supply, leading to higher production costs, increased sickness, and greater harm to the environment. I urge you to reject 2,4-D resistant GE corn and soybeans."
We the People don't have to be railroaded by "Big Ag" and "Big Chem." We want organic foods, clean water and air. We don't want the environment spoiled, and humanity killed by these capitalists who have co-opted and corrupted our Congress.
US veterans are still dying from Agent Orange sprayed during the Vietnam war.
Here is just another instance of Dow's conflicted behavior. This is from Anna Lappe who was contacted by Dow under the pretext to pay to user her video. What they wanted was to keep her quiet.
"In the video I submitted, which you can watch below, I stress that one of the greatest threats to clean water is chemical contaminants — and that Dow Chemical has a long history of water pollution. The PR representative emailed to say "unfortunately we can't use your video," but that she would be happy to include me, still, if I would consider re-recording it. When we discussed what that would mean she said, no "fingerpointing"; they wanted a "positive, inclusive discussion."
I believe in inclusiveness and engagement, but I also believe we must pursue those principles within a context that is honest. To do otherwise is to participate in what is popularly called "greenwashing," painting a veneer of environmentalism on an otherwise unchanged product or practice — a corporate strategy many of us are all too familiar with.
In this spirit, I felt it would be disingenuous to engage in a conversation about water sustainability, for a campaign paid for by Dow Chemical, without pointing out the direct relationship between Dow's core business products — a source of its $8 billion in profit last year — and toxins in our environment.
At the same time Dow launches this initiative, the company is actively fighting multiple lawsuits from communities who contend that their water has been polluted by the company, including from its hometown manufacturing plant in Midland, Mich. In 2007, the EPA detected the highest level of dioxin ever discovered in the country's rivers or lakes in waterways near Dow's global headquarters. Dioxin levels in some places were 1,000 times higher than the residential standard, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. A recent study found women living in Midland, as well as Saginaw and Bay counties, have significantly higher rates of breast cancer; dioxin was to blame. A class action lawsuit is pending.
"In the backyard of Dow's corporate headquarters, the company for decades through philanthropy, public relations, and politics has made the choice to push back at every regulatory level instead of addressing their dioxin contamination of 52 miles of freshwater and Lake Huron," said Michelle Hurd Riddick of the Saginaw Bay grassroots environmental organization, Lone Tree Council. "The company has mastered the art of greenwashing while poisoning a whole watershed and getting away with it.""
Anna Lappé is a national bestselling author, sustainable food advocate, and mom. The founding principal of the Small Planet Institute and Small Planet Fund, her latest book is Diet for a Hot Planet.


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Your brand is our business. We are thinkers and story tellers, crafting strategies and systems to help you grow. At our core is sensitivity to the needs of people—our clients and consumers, who use and experience the products we build.
We love to build things. It's in our bones, which is why we research and meet challenges head-on to find and build a solution that's custom tailored for you and your business. After all, a solution is no good if it doesn't solve anything.
Our support staff can contribute technology procurement advice and implementation, maintain your hardware and software and provide technical support and training for small to medium size enterprises. If you've got a problem, we'll solve it.


