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Earlier this week, Senator Kennedy returned to the Senate to cast the decisive vote in favor of H.R.6331, theMedicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, legislation to prevent the pending 10.6 percent cut in payments to physicians who care for the 44 million American seniors in the Medicare program and the estimated 8.9 million beneficiaries in the military's TRICARE program. Republicans had twice blocked this legislation, but this time, nine additional Republicans voted in favor of the legislation — providing a veto-proof majority of 69 votes. While both the House and the Senate have now overwhelmingly passed this critical bi-partisan legislation to protect access to quality health care for our nation's seniors and military families, President Bush is still threatening to veto it.
In an attempt to provide excuses for their obstructionism, the Bush Administration and its Republican allies in the Senate have asserted a series of bogus claims about the Medicare Advantage provisions of the bill. This Fact Sheet outlines the most common of these excuses and sets the record straight as to why the modest, common-sense Medicare Advantage reforms in H.R.6331 should be enacted. While the President and Bush-McCain Republicans are fighting to protect the health insurance industry, Democrats are fighting to protect seniors — ensuring that physicians are fairly reimbursed, that beneficiaries are able to afford Medicare's services, and that the long-term stability of the Medicare program is assured.
EXCUSE: The bill makes inappropriate reductions to Medicare Advantage payments.
- THE TRUTH: The only reductions to Medicare Advantage payments in H.R.6331 are also included in the McConnell-Grassley Bill, which the President allegedly supports.H.R.6331 would eliminate the remainder of the "stabilization fund" for Medicare preferred provider organizations – consistent with the recommendation of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an independent panel that advises Congress regarding Medicare payments. H.R.6331 would also follow MedPAC's recommendation to eliminate the double payments that Medicare now makes for the Indirect Medical Education (IME) costs incurred by teaching hospitals when treating Medicare beneficiaries. S.3118, the McConnell-Grassley bill, contains these same provisions.
- THE TRUTH: H.R.6331 would NOT reduce payments to Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans.H.R.6331 proposes changes to the PFFS plan structure in direct response to complaints from insurance commissioners, consumer advocates, providers and enrollees who have expressed concern about the PFFS plan design and problems with payments. The bill would merely prevent PFFS plans from "deeming" providers into their plans at the point of service. Instead, they would have to contract with doctors and hospitals to form provider networks – just like all other Medicare Advantage plans that serve Medicare beneficiaries. In short, H.R.6331 would generate modest savings, not by cutting payments to PFFS plans, but rather, by making PFFS plans compete on a more equal basis with other private plans and thereby slowing their explosive growth.
- THE TRUTH: Under H.R.6331, the federal government would still spend almost $2 trillionon Medicare Advantage over the next 10 years. Spending for Medicare Advantage plans would be reduced by less than two percent over the next five years, and less than three percent over the next 10 years. So, instead of paying $723 billion to these plans over the next five years, the government will pay out $710 billion. And instead of paying out $1.780 trillion over 10 years, the government will pay $1.731 trillion. (CBO baseline compared to CBO analysis of H.R.6331 in July 8, 2008 letter)
EXCUSE: The bill would reduce beneficiaries' access to benefits and / or choices.
- THE TRUTH: Under current law, Private Fee-for-Service plans limit beneficiaries' choices. As mentioned above, PFFS plans currently do not have to have any contracts or agreements with providers. They can "deem" doctors and hospitals into their plans, but these providers may choose not to treat patients in PFFS plans at the point of service – leaving the beneficiary without access to care. PFFS plans' ability to "deem" providers creates tremendous uncertainty and confusion for both beneficiaries and providers. Too often Medicare beneficiaries sign up for PFFS plans only to learn subsequently that they cannot find a nearby doctor or hospital that accepts their plan. (Center for Medicare Advocacy, June 25, 2008; Medicare Rights Center, June 23, 2008) Providers have found it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to ensure they are paid fair rates from PFFS plans and to collaborate on care coordination. As a result, many have decided to stop accepting Medicare patients with PFFS plans altogether. (See, e.g. testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, January 30, 2008)
- THE TRUTH: Under current law, many PFFS and other Medicare Advantage beneficiaries receive less coverage than they would under traditional Medicare. Several analyses have shown that some Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who need hospital care, home health care, and other specialty services may end up paying more out of pocket and/or receiving less coverage than under traditional Medicare. As a result, some beneficiaries who require those services can wind up significantly worse off in Medicare Advantage than they would if they were enrolled in traditional Medicare. (See, e.g. GAO Report entitled "Medicare Advantage: Increased Spending Relative to Medicare Fee-for-Services May Not Always Reduce Beneficiary Out-of-Pocket Costs," February 2008)
- THE TRUTH: H.R.6331 would improve beneficiary choice and access to health care providers. The provisions in H.R.6331 that require PFFS plans to establish provider networks, rather than "deeming" doctors to be part of the plans, would protect beneficiaries. Far from limiting consumers' choice of plans, this provision will help ensure that people with Medicare who choose a PFFS plan will have adequate access to specialists and other providers. (Medicare Rights Center, June 23, 2008)
- THE TRUTH: Even Senator Grassley, though an ardent opponent of H.R.6331, recognizes the shortcomings of Private Fee-for-Service plans. In his January 30, 2008 statement before the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Grassley noted:
"Unlike other Medicare Advantage or MA plans, Private Fee-for-Service plans are not held to the same level of accountability…. The Private Fee-for-Service plans do not have to coordinate care. They do not have to help patients manage chronic illness. And these plans can force providers to accept the lower government-set Medicare payment rates instead of having to pay the market rate….
The plans are not required to have a network of participating providers. So, the doctor can decide at each visit whether to accept the plan. A beneficiary could find that her long-time doctor decides not to treat her. These plans advertise that enrollees can go to ANY doctor or hospital. But they sometimes fail to explain that the hospital or doctor may refuse them."
- THE TRUTH: Under current law, the government subsidizes administrative costs and profits for big health insurance companies that operate Medicare Advantage plans. When Congress approved the current system that makes increased payments to private plans compared to traditional Medicare, policymakers intended for the excess payments to be returned to beneficiaries. In the case of PFFS plans, however, MedPAC has found that only about half of this excess payment is used to deliver extra benefits to enrollees. The remainder is used to finance administrative costs, marketing and the profits of these plans. (See April 11, 2007 statement of Glenn Hackbarth, Chairman of MedPAC, submitted to the Senate Finance Committee.)
- THE TRUTH: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that in a single year, private Medicare Advantage plans reaped over $1 billion in extra profits. In a report released on June 24, 2008, the GAO found that private insurers that participate in Medicare Advantage spent less on beneficiaries than they projected in 2005. This lower spending created a windfall profit for these plans of over $1 billion. These additional profits were on top of the $35 billion in revenues these plans generated in the same year. GAO explained that the accuracy of Medicare Advantage plans' projections is important, because it is these projections that determine Medicare payments and affect the amount of additional benefits beneficiaries receive beyond those that are provided under traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans are supposed to use the additional payments they receive from the government to provide their beneficiaries extra benefits; instead, too much of this money is going, not to seniors, but to big insurance company profits.
EXCUSE: The Private Fee-for-Service reforms in H.R.6331 would undermine private health plans' ability to compete.
- THE TRUTH: It is the current structure of PFFS plans that undermines competition. The "deeming" authority given to PFFS plans gives them a competitive advantage over other Medicare Advantage plans. Without having to expend the time, effort, and resources to establish provider networks, PFFS plans that enter new geographic areas can, instead, focused on aggressive marketing initiatives to lure beneficiaries to switch to their plans. In April 11, 2007 testimony[1] before the Senate Finance Committee, Glenn Hackbarth, Chairman of MedPAC, further explained:
"Private Fee-for-Service plans can compel hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers to accept Medicare payment rates, Medicare's administered prices. They're not market prices. In short, Private Fee-for-Service plans are prospering, not because of their intrinsic value, but because they take advantage of government-set rules."
- THE TRUTH: Former Bush Administration CMS Administrator, Mark McClellan, has suggested elimination of PFFS plans' "deeming" authority as a possible solution to concerns about PFFS. In June 28, 2007 testimony before the House Committee on the Budget, Mark McClellan, former Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Bush Administration – and a strong proponent of Medicare Advantage -discussed PFFS plans' deeming authority:
"While new PFFS plans may need this authority to establish a market presence and "get off the ground" with beneficiaries and health care providers, the long-term use of deeming authority may not be necessary for a well-run PFFS plan. To address this, deeming authority for a PFFS plan might end after an initial plan startup period…. Similarly, PFFS plans might be required to establish contracts with providers and post the resulting provider lists after a reasonable time period…. Properly implemented, steps like these would help avoid excess Medicare costs and assure that PFFS plans are both available to beneficiaries who want them and are a good investment for the federal Government."
EXCUSE: H.R.6331 would cause reduced enrollment of 2.3 million Medicare beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage.
- THE TRUTH: Medicare Advantage would grow by 2.4 million beneficiaries (25 percent) over the next five years. According to a July 8, 2008 analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), twelve million Medicare beneficiaries would be enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2013 – up from 9.6 million beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage today. This would include an increase in PFFS plan enrollment of nearly one million beneficiaries (a 39 percent increase) over the next five years. H.R.6331 would not cut Medicare Advantage enrollment; it would merely slow the explosive growth in the most inefficient type of Medicare Advantage plan – PFFS plans.
- THE TRUTH: Not one beneficiary will lose access to Medicare advantage. According to the July 8 CBO letter, under H.R.6331, some Medicare beneficiaries would choose not to stay with a private plan. They would not be forced to leave Medicare Advantage, but would choose to receive benefits in the traditional Medicare program. Not a single beneficiary would be forced out of Medicare Advantage.
- THE TRUTH: There is much concern about the recent rapid growth in PFFS plans.
o In April 2007 testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, MedPAC Chairman, Glenn Hackbarth said the following about the rapid growth in PFFS plans:
"To me, this is a warning light. Medicare beneficiaries are not enrolling in well-run managed care plans…, but rather in plans that largely duplicate traditional Medicare, except that they have higher costs, including higher administrative costs."
o In a January 2008 statement submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, Mark Miller, Executive Direct of MedPAC further explained:
"MedPAC has particular concern about the impact of PFFS plans…on the financial integrity of the program and their inconsistency with MedPAC's basic payment principles. Enrollment in these plans has increased 8-fold in just two years….Given that Medicare spends 17 percent more than it would if these beneficiaries had stayed in [traditional fee-for-service] and they do not manage care, enrollment growth in PFFS plans comes at an unacceptably high cost to Medicare."
o Even former Bush Administration CMS Administrator, Mark McClellan, had this to say about Private Fee-for-Service Plans in his June 28, 2007 testimony before the House Budget Committee:
"PFFS plans are the least efficient kind of MA plans and they are now growing rapidly."
EXCUSE: The elimination of "deeming" could result in the elimination of health care coverage choices for beneficiaries living in rural areas.
- THE TRUTH: H.R.6331 doesn't affect Private Fee-for-Service plans in most rural areas. PFFS plans operating in areas where there are fewer than two other network plan options would be exempted from any changes to their deeming authority in the legislation. So, the Republicans' argument that this legislation would eliminate choices in rural areas is simply false. PFFS plans in rural areas without other plan options can continue to operate as they do today without provider networks.
- THE TRUTH: The argument that PFFS plans are necessary to preserve choice in rural areas is exaggerated and misleading. Only six percent of rural Medicare beneficiaries are in PFFS plans. (Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2008) Moreover, 99 percent of PFFS beneficiaries currently have access to a non-PFFS Medicare Advantage Plan. (MedPAC, March 2008) Accordingly, even if deeming were to be eliminated in rural areas (which, again, H.R.6331 would not do), the impact would be limited. In reality, the savings generated under H.R.6331 come predominantly from decreased future PFFS enrollment in urban and suburban areas where most beneficiaries have dozens of other Medicare Advantage plan options.
- THE TRUTH: Private Fee-for-Service Plans can actually impede access to health care in rural America. PFFS plans often reimburse providers at rates far lower than under the traditional Medicare Program. For example, numerous PFFS plans do not comply with the cost-based payment requirements for Critical Access Hospitals. When PFFS plans do not adequately reimburse rural providers, they undermine the viability of the rural health care safety net by undoing the special payment structure created by Congress to ensure access to care in rural areas. (National Rural Health Association, October 2007 and January 2008)
- THE TRUTH: The National Rural Health Association (NHRA) supports the Private Fee-for-Service Reforms in H.R.6331. The NHRA, a national non-profit membership organization whose mission is to improve the health of rural Americans and provide leadership on rural health issues, supports H.R.6331, including the bill's PFFS reforms. In a June 23, 2008 letter, the NRHA states:
"The NRHA supported the intention of [PFFS] plans to give rural seniors a choice in their Medicare coverage. However, implementation has not always lived up to these intentions. Rural seniors deserve clarity and transparency and rural providers deserve prompt and fair payment from [PFFS] plans…. In addition, some rural providers have struggled with a process known as "deeming." The elimination of this process in certain situations is a positive one."
EXCUSE: The elimination of "deeming" could cause retirees to lose their health coverage because employer-based Private-Fee-for-Service plans that provide coverage in all 50 states will cease to exist without deeming authority.
- THE TRUTH: H.R.6331 would require employers that provide retiree coverage using PFFS plans to have contracts with doctors and hospitals in order to ensure access to care. The bill also applies this requirement for plans that offer coverage to individual Medicare beneficiaries who do not have retiree coverage. If employers have difficulty in contracting with doctors or hospitals, they would be able to utilize a waiver designed by CMS that will give employer-sponsored plans flexibility in meeting network requirements in areas where provider networks are difficult to form. This waiver has already been announced by CMS and will be available for the 2009 plan year. With the announcement of this waiver, the deeming authority is not necessary for employers to be able to provide nationwide or multi-state retiree coverage.
EXCUSE: Seniors and their doctors oppose the Medicare Advantage reforms in H.R.6331.


