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London, Oct 12 (IANS) Britain's top former judges and lawyers have criticised the government's response to the ongoing migrant crisis, a media report said on Monday.
Britain's former Supreme Court head Nicholas Phillips and former director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales Ken Macdonald were among the 300 people to sign a letter on the issue.
According to the letter, the British government's offer to accept 20,000 refugees over five years was not enough, BBC reported.
The open letter to the press has been signed by more than 300 lawyers and retired judges. Other signatories include the former president of the European Court of Human Rights Nicolas Bratza,
"The letter reflects profound concern in the legal profession, including some of its most senior members, that the government lacks a coherent, just or humane response to the refugee crisis," said leading barrister Pushpinder Saini, who regularly advises and represents the government.
"The signatories of this letter include the most eminent and expert body of opinion concerning refugees in Britain. We have advanced a set of carefully considered proposals."
The letter also called for the suspension of the so-called Dublin system, which forces asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first European Union country in which they arrive.
Stephen Sedley, former Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal, said the government's current offer to accept Syrian refugees was "wholly inadequate".
"As a stable and prosperous country, we can do better than this," he added.
The first of the Syrian refugees arrived in Britain at the end of September.


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Almohads, Arabic al-Muwaḥḥidūn ("those who affirm the unity of God") , Berber confederation that created an Islamic empire in North Africa and Spain (1130–1269), founded on the religious teachings of Ibn Tūmart (died 1130).
A Berber state had arisen in Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco about 1120, inspired by Ibn Tūmart and his demands for puritanical moral reform and a strict concept of the unity of God (tawḥīd). In 1121 Ibn Tūmart proclaimed himself the mahdī (a promised messianic figure), and, as spiritual and military leader, began the wars against the Almoravids. Under his successor, ʿAbd al-Muʾmin, the Almohads brought down the Almoravid state in 1147, subjugating the Maghrib, and captured Marrakech, which became the Almohad capital. Almoravid domains in Andalusia, however, were left virtually intact until the caliph Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf (reigned 1163–84) forced the surrender of Sevilla (Seville) in 1172; the extension of Almohad rule over the rest of Islamic Spain followed. During the reign of Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb al-Manṣūr (1184–99) serious Arab rebellions devastated the eastern provinces of the empire, whereas in Spain the Christian threat remained constant, despite al-Manṣūr's victory at Alarcos (1195). Then, at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212), the Almohads were dealt a shattering defeat by a Christian coalition from Leon, Castile, Navarre, and Aragon. They retreated to their North African provinces, where soon afterward the Ḥafṣids seized power at Tunis (1236), the ʿAbd al-Wādids took Tilimsān (Tlemcen; 1239), and, finally, Marrakech fell to the Marīnids (1269).
Out of religious opposition to the Islam of the Almoravid jurists developed the revolutionary movement of the Almohads (al-Muwaḥḥidūn)—i.e., the adherents of tawḥīd, the belief in the oneness and uniqueness of God—which caused the downfall of the Almoravids. The founder of the movement was Muḥammad...READ MORE
The empire of the Almohads had kept its original tribal hierarchy as a political and social framework, with the founders and their descendants forming a ruling aristocracy; however, a Spanish form of central government was superimposed on this Berber organization. The original puritanical outlook of Ibn Tūmart was soon lost, and the precedent for building costly Andalusian monuments of rich ornamentation, in the manner of the Almoravids, was set as early as Ibn Tūmart's successor ʿAbd al-Muʾmin. The Booksellers' Mosque (Kutubiyyah) in Marrakech and the older parts of the mosque of Taza date from his reign. Neither did the movement for a return to traditionalist Islam survive; both the mystical movement of the Sufis and the philosophical schools represented by Ibn Ṭufayl and Averroës (Ibn Rushd) flourished under the Almohad kings.
Rabat, an important cultural centre during the Almohad period, was known particularly for its polychrome pottery. The wares are colourful and gay, usually painted in yellows, greens, and bright blues on a buff background. Almohad pottery wares, however, never reached the artistic level of the work from Syria, Egypt, and Persia, and most are considered products of "folk" rather than "fine" art.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fighting cancer from the cabbage patch
Sauerkraut a health food? Not yet. But midwestern scientists have found evidence that something in this pickled cabbage and related foods blocks the action of estrogen, a hormone that can fuel the growth of breast cancer and other reproductive-tract malignancies.
Nutritionist William G. Helferich of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his colleagues were trying to tease out why Polish women who have moved to the United States are far more likely to develop breast cancer than their kin remaining in the Old Country are.
One distinguishing factor turned out to be consumption of cabbage. European Poles eat far more.


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Mount Mercy MBA students apply business lessons in Belize
Group partnered with local merchants, assisted with development strategy
A group of Mount Mercy University students last month partnered with small entrepreneurs in Belize and found that good business practices are often universal — what works for the largest operations can be translated to a mom-and-pop shop.
"For us, it was very neat to see how the things that we learn when we talk to corporations ... can be brought down to a small company that had basically just this man and his wife," said Jesse Weyant, a Mount Mercy master of business administration student from Center Point. "It's neat to see that the same things apply, just on a little smaller scale."
Bob Walker, associate professor and business department chairman, and Celina Peerman, adjunct professor of the MBA program, led the trip, taking 16 MBA students for a week in Punta Gorda, Belize, in January.
The students partnered with small businesses in the community of about 5,500 people. The five businesses included a drum school, a gift shop and an Internet cafe.
Weyant and two other MBA students on her team helped a small organic dried fruit business. The owner wanted to seek investors and begin exporting his fruit to Guatemala and the United States.
But the students helped him see that he was overlooking his local market, team member Bob Heubner said. By the time the team left when their week was up, the business owner had sold out of his inventory.
"We explained to him how it would be easier to focus on the local market, build his production process as efficiently as he could, then we built costing spreadsheets to help him determine his costs and prices," said Heubner of Springville. "Based on our recommendations he actually went out and hired a person to help him ramp up production, to get sales and marketing in the local areas."
Another student team helped owner Emmeth Young with his Maroon Creole Drum School. The business was still organizing and unpacking after a move from a different town, and many of the former advertising and online efforts had fallen by the wayside.
Young gives drum lessons but also sells homemade drums at his wife's cafe, which was a business paired with a different MBA team.
"That's a classic business problem — you've got to have a sign," said MBA student John Schroeder of Cedar Rapids. "He just had the drums kind of scattered around the cafe, some of them were priced and some of them weren't.
"Tourists would come in and didn't understand."
So the students helped reorganize the drum display, show better pricing and helped with a logo and signs. Within the week, Young sold five drums, an amount it typically took him a month to sell, Schroeder noted.
They also recommended he make a portfolio so interested customers could see what drums he has in stock.
The first-time trip was a capstone course for students who are close to finishing the Mount Mercy MBA program, to put what they've learned to real-world use and to see how to adapt the business principles for a developing nation, Walker said.
Walker expects Mount Mercy will maintain connections to those businesses and perhaps seek out more to help in the area on future trips."I think all these students are changed a little bit, and we did some good things for Punta Gorda," Walker said.
|Cedar Rapids tour emphasizes importance ...
|Puerto Rico utility head resigns after s ...
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PacifiCare could face record fines of up to $9.9 billion for allegedly mismanaging medical claims, patient documents, and failing to pay doctors what they were owed.