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TC TO JOHN A. CARLYLE; 13 January 1855; DOI: 10.1215/lt-18550113-TC-JAC-01; CL 29: 236-238
Chelsea, 13 jany, 1855—
My dear Brother,
I got your Letter; and am very glad to hear you are getting on in a tolerable way. Solitude is not very good, at least entire solitude; but it is sometimes the lesser evil of two: I myself here am as lonely an individual in these days and weeks as could be found in Victoria's dominions; I never get out till nightfall, see oftenest not a face recogniseable by me; read all the evening (poor Jane, who is very bilious and feckless, sitting very silent in some analogous employment); and literally see no stranger (hardly Neuberg with his "State-Paper" report1 on the Sunday evg, who is very dull moreover), and speak, or except in the way of monologue can speak, very few words indeed in the course of the day!— I do find it very dark and gloomy, and could be infinitely cheered by a genial interchange of thoughts with any suitable human creature: but alas, the "suitable," there are none suitable, and indeed one is very hard to "suit" in certain conditions!— At least one gets on with work, a degree better, than by grinning away one's time in nonsense;—and that ought to suffice for the present. I hope always there will be a brighter blink of weather coming for us all, by and by; and that we shall look ahead again over God's sky with less of an utterly homeless feeling than is common among us just now. Courage! Courage!—
I tried often for a saunter thro' the Brompton place;2 had arrived there once, and found the gates shut, and repeatedly had given it up on getting out of doors in anticipation of such a thing. However, the day before your Letter came, I had actually been there, and looked at what interests us. I should not have noticed any change of position since you and I were there together; however, it now certainly is in the spot I had marked by the neighbouring monuments. All is sleek, trim and proper there: I ran over the Inscription (of course not with much scrutiny, yet so as to read it); and I do not think there is the least change in it. I mean to go the first day I can manage it, and examine expressly that I may be able to give you assurance; but in the mean time I consider that practically there is next to no doubt, or no doubt at all, about it.3
Jean sent me a nice little pair of wristikins by way of new-years gift; poor soul, I am sorry about that finger of hers,—but she takes it with great rüstigkeit [robustness], and is a courageous soul. The knitting of the comforter has been prohibited: I have got one here, which I have never once worn.— I am sorry too about that Boy of Jean's. Can nothing be done to help him at all towards a place of some kind in Glasgow? I am deeply ignorant of the lie of affairs there. I do not even know Glen's Address; nor whether he is the man that could help effectually if he were never so zealous?—
By all means get rid of those Books. No kind of goods is more worthless, if you do not use them; or is more difficult to keep from coming to loss and damage. I suppose "Corn in bond" (with "weevils" &c acting on it) is not much worse.— Today there came a Catalogue from one Kerslake in Bristol,4 who seems to drive a trade in that kind, and sells dear enough, however he may buy. I send you the Catalogue, to bring you in mind of him, if you have not got it otherwise.
The Ronca neighbours (poor reeky souls) are to remove soon; it wd appear the mad half-owner5 is now dead; at any rate the House is to be sold, repaired &c;—and now instead of the noise of dollies6 with their &c, may be expected that of pianos again with theirs! Jane is positively sorry, the poor wretches have been so quiet for the last year: I am not positively sorry;—it is indeed a small matter, and since it is to change, may grow better as readily as worse.— — But my time is up, quite up! Adieu dear Brother for this day. Yours ever
T. Carlyle


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TNT Firework stand on the corner of Lake Mead and Boulder
A 1 mile walk to benefit those struggling to survive on the streets of Las Vegas.
Garage Sale to benefit First Lutheran Classical School will be held Friday evening, June 21 from 4-8 and Saturday, June 22 from 8 AM to 1 PM at 2808 South Avenue West (across from Community Medical Center) in Missoula, Montana. Baked goods will also be offered during the Saturday sale.
Bike MS: Vegas Challenge 2013
Date(s): November 9 & 10, 2013
Start/Finish Location: 888 West Bonneville, Las Vegas, NV
Registration Fee: $35
Fundraising Minimum: $250
Route Options: 30 – 150 miles
Age Minimum: 12 years old
Join us for Bike MS: Vegas Challenge, Nevada's premier cycling event! We have route options for every level of cyclist, ranging from 30-150 miles; you will surely find a route fit for you. Enjoy delicious meals and strong support, with rest stops every 15 miles, bike mechanics and SAG vehicles. A fantastic festival awaits you on Saturday afternoon with great food, music, a beer garden, massage tent and fun games.
The event: Compassion & Hope Pregnancy Center - Walk for Life
Where: OK Ward Park, 1400 W Quinn Pocatello, Idaho
When: June 29th 2013
Time: 10:30a.m. To 12:30 p.m.
The event is free and fun for the whole family.
Free food and activities. Bouncy house, snow cones, cotton candy, face painting, coloring contest, live music and a puppet show, and of course the Walk. The Walk will consist of a one mile, easy walk around the track at OK Ward park. We are also giving away 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes for adults and children who gather the most pledges for the Walk. Anyone gathering at least $200.00 in pledges will receive a T-shirt.
