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Al Montoya is no stranger to making a strong first impression.
The Winnipeg Jets backup goalie made 24 saves in a 3-0 shutout win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday to continue an impressive trend.
This was the second consecutive season Montoya put up a zero in his first start of the season and actually the fourth time in his NHL career — doing it with the New York Islanders in February of 2011 and even pitching a shutout in his first NHL start with the Phoenix Coyotes as a rookie back in April of 2009.
Montoya didn't have a theory for why he's had hot starts over the course of his career but described the most recent performance instead.
"It's a great night, I've just got to keep it going," said Montoya, who blanked the Ottawa Senators in his first start with Jets last season. "The team played really well in front of me. For the most part it was perimeter stuff and (shots) from the outside. There wasn't much coming down the middle on the rush or rushes to speak of. For a goaltender, it's easy when you know you've just got to take care of the one shot and (your teammates) take care of the rest.
"I felt confident. I felt I did the right things to prepare and just played my game. Nothing special."
Jets forward Evander Kane, who led the offence with a pair of goals, was impressed by Montoya's performance.
"He was spectacular. He made some highlight-reel saves," said Kane. "To come in after not playing in however many months he hasn't played in and to have a performance like that, says a lot about his character and a lot about his work ethic."
With the game scoreless early in the second period, the Jets had to kill off a 5-on-3 disadvantage during the second period.
Montoya came up big and Kane broke the deadlock with an even-strength goal that came 15 seconds after the second minor penalty to James Wright expired.
"It's unreal. You feel like you contributed a little bit, like a side assist," said Montoya. "I had a save and then you've got Mark Stuart's blocked shot, the guy puts his face in front of the puck every single night. It's a testament to the way this team battles."
Jets head coach Claude Noel was asked if he felt the 5-on-3 kill was the turning point of the game for his club?
"We did a good job there," said Noel. "There were a couple big plays in there, some really good efforts and sacrifices. Those things are rallying points, I'm not sure if it was a turning point but you could look at it that way."
After joining the 300-goal club earlier this month in the Jets' home opener against the Los Angeles Kings, veteran centre Olli Jokinen added two more milestones on Sunday night when he assisted on Kane's empty-net goal.
It was the 400th assist and 700th point in 1,039 regular season games for Jokinen.
Kane was quick to grab the puck out of the net and gave it to Jokinen for a keepsake.
Jokinen has one goal and three points in six games this season.
Sunday marked the first time this season the Jets failed to score a goal on the power play … Jets D Toby Enstrom was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season, but continues to be tied for team lead with Dustin Byfuglien with six points (all assists) … Jets D Zach Bogosian was a physical force on Sunday, leading all players with seven hits … Byfuglien probably had the biggest hit of the contest, stepping up to nail Devils D Peter Harrold … While the Jets took Monday off after playing three games in four days, the Canadiens hit the ice at MTS Centre.


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Bird Banding at Grand Isle School
Story Highlights
- Part of our community based conservation program with Grand Isle School.
A student from Grand Isle School holds a white-eyed vireo.
Long before European explorers discovered the barrier islands of the Louisiana Gulf Coast, migrating NeoTropical songbirds were taking refuge in the live oak, hackberry forest of Grand Isle. The maritime forest of Grand Isle is essential to the survival of over 300 species of birds migrating in the spring and fall.
The 2014 spring migration has already started! To bring awareness of this phenomenal event, The Nature Conservancy partnered with National Audubon's Director of Bird Conservation, Dr. Erik Johnson, and assistants from Louisiana Audubon, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Barataria National Estuary to conduct a 2 day bird banding event in the Grilletta Tract of The Nature Conservancy's Lafitte Woods Preserve.
As part of our community based conservation program in Grand Isle, students in grades 2-12 were escorted to the banding site to learn about the use of mist nets to catch the birds and the different types of data collected. Students were encouraged to hold and then release the birds – a truly unforgettable experience.
It was a great event and made real all that they have been learning about the birds' journey across the Gulf of Mexico. We hope that by seeing and touching these courageous travelers, the students will appreciate the importance of the habitat that is Grand Isle!

subset: commoncrawl


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|Table 8: Mean deviation (RMSE) of predicted clay and organic carbon contents in the overlap area of the HyMap flight strips and standard errors of PLSR models generated using the spectra transformed to absorbance (Abs) and spectra transformed to first derivative of absorbance (Abs_Deriv1). Bold numbers indicate model parameters presented in Table 7.
|SEC: standard error of calibration in (g kg−1) and SEP: standard error of validation in (g kg−1).


