text:
The Inner Circle opens with an international group of young archeology students sweating on a dig on the island of Gotland, uncovering a Viking fortification dating back over a millennium. They are a fun-loving lot, partying together every night, but the good vibe turns to horror when one of them, twenty-one-year-old Martina Flochten, disappears. Her body is found a short while later, naked, bled out, and hanging from a tree. Her injuries indicate that she is the victim of a ritual killing.
Inspector Anders Knutas investigates Martina's acquaintances. Who was the mysterious lover she was supposed to have been meeting in secret and whom none of her fellow archaeologists have actually seen? What do the marks on Martina's body signify? Is there possibly a connection between Martina's death and the recent and unsolved brutal beheading of a Gotland pony? The pony was also bled out, and its head was missing---until it appears mounted on a stick outside the next victim's house.
Inspector Knutas and his team work feverishly to catch the killer, but before long there are more victims, all of whom have been killed and mutilated the same way.
Mari Jungstedt integrates a healthy dose of Scandinavian mythology in this installment of her critically acclaimed series, and also addresses current issues on Gotland, while keeping up a fast-paced and intricate plot as Knutas closes in on the killer and the secret that connects the victims. This is Swedish crime fiction at its best: dark, atmospheric, and character-driven.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
MARI JUNGSTEDT has worked as a radio and television journalist for fourteen years. This is her third mystery in a series set on the island of Gotland off the coast of Sweden, where the author spends her summers. The rest of the year Mari lives in Stockholm with her family. She is currently at work on her sixth book.
MONDAY, JUNE 28 Below Fröjel Church the fields of rapeseed and other crops spread out like yellow and green carpets all the way down to the sea. In one corner of the fields a motley bunch of people was digging. Occasionally a head would stick up above the tall grass whenever someone straightened up to stretch out an aching back or change position: a white cap, a straw hat, a pirate's bandanna, long hair that a woman twisted into a coil and held on top of her head for a moment in an attempt to find some relief before she let the tresses fall back over her shoulders. Beyond the bowed backs the shimmering waters of the Baltic were visible as an auspicious blue backdrop. Bumblebees and wasps buzzed among the bright red poppies; the oats rippled gently back and forth as a light breeze drifted past. Otherwise the air was practically motionless. A high-pressure system from Russia had moved in over Gotland and had remained parked there for a week. Twenty or so archaeology students were methodically excavating what had once been a Viking Age harbor a thousand years in the past. It was hard work that required patience. Martina Flochten from the Netherlands was squatting down in a pit, scraping at stones and earth with a trowel. She was using the small tool eagerly but cautiously so as not to damage any potential finds. Now and then she would pluck out a stone and toss it into the black plastic bucket beside her. Now the fun part had started. After a couple of weeks of fruitless digging, she had finally been rewarded for all her efforts a few days ago. She had found several silver coins and some glass beads. The feeling she got from holding objects that no human being had touched since the ninth or tenth century was just as strong for her every time. It started her imagination going, thinking about how the people inthis place had once lived. What woman had worn these beads? Who was she, and what thoughts had passed through her mind? Martina was one of the foreign participants in the course. Almost half the students came from other countries. There were two Americans, a British woman, a Frenchman, a Canadian whose family had originally come from India, a couple of Germans, and an Australian named Steven. This was part of his around-the-world journey; Steven was traveling to sites of archaeological interest all over the globe. His father was apparently quite wealthy, so Steven could do whatever he pleased. Martina was studying archaeology at the university in Rotterdam, and that's where she had heard about the courses in archaeological fieldwork that were offered by the college in Visby. The course was worth ten college credits, which would be accepted toward her Dutch degree. Martina was also half Swedish: Her mother was from Gotland. Although the family had lived in the Netherlands for Martina's whole life, they often came to the island on vacation, even after her mother died in a car accident three years ago. Having the chance to stay on Gotland for a longer period of time and devote herself to the most interesting work she could imagine was an opportunity she hadn't wanted to miss. So far the training had been beyond her expectations. The participants got along well together. Most of them were her own age, about twenty, although some were older. Bruce, one of the Americans, was in his fifties and kept mostly to himself. He had told them that he worked as a computer technician, but archaeology was what interested him most. And Martina guessed that the British woman was about forty; she seemed rather odd. Martina enjoyed this mixture of the Swedish and the international. The mood of the group was raucous but cordial. Laughter often echoed over the area as the team members joked about each other's digging techniques and varying degrees of success in making finds. So far poor Katja from Göteborg hadn't dug up anything but animal bones, which were plentiful. Her pit seemed to hold nothing else; even so, the job had to be done. So there she sat, day after day, sweating hard without finding anything of interest. Martina hoped that Katja would soon be allowed to try another pit. The excavation course had started off with a couple of weeks devoted to theory in classrooms at the college in Visby. After that cameeight weeks on a dig in Fröjel on Gotland's west coast. Since Martina was so interested in the Viking Age, nothing could have suited her better. This entire area had probably been inhabited during that period. Various digs had produced finds from the early Viking Age of the ninth century all the way up to the end of the era around 1100. The section of the excavation site where the students were now working included a harbor, a settlement, and several burial grounds. It had also most likely been an important trading center, considering all the weights and silver coins that had been dug up. Suddenly Steven gave a shout from where he was crouching down in the next pit. Everyone went rushing over to him. He was in the process of uncovering the skeleton of a man, and he had found part of what he suspected was a circular brooch made of bronze lying near the man's throat. Staffan Mellgren, the excavation leader, cautiously climbed down into the pit and reached for a small brush that was in a bucket along with other tools. Carefully he began brushing away the dirt, and after several minutes he had uncovered the entire brooch. All the students stood gathered around the pit, watching with fascination as bit by bit the well-preserved brooch came into view. The leader's enthusiasm was infectious. "Amazing!" he shouted. "It's all in one piece. The pin is intact, and take a look at the ornamentation." Mellgren switched to using an even smaller brush, and with light strokes he swept away the rest of the dirt. He used the handle of the brush to point at the upper portion of the circular brooch. "What you see here was used to hold the inner shift in place--the thinner garment that he wore next to his skin. If we're in luck, he'll also have a larger circular brooch at his shoulder. It's just a matter of continuing to work." He gave a nod of encouragement to Steven, who looked both happy and proud. "Proceed with caution, and don't stand too close to the skeleton. There might be more." The others returned to their work with renewed zeal. The thought that they, too, might find something noteworthy had energized them. Martina kept on digging. After a while it was time to empty the bucket. She went over to one of the big wooden sieves that were lined up alongthe edge of the excavation site. Carefully she poured the contents of her bucket into the sieve, which consisted of a rectangular wooden box with a fine-meshed steel screen in the bottom. It was sitting on top of an iron bar, which made it possible to roll the box back and forth. She grabbed hold of the wooden handles on either side and began shaking the box vigorously to sift out the dirt and sand. It was hard work, and after a few minutes, she was soaked with sweat. After she had strained out the worst of the dirt, she meticulously studied what was left in the sieve so as not to miss anything of value. First she found an animal bone and then another. There was also a tiny metal object, probably a nail. Nothing could be thrown out; everything had to be carefully preserved and documented since no one would be allowed to dig there after them. Once a site had been excavated, it was considered "disturbed" forever after; that was why archaeologists had such a big responsibility to preserve everything that might reveal how human beings had lived in that particular area. Martina had to take a break for a few minutes. She was thirsty and went to get her knapsack with her water bottle. She sat down on an upended wooden box, massaging her shoulders as best she could and watching the others as she caught her breath. Her teammates were focused on their work, kneeling, squatting, or lying on their stomachs alongside pits, tenaciously searching through the dark soil. She felt Mark's eyes on her but pretended not to notice. Her feelings were engaged elsewhere, and she didn't want to encourage him. They were good friends, which was enough as far as she was concerned. Jonas, a likable guy from Skåne who wore an earring and a pirate's bandanna on his head, saw that she was giving herself a massage. "Are your shoulders sore? Do you want me to rub them?" "Sure, thanks," said Martina in clumsy Swedish. She knew a little of her late mother's peculiar language, and she wanted to get some practice, even though she and everyone around her spoke fluent English. Jonas was one of her best friends in the group; they got on well together. She appreciated his offer, even though she sensed that it wasn't purely out of concern for her well-being. The attention that certain men in the group paid to her was nice, but not something she especially encouraged. THE INNER CIRCLE. Copyright © 2005 by Mari Jungstedt.
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text:
Two pitchers shone in the bullpen in Chris Franklin and Adam Dominick both of whom were one and two in holds and games appeared in the Midwest League shined for the TinCaps.
Overview: We used a simple formula for the awards. Whichever team the player appeared for most is where he is eligible*. For the top prospect, we took into account not just what the player did this year, but his age and potential impact in the major leagues.
*Except, of course, for Kevin Quackenbush, who appeared in our Northwest League awards.
Level: The Midwest League is the first full season league and one of the more challenging to hitters, mainly for the cold weather early in the year. At this level, batters are still adjusting to wood bats and learning how to cover the plate. Pitchers with so-so "stuff" can succeed as long as they command their fastball and put it on both sides of the plate.
John Conniff
Pitcher of the Year: RHP/SP Keyvius Sampson 12-3 2.90 ERA
Not a real tough decision on this one. In twenty-four starts, he gave up 38 earned runs and had a 143/49 K/BB ratio in 118 innings pitched. Throw in the fact that the opposition only hit .192 off of him...well, I'll save something for Ben and David to talk about.
Runner-up: LHP/SP Mark Hardy 11-10 2.78 ERA
A forty-third round pick out of the University of British Columbia in the 2010 draft Hardy has been, to say the least, a pleasant surprise.
He was the team leader in ERA and started 19 games with less hits (117) than innings pitched (129.1) and a very good 96/32 K/BB ratio. He's twenty-three and doesn't have a true plus pitch but based on what he did this year he's going to get a chance to keep proving that he belongs at higher levels.
Ben Davey
Pitcher of the Year: RHP/SP Keyvius Sampson
My real question is how Sampson was not named Pitcher of the Year in the Midwest League. He racked up 143 strikeouts in 118 innings pitched and he can't even drink legally yet.
The only reason his earned run average ended up as high as 2.90 ERA was because of three bad starts out of twenty-four this season. Sampson was clearly the most dominant pitcher in Fort Wayne and quite possibly the entire system.
Runner-up:RHP/SP Matt Jackson 5-1, 1.95 ERA
Jackson struggled with injuries throughout most of the season, but was named a mid-season All Star and came back just in time to propel the TinCaps to the playoffs. When things really mattered for the club, he gave up only one earned run in his final three starts.
A sub-one WHIP for a starter with more strikeouts than innings pitched with the opposition hitting .205 against him…I think he qualifies.
David Jay
Pitcher of the Year: Keyvius Sampson
Sampson was a true front-of-the-rotation stud for the TinCaps all season. From opening day, when he whiffed 10 over six hitless innings, to his one-run performance in his last start of the year, Sampson dominated nearly every time out. The Padres could not have hoped for a better year from their 20-year-old righty.
Runner-up: LHP/SP Mark Hardy
Okay, everyone who had the 23-year-old Canadian pegged as the club's ERA leader, raise your hands now. The big lefty who, as a 43rd-rounder was the lowest pick of the 2010 draft class to sign, was a key part of the TinCaps' success this year.
As a starter, his ERA was even better (2.66) across 108.1 innings than his overall numbers, which include a mid-season stint in the bullpen. Hardy was particularly impressive down the stretch, when his final two outings went for 13 shutout innings. His K rates aren't as impressive as most of the other guys in the rotation, but he worked effectively throughout the zone and kept the ball on the ground.
Others of Note: Adys Portillo showed that he has the stuff, posting 97 strikeouts over 82 innings, but struggled greatly with consistency, issuing 55 walks and a 7.11 ERA. Zach Cates was the team's most consistent starter but also struggled with control, allowing 53 walks in 118 innings. Chris Franklin was the go-to guy in the pen, leading the club in appearances with 63 and putting up a very solid 2.97 ERA with seven saves. Adam Dominick was also stellar out of the pen with 83 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched against only 13 walks.
Top Prospect: Keyvius Sampson (unanimous)
The biggest question hovering over Sampson coming into the year was how he would respond to the elbow challenges from last year. And while there are always reasons to worry about injuries in young pitchers, the club could not have hoped for much more than Sampson showed them this year. Working on a tight innings limit, he rarely had to go through a lineup more than twice in the Midwest League.
As he advances and works deeper into games, he will need to rely on the breaking ball more frequently, but he has clearly established himself as the guy to watch from this staff.