Saturday, June 1st at 5:30 at Verve on 7850 So Dean Martin Drive #503
Tickets are $20.00 includes worship music and dinner
All proceeds go to Reach Peru mission team is raising funds for their trip. The team will be hosting a summer camp experience for hundreds of children from the barrios in Trujillo, Peru. They will be funding their camp experience, arts and crafts as well. For many of the children from the barrios, this will be the first time they experience a shower or have their own bed to sleep in and eat three meals a day. The team will provide games, ministry and worship to these children throughout their entire camp experience.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD in Ogden, 24th and Grant, was built in 1874. The SAVE THE STONES RUMMAGE SALE will be Friday from Noon to 4, and Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Proceeds will go to the Restoration Fund for building repairs.
A memorial walk to honor the 38 soldiers from Montana who have died since 9/11/01. Proceeds go to Grateful Nation Montana who is setting up scholarships for the children of the fallen. The walk is a 5K, starting in front of Currents Pool at McCormick Park in Missoula and going to the Fallen Soldier Memorial at the University of Montana and back. The path will be marked with signs of each soldiers name, home town, branch of service and date of death.
5th Annual 5k/10k Fun Run/Walk
June 29, 2013
registration fee: $15.
each participant will receive a t-shirt
Gooding County Fairgrounds, north of the railroad tracks in Gooding, Idaho
Registration begins @ 7:30a.m.
Run/Walk begins @ 8:00a.m.
Breakfast available for $5.
for information call: (208) 934-5101
We are a non profit organization that serves clients who have sustained a brain injury or suffered a stroke who may or may not have insurance. We are having a fundraiser with the help of the Las Vegas 51 baseball team. We are selling the tickets for $10 and we will receive $3 in return. The proceeds will be going for our client funds to cover costs incurred for medical equipment, medications, ect. If you are not interested in joining us for the game, we would appreciate any donations directly to our facility. Tickets are available at Nevada Community Enrichment located on the Charleston Campus of CSN. 6375 W Charleston Bldg L.
Dawn Zito or Stephanie Turner 702-259-1903


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Greenberg sued McCabe for Malpractice based on sexual contact & assault. (After she lived with him) Affair lasted 6 yrs. Aetna insured, defended him, then tried to dump based on "punitive damages belong to defendant" and sex not covered. Court said if they defended then they covered, but only for malpractice, not for punitive; also said 6 yr affair was one event. Malpractice "arose from" professional contact (Aetna contract wording), even if intentional battery. Award was $575,000, Aetna paid $250,000 of this (limit of their policy) cf Mazza v. Huffaker


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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – An earthquake hit Mexico today registering near Veracruz and Chiapas. Today's earthquake (terremoto) is the one of the largest temblors to strike Mexico in 2011. The earthquake was less than four hundred miles from Mexico City.
While no reports of injuries have yet been given by local news, Thursday morning the region was struck by a 6.5 earthquake shortly after 8 am local time. The quake registered roughly one hundred miles below the earth's surface. While the quake was centered in Veracruz, Mexico, it was felt across the region.
Today's Mexico Earthquake Maps
Mexico Earthquake Map 1
Mexico Earthquake Map 2
Mexico Earthquake Map 3
Mexico Earthquake Map 4
Initial reports released to news indicate the quake was roughly fifty miles south of Coatzacoalcos, seventy miles north west of Chiapas, and eighty miles west of Tabasco.
In February, the country was struck by a 5.7 quake also in Veracruz. Like today's quake, the February temblor struck just around breakfast time and was scattered close to Coatzacoalcos and roughly three hundred miles from Mexico City.
In October last year, the country was rocked by similar magnitude quakes, but centered up in Baja California. The quake registered a 6.9 and was roughly 80 miles from Los Mochis and 90 miles east of Las Paz.
February 2011 Mexico Earthquake Maps
Mexico Earthquake Map 1
Mexico Earthquake Map 2
Mexico Earthquake Map 3
Mexico Earthquake Map 4
Today's quake was centered in the less populated region east of Highway 185, west of Tuxtla Gutierrez, and north west of Parque Natural El Ocote. The quake was west of Cardenas and south of Cuchapa.
2 Comments
Damn, that Montana Fishburne is UGLY. What is up with that upper lip and mustache?