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Paginated PDF Version
Review by Tiffany Shao, American University
As China emerges as a global economic and political power, interest in learning Chinese and learning about Chinese culture also increases. Some learn Chinese to be able to live and work in China; others learn Chinese just to be able to get around while traveling through the vast country. Just as in the learning of any language, textbooks are useful to learners when they meet learners' needs and goals for communicating in the target language. The books reviewed here, Ho's Beginner's Chinese and Intermediate Chinese, may best serve those learners whose needs and goals are to travel in China rather than those who want to live and work professionally there.
Both Beginner's and Intermediate Chinese books are "based on the premise that less is more" and are "communication-oriented" (Intermediate, p. iii). Each book covers ten lessons organized by functional topics such as "Greetings" and "Money and Shopping" (Beginner's) and "Holidays and Festivals" and "Health and Fitness" (Intermediate). Both books teach vocabulary, grammar, and the written characters of Chinese by presenting three to four dialogs in each lesson. The dialogs can be heard on an accompanying audio CD, although Beginner's Chinese has an additional CD for pinyin and tones (pronunciation) practice. In addition, both books include answer keys to each lesson's exercises and appendices on further resources, both print and online, for self-study of Chinese.
Beginner's Chinese is "designed for those with little or no prior experience in the language" (back cover), and this is achieved by the author's excellent introductory explanations of Chinese in the chapters Chinese Language: Its Prominent Features, Chinese Phonetics, and Written Chinese1. Each lesson in the book starts with Sentence Patterns, scripts of the Conversations, Words and Expressions, Supplementary Words and Expressions, Language Points, and Exercises, and ends with Cultural Insights relevant to the topic of the lesson. However, the CD for each lesson starts with Words and Expressions, continues with Supplementary Words and Expressions, then Sentence Patterns, and finishes with Conversations. If the author's intention was to introduce new vocabulary and expressions first, then it is puzzling why the organization of the book and the audio CD are not in sync. The amount of vocabulary and number of expressions taught in each lesson increases by lesson so that upon finishing the book, "the student will have learned 90 basic sentence patterns, 300 written characters, and numerous communicative skills" (back cover). The author's use of "Sentence Patterns" encompasses both grammar structures, such as the modals yao 'to be going to, want', neng 'can, may', and keyi 'can, may' (p. 78-79), and useful terms and chunks, such as yixiar, used with verbs to mean a brief action, and tingshuo, meaning 'I heard' or 'they say' (p. 81). These 90 basic sentence patterns are recycled throughout the lessons, but since they are all new to learners, 90 patterns can be quite overwhelming for a beginner.
The same can be said for teaching 300 written characters in a beginner's book, especially since the author advises in the introduction on written Chinese that "the emphasis of this or any other beginning course for adult learners is on speaking or communicating, character learning and writing are not given priority" (p. xii). Learners can certainly learn to speak or communicate in Chinese with this book because new words and expressions, while presented in Chinese characters, are also romanized in pinyin and translated into English. In fact, there are textbooks such as Chinese for Dummies (Abraham, 2005) and Chinese in Plain English (De Mente, 1995), which teach Chinese with pinyin alone without Chinese characters at all. Pinyin is used in China to teach pronunciation of Mandarin; however, learning Chinese as a foreign language by pinyin may allow learners to "read" and "speak" Chinese, but not necessary "understand" Chinese. Just as in learning any language, even one whose orthography is similar to English, being able to speak or pronounce words and phrases does not mean communicative competency. Perhaps the author acknowledges and compensates for this problem by directing those beginner learners who cannot "resist learning some characters" to separate software programs, online tutorial sites, and "an exercise book with grid pages" to practice writing characters (pp. xii – xiii).
For learners who just want to be able to speak and understand tourism Chinese, the presentation in each lesson of paring pinyin with English translations is functional. Together with the audio CD, learners can pick up chunks of useful phrases for greetings, asking for directions, time expressions, and ordering in a restaurant. The recording of the audio is clear, and the rate of speech is slow enough for a beginner to follow. However, when rate of speech is slowed down, some conversations sound robotic and emotionless. As mentioned before, the Beginner's book includes a bonus CD on pinyin practice. Although the author does not specifically suggest it, learners may best be served by starting their learning of Chinese by mastering pinyin first. This is especially important since the representation of Chinese sounds using the Roman alphabet can result in odd combinations of consonants and vowels, together with diacritic marks to indicate the four tones: a learner may very well be wondering "did the CD just say what sounded like 'chu' for qu?" The speaker on the pinyin practice CD is exceptionally clear in her articulation of all possible Chinese sound combinations in four tones; however, she does not leave time after each set of combinations for learners to repeat and practice, which would be useful. While the author provides a list of these possible sound combinations for the 21 consonants in the appendix to use with the CD, the CD starts off with vowel practice. Unfortunately, there is no itemized visual/textual representation of vowels and vowel combinations, except for a chart in the beginning of the book and in the introduction on Chinese Phonetics (p. vii). Furthermore, the order of the vowel sounds in the vowel chart and in the introduction does not match the order as recorded on the CD.
By learning chunks of key words and phrases, learners who want to be able to speak and understand tourism Chinese can achieve this goal relatively quickly. The author presents these chunks as Sentence Patterns which are further explained as grammatical structures and communicative usages in Language Points. This method of teaching grammar structures and language functions works for language learners who are used to memorization. However, memorized grammar structures and chunks of words and phrases do not necessarily enable learners to communicate when they are engaged in real-life interactions. By presenting chunks of key words and phrases to learners, the author does not allow learners to discover for themselves grammatical structures and the communicative functions in which they are appropriately used (cf. Biesenbach-Lucas, 2005). In other words, learners do not have to take responsibility for self-learning since the answers and explanations are provided by the textbook/teacher. Once again, the author seems to compensate for this weakness by stating in the introduction that "Chinese grammar is very simple," and indirectly quoting the renowned linguist Yuen Ren Chao that "all Chinese grammar is syntax, all Chinese syntax is word order, and therefore all Chinese grammar is word order" (pp. iv and v).
In Intermediate Chinese, instead of Sentence Patterns, dialogs and new vocabulary are used to "illustrate common grammatical patterns" (back cover). Unlike Beginner's Chinese, this follow-up book focuses on reading and writing of Chinese by presenting a short reading passage, in Chinese characters and pinyin, in each lesson (the corresponding English translation is provided at the end of each lesson). This sudden focus on reading and writing of Chinese characters may be a hurdle for learners who learned from Beginner's Chinese, which focused more on speaking and communicating. The topics covered in Intermediate Chinese are also less tourism Chinese and more "Chinese for living and working in China." These include Calling and Answering, School and School Life, and Job Hunting and Interviewing. In other words, this volume is suitable for more academic Chinese taught in classrooms.
Presentation and organization of each lesson in Intermediate Chinese are different from Beginner's Chinese. Each lesson starts with Conversations, a short Reading Passage, New Words and Expressions, Supplementary Words and Expressions, Language Points, Exercises, and English translations of the scripts of the conversations and reading passage. The accompanying audio CD follows the order of presentation in the textbook, but it does not include Supplementary Words and Expressions. Although, just as in Beginner's Chinese, Intermediate Chinese is text-heavy, it does include a few simple black-and-white drawings of people, activities, and objects, such as those that accompany the progressive aspect (pp. 43-44), prepositions and directions (pp. 73-76, 86, 88-89), body parts (See Figure 1, p. 125), and Chinese zodiac signs (p. 155).
Figure 1. Sample black and white drawing in Intemediate Chinese.
It is possible that a learner is new to Intermediate Chinese who has previous knowledge of Mandarin Chinese learned from other texts (back cover). If a learner is continuing his or her study from Beginner's Chinese, then the materials presented in Intermediate Chinese should include materials recycled from the previous volume in addition to new materials. In as early as Lesson 2, the author assumes the learner has previous knowledge of "making/talking on the telephone" to be able to complete the exercise on "describing what people are doing in the following pictures" (p. 43), but the term "da dianhua" (making/talking on the telephone) is first introduced in the following lesson (pp. 51 and 54). In general, a cursory glance of Intermediate Chinese gives the impression that a learner should have a solid academically-learned foundation in Chinese, especially in literacy of Chinese characters, to be able to understand and learn successfully from this book. While a glossary of vocabulary covered in Beginner's Chinese is included in this follow-up book "to assist learners with making a smooth transition" (p. iv), the amount of Chinese characters might initially be overwhelming.
Figure 2. Typical text and layout in both Beginner's and Intermediate Chinese
Both Beginner's Chinese and Intermediate Chinese are similar in presentation so that a "smooth transition" is nonetheless possible. In fact, the "look" of the texts is the same: sentences in Chinese characters appear first horizontally from left to right, then the same sentences in pinyin using the Roman alphabet is repeated immediately beneath the characters. The Chinese characters are known as "square characters", and "[i]rrespective of the complexity of strokes and structures, each character occupies the same amount of space as the next one" on the page (p. xiii, Beginner's). Obviously, using the Latin alphabet to spell out sounds of Chinese characters, however, takes up a variable amount of space to represent the sounds. For example, the term Zhongwen, 'Chinese language', is composed of two square Chinese characters, but eight Roman letters (the textbook capitalizes the "z" following the English writing convention of capitalizing the first letter of proper nouns). In the scripts of the dialogs, language points, and exercises, the author spaces out the Chinese characters and words to line up with the space required to spell out the words in pinyin, as well as to separate out grammatical parts of speech in Chinese. The result is inconsistent spacing between Chinese characters and words while the pinyin is spaced evenly. (See Figure 2.) It is perhaps a matter of learner preference to visually match up Chinese characters and words with corresponding pinyin. The teaching of literacy of Chinese should expose the learners to authentic writing of Chinese: both the characters and how they are spaced in relation to punctuation marks. By the time learners reach the intermediate level, it might be damaging to develop a reliance on inauthentic spacing to distinguish parts of speech and collocations for meaning.
Intermediate Chinese also carries over familiar exercises from Beginner's Chinese. Routines are useful in language learning. From Beginner's Chinese, learners by now are accustomed to the format of certain exercises and can focus on completing the exercise instead of understanding directions. Typical exercises in both volumes are "answer the following questions," "fill in the blank," "translate the following into Chinese," the correcting of mistakes, and conversion of sentences. In Intermediate Chinese, to focus on reading and writing, there are also writing exercises, such as "describe your home or apartment" in the lesson on locations and directions (p. 92). If a learner is using this book for self-study, such exercises should certainly strengthen the ability to manipulate grammar (or more precisely, word order) and develop literacy in characters. However, the exercises are mostly "controlled" in that "there is only one correct answer," and, while they are good practices to reinforce the memorization of chunks, grammar structures, and character stroke orders, such exercises do not easily allow learners to "apply the same structure to real communicative contexts outside the classroom" (Biesenbach-Lucas, 2005, p. 3).
Chinese is drastically different from English in sounds, grammar, and orthography. Due to such differences, it is perhaps more productive that both teachers and learners first determine the learner's needs and goals for learning Chinese. If one wants to pick up enough Chinese in a few months through self-study to be able to travel in China, then Beginner's Chinese may serve as an ideal textbook. If one wants to expand or supplement his or her Chinese previously learned in an academic setting, then Intermediate Chinese is an excellent addition. Teachers may also find both volumes to be good supplements to their assigned texts. In learning Chinese as a foreign language in the U.S., where authentic audio materials can be hard to obtain (sometimes it may also be difficult to find native Chinese speakers to record teacher-created dialogs), the dialogs on the audio CDs can provide students with additional opportunities to hear different voices of spoken Chinese as well as supplementary dialogs in various life functions. Best of all, both volumes are modestly priced for a solid foundation in Chinese for both students and teachers.
1. Capital letters are used to indicate the author's lesson sub-sections.
Tiffany Shao is a lecturer of Intermediate Chinese at American University. She is interested in applying the principles and techniques of communicative language teaching to the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language in the U.S.
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Abraham, W. (2005). Chinese for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Biesenbach-Lucas, S. (Ed.). (2005). Innovative and communicative materials for teaching grammar [Special Issue]. AU TESOL Working Papers, 3. Washington, DC: TESOL Program, American University.
De Mente, B. L. (1995). Chinese in plain English. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Ho, Yong. (1997). Beginner's Chinese with two audio CDs. New York: Hippocrene Books.
Ho, Yong. (2004). Intermediate Chinese with two audio CDs. New York: Hippocrene Books.
Contact: Editors or Editorial Assistant
Copyright © 2006 Language Learning & Technology, ISSN 1094-3501.
Articles are copyrighted by their respective authors.


