text:
The Mountain View High football team dominated everything but the scoreboard in Friday's Homecoming game against Santa Clara.
The Spartans fell 6-0, despite thoroughly outgaining the Bruins (310 yards to 173) and making nearly three times as many first downs (14 to five).
The Mountain View defense turned in its best performance of the season, forcing a turnover and seven punts while limiting Santa Clara to just four plays of more than nine yards. But one of those plays proved to be the game-winner – an 82-yard touchdown run by halfback Adam Garza early in the second quarter (the PAT failed).
Offensively, the Spartans seemed to stop themselves as many times as the Bruin defense did. Mountain View failed to capitalize on two trips to the red zone – turning the ball over on downs at the 4 on its opening drive and throwing an interception at the 18 in the closing minutes – and had a 60-yard touchdown pass called back on a penalty midway through the fourth quarter.
"That's the story of our year," coach Shelley Smith said of squandering opportunities, which included reaching Santa Clara's 26 before taking back-to-back sacks and twice turning the ball over on downs at the Bruins' 30. "That's what happens when you have an inexperienced team – we're going to do this."
Smith noted that for the third game in a row, his Spartans marched inside their opponent's 5-yard line on their initial drive and stalled. Mountain View moved from its 20 to Santa Clara's 4 in nine plays, highlighted by quarterback Anthony Avery's 48-yard bomb to streaking receiver Austin Johnson. Avery then overthrew tight end Frank Kapp in the end zone on third down and the Bruins got the ball back after stuffing Johnson for a 1-yard loss.
Mountain View's first possession of the second half got off to a promising start as well. Beginning at their own 20, the Spartans drove to Santa Clara's 26 with eight straight runs – including Avery's 3-yard keeper on 4th-and-1 – followed by a 25-yard pass to Kapp. The Bruins sacked Avery the next two plays, however, pushing Mountain View out of scoring position.
After stalling at Santa Clara's 30 on their next series – an 11-play drive that consumed nearly the first five minutes of the fourth quarter – the Spartans were running out of time and chances.
Mountain View got the ball back with 4:20 left, thanks to a defense that held Santa Clara to only 27 yards in the half.
"Our defense has improved dramatically over the last two weeks," said Smith, whose Spartans surrendered only a single touchdown for the second consecutive week.
Mountain View appeared to be on its way to a second straight win when Avery threw a 60-yard strike to Johnson for a touchdown with just under four minutes remaining. The play came back, though, thanks to a flag on the Spartans for having an illegal man downfield.
"We got robbed on that call – nothing was wrong on our end," Smith said. "It was a perfect play and a perfectly thrown ball, and we don't have those very often. To have to a redo on something like that is kind of tough."
Avery kept the drive alive, however, completing a pair of 20-plus-yard passes to Kapp and a 7-yarder to receiver Nico Mayoral that put Mountain View at the 18. But Avery was intercepted on the next play, a pass tipped by halfback Isaiah Jackson that landed in the arms of defensive back Alexander Rios with 1:49 to play.
The Spartans would get one last chance. Santa Clara quarterback Antonio Nazario fumbled a minute later, and Mountain View linebacker Brandon Pak recovered the ball near midfield. Avery threw an interception on the next play, however, and Santa Clara ran out the clock.
Although the Spartans sank to 1-4 overall (1-1 in the SCVAL De Anza Division), Smith isn't giving up on the season.
"We're getting better. From the first game we played to this game, there's been a big improvement," he said. "I think our kids are playing well enough that maybe we can surprise somebody."
2013 MVHS Homecoming: Football - Photos by Ellie Van Houtte/Town Crier
For MVHS Homecoming Court and Homecoming Parade photos, click here.


text:
Adobe® Flash® Media Live Encoder 3.2 live audio and video capture software is a media encoder that streams audio and video in real time to Adobe Media Server software or Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS). This software can enable the broadcast of live events such as sporting events, webcasts, or concerts — around the clock.
Take advantage of expanded support in Flash Media Live Encoder — now available on both PC and Mac platforms.
Encode up to three streams at multiple bitrates simultaneously to take advantage of Dynamic Streaming. Additionally, get enhanced control over live streams with new DVR functionality.
Help ensure real-time delivery, even under suboptimal network conditions, with added support for degrading quality during encoding.
Use parameters in file and stream names to make it easier to manage files and streams that are created using Flash Media Live Encoder 3.2. Output files can be created in chunks to limit by file size or duration.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Very limited edition t-shirts to be offered in LA area this weekend...
For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, Urban-Collector.com, BriansToys.com, DollsAmerica.com, ClarkToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, VNCToys.com, PastGenerationToys.com, MonkeyDepot.com, RPMDiecast.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, YesAnimation.com, and SuperheroToys.com.
For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
Dark Horse has teamed up with the LA-based clothing label The Hundreds for the creation of two extremely limited T-shirts featuring new art from creator Stan Sakai, to be released this coming Saturday. The T-shirts, which have been produced in a limited run of only two hundred of each design, will hit retail at The Hundreds' Los Angeles and San Francisco locations this coming weekend.
Usagi creator Stan Sakai will be at the Rosewood location in LA from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. to sign copies of the latest issue of the monthly comic Usagi Yojimbo. In addition, the first twenty-five people through the door will receive a signed copy of the first-ever full-color Usagi Yojimbo graphic novel, Yokai.
Usagi Yojimbo is the long running comic set in 17th century Japan, with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, featuring the lovable rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, who wanders the land as a shugyosha (student warrior on a pilgramage) occasionally selling his services as a yojimbo (bodyguard). Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most celebrated ongoing comics, adored by critics and fans of all ages for the last 25 years.
"I am always excited to hear stories of the impact of Usagi on other creative individuals, especially those working outside of comics" said Usagi Yojimbo creator, Stan Sakai. "I hope that this collaboration exposes a whole new group of people to Usagi, and comics in general. I'm grateful to have had the chance to work on this project with Bobby and everyone at The Hundreds."
"Much of what I do today, as creative director for The Hundreds, stems from poring over Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo art as a youth," said The Hundreds cofounder Bobby Kim. "To this day, it was one of the most influential comic books in my life, and so it was an honor to work with Stan on two exclusive pieces of art for The Hundreds. To any fan of The Hundreds, it is important to acknowledge and appreciate Usagi Yojimbo's inspiration to the brand."


text:
DENVER – The Denver Outlaws will scrimmage the University of Denver men's lacrosse team on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in the Third Annual Colorado Lacrosse Showcase.
"The opportunity to host the Denver Outlaws and work hand in hand with their great organization for the third straight year is a thrill for our players and an honor for the University of Denver," Pioneers Head Coach
Bill Tierney said. "As we move through our fall season, we attempt to introduce new concepts to our younger players and help the older teammates assume more of a leadership role. We had a fantastic season last year and we are aiming for even higher goals in 2012."
Tickets are $5 if purchased in advance and $10 if purchased the day-of at the DU Box Office. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at DenverPioneers.com or at the DU Box Office, located in the Daniel L. Ritchie Center on the DU campus. Admission for DU students is free with a valid Pioneer Card.
"There is nothing better in an athlete's life to remind him of the importance of preparation and staying in shape for an upcoming season than a competitive experience and this Saturday's scrimmage against one of the Nation's best college lacrosse programs is just what the doctor ordered for us," Outlaws General Manager
Tony Seaman said. "We're excited to continue our excellent partnership with Coach Tierney and the DU program as we face off with them this Saturday."
"The game against the Outlaws will give us a good idea of where we stand as we move into the winter months of conditioning, strength training and individual skill development," Tierney said. "There are few places like Denver which will allow both organizations' many fans the opportunity to see great lacrosse in an exciting fall contest."
Denver Outlaws who will be participating are former Pioneers
Dillon Roy,
Jordan Hendry and
Andrew Lay, along with
Connor Martin,
Jesse Schwartzman,
Matt Bocklet,
Lee Zink,
Sean McCarthy,
Justin Bokmeyer,
Sean DeLaney,
Nate Watkins and
Ben Brown.
Fans will also get the chance to see all their favorite Pioneers, including All-Americans
Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario),
Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.),
Cameron Flint (Georgetown, Ontario),
Chase Carraro (Louisville, Ky.) and
Jamie Faus (Lakeville, Conn.).


text:
The relationship between a quarterback and his receiver is a special one. Sometimes it will take time and practice before there is the right connection, but once it's there, everyone knows it.
It's no wonder why coaches often try to leverage pre-existing relationships, banking on a chemistry and comfort levels to synergize with talent for instant impact.
And what relationship could be closer than that of two brothers.
Georgia already has one LeMay on its roster, freshman quarterback Christian LeMay, and is looking to make it two.
Matthews (N.C.) wide receiver Uriah LeMay is still a junior, but has been on the Dawgs' radar for a while now. LeMay said he still hears from the UGA coaching staff, most recently seeing them for the season opener at the Georgia Dome.
"I have kept decent contact with them. I last spoke with a few coaches before the Georgia vs. Boise State game while I was there visiting my brother," LeMay said. "I talked with coach (Tony) Ball about his thoughts on the game before he turned in for the night."
The 6-feet-1, 188-pound standout has 13 offers and counting, 7 of which are from the SEC.
"I'm getting letters from almost every school on the east coast as well as Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, Nebraska, LSU, among a few others," LeMay said. "I don't have a list of leaders at this time."
While he may not have any leaders, programs are starting to make him a priority.
LeMay is only six games into his season, but he has already scored 13 touchdowns and is averaging 22 yards per reception, an increase of 2 yards from last year.
"The season is going well so far. The talent level around us is making everybody better as a team," LeMay said. "I think as a player, I have improved in my speed and awareness thanks to the coaches and players around me."
LeMay said he has only had a chance to be at two games this year, one being Georgia-Boise State, and the other, Auburn-Clemson, but he said it does not put any one school in front of another.
"Georgia is in the standing same as everybody else at this point of the process," LeMay said.