God punished Mexico. Dios Castigo a Mexico por sus hechicerias y sus brujerias. Dios odia tanto estas cosas. Por eso Dios los castigo. Porque los ama como a quien su hijo no ama,porque los castiga como a quien su padre corrige ama a su hijo? Porque Dios es amor, y le castiga con amor lleno de fervor porque Mexico no se arrepiente. Mexico tiene que arrepentirse y dejar de racismos y de todos sus pecados y que vengan a Cristo Jesus que murio por todos ustedes y no lo rechazen y vengan a el.
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Montenegro Hostel 4U
Come to Montenegro Hostel 4U if you want affordable beachside accommodation right in the heart of Kotor! Our hostel is perfect for budget travelers and backpackers looking to relax by day and party at night.
Hostel 4U is in an unbeatable location on the main beach strip of Kotor. Our clean and modern beachhouse comprises of 6 spacious air-conditioned dorms, 6 bathrooms, one private triple room, common room with kitchen facilities and an outdoor area designed to bring guests together for many unforgettable parties. Every window in Hostel 4U provides a view of the crystal blue bay of Kotor or the breathtaking mountain landscape. We also offer personal lockers and laundry facilities, as well as free wifi in the common area and a public computer for guests to use as they wish.
Hostel 4U is only a 5 minute walk from Old Town and a 10 minute walk from the bus station. There is also two supermarkets, two bakeries and a shopping mall all within 5 minutes walking distance, as well as a small market 50 metres away for everyday neccessities (such as cheap, cold beer!).
During your stay at Hostel 4U you will never be short of things to do. Every night we organise different entertainment for our guests including beer pong, barbeques, card games, drinking games and pub crawls. And we always welcome other ideas from guests!
The beach is just 2 metres from the Hostel. There it is possible to rent pedal boats, kayaks, jet skis, deck chairs and umbrellas for a very good price.
If you wish to explore the Bay of Kotor or the surrounding towns we can also organise day trips and tours at your request. For example, guests can visit the two churches of the island, St. George and Our Lady of the rocks, before stopping in Perast to see the Fortress city and museum. Then head to Stoliv and Markov rt before returning to Kotor to watch the sunset over the mountains.
Please Note:
Reception is open from 9am to 12 midnight.
Every guest who arrives in Hostel accommodation of Montenegro pays obligatory tourist tax 1,00 euro per day of staying, and receives verified and signed certificate which confirms guest's stay in Montenegro and which must be kept in guest's passport.
Tourist tax is not included in the price.
We only accept cash payments on arrival.
Check in: 09:00 am to 12 midnight
Check out: 11 :00am
The triple private room consists of one double bed and one single bed, with air conditioning and a tv. There is a bathroom across the hall for the private room guests, however it is shared with our washing facilities therefore the cleaning staff and management will have access to the bathroom during your stay.
Please note that Hostel 4U is often regarded as a 'party hostel'. However we do move the party out to the beach at midnight, so if you want a quiet night you can retire to your room or the common room.
We also have organised transportation, every day, from Kotor to Tirana, Mostar and Dubrovnik.
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
Hostel Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Security
- Air Conditioning
- Airport Transfers
- Bicycle hire
- Bicycle parking
- Board Games
- Book Exchange
- Breakfast Not Included
- Cable TV
- Café
- Ceiling Fan
- Common Room
- DVDs
- Free City Maps
- Free Internet Access
- Free Parking
- Free WiFi
- Games Room
- Fitness Centre
- Hair Dryers
- Hot Showers
- House Keeping
- Internet Access
- Internet café
- Self-Catering Facilities
- Laundry Facilities
- Security Lockers
- Meeting Rooms
- Outdoor Terrace
- Parking
- Reading Light
- Reception (limited hours)
- Restaurant
- Taxes not included
- Tea & Coffee Making Facilities
- Tours/Travel Desk
- Towels Included
- Washing Machine
- Wi-Fi
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 2 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Hostel InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
'On the beach, which is 5 meters from hostel, you can rent:
- pedal boat for two and four people
- kayak fro one & two
- jet ski
- deck chairs
- umbrella
Hostel is organizing a boat tour every day, to Visit a bay of Kotor, the two churches on the islands 'St. George' and 'Our Lady of the rocks', Blue cave, island Mamula, and stops for swimming.