subset: commoncrawl


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[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
Re: Problems combining new v7.0 Image command with other graphics
you have not understood the problem. Your example does just this what
the OP wishes, it draw the Locator[] over the image, and keep the
vector structure of the Locator[]. But there is no LinePane[]/
CirclePane[]/ PolygonPane[], to do that. And something like
raster = Image`ToGraphicsRaster[img][[1]] /.
Raster[bm_, dim_, args___] :>
Raster[bm, {{0, 0}, Reverse[Take[Dimensions[bm], 2]]}, args];
dim = ImageDimensions[img];
Graphics[{raster, Locator[Dynamic[p]],
Text[Dynamic[p /. ImageScaled[a_] :> Round[a*dim]],
Dynamic[p], {-1, -1}]}]
is not possible with LocatorPane[].
It is a principle error of the Image[], that Image[] itself
is no Graphics-object (very logic). And it would take only a little work
to display and Image[] alone as well as to allow that
work correct. The problem is, that Image[] has not the position/size
information that Raster[] has. However a position and size information
is necessary for several image processing algorithms, like all forms of
image registration.
Sjoerd C. de Vries wrote:
> Easy:
> LocatorPane[{50, 50}, ImageCompose[Image[img], Graphics@Circle[]]
> Cheers -- Sjoerd
> On Jan 7, 2:10 pm, Jens-Peer Kuska <ku... at informatik.uni-leipzig.de>
> wrote:
>>> 3. You can combine bitmapped Images with vector based Graphics using
>>> ImageCompose:
>>> ImageCompose[Image[img], Graphics@Circle[]]
>> That destroy the vector information and work with the
>> full image. Try to move a Locator[] object on the image
>> in that way, and not with
>> Graphics[{Image`ToGraphicsRaster[img][[1]],Locator[p]}]


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Hallam, Susan and Kirton, Alison and Robertson, Pamela and Stobart, Gordon and Peffers, Jack (2003) Evaluation of Project 1 of the Assessment is for Learning Development Programme: Support for Professional Practice in Formative Assessment: Interim Report. [Report]Full text not available from this repository.
|Item Type:
|IOE Departments > Departments > Lifelong and Comparative Education
|Depositing User:
|IOE Repository Editor (2)
|Date Deposited:
|24 Mar 2010 14:33
|Last Modified:
|29 Jan 2015 10:24


text:
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As searchers, we all have frustrations when we search. That's why Yahoo conducted a study to better understand our search behavior. In this video, Larry Cornett of Yahoo tells us about their study as well as what they found out.
The company went around to 6 different U.S. cities and surveyed 150 Web users. The 3 continuing themes from their research were:
1. Information overload
2. Text overload
3. Impersonal experience
As Larry explains, the average Web user does not care how many million results the search engines return. Even though it means a lot to the search engines, the average user doesn't even look past the first page.
The same idea is true with text overload. It takes a lot of work for the user to sort through all the text. As users, we want relevant information and want it quickly. The study also found that we desire a personal experience as we search. Larry explains that since we use the engine every day, it should know our habits.
Yahoo is working to respond to this study and to users search needs. One of the approaches the company is taking to answer this dilemma is with Yahoo SearchMonkey. The open platform is a developer tool that essentially gives Yahoo more structured data in order for the company to deliver better results. A few specific examples include ratings for restaurants, phone numbers, and street addresses.
Yahoo Search BOSS is another approach the company is taking and at SMX West, announced a few features and updates to the model. One feature allows access to SearchMonkey structured data through BOSS API. Search BOSS provides a 3-tier pricing structure and offers up to 10,000 search queries per day to all developers for free. The fee changes will not take effect until late Q2 of this year, but Yahoo wanted to give developers an advance notice.
Yahoo also encourages marketers to embrace blended/universal search to help better meet the searchers needs.


