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Landmark hotel london
Landmark hotel london
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Remembering Phife Dawg, plus new work from A K Paul, MeLo-X + Little Simz, Golden Hour and Lil Yachty
A K Paul: Landcruisin'
R&B producer Jai Paul is treading the road less traveled; armed with only two official releases ("Jasmine" and "BTSTU"), he's been able to wield the hype and keep a loyal fanbase on their toes for years. He recently set up the mysterious website Paul Institute with his brother A K Paul, another producer who's worked with NAO and Jessie Ware. Fans gave up their cellphone number to hear A K Paul's new single "Landcruisin." A lot of car revving sounds, sexy guitar licks and triumphant, swelling brass synths—this is the future-pop song behind all the babies being born nine months from now.
A Tribe Called Quest: Electric Relaxation
Phife Dawg (aka Malik Taylor), a founding member of one of hip-hop's seminal groups, A Tribe Called Quest, has died aged just 45 years old. The Queens-born rapper formed Tribe in 1985 with his childhood friend Q-Tip (aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed), later joining forces with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and sporadic collaborator Jarobi White. The group—with strong ties to De La Soul, Jungle Brothers and Busta Rhymes, among countless others—is widely known as one of the most artistic and trailblazing throughout hip-hop's colorful and inventive history. Phife (whose lyrics oftentimes refer to his short stature) was a lithe and clever rapper; his witty and occasionally cheeky lyrics were smattered with puns—with some of the best found in "Buggin' Out" and the stunning "Electric Relaxation." Diagnosed with diabetes in 1990, Phife (a self-proclaimed "funky diabetic") received a kidney transplant from his wife almost a decade ago. An influential and proficient artist, the Five Foot Assassin has left the legacy of a giant.
MeLo-X feat. Little Simz: FFFS
Brooklyn-based producer MeLo-X pairs so well with rapper Little Simz (fresh UK import Simbi Ajikawo who's been building her own formidable empire) in their track FFFS, which now gets a video treatment to match its astral, "free-fallin" vibes. Experimenting with shadowed outlines and projections, "FFFS" comes off of MeLo-X's 2015 EP Curate, a mixed bag of dreamy synth-driven tracks that worm their way into the ear.
Golden Hour: Goth Easter
Portland, Oregon DIY rock trio Golden Hour are celebrating the holiday weekend a little differently than most. In the music video for "Goth Easter" (off of their EP Don't Be Cute), they host a fun-filled day for those clad head-to-toe in black; activities include the long-distance PBR toss and a good ol' plastic egg hunt. It's an awesome track as well—there are echoes of Karen O that gave us goosebumps. Or maybe it was the gigantic Easter bunny watching from inside the house.
Lil Yachty + Quavo: No Hook
"We made a song with no chorus," half-sings red-haired rapper on the rise Lil Yachty, trading verses back and forth with Quavo (member of Atlanta-based hip hop trio Migos) in the simple, unhurried track "No Hook." Though the Autotuning can be excessive, sometimes you're in the mood for cake with lots of icing. Lil Yachty (who modeled at Kanye West's Yeezy Season Three unveiling in Madison Square Garden last month) recently released his first mixtape "Lil' Boat," which actually boasts an awesome album cover: Lil Yachty, fisherman style, standing on a little boat.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen. Hear the year so far via Cool Hunting Spotify.

subset: commoncrawl


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Trying an Oil Stain Underpainting
painting by artist Karen Margulis
7 in X 5 in (17.8 cm X 12.7 cm)
This painting is available through an online store or blog page.
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Streaming video sites like YouTube and The Onion are great. Their only limitation is that you need to be connected to the Internet. And while cellular networks and Wi-Fi hotspots are nearly always accessible, there are some cases (i.e. airplanes, subways) when we have to do without.
The new Roadshow app fills the gap, allowing you to download streaming videos to your iPad for offline viewing. Besides offline viewing, it also reduces load-times and reduces your data usage. Unfortunately, the almighty YouTube isn't one of the compatible sites.
But Roadshow is compatible with sites like The Onion, CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, and TED Talks. And those sites are already bookmarked on the shortcut menu. Operation is very simple: When you find a video through Roadshow's browser, a thumbnail of the video will appear on the side. Simply tap the thumbnail, and your video will be downloaded.
The free version of the app limits you to 15 videos, and has banner ads. The $4.99 version removes the banner ads and gives you unlimited downloads. Are you interested? Or is the lack of YouTube support a deal-breaker?
source: iTunes via CNET


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|From: Paulo Jorge Matos (pocmatos at gmail.com)
Date: Thu Oct 27 15:59:54 EDT 2005
Hi, Hope many people read this out since I would like as much info as possible. I've been receiving comments on schemept.org should be written in Scheme... Oh well, I couldn't agree more but... 1 - My work server has PHP modules working for apache but is not running PLT Webserver, and the admin won't run it. Well, I can't see how I, as being a simple user can configure it to run the PLT Webserver without special privelegies. I've seen an article somewhere (by Noel, I think, sorry if I'm wrong) where I could do this but I still would have to start the webserver as soon as the server starts which would need special previlegies. 2 - I could run my own host but that would be probably much more expensive than paying a web hosting company with the plt webserver running for hosting my page. Now, I would like some hints, tips, etc on this. Are you using the plt web server anywhere? How do you do that? Pay? Run your own server??? Thanks for all the input you might give, ;) -- Paulo Jorge Matos - pocm at sat inesc-id pt Web: http://sat.inesc-id.pt/~pocm Computer and Software Engineering INESC-ID - SAT Group
|Posted on the users mailing list.


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4 out of 5 Robots!
My Review:
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson breathes new life into the magical world of werewolves and a society that knows they exist. This isn't your typical werewolf story and I was hooked from the get-go. You can't be bitten and you can't be male. All werewolves are female and were born that way. Exciting, right?
Everything is going great for Claire, until her mom drops a bomb on her 16th birthday. Happy Birthday, honey, you're a werewolf! Now she has to rediscover who she is and what all this means, along with the normal teenage stuff- best friends and boyfriends. Nothing can be how it once was- She isn't at all happy with her new discovery and finds keeping secrets from her friends the most difficult thing to deal with. The changes couldn't come at a worse time as she's finally dating the boy (Matt) she's had her eye on for quite sometime.
So, not only is Claire dealing with the more mundane aspects of teenage life- but she has this whole werewolf thing hanging over her head. With that come the werewolf problems- Two villains. A rogue werewolf maiming humans and the mad scientist extraordinaire that captures and experiments on werewolves. It was a little ironic... hilarious, even, that humans knew weres existed, but didn't know the identity of any- or the fact that they were only females. They were consistently trapping men and claiming to have cured them, when in fact these men weren't part wolf at all. I really hope Christine touches more on the back story in the books to come- I'm totally intrigued on the history of the world she created for us.
Claire was a brilliant main character, she seemed very real to me. Although she handled the werewolf news a little too well, the struggles of being a teenager seemed logical and were expressed well through the writing. Reminded me of being in high school and the everyday emotions you deal with when you're a teenager. I loved that Claire had a million questions for her mother and that she questions everything. She is distant with her mother- I'm sure a lot of teenagers will be able to understand and relate to this aspect of the story extremely well. Their bond evolves and grows strength throughout the novel, which was enjoyable to read. We also get to witness Claire's first love- Matthew Engle! Absolutely adorable watching this little relationship blossom and then become something bigger than what she had ever expected.
Claire de Lune was a fascinating new way to experience werewolves and won't disappoint Young Adult readers. Even though this novel was a bit on the predictable side, I couldn't stop flipping the pages. Impressive debut novel and magnificent introductory into a new series- I can not wait for the action Johnson is going to throw at us in the next installment!
Book Details:
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; May 18, 2010
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; May 18, 2010
My Copy: Peace, Love & Pat's ARC Tours