The California Department of Insurance claims the company violated state law nearly 1 million times from 2006 to 2008 after it was purchased by UnitedHealth Group, Inc., according to court filings cited in the Los Angeles Times.
Regulators investigated numerous complaints following the two companys' merger. Customers claimed PacifiCare lost documents in their system, denied claims for covered procedures and then ignored requests for help. Doctors complained their claims were not being paid correctly, resulting in lower reimbursements, the Times reported.
According to the Times:
State regulators investigated and, in early 2008, announced that they had uncovered 133,000 violations of state law with maximum penalties of $1.33 billion. The matter grew to nearly 1 million violations as the case unfolded this year in the administrative law court.
A second regulator, the state Department of Managed Health Care, fined PacifiCare $2 million over allegations that it improperly denied medical claims for HMO policyholders. The carrier paid the penalty but did not admit any liability.
The state is seeking fines as high as $10,000 for 992,936 alleged violations which could total $9.92 billion. The amount could become the largest ever against a U.S. insurer, the Times reported.
PacifiCare and United Health deny the state's allegations saying the case involves mostly administrative errors that did little harm to customers and the company insists it pays claims in a timely and accurate manor.
A company spokesman told the Times they are committed to maintaining "a high level of service to physicians, hospitals and health plan members."


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- Sprinkler Material: Metal
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Got this to pair up with a gilmour to water our new lawn. This sprinkler gets very uneven coverage of the area it is watering. It travels to quickly from the fron to the back, but pauses noticeably in front and back, so we end up with more water than needed on the edges, and not enough in the main middle area. Poor quality. Don't buy this.


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After Virgin reached the one million mobile contract mark this year it was clear that its high-end strategy was more than just talk. The company's quad-play strategy is also taking shape, with 11% of its customer base now taking all four Virgin Media services.Virgin says it has a cable customer base of around five million and a contract mobile customer base of one million – of which a 'good proportion' are cable customers. Taking into account its prepay mobile customers, the company now has over one million mobiles in its cable homes.The more cynical have said that the huge emphasis on quad-play has seen mobile 'tagged onto the end', of the company's TV, fixed telephone and internet offerings.But Virgin Media director of mobile Jonathan Kini is adamant that the mobile side is more important than ever. He says: 'I think for me, the results speak for themselves. I can understand from an organisational point of view it feels like a tag on, but we are very happy – 11% of our customer base is now quad-play. In terms of numbers, look at the growth – we are a very able business.'High-end growthKini has driven this growth, and is credited with Virgin Mobile's high-end turnaround after taking on his current role one year ago. The company's strategy to gain new users has seen it marketing its mobile offering to existing users of broadband in a bid to gain triple-play or quad-play users at a low cost. However, Kini emphasises that Virgin is not just targeting Virgin customers.'From my perspective there are two aspects,' he says. 'There are a considerable number of people I can talk to that aren't on Virgin. This is a focus for me. A significant number of people come to us that aren't on Virgin Media and we can talk to them about other products.'Kini cites RIM's BlackBerry, which Virgin added to its portfolio this year, as an example of a product that entices non-Virgin Mobile users. He adds: 'We can talk to them about fixed to mobile – if we multiply the people we can pick up from the core.'Kini talks of a 'balance' in the way consumers want to buy mobiles. The handset is a driver, he says, adding that Virgin Media has 'good relationships with manufacturers'. 'We offer the right balance [of products],' he says.Going forward, Virgin Media's strategy is set to focus on content, with its 'third screen' approach to share content through mobile, laptops and TV.
Kini says the company is 'continuing [its] differentiation process' with a third screen approach, with more to come in the next quarter. It has already inked content deals with Disney and Turner Broadcasting.Kini is all too aware of the direction the data market is going, as operators are forced to drop their 'unlimited' offers. 'Clearly there has been an explosion in data and more people want smartphones than expected,' says Kini, adding that Virgin Mobile is in a good position as an MVNO.'We have no plans to change data packages but looking at convergence with smartphones, we want to make sure Virgin offers fair tariffs,' says Kini. He adds: 'I think you see it [strain on the network] with broadband, with a small percentage having a high usage.'Consumers are changing the way they use their phones, says Kini. 'If we look across [analyst firm] GfK data, the growth area is in high-end smartphones. We have been very successful in the low-end.' He adds that Virgin is now 'very happy' as when it has launched products such as the HTC Desire, there has been 'high demand'.And Virgin has added a host of handsets over recent months, including several high-end Android devices. This is a far cry from the cheap and cheerful brand it once was. 'And we can expand that,' says Kini. 'We have built up that credibility. It's a balance of the halo of Virgin Media and the quality.'Kini says he wants to talk to 'all the manufacturers', but adds: 'Not everyone wants a top-end handset – we have multiple segments. We very much pride ourselves on listening to customer feedback. As part of building our proposition we spend a lot of time with real customers and get real feedback.'Virgin is also growing its retail estate. It has almost tripled its retail footprint since June 2009 from 37 to 96 sites, including 64 retail stores. 'We are aiming for 75 this year,' says Kini. 'As we get to a reasonable size footprint we will be able to show how these services come together. We are pretty confident our stores offer something different.'Best Buy dealIn April, Virgin Media announced a partnership with Best Buy to showcase 'the connected digital home' in its UK stores. Kini points to the advantages in the partnership, namely that while Virgin has the services, Best Buy has the hardware.He says: 'Best Buy is complementary. We work very closely with Best Buy – they have out of town stores and there is a lot of distance from our stores. We have massive exposure in TV, games and broadband.'Our brand is at the front and centre at Best Buy,' says Kini, adding that the pair are showcasing 3D TV alongside quad-play, as well as a gaming section branded with Virgin. 'If you are a serious gamer you need serious broadband,' he says.'We want to reiterate that quad-play is working for us and there are a million customers on contract,' says Kini.Virgin may have come a long way but as Kini indicates, it is only the beginning.
Mobile Industry Awards 2017 - B2B & Distribution Finalists
Mobile Industry Awards 2017 – Retail Finalists announced
Mobile Industry Awards 2017 - Best Ruggedised Device
Nazish Dossa Joins Brighstar as UK Managing Director.
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by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Oct 05, 2012
Earth observation measurements shouldn't be taken with a pinch of salt. ESA is comparing readings of sea-surface salinity from drifting floats to confirm the SMOS water mission's measurements.
Since its launch in 2009, ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has been helping us to understand the water cycle. As with any Earth observation mission, it is important to validate the readings acquired from space. This involves comparing the satellite data with measurements taken directly in the water.
For SMOS, that means comparing its readings to data from floats or drifters that measure ocean salinity at different depths.
One of the major networks of in-situ drifters is Argo. The network, involving over 50 research and operational agencies in more than 30 countries, uses autonomous floats to collect temperature, salinity and deep current data.
With over 3500 active drifters, the Argo floats acquire in situ data in the upper 2000 m of the ocean.
These measurements are then directly compared to SMOS data, which in turn cover the global ocean and provide measurements of the salinity in the first centimetre of the sea surface.
SMOS provides measurements averaged over a surface of 40x40 sq km, but the difference of the size of the area measured and other influencing factors like background noise lead to differences between SMOS and Argo measurements.
"Since Argo measurements are taken much deeper than SMOS's, the stratification of the upper layer of the ocean needs to be taken into account when comparing the two salinities in rainy regions," said Jacqueline Boutin from France's Laboratory for Oceanography and Climate (LOCEAN).