Every night we have some events: bbq night, coctail night, beer pong night, kings of cup night and other...after that we go out in town to some local pubs and disco Maximus.'
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
From the bus station, follow the main road until you reach Old Town, pass by it. Continue on the main road over two small bridges. As you continue you will see a park on your left side and further along a shopping mall 'Kamelija' on your right. At the second lot of traffic lights in front of the shopping mall, turn left along the coastal road. Continue for 200 m until you reach our beautiful beachside Montenegro Hostel 4U.
The address of the Montenegro Hostel 4u is Dobrota donji put bb -Kotor
-Tivat Airport to Kotor:
It is 4 km Catch a taxi (about 8 euros) or airport bus to Kotor
-Kotor Bus Station:
It is 700 m to the hostel, or 10 min walk.
Located Near
The Montenegro Hostel 4u beachhouse is literally two metres from the beach!
It is just a 5 minute walk to Old Town and a 10 minute walk from
the bus station. There are amazing views from all over the hostel of the sparkling sea and mountains.


text: Apr 24, 2013 14:15 Broiled Red Fish and Veggies Broiled Red Fish and Veggies Dr. Tooley Towns Comments Broiled Red Fish and Veggies Recipe is by Dr. Tooley Towns, who says quantities depend on the number of people being served and the cook's choice. Red fish fillets Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning Lime juice Lump crab meat Asparagus Broccoli, cut into pieces Mushrooms Fresh garlic cloves 1 tbl. olive oil 1 tbl. butter Lemon pepper 1. Season fillets with Tony's and broil for 5 to 6 minutes. Top with lime juice and lump crab meat. 2. Sauté asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil and butter. Season with lemon pepper. Get The Advocate in your inbox Subscribe


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Nov. 10, 2001
IRVINE, Calif. - Senior two-meter Alfonso Tucay (Sr., Burbank/Burroughs) scored five times to lead No. 2 UCLA to a 14-6 victory over UC Irvine in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's water polo match Saturday night at Anteater Aquatic Center. The match was the conference finale for both teams.
The Bruins inproved to 12-3 overall and 7-1 in league play. Tucay's five-goal outburst was the highest single-game total by a UCLA player this season. Matt Flesher (Jr., Diamond Bar/Brea Olinda) and Ted Peck (Fr., Irvine/University) each registered three goals, while Brandon Brooks (Jr., Honolulu, HI/Punahou) collected six saves in goal.
UC Irvine (5-12, 1-7 MPSF) fell behind early in the second quarter as the Bruins converted two successive power-play opportunities. UCLA outscored UCI 4-1 in the second to establish a 6-3 halftime edge.
The Bruins gained control of the game late in the third period after UCI had closed to the lead to 7-5. Tucay's two scores and a goal from Flesher in the final 2:18 of the quarter gave the Bruins an insurmountable five-goal lead.
UCLA closes out its regular season schedule by visiting crosstown rival USC at McDonald's Swim Stadium next Saturday at a time yet to be determined.
UC Irvine 2 1 2 1 - 6
UCLA- Alfonso Tucay 5, Matt Flesher 3, Ted Peck 3, Jeff Pflueger, Brett Ormsby, Nick Pacelli
UCI-Chris Kirchwehm 3, John Dorfi 2, Dresson Barry
Goalkeepers-UCLA - Brandon Brooks (6 GA, 6 Saves), UCI - Doug Finfrock (14 GA, 4 Saves)
Shots-UCLA 27, UCI 24
Extra-Man-UCLA 5-7, UCI 1-4


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CYBERSPACE—The unabashed brazenness of the pirate mentality is on full display in an article posted on TorrentFreak a few days ago titled Largest BitTorrent Trackers Go Offline in Protest. As I was reading it, I realized that it really underscores the collusion necessary to make Torrents work.
In fact, the opening paragraph provides a neat summation of my point: "OpenBitTorrent and PublicBitTorrent, the two largest BitTorrent trackers on the Internet, are on strike. Both trackers are going offline to protest the unresponsiveness of the makers of uTorrent who were asked to introduce a simple protocol enhancement that would save the non-profit trackers thousands of dollars. As a result of the protest, many people are having trouble downloading files on BitTorrent."