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HipHopCanada presents That New North at ATL's A3C Festival [News]
Atlanta, GA – We've been looking forward to sharing this news and it's finally time to let the cat out of the bag. Without further ado, we are proud to present That New North concert as part of the 2013 Annual A3C Hip-Hop Festival in Atlanta.
Canada has been producing a steady flow of talent and our artists are dead set on taking over ATL. Hosted by Katie Sahlu, the line-up features some of Canada's hottest acts including Rich Kidd, Blake Carrington, 4th Pyramid, Caliph, John River, Raz Fresco, Smash Brovaz and Nostic. The roster will also include 2 additional artists which will be selected via ReverbNation and Sonicbids. Interested artists can submit their music here. This will be the first official showcase at A3C featuring nothing but pure Canadian talent.
2012 marked the largest and most extensive A3C to date with 20,000+ attendees from more than 45 different US states. A3C expanded to new venues, added more entertainment and networking opportunities and launched new components (Style and Film) to the festival. In addition to music and live performances, A3C encompasses education, film, style, pro-audio, art, technology, gaming, sports, break-dance and more.
You can catch all the action of That New North on Saturday, October 5 at 529 in the East Atlanta Village. The A3C Hip-Hop Festival takes place from October 2 – 6. You can find the That New North flyer after the jump.
Huge shout-out to A3C's Canadian Ambassador, Erin Ashley and our Regional Editor for Central Canada, Natasha Paolini!
Twitter: @A3C
Tags: 4th Pyramid, A3C Festival, Blake Carrington, CALiPH, Crooklin, John River, Junia-T, Katie Sahlu, Oui Self Made, Raz Fresco, Rich Kidd, Ridgeway, Smash Brovaz, The Bakers Club
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|12th June 2013, 05:42 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
8th note Balanced Stepped Attenuators
Dear builders and DIY enthusiasts!
Here I would like to introduce You my passive stepped attenuators I build in my spare time and offer for sale.
The 8th note Stepped Attenuator has been developed to replace classic potentiometers and mechanical steppers to a higher-end device.
Following the logarithmic ladder attenuator idea, I designed the attenuator to support SMT resistors, making possible to stuff the whole circuit on a compact PCB.
The main advantage is very short routes. The attenuator uses microcontroller and a single potentiometer reading for setting the volume.
No SMT soldering is needed as I pre build every attenuator.
I hope you will like the design and the interface. Purchasing informations are at the bottom if You are interested in buying.
The specification:
-128 logarithmic levels in 0.5dB steps
-high quality 0.1% Susumu SMT resistors installed
-bistable relays with gold plated AgPd contacts
-single potentiometer volume control
-2 inputs, source selectable with button
-IR remote control receiver (remote supplied)
-1 delayed transistor driven switch - optional
-LULO smart logic controller
-wide power input (10V-20V DC)
-board dimensions are 50.8 x 58.4mm, complete balanced device is 30mm tall
-all connectors are header compatible
User Manual is available in PDF format. To download user manual follow this link.
The idea was to make a very high quality device, but keeping it simple. Almost minimalistic.
It is DIY friendly, I pre-assemble and test each unit, only few external parts are needed.
-constant input impedance is 10k to support various DACs
-load impedance need to be set (~10k input amps are supported out of the box)
About the availability:
I build in limited numbers. My current run is 6 balanced attenuators.
These are ready to ship in 7-10 days.
I accept PayPal only.
Price: €150 + shipping (approx $200 + Shipping)
Shipping option and cost:
I post worldwide. EMS Express is recommended but to some country I can offer cheaper insured priority mail.
Please ask me about shipping options to your country.
Thank You!
This is my signature. Period.
Last edited by Earfanatic; 5th July 2013 at 08:02 PM.
|12th June 2013, 05:44 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
About the remote logic controller, and LULO function:
Despite the digital controller, the first design rule was to use a single pot for controlling volume instead a rotary encoder or buttons.
A potentiometer gives a specific value when we turn it to a specific position. This is why we like it. (And pots have better looking knobs too with position mark.)
Using a microcontroller also implementing remote control function was possible, but matching that with a single control pot (not motor pot) needs some logic.
The solution is in the controller that handles the switching between the two controls.
When the remote is in use, the controller disables the pot. (The pot will obviously not turn itself to the position where you have been setting the volume with the remote.)
When one turns the pot again, the logic decides whether enable the pot or not based on the position difference between the pot position and the actual volume.
This function prevents accidental volume rise. In case you left the pot in higher position, the LULO light turns off (the name come from voLUme LOck words), and the pot need to be turned down matching the volume position to "lock it" again.
This may sounds weird first, but it is very intuitive once one tried it. This function let us use a single pot for control beside keeping the remote function, and keeps the external costs low. Not mentioning the unique design one can build especially the LULO LED fixed in or behind the pot.
This is my signature. Period.
|19th June 2013, 11:34 AM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
Display upgrades:
Displays can be designed and built for the attenuator. It could be a nice DIY project!
This is a DIY community so no surprise, it needs some work.
Harvesting data from the attenuator is done at two headers, the LED headers (LO-HI), and the DO header (SPI).
Connecting a separate MCU module to these headers, it is possible to display the attenuation level (0-64dB) and functions like the selected channel.
You can build seven segment displays, or LED rows at low costs.
I am making a documentation with examples in the next days, Offering programmed chips possibly, but first I need some feedback if there is any demand for a display controller.
This is my signature. Period.
|20th June 2013, 03:01 AM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
This is a very nice design, I want one. When funds permit soon I shall get an SE set.
The display controller is a good idea, the attenuator outputs spi right? How hard would it be to use an LCD phone type display? (nokia type) I am learning arduino and Eagle at the moment and thought the display controller would be a nice project to try. Might hit you up for some advice when I get one.
Good blog by the way especially tips on beginning projects.
|24th June 2013, 07:26 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
Thank you!
Yes, the DO header is an SPI port. Please see the next post, I will show some essential information. Ask here or pm me if you have questions.
It would be nice to see some user made displays.
This is my signature. Period.
|24th June 2013, 07:53 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
Making displays for the 8th note attenuator needs a microcontroller or Arduino board.
I know it is not entirely about audio but there are close as DIY made for audio (enclosures).
Hereby I will cover the essentials, and possibilities. I try to make it beginner friendly.
Even if you are not familiar with programming, it is nice to understand what is behind.
But what is possible at the first place?
a) Using the LED headers without any additional circuit status LEDs can be mounted as an indicator on the faceplate or as backlight.
b) With additional circuits, it is possible to make a LED bar turn on and follow the level of attenuation (volume).
c) When doing this with a lot of leds, mounted around the pot itself it can even follow the pot position.
d) The last solution could be a character display with seven segment LED displays, or a more advanced text based character display.
e) Any cool idea.
The a) is already covered by the documentation, it needs no additional parts but the LEDs.
The d) is out of the scope of this text but the piont is, you can do whatever you want when you already get some data out. Lets see how.
Getting information out of the attenuator is possible on two headers:
1. LED header
2. DO header
1. The LED header is the simplest, with a state check, a pin next to the LED can be checked against GND.
This can tell the same information as the LED status. Thus we can read which channel is selected, if mute has been pressed, or if LULO is on (pot or remote is master).
Later we can use this information as variables (true or false) in our program, and do whatever we want. Turn on lights, or send a message to a display.
To a microcontroller it is as simple as it gets:
2. The DO header is an SPI communication port that outputs a coded word on each volume change. This code can be decoded to get the attenuation level 0-127 or 0dB-64dB.
The data can be read with a microcontroller, and processed to get a single number variable. It is something like...:
If we have the attenuation level, we can easily do actions according to it:
Lets see if we have a LED bar like this (Seed Grove LED bar).
It has 10 LEDs. Let it have the bottom red LED indicating only the level 0 or MUTE. So we have 9 LEDs left for indicating 127 levels. Easy math, 127 / 9 = 14,11 so we will have one LED for every 14 setting.
Actually we will have one LED for level 1, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98, 112, 126
Now you only need a small code that checks the current level, and light up LEDs according to that level.
For a real circuit, you need transistors or a LED driver too, because no microcontroller outputs are designed to drive LEDs.
Using lots of LEDs in a circular arrangement is very cool. See the attached images for a real example.
It is an advanced version of the above, that is only one example prototype.
This is my signature. Period.
|13th July 2013, 01:13 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
I would like to show off my newly acquired 8th Note Attenuator, an excellent design that has been very finely assembled by Laci, possibly one of the nicest pieces of electronic kit I have bought.
The service, support and documentation by Laci is also exemplary, I am seriously impressed and just a little jealous that I cannot design something like this myself... one day
I will be powering this with an AMB 12V regulator board combined with a Myrra 2VA transformer and have already purchased the Grove LED bar mentioned above and a OLED 126 x 62 display to experiment with.. I also have spare sample atmega8 and attiny45 micro controllers for the display, hopefully the tiny45 will be good enough for this.
I'm delighted and highly recommend this attenuator, the product is superb and the designer is a gentleman... what more could you ask.
Last edited by passive420; 13th July 2013 at 01:21 PM.
|8th August 2013, 08:31 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
Thank You very much!
I hope you will enjoy it more when your project is finished!
I spent lots of time making the documentation, I am glad it was useful too.
This is my signature. Period.
|22nd November 2013, 03:25 PM
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hungary
Hi there,
I am still not lost. :-) But most of the attenuators are gone. Thank You!
Just want to know, I still have 3 SE (not Balanced) attenuators ready.
Last chance to get them in 2013.
(Also 2 SE makes one Balanced attenuator, but hurry up for those.)
Please contact me if You are interested.
This is my signature. Period.
|22nd November 2013, 03:34 PM
Can you say Audio?
diyAudio Member
I'd like to chime in here too, and say that I've bought a couple from Laci (1 SE, 1 BAL), and they have elevated the quality of a few of my builds. If I need an attenuator, have the space (board size, PS), and don't mind the relays clicking - I'd take this every time.
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text:
Demetrius Knox was one of the most prized recruits of the #Dream14 class, and as far as we know, is the first Ohio State footballer to be an active 11W member.
Knox didn't early-enroll, so he'll be joining the rest of the freshmen class on campus this weekend. Yet to play even a practice snap for Ohio State, it appears there are already people trying to dovetail onto his personal success:
Met so many "family members" in the last couple of days
— BIG EECH (@Meech_Dream14) June 13, 2014
Knox is a guy who has his head together, and for his part, he appears to have handled it well:
So many people thinking they're getting season tickets off of me... No sir
— BIG EECH (@Meech_Dream14) June 13, 2014
— BIG EECH (@Meech_Dream14) June 13, 2014
Why would anybody try to woodwork a teenager? Because people with no shame are the worst. This isn't what we're talking about in regards to "the Ohio State family."