text:
MATTHEW WATERHOUSE who played Doctor Who companion ADRIC with the Fourth and Fifth Doctors joined us at GALAXY FOUR on the 10th July 2010 to meet fans and sign copies of his new memoirs book BLUE BOX BOY and his first highly acclaimed novel FATES, FLOWERS.
This was Matthew's first appearance in the UK for 5 years and fans were certainly eager to say hello and welcome him back. Matthew signed books and photographs tirelessly for 2 solid hours and he sends a big "thank you" to everyone who queued on a hot sunny day to meet him.
Well done to Matthew for his books, an accomplished author and thoroughly nice guy!
Thanks to Tenth Planet Events.


text:
Holland pleased with latest rehab start
HOUSTON -- Both Derek Holland and Rangers manager Ron Washington were pleased with Holland's latest rehab start. On Saturday, the left-hander threw three scoreless innings for Double-A Frisco versus Tulsa.
Holland allowed three hits with four strikeouts. He threw 49 pitches, 30 for strikes, as he recovers from left knee surgery on Jan. 10.
"He did a good job, three innings," said Washington. "Progress. Once again it's all about how consistent you can be. If he can continue on that road into his next start, and continues into [the following] start, then we'll make an assessment as we get closer to September.
"It is encouraging. Not only for us, but for him also, coming off the injury. But he has to keep pitching, keep improving."
Following Saturday's game Holland said, "I felt really good. The big thing was I commanded my fastball better. I got back in the zone. I'm disappointed fastball-wise, but command was great, offspeed was good. Good tempo."
In his three rehab starts between Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, Holland has allowed four runs in six innings. His next scheduled start is Thursday at Round Rock.
Richard Dean is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
CupcakeCamp Boston Recap
The sugar high has finally worn off and I wanted to share a recap of Cupcake Camp Boston. I had a lot of fun checking out all the cupcakes. The final numbers came in that we had ~470 people show up and over 3000 cupcakes! We had a line pretty late in the evening, but everyone did make it in the door and we had enough cupcakes for everyone. We even had a few leftover at the end of the night.
As I mentioned last week, I made my Oreo Cupcakes and my Mini Brownie Cookie Dough cupcakes. I decided to put little flags in the cupcakes so people would know what they were eating. On one side they said "Recipe at www.beantownbaker.com" and on the other side it said what kind of cupcake they were.
As the evening went on, quite a few people commented that it was a good idea. A lot of people were grabbing cupcakes then heading to the bar to share them with friends and it was difficult to remember where they got the cupcakes and what flavor they were. I'll definitely be sure to do that next time again.
I also got feedback that making mini cupcakes was a great idea. Since people were tasting multiple cupcakes, they were cutting them in half or smaller. With the mini cupcakes, that wasn't necessary.
I wanted to show this picture of my Oreo cupcakes before they got frosted. You can really see the huge chunks of Oreos in the cupcakes here.
I tried to take some pictures that night so I'd remember the evening. This was the line at around 6:45. By around 8:30 it was a couple blocks to the end.
I tried this Cadbury egg cupcake from Cupcake Fetish. They came all the way from Maine to be at CupcakeCamp! It was a basic vanilla cupcake with a mini Cadbury egg baked right in the middle. The filling in the egg in the middle got hard from the heat (I was expecting that since I've baked with Cadbury eggs before), so it was a bit difficult to eat, but the vanilla cupcake and frosting were great.
This guy had a whole tray of cupcakes and spilled them on the floor. It was a sad moment…
This was a chocolate lover cupcakes from Sugar Bakery. We didn't go there last year on the Cupcake Crawl because they aren't located near the T. I would have to say this was one of my favs of the night. Very chocolatey and tasty.
Here is the tray of goodies we tried. There were five of us taste sharing these cupcakes. A crowd pleaser was the Almond Joy cupcake shown at the top. It was also from Cupcake Fetish.
This was my last cupcake of the night (from Treat). I popped it in my mouth as I was driving away. It was so cute and I honestly don't remember much about it except that the frosting was great.
To see all of my pictures from the evening, check out my Flickr album. And be sure to check out the Flickr pool for CupcakeCamp Boston 2010 and add your photos if you haven't already. To see a list of all the bakeries that were at Cupcake Camp, check out the Cupcake Camp Blog.
Two Years Ago: Zwetschgenschnecken, aka Plum Rolls
3 Responses to "CupcakeCamp Boston Recap"
Oh I want that last cupcake, the chocolate one. Look at the amount of frosting! wow.
Poor guy who dropped the cupcakes. I would have just plopped down on the floor and wept heavily. haha.
Sounds like an awesome event. So sorry I missed it. I'll definitely make sure to book it ahead of time in my planner next year 🙂
Was it crazy crowded inside?
Elina – At the beginning it was really crowded in there. They had someone at the door controlling the number of people, so after the initial rush, it wasn't so bad.


text:
Econ Students Bring Home Eagle Trophy
The competition was stiff.
American University economics students were competing against fellow undergraduate finalists from the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia at the district Fed Challenge, analyzing the current U.S. economic situation and making recommendations for monetary policy.
But the AU team swept the finals of the prestigious competition, held November 13 in the boardroom of the Federal Reserve in Richmond, Virginia.
"AU has sent teams to the competition for a number of years, but this is the first time we have advanced to the district level, let alone the national level," said Evan Kraft, economist in residence at AU's College of Arts and Sciences, and the team's coach. "We are all thrilled to win."
The winning team was made up of seniors Peter Blankenship, Ayesha Cooray, and Zachary Smith.
At the Richmond finals, teams gave a 15-minute presentation and were scored on their knowledge of the Federal Reserve, the current economic state, and monetary policy, as well as their responses during a question-and-answer period, according to the Richmond Fed.
"Our presentation was broken into three parts," said Blankenship, a statistics and economics major. "The first discussed the current health of the economy, such as output, inflation, housing, etc. The second part discussed the Federal Reserve's response to the problems in our economy, and our analysis that it was inadequate due to its cautious and vague nature. Finally, we then gave our proposal, known as NGDP [Nominal Gross Domestic Product] targeting, which boils down to the Fed having a policy that will 'make up' for the bad numbers in the past few years by being extra aggressive in the future. Basically, they should try to generate more inflation to jump-start the economy and get us back to the same levels of economic activity seen before the crisis."
The AU students started preparing for the competition in Kraft's senior research seminar. Five groups looked at important aspects of the U.S. economy, and in October Kraft asked for volunteers to compete in the Fed Challenge.
"They utilized the class's research and made significant efforts of their own, creating their own presentation," Kraft said. "According to the judges at Richmond, our team was the only one not to use written notes in addition to their PowerPoint presentation."
So why did the AU students win?
"First, I think having three people has really helped," said Smith, a mathematics and economics major. Most teams had five members. "We've developed a really good sense of who knows what and so we can defer to each other in answering questions."
Smith added, "I think the most important part of our success is how close-knit we are as a team. We have each other's backs in front of the judges and I think that shows."
Cooray said another key was preparation.
"We worked hard to be prepared for the questions we anticipated and put a lot of time into learning the ins and outs of our policy recommendation," said Cooray, an economics and international studies double major. "We've also practiced frequently so we have a clear and cohesive presentation."
Team coach Kraft had his own take on the students' winning performance: "They did a superb job of concisely analyzing the current economic situation and pointing out important ambiguities in the Fed's public statements," he said. "Their proposal for a new policy framework draws on existing proposals, but places these proposals directly in the context of the sluggish recovery and stubbornly high unemployment faced by the U.S. today. In addition, the team members answered questions from the judges with great poise and insight."
AU won the College Fed Challenge's preliminary round on November 1 at the Richmond Fed's Baltimore office. McDaniel College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore were the other finalists. Loyola University, Mount St. Mary's University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, and Salisbury University also competed.
The Richmond Fed, one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, serves the district that encompasses the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia. It holds the competition to foster better understanding of the Fed, economic conditions, and the economy's effect on our lives.
AU received an honorable mention in the national Fed Challenge on November 27 at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.


text:
Trucks on Fire
Truck & Trailer USA Pepsi Jet & Truck Nationals
Nevertheless, several thousand people attended and got a great show. The show included the Super Shockwave jet truck, which is a 57 Chevy with twin rockets strapped to the rear and driven by Les Shockley. The 20-foot flames emanating from the truck at the starting line were enough to dry the shirts on the front row of spectators. Rocketing to a 175-mph blast, Shockwave was followed by Tropical Heat, an S-10bodied jet truck driven by Mario Carranca, who ran a 248-mph pass that almost lifted the truck off the ground! Other jet vehicles included Jim Medleys Jet Stream and the Cannonball Express jet truck.
Jet trucks werent the only vehicles accelerating down the quarter-mile track. Many trucks participated in Morosos bracket race. When the competition ended, Jeff Manley from Lake Worth, Florida, took the top honors in the pickup category, and Larry Doty of Margate, Florida, won the SUV bracket.
The show n shine portion of the track didnt have much shine due to the water-soaked clouds. However, there were plenty of vehicles to look at, including Pat and Dennis Wagners 57 Sedan Delivery that took Best of Show on Saturday. Todd Moyer took home the Editors Choice with his 2000 Chevy Xtreme. Gary Barnes of Daytona Beach took Best of Show on Sunday with his 94 Chevy Extended Cab pickup. Best of Show in the Harley Davidson division went to Paul Cisterna of West Palm Beach, Florida.
One of the major show sponsors, Truck & Trailer USA, had a display showing the many truck accessories it offers. Also attending the show were our friends from the Trucks television show on TNN. They took lots of video featuring the jet trucks and the show n shine trucks on display, and they also conducted interviews with the drivers.
One of the nicest trucks we saw at the event was Jason Browns twin-turbo Ford Lightning. Jason had some 7.88 at 179 mph timeslips to show us, but couldnt run due to a leaking fuel pump. We managed to click some photos of the truck for a later issue.
The Moroso Motorsports park is one of the nicest places to have a show, with trees lining the track, plenty of grass areas, and spaces for vendors and displays. We hope to return next year for a larger gathering. If you want more information on the show, contact Moroso Motorsports Park at 561/622-1400.