"For example, rain over the ocean will cause SMOS to pick up lower salinity readings than Argo."
The advantage that SMOS has over the Argo floats is that the satellite provides a complete view of the global ocean every five days.
Argo measurements, on the other hand, provide punctual salinity data sampled at a lower resolution than SMOS every 10 days.
The higher precision provided by the Argo floats, however, complements the SMOS measurements.
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My sewing space is in the basement, where there is some recessed lighting but not very good for sewing/quilting. What is the best type of lighting for this? Track lighting? Fluorescent? I've never been a big fan of fluorescent but I went to a friend's house who has her basement finished into a hair salon and she had fluorescent lights and they looked pretty good.
Thanks for any advice.


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I Ate The Same Food As Suri Cruise and Katie Holmes…And I'm A Better Person For It
For a few moments last week, I felt as sophisticated as my favorite six year old. As a 22-year-old not a girl, not yet a woman, I've sometimes felt inadequate when I see photos of Suri Cruise with her perfect hair and wardrobe.
But not anymore. Mini Katie Holmes and I have eaten the same ice cream, and that makes us one and the same.
In case you've just awoken from a coma, you will know that Suri's parents have just divorced, and last week on Tom Cruise's birthday, Suri and her mother went to eat ice cream instead of attending Tom's Scientology party at the roller rink. They went to my favorite ice cream spot in the city: Sundaes and Cones. I go at least once a week, and I was ashamed of myself for not sensing that I needed to have my sesame ice cream fix last Tuesday.
So, as someone with a bachelor of science in Journalism, I had to put my reporting skills to use. I took the 30-minute trip on the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan (I'm basically like Joey Potter rowing to Dawson's house), and I went to Sundaes and Cones.
Walking in felt different than the other times I had been to this ice cream parlor. It felt more high-class than before, and there was a larger than normal crowd. I pushed passed the people slurping down their cones so I could do my journalistic duty.
I walked up to the counter and asked the scooper, "What did Suri Cruise have?"
"I wasn't working that night, but they told me it was cherry vanilla," she said.
"Give me a scoop of cherry vanilla then," I said. I didn't say please because Suri probably didn't either.
Even though I don't even like cherries, the ice cream tasted amazing, mainly because everything at Sundaes and Cones is amazing and the fact that for a moment I felt like I had the same taste as Suri. I wanted to start demanding designer handbags and heels. I wanted to ask someone to carry me everywhere. I wanted to call up my dad and ask him why he has two front teeth instead of one center tooth.
However, the sophistication was fleeting. It was over faster than Katie and Tom's divorce proceedings. As I walked out of Sundaes and Cones, I didn't have shiny Suri hair or a fabulous fur coat. But I still have a little bit of confidence, because even though I will never be Suri, I know that I'll never have to be jealous of my dad because he got to hookup with David Beckham (rumors, I'm sure…) and I didn't.
(Photo: He Calls Me Pretty Bird)


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In the Great Smoky Mtns National Park, which campground is better: Cades Cove or Elkmont?
Asked by xBRIANx (242) January 3rd, 2014
I will be traveling from NC in late March… 4 adults and 4 children. Pros/Cons of both campgrounds, please. Hopefully neither will be too crowded. We've stayed in some of the NC side campgrounds before, just never the TN side.
Using Fluther


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Randy McClave
A Name Is A Name - Poem by Randy McClave
When Adam first named the rose
After it's sweet fragrance had pleased his nose,
Up to the heavens to GOD he said in a dare
The flower the rose has been named, Adam did declare.
Adam then saw a small crawling insect, he called it an ant
He could as just as easily called it a plant;
The meaning of names to Adam they did not exist
So, he called and named everything, and then wrote it upon his list.
Man combines letters together then, they become a name
That doesn't guarantee anyone any popularity or any fame,
A name is just a moniker used to get the individuals attention
A name doesn't give strength or power or hold any retention.
A man is born and he might be called Abraham
The name doesn't make him a strong leader, or a weak lamb,
It's just a name that his parents had heard and did enjoy
He could have just as easily had been called; Roy.
A female child is born and she might be named and called Beth
A male child is born and he might be named and then called Seth,
Does that make one the oath of God, and the other one appointed
Should one we swear unto, and then the other one be anointed.
The name Muhammad doesn't make a man a leader or a fighter
The name Robert doesn't make or guarantee a man to become a writer,
Pam and Mary and Camilla are names used, but not to be enthralled
A name is not magical, it's just how we are remembered, and called.
We don't become warriors or kings or leaders by a name upon our birth
How we are addressed, does not show anyone our true worth,
A name is given to us as a moniker, so forever we will be known
We become who we are, not by a name, even when we are alone.
Randy L. McClave
Topic(s) of this poem: Name
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Randy McClave's Other Poems
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The Coen Brothers Collection Blu-ray
Starring Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff, Jessica McManus, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, John Turturro, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Directed by Joel Coen
A collection of five films directed by acclaimed movie-making duo Ethan and Joel Coen.
In 'A Serious Man' (2009) Midwestern physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg)'s settled and secure life begins to spiral out of control after his wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), reveals she is leaving him for his arrogant associate, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed).
Larry's attempts to cope with the failure of his marriage aren't helped by the fact that he has to share his house with his unemployed brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), while his son, Danny (Aaron Wolff), is in trouble at school and his daughter, Sarah (Jessica McManus), is stealing money from his wallet.
Can things get any worse? In 'The Big Lebowski' (1997), Jeff 'the Dude' Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is a bowling buff, laid-back to the point of horizontal, who gets mixed up in a blackmail plot involving a millionaire namesake.
Roped into delivering the ransom to secure the release of the millionaire's kidnapped wife, the Dude's karmic balance is really put in a spin when his gun-toting buddy, Walter (John Goodman), decides to help out. 'Burn After Reading' (2008) concerns the whereabouts of a sensitive disc containing the incriminating memoirs of alcoholic CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich).
Cox's wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), who is having an affair with married federal marshall Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), is making plans to leave her husband, and is advised by her divorce lawyer to copy his personal files onto a disc.
The disc finds its way to the Hardbodies fitness gym, where two unscrupulous employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), decide to exploit their find for all they can get.
In 'Barton Fink' (1991) successful young playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro) goes to Hollywood.
He immediately obtains a contract, only to develop writer's block when he discovers he is to write a wrestling movie for a faded 1940s star.
The Los Angeles heat, his dingy hotel and a noisy neighbour (Goodman) combine to increase the pressure on him, and Barton begins to lose his grip on reality.
Finally, in 'Intolerable Cruelty' (2003) Clooney stars as Miles Massey, a divorce lawyer who always wins his case until he comes head to head with the scheming, money-grabbing, yet alluring, Mrs Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
Miles and Marilyn each embark on their own ruthless romantic missions to outdo one another and amass great wealth.
Who will triumph?
- Format: Blu-ray
- Region: B
- Certification: (18)
- Catalogue number: 8287246
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Release date: 14/11/2011
- Genre: Comedy
- Colour: Colour
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The SAVA B14 is a traditionally styled all weather tyre ideal for vintage scooters and those that have been retro-styled. They have a high load capacity due to their reinforced tyre carcass design. This tyres tread profile and compound design offer excellent handling characteristics in the wet combined with excellent braking, whatever the weather conditions.