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Dungeon Siege 3 - Interviews @ Mods Reloaded, CVG
View Single Post
January 12th, 2011, 10:29
Unfortunately, Obsidian's approach to NWN2 all but eliminated the modding community for it.
They were way too focused on the singleplayer campaign, and obviously didn't plan well for the toolset and multiplayer features.
Not a big suprise, given the critique NWN1 got for its OC - but I think it was a huge mistake to go blind to overcome that. They also spent far too much effort redoing the interface, which was - in my opinion - significantly worse than the excellent NWN interface.
Sad, but at least the campaign was better than the first game.
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The phone call last week literally had D.Ann Foster trembling with fear.
"I was about to melt into the floor, I was so scared," she said. "My heart was beating so bad. I was almost hyperventilating."
And what put the 77-year-old Plano resident into such a state?
The caller said he was with the sheriff's department and had arrest warrants for her and her husband. Their supposed crime: failing to appear for jury duty.
"He said, 'You need to be up at the courthouse at 2 o'clock, and each one of you needs to pay $1,000,'" D.Ann recalled.
"I said, 'I can't be there.' He said, 'Why not? Why can't you be there?' He was hollering at me. He said, 'Then we're coming to arrest you both. We're coming to your house.'"
D.Ann tried to reason with the caller. "I said, 'I didn't get a summons. I haven't had a jury summons in years.' He just kept on: 'Oh, yes you did. And because you're not obeying what I say, we're going to come arrest you.'
"It still makes me shaky," D.Ann confessed as she retold the story. "I'm still really shook over it. I remember saying, 'I've never been in jail!'"
As she pleaded with the badgering caller last Thursday morning, D.Ann was passing along some of the things being said to her husband, Bob. After a few minutes, Bob had the presence of mind to use his cellphone to call a friend on the Plano police force.
The officer said, "It's a scam. Hang up immediately." And with trembling hands — still not sure she was doing the right thing — D.Ann hung up.
Of course, now she can clearly see that it was a scam. The caller fumbled over their names. He never fully identified himself or provided specific information about their supposed failure to appear for jury duty.
But D.Ann said, "Oh, he had me going. I fully believed it."
In fact, the jury warrant scam has been around for years but is making a big comeback. The Plano Police Department has issued a warning through its social media outlets.
Plano police spokesman David Tilley said that if D.Ann had stayed on the phone, the caller almost certainly would have tried to intimidate her into sending money to satisfy the supposed warrant.
It's a crying shame, but our own telephones have become an easy way for scammers to reach into our homes and wallets. Electronic payment options make it a snap for the slimeballs to pick our pockets.
"There are so many scams working right now that it's unbelievable," Officer Tilley said. "There are just so, so many out there."
The jury scam works especially well because so many people are actually guilty of ignoring a jury summons. In Dallas County, only about 20 percent of people summoned for jury duty show up.
For the record, the Fosters say they always reported for jury duty. But that didn't make the call any less scary.
Tilley has good advice to thwart the scammers and their many ruses. If anyone calls purporting to have important business, politely but firmly say that you will have to call them back, he said. Ask for a full name, title and department.
Also ask for a phone number, but don't use it. "Instead, look up the number yourself for the company or agency that's supposedly calling," he said. "If you can reach the person that way, you know it's probably legitimate."
Don't immediately fall for any pitch, no matter how convincing. "These people are crafty and they are skilled," Tilley said. "Do some research before you ever take anything as legitimate truth."
It's like Reagan used to say of the Soviets: "Trust — but verify."


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The former Prime Minister and Chancellor said the public should not assume that any further transfer of powers from Westminster was "good devolution".
He said giving the Scottish Parliament full fiscal autonomy – so-called 'devolution max' – would also undermine the "very essence" of the Union as it is based on the pooling and sharing of resources.
Mr Brown said having varying rates of taxes, state benefits and pensions in different parts of the UK, whether through independence or devo max, would lead to a "race to the bottom" that would harm ordinary people.
This contrasted with the current constitutional arrangements, he said, whereby people are guaranteed the same benefits wherever they live and one part of the UK can bail out another that is in financial trouble.
He highlighted the Team GB Olympics cycling team as an example of where pooled resources across the UK had resulted in greater success that could have been achieved by one home nation.
Alex Salmond, the First Minister, is agitating for a second 'devo max' question to be added to the independence referendum ballot paper as a consolation prize if Scots reject independence.
Mr Brown said he favoured more powers being transferred to Holyrood but not devo max, warning this would also undermine the shared legal, social and economic rights that underpin the UK.
Delivering the Donald Dewar Lecture at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, he said: "You cannot have a social union if you break up the very essence of the existing union, the pooling and sharing of resources.
"If you break up the fiscal union, then it's clear that you will either have to cut public expenditure massively beyond what is being done at the moment, or you will have to tax Scottish people more."
He concluded: "Fiscal autonomy means more taxes in Scotland, not in a progressive way at all but simply to fill the gap that's left by not pooling and sharing the resources of the UK."
The former Prime Minister said the UK is the more progressive union of states in history, pointing out that there is only a four per cent difference in the average income in England and Scotland.
He said this compared favourably with either the EU or US where there are "massive inequalities" between member states.
"Break up the Union then you will have regionally varied minimum wage rates and that will mean there will be a race to the bottom, with one unit trying to undercut the other," he warned.
"Some people may welcome that at the start but you will end up with a pensioner being treated completely differently in one part of the United Kingdom from the other.
"And I think people will think that is not progress. That is moving backwards and there will be a competition to see who can cut resources more quickly."
But a spokesman for John Swinney, the SNP Finance Minister, said Scotland contributes 9.6 per cent of the UK's taxes but only received 9.3 per cent of spending.
"Scotland is better off than the UK as a whole, and therefore Gordon Brown is wrong on tax and spending, and wrong about fiscal autonomy and independence," he said.


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Duke TCM-88PG-N7 120 Description
Thurmaduke Cold Food Unit, mobile, 88"L, 32"W, 36"H, 16ga stainless steel top, NSF #7 stainless steel mech. cold pan, 8" deep, 84.5"x21.75" liner, 1" drain line & valve, 20ga paint grip steel body & undershelf, 5" dia. swivel casters (2 with brakes), 6' cord & plug. Contact Customer Service for Color Options. 120/60/1 V
*The warranty will not be honored for residential or non-commercial use of any Commercial Equipment.
Duke TCM-88PG-N7 120 SpecificationsPDF Spec Sheet


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Raising a royal baby just isn't what it used to be.
From the birth announcement to the heir's education, the British monarchy has softened its stiff upper lip and loosened the guidelines when it comes to raising a royal baby.
British historian Robert Lacey explains that beginning with the birth announcement, tradition has been tweaked.
"A little notice gets put out, attached to the railings [of Buckingham Palace] and that is the place, and that has been for decades. … The new … call for announcing the birth will be the use of Twitter. The palace there has its own Twitter account, it has Facebook, so it will be going out on the new social media."
Even the delivery itself has evolved over the years. Buckingham Palace used to double as a birthing room.
"The last heir to the throne to be born in Buckingham Palace was Prince Charles. A room was set up in the palace like a hospital ward that was where his mother, the present queen, gave birth in 1948. Prince Philip was not present at the birth. He was down playing squash in the palace squash courts."
Unlike Prince Philip, Prince William, Lacey expects, will be present and in the room for the newborn's arrival.
"Now another difference is that a new baby will not be born here [at Buckingham Palace]. Diana and Prince Charles decided they wanted their baby that was Prince William and later Harry born in a proper hospital"
Snapping those first baby pictures has changed, too. Tradition used to call for a special studio to be set up inside the palace to capture those first moments.
"When it comes to pictures of the royal baby, in the past there has been a studio set up in the palace. Diana broke away from that sort of thing. She was perfectly happy to appear on the steps of the hospital like anyone else, and I think we're going to see the same with Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge"
Rearing a royal, has changed, too.
" Traditionally, heirs to the throne have been brought up inside the palace. For example, the present queen had most of her lessons here [at Buckingham Palace] or in Windsor Castle. She never went to a school. … The queen and Prince Philip wanted to break away from that, so they started the change in tradition of getting the royal heir educated out in public - sort of public - British public schools, which are private."
But perhaps the biggest change of all is the line of succession. Traditionally, male children were first to receive the throne, regardless of birth order. But parliament is changing all that.
"Until now, the law favored the male in the line, and so if the baby were a girl, it would only succeed if there were no brothers. Now the law is being changed. The plan is that whether the baby is a boy or girl, that baby will be the heir in keeping with modern conquests of equality."
A conquest for equality, just one of the changes that will no doubt capture the world's attention.
"We're fascinated by this birth. I think what we're fascinated about is the tradition, the way it has always been done, and the way the new parents will tweak it to reflect their own personality, and what they want for their new baby in the new century."


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Flash Draw Created Feb 23, 2009 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2009 beke.
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Holy cow, this is amazing!!!!!! 5/5+++++++
it looks like its flying forward, great job 5/5 +fav
realistiC!!!! nice
absalutly amazing. thats all you need to say to discribe it.
Great draw!
Great draw! I feel like a trip now..XD
I believe I can fly....you seem to be a pro
u made this look so easy dude nice work