text:
SSC Part 2 Result 2012 BISE Gujranwala Board
Gujranwala Board is going to announce Secondary School Certificate SSC/ Matric 10th Class Result 2012 on July 15, 2012. Matric Result of Gujranwala Board would be declared approximately at 9:00am tomorrow. Matric 9th and 10th class Exams 2012 of Gujranwala Board were held in March 2012 and now the students are waiting for the result very eagerly. Dear Students count down has started and just one day left. We wish you best of luck for your result.
SSC Part 2 Result 2012 Gujranwala Board
SSC Part 2 Result 2012 of all Punjab Boards would be announced on the same day. The basic and most important responsibility of the Board is to hold timely and crystal clear exams and in time declaration of results. Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education conducts Inter and Matric exams every year. The result of Matric exams usually announced every year in the start of August but this time matric result is going to announce at the end of July.
Matric Result 2012 of Gujranwala Board and all other Punjab boards would be available online when the boards would announce the result. ilmkidunya will publish matric results of annual examination 2012 as soon as the board will announce it.


text:
SDC wrote:Dude is insane.
Ben wrote:Nice!
What a blast from the past!
i reember well the concert in Sydney where Al di Meola shared the stage with John McLaughlin and Paco Pena. That was nearly 30 years ago.
What a performance!
kind regards,
SDC wrote:Boy, could this woman sing...
mikenz66 wrote:Bessie Smith. Sadly died out on Highway 61...
Presumably one of things Dylan was thinking about in 1965...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xex07q ... arto_music
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests


text:
Staff Employees of the Month 2011
Tori Sims
Linda Reid
When Linda Reid, office associate in Business Programs, was called upon to take on the additional office position in Business upon the death of Mary Berman in June, she maintained her positive attitude and exemplary work, according to Patricia Parker, professor in Accounting. Read more
James Smithhisler
Billy Williams
Billy Williams, security system coordinator in Public Safety, is always ready to answer emergency calls—even when those calls come in the middle of the night! And fire, weather and security alerts rarely come at convenient times. Read more
Shona Wainwright
Kellie Brennan
Sabrina Ayers Holmes
Sabrina Ayers Holmes was a recent graduate of Ohio Dominican University when she was called upon to help with Columbus State's own graduation ceremony. By bringing the spirit of celebration back to the drudgery of handing out caps, gowns and tassels to each student, Ayers Holmes was able to have a little fun with a job that was certainly not in any description of her position. Read more
Diane Jones
Tara Narcross
Treschelle Kendrick
Joel Mathias
Joel Mathias likes things to run faster. As a systems administrator in Information Technology, he is able to write code that will speed up many processes for his clients on campus. His talents earned him the Staff Employee of the Month award for February 2011.
"I wrote a query that was taking hours to run," said SEOM nominator Jaimie Allen, Fiscal and Compliance Services. "He noticed it and helped me rewrite the code to make it run in a few seconds!"
Read the whole story here
Candace Spangler
Whether it's counting credit hours in the curriculum or chocolate chips in her famous cookies, Candice Spangler's attention to detail adds up to a fabulous result.
For her efforts as program coordinator in Curriculum Management, Spangler was given the Staff Employee of the Month (SEOM) award for January in a ceremony held January 5. See video highlights of the ceremony above.
"Candice has been a godsend," said nominator Connie Grossman, chair of the Allied Health Professions Department. "She is always willing to answer questions from people like me who are Datatel-challenged. She is positive and supportive, responds quickly to pleas for help, and makes dynamite chocolate chip cookies!" Read the whole story here
View 2010 Staff Employees of the Month


text:
One of biggest news coming out of the first day of GDC 2012 is a new venture by co-founders of 3Dlabs. Numecent is exiting the stealth mode in a big way – by launching a revolutionary cloud service. The company originates from 1999 by Osman Kent, the co-founder and CEO of 3Dlabs. Osman is mostly known as one of the fathers of the GPU and OpenGL. After he sold 3Dlabs to Creative Technology, Osman focused on Numecent.
The magnitude of this announcement is much greater than the two earthquakes that hit San Francisco this morning, since we?re finally seeing a birth of cloud service that wants to simplify the life for the consumers, rather than tying them in proprietary software licenses.
Yet Another Technology Spin out from DARPA
Numecent started its life in 1999 as UCI/DARPA project, receiving a $40 million investment from Tadpoole in order to develop the Stream Theory. Ten years later, in 2009 the company gathered additional $7.5 million and this year they want to gather a serious Round-A, targeting a $10 million investment. In order for such investment to take part, the service offered needs to be something special, and the IP needs to be well protected.
What is Cloudpaging?
We have reported about numerous cloud streaming services in the past, but so far, every cloud streaming service we have discussed was based on streaming the code or streaming pixels. Cloudpaging is the first service that targets both the consumers and enterprises and does not require to either rely on Amazon Web Services or build the data infrastructure on their own.
The way how Cloudpaging works can be summarized in the following sentence: the bigger the app is, the better it will work. As you might have guessed it, Cloudpaging works as a code analyzer, so the more users it has ? each and every application is going to be optimized better and reduce the streaming package.
In the case of an very popular gaming application that requires a 10GB download, Cloudpaging reduced the download package needed to launch the gameplay to mere 150MB. Given that Cloudpaging service operates from your system memory, you can still continue to play the game in the case Internet service gets interrupted – up to the point where the app was streamed.
The code analyzer works better as the application size increases. For example, if you need to stream a 66GB Hyper-V Virtual Machine, the delivered size will only be a 900MB.
Meet the Jukebox for 21st century: Apps Instead of Music
While the concept mentioned above sounds great in theory, the problem was that it usually required a lot of server hardware. With the Jukebox Server, a single 1U fully-configured server can stream its content to up to 10,000 users. The ?self-adapting compression? takes only about 2GB per hour, reducing the need for ?direct connect into the Internet backbone? (to avoid lags which kill the experience on pixel streaming services).
According to Numecent, Cloudpaging uses an heuristic algorithm to create a ?tree of temporal behavior of pages on the server,? meaning the more users use the same app, the better streaming prediction will work. This method is protected by 10 approved patents and additional ten patents which are currently in ?patent pending? phase.
The way how jukebox works is simply scan your computer for licenses and the apps you have purchased either via Steam and similar content delivery services, or the professional licenses such as Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD etc.
Not your Regular Cloud: Keep Your Own Data locally – Hello Hollywood
What really makes mouth water is the way how the user data is worked on. This cloud service does not require that you upload your data to a server, meaning that after over five years of watching every cloud company fall flat on their face when I start reciting demands for 4K and 5K video production, you can actually use this service as a tool to edit your videos wherever you are.
With Cloudpaging, it is now actually possible to edit all the shoots you did on the location itself, instead of taking the footage (stream, mail, drive) back to the video production studio and edit on off-line machines.
GPU Streaming: Why Your Next Computer Might only need a GPU
In theory, Cloud computing vendors always represented the bulk of the computing inside of the datacenter, justifying the investments in the infrastructure. With Numecent, the whole concept of ?fat datacenter? is being thrown out the window.
The way how Numecent Jukebox technology works is reducing the need for the conventional CPU in that sense – the company feels that the conventional mode of creating datacenters that use millions of GPUs for gaming and professional use just doesn?t make any sense.
For professionals, the Numecent?s Jukebox just might be the ticket to ride. And knowing both Microsoft and Citrix licensed the patents related to this service, the company has some friends in the cut throat industry.
Imagine your computer running only baseline operating system, such as Android or Linux ? and work on Windows Apps which you have licensed, and harnessing the full power of the GPUs you have in your computer. This is the cloud we want to see, not some promise of Quadros and FireStreams located in a land ?far, far and away?.
Where next?
Numecent plants to spin off several companies from this project, starting with Approxy ? a cloud gaming delivery service.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
One of the country's most persistent challenges is finding ways to help those struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues beyond their control.
Federal figures show the number to be significant. In 2008, it was estimated that 30 million Americans had received treatment for a mental health issue in the previous year, and about 22 million were believed to be addicted to drugs or alcohol.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Henry County, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Henry County and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text: Pin this loss on WVU's defense By Dave Hickman October 13, 2012 Story Share LUBBOCK, Texas - Go ahead and admit it. You knew this was possible, right?You didn't seriously watch Marshall roll up 560 yards and Baylor get 700 and think it was a fluke. You didn't see West Virginia surrender an average of 54 points to its first two Big 12 opponents and see a mere glitch.And as good as Geno Smith and the offense were - and no doubt still are - it wasn't going to last an entire season where the Mountaineers would navigate every mine field just because it had even more land mines of its own and could win the battle of attrition.But seriously, no one saw this, not a 49-14 embarrassment at the hands of Texas Tech. One minute you're laughing at the fact that ABC is cutting away from the Oklahoma beatdown of Texas so as not to miss the start of WVU-Texas Tech. A few hours later the network is bailing the same way on this ugliness in order to get to BYU and Oregon State.How did it happen? Well, this was the definition of a team effort as far as West Virginia is concerned. A defense that was already giving up 463 yards and 41/2 touchdowns a game surrendered 686 and seven. An offense that was operating at a 570-yard, seven-TD clip earned just 408 and two. Oh, and just for good measure there was another shanked punt - welcome to the club, Tyler Bitancurt - and a near turnover on a muffed punt for the special teams.Make no mistake about it, though, while everyone contributed and while the offensive futility is perhaps the baffling element, this loss is still on the defense. After all that Smith and the offense have done, they get a mulligan for a bad game or a bad stretch. The defense? No.It was bad at the start of the season. It has remained bad throughout the season. And it really doesn't show much hope of getting better the rest of the season. You can hope, of course, but none of the data supports that hope.Dana Holgorsen can try to spread the blame or the fault or whatever you want to call it. And to a degree he's right. It was actually pretty baffling to watch Smith and Holgorsen's offense spin its wheels. It was even stranger listening to those two try to explain it afterward.Take Holgorsen, who both at halftime and after the game made reference to the wind, which gusted to near 30 miles per hour at times."Geno let the wind affect him,'' Holgorsen said. "I played around here for eight years [as an assistant at Tech from 2001 through 2008] and it wasn't any windier today. It's a nuisance, but if you let that be an excuse it's going to mess with you. And I think it did.'' Yet when Smith was asked about the wind, he shrugged it off. Well, actually what he said was that anyone who thought wind was a factor "obviously doesn't know football.'' Oh well, so they need to get on message together.The offense had other issues, not the least of which was receiver Stedman Bailey missing most of the second half after he was injured. In his stead were guys like Travares Copeland (so much for that redshirt). Texas Tech also plays pretty good defense, ranking second in the country, so let's not get too worked up about offensive inefficiency just yet.But the defense? It seems to be getting worse, not better. That's not true, of course. Every game the defense gets a little bit better. It's hard not to. After all, experience matters, and these guys have only been playing in the system six games.But it's also true that every week there's another layer of tape out there exposing that West Virginia defense and its flaws. Tech used variations on the same combination route - a post route clearing the sideline and a wheel route coming into the clear space - that Texas used a week earlier. When the routes aren't tricky, well, the receivers just beat the defenders.And it's not likely to get much better. Granted, next week presents a completely different set of challenges for the defense. Kansas State will come to Morgantown ranked No. 4 in the country. It won't have the kind of throw-it-around quarterback Tech or Baylor or even Marshall and Texas presented, but it has a great one of another kind in Collin Klein. The Wildcats aren't going to spread the field much, but rather line up and try to beat a defense down.West Virginia's defense has proven entirely incapable of handling the wide-open offenses. Perhaps what it needs is a different kind of challenge, which it will get on Saturday.Again, we knew all along that this team was built around its offense. But as Saturday proved, how the defense handles challenges will go a long way toward figuring out what's in store for this team the rest of the season.Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him at Twitter.com/dphickman1. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Cabin Creek Health Systems 2 Teen pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Oakes Field shooting 3 'Report for America' pilot project begins in Appalachia 4 Rhode Island bank claims Justice companies owe $4.2M on helicopter loan 5 Congressional opioid investigation targets drug wholesaler Miami-Luken Herd flies high in Hurricane Previous Story Valley streak stopped at 6 Next Story