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Results 1 to 5 of 6
Thread: Your top three combos
Threaded View
May 5th, 2013 08:14 AM #1
Your top three combos
For this game you post your top three favorite combinations for each gender and then the next poster will comment truthfully on them.
First poster (which will be me)
Daniel Evan
Micah Charles
Oliver James
Poppy Jane
Harper Zoe
Ruby Elizabeth
Second poster, will comment on the first posters' names and then post their top three names which will be commented on by the third poster.
Daniel Evan - I like this combo but I'm not a big fan of Daniel
Micah Charles - I don't think this set flow that well although I like both names
Oliver James - I do like this set but I just think that James is just a filler middle name
Poppy Jane - I prefer Poppy as a middle name as I think it's a little childish but I think the flow of the set is fine
Harper Zoe - I really like this like set, Harper is one of my favorites
Ruby Elizabeth - This is also a lovely combination and the flow is lovely
Parker Ellis
Callen Vincent
Zachary Ryan
Georgia Grace
Abigail Leigh
Nicole Piper
Get it? Enjoy!

subset: commoncrawl


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10 February 2012
Word is out that the New York Yankees are interested in trading away starting pitcher AJ Burnett. The Tigers, apparently not satisfied to simply hand the final rotation spot to Jacob Turner, Drew Smyly, Andy Oliver, Duane Below, or Adam Wilk, have been passively searching for an external candidate to fill the role. Could there be a fit here?
Burnett has had his fair share of struggles the last couple of years (his final ERA was above five each of the last two seasons), but his "stuff" appears to be solid (his K/9 rate was 8.18 last year), and his elevated ERA is directly tied to a seemingly unsustainably high home run rate. His xFIP was only 3.86 in 2011, so if his home run rate normalized, then he would revert to being an effective pitcher. Perhaps a ballpark that's friendly toward fly balls would help.
The Yankees owe Burnett $33 million over the next two years, so in order for any sort of deal to make sense, they would need to be willing to eat around $25 million of that. Even with his home run problems last year, he was a 1.1 to 1.5 WAR player (depending on which system you prefer), so paying $4 million per season wouldn't be outrageous.
Obviously there are a couple of issues to deal with. First, Detroit could in no way overpay to make this deal happen (and why would you want to). I'd wouldn't like to see the Tigers on the hook for more than $8 million (total), and I certainly wouldn't like to see them giving up more than a C-list prospect. We're talking sweetheart deals only. Secondly, Detroit likely isn't looking externally for a two-year guy. Even if Turner et al. aren't ready for the big leagues this season, one of them almost certainly will be looking to take a rotation spot the following year. The Tigers could try to flip Burnett at the end of the season, but best case there is probably getting someone to take most of his contract.
It's not necessarily a perfect match, but if the Yankees are desperate to move him, and if they're willing to pay a significant amount in order to do so, then it could be a good move for the Tigers. Burnett's floor for 2012 is probably 1 WAR, which would probably allow Detroit to nearly "break even", but his ceiling could be as high as 3 WAR, and that would turn the deal into a steal.
Matt Snyder is the editor of The Tigers Den. He can be reached on Twitter @snyder_matthew.