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SAN BENITO {AP} A 12-year-old Rio Grande Valley boy has been charged with threatening to kill students at a San Benito middle school.
Municipal Court Judge Frances Flores charged the Los Indios boy with making terroristic threats, a third-degree felony.
He was confined to the Darrell B. Hester Juvenile Detention Center, San Benito police Sgt. Zeke Torres told the Valley Morning Star of Harlingen.
The suspect is a seventh-grader at Santa Maria Middle School. According to police, the boy threatened to kill a cousin and other students at Berta Cabaza Middle School in San Benito, about 10 miles east of Los Indios.
According to police reports, the boy threatened to kill his cousin after a fight between the two. Police said he had a "list" of targets he told students he would shoot the day before Berta Cabaza dismissed for the Christmas holidays Tuesday.
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1 - 5 September 2008, Cape Town, South Africa
In recent years the scientific interest in AM CVn stars has markedly increased. The reasons are the discovery of many new sources, in particular in the Sloan Digital Sky survey, the wealth of observable phenomena and the fact that they will be important test sources for low-frequency gravitational wave detectors. In July 2005 we had the first AM CVn workshop and we think it is a good time to gather the most active researchers again to exchange news and ideas and discuss the challenges that lie ahead.
The aim of the workshop is to give an overview of the current state of affairs in AM CVn star research and provide an environment in which ideas can be discussed and future collaborations can be started. Some of the open questions that could be discussed are:
• Formation of AM CVn stars, the importance of different formation
scenarios, their progenitors
• The Galactic population of AM CVn stars
• Phenomena associated with helium accreting white dwarfs
• The properties and stability of helium accretion discs
• The occurrence and stability of direct impact accretion
• The nature of the short-period candidates
• The structure and physics of the donors and accretors
• The gravitational wave emission of AM CVn stars
• The relevance to Type Ia supernova progenitors
In order to stimulate interaction, the number of participants will be limited to about 30 (with a strict upper limit of 40 participants, allocated on
a first come, first serve basis). We will have talks in the morning (in principle every participant will be able to give a talk) and discussion and work
sessions in the afternoon. Computer facilities and rooms will be made available for working in (small) groups. All contributions will be posted on the web immediately after the meeting.
The workshop will be held at the auditorium of the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town. Coffee, tea and lunches will be provided. We will try to ensure all participants can stay in the same hotel, the
Breakwater Lodge at the V&A Waterfront.
Social activities will include a lunch at the Boschendal wine estate in the Cape winelands on Wednesday 3 September, and a tour
of various wine cellars. An additional post-workshop tour to the 10-m SALT telescope in Sutherland (6 - 7 September) will be organised for those who are interested in visiting the observatory in the Karoo semi-desert (not included in the workshop registration fee).
The workshop registration cost is set at 150 Euro. This will include all coffee, tea, cookies, lunches and the workshop lunch at Boschendal. Limited financial support will be available.
The registration deadline is 1 June 2008. Please register by e-mailing amcvn2008 `at' mensa.ast.uct.ac.za, with the following information:
• Name, institution
• Title of contribution
• Exact dates of stay (hotel will be booked, unless you prefer to organize it yourself)
Further information will be posted on the workshop website.
We look forward to seeing you in Cape Town!
Patrick Woudt, Gijs Nelemans, Gijs Roelofs and Danny Steeghs.
Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer


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Sankalp And Kareema Travels
Sankalp And Kareema Travels has a bus fleet of 10 buses including Multi-axel Volvos and Sleepers in both A/c and Non A/c Category. It operates in some of the major routes in Maharashtra. Some of the Important routes of Sankalp And Kareema Travels include Mumbai-Shirdi, Nasik-Mumbai, Sholapur-Mumbai, Akkalkot-Mumbai, etc.
Sankalp And Kareema Travels Online Bus Booking can be done on AbhiBus.com using online payment (Credit Cards, Debit Cards or Net banking). Customers can carry the Mobile Ticket(SMS confirmation) that they receive from AbhiBus.com after the booking. Customers can call AbhiBus.com's 24/7 Customer Support for any queries that they have. All transactions on AbhiBus.com are safe and secure (encrypted using VeriSign SSL Security).


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The department of video and audio programs under China's official Xinhua News Agency is to cooperate with the WildAid to create public service ads to promote the preservation of threatened and endangered species.
The two sides signed an agreement Friday, under which the WildAid, a San Francisco-based wildlife preservation group, will fund the production of the advertisements on environmental issues agreed by both sides.
The Xinhua video and audio department will air the ads in its TV programs and broadcast media to be developed, according to the agreement.
Xinhua deputy editor-in-chief Wu Jincai said at the signing ceremony that the two sides could also jointly organize activities or make TV programs featuring relations between mankind and natureto promote environmental awareness.
Steve Trent, president of WildAid, said Xinhua was one of most influential news agencies in the world. WildAid would cooperate with Xinhua to push the preservation of endangered species.
Interpol estimates the annual illegal trade in wildlife could run as high as 20 billion U.S. dollars. The trade has drastically reduced numbers of many species, some to the brink of extinction.
WildAid works as a non-profit organization with representatives in China, India, the Galapagos Islands, London and Canada.
Chinese celebrities such as movie stars Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyiand basketball's Yao Ming have joined the WildAid cause, in some cases doing voice-overs for the group's ads.


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NEW YORK - Shoppers are finally coming out of hibernation.
Better weather and an earlier Easter enticed Americans to shell out for spring clothes in March, the fourth straight month of gains for retail sales. Target, Macy's, Gap and the parent of Victoria's Secret all beat Wall Street expectations.
The stock market recovered from an early slide as the increase in retail sales overshadowed concerns about Greece's debt problems and the job market.
The Dow Jones industrial average finished with a gain of 30 points after being down 53 and falling the prior two days. Broader indexes also rose.
The sales improvement was broad, spanning discounters, mass merchants, specialty stores and luxury retailers. The gains offer strong evidence that people are feeling more confident in the economic recovery and are more willing to spend.
Retailers had several factors on their side. The earlier holiday combined with comparisons to notoriously weak sales in March 2009 had analysts expecting solid improvements. But it's also clear that shoppers' mindset is changing.
Target Corp., Saks Inc. and Nordstrom Inc. said spring clothes sold well, particularly shoes and women's clothing.
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Sphere is a RPGCE (a role-playing game (RPG) creation engine) that allows you to relatively easily put together an RPG along the lines of Final Fantasy 6 or Phantasy Star. It supports 32-bit graphics (with 256 levels of translucency) and MP3, Ogg, MOD, S3M, IT, and XM files for audio (and WAV and SPX (speex) for sound effects), and does not place arbitrary limits on map, tile set, sprite set, or script sizes.
The Primo Dynamic Web Content Manager allows users to create and manage a Web site without requiring a database or root privileges. The only requirement is a Web server that can run Perl CGI. The output of the software is simple HTML. Perl is used to create, modify, and enable polls and forums. Cascading Style Sheets and XML are heavily used.
JSpell is a server-based spell checker that allows you to spell check any HTML input field and form. It is i18n compliant and has dialogs for multiple languages available. It can be used to add spell checking capabilities to HTML forms on your Web site. This spell checker is compatible with JSP, ASP, CGI, PHP, Cold Fusion, Oracle Forms, etc.
The CODE:NEO Application Server is a Web server extension that bridges the gap between web interfaces and compiled code. It allows the user to build "Joints" with .CnBin extensions, which can be called through the Web server and operate at ultra-fast speeds. CODE:NEO also comes with two API libraries (CnUtil and CnServer) that provide many convenient rapid development tools.
Supercharged CMS is an integrated PHP, Javascript, and HTML development environment that also acts as a Website. All code is stored and served from MySQL making it fast and efficient. All HTML code is separated from the working code to give complete control over the Website's look.
Dixie DNS & DHCP Config Tool is a Web interface written in PHP for configuring and administering ISC bind and dhcp. It maintains a database with general DNS and DHCP information, and information about subnets and hosts. It produces config files, or sends dynamic DNS updates if DDNS is used on the server. It has simple DNS and DHCP live browsers, and can produce subzone files for MS Active Directory.


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EarlySense Introduces Innovative, Contact-Free, Patient Safety Monitoring System for Avoiding Adverse Events to the HIMSS Convention in New Orleans, March 3-7, 2013
NEW ORLEANS & WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 4, 2013--EarlySense Ltd., the market leader in Proactive Patient Care Solutions™, announced today that it will be demonstrating the company's contact-free, continuous, patient safety monitoring solution at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) trade show this week at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, March 3 -7, 2013. Attendees are invited to visit the EarlySense exhibit at booth #4719.
"The EarlySense System has made a significant and positive difference in the nurses' workflow at the hospital. Nurses save time 'hooking up' patients to the system because it is contact-free, which obviously also increases the comfort level of the patient. The system based design of this solution allows for our caregivers to be notified of a potentially adverse condition long before the situation becomes life threatening. In today's environment, we are looking at each and every bed in our institution as a critical care environment. Patients are more complex and require more vigilance in monitoring than ever before. The EarlySense System allows us to have this capability. It is designed for the environment in which it is used, and therefore alarms appropriately, and provides information about patients in a timely manner," said Timothy Quigley, RN, MBA, Vice President of Nursing Services and Chief Nursing Officer at South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth, Massachusetts.
Mr. Quigley continued, "Knowing that the patient is always monitored and that the system will alert if a parameter is crossed makes the patients, their families, and the nursing staff feel comfortable. It also helps us to more proactively and efficiently treat our patients, avoid adverse events, save lives, and ultimately save the hospital money." Tim O'Malley, President of EarlySense Inc., said, "The EarlySense System brings a unique 'systems' capability to the MedSurg environment by eliminating the need for the usual overly burdensome technology interfaces. In addition, the multiple ready interfaces, to EMR as well as mobile devices and mobile phones, allow clinicians real-time, personalized alerts, empowering real-time intervention with minimal alarm fatigue. We invite you to visit us at our booth and learn about the many benefits of the EarlySense system first hand." About EarlySense EarlySense has brought to market an innovative technology designed to advance proactive patient care and enable clinicians to achieve better patient outcomes, by assisting in preventing adverse events from occurring through the early identification of deterioration. The company's flagship product, the EarlySense System, is a continuous, contact-free, patient safety monitoring solution that monitors and documents a patient's vital signs and movement using a sensor that is placed underneath a bed mattress. There are no leads or cuffs to connect to the patient who has complete freedom of movement and is not burdened by any cumbersome attachments. The system was initially designed to monitor non-ICU 'lower risk' patients on medical surgical floors who are usually monitored by nursing staff approximately once every four hours. The system is currently installed at hospitals and rehabilitation centers in the USA and Europe. It is also commercially available in Canada. EarlySense Inc. is headquartered in Waltham, MA. Investors include: JK&B, Pitango Venture Capital, Etgar Challenge Fund, ProSeed VC Fund ( TASE: PRSD ), Docor International Management, Noaber, and Bridge Investment Fund, and Peter Soderberg, managing partner of Worthy Ventures Resources, LLC and former president and CEO of Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. ( NYSE: HRC ). For additional information, please visit www.earlysense.com.