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Snow Possible Overnight, Sunny & Warmer On Saturday
Your Doppler 10 Forecast
This Evening: Partly cloudy and windy.
Tonight: Clear early with increasing clouds late. Low 35.
Tomorrow: Rain or snow likely. An inch or snow will accumulate in the grassy areas with higher amounts north and west of Columbus. High 39.
Sunday Clearing and warmer. High 50.
Special Information:
A storm system moves into Ohio with rain and snow Saturday. Best chance for snow will be north and west of Columbus where 1-3 inches of slushy snow is possible. At the moment it looks like mainly rain in Columbus with only an inch or so of snow in the grassy areas. The rain and snow will begin around 10AM and end around midnight.
Alerts : None
Inconvenient Weather: Rain changing to snow tomorrow. 1-3 inches possible north and west of Columbus (mainly in grassy areas) by tomorrow evening. More snow tomorrow evening through midnight could make roads slick. We'll need to monitor this closely.
Stats: Today's averages 56/37…Record High 83 (1910) Record Low 15 (1955) Sunset tonight 7:52PM and sunrise tomorrow 7:20 AM


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Boston Marathon RunBase has opened its doors, close to the finish line of the world-famous competition. The store offers an immersive retail experience that celebrates the race and offers premium Adidas footwear and seasonal and official marathon apparel and accessories.
AT&T has opened one of its largest stores yet, a 9,000-sq. ft. location on Boylston Street in Boston.
The Boston Marathon is getting its very own permanent store — and it will be located just steps from the finish line, on Boylston Street in Boston. The 2,000-sq.-ft. shop, dubbed Boston Marathon Run Base, is operated by athletic footwear giant Adidas and the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), organizer of the Boston Marathon, in partnership with Marathon Sports.
The Finish Line Inc. is launching a digital initiative focused on female customers in step with the Nike Women's Half Marathon San Francisco on Oct. 19.
Last-minute holiday shoppers will have some help from Macy's this year, as the retailer plans keep most of its stores open 48 hours straight the weekend before Christmas, from 7 a.m. Dec. 21 through 7 a.m. on Dec. 23.
C-store chain Sheetz said Tuesday that it will open its new employee health-and-wellness center on Wednesday, marking the first LEED-certified building in Blair County.


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I was out on bus-stop duty this morning, sending the offspring off for another day of public-school pedagogy, when one of the other parents zoom-zoomed by in his Mazda CX-7 to drop off his son. And once again I was taken by the mid-size crossover's eye-catching design.
It's perhaps the least trucky-looking SUV/crossover on the market, wearing sheet metal that, in an alternative universe somewhere, wouldn't be out of place on a Mazda MAZDA3 hatch. There are lots of swoopy curves, and the CX-7's front end manages to avoid the "big mouth" grille style now seen everywhere from the Audi Q5 to the Mitsubishi Outlander. The proportions of Mazda's crossover are also a bit different from those of its rivals.
Compared to the popular Chevrolet Equinox, for example, the CX-7 is about an inch wider and an inch and a half shorter, with the Chevy being about three inches longer. That doesn't sound like much, but it makes a surprisingly big difference in the vehicles' stances. The Mazda looks like it's ready to live up to its corporate billing as the crossover with "sports-car style," while the Equinox, if one were to just go by appearances alone, could easily be mistaken for an actual SUV. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
After all, the Equinox rang up a stellar 132.8 percent sales increase for February, moving an impressive 8,061 units last month. The CX-7, at its current pace, might not tally that many sales overall until we hit May or so. Mazda's crossover did see a February sales bump, with numbers up 14.1 percent, but that represented just 1,796 sales.
So there's actually a glass half full/glass half empty situation here. Yes, the CX-7 is doing better than it did in 2009, but no, it's not selling near the quantity needed for Mazda to be successful in the U.S.
Consider this: The best-selling crossover/SUV for every major automaker in the U.S. is each company's prime CX-7 competitor. For GM, it's the Equinox; for the Blue Oval, it's the Ford Escape; the Toyota RAV-4 does the trick for Toyota; Honda relies on the Honda CR-V; and the South Koreans put up the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento.
But Mazda's top-selling non-car so far this year doesn't happen to be the CX-7, but the much larger Mazda CX-9, just as it was in 2009. True, the bigger Mazda leads by a mere 107 units so far in 2010, and topped the CX-7 by less than 1,000 sales last year, but the split isn't even close for the other automakers. The Equinox outsold its bigger sibling, the Chevrolet Traverse, by about 2,200 units in February alone.
Notably, in addition to being some 15 inches longer than a CX-7, the CX-9 also features a much more traditional exterior design. It's much less curvy, its front end is just different enough from the CX-7's to lose its distinctiveness, and its proportions are significantly further toward the traditional end of the crossover spectrum.
All of which is is a long way of getting to the fact that Mazda is now strongly considering one of its next-generation four-cylinder diesels for an upcoming option on the CX-7. The automaker currently offers a turbodiesel I4 engine in its European models, so it wouldn't be like Mazda was starting from scratch on the project. And the technologically advanced "Sky D" clean diesel, introduced at last year's Tokyo Motor Show by Mazda, seems to be a winner.
The company claims it will be 20 percent more efficient than its current four-cylinder diesel, which helps today's Euro-spec CX-7 achieve mileage ratings in the upper 30s on the European testing cycle. The best the current U.S. model can achieve is an EPA line of 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway. But the thing is, fuel efficiency isn't the real problem here. The Mazda's 2010 EPA results hold up well against just about every CX-7 opponent except the Equinox, capable of achieving 22/32 in its EPA ratings.
Unless Mazda does something about the CX-7's sheet metal, a new powerplant alone '" unfortunately '" might not be enough to attract new customers to one of the few truly unique designs on the market today.


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Animal lovers have been paying tribute to the world's most famous polar bear after he died suddenly at a German zoo.
Knut became an international star, with his own film and TV show, after being abandoned by his mum in 2006 and hand-reared by keepers at Berlin Zoo.
He died suddenly on Saturday afternoon at the age of four.
Polar bears can live for up to 30 years in captivity, and scientists are now trying to find out why Knut died so unexpectedly.
In 2007, Knut is reported to have made more than £4.2m in extra income for Berlin Zoo, from the sale of tickets and Knut merchandise.
Polar bears