text:
TV in Maine Has Never Looked So Good
What do you like to watch? Sports? Movies? Time Warner Cable TV has it all. Over 200 digital channels and 18,000 Pay-Per-View and On Demand choices on Time Warner Cable Maine will certainly keep you busy. Plus with TWC TV™, you can watch TV and manage your DVR recordings on your computer and wireless devices simply by logging into TWC TV™ online.
While most Americans watch TV on a traditional screen, about 6%, or 79,276 of Mainers also watch from their computer or mobile device. No matter which screen is your favorite, Time Warner Cable, the cable provider in your area, is sure to deliver the service you're looking for.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
SHEPHERDSVILLE - Would you be interested in a low-cost wedding? In December? At a local school? In the name of education?
Then Bullitt Central has a deal for you.
A low-cost wedding - hosted, decorated and catered by Bullitt Central students.
The idea was created by Bullitt Central Agriculture instructor Tiphanie Peake, who was looking for a creative experience for her Floral Design class.
"I always thought it would be cool but never did pursue it," she said. "It's a great and unique experience for the students."
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Pioneer News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning The Pioneer News and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
My name is Jeremy Schmidt and you can find me hunting chains on the Pacific Northwest courses. I am a finalist in the Vibram Street Team contest and need your votes to be sponsored by their Street Team!
I am an avid disc golfer and love to represent our great sport! I'm very vocal about disc golf, always encouraging newbies to get out and try some throws. I love spreading the word about disc golf! I always help keep our courses clean by picking up litter/trash and whatever I see. I will represent Northwest DG to the fullest!
Please vote for Jeremy Schmidt - Northwest Region
It gets in the basket!


text:
Reviewed By Mary Jo D (San Antonio, TX) Reviewed for a 2012 Toyota Corolla —7/29/2015 6:04 PM
When the new 2012 Corollas came out I ordered these seat covers and had to have the drivers side recovered when a seam pulled out. The 2nd seatcover held up. They are 5 star and gorgeous. They sure do dress up the interior.


text:
Free Conference Available to Area Small Business Owners
Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
April 4, 2003
Free Conference Available to Area Small Business Owners
Area small and minority-owned business owners are encouraged to participate in a free conference on government contracting opportunities, sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. MAXACCESS will be held May 1, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., at the new Washington Convention Center located at 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Washington, D.C., and will feature a wealth of information and opportunities for local firms.
Fairfax County is participating in the event, serving on the planning committee, exhibiting and participating in several panel discussions. The county's Office of Small Business (OSB) and the Department of Purchasing and Supply Management will share their expertise with conference attendees. Experts on small business certification programs, e-commerce and technical assistance will make presentations and local governments and the private sector will have the opportunity to partner with local businesses, and, in some cases, may offer on-the-spot contracting opportunities.
OSB provides small and minority-owned businesses the ability to grow by giving them contracting and bid resources with county departments. OSB also provides workshops and training for businesses on how to sell goods and services to the county.
More and more, small businesses such as McDonald Bradley Inc. (MBI) are working with Fairfax County. In February 2000, MBI was awarded a contract for a registration system for the Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Adult & Community Education. In July 2001, MBI was one of the four contractors (out of 48 proposals received) awarded a one-year contract for consulting services for Web and Internet-based technology. The following year, MBI became one of 30 vendors (out of 80 proposals received) awarded a contact for information technology professionals.
For more information or to register for the conference, contact DC ProBiz at 202-722-2465 or www.dcprobiz.com.
For information about the Fairfax County Office of Small Business, call 703-324-3212, TTY 1-800-828-1140, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpsm/osb/sbp.htm.


text:
Beckett likely done for the season
LOS ANGELES -- Josh Beckett played catch Monday, standing instead of throwing while seated in a chair or on his knees, and though he came out of the session with no problems, manager Don Mattingly said he doesn't think the right-hander will pitch again this season.
"He threw the other day, and it went OK," Mattingly said. "Still, I don't think that leaves us enough time to get him ready to pitch."
Beckett went on the disabled list Aug. 8 with a torn labrum and two cysts on his left hip after trying to pitch through the injury.
He went 6-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts this season, and he threw his first career no-hitter May 25 in Philadelphia.
Mattingly said Beckett had tried to do some throwing on his own last week.
"He's tried to throw off a knee," Mattingly said. "I think he was throwing at home when we were on the road -- trying to throw -- [but he] didn't go that good."
Surgery remains an option for Beckett with his season likely over.
"It's going to be Josh's choice with what he wants to do," Mattingly said.
Worth noting
• Mattingly said he was encouraged by left-hander Paco Rodriguez's (Teres Major strain) bullpen session on Tuesday, and he said that the reliever is "getting closer" to returning. Mattingly said Rodriguez's next step is to throw a simulated outing later in the week.
Michael Lananna is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Hillel welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults and inspires them to direct their own Jewish journey.
You are now logged out of www.hillel.org.
If you logged in using a service such as Facebook or Google, you may still be logged in there. If this is a shared computer, you should log out of all accounts.
Hillel at DU is part of Hillel of Colorado, which is a statewide Hillel system that includes CU Boulder and CSU in Fort Collins. Hillel of Colorado also has relationships with Jewish students at other campuses throughout the state. DU has a Center of Judiac Studies in their History Department, Professor Sara Pessin at firstname.lastname@example.com Hillel at DU offers the opportunity to explore and celebrate your Jewish identity. You can get involved in our going green initiatives, Shabbat services, pursue social action projects, plan parties, explore your spirituality, travel to Israel, and continue your Jewish journey in many different ways.
Most popular tags
All Volunteer


text:
Avery® Recyclable 1" Binder 50000, BlackProduct Number: 50000
Do a good turn for the environment with this Recyclable Binder. Its solid one-piece board construction and durable reinforced hinge is made with 100% recycled chipboard. Holds up to 200 pages. When it's time to put this binder to bed, all it takes is a dime to separate the ring assembly from the cover. The cover goes in the paper recycling bin while the rings go in the metals recycling bin.* With this recyclable binder, just turn it loose and do your part to save the planet.
* Steel recycling may not be available in your area. Please check with your local recycling center or go to www.recycle-steel.org to find a steel recycling center near you.
Product Description:


text:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - State lawmakers will start the 2013 legislative session with no plans to regulate Internet cafes.
The sweepstakes businesses exist though a loophole in state law.
Efforts to ban the storefront casinos fell late in session last year. This year a bill has been filed to slow down the expansion.
Internet cafes sell Internet time to customers, who then use their computers to play games that look an awful lot like slot machines.
Opponents of Internet cafes say they're simply renegade casinos, unregulated and preying on the poor.
Supporters call them small businesses that have created more than 10,000 Florida jobs. To the state legislature, they're simply a headache.
Last year, the House moved to ban Internet cafes.
"These are truly the crack cocaine of gaming," said Rep. Scott Plakon, who spearheaded the effort.
The Senate never took up the bill, and Plakon lost reelection.
The issue of Internet cafes looked dead this year. A Senate committee on gaming decided to cancel meetings before a bill could be drafted, and all gaming legislation was put on hold while lawmakers gathered more data.
With no legislation in site, state Sen. John Thrasher stepped in with a bill to stop the expansion of the cafes.
"These things are unregulated," Thrasher said. "They are causing some issues around the state. Let's take a stop, stop right now."
The bill keeps any new Internet cafes from opening for two years and allows the ones in business now to keep the games going.
An investigation is underway to find out how a gaming expansion in Florida would affect tourism and other established Florida industries. The study will be used in the creation of legislation for the 2014 legislative session.
Copyright 2013 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Mail: Southern statutes symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
Goat Expo set first October weekend
More Ag News
As the helicopter swayed above Osama bin Ladens compound and troops hung off the sides, the pilot fought to keep control.
The choppers noise alerted everyone.
Thats the scenario at the beginning of No Easy Day, a book by Mark Owen (a pseudonym) one of the SEAL Team 6 special operation soldiers who was there on May 2, 2011 when Bin Laden was finally killed after a 10-year search.
In the first chapter, Owen sits on the edge of the chopper's doorway over the compound, ready to lead the charge, as the big bird flails about.
After setting up the story with that description, the story cuts back to a training session in Mississippi, seven years earlier.
Owen's unfolding story is one of aspirations, training, determination and discipline.
It gives a glimpse of the improvements that have been made in Special Ops since the failed Operation Eagle Claw mission into Iran in 1980 that doomed Jimmy Carters presidency.
The book is an easy read, written in matter-of-fact simple chapters by a brave, no-nonsense soldier.
It is not a tell-all. Nor is it highly critical of the Obama White House, although Owen expresses the frustrations of awaiting battlefield directions while politicians consider the situation at the highest levels of government.
It is a story of success, reassuring us that the U.S. military can still function well.
The author's descriptions are detailed -- of pranks pulled, individual decisions, characters and characteristics.
At this level of special operations, soldiers can wear their hair as they choose, pick their own gear and to some extent, figure things out as they go along -- and keep their teamwork intact.
Several pictures of the compound, and the guns Owen chose for the attack, are included.
No Easy Day also gives us a look at some of the intelligence reports involved including bad intelligence that wasted time, security and money, and then good intelligence that led to the successful mission.
The training, including a mock-up of the compound that captured everyones attention, is detailed.
The battle against nerves, against the unexpected, and against bullets -- that too is detailed.
The killing of bin Laden was the most definitive victory in the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Other operations, including the rescue of a freighter-ship captain off the coast of Somalia, and the successful attack on an al-Qaeda stronghold high in the Afghan mountains, are also described.
Owen said his decision to write the book was difficult. Like is fellow SEALs, he doesn't like the spotlight.
No one at the command thought much of the notoriety that came after the bin Laden raid, Owen said.
We always prided ourselves for being quiet professionals, but the more coverage I saw of the raid, the more I wanted to set the record straight," he wrote. "To me, the story is bigger than the raid itself and much more about the men at the command who willingly go into harms way. Theirs is a story that deserves to be told, and told as accurately as possible.
Owen has often been asked, Im not a SEAL and probably couldnt do it if I tried, but what can I do to help?
Dont just live, he answers, live for a purpose bigger than yourself. Be an asset to your family, community and country.
It's foreseeable that there will be ample opportunities on the horizon to help others, once the realities of the soaring federal deficit hit home. Most of us will probably have to learn to do with less, and to honor Owen and the battle against terrorism, we need to be brave, courageous and bold. This tale of real dedication, sacrifice and success helps us get ready.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


text:
Abasto Corp. moves ahead in San Antonio
Carlos Zambito, general manager of the McAllen Produce Terminal Market, said parent company Abasto Corp. has submitted the plans for a new produce market in San Antonio.
"We're moving forward, and just waiting for the plans to be approved," Zambito said.
Zambito said Abasto also is working with Houston-based ScanTech Sciences Inc., to bring a produce irradiation facility to the Rio Grande Valley.
"The partnership already has been formed," Zambito said. "They're working on the building plans so it should be relatively soon."
Bebo Distributing adds washing system
Pharr, Texas-based Bebo Distributing upgraded its packing line to include chlorine washing.
Jimmy Garza, director of operations, said the new line was added at the end of the summer.
The company also is adding an ozone misting system to disinfect produce.
"With all of the food safety concerns that are coming up, we thought this would be a good addition," he said.
The company also plans to break ground on a 30,000-square-foot expansion.
Right now, Garza said, Bebo plans to use it for its existing business, but hasn't ruled out working with other shippers for in-and-out services.
The company also expanded its shade house eggplant program, converting 20 existing acres of tomatoes and bell peppers to eggplants.
Garza said the market for eggplants has been high over the past few seasons.
"It's coming back down a bit, but it's still traditionally high," he said.
Bland Distribution expands cold storage
In anticipation of greater demand for cold storage, Bland Distribution Services, a division of Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms, doubled its cold storage capacity.
Nick Sanchez, general manager for the facility, said the building is about 100,000 square feet, 75,000 of which is refrigerated.
"We have 3,100 pallet positions in 8 separate temperatures," he said.
The company also has office space available, and room to expand in the future.
Frontera implements item-level traceability
Edinburg, Texas-based Frontera Produce Ltd. is working with HarvestMark for its Veracruz pineapple program.
Each pineapple is tagged with a HarvestMark code that gives information about Frontera Produce and its growing operation.
"The end user will be able to scan the QR code on our pineapple tag and get field pictures and handling tips and recipe ideas," said Chris Eddy, general manager.
"There's a whole host of information that the consumer will find useful."
Frontera Produce has been working with Irving, Texas-based DMA Solutions on consumer marketing and social media efforts featuring Frontera employees and their operations.
Eddy said the marketing has been a good driver to the company's website.
South Tex Organics introduces label
Mission, Texas-based South Tex Organic LC has a new label, and a new display-ready carton and bags for its organic rio star grapefruit and oranges.
The label, "Nature's Pick," is eye-catching, said Garrett Edwards, sales and office manager, and the new cartons should help reduce labor costs and cardboard waste.
The company also added new machinery to its packing facility that shows a three-dimensional image of each piece of fruit, allowing sorting by grade, size and weight.
Texas receives grant for food safety audits
Participating farms can receive a discount of up to $750 on audits of Good Agriculture Practices.
The funds were secured through a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
For more information contact the Texas Produce Association, Mission.


text:
Memo to the market bulls: the Dow must rally more than 20 points Friday, or the index will come in negative for the week. That shouldn't be too difficult, now, should it? I mean, surely we wouldn't want the market to ebb and flow. It's much better when it mills around with this minor upward bias, isn't it? For the S&P 500, the price only needs to add 1 point a day in order to keep this creepy market moving along.
As far as market statistics go, I observed some minor changes Thursday. The biggest note on my list was that the Russell 2000 rose and that breadth was flat -- and breadth is usually positive when the Russell is climbing.
This has also meant that the McClellan Summation Index, a breadth-based indicator, still hasn't turned upward. Breadth has now been positive for seven out of the past 10 trading days, and the McClellan seems exhausted. It won't take much to get it moving back up, but it hasn't been able to do so for two weeks now.
Another minor change was the upward creep in the number of stocks making new lows. Oh, it's nothing to write home about -- not yet, at least -- but it's notable that Thursday saw two rather recognizable names on the list: Coach (COH) and VMware (VMW).
Another minor change was in the put-call ratio. For weeks now, every minor downtick in the S&P -- sometimes as little as 1 or 2 points -- has seen the put/call zoom above 100%. That is, investors have had a propensity to hedge, or buy puts, at any whiff of a downturn. On Thursday, however, the put/call ratio chimed in at 83% -- its lowest reading since Jan. 18. It's possible this could be an effect from this options-expiration week, but it is nonetheless a change from what we saw earlier in the week.
Otherwise, I am now closely watching two charts, and one is the Dow Jones Utility Average. I recently wrote that this 475 area would be troublesome, and it has indeed spent much of the month of February toying with that level. The index ought to see a standard pullback toward that 465 area (thin line on the chart), but if it breaks that uptrend line, it will be time to fret.
The other chart is that of the KBW Bank Index (BKX). The other day I noted there was a measured upside target around the 56-to-57 area, and the index keeps trying to reach that level. In the meantime, this uptrend line -- which has been in place since the November lows -- continues to hold. Should it break, the S&P 500 will likely not be far behind.
For those who watch the Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF), meanwhile, the measured target is $18 to $19.
In Top Stocks, Helene puts her 20+ years of experience in technical analysis to work for you. Take advantage of Helene's time-proven approach and her action-oriented analysis of technical indicators. Try it now. Get a 14-Day Free Trial.


text:
Casa del White Stuff goes potty for Valentine's Day!
To launch our 'Potty About You' competition we held our very own pot painting evening here at Casa del White Stuff. Attendees came from all departments and we decorated our pots using everything from foam hearts to glitter glue pens.
To help get those creative juices flowing we served allotment-themed food and drink. The crudités and vegetable crisps went down a treat, along with a vodka and apple cocktail made especially for the evening. Yum!
Essential pot party supplies.
Even Millie, our office dog, got involved!
The finished pots. Don't they look lovely?
We loved getting crafty and had lots of fun decorating our pots... why not give it a go yourself? Simply pick up a free pot from your local White Stuff (or grab one from the garden). If you're feeling really creative you could hold your own pot painting party too.
To enter the 'Potty About You' competition all you have to do is to upload a picture of your decorated pot to our website here. The winning pot design will win a gourmet break for two with a four course meal at River Cottage (you'll be in the good books with this Valentine's present!)
Stuck for ideas? The masterpieces below should help inspire your perfect pot ;-)
Competition closes Friday 14th February 2014.