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Singapore lost to university team in Japan
Sundram shrugs off loss to Japanese university team, as he experiments with players and formations
V Sundramoorthy's charges suffered a shock 3-2 loss to the Niigata University of Health and Welfare team at the Swan Field in Niigata yesterday – the first of their three training matches in a week-long training camp.
The Lions started the game strongly, with winger Gabriel Quak rattling the crossbar with an effort after just three minutes.
It didn't take long for the Geylang International star to get it right when he reacted quickest in the box to a deflected cutback by Azhar Sairudin to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
But the Niigata university side struck back through striker Kazume Takahashi, who bagged a quickfire brace in the space of nine minutes (13th and 22nd).
Four minutes later, Hafiz Abu Sujad restored parity with a rifled shot from just inside the penalty box.
The inability to defend a corner kick proved to be the Lions' undoing, as Wada Kanta stabbed home what turned out to be the winner in the 56th minute.
Singapore, who are without five overseas-based stars like Hassan Sunny and Hariss Harun, will play the Japan Soccer College team today, and then J-League outfit Albirex Niigata on Sunday.
They will travel to Phnom Penh to play Cambodia in an "A" international friendly next Thursday.
Next : Al-Nassr FC sign Paraguayan international Victor Ayala


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HTT Conference Covers Social Media ABCs
October 24, 2011,
Attendees at HTT's ConText event learned how social media can be used successfully in business.
If the world of social media comes off as bewilderingly complex, conference speakers were in agreement on one point: It's not necessary for a business to participate in every facet of social media. What's important is to select the tools that will further enhance your business's branding and strategic goals.
"Social media is relational, not transactional," said Helaine Suval, president of Suval Consultants and former evp, general merchandise manager of macys.com.
Using social media to blatantly push product can quickly damage a business's reputation in that sphere, she said.
"It's not about how many fans you have [on Facebook]," she added, "It's about how you're going to keep your existing fans engaged."
Crystal Vilkaitis, director of social media at Snap Retail, which helps gift and home retailers expand their business through online and social media marketing strategies, also emphasized the importance of pursuing quality rather than quantity.
Crystal Vilkaitis of Snap Retail spoke of quality over quality;
Vilkaitis offered what she called the 70/20/10 rule for Facebook:
• 70% of posts should provide value to fans, e.g., tips, trend information, advice, links to relevant articles;
• 20% should consist of sharing pertinent information from sources outside the company;
• 10% should be self-promotion, including discount offers and new product information.
Brett Goldberg, president of Synqware.com, a software solutions company specializing in retail, said the key to online and social media marketing is to create something that's "findable, clickable and saveable."
The Internet has quickly moved from push marketing - e.g., unsolicited email offers - to pull marketing, through which a consumer with a specific need goes out in search of information and/or product.
QR codes, which are mushrooming on consumer goods ranging from movie posters to product packages, also have application in the B2B realm, he noted.
Vendors exhibiting at trade shows can put a QR tag on their booth linking to video about the company or contact
Brett Goldberg of Synqware.com said the key to social media marketing is to create something "clickable."
Blogs can also play an essential role in building a brand's reputation, although a business no longer has to establish its own blog to leverage the channel, according to Chris Phillips, sales and marketing director for Apartment Therapy, a home furnishings lifestyle blog that draws 7 million unique visitors a month.
He noted there are many high-traffic blogs in existence that focus on home. "Just as you would pitch [a story about a new product] to long-lead magazines and newspapers, you should pitch bloggers."
He also recommended launching a pop-up blog. Modeled on the concept of shortlived pop-up retail stores, the pop-up blog is created around a particular event such as a trade show or new product launch.
Twitter is also best deployed around a happening, offered Suval.
"Twitter is a call to action," she said, noting the deployment of Twitter recently to share event information about Fashion's Night Out.
When gauging the overall strategy, she said, a company needs to ask itself what is at the center of its brand DNA.
"You don't have to participate in every kind of social media," said Suval. "Figure out what's right for your brand."
A video excerpt of the speakers is available on HTT's home page at www.hometextilestoday.com and on YouTube headlined HTTContext.
Conference sponsors included Snap Retail, 295 Fifth Avenue and E.A. Hughes and Co.
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Westchester continues to make progress toward returning to normalcy, despite Wednesday's storm, which added new challenges. County Executive Robert P. Astorino said again Thursday that the number of people without electricity remained unacceptably high.
On a positive note, gas supplies are near normal.
As of 7 p.m. Thursday, Con Ed reported 23,096 customers without power and NYSEG about 89. While this is signficiantly less than at the peak of the storm, Astorino said it was still inadequate. He said the utilities must do more and quicker, particularly with the cold weather.
Astorino continues to stay in direct contact with top officials at Con Edison and NYSEG stressing the need to get Westchester back to full power.
"We are continuing to do everything we can to get power back and people's lives back to normal," Astorino said.
Since the storm began, Astorino has visited shelters, community centers, neighborhoods, village and town halls, businesses and restaurants in Bedford, Harrison, Yonkers, Rye, Cortlandt, Peekskill, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Castle, Scarsdale and North Castle --and will continue traveling across the county to ensure communities are getting the help they need.
Astorino has also visited with members of the 42nd Infantry Division of the New York Army National Guard at Camp Smith in Cortlandt to thank them for the assistance they have provided to Westchester. Guardsmen have been helping the road crews clean downed trees and other debris left in the wake of the hurricane. After visiting a crowded diner on the Sound Shore, Astorino noted how impressed he was with the patience and generosity of Westchester residents as they pulled together throughout the storm. "This storm has brought the good out of so many people," he said. "Neighbors are helping neighbors. It goes to show how wonderful the people of Westchester County really are."
On a daily basis, the county EOC has conference calls with municipalities.
Earlier last week, Astorino said Ivey told him that Con Edison was bringing in crews – some by air – from as far away as California. He said Ivey also assured him that Con Edison was not diverting resources from Westchester to New York City.
Astorino said Ivey explained that the utility's response in New York City and Westchester were completely separate because the circumstances were so different: In New York City, Con Edison's main task is to restore a single transmission center that is underground and underwater. In Westchester, it is to handle 5,600 separate issues spread across the county that are above ground. The equipment and expertise needed are different in both cases. For example, New York City has no need for extra bucket trucks to repair utility poles because the city's lines are underground.
"In the clearest terms I was told that Con Edison was adding to its Westchester resources, not subtracting from them," Astorino said. "My job is to make sure Con Ed follows through on its assurances."
Astorino has offered Con Edison multiple properties around Westchester, including Rye Playland and Saxon Woods Park, as staging areas for equipment and supplies needed in the recovery effort.


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Paintball Skirmish Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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Microfinance Media Buzz: July 20, 2011
Submitted by rubeka on Wed, 07/20/2011 - 16:02
Microfinance Media buzz brings a compilation of industry headlines broadcasted by other news media from across the world.
1. DH: Mobile commerce awaits a rural destiny in India
How do you like the idea of paying bus fare by just flashing your mobile phone before the Conductor? (Read More) News Published by: Deccan Herald
2. RB: Monitise brings mobile payments to Nigeria
Monitise founder Alastair Lukies – currently on a trade mission with PM David Cameron in sub-Saharan Africa – on bringing mobile banking and payments services to Nigeria (Read More) News Published by: Real Business
3. Guardian: City bonus row is reignited after £14bn is paid out
Banks have failed to tackle the rampant City bonus culture that helped trigger the financial crisis, according to unions and anti-poverty campaigners, who pointed to official figures showing that the sector grabbed bonuses last year worth £14bn. (Read More) News Published by: Guardian UK
4. ToI: Banks told to reach another 1.2 lakh villages in 15 months
Banks have been asked to reach another 1.2 lakh villages over the next 15-odd months to cover all villages that have a population of 1,000-2,000 in what is being described as the third round of banking push. (Read More) News Published by: Times of India
5. AFP: Wage protests shut Yunus's Bangladesh factory
A top Bangladeshi garment factory, run as a "social" enterprise by Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus, has been shut after workers staged violent protests over wages, police said Wednesday. (Read More) News Published by: Agence France-Presse
6. ET: Pranab Mukherjee's constituency Jangipur: 20 bank branches, liitle business
A familiar script will play out in a few days when Oriental Bank of Commerce inaugurates its branch in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's constituency Jangipur, the 22nd bank branch here since 2008 when Mukherjee took charge as FM. (Read More) News Published by: The Economic Times
7. ET: Manish Khera: The success stories of business
It is one of the success stories of the business of providing basic banking services to the unbanked in villages of India. (Read More) News Published by: The Economic Times
8. CBN: Focus On Untapped Insurance Market
South Africa has an untapped micro-insurance market which provides insurance companies with vast opportunities to sell low-cost insurance products. (Read More) News Published by: Cape Business News
9. SEM: US$61.1M for Water & Sanitation
A grant of approximately US$42.1million from African Development Fund (ADF) and a loan of US$19 million from OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) – totaling US$ 61.1million have been provided to improve access to adequate water and sanitation services. (Read More) News Published by: Sierra Express Media
10. Guardian: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation expands its sanitation programme
The foundation has announced millions of dollars of funding for sanitation services in poor countries over the next few years and 'expects to be the key funder for innovation in this sector' (Read More) News Published by: Guardian UK