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School lunches, sports and activities, parking permits and more: any parent will agree that there is always some expense or another to pay for when it comes to kids, and on Monday night the school board narrowly voted to allow parents to pay for these school-related costs via credit card if they so choose.
Currently the schools allow for school lunch purchases with a credit card through its online Fee Pay system, but parents must pay the extra charge that credit card companies tack on, which totals almost 4 percent of each transaction.
School business manager Tina Burkholder said these fees would cost the district upwards of $20,000 if they didn't recoup the transaction fee costs.
Monday evening the board narrowly voted to implement credit card payment options to Fee Pay that would allow parents to pay for all-day kindergarten, sports, activities and other fees, but for these items the district would eat the transaction fee cost to a tune of about $4,500 per year, assuming that about half the payments come in via credit card.
Families currently can only pay for these items through cash or checks, which Burkholder said takes a lot of staff time to process and also costs the district money in the form of deposit fees, to say nothing of the arduous task and lost revenue that comes with trying to collect on bad checks.
In fact, she said there is currently $13,000 left unpaid from the last two years' all-day kindergarten program.
They have sent these cases to a collection agency but have only gotten another $500 or so paid – 30 percent of which goes to the collection agency.
Board member Scott Hill spoke out against taking action that night, saying that he agreed with the concept but he wanted the district to roll it out with the new school year to give them time to take different things into consideration and discuss the fairness issue of charging the fee for some costs and not for others.
Liz Leitch-Sell disagreed with Hill's preference of waiting, saying she feels the program could be implemented now and amended over time as they experiment with the best method for covering credit card transaction fees.
"I think sometimes we do things in layers," she said. "We can do a part that is manageable, learn some things and move to the next piece. I actually totally agree with Scott in where eventually I'd like us to be, but I think this will be a learning experience."
In the end, the motion passed 3-2 with Jim Lindberg abstaining because he said he wanted more time to look at the options.
Board gets a look at future budget assumptions as planning begins for 2013-14
After the credit card payment discussion ended, Burkholder again addressed the board, this time to discuss the district's financial forecast.
The numbers showed positive news for the district for the next three years, but future shortfalls after that if funding remains flat and the district does not make any changes to current programming.
For the current school year, she said general fund revenues have been higher than anticipated by just over $1 million due to increased enrollment, an added technology grant and by adding back a 1 percent general education aid given to the district.
Expenditures also increased slightly since the original budget, up slightly under $250,000 due to factors such as an increased utility budget, employee contract negotiations that were not settled when the budget was originally set and also a higher-than-estimated amount needed for retirement severance payments, since the district did not know who was planning to retire in time for the original budget.
Using conservative numbers, Burkholder said enrollment projections should continue their modest increases for the next two schools years, but then level off and even drop slightly starting in the 2015-16 school year.
Though she said it's too early to make any big decisions based on these projections, she said the district would need to keep a close eye on the budget and make adjustments to compensate for the projected slowdown, especially since they do not know if or when the state government will increase their funding level but they do know that costs for health, dental and workers compensation will continue to grow each year.
Current projections show a fund balance shortfall starting in 2016-17 if funding stays at current levels and enrollment flattens out, even though they currently have a healthy fund balance of just over $4 million.
Because that is so far into the future, Burkholder said it's not prudent to take the numbers too seriously if they are more than three years out, but that they need to continually reassess and make adjustments to prevent future problems.
"I think that by the end of year three we'll still be doing pretty well, but we'll want to make some adjustments going forward," she said.
"This is not so different from the same assumptions we have made in the past; in fact, it's pretty much the same," superintendent Jim Johnson added. "Without putting any [additional] money in for five years, we see what happens. This kind of planning has served us well; we are where we are today because of the hard work and willingness to look out. If you don't look out past two years, you think everything's wonderful but you could be spending money that will put you in a real bad spot four or five years down the line."
In other business, the board:
• Heard from three of the high school's math teachers, who explained the different things they are doing to help algebra II students succeed on their MCA and Grad exams since this group of students struggled on last year's exams. Some of their strategies included purchasing about 10 graphing calculators per class so the students who do not have their own will have access to one, implementing continual review into their regular classes each week, hosting MCA prep sessions before and after school and holding open lab times with math tutors or teachers on hand to help. They also started a MCA grad/prep class for juniors that teachers feel will struggle on the MCA test or seniors who did not pass the first time around. Math teacher Barb Hadfield said the class has no homework in an attempt to entice students into taking the course, since this class causes students to double up on math classes and those who struggle in the subject usually would prefer to avoid taking additional math. The math classes have been encouraging students to work on homework in class, where their peers and teacher are around to help out, rather than getting home and getting stuck on their homework with nobody to turn to.
• Accepted donations to the school district: $534 from McDonald's to Little Mountain for technology; $1,269 from Box Tops for Education to Little Mountain to purchase planners for next school year; $1,000 from John Ziebarth for Pinewood's student activity account and $563 from Primo Pizza for students in need.
• Approved a request for staffing, including a part-time playground paraprofessional, added hours to a copy paraprofessional and added a .4 seventh grade basketball coach.
• Heard an update from Johnson about school security after having unannounced drills completed in almost all the buildings with police in attendance to offer suggestions. The district will continue to tweak safety policies, he said.
Freelancer Meghan Gutzwiller covers education and the Monticello School District.


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We are at day 2 of our series Countdown to Thanksgiving Food and Frills. Yesterday you learned how to set a beautiful table with simple things around the house.
Today you will learn how to prepare a turkey so it's moist and delicious instead of tasting like a piece of leather. The process is easy and you can use the ingredients you have around your house. Watch the video to see how it's done.
How to Prepare a Thanksgiving Day Turkey for Roasting
How to brine turkey and other poultry
Brining is a process that uses a salt solution to tenderize poultry, whether it's turkey, chicken, or Cornish hen. It helps break down connective tissue to make the bird more tender, and adds flavor, moisture and great taste.
These instructions are for a 12- to 14-pound bird. If your bird is larger or smaller, adjust the quantities appropriately.
Gather your ingredients and supplies:
- 16-18 quart container
- 2 gallons of water
- 4 cups of salt
- 4 cups of sugar
- 2 ounces of bourbon (more if you like)
- 3 cups of ice
- Add two gallons of water to any container that is large enough to allow the entire turkey to be immersed. (You'll need a container whose capacity is approximately 16 to 18 quarts.) As long as the container is clean, you can use anything that accommodates the size of your bird.
- Add 4 cups of salt to the water
- Add 4 cups of sugar to the water. The sugar helps sweeten the turkey, counteracting the acidity of the salt.
- Add 2 ounces of bourbon. (Bourbon is also an acid that will help break down the connective tissue of the meat. You can use as much as you like.)
- Whisk the brine solution until all ingredients are dissolved and mixed.
- Add 3 cups of ice. Ice is a very critical ingredient because it is important to ensure the temperature of the water stays below 40 degrees to avoid bacteria growth.
- Clean the bird, both inside and out, and then pat with a paper towel to dry completely.
- Add the washed and dried bird to the solution. Make sure that the turkey is completely immersed in the water with the salt, sugar and bourbon.
- Place container and turkey into the refrigerator, and leave it sit for six to eight hours.
- After six to eight hours, remove the container from the refrigerator and then remove the turkey from the container. Rinse it off and pat it dry, making sure that all the water is removed from the cavity.
Shopping List
How to brine turkey and other poultry
2 gallons of water
3 cups of ice cubes
4 cups of salt
4 cups of sugar
2 ounces of bourbon1 16-18 quart bucket


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Local Chiropractor Hosts Weekly Radio Show
May 10, 2014 --
West Palm Beach, FL, May 10, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Local Chiropractor to Host Weekly Radio Program Called "Heal Yourself Radio."
Dr. Jonathan Chung, owner of Keystone Chiropractic, located at 420 S. State Road 7, Suite #170 in Royal Palm Beach will be hosting a weekly radio program on Thursday afternoons from 5-6 PM on AM1470, the Health and Wealth Network.
Dr. Chung will be co-hosting the show with Dr. Gregory Jean-Pierre to provide insight on the latest trends in alternative and traditional health care. The program will be called "Heal Yourself Radio", and seeks to serve as a guide for people looking to optimize their health and find solutions for chronic health problems.
Dr. Jonathan Chung is a Doctor of Chiropractic who focuses on Structural Correction and is primarily concerned with the upper cervical spine. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Dr. Chung then went on and received his doctorate from Life University's College of Chiropractic. Dr. Chung has received post doctorate certification training from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, and the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. He is also heavily involved in chiropractic research, and has been published in scientific peer-reviewed journals.
AM 1470 WNN The Health and Wealth Network is a part of the Beasley Broadcast Network, and broadcasts throughout Broward and Palm Beach County. The station's programming is primarily focused on topics in health and finances.
"It is an honor to be a part of the WNN Programming. My goal is to help as many people as I can find answers to their health questions. People are always searching for legitimate sources for health information, and the growth of the internet has made it harder to find out what's real and what's not. I hope that this program and the experts we bring on board can be a resource that people can trust for information on health, fitness, and well being. I appreciate WNN for giving me a medium to reach people all over Palm Beach and Broward County," said Dr. Chung.
Contact: Brittany Dobbs (561-247-0044 or [email protected]
Contact Information:
Keystone Chiropractic
Brittany Dobbs
Contact via Email
Read the full story here: http://www.pr.com/press-release/557584
Press Release Distributed by PR.com
Copyright 2010 PR.com
Page: 1
Related Keywords:Business, Awards, Manufacturing, EngineeringBusiness, Human Resources, Women in Business, Communications, Social Media, Diversity & Society, Children & Youth, Education, K-12, Home & Family, Parenting, Lifestyle, Health & Fitness, Medical & Health, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Technology, TelecommunicationsArts & Entertainment, Radio, Business, Accounting & Taxes, Banking & Personal Finance, Finance, Investment, Stock MarketBusiness, Awards, Retail, Technology, ComputerBusiness, Personnel Announcements, Real Estate, Construction & Property, Residential Real EstateTechnology, SoftwareArts & Entertainment, Movies & FilmBusiness, Real EstateArts & Entertainment, Radio, Communications, Broadcast, Lifestyle, Health & Fitness, Medical & Health, Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic
Source:Copyright 2010 PR.com. All Rights Reserved


text: Our collection of unique and superior quality couture bridal garters are designed, beautifully handmade and finished to perfection in the U.K., using carefully sourced fabrics, trims and treasures. Choose from the finest French lace, silk and tulle; delicately embellished with Swarovski crystals, pearls or decadent hand beaded and vintage trims – perfect for your traditional 'Something Old'. All garters will arrive beautifully presented in our bespoke keepsake boxes – making a perfect gift for a future bride or special treat for yourself.


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29.Nov.2011 Movember Moustache Photo Diary 2011: Day 29
One day left…
There's still time to donate and help fight men's cancer. View some 'staches and then go make a donation! It'll make you feel good about life!
Follow the progress of the Ministry of Mustache Growth & Management here: http://us.movember.com/mospace/network/view/ip/5/id/18342
Donate to my personal efforts here: http://us.movember.com/mospace/12430/


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be the pinecone
de emily longbrake
Acerca del libro
Características y detalles
- Categoría Catálogos
Apaisado estándar, 25×20 cm
160 Páginas
- Fecha de publicación ene. 30, 2013
Acerca del creador
Emily Longbrake is a born-and-raised Alaskan freelance artist from Palmer. "Creatively omnivorous, I have devoured any and all books, art, and science that I could find and made objects from that inspiration since childhood. I'm also my parent's daughter: my dad's a farmer who works harder than anyone I know to build his dreams, and my mom treats her hobbies as professionally as her work as a nurse. They taught me everything they know, as well as how to assimilate new tools and media that I encounter. While I've studied ceramics, printmaking, and design, I'm happiest when combining past experience with a new medium or technology. I find joy in the process of making. My laser-cut wood works often employ the patterns, repetition, and fragility that I find in my inner and outer landscapes."
Inicia sesión o crea una cuenta para publicar un comentario.