text:
|Muppet Babies
|Air Date
|September 15, 1990
|Written by
| Sindy McKay
Larry Swerdlove
|Karen Peterson
The Babies imagine themselves in a science-fiction extravaganza. Kermit, Piggy, Scooter and Skeeter are "the Spacetons" (a parody of The Jetsons), with Rowlf as their dog, "Rowlfo." The Spacetons want to give Rowlfo a bath, which upsets him, but nobody can understand what he's saying.
Gonzo and Fozzie (portraying Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookiee) crash their spaceship into the living room, and Rowlfo stows away on board. Rowlfo gets transported to the future, where he meets his grandson Woof, who takes off Rowlfo's flea collar -- which was why nobody understood him.
In the final scene, the transporter of Woof's ship (The Boobyprize) malfunctions, spewing out various incarnations of the Muppet Babies, including Kermit and Piggy Spaceton.
- The episode spoofs The Jetsons, Star Wars, Star Trek and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
- When the cast mistakenly thinks that Rowlf (as Rowlfo) is playing charades (instead of trying to say that he doesn't want a bath), one of the guesses is "The Muppets Clean Manhattan," a reference to The Muppets Take Manhattan, and "Washing Miss Daisy."
- Baby Kermit - Luke Skyhopper (Luke Skywalker), Kermit Spaceton (George Jetson), Indiana Frog (Indiana Jones), and Captain Kirkmit (Captain Kirk).
- Baby Piggy - Princess Piggy (Leia "Princess" Skywalker) and Piggy Spaceton (Jane Jetson).
- Baby Gonzo - Gon Zolo (Han Solo).
- Baby Fozzie - Fozz-Wacca (Chewbacca)
- Baby Rowlf - Rowlf Kenobi (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Rowlfo the Dog (Astro the Dog), Woof (parody of Worf from Star Trek TNG)
- Baby Animal - Yodie (Yoda), and Animal Vader.
- Baby Scooter - Scootie Spaceton (Elroy Jetson), (R2-D2), and Scooti (parody of Geordie from Star Trek TNG).
- Baby Skeeter - Skeetie Spaceton (Judy Jetson), Skeet-3P0 (C-3P0) and a cross between the two.
- Baby Bean Bunny - Bean Bag Spaceton and R2-Bean2.
Video releases
- This is the final Muppet Babies episode to use the original extended opening sequence.
|Previous episode:
|Next episode:
|A Punch Line to the Tummy
|Buckskin Babies


text:
A PAIR of teenagers accused of taking part in a street robbery have been released on bail by a judge.
Luke Cooper, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, are said to have taken part in a mugging with another man on Tuesday November 19.
The trio are accused of taking a bag and its contents during the alleged incident on Cambria Bridge Road.
No charges were formally put to Cooper and the younger teen during a brief hearing at Swindon Crown Court.
Judge Douglas Field adjourned the case to Friday February 21 and released the teenagers on bail.
Last month, Michael Price, of The Circle, Pinehurst, was remanded in custody to the same date on the same charge.


text:
Hi All,
I've been on the path since the end of 2012, but I have been peripherally interested in Eastern spirituality and Buddhism over the years. I've been practising mindlessness in my life before that, so only remember some of the early "sparks" by reading bios here: Hermann Hesse and Siddharta, Thoreau, Gandhi, somebody's audio cassettes of The Bhagavad Gita (could have been 8 track tapes, just to date myself appropriately).
About a year ago I found Free Buddhist Audio (in the UK) and started downloading talks; then I found Dharma Seed in the US; then all the other stuff online ... how lucky are we?!
For quite a while I thought "I'm the only Buddhist on the island" - anyone like British humour? Little Britain "I'm the only gay in the village" (Welsh accent) who is then disappointed when he's not the only one. Well, I'm not unique anymore, I am finding a few Buddhists, but no real community yet. So I am hoping to find community here at Dhamma Wheel.
I am booked for my first retreat "Wise Concentration" at IMS near Barre, MA just before Christmas.
This weekend I took Thursday & Friday off work and "rolled my own" retreat here in my condo, turned off the phone & email & facebook, sign on the door ... the results were mixed ... need a few more practice runs before my IMS retreat I think!
Why Baker? That was my nickname when I was a kid, somehow, and now, well ... my mind's always cooking something up ... oh, wait, my mind is full of half-baked ideas ... ok, there'll be a prize for the funniest reason for Baker being a good nickname for a Buddhist
With kind regards.


text:
Hippopotamus T-Shirts are an Idakoos specialtiy! Idakoos has many things to offer. Whether you want to get a Hippopotamus T-Shirt for a special occasion, give a Printed Hippopotamus T-Shirt as a present or need to represent with a funny Hippopotamus Tee during Holidays or Family and Friends get-togethers, Idakoos is sure to have the right Hippopotamus T-Shirt for you! Even if it turns out you can't find the right Hippopotamus Tshirt with the perfect design for your mother, father or children; Idakoos offers all of its men's women's and children's Hippopotamus Tshirts as Custom Hippopotamus T-Shirts. Personalize any Hippopotamus T-Shirt the way you want to ensure the perfect gift.
Showing 1 - 24 of 83 T-Shirt