SIP-TIP : Certain tyre manufacturers use a special blue coloured protective coating over the whitewall section of the flanks of their whitewalled tyres to shield them during transit. This can easily be removed using warm soapy water and a stiff brush before and after assembly.
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Bye-Bye M3, But Why?
By: Douglas R. Gillespie | Mon, Nov 14, 2005
Last Thursday afternoon, in what legitimately can be described as cryptic fashion, the Federal Reserve announced that commencing in March, it would stop releasing monetary aggregate "M3." Why?
Continue to Gillespie Research for the balance of the essay: http://www.gillespieresearch.com/cgi-bin/s/article/id=708.
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South Brunswick freshman Ashley Sloup and senior Abby Kjome finished tied for first in the conference-opening golf tournament Monday at Rivers Edge.
The nine-hole match among the three county high schools was shortened to seven holes. Kjome and Sloup each shot a 34 for seven holes.
South senior Molly Gore shot a 37 and was the only other golfer to play seven holes in fewer than 40 strokes.
South Brunswick beat West Brunswick 2-0 in a conference-opening high school soccer match Monday night at M.H. Rourk Stadium.
"I couldn't ask for anything better," South coach Joe Salzler said. "We changed everything as far as defense goes to basically build a steel curtain. I was pretty impressed all the way around. The senior defense was amazing and led us through the game."
Three people died in an early-morning wreck Saturday, Sept. 11, in Leland.
According to North Carolina State Highway Patrol Sgt. C.M. Hardee, three people died and one person was injured around 2:24 a.m. Saturday on Malmo Loop Road in Leland.
Hardee said Michael Johnston, 28, of Leland, was driving a 2001 Chevrolet pickup truck east on Malmo Loop Road near the intersection of Colin Mintz Road in Leland.
The Boys of Fall are now 4-0.
The South Brunswick Cougars won their fourth straight game Friday night behind the running of Marcus Hankins, who had his fourth game of 100 yards or more. Hankins also scored four touchdowns—three rushing and one on a catch—as the Cougars zipped past visiting North Myrtle 40-10.
Nejuann Watts, who was 11-18 with two touchdown passes and 214 total passing yards, said, "We made some mistakes, but we never put our heads down and the team came through."
WILMINGTON—The ending to the high school football game Friday night between E.A. Laney and West Brunswick was so exciting it made the game instantly memorable for fans of both teams.
SHALLOTTE—A larger than life American flag stood raised over the Shallotte Middle School lawn Friday morning as a 9/11 memorial service took place.
Although Shallotte Middle School students were only a few years old on Sept. 11, 2001, they gathered with teachers, administrators and community members to honor those lost and make sure America never forgets what happened that fateful day.
Two men have been arrested in connection with a string of break-ins to vacation homes in the Supply area.
According to Brunswick County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Sgt. April Stanley, detectives arrested the two men—Daniel Hugh Hargrove and Max Ray Pinion—on Thursday, Sept. 9.
When Brunswick Novant Medical Center opens the doors to its 74-bed, $107 million hospital in summer 2011, ownership of Brunswick Community Hospital will revert to the county.
At their meeting Wednesday evening, members of the Brunswick County Hospital Authority approved a resolution to revert the hospital and the hospital property to county commissioners.
The resolution states the hospital is to be transferred to the county "as is."
Special to the Beacon
Panther's Run has reopened with 18 new greens. The putting surfaces at Panther's Run Golf Links, one of the Big Cats courses of Ocean Ridge Plantation, have been converted to new MiniVerde ultra-dwarf greens, which feature a combination of smooth, consistent playability and disease resistant, heat tolerant durability.
St. James claimed its first victory of the year in the Coastal Carolina Interclub Association event played Aug. 25 at the Founders Course at St. James Plantation.
The CCIA format includes eight two-man teams from each club. Member teams from Carolina National, Long Bay, Ocean Ridge, St. James and Sea Trail play a modified Stableford system, net best ball, and count only the scores from the top six teams of the eight competing.
Copyright © 2017
The Brunswick Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Brunswick County, North Carolina and surrounding areas.


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When I was 17, I stress fractured my shin in three places and couldn't run for eight weeks. I used aqua jogging to stay in shape and still finished 11th at the junior national triathlon championship. That was over 10 years ago and not much has changed with aqua jogging since - until now.
The Winged Water Walker puts a new spin on aqua jogging by providing additional resistance to simulate the push off phase of running, while still allowing the lift and kick through phase to occur in a somewhat normal manner.
This is accomplished using "wings" that automatically "deplane" during upward leg movement and automatically "plane" out during downward leg movement. While the Winged Water Walker can be used along with traditional aqua jogging flotation devices, the system's biggest benefit is that you can use the platforms to generate lift through your own motions rather than relying on a buoy to hold you up.
The additional effort required to pull this off makes your time spent in the water more efficient and productive. Depending on your individual stride, it may take you a while to get used to having the platforms attached to your feet. I found myself clicking the paddles on each other, but then again, I come back from most runs with mud smeared on the insides of my calf muscles from the soles of my shoes.
Learning the interesting drills and movements listed on the website at www.WingedWaterWalker.com is probably the best way to get the most fun and use out this product. While aqua jogging has proven a successful means of staying fit during injuries for athletes around the world, I still haven't found anyone who looks forward to 30 minutes in the deep end of the pool the way they long for a half hour romp through back country trails.
Then again, the Winged Water Walker may change that thinking. For more information, call (866) WWW-WALK (999-9255) or visit WingedWaterWalker.com.
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Women mistakenly wounded in California manhunt to get $4.2M in settlementTue Apr 23, 2013
- Wait a second Cops are now allowed to open fire on unarmed citizens and there are no charges. The cops were not in fear of their lives. To try and make an argument they were, then since there are criminals and murders out there and I don't know where they are, so I also should be allowed to shoot at …
Solving the sex abuse crisis: Experts draft a to-do list for Pope FrancisSat Apr 6, 2013
'I love you, too': Cardinal Dolan says Catholic Church must embrace gays and lesbiansSun Mar 31, 2013
- Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth wit …
Pope chooses simple residence over regal papal apartmentTue Mar 26, 2013
- Jesuit Extreme Oath of Induction This oath is taken from the book Subterranean Rome by Carlos Didier, translated from the French and published in New York in 1843. Dr. Alberto Rivera escaped from the Jesuit Order in 1967, and he describes his Jesuit oath in exactly the same way as it appears in this …
Holder: No drone strikes in US, except in 'extraordinary circumstance'Tue Mar 5, 2013
Les Nipplerables? Hathaway's dress draws attentionSun Feb 24, 2013
Quvenzhané Wallis' red carpet charm? A puppy purseSun Feb 24, 2013
Did Rush Limbaugh Just Launch a Tea Party Revival?Fri Feb 22, 2013
Moms go topless to save kids' school busFri Feb 22, 2013
Al-Qaida's 22 tips on how to avoid dronesThu Feb 21, 2013


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More than 250,000 glass knobs are being recalled after customers complained that the knobs broke and cut their hands.
The knobs were sold exclusively at Cost Plus World Market and World Market stores around the country between October 2010 and April 2014 for $2 to $4. The knobs come in blue, amethyst, pink, green, smoke and clear colors. They have bronze-colored screws. They can be used on cabinet doors or drawers.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been five reports of cuts to hands or fingers. The CPSC says customers should stop using the knobs and return them for a refund.
Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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This 2D gel imager can analyze silver stained proteins derived from a prostate cancer (LNCaP) cell line treated with delta-tocotrienol, (a form of Vitamin E). Users can obtain meaningful data through manipulation of the gel images being produced to find out what is happening at the molecular level. The imager provides 2D protein gel analyses with speed and accuracy, making it useful in any gel-based proteomics cancer research project. Syngene, 800-686-4407, www.syngene.com.
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One night in the late 1970s, Miguel Ruiz, a young Mexican physician, fell asleep at the wheel of his car and crashed it into a concrete retaining wall. He lay near death for some days and had that near-death experience of being out of his body. He saw his body from another vantage point.
But if he saw his body, where was he when he saw it? And if he was not his body, what was he?
The last of 13 children, Ruiz had grown up in rural Mexico and come from a line of curanderos, shaman healers. His mother, Sarita, was such a healer. She'd taught him as a child, but as he'd grown older he'd resisted the ancient tradition. He'd pursued the practice of Western medicine. Now after the accident, Ruiz began to study with Sarita again and he became an apprentice to a powerful nagual (pronounced nah-WAL), a sorcerer in the Toltec tradition.
Today Don Miguel Ruiz trains Toltec naguals in San Diego. He has owned a house here since 1985. His audience ranges from old hippies to academics and professionals who have never before deviated from the approved career path. There are hundreds of his followers in San Diego, but Don Miguel's work has also spread nationwide and worldwide through the popularity of his books The Four Agreements and The Mastery of Love.
I've long been a fan and student of the books of Carlos Castaneda. He popularized Toltec sorcery with a series of nine books, which he began writing in the late 1960s. Castaneda's teacher, an old Indian sorcerer named Don Juan Matus, made his home in a shack, rambled around the desert, and lived a carefully, deliberately anonymous life. Castaneda also stayed out of the public eye. In contrast, Don Miguel has a website (miguelruiz.com) on which he advertises "power journeys" to Teotihuacán in Mexico, to Machu Picchu in Peru, to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, to a volcano on Maui. There are links for "wisdom groups" and for "mentors." There is a discussion of something called the University of Transformation. This is about as far as you can get from rambling in the desert. It seemed clear to me that without the popularity of the Castaneda books, Don Miguel would not have had entrée to the educated and affluent middle class and that his credentials as a medical doctor, a well-educated man in the Western sense, cemented his validity to that audience.
I wondered if Don Miguel was really a sorcerer. I decided to go to see him.
When Don Miguel opened his front door, my feelings about him were immediate. Before me stood a slender Mexican Indian man in his early 50s, of average height, in gray slacks and a maroon velour pullover. Before he opened his mouth or moved a muscle, I liked him and trusted him. Looking into Don Miguel's eyes is like drowning in warm honey. He grabbed me in a hug, not something they do much where I come from.
We took seats in his comfortable living room. It was severely modern, with glass shelves and tabletops at varying heights and the back wall open to the sunlight. The effect was of being in a silver maze. I set up my tape recorder, then asked, "How did you become a Toltec shaman?"
Don Miguel smiled. His voice was low and soft, accented, but with each word pronounced so carefully that understanding him was never a problem. "Well, it's a family tradition, really. My mother is a great healer. She's 93 years old now, and I started to learn from her when I was still a child. Her father, my grandfather, Don Leonardo, he was a powerful nagual too. Leonardo Macías. His father, Don Ezequiel, was also a great nagual. He lived to 117 years.
"I didn't meet my great-grandfather. I only heard all those great stories about him. I think he was the first nagual in the lineage, in the family. And from him you can trace all the way back to the Mexicas, whom you call the Aztecs."
"Who were the Toltecs?"
"Well, the Toltecs, the name Toltec means 'artist.' A Toltec is an artist, not really a nation. History and anthropology think they were a nation. They have a very strong influence in Mexico. They started more than 2000 years ago, built the pyramids of Teotihuacán 2500 years ago. Before that, there were already Toltecs. It's a way of living. It comes from what I call just common sense, available to everybody. But very few have the fortune to learn it."
"I liked your book The Four Agreements," I said. "I wonder if any of your students have told you ways the book helped them."
"All the time. I receive a lot of mail from Europe, a lot of mail from the United States, and also from Latin America, from everywhere, really. You know, to write this book, it was a big challenge, to make it very simple and easy and short enough that anyone can read it, can understand it and apply it. To put it in action, that is the key of the book. That everybody can put it in action and see the difference that makes in their lives.
"When they understand what the book says, they start taking action, and right away they start seeing changes in their lives, until they reach a certain point. They're stuck at that point, and that's the time to read the book again. Then, it's like they're reading another book, because all the limitations that they used to have, they have already dissolved, and they reach another point. They have another 'Aha!' And they start shifting again.
"You find out after you read it that you knew all that. It's something that you knew since you were a child. But for whatever reason, it all shifted, was distorted. When you read that book, little by little you discover that you are not really what you think you are. You are much, much better than that."
More from SDReader
- More stories by Jim Morris
- Your Gardener Could Be a Banker — April 25, 2012
- The Dish — Dec. 7, 2006
- See Donald Plot Murder, See Jane Pray — Feb. 13, 1997
- Letters from the Inside, part 1 — Sept. 20, 1984
- Fat Chance — June 7, 1979


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At Gemvara, we believe that the jewelry you wear should be one of a kind, like you. That's why we make each piece to order, one at a time, just the way you want it. Choose Black Diamond and Sterling Silver or Citrine and Rose Gold: it's your choice. Mix and match gems and precious metals for a look that's exactly you. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your Rose Gold Smoky Quartz Classic Band Jewelry design with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. Like cognac and chocolate, smoky quartz jewelry is a rich and decadent brown. Gemvara's smoky quartz has a warm earthy color that is beautiful against the skin.The most popular rose gold alloy, 14-karat rose gold is a minimum of 58.3% pure gold with copper added for color. Its rosy glow flatters skin tones.Our wide selection of Rose Gold Smoky Quartz Classic Band Jewelry by talented designers means you can find jewelry that's exactly your style. You can also shop by style, choosing our Family, Commitment, or RG Collections. Gemvara's fine quality Rose Gold Smoky Quartz Classic Band Jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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I installed SoftPerfect RAMdisk and used it for a while, and it caused a such wicked crash and blue screen (Win 7 64 bit) that I had to restore my system from a backup.
I would have thought you'd get a performance hit from doing that every few minutes though?
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Every woman knows about the cycle of yo-yo dieting. You diet to lose weight, then put the unwanted pounds back on plus more. Or you diet continuously but fail to see any movement on the scale.
Why do so many diets fail? When you diet, your body thinks you are starving it. Most experts believe that after repeated cycles of dieting, the body tends to stay in the semi-starvation mode preparing itself for the next famine. In other words, your body is outsmarting you by tricking you into keeping a certain level of fat.
Ultimately, in order to lose fat and keep it off, you must trick your body into using fat instead of muscle for energy. As a result, you will lose fat, begin to lose improper food cravings and increase your metabolic rate.
But how do you "trick" your body into burning fat? The Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management Program has the answer! The Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management Program is available exclusively in our area from Inches-A-Weigh.
Personalized menu plans are developed based on your body's individual nutrition needs
The Weight-A-Minute System has been developed by physicians and scientists to assist you in determining the most important factor in long-term weight control how your body oxidizes foods. Once this crucial factor is determined, a customized Weight-A-Minute program is developed for you utilizing food that will nourish your body while helping you lose unwanted pounds in the form of body fat.
The Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management System is an individualized weight control program that differs from others in that it focuses on in-depth education and behavior modification for lifelong results.
Because every person is different height, weight, body fat, muscle tissue, age, activity level a weight loss plan must be customized to the person to be successful. The Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management System is based on an individual profile and body fat analysis.
Your personal data is computer analyzed, and an individual menu plan is generated based on the optimal amount of calories your body should be taking in, as well as a breakdown of the amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat your body requires for proper food oxidation. Menu plans are based on real foods, and exchanges can be made to fit your personal tastes. Supplements complete the plan and provide needed nutrients to ensure your body is burning unwanted fat.
The Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management System is available in our area exclusively from Inches-A-Weigh in Lubbock. In addition to the initial fitness assessment and individual menu plan, the program includes weekly coaching sessions, body fat analysis every three weeks, behavior modification lessons, and goal setting.
Of course, exercise plays a key role in successful weight loss, and Inches-A-Weigh makes both their exclusive toning tables and their circuit interval training a vital part of the Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management System. Toning tables provide continual passive motion, while strength training and aerobic exercise are combined in the circuit interval training program.
For a free fitness assessment and more information about the Weight-A-Minute Personal Weight Management Program, contact Inches-A-Weigh at 785-8080. The staff will schedule your fitness assessment and get you started on your way to weight loss success!
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by Staff Writers
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jan 21, 2016
Although compressed natural gas represents a cleaner and more efficient fuel for vehicles, its volatile nature requires a reinforced, heavy tank that stores the gas at high pressure and therefore limits vehicle design.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering are utilizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to develop a new type of storage system that would adsorb the gas like a sponge and allow for more energy-efficient storage and use.
The research, "Mechanisms of Heat Transfer in Porous Crystals Containing Adsorbed Gases: Applications to Metal-Organic Frameworks," was published this week in the journal Physical Review Letters by Christopher E. Wilmer, assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, and postdoctoral fellow Hasan Babaei. (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.025902) Traditional CNG tanks are empty structures that require the gas to be stored at high pressure, which affects design and the weight of the vehicle.
Dr. Wilmer and his lab are instead focused on porous crystal/gas systems, specifically MOFs, which possess structures with extremely high surface areas.
"One of the biggest challenges in developing an adsorbed natural gas (ANG) storage system is that the process generates significant heat which limits how quickly the tank can be filled," Dr. Wilmer said. "Unfortunately, not a lot is known about how to make adsorbents dissipate heat quickly. This study illuminates some of the fundamental mechanisms involved."
According to Dr. Wilmer, gases have a $500 billion impact on the global economy, but storing, separating, and transporting gas requires energy-intensive compression. His research into MOFs is an extension of his start-up company, NuMat Technologies, which develops MOF-based solutions for the gas storage industry.
"By gaining a better understanding of heat transfer mechanisms at the atomic scale in porous materials, we could develop a more efficient material that would be thermally conductive rather than thermally insulating," he explained.
"Beyond natural gas, these insights could help us design better hydrogen gas storage systems as well. Any industrial process where a gas interacts with a porous material, where heat is an important factor, could potentially benefit from this research."
Related Links
University of Pittsburgh
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com
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DEL MAR ---- When Sovine, a 4-year-old filly, became the ninth thoroughbred to die at the Del Mar racetrack on Aug. 20, track President Joe Harper was holding her head in the horse ambulance when she was given a lethal injection to end her pain from a fractured pastern bone.
Later that day, another thoroughbred lost its life after galloping on Del Mar's synthetic surface, Polytrack.
And last Wednesday, Madame Kiawah became the 13th horse to die at the 37-day meet, which ends Wednesday. She suffered a fractured right front sesamoid.
Twelve of the 13 have been injured on Polytrack. One horse died after being injured on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course during a race.
Those are not the type of numbers Harper likes to hear.
That's why the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was one of the leaders in the state to go to a synthetic surface, replacing its dirt track after the 2006 season when 18 horses lost their lives, 14 of them after running on the dirt main track.
Despite what many people consider a safer surface, thoroughbred deaths have increased every year since the inception of Polytrack at Del Mar. In addition to installing the synthetic surfaces, experts say training and breeding practices need to change to improve the health of the industry. At least one trainer says Del Mar needs to improve the consistency of its surface during morning workouts and afternoon races.
Still, Harper insists he's "very happy" with Polytrack, which, according to manufacturer Martin Collins Surfaces & Footings LLC, is a synthetic layer of recycled polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber and silica sand.
"(We) really are," Harper said. "I wasn't that upset with the (dirt) surface (in 2006). I just thought the more we found out, this Polytrack was much more forgiving."
More deaths on dirt
According to the California Horse Racing Board's annual report, Del Mar averaged 15.6 deaths from 2002-06 when it had a dirt track. An average of eight deaths a year occurred after horses were racing, and 7.6 during training. Last season, 11 horses (six during races and five during training sessions) were injured and then euthanized at Del Mar. Twelve horses died during the 2007 meet at Del Mar.
Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., had 22 deaths in 2006 when it had a dirt main track; it went to Polytrack the next year. It had 15 deaths in 2007 and '08. The racetrack has had 14 deaths this year (through Aug. 27).
The Saratogan newspaper reported recently that the country's biggest summer meet in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has had one death after an injury on its dirt track the last two years. There were 17 deaths at Santa Anita's winter/spring meet this season and 14 deaths during this year's Hollywood Park spring/summer meet.
Dr. Rick Arthur, equine director for the California Horse Racing Board, said Del Mar's surface is safe.
"You will have a hard time believing this," Arthur said, but in terms of racing fatalities per start, Del Mar's main track is better than its historical average to 2004. "They are better off with this surface than they were with dirt. Del Mar is a very intense place to race. People want to win races there. Everyone is trying hard, maybe too hard."
Seven horses were euthanized after being injured in the meet's first two weeks.
Is timing a factor?
Arthur has done studies in the past that suggest that the first two weeks are the most critical for any track.
"We seem to be the most vulnerable at the beginning of this meet," Harper said, "whether it be on dirt or Polytrack or probably marshmallows out there."
"We are just coming off a different track (Hollywood Park)," he said. "It's not coming from good to bad or bad to good. It's just coming from one track to another, and if you come in here and push hard with your horses, that seems to be the most vulnerable time."
Jack Carava trains exclusively for Ron Valenta's La Canada Stable, and lost two horses (Pocosin's Game Boy and Maggie and Hopie) to injuries on July 28 and 30. They were euthanized.
"I had a lot of problems at the beginning of the meet," said Carava, who shipped his horses out of Del Mar to Santa Anita a full week ahead of closing day. "I've been very fortunate the last half of the meet; knock on wood, we've been OK. I guess the beginning of the meet was our time, and more recently, it has been very fortunate for me and unfortunate for others.
"The Polytrack we had the first year here, I felt like I couldn't hurt a horse on it. Something has changed. I'm not a track man, so I don't know. The injury rate speaks for itself between the first year and this year."
Eight of the 13 fatal injuries have occurred during morning training hours, when most of the 2,000 horses stabled on the grounds make an appearance on the Polytrack, either to work out for upcoming races or just exercise their legs.
Arthur said Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface went through a recent period of 15,000 workouts with just one fatal injury.