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text:
The US sports nutrition market is valued at about $21 billion by the Nutrition Business Journal, but how is the market divided, which geographical regions and demographic sectors are growing the most, and where are the opportunities? This webinar will provide up-to-date market data on these key questions.
Chris Schmidt,Consumer Health Company Specialist, Euromonitor
Moderator: Elaine Watson, Deputy Editor, NutraIngredients-USA.com


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Many eyebrows have been raised and "oys" muttered when dancers take the floor at B'nai Mitzvah parties. What guests may not realize is that the dancers are highly trained professionals and that entertainment companies have strict policies that govern their hiring, attire and conduct.
Many eyebrows have been raised and "oys" muttered when dancers take the floor at B'nai Mitzvah parties. That's the response from many of the adult, female guests. The men take a long, covert (they think) look — perhaps two — then avert their eyes, having learned not to invoke the wrath of their wives.
The objects of this golden calf-like attention are the dancers that accompany bands and DJs to mitzvah parties. They are young. They have great bodies. They are dressed in form-fitting clothing. They are vivacious.
What guests may not realize is that the dancers are highly trained professionals and that entertainment companies have strict policies that govern their hiring, attire and conduct.
But first, the role of dancers needs clarifying, says Steve Meranus, managing partner of EBE Events & Entertainment. "Dancers are entertainment facilitators," says Meranus. "They keep the kids occupied for four hours. Many of the kids don't have parents at the party and the parents who are there want to have their own fun. I call our dancers the field generals because they direct the action during the party." The receptions, he says, "are productions, with certain dances, games and giveaways, all of which are timed with the food and the video and everything else. The DJ and bandleader can't leave the stage, so the dancers are the ones who help execute all of that."
That's exactly right, says Sally Mitlas, owner of Sally Mitlas Productions. But to her and others, the more pertinent issue is the way in which the dancers perform those roles and the manner in which they conduct themselves. Mitlas has what she calls "strict, conservative and very well thought out" policies about whom she hires, what they wear and what they do at parties. Among her rules: Dancers cannot have visible tattoos or unusual body piercings. Men and women wear black pants and black tops. No midriffs. No skirts. No cleavage. No shoulders. No skimpy tops. No skin-tight clothing.
"I see absolutely no reason for my dancers to dress provocatively," Mitlas states. "We are performing at a Jewish life cycle event in front of children; this is what I believe is appropriate. Every single time, the guests have a blast and that's because of who the dancers are, not because of what they are wearing."
Mitlas requires her dancers to be 21 years old; at other companies, the minimum age is 18. Other guidelines differ. Eddie Bruce, leader of the Eddie Bruce Orchestra, has female dancers wear form-fitting shirts, sometimes long-sleeved, sometimes short-sleeved, sometimes with a vest, sometimes with sequins, sometimes not. "Sexy but not salacious is what I go for," Bruce says. "They have great bodies, so why not show that in tasteful ways? I think it's part of the fun."
At EBE, the women's tops change every season. "But generally, they are shimmery, rhinestone tops with spaghetti straps with something underneath to cover them," Meranus says. "I would say they are not so much sexy as cute."
At A# Sharp Productions, what female dancers wear varies from sleeveless tank tops to one-shoulder tops and short sleeves. They are sometimes in black and sometimes in bright colors, depending upon the clients' request.
What doesn't vary is the dancers' mandatory training. A# Sharp has a rigorous program. "Everyone in our company gets a training manual, but dancers have extra training," explains Adam Weitz, executive director of A# Sharp. "We have strict rules on how the dancers interact with children," Weitz continues.
"We teach them to touch the children in a way that is proper and follows etiquette guidelines. We tell them exactly how close they can get to a child — or an adult — they are dancing with."
"Also, their expression of dance needs to be appropriate," he says. "Although we are hip and edgy, our dance cannot be suggestive. Even if everyone on the dance floor is getting crazy, our dancers will not be overtly sexual."
Weitz's dancers are also taught what he calls "floor management," which is monitoring and engaging the crowd in dancing, games, etc. All of this is reinforced at continuing training classes that Weitz's dancers are required to attend eight to 12 times per year.
"But neither dance ability nor floor management is the number one thing that we look for when we hire dancers," Weitz says. "The number one thing is the thing we can't teach: personality."
"Dancing is third on the list of capabilities we want in dancers," Meranus says. "We want personality, personality and personality."
Bruce agrees. "A dancer must be fearless," he says. "They have to plunge into a group of people they don't know and get them to do stuff they don't want to do."
Entertainment companies go to great lengths to find the right dancers. Many of them are students at professional dance schools or members of dance companies. Interviews and auditions consist of several phases and some companies have trial periods.
For this work, dancers are paid an hourly wage. It varies by company and by tenure. The low end of wages equals the tips a waitress would earn working at a high-end restaurant. Top-tier, experienced dancers can make five times that amount.
They earn every penny, the executives agree. Dancers arrive two hours before the event to unpack and unwrap all of the merchandise that will be given away during the event. They often mingle with kids during cocktail hour, learning what music they like, what the boy-girl ratio is and if they are outgoing or not. When the event begins, the dancing is almost constant for four hours. Breaks are counted in minutes, if they are taken at all. Food and water is often not provided; dancers are encouraged to bring their own to keep up their energy and hydration. Their smiles can never falter. And no one claps for them.
"We on the bandstand get the applause," Weitz says, "but the goal of the dancers is to shine the spotlight on the guests, not themselves. I introduce my entire crew at the end of the event, but even then, people might not understand just how talented the dancers are."
"It's a Catch-22 because we hire the dancers for their talent, but their job is to get other people dancing," Meranus says. "If the guests could see what these dancers can really do, they'd be blown away."
"Focusing the attention on the dancers' outfits and if they are hot or not does not do justice to their talent or the essential role they play in the success of a party," Mitlas states.
And yet, Bruce, Weitz and Meranus have had requests from fathers that are less than mensch-y. They have also had clients who don't want any dancers at the party. "They are absolutely necessary," says Bruce. "I won't do a Bar Mitzvah without them. If the client doesn't want to have dancers, I will turn down the gig."
Melissa Jacobs is the senior editor of Special Sections. This article originally appeared in a special "Mazel Tov" supplement to the Exponent.


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Perfect Cheese Fondue
To serve a smooth and delicious cheese fondue, keep these tips in mind. Cheese can curdle easily when overheated. So reduce the heat to low before stirring the cheese into hot liquids. Keep the heat at low while the cheese melts.
Cheese will melt faster and easier if it is shredded or cut into small cubes.
Cheese fondues are traditionally made with white wine, which not only adds flavor but helps prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. If you don't wish to use white wine, substitute broth or apple juice for the wine and add a little lemon juice.
© 2017 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC


text:
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A lot of things in life happen by chance but most things happen because we make them happen. For instance, we usually pick our life-long partners based on how we like them. They just don't happen.
We buy a particular car because we like it. That just didn't happen either or else your car would simply show up in your driveway. But, back to the thing about choosing the right life-long partner: I chose my wife for a good reason.
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When we play the Heat, I think that our raw basketball survival instincts kick in and we revert back to everything that made us so successful over the last couple of years. Our guys put all of the petty selfish issues aside and played unified in their quest to beat the evil Heat. Our entire existence revolves around beating these guys, and it's understandable to a point that we've gotten a bit bored at times this season since all we've really cared about over the last 10 months is our ECF's rematch against Miami.
Lance is a smarter player than many give him credit for. He understands that the Pacers won't beat the Heat if he plays a bunch of selfish 1 on 1 stat padding ball. Thus, he played like the team ball Lance who is one of the more dangerous assets in the NBA. PG was the same way. He didn't force near as many garbage ISO jumpers as he did against the Bulls earlier in the week. Instead, he had some spectacular takes to the racks and he didn't allow himself to get caught up in a 1 on 1 jumper competition with Lebron.
I think that both PG and Lance fell victim to the idea that they were great enough to pad their stats by playing 1 on 1 ball against lesser opponents. That has obviously bitten us in recent weeks. However, as last night showed, I think that both of these guys clearly understand that they have to play team ball to beat Miami. The coaches just need to convey to them that they need to have that same mentality against any opponent.


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Research Center
Dental Amalgam
What are some illnesses that may arise from the absorption of dental amalgam?
Other than one study done years ago and never duplicated, there are no illnesses associated with absorption of dental amalgam. There is mercury in the fillings, but it is not released once the filling is done.
Daniel Nathan Reed, DDS
Clinical Associate Professor of Primary Care Dentistry
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University


text:
"The distribution's ultimate goal is to provide a Linux alternative to Windows and let Windows users enjoy all the features of Linux without complications."Zorin OS 6 Lite is designed to work on computers that have lower resources available than is required to run Zorin OS 6. Zorin OS 6 adds a bit of razzmatazz with the use of Compiz and the applications included have a heavier footprint than Zorin OS 6 Lite.
If you can't decide whether you should run Zorin OS 6 or Zorin OS 6 Lite then the following specifications may help:
|Zorin OS 6
|Zorin OS 6 Lite
|700 mhz x86 processor
|286 mhz x86 processor
|Disk Space
|3 gb
|2 gb
(Information copied from http://zorin-os.com/faq.html)