text:
During our two week holiday in York, we have the immense pleasure of visiting the Royal Armouries Museum (just down the road in Leeds). The best surprise of all was that entry was FREE, brilliant, as usually to visit national treasures like this one it costs you an arm and a leg at least. There is so much to see here you need to schedule a day for the visit.
Here is a sample of activites from our day visit, the events are changed on a daily basis to offer variety.
11.00hrs for 20mins on Floor 4 (Oriental)
Be entertained by STORYTELLING: "HOW THE GUN CAME TO JAPAN" - this was the tale of a Japenese Swordsmith's first encounter with Europeans and their firearms.
11.30hrs for 20mins on Floor 2 (War)
On the stage in this section will be JOAN OF ARC - The Maid of Orleans: 1429 - this being about obviously Joan of Arc during the 100 years war, when she donned armour and led the army of France to Victory against the English, at the town of Orleans.
12.00hrs - lasting 20mins on the Tiltyyard located outside
On offer here was a demonstration of Falconry.
13.15hrs - a 20min display held on the 4th Floor (Oriental)
A Demonstration called 'The Soul of the Samurai' - where sword skills are shown using the Kantana. The demonstration is an ongoing part of their training in the use of traditionsl Japanese and Okinawan weapons, encompassed by the martial art of KOBUDO.
14.00hrs - 20min demonstration held outside in the Tiltyard.
Here you will see demonstrated weapons used by mounted archers from around the world which includes Samurai ad Moughal warriors.
14.45hrs - 15mins Talk - Nurse Edith Cavell: 1915 on the 2nd floor (War)
Here a young actress played the part of Nurse Edith Cavell from 1915 she retold a moving story of the brave British Nurse who risked her life to help hundreds of allied soldiers escape form persecution in occupied Belgium during the First World War.
15.15hrs - 20 mins (Oriental) Floor 4 - The Elizabethan Sword Master
A demonstration of sword and buckler, rapier and dagger techniques, taken form the 16th Century manuals.
And Finally.
16.00hrs - 1hr - (Oriental) Floor 4 - Mastering Arms
This was a lesson in the use of traditional Japanese & Okinawan weapons encompassed by the martial art KOBUDO - lesson was taken by Sensai Charlotte Cooper.
The outdoor activities on thoughout the summer include jousting, falconry and horsemanship.
They have expert gunmakers and leatherworkers in the Craft Court, you can discover how history was made. You can also see animals at close quarters in the Menagerie.
The list of event open during the day were indeed vast and I felt that they were educational and interesting. There is something there for varying tastes. We did not attend all. But the ones we did attend will well presented - The young girl that played Nurse Edith Cavell - acted well into her roll, we watched her from the floor above, there was a large group of people around her hanging on her every word.
Also during the day there are workshops available which are mainly free - there is occasionally a small charge of approx £1.00 for adults and 50p for oap's and children.
These workshops are held between 1100 - 1600hrs - a sample of these are Calligraphy (Demo and workshop), Kumihimo & Kute-chi - (Demonstration of Japanese braiding, a craft which has long been an important part of Japanese culture, Artkark (Hands-on art and craft activites for visitors of all ages.
We did not attend any of these, but I did take a look in on the craft activites and both children and adults in there seemed to be really enjoying themselves, it was held in a very large room with plenty of space for everyone to attend and enjoy the activity.
Children's Parties, Sleepovers & Creative Activies
ArtKart :
The Museum's ArtKart helps children to let their imagination take over, within arts and crafts, this includes embossing, brass rubbing, drawing, dressing up and playing games, or they can just relax and listen to a story. Any work the children do, they take home to decorate your kitchen, living room, fridge door. (any space left)
Cost : £2.00 per child
Birthday Parties:
The birthday child is a VIP for the day, they are given a guided tour around the museum with their friends, they get involved in art activities and get to meet the horses in the Tiltyard and watch them in action. A birthday party with a theme and a bit different to McDonald's.
Cost : £6.95 per child
Wow, Bed and Breakfast with a difference. Your child will need to bring a sleeping back, they will get a guided tour of the museum and be told facscinating stories about the individual objects bringing history to life. Before they retire in one of the Galleries they will be given a bedtime story and a drink. Not forgetting breakfast in the morning.
Cost : £15.00 per child/ £5.00 per adult.
I have not experienced any of the above three activities, information is from the musuem leaflets from our visit. I must say they do sound interesting and a bit different from the 'norm'.
Now believe it or not I haven't covered everything yet, there is more to come:
Although The Royal Armouries is Britain's oldest national museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world (this being the Tower of London Armouries). Leeds opened its doors in a brand new beautifully designed glass building during 1996.
It has five floors covering War, Tournament, Self-Defence, Hunting and the arms and armour of the Orient.
I will now try and take you through a tour of the Museum.
You walk through the main doors and go through a security station, where they check your bags with a device to see if you are carrying anything you shouldn't be carrying. Yes I had a metal nail files etc in my handbag, so had to empty the contents until the machine did not bleep. During this current climit you can't complain, it's better to be safe than sorry.
The ground floor comprises of the main restaurant which has a smoking and a non smoking section, they did the usual beverages, light menu, full menu, biscuits, cakes, crisps etc. covering all tastes I may add, my hubby says there coffee did not taste like dishwater which is a pleasant change. Prices here are average for this type of restuarant. We managed baggettes and chips, which were presented well and very eddible.
Also on this floor was two gift shops, one very large gift shop, which covers the main museum, selling artifacts relating to the history, you can by full scale swords, samurai swords, history books, various items for children including plastic armour, helmets, toy swords and various other things you get in gift shops.
Yes I succumbed to the gift shop, spending possibly a little too much for things that caught my eye. I did get a great medieval style birthcard card for my sisters 50th birthday (it was something different).
The other smaller gift shop was for the exhibition they were holding called 'SHOGUN' (I will talk about that later), I looked at this shop and the items were very pretty and relevent to the style of the exhibit - but I did feel that they were very overpriced.
I have also looked on the royal armeries site - www.royalarmouries.org and they have items for sale on there also, so if you missed anything from this shop nip onto the site.
On this level are information sites where you can get the Royal Armouries Guide Book for £3.50. This I can most defineately say is well worth the money, not only does it give you a map of each level (as believe me each level coveres a exceedingly large area with loads of exhibits to look at), but it gives you information to go with it and history on the Armouries.
You can also get a list on the days activities that you may want to participate in. There are also leaflets around 50p which are activities for the children to do with their parents as they go round the musuem - i.e. Treasure Hunt.
Just to get you in the mood there are target simulators around which cost £2.00 a go, these cover various weapons. You can find these machines on most floors. Also there is a chance for you to try you hand on the crossbow (under supervision). On all the floors apart from the ground floor is the computer question machines. You have a list of questions about the exhibits and the history that is appropriate to the floor you are on, it gives you a percentage score at the end. It is a good way of learning as you cannot move forward until you have picked the right answer. (I beat my husband by 5% on this - lol).
To get to each floor you can either use the stairs or take the lifts, there are four lifts available and we never had to wait long for one. We chose to start on the fifth floor and work our way down, the floors. To be honest I am glad we choose to do it this way, because on every other floor there is are magnificent exhibits deplicting scenes representing the area of history on that floor, you can look over the rails at this statues from above and then make your way down to see them from the ground. Fantastic and beautifully designed, seeing them from above first made me want to go down to see them on the level even more.
There is a Restuarant on this floor, which was closed and this floor was the education centre and conference centre. The museum does a lot with schools, we took a quick walk round this but it was just class rooms and a restuarant. Sorry can't give much detail on the restaurant as it appears it may be only open in the evenings.
This area is about WAR - covering - THE BOER WAR: 1899-1902 , CULLODEN: 1746, THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR: 1642-6, THE GREAT WAR: 1914-18, HEREWARD THE WAKE AND THE SEIGE OF ELY: 1071, JOAN OF ARC- THE MAID OF ORLEANS 1429, VIETNAM: 1965-75, ZULU WARS: 1879 and many more persons and stories of wars and battles.
As I said earlier each level is very large with a centre exhibit and various alcoves coming off the centre to walk around. The centre exhibit on this floor is of men on horses in armour.
Not only are the uniforms dressed on to dummies for a more realistic view, you can actually touch the chained armour to see how heavy it must have been to wear. They also exhibit the weapons of each era and war. In this section they even show todays war terrorism and how you would not know you are standing next to a terriorist (frigtening), and for a laugh the war of the future (Star Wars type).
As you walk round some of the sections have a narration going on telling a story which represents the item on display.
The computer quizes on this floor cover Pavia, American Civil War - Sharpsburg, Zulu - Isandlwana and the Great War.
Films showing on this level cover -
Pollock Theatre - Pomp & Ceremony
Introduction to the War Gallery
Bows and Crossbows
How a man schal be armyd
Civil War firearms
Marston Moor
18th-century warfare
The Age of Invention
The American Civil War
Crimean War
The Cavalry Sword
Mass Production
World War 1
World War 2
Modern Warfare.
We watched the odd film on some of the floors we found them to be well presented and informative. Some were like watching a movie, others like watching a documentary.
There was a wonderful exhibit of Pavia Diorama on this level, I must say it is well worth seeing. It was outstanding, unfortuneately our photo did not come out too well, so I will not be displaying it, I will try and describe it, but I doubt I will do it justice. The background setting appears to be a white marble picture frame (guestimate of 20' x 12') showing a war scene in blacks, greys and whites. Infront of this picture on a marble platform was a war scene of two horses and men in armour, one horse raising his front legs in fight, and approximately six men in various outfits (not armour) pointing their weapons towards the horses and their riders. Each of the men in a different pose and one had fallen over just near to the horse. I can only say that it was magnifient and my compliments to the artists that created it, they should be commended. The scene was captured and made to look realistic.
This floor also has toilets and a cafe area.
Here the story of the Tournament unfolds - showing the developement of a form of early Medieval practice of war.
The center piece on this floor demostrates a Medieval Setting, with the tents and the men in armour in side. Horses wearing there Armour - (you have to feel sorry for the horses, carrying all the weight of their armour and a man in armour as well). This is the type of setting you would have found in Henry VIII time.
The setting on all the floors are similar with a centre exhibit and the various areas coming off it.
Computers quizes in this area
Costume for combat
An Introduction to hearaldry (this is the one I beat my hubby on)
Films :
Field of Cloth of Gold
The Lion Armour.
Very Impressive once again. Apart from feeling very sorry for the horses of that day and beating my hubby on the quiz nothing else jumped out at me. Just the brilliant displays put out on all floors.
This covers the Oriental - Central Asia, Islam and India, Japanese Arms and Armour, China and Japan, South and South-east Asia. Once again covering there traditional fighting dress, there weapons, the statues in this section were also magnificent, on one section there were 3 (or maybe 4) horses and riders in there tradition gear and weaponary. Also a Mughal Indian Elephant fully armoured for war with his two passengers on its back also dressed for war (dated from about 1600).
'The armour the elephant is wearing was made in the late 16th Century in Mughal India, it is the heaviest armour in the collection, weighing 118kg. Two of the three mail-and-plate panels for the right side are missing, it would have originally weighes approx 159kg. It now comprises of 5,840 plates from an original 8,439. It was bought back to England in 1801 by Lady Clive, wife of Edward 2nd Lord Clive, Earl of Powis, while he was Governor of Madras.'(this snipet of info compliments of my guide book)
This gallery concentrates upon the great civilisations of Asia, and its purpose is to show how arms and armour can provide a key to understanding Asian history.
Computer Quizes
Oriental Database
The Mongols
The Mughals
Japanese Sword Making
The British in India
I found this floor fascinating when you see what they had to wear and weapons they uses. Once again all the models were fantastic and depicted the scenes expertly.
This floor also has toilets and Cafe area (no smoking) for a rest and a cuppa.
Covering Hunting, guns, the armed civiilian. Hunting for sport and Hunting through the ages. The titles here speak for themselves. This floor is also where you can try your talents out on the cross bow.
Computer Quizes
Hunting Introduction
Conservation in Britain
Conservation in Africa
One of the models here showed a scen of Walter Linnet, a professional wildfowler, hunting birds on the marshes of Blackwater Estuary, Essex in the 1920's - (I have enclosed a picture of this), he looks very uncomfortable. We also watched the film and it was very interesting to see what lengths people went to (have you seen the size of his weapon!).
As you look down on the next level (sorry this is still covered by this section), There is another statue of a hunting scene containing an Elephant, a tiger and the hunter with his servant. This is a magnificent (sorry there's that word again) sulpture, see the picture at the bottom of the review.
For very personal reasons I enjoyed this section, because my father bless him (he passed over now), used to make replica guns. So it was nice to see the real thing, (he was very good, I couldn't tell the difference, apart from my dad usually made them in minature).
The museum is also showing the Shogun Exhibit until 30th August 2005 - entry fee £5.50 per adult, £4.50 O.A.P'S and Children. Last entry to exhibit at 1600hrs.
Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu ruled over a single nation forged from hundreds of rival factions. His life heralded a period of peace that lasted more than two centuries. Shogun Tokugawa created modern Japan, founding its capital and its political culture, influencing its literature and art. He was made a god, and is honoured today as he was at the height of his power.' For futher info pls go to - www.shogun.org.
We ran out of time to visit this exhibit, it is only there for a short while longer.
Opening times:
The museum is open Daily from 1000hrs - 1700hrs - only closing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
How to get there:
Address - Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds, LS10 1LT - 0113 220 1999 - (www.royalarmouries.org)
By CAR (for those like me without Sat Nav)
A64 (m) leave at the Leeds exit to the cross roads turn right then left into Marsh Lane, 2nd right (which is the r/h fork in the road), at the end of the road turn right into East Street at junction left into Crown Point, left fork and left into Chadwick Street and finally left into Armouries Drive and to the multistory car park.
m621 Junction 3, left into Victoria Road, first right Great Wilsont. straight on Hunslet Lane, Left into Carlisle Rd, left into Chawick Street and right into Armouries Drive and onto the carpark.
There are at least 6 CCTV cameras on each level (we counted six on our level), large clean lifts.
Bus and Coach Station is approx 15mins walk away, there are two buses you could catch the number 28 First Leeds, or the 752 Black Prince - various bus-stops around the centre of Leeds.
The Railway Station is approx 20min walk away.
Taxis are available at both the Railway Station and the Bus Station and is approx 5min drive (sorry no idea of cost).
I have never been more impressed about a musuem in my life, I have been to the Tower of London (Which is the oldest Royal Armoury) and it is not a patch on the displays here. It was very clean, very well presented and thought out. There is something for everyone whatever their historic interests.
It offers great interactive family enjoyment.
I was throughly impressed and so was my husband. I may go back one day when my grand-daughter is a little older and join in the family activities.
I would truely reccommend a visit.
All prices and schedules are a sample of what was on offer in August 2005, obviously if you visit in 2006 these may change slightly.
If you are a cinema goer in the Leeds area then there is nowhere better to go and relax infront of the latest releases than Showcase Cinemas just off junction 27 of the M62 (the junction that joints to the M621 which heads into Leeds city centre). I have been to many cinemas in my time (ABC, Warner, Virgin, Odeon, Cineworld) but none come close to a showcase cinema especially not the Leeds one now that it has all stadium seating and the latest screens and dolby surround. There are two new cinema complexs in striking distance of me, I have tried them both (cineworld in the centre of Bradford and the new Odeon on the way to Pudsey) but my number one is still showcase. First of all they are the comfiest. The seats have sprung backs alowing you to rest in the positon you want to rest in not the position the seat was made in and also they have LOADS of leg room. No cramp and pins and needles again if you are fairly tall like me. This showcase also has a huge free car park with plenty of room to accommodate everyone visiting the 14 screens. The prices aren't bad either. At peak times (evenings) a full price ticket is about £5.20 and consessions/off peak times tickets are about £4 with further consessions for OAPs and children under 12. The only thing I don't like about the place but as far as I can remember this applies in other places too the food/drink sold there is very expensive, £1.50 for a regualr coke and about £2.50 for a regular pop corn which isn't actually very big! The service is always very good and they even have a security man who drives round the car park all evening so you feel a little safer that your car will be in one piece when you get back to it. So if you are in the Leeds area and fancy going to the cinema then try Showcase, there will be no substitutes afterwards but go to Saisbury's first and buy you pocorn and pop there (you can get toffee pop ocrn then too, yum!).
The Royal Armouries are Britain's oldest national museum, and are currently spread across three sites – the museum in Leeds, the White Tower in the Tower of London, and Fort Nelson, Portsmouth. This op concerns the largest of the sites in Leeds, which I visited last week. This location houses the bulk of the collection, minus the artillery pieces (which are in Hampshire) and those items directly relating to the history of the Tower of London. As the name implies, the museum tells the history of armour, weaponry, warfare, hunting and self-defence all from a new museum that was opened less than a decade ago. The collections originate from the royal and national arsenal, which have been housed in the Tower of London ever since it was built. Visitors were admitted to the armouries from as early as the fifteenth century, when foreign dignitaries were given tours designed to impress them with the military might of England. Paying visitors were first allowed into the collection in 1660, when Charles II returned from exile and allowed the crown jewels and some of the grander examples of armour to be viewed – this was, in effect, the first use of the armouries as a national museum. The collections continued to grow from this time (and indeed are still added to), until it became apparent in the 1980s that the expanded stores would soon not fit solely into the Tower. In 1988, the artillery collections were moved to Fort Nelson (which opened to the public in 1995), and in 1990 the concept of having a main museum in the north of England was agreed upon. The Leeds site was chosen as part of a redevelopment package for the city, and the museum was built to a modern design there shortly afterwards. ●Location South Leeds, just outside of the city centre. One of the major complaints to museum staff was the fact that the museum was hard to find, but new signage has recently been put up to correct this problem, so finding the
museum should now be reasonably straightforward if you are driving. Staff have also told me that it is possible to reach the museum by public transport from city centre (sorry, no bus number was given) and that an idea to put a supertram stop nearby is being considered. A location map of the site can be found at www.armouries.org.uk/leeds/findingus.html. ●The building From the outside, this is admittedly not a very awe-inspiring vision – the building is grey and resembles an office block, and the surrounding land has not yet been tackled as part of the regeneration of this area of Leeds. However, the canal is quite attractive, and metallic grey is actually a suitable colour for an arsenal. The entrance is clearly marked, and the hall as you enter has a very modern, open and light feel about it, similar in many ways to that of the National Museum of Scotland if any of you have been there. This area includes a bistro and one of the best museum shops I have had the pleasure of visiting, neither of which were too expensive and were accessible to anyone not wishing to go further inside the museum. It is, though, one of those buildings that seems to play an architectural joke on you – there are places in it where you can see where you want to go but not how to get there! Adding a few layout plans around the place would sort this problem out though. ●The galleries There are five galleries within the museum – war, tournament, oriental, self-defence and hunting – each of which is denoted by a symbol which appears on all the signs and guides to help you find what you want. The larger galleries are equipped with stages where live interpretations are acted out during the day; this is something the museum has become famous for and provide an additional way of helping you learn, as well as being entertaining. The programme changes on a daily basis, and you will be provided with a list of interpretation ev
ents for that day when you enter. I tried to see as many of these as possible, and went to the following: - Storytelling on how the gun came to Japan - Gallery tour led by a senior curator in the self-defence section - A first world war munitions worker talking about the local factory - An interpretation of the battle of Stamford Bridge by a Norwegian soldier War gallery – situated on floor two, this has collections relating to war from earliest history right until the Gulf War. The museum has a small collection of ancient arms and armour, some medieval examples, a reconstruction of the battle of Pavia in 1525, as well as displays on more recent conflicts (ranging from Trafalgar and Waterloo, through the American Civil War to World War Two and later). There are four small cinemas in this gallery, showing films about Agincourt, Marston Moor, Sights and Sounds of War and Modern Warfare, with each film lasting about 15 minutes. As the largest gallery, this has one of the main stages where the live interpretations take place. Tournament gallery – this is the story of medieval practice for war in courtly tournaments. Here you can learn about the three types of tournament (tournery, foot combat and jousting) and displays of combat are sometimes held here as part of the interpretation schedule (not when I went unfortunately). Oriental gallery – containing collections of arms and armour from India, China, Japan, Turkey and Central Asia. This gallery has some amazing pieces in it, including the only example of war elephant armour on public display in the world and some incredible Samurai armour. This gallery also contains a stage for interpretation, as well as running film on Yabusame (Japanese horse archery), the Mongols and the British in India. Self defence gallery – displays relating to the armed civilian, and how ordinary people have defended themselves over time. Exhibits relating to po
cket guns, police weaponry, fencing, the traveller abroad and the Wild West can all be found here, although this is quite a small gallery. Hunting gallery – not quite as interesting as the other galleries in my opinion, maybe because in tried to be too moralistic while other displays remained more neutral. I didn't spend long in here, but did see some Palaeolithic hunting tools, medieval falconry kit, a display on harpoons and dozens of cases of hunting guns and crossbows. ●Opening times and other information The museum is open 10 – 5 Monday to Saturday From December 1st, admission is free to all national museums, including the Royal Armouries Phone: (0113) 220 1940 Website: www.armouries.org.uk The museum also runs an education service (for school children to adults) and a library relating to the collections and their history. For more information on these services, phone (0113) 220 1832.
Ok, so we have all heard about Leeds, but I feel no one has made a small list of the top places to go see in and around Leeds. There are many places which offer a varying selection of different types of culture and all in the Leeds area. Heres a list of the top of my head that I have visited in this great city!Mother Shiptons Cave Bramham Park Canal Gardens Golden Acre Park Lotherton Hall Estate Roundhay Park Temple Newsam Estate Tropical World Horsforth Museum Kirkstall Abbey Abbey House Museum Armley Mills City Art Gallery Harewood Henry Moore Institute Leeds City Museum Lotherton Hall Middleton Railway Royal Armouries Temple Newsam House Tetley's Brewery Wharf If i have missed out anything them i am sorry but this just shows you leeds in not just the "working class centre of the north". Come and sense the european culture that is now sweeping leeds...
The Leeds Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute are well worth a visit on a rainy afternoon. Entry is free and it takes at least an hour to walk around. The art gallery was opened in 1888, and houses a large collection, from Victorian, Impressionism, to Modernism. The Yorkshire Bank sponsored room is home to some impressive modern art, other highlights are paintings by John Everett Millais. The Henry Moore institute was opened in 1993, but recently redeveloped to provide greater storage. The Institute now houses a range of 2D and 3D sculptures from a wide range of artists, these included many from the eponymous Henry Moore, statues made out of miniture bricks, and some rolled up paper. Yes, rolled up paper, at the moment there is an exhibition by Martin Creed, described by the Guardian as the 'coming man in British work'. His art includes 'torn up paper', 'large piece of furniture partially blocking a doorway' and ' a row of metronomes beating in time', even the flashing lights in the room are art. Also linking onto the galleries is the Craft and Design Gallery, which is a charity who aim to promote craft and design funnily enough. At the moment a collection of different teapots is on display. The gallery is open 10-5 on most days. So go there and say 'I don't know much about art but I know what I like!'