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Global Hazards - February 2002
Please note: Material provided in this report is chosen subjectively and included at the discretion of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The ability to report on a given event is limited by the amount of information available to NCDC at the time of publication. Inclusion of a particular event does not constitute a greater importance in comparison with an event that has not been incorporated into the discussion. Data included in this report are preliminary unless otherwise stated. Links to supporting information are valid at the time of publication, but they are not maintained or changed after publication.
- Content of this Report
- Special Highlight
- Asia
- Europe
- Australia
- Africa
- North and Central America
- South America
Special Highlight
On February 19, strong thunderstorms brought torrential rains and hail to the Bolivian capital of La Paz. At least 63 people were killed and 100 injured as flash floods destroyed 50 homes and left more than 500 homeless. According to the Bolivian National Meteorological Service, the city has never received such heavy rainfall in the 50 years records have been kept. The mayor of La Paz estimated damages to the city of nearly $100 million (USD)(Associated Press).
Asia (Click for map)
A persistent upper level ridge of high pressure, depicted by positive 500 millibar height anomalies, was present across most of the mid-latitude areas of Asia during February. This promoted above average temperatures across a large region, from western Russia eastward across Mongolia and eastern China. Temperature departures were 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) above the 1992-2002 average across these areas.
larger image
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Winter temperatures (December-February) were also 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) warmer than the 1968-1996 average across a large expanse of central Asia, with colder than average temperatures limited to parts of northern Siberia and the Magadan region of the Russian Far East. Unusually heavy snowfall during the winter season has threatened as many as 100,000 endangered leopards and Siberian tigers with starvation, as the harsh winter conditions resulted in a dwindling food supply (BBC News).
Farther south, drought has affected the island nation of Sri Lanka as several months of dry weather prompted the implementation of mandatory water conservation measures. The government of Sri Lanka imposed a one-year ban on the use of light for advertising in shops, nightclubs and hotels because of a power crisis, as 71 percent of the electric power in the country originates from hydroelectric plants (Associated Press). Across Malaysia, dry conditions aggravated forest and peat fires as more than 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of land were scorched during February 2002. The prolonged water shortage has threatened the country's palm oil industry (Reuters).
A significant winter storm affected the Hindu Kush mountains of northern Afghanistan during the first week of February. Heavy snows and a resulting avalanche caused 5 deaths north of Kabul and trapped around 400 people in the Salang area for more than 30 hours (COMTEX). Significant snow accumulations across the higher terrain cut off thousands of people from emergency food supplies. Persistent snow cover across the northern part of Afghanistan during February is depicted by the Asia snow cover loop.
larger image
Europe (Click for map)
Stormy conditions that began in January continued in February across the British Isles, as storm systems accompanied by heavy rains and strong wind affected the United Kingdom and caused flooding along the Ouse and Severn rivers (CNN). The UK Met Office reported that England and Wales experienced the wettest February since 1990, and many areas in Scotland received two to three times the normal February precipitation amount. Dry weather during December-February was conducive to wildfires across the Pyrenees mountains in southern France, charring more than 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) in early February.
larger image
larger image Despite a much milder than average February with below average snow cover, temperatures averaged over the winter season were only near to or slightly above the 1992-2002 mean across much of Europe.
Australia (Click for map)
larger image A trough of low pressure aloft (depicted by negative 500 millibar height anomalies) was largely responsible for cooler than average weather across much of central and southern Australia in February, where temperatures were 1-4°C (1.8-7.2°F) below the long-term mean. Warmer temperatures relative to average were restricted to much of Queensland and New South Wales. A similar temperature distribution is evident in the austral summer (December-February) mean, as South Australia had the coolest summer season since at least 1950.
Tropical Cyclone Chris developed in the Indian Ocean on the 3rd and made landfall in the Northern Territory on the 6th about 100 km (62 miles) east of Port Hedland with maximum sustained winds near 65 m/s (~125 knots or 145 mph). The cyclone brought heavy rains to much of northern and central portions of Western Australia and February precipitation surpluses exceeded 150 mm (5.91 inches) locally. February rainfall records were broken across parts of central Western Australia as Chris dissipated over the interior.
Heavy monsoon rains that brought serious flooding to parts of Java and the greater Jakarta area during the month of January continued in February. Damage to agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at $200 million (USD) across Indonesia, where at least 150 people lost their lives in the Java and Jakarta provinces (CIP report).
larger image A lack of rainfall during December-February exacerbated dry conditions across much of Queensland and New South Wales, where seasonal precipitation deficiencies ranged from 50 to 200 mm (1.97-7.87 inches) above a 1979-1995 CAMS average.
Africa (Click for map)
After a week of heavy rains at the beginning of February, flooding along the Dzongwe River forced thousands of people in northern and central Malawi to leave their homes and worsened food shortages in that country. More than 1,500 homes were destroyed in the town of Salima, with bridges and railways also damaged (AP, BBC). Farther north across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), flooding in the town of Uvira was responsible for 25 deaths (IRIN).
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Relatively dry weather continued across most of southern Africa during the December 2001-February 2002 period, with damage to crops reported across much of Zimbabwe. Wetter conditions extended from Angola through the DRC, where seasonal precipitation surpluses exceeding 100 mm (3.94 inches) were common.
larger image Tropical Cyclone Guillaume developed off the northeast coast of Madagascar on the 15th and brought significant rainfall to northern portions of the island during its developmental stages. The city of Toamasina along the northeast coast of the Malagasy Republic received over 800 mm (31.5 inches) of rain during the 1st-16th. Guillaume moved southeast and strengthened, passing east of the Mascarene Islands on the 19th.
February temperatures were 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) cooler than the 1992-2002 average across South Africa and parts of Botswana, with warm anomalies of 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) acrosss Zimbabwe as well as Morocco, Western Sahara and northeastern Sudan.
larger image
North and Central America (Click for map)
larger image Drought conditions intensified along the eastern seaboard of the United States during February, where winter precipitation deficits exceeding 100 mm (3.94 inches) were observed over most areas from the Gulf Coast into the Northeast. In Canada, dry weather also prevailed across most of Alberta and Saskatchewan where winter precipitation was less than 60 percent of average across many areas.
larger image Temperatures in February were 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) above average from the U.S. Northern Plains eastward into the Northeast where snow cover was notably absent. A series of strong Canadian high pressure systems which moved into the Intermountain West and southern High Plains brought temperatures that were 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) colder than usual. Across Mexico, abnormally cold weather which penetrated deep into central sections of the country caused around 250 million overwintering Monarch butterflies to freeze to death during late January (BBC).
South America (Click for map)
larger image Thunderstorms with torrential rains affected much of central and southern Peru during the first two weeks of February. Flooding and mudslides were responsible for 8 deaths and left around 8,300 people homeless (COMTEX). Monthly precipitation was 50-100 mm (1.97 to 3.94 inches) above average across southern Brazil, much of Bolivia and southern Peru, and into the western Amazon basin.
Temperatures during December-February were 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) warmer than average across much of southern Argentina, where prominent upper level high pressure ridging (depicted by positive 500 millibar height anomalies) was present. Elsewhere, seasonal temperatures across South America were generally within 1°C (1.8°F) of the 1992-2002 mean. larger image
Basist, A., N.C. Grody, T.C. Peterson and C.N. Williams, 1998: Using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager to Monitor Land Surface Temperatures, Wetness, and Snow Cover. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 37, 888-911.
Peterson, Thomas C. and Russell S. Vose, 1997: An overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network temperature data base. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 78, 2837-2849.