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1) What is your favorite diabetes device, technology or medication? In order to answer the following questions, you have to pick one item, and stick with that item for the rest of the evening.
2) What do you like and dislike about it?
3) What improvements would you like to make to the device?
4) Do you know if there will be any improvements to the item? If so, what are you most excited about?
Interested in participating in Diabetes Social Media Advocacy Chat (#dsma)? Log on to twitter every Wednesday night at 9 PM EST. You can follow @diabetessocmed or the hash tag #dsma.
Do you have a question or topic you would like to discuss during #dsma? Click here to submit.
Can't make it to the our twitter chat? Listen to DSMA Live on blog talk radio-Thursdays at 9pm EST.


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because Flacco looks like Montana right now.
because Flacco looks like Montana right now.
Still, he's got a whole other half to look like Flacco..
Schiavone's Race Career:
Starts- 10
Wins- 2
2nd- 4
3rd- 0
Other- 4
Prizemoney- $60,050.00
so far he looks like the love child of montana and brady. the one interesting comment they made about caldwell is he gets the plays in fast giving flacco lots of time to see the defense prior to the snap. makes me wonder how quick ben gets the plays cause this seems to be making a huge difference for flacco.
It's got to help that he's not feeling much pressure. 9ers need to ramp it up if they want to be in this game.
Schiavone's Race Career:
Starts- 10
Wins- 2
2nd- 4
3rd- 0
Other- 4
Prizemoney- $60,050.00
Flacco has good protection and a top-shelf core of WRs ant TEs to catch the ball. Plus Ray Rice.
To me, that is the worst thing about this entire postseason (even factoring in the increased chance that Baltimore now wins this game). I've always loved being able to count on Flacco to blow it when the game mattered, but the second half of the season and into the postseason he has turned a corner and is the confidence he will have moving forward is going to be dangerous to deal with.
Now you just have to hope that Baltimore obscenely overpays him, ruining their cap situation in the future, and he never lives up to this level of play again.
Ruthless 2017 Mock Draft:
1.30 ILB Zach Cunningham 6'3" 234 Vanderbilt
2.62 OLB Jordan Willis 6'4" 255 Kansas State
3.94 CB Sidney Jones 6'0" 186 Washington
3.105c DE Tanoh Kpassagnon 6'7" 289 Villanova
4.135 CB Rasul Douglas 6'2" 209 West Virginia
5.173 RB James Conner 6'1" 233 Pittsburgh
6.213 SS Lorenzo Jerome 5'10" 204 St. Francis
7.248 TE Michael Roberts 6'4" 270 Toledo
2015 MNF Executive Champion!
well.... lets hope this motivates our team..... a underachieving 8-8 2012 season.
Turnovers and giving up big plays killed the Niners...


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A teenager who juggled his A-Levels with setting up fun activities for young people has received an award.
Elsadiq Ahmed-Salim, of Review Road, Cricklewood, was handed the London Young Person of the Year Oscar at an event attended by Nick Clegg's wife, Miriam Gonzalez, and Cabinet minister Justine Greening.
Elsadiq received his award for the activities he has launched in Barnet, including a mini football league at Hendon School and for helping to organise the annual Hendonbury Music Festival.
The 16-year-old is also an ambassador for the CitySafe campaign, and has taken part in the National Citizen Service.
Elsadiq, who is inspired by his family in Sudan, said: "I love visiting my grandparents' village in rural Sudan. I love seeing people wake up early to go to study, go to the farm to work, then come home and relax without complaining. I don't think anything motivates me more than this.
"They are living in extreme heat, with inconsistent electricity and running water supplies, but they don't feel angry or as if they were cheated out of a good life. They're making the most out of the situation they're in and that teaches me that every dark cloud has a silver lining.
"Whether you live in rural Sudan or central London, every problem has a solution."
As well as the award, Elsadiq also received £100 for a good cause of his choice and £50 to treat himself.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing said: "All the finalists are winners because they are all helping to give the younger generation the fairer image they deserve."


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TNA has released their Lockdown poster. The poster features Robert Roode and James Storm. If you're interested, you can click here to view it.
TNA Lockdown takes place on April 15th in Nashville, TN.
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Philadelphia Area Jobs with Justice is a coalition of labor unions and student, community, and faith groups united in our shared work fighting for the rights of all working people--in the workplace, in our neighborhoods, in the media, and on the picket line. We work together in solidarity and in reciprocity, showing our support for each others' struggles.
If you or your organization would like to become a member, please e-mail our director, Gwen Snyder, at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Executive Board:
Labor Co-Chair: Vanessa Fields, Phila. AFL-CIO
Community Co-Chair: Barbara Rahke, PhilaPOSH
Treasurer: John Braxton, AFT 2026
Recording Secretary: Danielle Newsome
Chris Woods, AFSCME 1199c
Diane Mohney, PFT 3 Retirees
Executive Director: Gwen Snyder
Member Organizations
Action United
AFSCME District 1199c
AFSCME District Council 13
AFSCME District Council 33
AFSCME District Council 47
AFSCME DC 47 Local 2186
AFSCME DC 47 Local 2187
AFSCME DC 47 Local 3397
AFSCME DC 47 Local 590
AFSCME District Council 88
AFT 2026 (Faculty & Staff Federation of CCP)
BMWED Fed. IBT
CATA (Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas)
CWA Local 13000
Philadelphia Newspaper Guild
Decarcerate PA
Fight for Philly
IBEW Local 98
IBT Local 623
ILA Local 1291
Media Mobilizing Project
Jewish Labor Committee
Living Waters Christian Community
PFT Local 3
Philadelphia AFL CIO
Philadelphia CLUW
Philadelphia Restaurant Opportunities Center
Philadelphia Unemployment Project
PLSU-NOLSU-UAW Local 2320
SEIU Healthcare PA
SEIU Pennsylvania State Council
Temple Association of University Professionals
Temple University Graduate Students Association
Temple University Hospital Nurses Association
TWU Local 234
Unite HERE Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania Student Labor Action Project
USW Local 10-1
Women's Community Revitalization Project
Youth United for Change


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Jackie Andolsek
Mary Jacqueline Levert Andolsek, 73, a longtime resident of Thibodaux, passed away at 1:25 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 at her home in the company of family and friends.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to funeral time Friday at St. John Catholic Church. Religious services will be held at noon Friday at the church, with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Louis Andolsek Sr.; son, Louis "Andy" Andolsek Jr. and wife, Julie; daughter, Renee Andolsek Jennings and husband, Mickey; five grandchildren, Chris Clement, Ashton Andolsek Bonvillain and husband, Kevin, Chase Clement, Michael Andolsek and Clint Clement; and two extended grandchildren, Jacob and Joshua Jennings.
She was preceded in death by her parents, L.C. "DiDi" Levert Jr. and Winston "Bink" Levert; and son, Eric T. Andolsek.
She was a devoted wife and mother and was a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.
Many thanks to all that comfort and assisted her during her illness and have offered comfort during this time of sorrow.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Eric Andolsek Charitable Fund, Inc. 2223 St. Mary Street Thibodaux, LA 70301.


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Robin Spielberg is a pianist, composer, and recording artist well known for her expressive, lyrical performances. Her albums bring traditional, classic, original and popular music to life in piano solos and piano-based ensembles.
Robin's sheet music includes many pieces suitable for recitals, available both in hard copies and as pdf downloads.
Robin's newest album of all-new original piano compositions, Another Time, Another Place.
Read or listen to a sample of ROBIN'S MEMOIR: "Naked on the Bench: My Adventures in Pianoland" "A well-paced musical memoir about the value of perseverance." -Kirkus Reviews
This website is also Robin's way to share her music and her life with you. Read Robin's blog, enjoy her photo albums, listen to her music, and otherwise get to know her better!
See photos of Robin
in Performance
Robin is a
Celebrity Artist Spokesperson
for the American Music Therapy


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Ceilidh Nights in Glasgow
Come to the Ceilidh at Sutherlands – gather with us for an evening of traditional toe-tapping tunes with our resident Ceilidh band.
Join in the singing and dance the night away, or simply relax, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy traditional Scottish fayre accompanied by a wee dram from our fine selection of Malt Whiskies.
[email protected] for more information.
|21th January
|25th March
|Public – tickets available
|TBA or Enquire
|TBA or Enquire
Short Glasgow Breaks
The city of Glasgow is an easily accessed destination for short city breaks and we want to make it a trip to remember.
Murder Mystery Evenings
The Argyll hotel specialises in providing high quality, interactive Murder Mystery evenings in Glasgow, for all occasions.
What our guests say
"Compelled to give the staff a good shout at The Argyll. Without a doubt for the price and location of the Hotel this is one of the best budget hotels I have come across in the UK. 15 Minute walk from Town centre, The setting while basic are of a very good standard for the tariff, clean and a good shower / hot water supply alongside a comfy bed to rest up. Very good staff and an exceptional buffet breakfast that was well above expectation. For a budget hotel I would happily recommend the Argyll and will stay here again!"
Brian, TripAdvisor


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I'm looking for someone who will motivate me in my life and support me to achieve my goals. I want someone who will love me for me - quirks and all. I want someone who gives me butterflies every time I see them and who shows me unconditional love.
I'd love to own an NFL team, so if you know someone, hook a girl up. :)
Totally winning your mom over. Moms love me. It's a gift.
Movies: Bridesmaids, The Notebook, Silver Linings Playbook, pretty much anything Disney.
Shows: 30 Rock, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Rec, The Mindy Project, New Girl, Modern Family.
Music: Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, that amazing music from the 90s.
Food: ice cream, pizza, chocolate--specifically Reese's, cheerios.
My family
Books/my Kindle
Ice cream
The Chicago Bears
How I get a job in the NFL/college football. And/or how to marry an NFL player.
You want to get to know more about me! :) I'm looking for someone who likes to go out once in a while, but doesn't mind spending a quiet night at home getting cozy and watching some bad TV.
Extra points if:
You're a Bears fan!
You can quote Disney movies.
You speak football.