"Horses are trained differently than they were in years past," Arthur said. "Horses are bred differently than in the past. Many experts believe in today's commercial market, breeders go for speed, rather than stamina and durability."
A study of the 2006 deaths at Del Mar showed the fatally injured horses "were becoming predisposed to catastrophic injury months before they saw the Del Mar surface," Arthur said. "Most of the fatalities at Del Mar involved the sesamoids, that is, an injury related to training intensity."
The sesamoid bones are found at the back of the fetlock in both the front and back legs, near the bottom of the leg. After such an injury thoroughbreds typically are unable to run or walk and are usually euthanized for humane reasons.
Last week, a post-mortem report of 2008 deaths in California showed 19 thoroughbreds were euthanized after suffering severe hind-leg injuries. Trainers have told authorities that hind-end injuries have increased since the installation of synthetic tracks.
A harder surface?
Some horsemen have complained to Del Mar management that the surface in the mornings this year seems to be a little harder than in the past. When the Polytrack has moisture in it, it gets tighter and harder.
Arthur said the racing board has been commissioned to study the hardness of track surfaces and what injuries occur because of them.
"Certainly there seem to be more injuries in the mornings than in the afternoons," Carava said, "but that makes sense from a sheer numbers standpoint. You're running 80-90 horses in the afternoon, and in the morning there are 1,500 horses on the track."
Del Mar purchased a new piece of equipment this year called a cultivator to help with renovation of the main track. It has been used mainly after morning workout hours and on the track's dark days. It hasn't been used before morning workouts to loosen up the surface.
"The new equipment seems to be keeping the track from getting too fast or hard or slowing it up like we had with the power harrows," Harper said. "This doesn't go as deep as the other ones and it does it without making such drastic changes (in the track). It also does it quicker than power harrows."
But synthetic surfaces need a lot of maintenance work ---- just like dirt tracks did.
"Maintenance is the absolute critical thing," said Winstar Farm's Bill Casner, who owns Colonel John, the morning-line favorite in Del Mar's $1 million Pacific Classic on Sunday. "They have tightened up the Del Mar surface this year. The first year, it was slow but safe. It was pretty good last year. This year it sounds like a herd of buffalo down there on the track."
"When they are good, they are very good," said Arthur of synthetic tracks. "The problem is keeping them there. They are not as easy (to maintain) as everyone thought they would be.
"Yes, the synthetic surfaces were promised to solve everybody's problems. This is a very complex issue. I think people were looking for a simple answer to a complex problem."
Harper said his track was under a microscope in 2006, after all of the deaths and protests outside the gates.
"There was pressure on the industry (to go to synthetics) and there was more pressure on Del Mar because we seem to be in the spotlight more than any other track, probably in the spotlight more than any other track in the world that I know of," Harper said. "They (euthanizations) happen at other tracks, and we're no different, but it's just not as noticed (at other tracks)."
Deaths and injuries are down, he added: "The statistics are supporting it."
Still, the statistics
Carava said he was "a definite proponent" for synthetic tracks.
"I see now after a few years, they've lost a little luster in my mind. I don't know if I injure more horses now, but the injury rate is pretty equal (to dirt). I don't know if going back to dirt is the absolute solution, but just a good track in general is all we're looking for."
Arthur said the fact remains that fatalities are down at Del Mar from 2006.
"We're still less than what we were on dirt," Arthur said of racing deaths. "I don't think that is good. I'm not saying that at all. When you try to put this problem in perspective, it's difficult to analyze what is going on in an unemotional way. Horse fatalities are a very emotional event, particularly for the people involved with the horse and everyone watching.
"From my perspective, I try to be disinterested, and that doesn't mean I don't care, it means I try to look at this in a very analytical way. If you look at the sole measurement of racing fatalities, they are safer. The data is unequivocal."
Ed Halperin, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said his group supported synthetic surfaces/Polytrack in the beginning.
"People forget that everyone supported it in the beginning," Halperin said, "including all of the racing associations. I really question whether we have that kind of support any more."


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Cave 15 in Ellora, India
This is an aerial view of Cave 15 at Ellora, India. In the middle, there is a small temple building carved from rock, and on three sides, the rock cliffs from which the building was carved as well as part of another building, which has deteriorated greatly. The temple sits high above the valley below, which is dotted with trees and a few small buildings.
The Ellora Caves, carved mostly between the seventh and tenth centuries, were hewn from the stone faces of the Charanadari Hills into a series of temples and monasteries. Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains carved caves for each religion and lived side by side in peace. This particular temple was originally Hindi.


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"The institute report is not entirely surprising," says TIME senior science writer Michael Lemonick. "Several months ago, an advisory panel of experts called by the federal judge who is overseeing a large number of the implant lawsuits reported similar findings." In medicine, no single report is definitive, says Lemonick, but there have now been several that have come down on the same side. Silicone implants have been banned by the FDA since 1992, and the latest report will not change that. But the report could have an effect on the ongoing litigation that still pits many of the 2 million implant recipients against the manufacturers. A $3.2 billion settlement plan involving Dow Corning, for one, is still awaiting final judicial approval. A company official said the company remained committed to the deal.
Another Study Clears Silicone Breast Implants
The legal repercussions of failed silicone breast implants may not be over, but the medical studies are becoming increasingly consistent. The latest, released on Monday by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, confirms the emerging consensus: Medical evidence does not support the contention that silicone breast implants cause major life-threatening diseases. After holding hearings and reviewing the thousands of research reports on the subject, an institute panel concluded that no link exists between the implants and such diseases. But that is not to say, the panel cautioned, that silicone implants are risk-free. The implants can contract or rupture and these developments can lead to scarring, infection and pain.


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[photogallerylink id=87765]
2011 was a pretty eventful year for Chris Brown. Not just because of his Billboard chart topping album F.A.M.E., his semi-scandalous music videos, or his many collabs with other pop artists.
Breezy also got a little uneasy in May at his Good Morning America interview when he threw a chair through a window after being brought to no uncertain rage when asked a question about his ex-girl,[lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Rihanna[/lastfm].
So, even though Breezy had an amazing interview with McCabe at the AMP Studios last year, he's not allowed to do any interviews in 2012 to save his reputation.
[pullquote quote="If people are going to judge anything, judge him for his talent. He signed up to sing and entertain. Not to talk about his personal life. "]According to a source, Chris Brown is purportedly cut-off from doing interviews in 2012.
His manager, Tina Davis, divulged to Billboard Magazine that the intention was to "not have him do interviews but to concentrate on performing and recording."
"We're not trying to be rude, selfish or disrespectful to anyone in any way," Davis continued. "If people are going to judge anything, judge him for his talent. He signed up to sing and entertain. Not to talk about his personal life."
- What do you think of Chris Brown's team's moratorium on interviews? Let us know in the comments!
[Source: MTV]


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A Visual History of Hulk
October 28, 2017 - We trace Hulk's most memorable looks from his long Marvel history.