text:
Puss e's!!!!!!!!!!!
(Apart from Leesin!)
Pita and humous to start with plenty of peri peri oil.
Full platter or Whole Chicken and a half, Hot with spicy sweet potato (chips if bein a bad un).
Massive pool of Garlic sauce, massive pool of Wild Herb sauce, Extra hot drizzled on the chicken. deskinned and put in a big pile of wet Nandos heaven.
Washed down with Sangrias or sprite with bout 4 refills of frozen yoghurt.


text:
Summer Reading Challenge Reception
August 11, 2014
The McDonald Library will be hosting a coffee and donut reception on Friday, August 15th, for the participants of the Summer Reading Challenge. The winners of the challenge will be announced and prizes will be given out. Please join the library staff for some sweet refreshments if you participated in the challenge!


text:
Welcome to Nu-Track Online
Welcome to the website of Nu-Track Ltd. Nu-Track design and manufacture specialist vehicles including wheelchair accessible coachbuilt buses / minibus conversions, school buses and courtesy coaches. We provide vehicles, tailored to the exact specification and budgetary requirements of each individual customer, using high quality materials.
Nu-Track was formed at the end of 1991 and since then has placed quality, versatility, a wealth of experience and value for money as cornerstone's to it's continued success.
In November 2012 the Company was acquired by the sole shareholder of Wrightbus Limited ensuring stability and an exciting future for Nu-Track.


text:
Our bondex pockets (iron-on) come in one color and have 6.5" x 4.5" dimensions. 1 piece per package. 6 packages per box.
General Shipment Timing GuidelineThis product takes about 4 weeks before we are ready to ship not including ship time to your area from JKM's facility.
(Product Characteristic: Decorative; Mending) / (Fabric Content: 100% Cotton)


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Historical Perspectives
Syria violence shakes Lebanon´s fragile stability (REUTERS) By Dominic Evans BEIRUT, LEBANON 05/23/12 9:26am EDT)
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/23/us-lebanon-syria-idUSBRE84M0T120120523
Reuters News Service
Reuters News Service Articles-Index-Top
(Reuters) - Gunmen clash in deadly street battles, protesters block roads with burning tires and opposition politicians demand the prime minister´s downfall, denouncing the army as an agent of a foreign power.
Fragile Lebanon´s sectarian tensions, which festered for two decades since the end of its ruinous civil war, have been re-ignited by the turmoil in powerful neighbor Syria and threaten to plunge the country into a sustained period of unrest.
In the northern city of Tripoli, where Sunni Muslims strongly support the 14-month uprising against Syria´s President Bashar al-Assad, nine people were killed in clashes last week triggered by the arrest of an anti-Assad activist.
The violence spread to the capital on Monday when Sunni gunmen fought street battles in a Beirut neighborhood following the killing of a Sunni cleric, also opposed to Assad, by Lebanese soldiers at an army checkpoint in the northern Akkar province.
On Tuesday, angry Shi´ites blocked roads in southern Beirut in protest against the abduction in northern Syria of a dozen Lebanese Shi´ites by rebels from the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim insurgency against Assad.
"We are entering a phase of protracted instability in Lebanon. There is no direct way in which these events will be fully contained," said Eurasia Group analyst Ayham Kamel.
The Syrian uprising forced Lebanon´s Prime Minister Najib Mikati into a near-impossible balancing act between diehard supporters and opponents of Assad in a country which was long dominated by Syrian military power.
Mikati himself embodies some of the conflicting loyalties. He is a Sunni Muslim from Tripoli, but has close ties with authorities in Damascus and only came to power last year after Shi´ite Hezbollah and its Christian allies toppled Lebanon´s unity government, headed by Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri.
He has promoted a policy of "disassociation" from Syria´s troubles in a possibly doomed effort to insulate his country from the unrest across Lebanon´s only open land border.
Fighting has spilled over the frontier several times, along with several thousand Syrian refugees whose presence in northern Lebanon has helped inflame Sunni anger against Assad. Weapons smuggling is common and Syria has accused Lebanon of "incubating terrorist elements" it blames for the unrest.
Lebanon´s army last month seized and displayed three freight containers filled with Libyan weapons suspected of heading for Syria´s rebels, highlighting both the scale of arms shipments and efforts by authorities to curb them.
"There is no right way to balance these delicate interests, Kamel said. "It´s going to be very difficult for the government to appease the Sunni community and at the same time monitor or restrict arms flows to Syria."
Hezbollah, an ally of Assad which has two ministers in Mikati´s cabinet, "wants to prevent any real effective support to the Syrian opposition that would tilt the balance on the ground", said International Crisis Group analyst Sahar Attrache.
But attempts to restrict support for the Syrian rebels have antagonized the increasingly emboldened Sunni Islamist activists and militants in northern Lebanon, where many complain about years of neglect by politicians in Beirut.
Hariri´s year-long absence from Lebanon, ostensibly for security reasons, has added to a Sunni political vacuum which has encouraged other Sunni groups to flex their muscles.
Last week´s violence in Tripoli was triggered by the arrest of Shadi al-Moulawi, an Islamist supporter of the Syrian uprising who was charged with membership of a terrorist group. Moulawi, who denies the charge, was released on bail of $330 on Tuesday in an attempt to defuse the escalating tensions.
"The showdown after Moulawi´s arrest is new. Before, these groups needed political cover but this time they are getting more independent of the political leaders," Attrache said.
The clashes in Tripoli pitted Sunni Muslim gunmen against Alawites - members of the same minority as Assad - but also against Lebanese troops when the army tried to end the fighting.
That military intervention, coupled with the killing of a Sunni Muslim cleric and his companion at an army checkpoint on Sunday, have stirred up anger against soldiers.
A Sunni Muslim parliamentarian accused the army of being "at the service of Syria" and some Tripoli residents heckled soldiers as traitors.
"Questioning the army is very worrying, very dangerous," Attrache said, adding that erosion of army legitimacy was one of the factors which contributed to Lebanon´s descent into 15 years of civil war in 1975.
The composition of Lebanon´s army broadly reflects the wide sectarian elements of Lebanon´s diverse Muslim and Christian communities, although many recruits come from the relatively poor northern Akkar province.
Four Gulf Arab nations - Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - have told their citizens to stay away from Lebanon, citing security concerns, and Saudi Arabia´s King Abdullah said the "shadow of civil war" hangs over Lebanon.
The crisis is likely to hurt the summer tourism season, an important source of foreign revenue, and has helped push Beirut´s stock market index down to 1,154 points on Wednesday, 30 percent down from levels in April 2010 before domestic and regional unrest hit investor confidence.
Amid the growing fears of instability, Hezbollah - whose supporters seized control of west Beirut four years ago in the last bout of major violence in the capital - has sought to calm the fevered atmosphere.
Its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called for restraint on Tuesday after the kidnapping of 13 Lebanese Shi´ites in Syria, and avoided getting sucked into the fighting in Beirut on Monday which security sources said pitched supporters of Hariri´s Future Movement against a Sunni group sympathetic to Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah is going to sit on its hands. It is not going to do anything. Hezbollah´s modus operandi has always been not to get dragged into sectarian strife," said Amal Saad Ghorayeb, author of a book on the Shi´ite movement.
"So long as these groups don´t pose a threat to Hezbollah´s resistance (to Israel) in any way, there is no way Hezbollah will get dragged in just because of killings."
But it might still seek to use its influence with pro-Syrian groups in the north if it felt support for the Syrian opposition becomes "more aggressive", Attrache said.
A political source in Lebanon´s March 8 coalition, which includes Hezbollah, said the Shi´ite group would not resort to arms even if tensions in the north endured for decades. But he made clear Hezbollah was monitoring the region closely.
"There are serious efforts to turn the north into an operations room for Syrian rebels," he said. "This will only happen in the absence of the army and state authority."
Analyst Kamel said clashes were likely to continue in Tripoli between Sunni Muslim and Alawite gunmen, as well as fighting between Sunni Islamist groups and the army, although tensions in the capital itself might be contained.
"This is not a chapter heading to civil war, but rather one where conflicts or violence are geographically localized, particularly in the north," he said.
(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam; editing by Philippa Fletcher) (© Thomson Reuters 2012. 05/23/12)
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SOLD Bronze Radha & Krishna Statue 10"
Item #: 54b19
Statue Details
Total Height Including Base: 9.5 inches or 24 cms
Base Width & Depth: 10 x 4 inches
Weight: 6 pounds or 2.7 kgs
- Unique design of seated Radha & Krishna with tree above them
- Radha's passion for Krishna symbolizes the soul's intense longing and willingness for the ultimate unification with God
- The statue is a lost wax method, bronze sculptures, hand cast by the bronze artists of Bangladesh. Only one of these statues is ever made
- Radha and Krishna ship the same day from our California showroom
One of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities, is Krishna worshipped as the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. Krishna became the focus of a large number of devotional cults, which over the centuries have produced a wealth of religious poetry, music, painting and sculpture.
The child Krishna was adored for his mischievous pranks; he also performed many miracles and slew demons. As a youth, the cowherd Krishna became renown as a lover, the sound of his flute prompting gopis (wives and daughters of the cowherds) to leave their homes to dance ecstatically with him in the forests. His favorite among them was the beautiful Radha. Krishna's youthful dalliances with the gopis are interpreted as symbolic of the loving interplay between God and the human soul. Krishna affirms life in his pranks, music and lovemaking.
The rich variety of legends associated with Krishna's life led to an abundance of representation in painting and sculpture. The most reknown story surrounding Krishna is the Bahgavad Gita or Gita which is considered one of the most importatnt Hindu texts. The Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. Krishna is explaining to Arjuna that it is Arjuna's moral obligation to fight in a war that will put him against some members of his family. Krishna like Vishnu is an upholder of the moral order of the universe.
Bangladeshi Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues around the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece. All the Bangleshi bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.
Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For Bangladeshi bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine, use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping. The shipping charge is automatically calculated by UPS for shipping within the United States. Each sculpture is usually shipped within 24 hours of the order with the exception of the weekend. To obtain a shipping quote simply add the statue you are interested in to your shopping cart and then select click on the "Calculate Domestic Shipping" button. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.International Shipping
This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping to anywhere in the world. If you are in Canada please select "UPS Standard to Canada" for the shipping option. If you are an international customer please select "International Shipping" during checkout. The shipping charge will be calculated as $0. Lotus Sculpture will email you the correct shipping cost subject to your approval or you may call us at 760-994-4455 or email us at [email protected] for a shipping quote. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/8/2013 (1423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Twenty years of negotiations came to an end with one stroke of the pen, as Chief Vince Tacan signed the first-ever self-government agreement in the Prairie provinces Friday, freeing Sioux Valley Dakota Nation from several portions of the much-maligned Indian Act.
"Today we can start moving forward on our economic development projects and start looking at some of the issues that directly affect the community,"àTacan said proudly.
The agreement, between Tacan, federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Bernard Valcourt and provincial Minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Eric Robinson, reflects more than 20 years of collaboration between the parties.
When the deal was finalized a loud cheer went up in the Sioux Valley Veterans Hall.
In October 2012, the reserve voted 64 per cent in favour of self-government and Tacan said his council will take a "slow and cautious approach"àimplementing what will be a new system of services in Sioux Valley.
"The feeling is relief... now we can start focusing on things that are important to us and we don't have to worry about the baggage and onerous reports that have to be completed by other levels of government,"àTacan said.
Elder Mary Hall cried when asked about what the new agreement will mean to the community.
"We are overwhelmed,"àsaid Hall as her eyes filled with tears. "It is so wonderful and we have all these feelings that we want to share. We hope that our children and future grandchildren will see the benefit of this agreement."
Health care, housing, policing, economic development and child and family services are some of the key issues the reserve will now address on its own terms. It's part of an agreement worth between $80 to $85 million over five years, according to a source.
The federal minister didn't pull punches when speaking to the crowd about the limitations and shortcomings of an act which provides Canada's federal government exclusive authority to legislate in relation to "Indians and Lands Reserved for Indians."
"The Indian Act is an impediment to progress for First Nations," he said passionately. "That is why we are taking concrete steps to introduce the incremental change that many First Nations have been calling for."
Following a gift exchange between the three parties, Valcourt acknowledged there were several chiefs and councils in Sioux Valley that worked toward the agreement. Ultimately, it was the people of Sioux Valley Tacan's leadership that made it possible.
Since taking office in March 2010, Tacan has taken the reserve's debt from more than $3 million to approximately $700,000. The reduction wasn't always easy or favourable, sometimes meaning laying off people in the community, but it paved the way for self-governance.
"This chief and council have come a long way in terms of better managing the finances of this First Nation,"àValcourt said. "This is a community that is engaged and they are concerned about finding efficiencies of doing things better and getting better results so they are ready to be in charge of their own development and their own future."
The agreement could be just the beginning for several First Nations in Western Canada who have requested self-government. Valcourt wouldn't provide any updates on other negotiations, but said the government will move forward on the issue.
"We are working with several First Nations on sovereignty agreements."