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Leaving manufactured with a carbon fiber roof, its tires on 19" and the V8 engine of 4.0 litrosm the 2010 BMW M3 Edition sports cars coupe is a truly attractive machine. The problem of German companies is improving something that already was incredible. solved this problem by announcing production M3 Edition.Read More »
Home / Tag Archives: 2010 BMW M3 Edition


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Had a rough morning – am I ever going to be not sick? Looks like another day sitting out of jiu jitsu. I could probably go, but I don't think anyone would partner with me, as I'll cough and slime all over them. Ah well. Enjoy tea and study korean!
DRY: smelled like spices to me, reminding me of christmas
STEEPED: nice ambery colour tea. I might of messed up this steeping. I went to add the dry leaf to my Steeper and last nights Lupicia orzo incident left my Steeper in need of super scrub down cleaning. So I had to dig out my ingenuiTEA.. then I didn't know how high to pour the water too, so I had to use a measuring cup, so the water temp is probably too low. Bleh!
TASTE: Surprisingly not spicey like the smell! Nilgiri frost oolong is tha bomb – its kinda almost a black and full of body, but lighter and crisp – I'm happy this was used instead of a black. First off, I taste the citrus used here, almost a bit of smokey rum and slightly creamy. Actually a good level of sweetness and I don't think this needs sugar at all.
Really nice aftertaste of the warm spices (very slight) and I get a bit of plum in there. I find this tea very easy to drink and the more I drink, the better it gets as the plum comes out more.
resteep: more of that juicy, smokey oolong. Not much in citrus or spice taste but some silkyness. Still good! I'd buy this resteep too, lol!
COMMENTS: This came out a little light for me and I wanted more custard taste, but the whole tea grew on me fast. This tea just screams out "steep a pot worth and share with the family". The base is really nice, the spices are great and the plum sweetness as the tea cools is very nice! However, it might of been my steeping failure, see how it comes out next time.


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Jesse White (January 3, 1917 – January 9, 1997) was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.
Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Akron, Ohio, White began acting in local stage productions at 15. After moving to Cleveland, he worked a variety of jobs while working the nightclub circuit. In the late 1930s, he appeared in vaudeville performances. In 1942, White made his Broadway debut in The Moon is Down, followed by the role of a sanitarium orderly in Harvey. He would later reprise his role in the 1950 film version and the 1972 television movie.
In 1947, White made his film debut in a small part in Kiss of Death. During the 1950s, he began landing roles on television shows, including appearances in Make Room for Daddy and Dear Phoebe. In 1954, he landed a semiregular role on Private Secretary, starring Ann Sothern, Ann Tyrrell, and Don Porter. The role led to another semiregular part as Oscar Pudney in The Ann Sothern Show in 1960. White guest-starred on Four Star Playhouse and The Bob Cummings Show. He also appeared in roles in The Bad Seed (1956); Designing Woman (1957), with Lauren Bacall; and Marjorie Morningstar (1958), with Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly.


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Activision has confirmed Call of Duty: Ghosts, the next entry in its top-selling shooter franchise, for a November 5 release across PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. It is also in development for "next generation consoles."
"Ghosts delivers an all-new story, all-new characters, an all-new Call of Duty world, all powered by a next generation Call of Duty engine, which is a leap forward for the franchise," said Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg.
Modern Warfare developers Infinity Ward are at the helm. According to executive producer Mark Rubin, the console transition served as the "perfect opportunity" to build a new sub-brand and engine for the franchise.
A teaser trailer, dubbed "Masked Warriors," was released today, but a full reveal is scheduled for May 21 during the next-gen Xbox press conference.
"We are consistently thrilled with the overwhelming response received from critics and consumers alike to the Call of Duty series, which has firmly established its home on the Xbox 360 with the game's largest and most engaged community," said Microsoft interactive entertainment president Don Mattrick.
Visit the game's official Facebook page here. Additionally, pre-orders have gone live at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.
Watch the teaser below. View some box art at the gallery.


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December 2, 2010 BY John Kim
Black Friday may been a successful shopping day for you if you copped the Air Jordan XIII 'Flint', a shoe that was widely praised for its close-to-the-OG interpretation. Although 3M reflective material was left out of the upper ballistic nylon, the shoe itself seemed like a carbon-copy of the original, and a good amount of the much-maligned quality issues with Jordan Retro releases seemed to be non-existent in this retro. Here's a quick comparison of three Flint XIIIs – one 2010 Retro, another a 2005 Retro, and the third, an original pair from 1998. Obviously the '10 version is a lot more vibrant in color compared to the two older versions simply due to its youth, but perhaps the difference is color isn't from the aging process, but just a completely different shade as a whole. There are more comparison shots after the jump, juxtaposing the boxes, panther-eye jewels, bottom soles, and more, so check out the gallery of images after the jump and let us know how many of the three releases you own! via Kenlu.
Filed under: Air Jordan
Pages: 1 2