text:
By Patrick Altman, AWS Community Developer
A recent addition to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) family is Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES). This article discusses the application programming interface (API) calls to Amazon SES through
boto, a Python library for AWS. It also walks you through a sample command-line tool called
postman, which is designed for use in your Postfix configuration to send mail through Amazon SES.all while remaining transparent to your applications.
In addition, you will discover an alternative to
postman for use with Django.
django-ses.and get the pros and cons of both solutions. Finally, the article looks at the information you can pull from the
quota and
stats APIs as well as how to avoid rejection and Internet service provider (ISP).level spam filtering.
Getting Started
This article assumes that you have already signed up for AWS and added Amazon SES to your account.
Install Postman
Let's start by installing
postman, a command-line client for Amazon SES built on top of
boto, the leading Python library for AWS. The library is designed to be fed raw email messages from Postfix through its
send command, but it also has useful commands for interacting with the service from the command line. For now, install the library and configure your system to work with your AWS account:
$ pip install postman
If you do not have
pip installed, you can install it manually by downloading the tarball from my http://pypi.python.org/pypi/postman and running:
$ tar zxf postman-0.5.tar.gz $ cd postman-0.5 $ python setup.py install
postman also installs
boto, as the library is a dependency. (The next section walks through the various
boto API calls.) This code is open source and can be found on Github.
With the code installed, you must now configure boto to use your account. You do this by editing the
/etc/boto.cfg file with the following content:
[Credentials] aws_access_key_id=<your_key> aws_secret_access_key=<your_secret_key>
You can find these keys under the Access Credentials section. Copy and paste them into this file.
Now you're ready to have some fun!
I wrote
postman for two reasons. First, I wanted an example for this article.a concrete example rather than abstract ideas that would provide more value to the reader who wants to get something working. Second, it solves a real-world problem for me. I wanted to send mail from a Django-based project I had been hosting on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) without having to deal with proper email configuration. I wanted to use Postfix so that applications on my server could send email out of the box without special configuration.
I mentioned that you can find the code on Github, but I'm actually going to be reviewing the code found in
__main__.py (see https://github.com/paltman/postman/blob/master/postman/__main__.py).
The first thing you'll notice is that this is just a simple command-line utility that does some simple wrapping of the API that
boto exposes. There's nothing fancy or remarkable about the code, but it serves my dual purposes well.
The send Command
Let's start with the
send command:
def cmd_send(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() out("Sending mail to: %s" % ", ".join(args.destinations), args) msg = sys.stdin.read() r = ses.send_raw_email(args.f, msg, args.destinations) if r.get("SendRawEmailResponse", {}).get("SendRawEmailResult", {}).get("MessageId"): out("OK", args) else: out("ERROR: %s" % r, args)
In standard
boto fashion, you get a connection object for the service. Next, call the
send_raw_email method on the connection object with content from standard input. That's all there is to sending an email message using Python and
boto through Amazon SES. Some notable improvements here would be to catch quota/rate exceptions and try again after a sleep period or.better yet.return the appropriate return code so that Postfix could manage the retry.
The verify Command
Now on to the other commands, starting with
def cmd_verify(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() for email in args.email: ses.verify_email_address(email) out("Verification for %s sent." % email, args)
Again, this is a simple call to a single
boto connection method,
verify_email_address. You need to call this method for every email address from which you want to send a message. In fact, while in the Sandbox, you will also need to call this method for the email addresses you are going to send mail to. After calling this method, Amazon SES sends an email with a confirmation link. The recipient must click the link before the address is considered verified. Once verified, you can send mail as that address (or to that address during the Sandbox period).
The list_verified Command
To check which email addresses are verified on your account, you can run the
list_verified command like so:
$ postman list_verified
The code for this command is slightly more involved, but it is just cleaning up the return data from the single
boto method to provide cleaner output:
def cmd_list_verified(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() args.verbose = True addresses = ses.list_verified_email_addresses() addresses = addresses["ListVerifiedEmailAddressesResponse"] addresses = addresses["ListVerifiedEmailAddressesResult"] addresses = addresses["VerifiedEmailAddresses"] if not addresses: out("No addresses are verified on this account.", args) return for address in addresses: out(address, args)
This code sends output to standard out as a listing of each email address that has been verified.
The show_quota and show_stats Commands
Next, two commands.
show_quota and
show_stats.query the service for data about current limits as well as information on what you have sent:
def cmd_show_quota(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() args.verbose= True data = ses.get_send_quota()["GetSendQuotaResponse"]["GetSendQuotaResult"] out("Max 24 Hour Send: %s" % data["Max24HourSend"], args) out("Sent Last 24 Hours: %s" % data["SentLast24Hours"], args) out("Max Send Rate: %s" % data["MaxSendRate"], args)
def cmd_show_stats(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() args.verbose = True data = ses.get_send_statistics() data = data["GetSendStatisticsResponse"]["GetSendStatisticsResult"] for datum in data["SendDataPoints"]: out("Complaints: %s" % datum["Complaints"], args) out("Timestamp: %s" % datum["Timestamp"], args) out("DeliveryAttempts: %s" % datum["DeliveryAttempts"], args) out("Bounces: %s" % datum["Bounces"], args) out("Rejects: %s" % datum["Rejects"], args) out("", args)
Again, these are simple wrappers around two
boto methods.
get_send_quota and
get_send_statistics.that provide some parsing out of the data structure that
botoreturns to provide cleaner console output.
The delete_verified Command
The last command.
delete_verified.provides a way to remove an email address from the verified emails that are allowed be in the
From header of an email message:
def cmd_delete_verified(args): ses = boto.connect_ses() for email in args.email: ses.delete_verified_email_address(email_address=email) out("Deleted %s" % email, args)
The rest of the
__main__.py module consists of Python code that parses input arguments and calls the right command function. The module is missing one API call that
boto does provide, however: a more structured email
send that does not require a raw email message body. Adding this call provides a clean method for sending email messages from the command line without having to structure and
PIPE in content with email headers. I will leave that addition as an exercise for later (or perhaps an ambitious reader).
Postman and Postfix
Now that you have installed
postman and are familiar with what it's doing, you're ready to hook it up as your default transport for Postfix. I am no postfix expert, but after a bit of searching and finding instructions for hooking up a Perl script in Amazon SES as a Postfix transport, I thought I could do the same thing with
postman send:
# /etc/postfix/master.cf postman unix - n n - - pipe flags=R user=ubuntu argv=/usr/local/bin/postman send -f ${sender} ${recipient}
# /etc/postfix/main.cf default_transport = postman
If, like me, you have a Django project being served on this machine and want it to be able to send email through this
postman transport, you need to update two settings in your project's
settings.py file:
# Django project's settings.py SERVER_EMAIL = "email@example.com" DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = "firstname.lastname@example.com"
After saving this change and bouncing your server to reload the
settings.py changes, you must verify the email addresses you are going to be sending from:
$ postman verify email@example.com
Then, reload Postfix to pick up the new changes to
main.cf and
$ sudo /etc/init.d/postfix reload
While you're in Sandbox mode, remember that you must verify any emails you are going to send to, as well, so after doing that, try sending a few test messages from your Django project. You can
tail the Postfix logs to aide in troubleshooting this setup, but you shouldn't have any problems:
$ tail -f /var/log/mail.info
Quotas and Statistics
There are two limits on your Amazon SES account: a daily quota and a send rate. The daily quota is how many emails you are permitted to send within a 24-hour period. The send rate is how many emails your account can send per second. For example, you start out with a daily quota of 1000 and a 1/email/sec rate, so if you had a batch of 1000 emails to send, you would have to throttle the sending to 1 per second, or else you would get an exception. So, it would take approximately 17 minutes to send all 1000 messages, but after doing so, you would need to wait another 23.75 hours until you could send anymore. The
postman show_quota command will assist you in monitoring these limits, which Amazon raises according to your usage over time.
$ postman show_quota Max 24 Hour Send: 1000.0 Sent Last 24 Hours: 9.0 Max Send Rate: 1.0
Amazon provides an API to fetch statistics on emails sent grouped in 15-minute intervals for a rolling previous two-week period. These statistics are useful for assisting in monitoring how your application is using and sending email. They provide counts on delivery attempts, complaints, bounces, and rejects. The
postman show_stats command prints these figures to the console for you:
$ postman show_stats Complaints: 0 Timestamp: 2011-04-10T18:48:00Z DeliveryAttempts: 1 Bounces: 0 Rejects: 0 Complaints: 0 Timestamp: 2011-04-10T19:18:00Z DeliveryAttempts: 1 Bounces: 0 Rejects: 0
You receive Bounce and Complaint notifications via email with the address that either bounced or complained. It is wise to take action and remove the affected email address from your application to avoid future, repeated sends to that address.
Avoiding SPAM Filters
To avoid spam filtering or outright rejections from ISPs, it's a good idea to set Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Sender ID records. These are Domain Name System (DNS) TXT records that have the following content:
v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ?all
- Sender ID:
spf2.0/pra include:amazonses.com ?all
If you already have either of these records, you MUST add these entries as additions or replace the current entries, as ISPs will query and see a different authorization and reject them, whereas if they are simply missing, it might allow the authorization through and/or mark it as spam. Bottom line: Add the records to the domains from which you are sending email to ensure high-quality delivery of your email.
One alternative to the
postman solution presented earlier is a project by
boto core committer, Harry Marr, called
django-ses, which you can find at Github. It is a Django mail back end. Obviously, this tool only works within the confines of a Django-based project, so it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison to
postman. However, in the context of a Django project, the tools solve the same problem.
django-ses project includes user interface elements for graphing and displaying statistics, which may be more useful than pure console output. In addition, depending on where you were deploying your Django project, you may not have control over your Postfix configuration or have a good email solution in place at your host provider. So using
postman would not be an option, whereas
django-ses is 100 percent Python and is deployed as part of your site.
The downside to
django-ses is that sending mail is a blocking call. Depending on what is triggering the email to send, the message may have to wait on the request to Amazon SES to finish before returning. This delay could become problematic in high-performance scenarios.
With the aptly titled "Simple Email Service" becoming one of the latest additions to its plethora of cloud services, Amazon continues to impress. Indeed, the service is simple.just as email should be. Using
django-ses, or even
boto directly, you are well on your way to integrating email services into your application with the backing of an email platform that will scale when you need it to.
This article highlights a aspects of working with Amazon SES. Here are a few more resources available to help you learn more:
- AWS. Learn more about each Web service in the AWS suite.
- Amazon SES. Learn more about Amazon SES on the AWS Web site.
- Create an AWS Account. Sign on to create an AWS account.
- Developer Connection. The community site for AWS developers includes forums on AWS, a Solutions Catalog for examples of what your peers have built, and more.
- Resource Center. Part of the Developer Connection site, the Resource Center has links to tutorials, code samples, technical documentation, and other resources for building your application on AWS.