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The dark and bloody ground of Kentucky grew darker and bloodier last week. Union warfare erupted in the Big Black Mountain coal mining district. Months of depression had seeded the rocky ridges of Harlan County for industrial trouble. With more than half the mines in the area closed down, organizers of the United Mine Workers of America circulated persistently among the jobless miners, exhorted them to unionize. Strikes followed. As bitterly opposed as ever to unionization were the politically powerful mine operators who hired small armies of deputy sheriffs to protect their property....
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Family Law
Family Law Questions? Ask a Family Lawyer Online.
Yes, you can always modify the custody/visitation order - the judge will (hopefully) enter an order that's in the "best interests of the children."
The real benefit you have here is the ages of the children - 13 and 15. The judge would most likely ask them where they want to live and with whom.
Do you know what they want to do?
No, as long as they are you children - you can put them on your medical (at a price of course).
Well, to answer your question - can you get joint physical and legal custody in California? Absolutely yes.
Will you? That would depend probably on what the children want to do - they are old enough to know their mind and what they want. Hopefully they know what's in their best interest.
So, as such, if you and they can join together - then yes, absolutely I think you can get joint legal and physical custody of the children if you petition the court that they want to spend 50% of their time with you.
Most likely, I would think the mother would just consent rather than go through the hassle with the courts - especially if that's what the kids want - she should realize she's fighting a losing battle.


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Ask a Lawyer and Get Answers to Your Legal Questions
Hello and welcome.
My name is XXXXX XXXXX my goal is to provide you with excellent service today. I am working on your answer now and will post it here shortly. Thank you for your patience while I prepare your answer.
Hello again,You are not required to have a driver's license in order to operate a personal watercraft (PWC). Under MI law, if you were born on or before December 31, 1978, you may typically operate a PWC legally without restrictions.The owner of the boat could impose additional restrictions for insurance or safety purposes, but it is not typically required by law.Here is a link which summarizes the law on operating a PWC:http://www.boat-ed.com/mi/course/p4-3_whomayoperate.htm#pwc
I hope this helps clarify the situation for you. Please remember to rate my service once you have all the information you need so I will be compensated for my time from the deposit you posted with this website. If you have any other questions, please ask me – I'll be happy to respond. Thank you!
If you receive a Customer Satisfaction Survey from JustAnswer, please consider scoring me a 9 or 10. It benefits my ability to assist you and other customers, and would be tremendously appreciated.
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Note: Please feel free to request me if you have future legal questions by typing your new question in the question box on my profile page. Here is a link to that page, which you can bookmark or add to your favorites: http://www.justanswer.com/law/expert-tina/. I look forward to hearing from you again should the need arise.