It's truly upsetting, I know, but let's compose ourselves. The story indicates the extent to which two companies can substantially impede the downloading of files, but it also reveals that the two trackers, which coordinate the "downloads of tens of millions people at any given point in time," are upset about the the fact that "many users keep adding HTTP addresses and since many old torrents also include these, both trackers are overloaded with bogus announces."
Last year, the two trackers, which don't want to clean up their act as much as clear away the flammable underbrush, "abandoned TCP support to become UDP-only trackers," according to the article. "This was done to save resources... For OpenBitTorrent this means that more bandwidth and resources are wasted on erroneous traffic than on legitimate announces."
But the extra bandwidth costs are just the tip."The bills are not the only problem either, as the admin points out that without a fix BitTorrent clients can be abused to DDoS any website," writes Eernesto for TorrentFreak,
The upshot has been an unpleasant one for people seeking free stuff. "For BitTorrent users," Ernesto continues, "the strike of BitTorrent's largest trackers is causing problems. Without central trackers it takes much longer to find peers, and users who don't have DHT enabled will notice that their torrents stop working entirely if there is no backup tracker."
It's hardly news that BitTorrent is a communal activity, of course, but it's still nice to be afforded a real time example of the extent to which a few companies can cause widespread interference, as well as the efforts underway to move to trackerless torrents like DHT and other methods that have been in development since at least 2009, according to TorrentFreak article posted way back when.
Also of no surprise is the fact that The Pirate Bay has been in the middle of these moves to innovate the piratesphere, though progress has apparently been slow. In fact, it was a lagging response by uTorrent's parent company BitTorrent Inc, to a proposal two months ago by TBP co-founder Fredrik Neij—submitted to uTorrent's parent company BitTorrent Inc., "to add a functionality that allows website and tracker owners to inform BitTorrent clients whether connections are allowed or not"—that precipitated the tracker blackout.
It makes sense that the overlords of BitTorrent want to make improvements to the technology in order to make the service more cost efficient, more accurate in terms of finding peers, and less friendly for content owners interested in seeding Torrents with links to content that is not what the user expects.
The point was driven home by one commenter to the TorrentFreak article, who wrote, "The real issue at hand is that people are adding dead and disconnected tracker URLs to torrents, thus causing the client to generate unnecessary traffic."
No shit.
In the meantime, the pressure on the trackers is mounting. An update on TF reported that "that they are working on a short-term fix to resolve this issue." Nothing quite like responsive customer service.


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Do you like outfits of Duchess of Cambridge? I like because she doesn't often wear expensive dresses and she opts for simpler and more affordable styles. So that is why I am so into her Alexander McQueen dress she wore for A Night of Heroes?
Wow, I am really impressed and must admit that the black strapless gown the Duchess wore to A Night of Heroes at the Imperial War Museum in London was amazing.
I am talking about a fantastic velvet dress with a heart neckline decorated with delicate frills and costed her £4,000.
Duchess accompanied the dress with a diamond-and-ruby necklace. Kate came with her husband William and his brother Prince Harry.


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Mallstuck outline
Karkat Vantas- 19 year-old manager of Spencer's located in the second floor of the mall in the north-west wing. He often yells at customers when they are inside the store for more than what he considers enough time, which is about ten seconds. He despises his location in the mall, across from Build-a-Bear and Claire's, he constantly has little kids and whinny teenage girls running in and out of the store, complaining about the crude sayings on most of the merchandise. He secretly has the hots for the manager of Hot Topic, the store directly below his, and not so secretly despises the manager of Build-a-Bear, an overly happy and derpy human boy who always bugs him.
Sollux Captor- 18 year-old assistant manager of Game-stop, which is located on the second floor of the mall diagonal from Build-a-Bear and a few stores to the left of Spencer's. He started working in the store less than three months ago, but was quickly promoted due to his amazing abilities with computers and the games. He is often found working the counter and telling customers' cheat-cheats about the games they purchase, not that they ever understand him due to his 'lithp'. His best friend is Karkat, or as he calls him, 'KK', and often is forced to sit through his friend's ranting all through their lunch hour.