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The Titan supercomputer over at Oak Ridge National Laboratory 18,688 AMD Opteron 6274 16-core CPUs, and 18,688 NVIDIA Tesla K20X graphics cards. It has 710TB of memory, with 598TB dedicated to the CPUs and 112TB to the GPUs. Those specs make it the world's most powerful supercomputer, but did you know it that this 299,008-core computer also is the world's fastest storage system?
The officials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have decided to beef up the storage system on Titan and have selected the Spider II data storage and retrieval system from DataDirect Networks (DDN) to replace the existing system on the Titan supercomputer. At the heart of Spider II are 36 SFA12K-40 hardware devices—each capable of handling 1.12 petabytes of data. Together they will allow Titan to move 40 petabytes of data at 1.4TB/s. According to ORNL, that's equivalent to the amount of information in books stacked high enough to reach the moon. The system will have 20,000 disk drives to hold all that information and will use Lustre, the open source file-system software. In contrast, the current system is able to manage 10 petabytes of storage, running at 240GB/sec! Talk about an upgrade! The bill for this machine is closing in on $100 million and it takes up 404 square meters of floor space, and consumes 8.2 MW of electricity.
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Harry Aikines-Aryeetey felt he missed a golden chance to break the magical sub-10 second mark and be grouped with the UK's fastest.
The 25-year-old Sutton & District athlete was competing at the AA Drink FBK Games in Holland last Sunday when he equalled his personal best of 10.08 seconds to finish fifth in the men's 100m final.
The title went to Richard Thompson from Trinidad & Tobago, who lowered the meeting record with 9.95secs, while second placed Chijindu Ujah became the third fastest ever Brit with his 9.96 effort.
But Aikines-Aryeetey, the current British number four 100m runner, was left kicking himself and felt aggrieved at not getting one of the middle lanes in the final.
He said: "I got messed about with my lanes. I won my heat so I should have been next to Richard Thompson and Chijindu Ujah.
"It was a competitive race. Thompson ran 9.95 so he's taken the light. It's frustrating because running that fast I could not get into sub 10.
"This is business now. You've got Chijindu who done 9.96, Dwain Chambers and Adam Gemili, but it's frustrating because I know I could have been in that mix.
"Hengelo is a perfect place to come. The track is really fast, it's great conditions if it's really sunny. But it's frustrating because I could have squeezed at the last few metres.
"But despite all that my sprinting is good, I'm competitive and in great shape.
"I'm ready to go and this will be my year."


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Suranga Lakmal vs Ricky Ponting, Galle, 2011
Submitted by Hilal on September 6, 2011 - 18:58
The second video is HD. Just click the HD button on the player.
Lakmal looks like a very good Test bowler, he just have to cut down the boundry balls.
Submitted by Vishane Perera on September 9, 2011 - 00:05.
Is Lakmal the replacement for Malinga????


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Discussion in 'Streetwear and Denim' started by Mauro, Feb 13, 2008.
Left hand twills were ok. Looks like the natural indigo would fade, as would the cowboy.
I have the LHT's weird guys and like them a lot. They are tough to fade initially but will fade in time. I figure at least 3 months of constant wear will reveal fades. I'm 1.5 yrs into mine and they're nicely faded. I wear them on weekends only now Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
The LHT produces spectacular fades - also the Chrismukkah release from this year is showing a lot of potential (I bought a single pair for myself - should have stocked them).
I'm not really chasing fades,I chose N&F for their color selection.
My latest pair are the rusted blue selvedge and I really hope there is a more aggressive taper compared to UB.
I've been hunting for a pair of red cores for months. I managed to miss the Frank & Oak collab edition of them, somehow. Anyone have any leads? Size range is 29-31.
Today I went through 3 security checks at different airports (Chicago, Miami, Panama) while wearing my new Elephant 5s. The leather tag at the back of the N&Fs is so thick and dense that it triggered an extra pat-down every time from TSA staff. Every time they thought I had a wallet in my back pocket!
Don't wear these for air travel if you get impatient at security checks.
These are my first pair of N&F and I'm VERY happy with them. They fit me perfectly from the outset. Got them at Mild Blend Supply. Staff at MBS were excellent at guiding me through choices. First class service.
Hey guys,
I need a piece of advise. I'm about to start my selvedge denim adventure, and I would like to start it with a pair of N&F jeans. Right now I can't decide between Left Hand Twill and Elephant 2 (both in weird guy fit).
Left Hand Twill jeans weight around 14oz, and sounds like a safe choice for a first pair, especially because of spring-summer time part of a year. However, super heavyweight denim sounds very tempting. I'll have to order on line, and I don't have opportunity to try either pair before I make a purchase.
Does anyone have experience regarding wearing 22oz denim during summertime? In my country, temperature goes easily beyond 90 degrees, with relatively high humidity. Idea of super heavyweight jeans sounds ridiculous, but rational thinking was never my style
If you didn't have the high humidity then the 22oz heavyweights would probably be fine. But you do, so... I have to recommend going with the 14s.
Thanks Skriefal
I'll try LHT now, and will postpone super heavyweight denim for autumn!
I like N&F for their interesting offerings most seasons, but find the leather label on the back *super* tacky. I've taken it off all of my pairs. I have a silk blend from a few years back, a smoke-grey pair, and another I forget.
I live near Hong Kong and I try and only get superlight jeans. I have some 9 oz. superlights that are wonderful for summer pants. Very little starch, looser weave. Even 12oz. I feel is way, way too thick for summer.
I just visited HK, wearing my N&F WG's and I almost died lol.
New Kaiju Monsters in weird guy worn for about a week now. The fit is a fair amount baggier on my pair than the Blue Owl measurements indicated they should be. Slightly loose and very comfortable. Hopefully they don't stretch out much more. I'm expecting good things in four or five months.
Separate names with a comma.


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DETROIT - As protests go, it was peaceful and eclectic.
As the emergency financial manager announcement was made by Gov. Rick Snyder Thursday afternoon inside Detroit's Cadillac Place about 50 protesters voiced opposition outside. The protesters were marching and carrying signs around the state offices.
Read: Kevyn Orr officially named Detroit EFM
Michigan State Police were not expecting a large group but troopers were prepared in case there was a massive turnout. Police mostly were concerned about traffic delays.
"We need to stop up (I-94), John Lodge (Freeway), 75," said Pastor Thomas Jackson, who was among the protesters.
State police were not having it.
"There is plenty of room to protest and state your case on what you feel about an emergency manager ... when you start going on the freeway where cars are traveling 70-plus miles per hour and you suddenly stop, somebody's eventually going to get killed," said MSP Lt. Michael Shaw.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A COMMUNITY group for retired residents will learn about lifeboats at its next meeting tomorrow.
The University of the Third Age (U3A) for Bowers Gifford will meet at the Benbow Club in Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford, on Wednesday at 2pm.
The guest speaker will be Tim Sheppard from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Guests are welcome for £2 which includes refreshments.