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JACKSONVILLE -- Jointly, the Jacksonville area community, including St. Augustine, has placed first for having the nation's largest single-day blood drive for Saturn National Donor Day, an event held in February each year to promote life-saving donation.
February 2004 marked the seventh annual Saturn National Donor Day, the nation's largest single-day donor awareness event. National Donor Day encourages people across the country to save lives by donating blood, joining the National Marrow Registry and signing an organ and tissue donor card.
The Jacksonville and St. Augustine blood center teams expanded to host a one-day event comprised of a total of seven blood drives that included information on saving lives through all forms of donation. The Jacksonville and St. Augustine area events resulted in 414 donated units of blood, 114 of which were collected by the Blood Center of the St. Johns at St. Johns River Community College.
Additionally, Matt Crawford, a student at SJRCC in St. Augustine, was the grand prize winner of a ski trip for two to Gatlinburg, which was donated by the Jacksonville Saturn Dealers.
More than 100 new names have been added to the Jacksonville Marrow Donor Registry, and organ and tissue donor cards distributed to participants during the event.
Throughout the country, 13,632 units of blood were donated at National Donor Day events.
Today, more than 300 of Saturn's retailers host National Donor Day events in conjunction with their local blood centers, organ and tissue donor programs and many community organizations.
The event focuses on the need for life-saving donations. While 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, only 5 percent choose to do so.
In St. Augustine, our local community needs more than 500 pints of blood every month to meet the needs of our local hospital. Joining the National Marrow Registry can potentially help people with diseases such as leukemia, who are waiting for a successful marrow match to save their life.
More than 84,000 men, women and children currently await life-saving organ transplants, while hundreds of thousands more are waiting for a tissue transplant to save or enhance the quality of their life. In Florida alone, more than 3,000 individuals are in need of an organ transplant.
For information about organ and tissue donation, call LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services at (800) 535-GIVE. For information about donating blood, call the Blood Center of the St. Johns in St. Augustine at 824-1891.
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"L'Eau et Les Rêves", A Typographic Fountain In Vence
Another piece of typographic environmental art we saw on our vacation was L'eau et les rêves (Water and Dreams), a "miroir d'eau" (best translated as "water mirror") in Vence, the town we stayed in. I first noticed the new public sculpture in 2007, the last time we were in Vence. It is a long rectangular structure in stone, with a typographic border spelling out numerous adjectives related to water. Although the water does circulate, there is no visible motion. This permanent installation emanates a soothing calm, creating a small oasis of tranquillity in the otherwise buzzing Place du Grand Jardin – where the Nuits Du Sud festival is held; see the latest My Type is Music. It is a creation by Henri Olivier, a local French sculptor and landscape artist, who currently lives and works in Contes, some 30-odd kilometres from Vence. Last week I contacted Mr. Olivier for a short interview.
Henri Olivier, born in Alger in 1955, graduated at the École National Supérieure d'Art de la Villa Arson in Nice, where he received his Diplôme National Supérieur d'Expression Plastique (Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts). Since 1980 his work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Parallel to his sculptural work he practices garden and landscape art. Olivier taught at the École Méditerranéenne des Jardins et du Paysage in Grasse where he held the position of pedagogical coordinator.
His work investigates the relationship between sculpture and garden, environment, and landscape, but also our own perception of space. To quote Allen S. Weiss,
his sculptures serve as catalysts to put the mind, the eye, and the body in motion.
After having participated to the colloquium Mémoire urbaine, projet urbain (Urban memory, urban project) organised by the city of Vence the year before, in 2004 Henri Olivier was asked by the municipality to draw up a study on the numerous fountains (and washing basins) in the city. In 2006 – when it was time to refurbish the northern part of the Place du Grand Jardin, but after the selected architecture bureau had almost completed the project – the cultural department solicited Olivier to propose a water sculpture, to be integrated in the already established plans.
Water is a recurring element in my work. For the Vence project I revisited an argument from my study, suggesting that in an animated, agitated, noisy city centre water can have an assuaging effect if its motion is apparently stopped. The water mirror relates to the fountain, the washing basin, and the river, the stone having the colour of pebbles. There is more to the project than the mirror effect, reflecting the city in the water, and the playful aspect of its use. It makes the water of the Foux – the spring that provides all the fountains in Vence with water – visible again in the heart of the city. Here the water that has organised life throughout time and history is brought back centre stage.
How did the idea originate to work with typography, with words, all adjectives related to water?
Because the water of this mirror is spring water, natural, running, and not just whatever water recycled by some mechanism, it seems to me to be imbued with meaning and history. Hence the importance for me to name it. And who is better placed to qualify water than French philosopher and epistemologist Gaston Bachelard? L'eau et les rêves is the title of his philosophical musings on this natural element. All the adjectives used for the fountain come from this book; in a certain way they well up from it, and the book title resonates like an homage to Bachelard.
The type used for the installation is the Helvetica clone Arial. Although I would have preferred to see something like Basic Commercial/Standard, I think Arial is a decent choice for this specific application, even better than Helvetica. The more open forms of characters like C and S, and the much maligned sloping tail of the R actually lend themselves better for physically connecting the steel letters.
Generally speaking Henri Olivier never discusses the technical aspects of his work, nor does he show, exhibit, nor sell preparatory drawings or sketches. Only the end result matters. However, in the interest of the typographic focus of The FontFeed he was gracious enough to elaborate on the letters and words rendered in metal.
I chose Arial for its simple, minimal design, and because its shapes were easier to adapt to the meet the constraints of the project – different lengths and widths, specific slopes, … There also are the particularities of a typeface that make the F or E look smaller than the M, or the curved letters like the C and O that slightly overshoot the letters with straight tops and bottoms. I used a drawing and vectorisation application for all the adjustments before committing them to steel by laser cutting.
How was the water sculpture received by the general public?
This is a sensitive topic. The public reacted so negatively against the integration of a contemporary work of art in the city of Vence that there even was no inauguration. The same goes for Arman's sculpture Traction avant, traction après that was installed provisionally in the centre of the roundabout at the entrance of Vence. However I received numerous personal testimonies of appreciation, also from locals who wish to convey the pleasure and joy this water mirror – next to which they like to sit down – adds to the perception of the city. It has been a controversial reception, sometimes polemical, yet one that leaves no one indifferent.
This installation has been filmed in the framework of a reportage on artists' gardens in the Provence by the German television (Künstlergärten in der Provence, ARD production, 27/02/2008; by Knut Meierfels and Julia Drost).
3 Comments:
A typeface that lends, eh, bends itself even better to connect steel letters designed by Alex Branczyk of xplicit.
Nice article about the project also on the Fontblog (German):
So geht professionelles Design …
Excelente trabajo, la verdad cuanto daria pro observar una pieza de este tipo en mi país, me llamo mucho la atención la composición y la manera de como armoniza cada caracter con la melodia que lanza cada onda en el agua no estoy cerca pero en mi mente creo ese ambiente acojedor, me la pasaria todo el día obsrevando y armando mis propias ideas y palabras con todos esos tipos arial.
En buena hora Henri Olivier
L'Art Contemporain dans une ville du Moyen Pays Niçois comme Vence a toujours provoqué des critiques. Matisse avec la Chapelle du Rosaire… ensuite Arman avec Traction Avant… et maintenant Henri Olivier avec le "Miroir d'eau" où les rêves et l'eau coulent de source… de la Foux. Aujourd'hui, on peut observer les badauds qui s'attardent et lisent les "mots de l'eau" en acier rouillé autour du "Miroir d'eau", les enfants amusés par les "jeux de l'eau" même les animaux l'ont adoptée et s'y rafraîchissent l'été.
Le "Miroir d'eau" plait ou ne plait pas mais effectivement personne reste indifférent ! Merci pour cette réalisation artistique, elle rafraîchie nos rêves de Vence "Cité des Arts" où son Eau-Source enrichie notre patrimoine culturel…
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White House: Obama's budget delayed by sequestration
President Obama's budget will probably be released in March, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday, but has been delayed in part by "manufactured crises" including sequestration.
"The series of manufactured crises around budget issues, certainly has resulted at least in part in those experts in the administration who work on those issues having to spend a lot of time dealing with those crises rather than on that," Carney said during his daily briefing. "But that's part of the job and they're working on the budget."
By law, presidents are required to release their budgets on the first Monday in February, but it was clear before then that Obama's budget would be late. There were expectations from Capitol Hill that the budget would arrive by the end of the month, but with Thursday ending the month, it's clear that won't happen.
Obama has delivered his budget on time just once, in 2010.


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The 1980s might be best remembered for wild clothes, cocaine, DeLoreans and Reaganomics, but there was also a crazy obsession with Satan. God-fearing folk were very much on the lookout for anyone who might be performing Satanic rituals or anything that might be in league with Lucifer. Thanks to a retro clip from The Today Show, we now know those fears once included demonic toasters.
More than three years ago, a YouTube user discovered a classic 1984 clip featuring June O'Brien explaining all the horrible things her toaster had done. It carved "Satan Lives" into a piece of toast. It randomly shot flames up into the air, and it pretty much scared the hell out of everyone.
Take a look at the hysterical clip below…
I love how, after all the Satanic writings, all the flames, all the times the lever wouldn't bother pushing down, the woman still refuses to get rid of the machine because it makes good toast. God only knows the other ill-functioning contrapositions inside her house that she also refused to get rid of for overly simple reasons.
I have no idea how this report went over went it was first broadcast, but you would certainly hope smarter viewers had a good laugh. Even in a climate of rampant Satanic allegations, this one somehow seems more obnoxious than the rest.
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March 9, 2013
MASTER FOOD Preserver students in the 2012 classes learn how to make salsa safely.
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Food preservation classes might change your life
What if I told you that by the end of June you would be fermenting your own sauerkraut, canning your own jams and jellies, making your own fresh yogurt, pressure canning the spring Chinook run of salmon into half-pint jars, dehydrating your own herbs, and freezing extra snow peas and strawberries for use this winter?
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Legal Question in Family Law in California
i am going through a divorce right now and my wife is pregnant with another man's baby i wanna know if i can take her off my medical insurance
Asked on 1/14/08, 6:16 pm
2 Answers from Attorneys
Damian Nolan Law Offices of Damian M. Nolan
Re: divorce
Because there is an Automatic Temporary Restraining Order on the back of the summons affecting both parties, the short answer to your question is NO!
Damian M. Nolan
Answered on 1/16/08, 2:14 pm
Phillip Lemmons, Esq. Phillip Lemmons APC, Attorneys at Law
Re: divorce
Answered on 1/26/08, 2:42 pm


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Avvo Expands Into Doctor Search & Ratings
Avvo, the popular lawyers' directory, is expanding into the medical industry today with a new directory of US-based doctors. The company says its new services launches with profiles of more than 800,000 doctors, as well as a forum where consumers can trade questions and answers with participating doctors.
The most noteworthy — and possibly controversial — element of the new directory might be the inclusion of an Avvo Rating for each doctor listed. When Avvo's attorney directory launched in 2007, many in the legal profession were critical of Avvo's proprietary ratings system and some sued.
That, however, was more than three years ago, and there's a chance today's doctors may be more attuned to the availability of ratings and reviews online than lawyers were back then. There are numerous doctor directories available now (such as WebMD and Medicare.gov), some of which also offer ratings and reviews (such as HealthGrades, Vitals, and others).
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THE decision to give babies a vaccination against meningitis B on the NHS has been welcomed by a County Durham MP.
Easington MP Grahame Morris has welcomed the Government's decision to give all infants the jab for free and was among the 135 MPs to support the Beat it Now! campaign led by the charity Meningitis Now.
Mr Morris said: "Many families in my constituency have been touched by meningitis in some way and there is no doubt that this vaccine will save lives.
"There is still some way to go as the Government now needs to reach an agreement with the vaccine company.
"I look forward to the day that the first child receives the meningitis B jab free on the NHS."
The UK has one of the highest Meningitis B incidence rates in the world, affecting an average of 1,870 people each year over the last 10 years, most of whom are babies and children.
Meningitis B accounts for 50 per cent of the total cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK.
Meningitis Now has been campaigning to bring in the B vaccine since January 2013 and collected 36,500 signatures on a petition.
The vaccine was licensed for use in the UK in January 2013 and has been considered twice by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) before this reccomendation, subject to agreement on price.