Aradia Megido- 18 year-old cashier at Sonic, located in the central food court on the second floor. Aradia dislikes being an employ at the most popular fast-food restaurant because she is always busy, running back and forth in the little space between counter and kitchen to take and give orders. She has only been working at the mall for a month, being the newcomer to the mall world, and so far doesn't have many friends, though she seems to like it that way. She is the only mall worker who leaves the mall for her lunch break, seeing as she KNOWS what goes on backstage in those food court restaurants.
Nepeta Leijon- 17 year-old manager of the pet store 'Bark-Bark-Meow' located on the first floor of the mall, right beside Hot Topic. Her pet store has mainly cats and puppies, but she also has rabbits, snakes, lizards, fish and many other types, even though the shop seems to be overrun with cats and kittens she lets roam free around the store. She is a tiny girl, no taller than maybe 5 feet tall and is always wearing a long green trench coat and a blue cat-hat. She is best friends with the manager of 'Sports-and-Outdoor', which is located at the end of the hall, though she admits to having a tiny bit of a crush on him.
Kanaya Maryam- 19-year old manager and owner of 'Virgo Designs', a clothing store stocked full of merchandise that she creates. Her store is located on the bottom floor in the north-east wing of the mall, and always has people in it. She is tall and quite, always wearing a plain black shirt with her zodiac sign on it and her long red skirt. She is best-friends with the owner of the store across the hall, 'Knitting Surplus'. She is the most mature of all the mall employees, and is always the one to settle arguments and petty disagreements at the employee meetings.
Tavros Nitram- 18-year-old manager of 'Earthbound Trading Company'. He is shy and has a pretty bad stutter, though he never lets that get him down. His store is located upstairs right beside the central food court, right beside 'Makara Pies', an interesting bakery his best friend owns. He spends most of his time playing with the hermit crabs in his store, coaxing them to come out of their shells in his shaking voice.
Terezi Pyrope- 19-year-old Manager of Hot Topic, located down stairs in the north-west wing of the mall, directly below Spencer's. She is utterly blind, due to an untimely 'accident' involving bleach and a pissed of spider bitch, and is almost always found licking the computer by the cash register or the merchandise. She makes crude remarks and is always patronizing her customers. Many times a day you will go to Hot Topic and find the doors closed, Terezi hanging out in either the pet store with her best FLARPing buddy, Nepeta, or in Victoria's Secret, where her best hate-friend works. Almost everyone is surprised she hasn't been fired despite her negligence with the store, or because she is always pulling pranks.
Vriska Serket- 19-year-old manager of Victoria's Secret, located in the north east corner of the second floor of the mall. She spends most of her time scaring the shit out of the customers and pulling pranks with her best hate-friend, Terezi. She has one robotic arm and lost her vision eight fold in her left eye do to an 'accidental' explosion in which one blind troll was involved. She has a very obvious crush on the manager of Build-a-Bear and can often be found eating her lunch in his store, distracting him from work while she eats.
Equius Zahhak- 19-year-old manager of 'Sports-and-Outdoors', located down the hall from the food court, one of the large department stores at the end of the mall. He has a tendency to break the cash-register and use the blankets to mop up his copious amount of sweat he produces every day. He can usually be found sitting behind his counter at the back of the store where they keep the guns and bait, petting a cat that his best moirail gave him a few months ago, the only thing he has managed to touch and hold without breaking. He often spends his lunch breaks with Nepeta at her store, closing it to eat their lunches and talk in peace. More than once he has had to look at her shipping wall as she explains it in too much detail to him.
Gamzee Makara- 20-year-old owner and manager of 'Makara Pies' a little bakery that sells nothing but soupor slime pies. To say the least, he never has any customers, but he's usually to drugged up on his own pies to notice. He often wanders away from his bakery and into Earthbound to 'hang with his best bro', Tavros, helping him coax the 'little bros', or hermit crabs, from their shells, or re-painting shells for the Hermit crabs.
Eridan Ampora- 19-year-old manager of 'Scarvves-R-Us', a store dedicated to the sole purpose of selling scarves. His store often looks like a barren waste land of scarves, seeing as people avoid the store and its owner like the plague. It's actually not that strange, once you get to know the
interesting character that owns the store. He tries to find a romantic relationship with anything that moves, and because he can't, he is a very desperate person, with only one friend, the girl who co-owns the baby-sitting center beside his own store.