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I had a mini tummy tuck w/o muscle repair, breast lift with augmentation, and liposuction to flanks. I'm 34 and have 3 kids all of which I breast fed and left my breast pretty bad. I also had a pouch in my lower tummy that would never really disappear, unless I became stick skinny. I'm still in the healing process, still have my surgical tapes in place so haven't seen the scars yet but even with the scars I'm liking what I'm seeing. My only problem so far is a little air or fluid pocket on my left flank which is barely noticeable and I believed CG and time will take care of that. Swelling has gone done dramatically. I remember feeling like I wanted to rip off my CG during the first week. Now I wanna wear it longer than recommended cus it feels better.
Can't wait for full recovery to get back to the gym.


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Model Mayhem Admin
SAHRA18Model Female Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Mayhem # 44777
About Me
I am available for Paid work in Las Vegas, Arizona,Los Angeles and parts of CA . I am available for traveling futher if expenses are paid. I will only accept TFP from experienced photographers who I feel can help me expand my portfolio.
Hello! Glad you stopped by take time to check out my portfolio. I have been modeling for about 2 years now and have come to find that I really enjoy it. I am a hard worker and I take direction very well. I am very easy to work with .
Right now I am focusing on trying to expand my portfolio so I am only taking shoots with some direction - that means either you already have a really good idea of what you want to shoot or you want to shoot one of the sets I have listed below.
Some things I would like to add to my portfolio are: fashion and edgy editorial type work, action and sports, as well as some glamour and swimsuit.
Fashion/Couture - I am interested in getting some fashion for my book. I believe that these are the types of shots that are going to get me the jobs so it is imperative that I get some of these for my portfolio. I am looking for photographers who have experience and connections. I am interested in modeling for designers lines if they feel that they could use me. If you are interested in giving me a chance to model your designs or are interested in shooting some fashion with me drop me a line and lets talk!
Modern Pin-Up - I saw this idea and I absolutely LOVED it and i wanted to put together a shoot that was very much like it. I want to do some pin-up with a modern twist. It was originally done for the ford fusion but, I'll take any neat modern car. I want to put together an outfit with a forties/modern twist. It will be something like retro hair and make-up, a white wife beater, a 40's tight lacers corset over that, spankies, knee high gym socks, and converse like boots with heels. The shoot would mostly revolve around 40s type pin-up pose. Think Vargas meets the modern day street.
Bridal/Editorial - I'd love to have some Bridal and Prom type images in my portfolio. Shots that could be found in editorial in those types of magazines. I'd like to do some that are both indoors with interested staircases or luxurious surrounds and outdoors like the beach or a forest or even something like a cornfield. I'd like to go the whole nine yards with it…hair, make-up, and flowers. I might be able to hook us up with a florist if we got some nice pictures of the flowers and gave her some for her use.
FHM/Maxim type glamour - I am always looking to submit to magazines so if you shoot FHM or Maxim style and have had girls get in the magazines I would be most interested in shooting with you.
Playboy Style Glamour - I am looking to start submitting sets to Playboy Special Editions and Cyberclub. If you have experience shooting Playboy style glamour you can contact me about the following shoots. Please understand that I am VERY selective about who I shoot nudes with - I am looking for VERY talented photographers with alot of Glamour experience under their belt. Both of these would require a MUA please let me know when you contact me if you have one that you prefer to work with so I can inquire about their rates.
I thank you in advance for your time.
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Our healthy lifestyle may have an adverse affect on dental health because of the added sugars and sweeteners added to most sports drinks and snacks.
Dr. Van Gurp discusses the oral health risks associated with sports drinks and offers some great tips on how to protect the teeth when consuming them.
Looking for more great information on Dr. Van Gurp's Charlotte dentistry practice? Check out our Youtube page!
Posted in: charlotte dentist, sugar and oral health


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5 photos
$1,995,000 0.92 acres Natural Bridge Station, VA 24579 - Rockbridge County
Bridgeworks Manufacturing Facility
Built in 1990 Zoning: I-1 Industrial Location: I-81 Corridor in Natural Bridge Station, VA Access: Located 4 miles from I-81 Exit 175 via Rts. 11 & 130 Financial incentives available for customization of manufacturing space Potential to expand to 60,400 SF Construction Type: Pre-engineered metal structure with partial block faade Floor: Six-inch reinforced concrete slab Roof: Metal Exterior Walls: Prefabricated Metal Framing: Office: Metal studs; Warehouse: Steel I-beams Interior Walls: Office: Wallboard Warehouse: Insulated sidewalls Ceiling Heights: 24-foot clear height at eaves Additional Features: Dust Removal System 4000 AMP 480V 3-phase service 5,000 SF office space with A/C Fully sprinkl
Countryside Land Company, L.C. Countryside Land Company, LC


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Aaron Hernandez Allegedly Left Suicide Letter
The death of Aaron Hernandez was ruled a suicide by hanging. Officials say that there was no struggle and Hernandez was alone when he died. They also found 3 letters Hernandez wrote, placed near a bible in his cell. One of the letters was written to the public and the other two were addressed to specific people.


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3 days to go
Page Tools
Stepping out ... former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Salvatore Vecchio prepare for Dancing With The Stars.
Photo: Seven Network
Taking her name in vain
For some reason Pauline Hanson is upset that the political party she named, Pauline Hanson's One Nation (NSW Division), distributed a pamphlet in the Wentworth electorate saying she hoped people would support Hansonites on the NSW Senate ballot.
She left the party early in 2002 but neither Hanson nor NSW party officials bothered to remove her name.
Her One Nation co-founder David Ettridge complained to the Australian Electoral Commission that Hanson was being used unfairly. "This is outrageous. Pauline's had nothing to do with the party for years," said Ettridge, himself a NSW Senate candidate.
Andy Frew, Pauline Hanson's One Nation (NSW Division) state director and candidate for the seat of Cook, said no slight was intended and agreed to withdraw the pamphlet. "We know Pauline supports us in spirit," he said.
Latest betting
Centrebet has Labor at its longest odds since Mark Latham became Opposition Leader last December. Labor is $3.50 to stop John Howard winning a fourth term. On December 2 last it was $4. The Coalition is $1.25 to retain power.
On another matter, the Nobel Peace Prize, Centrebet decided Howard was the least likely to win, at 1000 to 1, tying with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, currently being tried for war crimes.
Marginal voters news
Concerned that David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib could be fined for not voting, the ABC's The Chaser received a very cold shoulder from guards outside the US embassy when presenting a barbed wire-bound ballot box for the Australian detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Hicks and Habib are not in solitary when it comes to electoral harassment. Officials in NSW and Victoria are blocking distribution of The Australian Prisoners' Election Newspaper, produced by the prisoners' rights group, Justice Action. Prisoners serving less than three years may now vote - that's around 15,500 voters.
Stranger danger
"You really shouldn't be trying to scare the kids at this part of the campaign. We'd better take the phone off the hook at home."
Mark Latham imagines himself in a marginal seat and gives advice on how to take evasive action against a recorded message from John Howard.