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Benchmade SOCP Dagger
SKU #: Benchmade-SOCP
The SOCP Combo includes the SOCP dagger and a red trainer. The optimal tool for self-defense, allows the user to maintain dexterity and manipulate other objects without putting down the knife. The specialized sheath design also integrates into gear and webbing while keeping a low profile. MOLLE® compatible.
Miamisburg, OH
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
A knife, that you can still hold with your pistol
May 12, 2017
I met a retired Delta member, that had opened a knife kiosk on a military installation, and this was what he carried personally. He explained that the ring design on this knife, makes it easy for him to escalate from hand to hand, to firearm, without having to holster the knife, or drop it. I figured anyone that had a lifetime of combat under his belt, probably had a good idea of what you might need, in a life-or-death scenario. I purchased this knife, with the trainer, and it really is great. I can draw the dagger, draw my pistol, and retain positive control of both. With the knife on my index finger, it rides right along the magwell of my pistol, and does not impact my grip, at all. I have smaller hands, and was certain it would, but there is absolutely no shifting of grip required. It's become another tool in my daily carry. The trainer "blade" is ideal for practicing actual application of the dagger, without risk of harm to self or training partner.
Pros:Can be wielded in pistol hand, with pistol, without compromise of grip or hindrance of trigger finger. Sheath is very comfortable IWB carry.
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Love it!
September 13, 2016
Someone close to me went through the SOCP training and recommended this dagger. I thought yeah, yeah.....the newest "cool" thing, but boy was I wrong. I love it! Size, weight, ergonomics, everything about this dagger is awesome. Two things to keep in mind, 1. It's not an all purpose knife. 2. Buy the trainer! I have combat infantry and LE experience.
Pros:Ergonomics Trainer
CPT Philip Steven Bucci
South Carolina
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Great Defese Tool
November 19, 2015
Great tool, trainer is a must,
Cons:Blade length is short
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Excellent Buy
July 9, 2015
As always, the folks at LA Police Gear were great. My order was processed immediately and shipped later the same day. Excellent as always. As usual, the price was the best I could find on the internet, and with the sales promotion, the price was even lower. The item is exactly as described, and is the same standard issue NSN item I was issued. You have several options to buy, but I recommend the option with the trainer. To effectively use in close quarters, without cutting or puncturing yourself, in transition from firearms to this tool, you will want to practice to be quick and sure.
4 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Space saver on your Gear
February 19, 2015
Great little dagger, but not much of an edge at all. I bought this to go on my body armor for emergencies. The whole thing fits very nicely into the sheath, and it takes very little space on my plate carrier. To be honest though, I wish I would have bought the version with the serrated edge. There is very little sharpened edge on this blade, and I'd prefer it be moreso. That serration would have made it much better for cutting webbing in a pinch. Overall, nice little knife, very compact and space saving...only drawback is minimal edge.
Pros:Space saving, great sheath, fits well on Molle
Cons:only front inch (maybe inch and a half) on blade is sharpened, and not very sharp at that.
4 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Great last resort weapon
April 23, 2014
This thing is very handy when used in the role for which it seems to be designed; namely, a guns dry last resort self defense tool. It's slim enough to be carried about anywhere on your gear. I carry it threaded through the thigh straps on a safariland drop leg behind my pistol (also secured with 550 cord). Its light weight and low drag profile make it so that I can't feel that it's there. Drawing is intuitive for me but should be practiced. This isn't designed to be a primary do it all knife, but it certainly works well In its intended role. My background is LE and USMC Infantry.
Pros:Light Low profile Convenient sheath
Cons:Grip could be about half an inch longer for those with huge hands. I'm 6'6" and am proportionately built.
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Very nice backup weapon
December 12, 2013
I picked this up as a backup weapon to go on my molle vest. Whats great is it fits through the molle loops fine, and takes up no extra room on my vest as it sits behind my mag pouches. I also recommend if youre going to rely on any edged weapon, you train with it. Having a knife but not knowing how to fight with it is likely going to get you hurt. For this purpose I picked up the trainer as well. I have a friend who is a 7th degree black belt, and we practice knife fighting with the trainers. Its fairly sharp and the loop on the end makes it quick to draw. My only gripe is that the metal pocket clip doesn't do a very good job of keeping the sheath secured in your molle loops. I wound up tieing mine down with some paracord to keep it in place. Other then that, this makes a great backup weapon, and is fairly easy to conceal.
Pros:sharp, easily concealable, great backup weapon
Cons:weak pocket clip
phoenix, AZ
4 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
good blade, but train with the practice.
November 18, 2013
Fit and handling is prefect for its application. just be sure you practice with a trainer. most of us have had enough practice to develop muscle memory and when used as its shown you may forget its even there and drop and slap a fresh mag into place... and well now you just put your blade through your hand. used on the weak side, it is possible again to reach for a magazine and ram that tip into ,if your lucky, a mag or a thick section of nylon before it meets flesh. so train, train , and train some more.
Pros:compact, durable.
Cons:needs lots of practice to use safely.
Tim B
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Slick self defence Knife...
September 29, 2013
I bought this to go as a back up knife on my LBV. It's light weight and fits nice in behind my mags, but not to interfere with transitions or mag changes. It's a great option but pretty limited to this kind of task. It fits my role perfectly!
Pros:Lightweight Concealable
Cons:Limited on variety of task
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Great design
September 8, 2013
Great design for very specific purpose. Not a primary blade. Not an EDC. Although I will be unlikely to ever need to use it, I carry it daily in Afghanistan on my nondominant side. My training with it focuses on using the blade as an adjunct to create space or an opportunity to transition to firearms. Sheath design slides into MOLLE vest, or is invisible in pockets. Trainer fits well in sheath and is a nice touch, allowing realistic training drawing from the sheath. Another Benchmade triumph, and a tribute to Greg Thompson.
Pros:Great Design. Great sheath, fits MOLLE well.
Cons:Trainer is solid metal so use caution during enthusiastic training (nothing beats a wooden dowel for training).
J- lawman
5 Stars
I would recommend this item to a friend.
Last ditch
September 7, 2013
I hope this is the knife I never half to use. I have trained with it a little bit and it fits what i need. Bad guy gets on me, i can use the knife in the left or right hand and create distance then go to my gun and utilize that tool. Im still able to have the knife in my shootin hand and draw and fire!!!
Pros:High quality, great trainer knife,
Cons:Long in length
Los Angeles, CA
3 Stars
SOCP Dagger
June 23, 2013
An exceptional knife. One of the best features I like along with some other instructors is you can obtain a replica knife trainer of it (something many knives on the market don't offer) so you can actually "train how you're gonna fight." Afterall, this is a tool which is useless, if you do not know how and when to effectively employ it. If I could improve one thing on this product I wish the loop was just slightly bigger to assist those of, with somewhat fat fingers.
Seattle, WA
5 Stars
Review for Benchmade SOCP Dagger
April 28, 2013
Perfect size for a last ditch defense tool. Fits perfectly in my body armor. Price and shipping were excellent.
Night owl
Northern USA
5 Stars
Review for Benchmade SOCP Dagger
December 1, 2012
Perfect lightweight low profile last ditch weapon attached to body armor. Purchasing with solid metal trainer at a reasonable price is a no brainer. Large enough fingerhole to be used with standard tactical gloves.
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Park Rapids boy befriends stray deer; 'Panther' is learning to chase a ball
In the annals of boys and their pets, a bond usually forms and the pair spend memorable moments together.
Timmy and Lassie. Clifford and - well, never mind. Emily Elizabeth wasn't a boy. Toto and... check that. Neither was she. We'll forge on.
Nine-year-old Zach Severtson of Park Rapids has forged a bond with his new pet. Zach is trying to teach Panther how to play ball.
It's not that the yearling isn't interested. He (deer, not boy) just doesn't grasp the concept of grasping a tennis ball.
He chases, tilts ears forward, dog-style, watches intently... then nothing. He looks to Zach as if asking for guidance.
The boy patiently picks up the ball and throws it. Panther gives chase. And so it goes.
Panther showed up on Eagle Pointe Drive a couple weeks ago. Hungry, curious, anxious for a handout.
And because Zach's mom didn't try to discourage him from feeding a stray, the deer stayed. He waits for Zach when the bus drops him off in the afternoon.
They romp around the yard. Zach feeds the deer sunflower seeds if Panther hasn't helped himself from the 50-pound bag stacked by the door.
He'll eat from a friendly, outstretched hand.
But like all wild animals, sometimes Panther's idea of bonding is to nudge Zach. And sometimes the nudges aren't so gentle.
Panther's new antlers are coming in, so the nudges will start to hurt.
And Zach's neighbors are tolerating Panther - barely.
"Zach he's in my flowers!" screams Luraine Kinkel. "Get him out of the flowers!'
"How do I do that?" Zach asks, chasing after the deer nibbling on a fresh green patch of flowers next door.
"Just hit him on his back side," suggests Gene Kinkel.
Zach is reluctant to do that, afraid it will scare Panther.
By now they've all caused enough of a ruckus the deer moves on of his own accord.
Panther's back searching for the ball. He disappears occasionally for a day or two, then returns. He seems to be spending more time in the woods as boat traffic on the lake increases with the fishing season under way.
Zach hopes to make this unlikely pairing a long-term bond.
But if Panther sticks around, Zach may want to hide his hide come November.
A well-fed deer stopping to chase a tennis ball could be a tempting target.