Feferi Peixes- 19-year-old co-owner of the 'Grubs and Tots Play Stop', a place where parents could dump their children under the age of ten to be watched by two 19 year-old girls. She loves her job, and loves playing with the little kids the best. They always tell their parents they want to see Fef, as they call her, again soon. Feferi often is found in the little section for the 0 months-4 years, reading or playing with the little kids as her partner chased the 5-10 year olds around. She has a bit of a crush on Sollux, and is Eridan's only friend. She is also the daughter of the mall's owner, and sole 'heir' to the building when he passes on. Kinda like a mall princess.
Jade Harley- 18 year-old co-owner of the 'Grubs and Tots Play Stop'. Unlike her partner, Feferi, Jade enjoys her job, but only to a certain point. She like she days when Feferi Is sick and she gets to watch the little kids the most, seeing as the older ones she usually watches are slightly wild and rambunctious. However, she forces a smile when she must and cares for the older kids, dreading the days when school is out during the summer and the Play Stop and stuffed with kids.
John Egbert- 19 year-old manager of the Build-a-Bear in the mall. He greatly enjoys his job and working with the little kids, even if he sometimes plays little pranks, such as 'Accidently' putting too much stuffing in the bears and those sort of things. He has a tendency to spend his lunch hour with Vriska in Victoria's Secret, even if it makes him feel slightly uncomfortable being in a bra and underwear store. With his job and 'fresh meat' coming into the mall every day, his prankster's gambit is higher than ever.
Rose Lalonde- 19-year-old owner and manager of 'Knitting Surplus'. She sells mainly fabrics, even if you don't use fabrics when knitting, and needles, though there are tons of other things in her store. Her number one customer is Kanaya, who often comes over to buy new fabrics and things for her designs and clothing. Rose is a very quiet and calm individual, who spends her lunch hours with Kanaya in the employee's lounge, which is usually desolate save for Dave and occasionally Jade.
Dave Strider- 19-year-old 'ironic' manager of Icing, the girly store that sells almost anything from earrings to fluffy boas. He is only the manager because of the irony in it, though he admits he doesn't mind seeing the teenage girls check him out. Even if, in his mind, he is already spoken for. He is often found in 'Bro's DJ Surplus', a record and turntables store his older brother owns, and can also be found at the 'Grubs and Tots Play Stop' when Jade suckers him into helping her.
Homestuck- MallStuck by kaykayray1Watch
©2011-2016 kaykayray1
So, I decided to create a Homestuck AU
And with that, I came up with MallStuck, a land in which each and every troll/human has some job at a mall.... a few more happily than others. I know this is a massive wall of text. I was going to seperate it into three descriptions per thing.... But then Kaykay got lazy :/
So I have this >:]
Also, due to the fact I am a writer and have exactly -100 drawing skills, if there is someone who would like to illustrate the AU, then feel free to message me about it.
Also, there will be a story about this soon... Very soon hopefully.
And with that, I came up with MallStuck, a land in which each and every troll/human has some job at a mall.... a few more happily than others. I know this is a massive wall of text. I was going to seperate it into three descriptions per thing.... But then Kaykay got lazy :/
So I have this >:]
Also, due to the fact I am a writer and have exactly -100 drawing skills, if there is someone who would like to illustrate the AU, then feel free to message me about it.
Also, there will be a story about this soon... Very soon hopefully.
This sounds amazing! You should write it if you have the time.
SO yeah, you remember that one time, like almost a year ago I promised this would be posted in three days? I lied. But hey, first chapter is done!
Lol, thanks again Believe it or not, I am actually working on this, no matter how long it has been since I posted this >.< The first chapter should be up within 3 days.
Lol, Thanks guys I have been away for... A while, and am going to jump back on this soon!! if you wanna draw, you have my full permission!!
This.. Sounds... AMAZING! now..I kinda want to draw lol
I lost my shit at Scarvves'R'Us
All of it.
All of it.
This seems awesome *o* make the first chapter of it soon please! o:!!