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Effective content sparks action and encourages conversation. The content can be words, design, video or a graphic — or conveyed through some other medium. But the point is to engage, interest and grab the attention of an audience.
That's the first goal.
But once the content attracts the audience, it ought to hold them long enough for them to get the story, care about it and act on it.
So, here are the three steps of creating content:
- Figure out how to capture the audience's attention
- Give them the story
- Compel them, through the story, to act
Some content creators are good at the first step or two. But if the story doesn't lead the audience to act (or buy, sign up, believe, follow, call or share) that's not marketing content — it's entertainment. Entertainment is fine, as long as you realize that it's just entertainment.
If you want to market through creating content, put yourself in the audience as you create it. Make sure it's clear what you are supposed to know and do. Did the story capture your attention? Did you want to stay to the end? Did you want to act? And how?
Put your content through this self-test before sending it out to help ensure it's not just good, but effective. Like this video: pure and powerful content marketing…
If you liked this post, please follow me on Twitter. And if you need someone who can create content that tells your story and gets results, contact me:


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'Comic Con' busts the myth of foreign fixation
There are, as it turns out, lot of reasons to make it to the first comic convention in India than just comics. Manoj Sharma reports.delhi Updated: Feb 20, 2011 00:50 IST
There are, as it turns out, lot of reasons to make it to the first comic convention in India than just comics.
Comic Con India - a first of its kind platform for artists, writers and publishers of comic books to come together and showcase their work - opened at Dilli Haat in the Capital on Saturday. The fun-filled event drew huge crowds on the opening day. One could see children posing for pictures with young men and women dressed as Harry Potter, Popeye - the salesman, and Jafer - the evil magician. Besides, there was a huge scramble among both children and adults to buy comic-based merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs and action figures, statues, and busts of comic superheroes.
But it is Indian mythology in comic form that stole the show. Most participating publishers have on display a large number of comics based on Indian mythology - which they say are a great source for 'edutainment'.
"Most parents want their children to read mythological comics because they are educative, entertaining and morally instructive. We are the first comic book publisher in the country to bring out educational comics on themes such as 'cities', 'inventions' and 'discoveries'. We hope to sell at least 15 lakh comic books this year, " says Ajai Shah, MD, Wilco Publishing House, which last week launched their comic imprint, Wilco Picture Library that has already brought out 52 titles based on Indian mythology, history and divinity.
His views are supported by Karan Vir, managing director, Vimanika Comics, which launched its new mythological title - The legend of Karna, Book-2 - at the event. "I launched Vimanika Comics three years back with a view to use comics as a tool not just for entertainment but also for promoting knowledge of Indian history and mythology. Unlike the West, where there haven't been many comic heroes after Superman and Batman, Indian comic industry has a vast treasure trove of mythological stories to draw from," says Vir, who derives all his comic stories from Indian scriptures.
Somnath Majumdar, manager business development, Green Gold Animation, another participating company, which created Chhota Bheem animated series, says parents now encourage their children to read comics with stories that are rooted in Indian traditions and culture. On the opening day of the convention, Chhota Bheem comic books based on the popular animation series, sold like hot cakes.
"In the past two years, we have sold about five lakh copies of Chhota Bheem comics," says Majumdar. The company, which also created the Krishna and Balram animated series, is selling activity and colouring books as well. These, too, are based on mythological characters.
Andrew Dodd, managing editor, Campfire, a graphic novel publisher which has put up a stall at the festival, feels that revival of interest in comics is a result of dynamic graphics and artwork. "Comic books in India lost out to television because the graphics on animated series on TV were more dynamic. Now the artwork in comics has become more suitable for playstation era. Besides, graphic novel and comics is a good way to get reluctant and struggling readers glued to reading," said Dodd.
The organisers are happy with the response the event-inspired by the San Diego Comic Con - has got on the opening day.
"It was not easy to convince the participants about the idea. This year, we wanted to focus only on Indian comics community; next year it is going to be bigger with international participation," promises Jatin Varma, 26- year- old organiser of the event.


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California College Party Turns Into A Riot, 100 Arrested
As many as 100 people could be facing charges following a riot during a Southern California street party.
Authorities say some members of the crowd threw bottles, bricks and rocks at police last night, injuring three officers.
Dozens of party-goers were taken to the hospital.
Authorities used rubber bullets and tear gas to control the crowd after people started setting fires.
The annual party is known as Deltopia and drew an estimated 15-thousand people to the beach community of Isla Vista near Santa Barbara.


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A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts
Pre-open movers US stock futures are mostly flat this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 8 points to 12,579.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 2.40 points to 1,308.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 4.25 points to 2,429.50.
A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index declined 0.46%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.07%, French CAC 40 index fell 0.56% and German DAX 30 index dropped 0.39%.
Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surging 1.4663%, China's Shanghai Composite rising 1.00% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.57%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.8395% and India's Sensex surged 0.57%.
Broker Recommendation Analysts at JP Morgan downgraded Johnson Controls Inc (NYSE: JCI) from "overweight" to "neutral." The target price for Johnson Controls has been lowered from $43 to $36.
Johnson Controls shares dropped 0.80% to $32.20 in pre-market trading.
Breaking news
- General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) reported a decline in its fourth-quarter net profit on Friday. GE's quarterly profit fell to $3.8 billion, or $0.35 per share, from $4.8 billion, or $0.42 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here.
- WNS Limited (NYSE: WNS) today announced its collaboration with coAction.com, a leading provider of advanced business collaboration software, to further strengthen its capabilities in Order-to-Cash (O2C) solutions. To read the full news, click here.
- AZZ incorporated (NYSE: AZZ) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Galvan Metals, Inc. in Montreal, Canada. To read the full news, click here.
- SunTrust Banks Inc (NYSE: STI) reported a 33% rise in its fourth-quarter profit. To read the full news, click here.
Posted-In: JP Morgan US Stock FuturesNews Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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The New York Historical Society's "Stories in Sterling" is the first comprehensive book written about the New York Historical Society's silver collection. Outstanding for its provenance, the 148 pieces cataloged in the book all were made or owned in New York from the 16th through the 20th centuries.
book reviews
Antiques Book Reviews: Italian Ironwork; English Silver hallmarks
Book reviews: "Decorative Ironwork of Italy," "Italian Ironwork: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo Classical," and "Discovering Hallmarks on English Silver."
'Lest We Forget' puts patriotic jewelry, service medals into historical context
Judith Price's latest accomplishment in her respected jewelry book series is a lavishly illustrated history book that focuses on the Western world's military medals and military-inspired jewelry: "Lest We Forget: Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations."


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Get an update on changes of the IACR web-page here. For questions, contact newsletter (at) iacr.org. You can also receive updates via:
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Our framework helps address the main open questions about efficiency of actively secure PFE. On the theoretical side, our framework yields the first actively secure PFE with linear complexity in the circuit size. On the practical side, we obtain the first actively secure PFE for arithmetic circuits with $O(g \\cdot \\log g)$ complexity where $g$ is the circuit size. The best previous construction (of practical interest) is based on an arithmetic universal circuit and has complexity $O(g^5)$.
We also introduce the first linear Zero-Knowledge proof of correctness of ``extended permutation\" of ciphertexts (a generalization of ZK proof of correct shuffles) which maybe of independent interest.
permitting variable-length modifications on the ciphertext leads to privacy preservation issues. In this paper we present incremental encryption schemes which are space-efficient, byte-wise incremental and which preserve perfect privacy in the sense that they hide the fact that an update operation has been performed on a ciphered document. For each scheme, the run time of updates performed turns out to be very efficient and we discuss the statistically adjustable trade-off between computational cost and storage space required by the produced ciphertexts.
State of the art structure-preserving signatures in the asymmetric setting consist of 3 group elements, which is known to be optimal. Our construction preserves the signature size of 3 group elements and also at the same time minimizes the verification key size to 1 group element.
Depending on the application, it is sometimes desirable to have strong unforgeability and in other situations desirable to have randomizable signatures. To get the best of both worlds, we introduce the notion of selective randomizability where the signer may for specific signatures provide randomization tokens that enable randomization.
Our structure-preserving signature scheme unifies the different pairing-based settings since it can be instantiated in both symmetric and asymmetric groups. Since previously optimal structure-preserving signatures had only been constructed in asymmetric bilinear groups this closes an important gap in our knowledge. Having a unified signature scheme that works in all types of bilinear groups is not just conceptually nice but also gives a hedge against future cryptanalytic attacks. An instantiation of our signature scheme in an asymmetric bilinear group may remain secure even if cryptanalysts later discover an efficiently computable homomorphism between the source groups.
times with itself under independent keys---has received considerable
attention of late from the standpoint of provable security. Despite
these efforts proving definitive security bounds (i.e., with matching
attacks) has remained elusive even for the special case of triple
encryption. In this paper we close the gap by improving both the best
known attacks and best known provable security, so that both bounds
match. Our results apply for arbitrary number of rounds and show that
the security of $\\ell$-round multiple encryption is precisely
$\\exp(\\kappa + \\min\\{\\kappa (\\ell\'-2)/2), n (\\ell\'-2)/\\ell\'\\})$ where
$\\exp(t) = 2^t$ and where $\\ell\' = 2\\lceil \\ell/2\\rceil$ is the even
integer closest to $\\ell$ and greater than or equal to $\\ell$, for all
$\\ell \\geq 1$. Our technique is based on Patarin\'s H-coefficient
method and reuses a combinatorial result of Chen and Steinberger
originally required in the context of key-alternating ciphers.
We show that the existence of indistinguishability obfuscation (iO) implies (non-black-box) attacks on all the definitions that BHK proposed within their UCE framework in the original version of their paper, in the sense that no concrete hash function can satisfy them. We also show that this limitation can be overcome, to some extent, by restraining the class of admissible adversaries via a statistical notion of unpredictability. Following our attack, BHK (ePrint 2013/424, September 2013), independently adopted this approach in their work.
In the updated version of their paper, BHK (ePrint 2013/424, September 2013) also introduce two other novel source classes, called bounded parallel sources and split sources, which aim at recovering the computational applications of UCEs that fall outside the statistical fix. These notions keep to a computational notion of unpredictability, but impose structural restrictions on the adversary so that our original iO attack no longer applies. We extend our attack to show that indistinguishability obfuscation is sufficient to also break the UCE security of any hash function against bounded parallel sources. Towards this goal, we use the randomized encodings paradigm of Applebaum, Ishai, and Kushilevitz (STOC 2004) to parallelize the obfuscated circuit used in our attack, so that it can be computed by a bounded parallel source whose second stage consists of constant-depth circuits. We conclude by discussing the composability and feasibility of hash functions secure against split sources.