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Written on: 26/10/2013
I found Adore Cruises very helpful, they offered a lot at great value, and delivered everything that was offered.
On our Cruise we had a flight to and fro the west coast of America 4 Nights in Las Vegas , and 1night in Los Angeles before boarding the Star Princess Cruise Liner at exceptional Value.
The only thing we didn't like was the 10Hr flight which was unavoidable .


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COSTAMESA, CALIF. -- Juan Mendez wishes the Raptors well, but the Montreal-born forward sees a better opportunity in the Heat.
Mendez turned down an invitation to join the Raptors' team for the Los Angeles summer league, instead opting to accept a summer league spot with the Miami Heat after not being drafted last month.
"Why Miami?" Mendez said yesterday after practising with the Heat. "Because of the fact, they (the Raptors) went their own way and had their own goals for the team and I wasn't a part of it. Even though they wanted me on their summer league team ... at this point of time I had to do what is best for me and Miami is a great place to be."
A Niagara University graduate who led the Lewiston, N.Y.-based Purple Eagles to the NCAA tournament this past season, Mendez admits he was disappointed that the Raptors did not select him with one of their two second-round picks.
"It was disappointing, but you can't really dwell on it," he said. "You've got to move on if you want to be a (pro) basketball player."
Mendez will have an opportunity to strut his stuff in front of Raptors general manager Rob Babcock when the Heat faces Toronto in a summer league game Saturday.
"If you can't join them, you have to be against them," Mendez said. "I'm sure (Babcock) will be watching, but I have nothing against Mr. Babcock and nothing against the Raptors ... If I see them, I'll say hello. I'm not going to be hateful towards them. Their job is on the line. If they think it's the right thing to do (not to have drafted Mendez), so be it."
Mendez is not exploring European options yet. He hopes to play for Canada at the world championship qualifying tournament next month in the Dominican Republic.


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Should fantasy be considered serious literature, or is it merely escapism? In this course, the roots of fantasy and the works that have defined the genre are examined. Incisive analysis and a deft assessment of what makes these works so very special provides a deeper insight into beloved works and a better understanding of why fantasy is such a pervasive force in modern culture.
Download the accompanying reference guide.
©2006 Michael D.C. Drout; (P)2006 Recorded Books
"A fantastic lecture"
Amongst the best
I enjoyed listening to the heroes quest section.
From Here to Infinity - I feel this was the better of the two.
"Very enjoyable explanations and narratives."
I't always an delectation to hear one of The Great Courses. I bought a lot of them and appreciate all of them. As a German without former English experience I could improve my language knowledge und learn parallel many interesting stuff to diverse fields.
It was the moment when I finished my first book of the "Great Couses. Starting it as a beginner of English I had concluded it as a advanced learner. The same is true for some other works by the Great Courses.
Yes, I heard about 6 books from the same narrator (he is also the author). It`s always high quality.
It was instructive and very good to hear for hours. But cause all the books are nonfictional, there was sparsely emotion to appreciate. But sometimes it was very amusing.
I recommend this book without reservations.
"An Informative, Stimulating, and Enjoyable Class"
I enjoyed Professor Michael D. C. Drout???s 14-lecture class on modern fantasy, which mainly focus on J. R. R. Tolkien, which is fine, because Tolkien is a major figure in modern fantasy. Professor Drout has a pleasing enthusiasm and a comprehensible clarity as he lectures.
After discussing the fantasy genre (a hybridization combining oral epics with novelistic techniques and concerns), Drout limns the origins of modern fantasy (Victorian works like the Alice books, The Waterbabies, and The Princess and the Goblin), and then dives into Tolkien, depicting relevant facts about his life and philological study before assessing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as difficult work like The Silmarillion and important scholarly essays on Beowulf and fantasy. Drout next covers two followers of Tolkien, Brooks the imitator and Donaldson the reactor, as well as two ???worthy inheritors??? who create fantasy as aesthetically and thematically consistent and compelling as that of Tolkien: Ursula K. Le Guin and Robert Holdstock. He then discusses children???s fantasy (Narnia, The Dark is Rising, Prydain, and a bit of Rowling and Pullman) and then the Arthurian genre (T. H. White, Mary Stewart, and Marion Zimmer Bradley). He concludes with a chapter on magical realism (Borges and Garcia-Marquez), arguing that, unlike most modern fantasy, it denies rather than provides healthy escape and is oriented around tragedy rather than Tolkieniean eucatastrophe.
I like the many insights that Drout provides as he lectures, like about Le Guin???s solution to death in The Other Wind or about class in The Hobbit or about the way in which Peter Jackson???s movies make Tolkien???s world smaller. Sure, I wish he???d have covered more authors (like L. Frank Baum, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, Robert E. Howard, Mervyn Peake, or Michael Swanwick) and to have gone into more detail in non-Tolkien chapters, but that only shows how much I enjoyed his ???class??? and wished it could have been twice as long.
"One of my very favorite Audibles ever!"
I've been going through some family health crisis stuff lately and I find that's Drout's lectures are so fascinating they are the one thing that can completely take my mind off my problems. I started with his lecture on Anglo Saxon stuff and was delighted to find this one when I finished. I downloaded and saved it for a day I expected to get some bad news. Sure enough... it was bad but like magic this lecture kept my mind occupied for hours on end and left me in a good mood. I didn't realize there would be so much on The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings my two favorite books of all time. I've no interest whatever in poetry and writing but I'm thinking about getting those lectures too. The guy is just so enthusiastic about the material. What a treasure!
"Insightful and Entertaining"
Prof Drout is both extremely knowledgeable and an excellent lecturer. His enthusiasm for the subject is contagious; it's also very good to hear an audio course where the professor is truly lecturing rather than reading notes or a teleprompter.
Half the course (7 of 14 lectures) is dedicated to Tolkien, but perhaps that's fitting given the way he dominates the literature of the fantastic. However, the other authors who are discussed (Brooks, Donaldson, LeGuin, Holdstock, Lewis) are given good coverage as well. And the discussion of broader topics (what is fantasy, origins of fantastic literature, children's fantasy, Arthurian fantasy, magical realism) are very interesting and insightful as well.
Highly recommended.
"Excellent, entertaining and illuminating!"
This series of lectures is absolutely amazing! The Professor absolutely LOVES his subject and makes listening to the series a pure joy. I'm a big Fantasy geek, but this series has given me new insight into the genre as well as sparked my interest in books I might not have otherwise read. (Harry Potter) Over half the lectures focus on Tolkien, for good reason. The father of modern fantasy is explored and I learned more about Tolkien and Lord of the Rings in just a week of listening to these lectures than I have in years. He doesn't over analyze Tolkien like some people tend to do, but definitely treats him with the respect he deserves. It's also fun to hear him read some of the poems in Elvish etc... He touches on the Earthsea books and a number of other fantasy books as well. I would like to have heard his take on some books and authors he left out, (The Last Unicorn, the Sword of Truth) however I was more than pleased with this course and will listen to it over and over again. 5 stars for anyone interested in Fantasy!
"Good Read But Wanted More"
I enjoyed the scholarly view of some of my favorite works by Prof. Drout. I had not listened to a scholar book of this nature before and did not know what to expect but he delivered quite nicely. He takes us from early mythology up through Tolkien and into the modern age of fantasy writers and stories. I only wish it had been a little longer and with a bit more detail in spots.
That being said I do plan on reading Drout's Science Fiction companion to this book, From Here to Infinity: An Exploration of Science Fiction Literature.
Prof Drout was a bit hard to listen to in the beginning but once I caught on to his cadence it made things a bit easier to follow. Listen to the example, some people might be put off just a bit by this.
"A whole new appreciation"
Prof Drout's enthusiasm shines through his lectures.
I got several new ideas of books to read that I've never considered before. And a better understanding of Tolkien and his work.
"Wish it had been longer."
This series of lectures was very interesting, and I think any fan of the fantasy genre would appreciate learning more about its history and origins. Professor Drout spends a great deal of time on Tolkien, and while he may be correct in his idea that Tolkien is the 'father' of the field and all writers following are either imitating or reacting against his influence, I would have liked to have seen a wider exploration of authors and styles.
"I love all of Drout's audiobooks"
I have listen to almost all of the Drout Modern Scholar lectures. They are all very informative and I have learned much from them. This book talked about several fantasy books and give lots of analysis of the books. There is a big focus on Tolkien, but it is a merited one. I was very happy with the book.
I cannot oversell the powers of Drout to be able to convey academic information in a very relative way. Drout has cost me money and time because he has been so effective in teaching the importance of the works that he discusses that I have gone out and purchased them. His informative and enthusiastic lectures makes me want to be a student again. This is not the geek speak that I was concerned that it would be. Great analysis of the genre and the works discussed.
"I'm a Nerd and I Love It"
What could be better than a serious study of fantasy literature by The Modern Scholar series? As an English major in college, I was continually rebelling against the critics who dismissed all fantasy, science fiction, and mystery writing as "lesser". Good writing is good writing in any genre!
I enjoyed this a lot.
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