Game of the Month: August 2005
September 2, 2005 - With all the videogames that are released each and every month, it can be quite a difficult task to decide on which title to spend your hard-earned money. Granted, you could go by our review scores alone and weed through the long list of names to find something that scored high or low, but what if you had somewhere else to turn? Rather than wait until the end of the year like for our big award blowout, your incredibly masculine friends at IGN.com have decided to employ a monthly tribute to the weeks that were. We're resolved to illustrate to our readers what we thought was the very best game for each system over the past month, and tell you the reason why. While some of us often chime in with our comments at the end of reviews, for the most part, the reviews on IGN are primarily written by one editor; in this feature we get all of the editors on a particular channel to vote for our Game of the Month. What better way to represent your channel than to speak your mind all at once? How does it work? It's simple. Any game released in the past month is eligible for the award and is taken through a battery of tests by every editor on that particular channel. After we've finished evaluating each game that comes down the pipeline, we put our heads together and decide on a single "best of" winner that's worthy of the title "IGN Game of the Month." Pretty straightforward, don't you think? Now that we have the guidelines out of the way, let's move on, and congratulate this month's winner...
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
August 16, 2005 - As a longtime fan of the Hulk since the 1970s, I've always had a soft spot for videogames based on my favorite superhero. Unfortunately, the Green Goliath hasn't had the same kind of excessive treatment over the years afforded to more mainstream guys like Spider-Man and the X-Men, so the selection of titles out there has been somewhat slim. Luckily, Radical Entertainment's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction makes that thin assortment a moot point, as it's the deepest, most accurate recreation of the Jade Giant that anybody could ever hope for (and makes other titles based on Banner's alter ego look like the "Rick Jones Hulk" in comparison).
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Completion
August 5, 2005 - Vivendi sent out word today that The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction has officially gone gold. That's fancy game industry speak for "we're all done with the game now, so be free, little guy, and make the masses happy!" You can understand why we use the shorter version.
The Incredible Hulk: Moves to Astonish
August 2, 2005 - If there's anything I've learned from my time with Radical Games' The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, it's that there's never a shortage of things to do. It's definitely one of the deepest games that I've played this summer, and I still have a ways to go before I'm finished with it.
The Hulk: Ultimate Pre-Order Bonus
August 2, 2005 - Gamers already jazzed for The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction may want to consider nabbing a pre-order for the title now. Vivendi today announced that customers who order the game early will receive a limited edition reprint of The Incredible Hulk #1 -- the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby 1962 classic where the legend began. The bonus book will sport exclusive new covers from artists Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, and Paul Mounts.
Hulk Voice Cast Revealed
June 22, 2005 - Vivendi's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction will feature celebrity voice talent, according to an announcement from the publisher today.
The Games of Summer: 2005 Edition
June 17, 2005 - There are just a couple of days left until summer officially starts and that means that the sun is staying high in the sky and that a lot of folks are using some extra time to clear out their backlog of games. Gamers are finally finishing off Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, finding all the oysters in GTA: San Andreas, and collecting all of the cars in all of the recent racers. It may feel like the industry is in a slow period before the fall rush and it's true. But don't be lulled into the idea that the summer has nothing going for it. There are still several, or more than a few, titles to look forward to and because we like you we're going to help you out.
IGNPS2's Best of E3 2005 Awards
May 27, 2005 - This year's E3 was strong. It had a few great titles, a lot of good ones, a few decent ones, and less terrible ones than we've probably ever seen, for which we are extremely thankful. It wasn't the most surprising of shows leaving only titles such as Okami and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence to fill in that blank. Of course, there were some that we just hadn't really had the chance to see yet such as King Kong, Ultimate Spider-Man, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland to keep us plenty excited. The question is which left the best and lasting impressions out of the strong group.
Pre-E3 2005: Hulk Play
May 14, 2005 - The office was abuzz yesterday when we got word that we were getting an exclusive look at the E3 build of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction from Vivendi Universal and Radical Entertainment. One of the surprise games of GDC, Ultimate Destruction aims to do something no game has managed to do yet -- create the perfect Hulk game. To see how the whole thing is turning out, we looked to our resident comic book experts Hilary Goldstein (IGN Comics) and Jeremy Dunham (IGNPS2, PS3) for their opinions on what has the potential to be one of the best comic book games we've ever. You'll find their comments below, in addition to brand new movies and screenshots on our media page.
Pre-E3 2005: Vivendi Announces Lineup
May 12, 2005 - Today Vivendi Universal games revealed its official lineup of titles to be shown at next week's E3 in Los Angeles.
The Big E3 List: 2005 Edition
April 11, 2005 - In preparation for the show and to let you know that we care (and we really do... the flowers are on the way, we promise), we've put together a fat list of all the "official" titles being shown at E3 in Los Angeles from May 12-14. BUT WAIT! Before you write in with such enlightening observations as "u f3rg0t triPl3 so=0p3r sup3r bLu3 p0k3m0N!11!!!!1!!1!," you should realize that this list doesn't necessarily represent everything that a particular company will be showing at E3, just what they've confirmed that they'll be showing so far. There are sure to be plenty of surprise titles on the floor that publishers aren't ready to make public until closer to the opening of the show. Luckily we'll be updating this list every single day with any new confirmed titles that we learn of, so all you'll have to do is check back here for the most up-to-date list of E3 titles. Those of you who are camping out by your computers can print out this list and highlight the games you're excited about and wait until May to read the latest as we poke, prod, and gussie-up to every damn game we can get our hands on at the show. Or just order a few dozen pizzas and read everything we post at E3. Lord knows we won't have time to! Remember that this is just a small sample of the games that will be at the show. Make sure to check this page regularly, because we'll be updating the list as we get more confirmations of titles that we'll be seeing at E3.
Vivendi Gets Radical
March 23, 2005 - VU Games has bought Radical Entertainment, according to an announcement from the publisher today.
GDC 2005: Hands on the Hulk
March 9, 2005 - With a game named The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, you really have to wonder just exactly how VU Games OK'ed this a title with this many descriptors and syllables. I mean, that's one silly name. It seems like all of the games on the 16-bit generation were named something like that: Spider-Man and the Ultimate Evil. Superman and the Evil Destruction. Ironman Destroys the Ultimate Destructible Evil (and friends). And so on. So why does VU Games insist on naming this game, clearly a title that displays characteristics that push it way ahead of its comic book brethren got a name like "Ultimate Destruction?"
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
March 8, 2005 - The time of crappy, useless comic book videogames is dead. With Marvel games appearing on the silver screen and comic book properties continuing to steadily increase in value, the publishers and developers that dare take on a comic book license these days have no choice but to make a quality project. (Or, if they do, they'll be beating themselves with a paddle for days, having paid a boatload of money for a license, with nothing to show for it.)
Marvelous Games in 2005
March 8, 2005 - Yesterday, Marvel released its financial results for Q4 2004. A webcast conference was held to announce the results and featured Marvel Chief Financial Officer, Ken West, Vice Chairman of the Board of Marvel, Peter Cuneo and Head of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad.
Comic Book Invasion!
January 5, 2005 - Welcome, true believers! With the release of The Punisher and Constantine rapidly approaching, we began thinking about the stunning number of comic book-inspired video games coming over the next few years. Some of these are being made to coincide with feature films, while others are banking on the popularity of a character. We've got the skinny on this year's upcoming titles, a look into 2006 and even 2007, and a status report on some MIA comic book games.
The Hulk Is Back
December 17, 2004 - Radical Games, the creators of The Simpsons Hit & Run, are hard at work…
Marvel Launches Game Group
January 15, 2004 - Marvel Enterprises has today announced that Ames Kirshen has been appointed as Manager Of Game Development, in an aim to supervise and oversee the development of all video games based on Marvel characters.