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The Atlas EQ-G requires an external 12-volt DC power source, such as an Orion Dynamo Pro (sold separately) or AC-to-DC wall adapter (sold separately) for motorized operation.
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Atlas EQ-G GoTo equatorial mount
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text:
Carol Brouillet
The Moment
Last night my husband and I watched the third film in a trilogy that began with Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, concluding with Before Midnight, a penetrating glimpse into the relationship between a man and a woman, over the course of two decades. The two originally meet on a train traveling through Europe, where they begin a conversation.
Carol Brouillet - On Money
On September 11, 2013 at the Grand Lake Theater, at the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance's Annual 9/11 Truth Film Festival,50 Years of Betrayal - From JFK to Today, following the screening of Jekyll Island – The Truth Behind the Federal Reserve, I spoke on the issue of "Money," but I didn't have enough time to say all that I meant to say and people asked me to post my written remarks.
Book Review: Decoding Reality - The Most Dangerous Book in the World: 9/11 as Mass Ritual
The Most Dangerous Book in the World:
9/11 as Mass Ritual, by S. K. Bain, Trine Day, 2012, 354 pages
The shock and awe factor of 9/11 was perhaps the most signature characteristic of the surreal globally televised event, particularly geared towards the American people, who were terrified that this could happen to us, in our own country. We felt assaulted physically and emotionally that day and by the events that followed. Definitions and explanations offered up by the media made little or no rational sense, but that was by design. 9/11 was aimed at the deeper subconscious, the spiritual realm, the soul of humanity.
Movie Review - <I Am Fishead(
80 minutes. Released originally in New York on September 11, 2011. Produced and directed by Misha Votruba and Vaclav Dejcmar
A highly produced, provocative film takes a look at psychopaths, sociopaths, the financial crisis, the rampant use of drugs to numb emotions, the human response to positive and negative examples, as well as authority. This engaging film is narrated by Peter Coyote who opens the film by describing the manner in which psychopaths seduce their victims. The directors and producers have experience in psychology, as well as financial markets and know how to tell a story visually. There are numerous interviews and illustrations of gauging the difference between "normal people and psychopaths" and the difficulty in identifying them, with and without brain scanning technology.
I just returned from Philadelphia, the Continental Congress 2.0, and the National Occupy Gathering.
My heartfelt appreciation to those who helped me and supported my Congressional bid. It was a learning experience for my son and I, and a great organizing opportunity for many of us. Jonathan Fluck, who came out from New York to help with the campaign, told us that our campaign happily avoided much of the drama that he had witnessed in previous campaigns. Our team actually got along and enjoyed one another's company and the campaign was not an intense, high pressured ordeal.
Protesting in Chicago, Against NATO, Against the War Machine... & Locally
It is heartening to see that the Occupy/Protest Movements are still going strong, despite the Orwellian crackdown on protesters and the increasingly repressive laws against dissent.
On Friday the new Perception, Election, Deception, Greenback Dollars arrived in Palo Alto. It was a totally crazy day for me, as the accountant called to remind me that taxes were due (I had completely forgotten to give her the numbers for the first quarter for the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance). There were so many things to do and remember, and of course I spent most of my time baking cookies and a cake for the Campaign Kickoff Party. I persuaded Jules to make a cheesecake, which kept him up until midnight. Jonathan handled the presswork, which I hate doing.
Why Congress Should Serve People not Corporations
[Most of this was written years ago, when I first ran for Congress, before the financial crisis, as I removed it from the smart voter website, I thought that it still holds truth and power.]
Good Friday - Occupy Lockheed Martin Action
Busy as I am, I just couldn't resist the action at Lockheed Martin this morning. We gathered at 10 am, formed a circle, sang, and shared words. With banners, flags, signs, we walked to the main gates of Lockheed Martin to be joined by other committed peace activists. The Pacific Life Community holds monthly vigils on the fourth Friday of every month to send a simple clear message to the US government and the folks at Lockheed Martin, and the world:
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Science is not boring, at least if you're learning science at Brookside Elementary School. Students laughed and gasped last week during an action-packed and sometimes wild presentation on solids, liquids and gases, compliments of the Lawrence Hall of Science.
The annual assembly is a favorite of students and teachers at Brookside. Educational Presenter Randal Wung taught the basics of science as part of an educational outreach program.
Wung wowed his audience with beakers overflowing with mist and chemical reactions that created gas and inflated balloons. Volunteers took turns assisting Wung, who walked the students through the properties and phases of matter, using dry ice and liquid nitrogen to add no small amount of wonder to the study of science.
It turns out if it's hard to change the shape of something, it's probably a solid. If it's easy to change the shape of something, it's probably a liquid; and if you can't see it, but you can smell it, it's probably a gas.
A giant test tube was employed as Wung and the students conducted an experiment to find out exactly what that powdery substance was and we found out if you add a little vinegar, you can fill that giant test tube almost to the top with something gooey and bubbly and amazing. Wung grabbed a giant test tube stopper (of course) and showed the kids how all those bubbles created enough gas to fill a balloon.
The hour-long event wrapped up with a demonstration on sublimation. That's the term for matter when it skips one of the steps or phase changes it normally goes through.
After dipping a bundle of cilantro and an onion into liquid nitrogen, Wung smashed the veggies with all the gusto required (and maybe even a little bit more) to impress his audience of first- and second-graders.


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Pictures of Matt Damon and Emily Blunt at the Premiere of The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Makes His Adjustment Bureau Premiere a Valentine's Date Night With Luciana
Matt Damon had his wife Luciana on his arm last night for the NYC premiere of The Adjustment Bureau, which hits theaters early next month. He's been on the East Coast for the last few days doing press for the film during a break from shooting We Bought a Zoo in LA. It was an evening of work despite the Valentine's Day holiday, but Matt said at the junket on Saturday that he and Luciana don't need special occasions or big gestures. When asked what dramatic move he's made for her, Matt said, "You build your life around someone, that's pretty crazy. But it's more incrementally. There's no moment where I'm like Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July running down the street in the rain . . . any minute I'm not working I go home. But we have a two week rule." They're among the many couples who are happy to show PDA any day of the year, though Matt's costar, Emily Blunt, was without her own spouse John Krasinski. She still was decked out for the screening, wearing a salmon-colored Elie Saab concoction. Emily and Matt returned to the East Coast after filming the project at iconic Big Apple landmarks last year, and their amazing access to those spots is evident in the trailer — stay tuned for more from Matt and Emily's big night on PopSugar Rush!


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So apparently the latest firmware got leaked/found, this firmware contains some information regarding the hardware its working on, which leads to some pretty down-to-Earth assumptions of what we'll be seeing on Monday. Here's the rundown:
* Infineon PMB6952 / S-GOLD3 six-band UMTS / HSDPA transceiver (as we'd heard)
* Murata LMRX3JCA-479 tri-band amplifier (we're assuming for the 3G)
* Sony SP9T antenna switch for GSM / UMTS dual mode
* ARM 1176JZF-S - Main CPU (same as in 1st gen iPhone)
* Skyworks 77427 chip - UMTS / HSDPA tx 1900MHz, rx 2100MHz
* Skyworks 77414 chip - UMTS / HSDPA 1900MHz
* Skyworks 77413 chip - UMTS / HSDPA 850MHz
* Internal build model number: n82ap (1st gen iPhone was model m68ap)
* UMTS Power Saving option - on or off
* Hooks for Global Locate Library (GLL), software that handles A-GPS related commands for the host processor
For those that don't care about the guts and want just the rundown of things:
1- It has 3G, but it won't work with T-Mobile's 3G (different range)
2- It doesn't have true GPS, but A-GPS which is better than locate me, but it still uses cell towers to transmit/receive data.
[via engadget]
Regarding GPS and 3G:
3G: T-mobile US (not sure about UK) indeed uses 1700mhz. Thats the "official" frequency of that band, even if it uses 2100mhz also. iPhone will not support 1700.
A-GPS: Ok, I jumped the shark on this one before realizing what A-GPS really is, user boeselhack explains is below:


text: Seller: redroosteruk (123.534) 99.8%, Location: Bexleyheath, Ships to: Americas, Europe, Asia, AU, Item: 321063517032 Details: Split washers x100 for clocks & repair. Good variety mix as shown in photos. Please note they come in sealed bags with a little protective film of oil that needs wiping off.Please note that these are black in color. 20p is to guage size. We sell a range of great value watch tools and parts assortments also clock tools and parts. Please see in shop. Please buy with confidence if you are not happy we offer a full refund for any reason, just return the item. We accept paypal for international orders, if UK based we also accept cheques and postal orders, you can also pay directly through paypal with debit and credit cards. We generally post same day as payment if bought before 2pm. We send our items well packed and always first or second class for UK, and by Royal Mail Airmail for international orders. Ebay shipping times are an estimate for international purchases and can take longer especially when not tracked. If you buy a substantial order we will send using tracked postage at our expense if postage charged does not cover this. Our aim is to only sell good value quality goods, but should you not be 100% happy, we offer a full refund no questions asked for up to 10 days after purchase and for any reason, just return product to us. Please if you have any issues with our product or service, please contact us and we will do our best to resolve any problem. We are growing business that sources and imports our products as close to the actual manufacturers of the tools and parts as possible and therefore get the best prices, no middle men. We can and do then pass these substantial savings onto our customers. We aim to provide very high levels of customer satisfaction with outstanding quality/price . Powered by eBay Turbo Lister