text:
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. DECIMATION X3 (4 player shoot 'em up): The thrilling sequel to the #1 Japan hit and proud member of the INDIE GAMES WINTER UPRISING. Back with intensified gameplay, extra power-ups, more firepower, improved retro graphics, huge bosses, and a beautifully remixed IMPHENZIA soundtrack. Developed by the "empower the player" philosophy of XONA GAMES, award-winning creators of DUALITY ZF and SCORE RUSH.
Buy Xbox content on Xbox.com. Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox Live.Learn More


text:
Kevin Pietersen's future as an international cricketer is expected to become much clearer at an England and Wales Cricket Board press conference.
The ECB have confirmed a press conference will take place at 4pm local time (1130am BST) in Colombo, at which ECB chairman Giles Clarke and Pietersen are expected to be present - and it is thought a statement will be issued on the mercurial batsman's contract situation.
Pietersen's annual central deal lapsed two days ago.
He was not included previously on the list last month of those awarded contracts for 2012/13, and it is understood - after a summer of wrangles and disagreements with his employers and team-mates - the South Africa-born batsman turned down the subsequent offer of a four-month deal.
The 32-year-old's return to the England team appears most likely to come in time for either next year's January one-day international tour of India or the trip to New Zealand which follows.
But it has also been reported on Wednesday that he may yet be added to the squad, already picked without him, to travel to India at the end of this month for a four-Test tour.
Pietersen alienated many in the summer, first of all with his wish to play a full Indian Premier League campaign at a time when England have Test match obligations next spring, and then with the "provocative" text messages he sent to opposition South Africa players during the Headingley Test.
England reacted by dropping him from the final Test at Lord's, and he has also been absent from their failed ICC World Twenty20 campaign in Sri Lanka - where he is instead working as a television pundit.
But he has apologised for sending the texts - which may or may not have contained "derogatory" references to former Test captain Andrew Strauss - and has also been engaged in recent weeks in a series of meetings with ECB top brass, aimed at finding the necessary common ground to reintegrate him into the England fold.