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It's not how much $ you make, it's what you do with itKacie
Trent had an interesting post today about wealth. In it, he showed two (fictitious, I'm guessing) scenarios involving two 25-year-olds. One earned $100k and lived large, and another earned $35k, lived modestly and put money in savings.
To make his point, both scenarios were to the extreme.
But still, I think the post raises an interesting point on income and expenses in general.
If you have a large salary, but also have a lot of debt, your money may not go very far. You're paying a portion of your income to debt repayment and interest.
Contrast that to someone who has a lower salary, but also is debt-free. That family might have more disposable income than the family with a lot of debt.
More disposable income means more to fund retirement, more to save, more to enjoy, and more to give. Oh, and more breathing room!
4 Responses
to "It's not how much $ you make, it's what you do with it"
By Karen on Mar 23, 2010 | Reply
I actually see this up close and personal in my own family. My sister, for instance, is a well paid nurse and her husband also works full time. They pay minimally for child care because my other sister babysits for her during the week. They earn more than twice as much money as my husband and me, but they are ALWAYS struggling financially.
And honestly? When you compare our situations? They are pretty similar. We each own one car, rent instead of owning, etc. We just spend less on the things we do buy, and we're more careful with our money.
Sometimes I think about what we've been able to accomplish on a modest income, and it kind of blows my mind. I'm so glad we chose to put our resources toward saving instead of living beyond our means.
Honestly, the people who spend more than they earn don't even really have that much to show for it. They can never afford to take vacations because they're always so behind. They always feel like they're broke even though they have a relatively high income. I don't get it.
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Boxed in =-.
By Jennifer on Mar 23, 2010 | Reply
I read Trent's post and thought similar things. If we didn't spend so much money each month we would have more money to cashflow problems when they arose.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..How do you cash flow big expenses? =-.
By Christi on Mar 25, 2010 | Reply
We've experienced this too – my husband and I don't make a ton, but we are usually good about living within our means and TRY to put money in savings like we should. We know several couples who make much more than us who live month to month.
.-= Christi´s last blog ..Things I Love Thursday =-.
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- Mar 24, 2010: What is "Good Money"? | Ultimate Money Blog- Save Green and Live Green!
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Gray Sweater Tights
Gray Sweater Tights — Piece We're Coveting
We're thrilled to present our favorite Lucky story here on Fab!
This girl on the street is sporting one of my favorite looks—tights under shorts. Take a cue from her and try a pair of sweater tights under your shorts or dresses to keep warm.
Here are three similar styles you can buy right now:
1. Urban Outfitters, $18, urbanoutfitters.com
2. Nordstrom, $28, nordstrom.com
3. Donna Karan, $30, neimanmarcus.com
Photo Credit: Mr. Newton
For more fashion fun from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories. Related
links: Elle Fanning: One to Watch, Lucky Loves: Finn Jewelry, Top 3 Sales Happening Today


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Specialists in Concrete Products
Manufacturers of precast concrete in Northern Ireland. Catering for all your precast concrete needs, building a house, to developing the ground works, paving for an outdoor area, and supplying drinkers and slats for the farming industry.
Hughes Precast Products Ltd is a reputable and well established company who has shown considerable growth over the past few years.
The company continues to develop new and innovative products supplying many customers in the construction, farming and private sectors.
All products are made to European standards, ensuring rigid quality control and durability.
Further information on our products can be obtained at our office just outside of Middletown, Co Armagh, on the Monaghan County border, or by calling us on 028 37568392 (from the UK), or 048 37568392 (from ROI)


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Deloras Manly
Designer's Vision
Pretty Pencil Case. Perfectly for organizing your pens, pencils and lip gloss, this chic little case is a wonderful accessory to carry on its own or in your matching Mizzue handbag, backpack or briefcase. Crafted from smooth leather with precision contrast top-stitching, this piece features a gold stud closure. Why not buy both colors for different bags? Available in Black and Nude.
- How much is the shipping charge?
- What is the delivery time?
- Is it returnable?
- Anything I should know?
- How to maintain the product?
- Free shipping for purchases over RM180
- Add RM10 for purchases under RM180
Ordered items are ready to ship from our dispatch centre within 3-10 working days. Courier deliveries will take a further 3-4 working days depending on prevailing international cargo traffic and the delivery destination.
This item is eligible for the 7-day refund policy.
- Product images are taken by in-house photographers. We try our best to minimize any colour deviation which may be caused by the photo shooting angles, brightness, and display. Please kindly note that the real product should be considered as final.
- Please review the product's size when you are browsing. A deviation of 1 to 3 cm may occur due to the measurement technique used.


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Cape Town - One of the men accused of murdering four Pakistanis at a bakery distribution point run from a home in Rocklands, shot himself in the pelvis during the attack, the State has told the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court.
On Monday, magistrate Walter Golding granted an order compelling Yazeed Hendricks, 41, of Lentegeur to undergo surgery to remove the bullet.
As part of the order, police are entitled to use "necessary force" to transport Hendricks to hospital and help doctors prepare him for surgery.
And if Hendricks does not consent to surgery, Golding authorised the sheriff of Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court to sign the consenting documents on his behalf.
Police have arrested and charged three men in connection with last Tuesday's shooting in which Shafique Muhammad, 42, Adnan Haider, 23, Ghulam Baqar, 23, and Shahzad Ahmad, 39, where killed. Asif Nadeem and an unnamed man survived the shooting. Nadeem is in hospital.
Pakistanis living in Mitchells Plain alleged the murders were a hit organised by a rival businessman.
The first suspect, Lehano Jasen, 28, of Lentegeur appeared in court on Friday. His case was postponed so that an identity parade could be held.
On Monday, Hendricks and Mogamat de Villiers, 43 of Wynberg appeared in court for their alleged roles in the shooting.
Prosecutor Leticia du Plessis brought an application on Monday for a court order to force Hendricks to allow doctors to remove the bullet.
She said Hendricks had been implicated in a theft of a motor vehicle but that he was also linked to the murder.
"Accused three (Hendricks) was also at the murder scene and in the rush to get away from the scene, he accidentally shot himself in the pelvis."
Once the bullet is in the State's possession it can be sent for forensic analysis to determine whether it is linked to the crime.
Hendricks's lawyer, Dillon Frank, unsuccessfully opposed the application. Frank did not deny that the projectile was inside his client's body but denied that he was linked to the crime.
Hendricks is being kept at the hospital section at Pollsmoor.
The accused are due to appear in court again on April 10.
Meanwhile, about 200 Pakistani men, supported by immigrants from other parts of Africa and Asia, marched on Parliament on Monday in protest against an "epidemic" of murder and violence.
Nadeem's family has not yet informed him of the deaths of his friends.
On Monday, the bodies of the four men were loaded on to an aircraft bound for Islamabad, where they will be buried.
Cape Argus