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Lowrie makes himself at home with big game
OAKLAND -- Jed Lowrie officially joined the Oakland Athletics Wednesday night.
Lowrie, of course, has been with the A's since being acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros during the offseason and enjoyed a productive spring.
Wednesday's performance, said A's manager Bob Melvin, fully endured him to his latest set of teammates.
"To break out and have a night like he had, he makes himself comfortable with the team," Melvin said. "It was a big pickup for us."
Lowrie doubled twice, hit a home run and drove in three runs for the A's in their 6-2 victory over the Mariners.
Lowrie started the season at shortstop when Hiroyuki Nakajima went on the disabled list.
Rick Eymer is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The Overtime-shootout blues
Jason Gregor
September 28 2008 05:32PM
The Oilers stayed in the playoff race last season due to their dominance in overtime and the shootout. They were 19–6 combined when reaching the 4th period (4–2) and into the breakaway drill (15–4).
It will be near impossible to match those totals—Atlanta had the second most wins in the SO with nine—but the bigger concern is that the Oilers went to overtime and beyond 25 times last year. Thirty per cent of their games went to extra time. But what should be more concerning to MacTavish and his players, is that the Oilers surrendered the lead in 15 of those games.
Ten times the opposition tied the game with 5:16 remaining or less.
- Game #1 (H): Sharks' Joe Thornton ties it with 0:11 to go. Stoll wins it in shootout.
- Game #28 (R): Kings' Ladislav Nagy ties it with 1:28 to go. Gagner wins it in shootout.
- Game #33 (R): Wings' Zetterberg ties it with 2:40 to go. Hemsky wins it in shootout.
- Game #34 (H): Canucks' Ohlund ties it with 1:22 to go. Pisani wins it in shootout.
- Game#39 (R)" Wild's Burns ties it with 5:16 to go. Nummelin scores winner in OT. The Oilers gave up a three goal lead in this loss.
- Game #43 (H): Rangers' Drury ties it with 0:07 to go. Gagner wins it in shootout.
- Game #66 (H): Jackets' Tarnstrom ties it with 2:39 to go. Hemsky wins it in shootout.
- Game #68 (R): Jackets' Fritsche ties it with 0:01 to go. Cogliano scores winner in OT.
- Game #69 (R): Hawks' Byfuglien ties it with 4:35 to go. Cogliano scores winner in OT.
- Game#79 (R): Avs' Sakic ties it with 0:06 to go. Sakic wins it in shootout.
Out of the 25 games that went to OT and beyond, only six times did the Oilers come from behind. Four games were tied from the first period on, so I didn't include them in either category. Because the Oilers were so good in the SO and OT they didn't lose many points, but by surrendering the lead 15 times, they gave the opposition an extra point.
The Oilers have repeated this trend twice already in the pre-season. Vancouver tied it with 5:17 to go, while Florida came back with only 1:42 to send it to OT. Horcoff's line was on the ice versus Van, while the Kids were on versus the Panthers. I understand it's pre-season, but this trend has spanned over a year so the players need to be aware of it.
If the Oilers hope to contend for the division, they have to become better at putting teams away and protecting leads. They can't expect to be as good in the SO, but if they become better at holding onto a lead, then they won't need to rely on their SO success.
This team needs to become mentally tougher playing with a lead, or once again they will find themselves scratching and clawing just to get to the playoffs.
—You can hear Gregor weekdays from 3 to 6pm on the Team 1260 Edmonton Sports Radio, or listen online at www.justagame.ca.
Even though this list is a like a highlight reel of all my nightmares last year, I'm glad you posted this. Every time someone argues that the Oilers didn't deserve as many wins as they had by season's end (due to shootout success), I shudder. Not to sound like Craig Simpson, but the team who puts the most pucks in the net wins, plain and simple. Maybe this year they don't win as many shootouts, but maybe they don't blow as many last minute leads. Who knows?
The fact that they won a pile of shootouts isn't a cause for concern necessarily. All the blown leads might be, but I don't think you can really predict how this year will go in either respect. That's why they play the games. When Dallas kept winning shootouts, nobody said they'd be in for a fall, people just said they were really good at shootouts. For all we know, the Oilers could just really good at shootouts, and really bad at holding a lead. And what hockey fan without a heart condition could complain about that?
I think the blown lead issue is very indicitive of how young and inexperienced this team was last year. Every really good team learns from their failures. This year will tell whether the team learned from all the blown leads, and plays to win instead of playing not to lose. Here's to hoping they did.


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Kansas State arrived on Friday in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl. Wildcat Coach Bill Snyder addressed the media and answered questions upon their arrival.
Coach Snyder Opening Statement:
"Thank you very much and thanks to all the yellow jackets here. We've experienced this a few times before and I'm sure that this time will be no different than it has been before in the past. We've had a wonderful reception and people have been so very, very gracious to each and every one of us. Our entire travel party appreciates that. I know that that is a high priority on their list and they do it very well. We do appreciate it immensely. We are honored to be here. We will take a forfeit, but that wouldn't draw very many fans so I guess we will have to play the game."
"The University of Oregon is a tremendously talented, very exceptional football team. They are a very quality football team. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to compete against them. I think our young people are certainly looking forward to that opportunity and I know they are looking forward to a wonderful stay here in this great, great community."
How is your team as they face the end of the season?
"With a 2:15 flight and you have 130 18, 19 and 20 year olds and you have them up in the air, everything is going to be fine. Now that they are on the ground, the problems may begin. I have a great deal of confidence in these young guys. They've been really a special group of young people. They are very caring people, they are good teammates, they take good care of themselves and I certainly would hope and reflect that that would be the case while they are here. They're going to enjoy the time.
Anything you can take away from the last four bowl experiences?
"I think every ball game is a unique experience in its own right, throughout the few hundred that we've had. I can't tell you that I have an answer why we've been unsuccessful the last few years in terms of winning and losing. Will we try and do anything different? i can't tell you I'm smart enough to try and figure that out. Probably not. We like the way we try to prepare and we certainly will try to do it that way."
Can you prepare for Oregon's speed in practice?
"I don't know that anybody really can. Not in the way that you're thinking. There's certainly some things that you do that would attempt to replicate the kind of speed and the tempo of the game that you see. They are going to snap the ball every 16 or 17 seconds, sometimes faster than that. Just to be able to get lined back up on defense is not an easy task. You have your routine in practice and you'll run two offenses at your defense. You can replicate that time to a certain degree, but not with the same people."
Describe your bowl prep and will it change now that you are in Arizona.
"Our practice routine here will replicate what we would do during the course of a regular season week. We have a Monday routine, a Tuesday routine, etc. The practices up to this point in time have been varied in texture and tenure. For the most part, there's just an awful lot of variety that lends itself to trying to help develop younger players in the program and at the same time put in an appropriate amount of preparation time for the likes of the University of Oregon. It's been a mixture of things. They had to have some Christmas time off, which they did. They came back, we went four days without workouts, then two days in shorts so we could transport (equipment). We can't afford two sets of uniforms, so they had to go in shorts for two days. Today we will be in pads. We got them all transported."
What would a Fiesta Bowl victory mean to the program?
"I think it would be very special, particularly for the seniors in our program. The 27 young guys who have invested a great deal in the program, invested in the improvement of the program. Their tenure here has gradually gotten a little bit better year in and year out and this would be very special. It's a very special opportunity for them. A reward of a victory would certainly be very special to them as well."
Did you learn anything from the Baylor game that can help you against Oregon?
"You can't stand around against a team that moves awful fast. We did that. That was a ball game that we learned a lot. I think we learned a lot about how we reacted or responded to the preparation during the course of the week. We learned a lot about who was willing to make the immense sacrifices that it takes to compete against a team like that. As you saw last night (in the Holiday Bowl), (Baylor) is a for-real team. There is a great deal of similarity between the two teams. They are two offensive football teams and not to be denied is the fact that they are very good on defense. Baylor was against us, they were against UCLA and Oregon has been good on defense on all year round. Their defense goes somewhat unnoticed because of the tremendous scoring power of their offense."
Do some of the Big 12 offenses help you in your preparation?
"Well it does help to a certain degree. However, it's not all about the X's and O's on the chalkboard, it's who happens to represent those X's and O's on the field. You're probably looking at a greater amount of collective speed in addition to the fast tempo that (Oregon) uses. Not that the other team's we've played didn't have quickness and speed, but it seems to permeate the Oregon program."


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Jeffrey Hersch
Jeffrey Hersch (EE'87) is a Managing Director of Highbridge Capital Management where he is the portfolio manager for the merger arbitrage group. Highbridge is an alternative investment firm for institutional and individual investors, pension funds, and endowments. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Prior to joining Highbridge in 2012, Mr. Hersch worked for 23 years at UBS Investment Bank and its predecessor firms Swiss Bank Corp and O'Connor & Associates. From 2001-2012, he worked as a Managing Director leading the proprietary merger arbitrage activities at UBS. He started his career in 1989 at O'Connor in equity derivatives trading. He held several positions at O'Connor/Swiss Bank/UBS including analyst, senior trader and portfolio manager.
Mr. Hersch received a BE in Electrical Engineering from Cooper Union in 1987 and an SM from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989, where he studied engineering management and finance, and served as a research assistant in the civil engineering and ocean engineering departments.
While at Cooper, Jeff was Editor of the Pioneer and President of Zeta Psi fraternity.
He lives in Westchester County with his family.
Role: Trustee
Elected to the Board: December 2013
Class Term: 2017
Term Limit: 2021


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Back in June, we posted about The Elder Scrolls Fan Union, who were working on a Morrowind mod project to bring community members into the game as NPCs. I recently checked in with members from the site about their progress and received the following email (thanks Ibis), written by BGS forum member redsrock.
If you're interested in joining the project, head here.
Take it away, Redsrock…
The TESFU Town Mod Project is going rather well. Somewhat naturally slow due to us not having a whole lot of modders on the job, but as they say…slow and steady wins the race. And for what we lack in numbers we more than make up with quality. Ibis at the helm is doing a tremendous job of keeping everything organized, as well as keeping tabs on everyone else's duties. She is truly a wonderful Director/modder, and the mod definitely wouldn't be alive without her.
There are some specifics to talk about, so I'll get right to that. Some of the larger buildings that have yet to be finished are the Book Store/Mage Tower, which is going to have a mix of a Telvanni and Egyptian motif interior. Another is the Healer Cottage, where our member Nilloc James will act as its doctor, and will live upstairs in his office. He also has a nurse, who is as of now is an NPC. The tileset for the cottage's interior, once finished, will be a tan-ish color.
There have also been a number of buildings finished as well, such as the Dragon Break Inn and the West Guard Tower. Also, the very cool Brian S (pretty much TESFU's own warrior-poet) has a neat little pawn shop. It was the first building finished, but it still needs to be stocked with the items for sale.
Lettuceman44, the current Admin of the TESFU Forums, is currently working on his NPC's house. All in all, roughly 1/3 to1/2 of all the building's interiors have been finished, pending on whether or not we need to add anything else to them. Lettuce's title now is Duke and he is officially in charge of Neacrythe's total military, including the city's defenses. Lettuce is also the mod's head Scripter and that is why the Quest Writers get his approval to make sure the quests are doable in a Morrowind mod.
Thankfully the activity in creating our mod's many quests has been wonderful for a good while now. Nilloc James is in charge of all quests. (though he does have to get them all approved by Lettuceman44 as well) He's doing a tremendous job thus far, and shows great dedication to the project. One of our cooler quests involves the PC finding a multi-colored Guar who can be milked for chocolate milk. It's a very neat quest created by our member WhyAitch. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to give anymore away than I already have.
And I think that's the coolest part about our quests, and our mod in general. Many of them have references to our members from the forum and how we act with one another. A while back we had a sort of fishy-stick war, in which several members came up with their own version of the fishy-stick. We've had Boom Sticks, Ninja Sticks, Samurai Sticks, and also my very own Mozzarella Sticks and Kool-Aid. (I know…original, huh?)
This is the point of our mod. We want to be as creative as possible and construct an awesome atmosphere and adventure for those playing it, but this is also a way for us to display the history of TESFU. All in all, the mod is coming along marvelously. I myself am gathering fanfics/lore articles/poems/etc for the mod, but the real credit goes to various members of the community that have participated. If you visit our forums, I think you'll see that they're a great group to work with. Without them, this mod would be going nowhere fast.