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Investigators released a genetic and medical profile of King Tut's family Tuesday, led by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. We asked Hawass to comment on the Journal of the American Medical Association study findings by email:
1. What do you see as the role of Molecular Egyptology in answering outstanding questions in the field?
A: Molecular Egyptology shows great promise for helping us solve many Egyptological mysteries. We can find out many things about family relationships, and also about some diseases. If this work is done scientifically, it an help Egyptology and can open a new and larger role for forensic science in the reconstruction of history.
2. How do you see these results affecting the view of the 18th dynasty family?
A: The history of the 18th Dynasty has many questions. The Amarna period, to which Tutankhamun belonged, has been especially vague. In the Family of Tutankhamun project, we will continue to work to try to identify both the mother and wife of Tutankhamun, and also study other family relationships.
3. How promising are the prospects for a similar examination of other royal (or other) mummies?
A: Yes, we will also study other family relationships. Next we will study the family of Ramesses II, where there are still a number of questions to be answered.
We hope to be able to put names to some of the other unidentified mummies, as we have done for Akhenaten and Tiye, from caches of royal mummies that were hidden after the end of the New Kingdom (the period when Tutankhamun and Ramesses II lived). You have to know that these mummies were hidden away at night by later priests, and they made some mistakes because they were human beings like us. So it is fascinating for us to try to use science to trace the truth.
4. What other points do you see as important about the study?
A: I am also very proud that we were able to do this work in Egypt, with an Egyptian team. The participation of our international consultants was certainly essential to the process, but our team was Egyptian, and this is very important for the future.
By Dan Vergano
Visit Science Fair for your daily dose of scientific news, from dinosaurs to distant galaxies. Science Fair is written by science reporters Dan Vergano and Elizabeth Weise and weather reporter Doyle Rice. Their subjects are often controversial -- and always fascinating -- be they stem-cell research, slime mold, or underground slush on Mars. More about the team


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Sprint star Matt Shirvington is almost certain to contest the Olympic track and field trials later this week after making a quicker-than-expected recovery from a hamstring injury.
Shirvington's coach, Michael Khmel, said the five-time 100-metre national champion needed only to complete a final training run tomorrow to confirm his spot in the field.
He has not raced since being diagnosed with a grade-one tear of the right hamstring at the A Series meeting in Canberra late last month.
"He probably wouldn't be running this week if it wasn't the national championships," Khmel said. "But this is a selection trial and we have to try.
"I'd say he's 99 per cent fit, and you can't get 100 per cent with the intensity of just training.
"He can run at 99 per cent."
Shirvington has already bettered the 100m A-qualifying standard of 10.21 seconds but needs to do it again and win the national title to gain an automatic berth on the Olympic team. Otherwise he has to rely on the selectors' discretion.
The initial team for the Athens Games this year will be named next Monday, with more athletes added after proving their fitness in the next few months.
"By running in Sydney we're fulfilling the criteria," Khmel said. "Matt ran at all the grands prix this summer when he could. And he'll try as hard as he can to run at the nationals and show loyalty to the sport."
Shirvington is almost certain to skip the 200m at Sydney Olympic Park and run only the 100m, for which heats are on Friday night, with the final scheduled for the following day.
His great rival and national 100m record holder Patrick Johnson has been forced to miss the trials after injuring his hamstring in Perth last month.
Other major 100m contenders include last year's Stawell Gift winner Joshua Ross, Adam Basil, David Baxter and Paul Di Bella.
Shirvington, 25, held the 100m national title from 1998-2002 before losing to Johnson last year in Brisbane. With Tatiana Grigorieva struggling to recapture the heights of 2000 and Emma George forced into retirement through injury, the pole vault favourite at the trials is Perth childcare worker Kym Howe.
Despite winning silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Howe's public profile is a mere fraction of that enjoyed by Grigorieva. But Howe is the only Australian to have bettered the A-qualifying standard of 4.40m and the most likely to make the team for Athens.
"The aim right now is to get the A standard again at the trials and get straight on the Olympic team," said Howe, who was in the WA junior gymnastics team before switching to the pole vault in the late 1990s.
"After having knee surgery two years ago I still have to pick my meets carefully so I haven't made many appearances recently," said the 23-year-old, who jumped a personal best of 4.45m two years ago.
Since Grigorieva won silver at the Sydney Olympics with a 4.55m jump, the standard has skyrocketed. Russian Svetlana Feofanova raised the indoor world record to 4.85m on Sunday in Athens, and her compatriot Yelena Isinbayeva holds the outdoor mark of 4.82m.
"At this stage the Russians are so far ahead a medal is very much a long shot, but you never know what is going to happen on the day," Howe said.
The women's pole vault final is scheduled for Saturday.
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German Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will attend the Conference on Europe Whereto? Economic Solutions of the Left that the Ovidiu Sincai Institute Foundation stages in Bucharest, on Friday.
The event is followed by a news conference by Germany's Ex-Chancellor.
Gerhard Schroeder, is to stay in Romania for a couple of hours, only, and will have a private meting with Romania's former President Ion Iliescu, with the President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD — in opposition) Victor Ponta, with the head of the PSD National Council and president of the Social Democratic Institute Adrian Nastase and with MEP Adrian Severin, organizers told Agerpres.
Also attending the event are members of the Institute's Scientific Council, members of the Patronage Council, personalities of the Romanian Left and the public life.
Schroeder's visit happens during the same week when incumbent German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid an official visit to Bucharest, on Tuesday. AGERPRES


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Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma recently held a press meet to promote their upcoming film Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Shahrukh, as usual, was at his wittiest best and Katrina Kaif was seen kissing him at the event.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan is Yash Chopra's last film as a director. The legendary filmmaker died last week due to dengue. Both the leading ladies of Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, were full of praise for the iconic filmmaker at the press meet. Katrina said it was her dream to work with him. "It was like a dream come true."
Anushka, who also worked with the King of Romance for the first time, said the experience was surreal. She said, "To get the opportunity to work with Yash Chopra is perfect. To work in his film was surreal. He had such a loving nature and child-like behaviour."
Here are the pictures of Jab Tak Hai Jaan's press meet.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan Press Meet
Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma at Jab Tak Hai Jaan press meet.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan Press Meet
Jab Tak Hai Jaan will release on 13th November. SRK, Kat, Anushka are playing the lead roles in the movie.