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/1/2013 (1670 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The mysterious Mayan civilization flourished on Mexico's Yucat!n Peninsula between 300-900 AD. Abandoned in dense jungle and forgotten for centuries, their rediscovered stone cities reveal extraordinary architecture, artwork and technology … and attract visitors like us.
Settled again in Cancun's resort zone, we reacquaint ourselves with the Maya, this time starting with two lesser-known sites.
A budding archeology student himself, our concierge suggests Ruinas del Rey. "Not so dramatic as others," he grins, "but biggest on Isla Cancun! A sculptured human face decorating the regalia of Mayan rulers, as well as embellished skeletons found there, suggest it was once a royal burial ground."
Curiosity sparked and up for new adventure, we pedal resort bicycles nine kilometres to this local archeological area, despite a blistering morning sun.
Though set amid sparkling modern developments, this small gem from 600 AD proves surprisingly tranquil. From greenery edging the grounds, soothing bird choruses sweetly greet us. Fat iguana families occupy the scattered remnants of 47 time-worn structures. As we watch, these docile residents bask along limestone steps, skitter under weathered walls and even pose with haughty royal attitudes!
Unlike at prominent locations, these ruins are not roped off. Easily climbing the low-rise pyramid, we walk within stone foundations and stroll unhurriedly throughout the ancient grounds. Storyboards interpret the platforms, helping us visualize customs long past.
Most striking, a small palace stands alongside one of two plazas forming the ceremonial centre. Topped with a vault thought to be an astronomy lookout, faded wall paintings inside depict ordinary daily life.
Recovered fishing implements reflect the basic economy; basalt grinding stones, flint knives, arrowheads, obsidian blades and jade jewelry imply an extensive coastal trade. Leaving later, we notice others feeding bread to gathering iguanas.
I muse, "No wonder they're so plump, so unafraid!" The ticket guy mutters, "Tortillas'd be better!"
Joining fellow history buffs another day, we head off the tourist track to Ek Balam, an influential city for 1,000 years. Along the way, guide Daniel shows us early black and white photos while explaining, "In the beginning, explorers noticed unusual clusters of hills overgrown by dense rainforest and tangled vegetation. Excavating those mounds, archeologists later unearthed majestic Ek Balam."
Once there, a well-worn sacbe leads us to an arched gateway. Daniel pauses, "Imagine! More than 1,300 years ago, miles of such white limestone roadways ran throughout the jungles, vital links to distant communities."
Through a narrow passage inside low walls, we sight immense structures restored from rubble. Countless doorways lead into chambers where we suspect elite residents found cool relief from the burning sun. Slab stellae under thatched shelters outline dynastic history, telling us that the buildings here were constructed around 800 AD during Ukil-Kan-Lek-Tok's reign.
Over at the ball court, Daniel points out that every Mayan city had at least one and tells us how players competed ferociously, manoeuvring a heavy ball through brass rings on the stone walls. However, scholars still disagree on whether it was winners or losers who were beheaded!
Rising ahead of us, a colossal pyramid nicknamed the 'Acropolis' entombs the powerful Ukil-Kan-Lek-Tok. Thatched canopies protect elaborate hieroglyphs and friezes on lower tiers. Using our hands, we balance on steep steps and climb up halfway to investigate an exquisite stucco wall forming his tomb's doorway.
In this spectacular stucco facade, we pick out seven chiefs with classic royal profiles, their fashionably flat heads developed by binding them with boards when infants. Hair in braids, sculpted warriors wear decorated loincloths, skulls tied to their belts.
After more rigorous climbing, we cool off in breezes atop the pyramid. Sweeping views across the immense site and luxuriant jungle landscapes beyond reward our efforts. Daniel sighs, "Undiscovered by many, Ek Balam boasts some of the wonders of our other world-renowned attractions … but without crowds!"
It's true that most visitors flock to the principal archeological sites lying within three hours of Cancun. With our interest newly inspired, we too revisit three magnificent stone cities.
A ceremonial centre perched high above the Caribbean to the south, Tulum flourished from commerce and sacred ceremonies, Of its many temples, including a fertility altar, the ornately columned, two-tiered Temple of the Frescoes celebrates rain god Chac, Tulum's premier god. Inside, murals illustrate the underworld, living middle world and Chac's skyward home.
Temple of the Descending God features a winged figure over a doorsill. Like a headfirst diver in sting position, honeybee god Ah Muzencab is revered for producing honey for food and trade. A lighted shrine inside El Castillo provided a beacon for ships, marking a break in the barrier reef. From here, we can gaze across turquoise waters to white sandy beaches where early sailors launched ships. Tulum served as the major port for Coba, the Yucatan's oldest Mayan city located 45 kilometres northwest.
Once a dominant power, Coba is now one of three regional UNESCO Heritage Sites.
Ascending 120 steps, we rest in the shade of its topside temple. Sprawling below amid low-lying rainforest, Coba's 173-square kilometres encompasses five surrounding lakes. Since much here remains unexcavated, we can only imagine this large ancient city with outlying plots of corn, beans, squash, cacao, chilies and bananas that fed 50,000 people at the height of its influence.
Farther along hard-packed pathways we sight a domed observatory where astronomers accurately calculated orbits of planets and the moon, determined eclipses and star positions and even developed a 365-day calendar more advanced than European contemporaries.
West of Cancun, Chichen Itza attracts thousands. Its central iconic pyramid conjures seasonal magic during the spring and fall equinox. Solar alignment enables an astonishing phenomenon. Sunlight focusing on the steps creates a shadow shaped like Kukulcan, the plumed serpent. At dawn and sunset, Kukulcan slithers down the staircase, once heralding plantings and harvests to superstitious populations.
The Great Ball Court here features a carved player holding a knife and a victim's head. Towering beside the court, Temple of Jaguars features a jaguar frieze and chamber displaying a battle scene between hundreds of warriors. And at Temple of Warriors, we marvel at elaborate bas-reliefs created on hundreds of columns. Its sacred cenote, a large limestone sinkhole, once provided fresh water … but we can visualize residents throwing in offerings to their gods, including human sacrifices!
And though each site visited brings us renewed understanding of the Mayan civilization, it's our encounters with Ruinas del Rey and Ek Balam that add the special magic to our Mexican getaway!
— Postmedia News


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I've decided to stop watching Studio 60. (You probably didn't even know I was watching it, but I thought it was worthwhile outlining the reasons for not watching it.)
Studio 60 was hailed as the most likely great show of this season, with good reason, since it's from Aaron Sorkin, creator of one truly great show (the West Wing) and one near-great (Sportsnight.) Sorkin is deservedly hailed for producing TV that's smart and either amusing or meaningful, and that's what I seek. But I'm not caring about the characters on Studio 60.
I think Sorkin's error was a fundamental conceit — that the workings of TV production will be as interesting to the audience as they are to the creators. Now I'm actually more interested than most in this, having come from a TV producing family, and with a particular interest in the world of comedy and Saturday Night Live. It's not simply that this was a "Mary Sue" where Sorkin tries to tell us how he would do SNL if he were in charge, since I'm not sure that's what it is.
I fear that he went into the network and said, "Hey! The heroine is the principled network president! The heroes are the show's executive producers!" and the network drank their own kool-aid. How could they resist?
The West Wing tried to really deal with DC issues we actually care about. We went from seeing Bradley Whitford battle to save the education system to battling to avoid ticking off sponsors. How can that not be a letdown? The only way would be if it were a pure comedy.
It's possible to do an entertaining show about TV. Sorkin's own Sportsnight was one, after all. However, you didn't have to care a whit about sports, or sports TV, or TV production to enjoy that show. Those things were the background, not the foreground of Sportsnight. There have been many great comedies about TV and Radio — Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, SCTV, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, WKRP etc. However, dramas about TV have rarely worked. The only good one I can think of was Max Headroom, and it was more about a future vision of media than about the TV industry.
Studio 60 is sometimes amusing (though not even as amusing as the West Wing) but surprisingly unfunny. Indeed, the show-within-the-show is also surprisingly unfunny. You would think they could write and present one truly funny sketch a week. SNL has to write over an hour's worth, and while it often does not succeed, there's usually one good sketch. Had he wanted a Mary-Sue story, he would have done this.
So let that be a lesson. TV should stick to making fun of itself, not trying to make itself appear heroic. We're not buying it.


text: Hey, people. I'm Zombiehunter115. I started here about a year ago, but didn't do much. If I had to pick only three things that interest me, those things would be Call of Duty, zombies, and Legos. I am 15 years old and I'm still ADDICTED to Legos. I'll tell you the truth. I'm not really here to edit away. I'm here because I want to(for lack of a better word) "show off". For a really long time now, I've been making all these really cool custom Lego characters and models. But I have no one to share them with. I mean, every artist wants to show off their work if they're satisfied with it, am I right? And if you think about it, Legos ARE a work of art. Well, I have quite a few things that I've built and I'm satisfied with, and I just want to share it with the world. I hope you like my stuff.


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Speed traps: 156
Dallas is one of three Texas cities that made the top 10 for speed traps.
"Here's what happens in Texas: We have these safety standards that you have to apply to make sure the speed limit is safe," Dornsife said. "They follow none of them! They have what's called 'home rule,' which means they don't have to follow federal law."
Dornsife said it's not uncommon here for tickets to be issued for drivers going just a few miles over the speed limit.
Also, good luck keeping up with fluctuations in the speed limit on a given road. Dornsife recalls being at a DOT speed-limit conference and a presenter from Dallas said there are sections of the freeway where the speed limit can change three to four times within a few miles.
And speed limits can be changed arbitrarily: "Somebody stands up in a city council meeting … say, a police officer with no training in traffic engineering … and proposes a speed-limit change and they vote on it," Dornsife said. "Traffic engineers are supposed to decide what speed is safe – and law enforcement is supposed to enforce it," he said. "Half of these cities don't have traffic engineers."
Correction: An earlier version of this story quoted Dornsife as saying the city might set school zones a few miles away from the school; he was actually referring to some small towns in Nevada.