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GEORGE Rhodes enjoyed a winning debut as captain when Barnards Green took 20 points for the second week running.
They top Birmingham and District Premier League Division One after three games ahead of tomorrow's big match at second-placed county rivals Ombersley (noon).
Green beat Moseley by eight wickets in a rain-affected clash after scoring 114-2 in reply to 139 all out.
Worcestershire player Rhodes, son of County director of cricket Steve, won the toss and chose to field first with rain in the air.
After an early break for the weather, Liam Smith returned to the side in style by taking two early wickets.
Dangerous overseas player Neville Talbot mistimed a pull shot and was caught by Jamie Tapper at mid-off for 13.
Moseley's other opener Usman Shabir was bowled for five by Smith.
The visitors' 28-2 became 41-4 as Mark Hardinges trapped both Kishen Patel (14) and Abdul Hafeez (2) lbw.
Ali Awan and Simon Chase steadied the ship to reach 50 in the 13th over with a four through mid-off.
But Jon Dovey broke the partnership as Awan (24) nicked a ball behind to wicketkeeper Ash Brewer.
Jono Watts fell lbw soon after for a duck off Hepburn before Recordo Gordon and Chase built the strongest partnership of the innings, including two sixes off Rhodes.
However, Dovey again took the key wickets with Chase (24) caught by Smith at mid-on for 24 before Gordon mishit to Alex Milton for 34 off 36 balls.
Moseley were on 133-8 with 17 overs left to bat but Hardinges and Smith returned to grab their third wickets.
Smith bowled Tom Watts (0) and Hardinges had Fred Eburah (1) caught by Milton at backward point as Moseley were bowled out in the 36th over.
It gave Green 50 overs to bat, despite the rain break, and Gordon then went for 33 runs off his first three overs, including six no-balls and a big six from Rhodes. The captain built a strong partnership with Adam Dovey of 46 before Tom Watts trapped the latter lbw for 6.
Alex Hepburn and Rhodes were always well ahead of the run-rate as the former brought up the 50 in the 10th over with a fine drive for four.
Moseley rotated their bowlers in an attempt to unsettle the batsmen without success and a rain break reduced Green's target to 128 off 46 overs.
But Gordon returned with immediate effect as Rhodes was bowled by a fine yorker just four short of his half-century.
Green were on 105-2 when the showers came again and they were then set 114 off 41 overs.
But the hosts needed just one more over to finish the game with Hepburn hitting two boundaries to end up on 40 not out with Hardinges on 6no.
Green host Ombersley in Second XI Division Two South tomorrow (12.30pm) after their trip to Water Orton was abandoned.
They collected seven points after being bowled out for 113 and then reducing the hosts to 47-5 in reply.
Kevin Golder scored 59 runs and Jack Mackintosh took 2-18.
Green hold their annual six-a-side competition on Sunday, May 25, with teams from football clubs Malvern Town, Malvern Radar and Powick taking part.
All spectators are welcome.


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Topic: Hello!
Hello everyone!! My name is Kate, and I have joined this site because my Mother has been diagnosed with a Klatskin Tumour, so I am hungry for information on the subject!
I actually live in West Sussex UK (I note that there is another lady on this site who lives in my area)!
The difficulty I am dealing with is that my Mother lives in Greece!! She is currently in Patras University Hospital, Rion, on the Pelloponese. So I am dealing with Greek Doctors, who, whilst very nice and capable I'm sure, are not exactly tripping over themselves to give me information!! I am assured her Doctor is one of the best in this field in Greece, a certain Dr.Karavias, who seems very nice!!
Anyway, she was diagnosed acouple of weeks back...usual thing....jaundice was the first indication that something was amiss. I think the first signs were end of March, so I guess all in all diagnosis has been fairly swift.
Just over a week ago she had some kind of stent inserted to unblock the bile duct, to relieve the jaundice. It is slowing going, she's not quite as yellow as she was when I first arrived here!!
The Doctor seems to be fairly confident that he can remove the tumour. I have no idea how big it is, although I seem to remember 2-3cm being mentioned. And I think she was told it hadn't spread to the lymph nodes etc. Does any of this make sense?
So, just waiting really, for the big op.
My Mother incidently, is calm and collected, and insists it has nothing to do with being brave. She says she has had a good life, and is not afraid to die!! Amazing woman my Mother!! She has lived here 17 years, and seems to have adopted the Greek mentality....whatvever the Doctor says or DOESN'T say is just fine.....she has no desire for masses of info, it's me that wants to know every tiny detail!!


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Not sure where this goes, so I'm posting it here knowing Hicks et all will move it if necessary.
I just wanted to wish all of you here at PacersDigest a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you all get everything you wish for...and I'd be ecstatic if my Kings could find a way to beat the Heat on Friday.
Good luck in the rest of the season.


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SAF 8K Block Party
Luke McRedmond Park
Sun 06/02/2013
8K, Off-road/Trail
S.A.F. 8K Double Trouble REGISTER FOR BOTH EVENTS AND SAVE!! JUNE 2ND AND AUGUST 18, 2013 Race Information: Serious About Fitness is proud to announce our summer 2013 event series to benefit Hopelink! Here's the scoop: -The event formerly known as 'RAC to Redhook' is now 'SAF 8k Block Party to 'Lift' Hopelink.' - All proceeds from the event benefit Hopelink, which is a non-profit organization that supports local community members and families who are hungry or have become homeless. -The starting point has been moved this year from RAC to Luke McRedmond Park to accomodate the growth of the event. - The event is an untimed run/walk open to community members of all ages and abilities. - There will be four fitness challenges along the course and a party atmosphere throughout! - The event concludes at Redhook Brewery for an afternoon after party of beer, lunch, music, and a cornhole tournament! - For friends and family of participants who would like to join the after party, food, drink, and cornhole tickets will be available. S.A.F. 8K Block Party Check-In: Check In: 9 - 9:30am Warm up: 9:45 Start: 10am FREE Tech Shirt Each registrant will receive a free tech shirt with his or her first registration. Double Trouble registrants will only recieve a second shirt if they request for one before August 1, 2013. Post-Event Party: Post event party will include food and beverages for all bib-wearing participants. Friends and family meal tickets can be purchased with your registration. Carpooling is encouraged. ALL EVENTS BENEFIT HOPELINK
- Address:15811 Redmond Way
Redmond, WA 98052


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Joe Flacco didn't hold back when asked him about the NFL's decision to bring cold-weather football to the Super Bowl. Next year, the game will be played outdoors (MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.) in a potentially frigid setting for the first time.
"I think it's retarded," Flacco, a native of New Jersey, told reporters on Monday after the Ravens arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. "I probably shouldn't say that. I think it's stupid. If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium. Then you can get one.
"Other than that, I don't really like the idea. I don't think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather."
The record low at kickoff for a Super Bowl—39 degrees—occurred when the Cowboys defeated the Dolphins at Super Bowl VI on Jan. 16, 1972 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.
Next year's game will be played on Feb. 2. The average high in Newark, N.J., which is near East Rutherford, for that day is 39.8 degrees and the low is 24.2.
On media day Tuesday, Flacco explained further why he doesn't like the idea of Super Bowl XLVIII being played in the cold of his home state.
"I think it's obvious reasons," Flacco said. "They've done it the way they have been doing it for the last 47 years for a reason. A lot more goes into this game than just playing the game.
"It's for the fans and the players that played for the right to get there. There's a lot of things that go into it. It's kind of a crazy decision, I believe."


text: Then, among the wise and high-minded people who in self-respecting and genuine fashion strive earnestly for peace, there are foolish fanatics always to be found in such a movement and always discrediting it -- the men who form the lunatic fringe in all reform movements. [Theodore Roosevelt, autobiography, 1913].Earlier it was a term for a type of hairstyle worn over the forehead (1877). Lunatic soup (1933) was Australian slang for "alcoholic drink."