text:
Here's a music post.
The idea of listing my favorite bass players came about as the result of an almost conversation. You ever start a conversation and don't get to finish it, so what you wanted to say rolls around in your head for a while? This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. And yes it was a conversation about bass players. I mentioned Charlie Mingus to a young bass player and then it occurred to me later that Charles Mingus isn't even in my top five. So what's a blogger to do? I made a list.
These are my favorite bass players throughout popular music. Jazz, Rock, Funk, Pop… the style doesn't matter. This is purely a list of bad-ass bassists. However, this list doesn't represent the best bass players of all-time. These are just my personal favorites. So don't cry to me about technical proficiency or what not.
My apologies go out to Jaco, Claypool, Sting, McCartney, Sheehan, Clark, Jones, Flea, Esperanza and Ron Carter. You guys just didn't make the cut.
So who did make the list?
Let's get to it. To the list…
Ladies first. Only one female made the list. Here is a list of some of the best women bass players. It's a good compiling. But on this list there was only room for one.
10. Tina Weymouth (the genius of love)
The only woman on the list, Tina Weymouth was a large part of what made Talking Heads such a fun group. She is the master of the fun bass-line. With Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club or Gorillaz. Tina is awesome. She makes me happy. Technical proficiency be damned. The girl makes me happy.
Then we get even more progressive…
9. Geddy Lee (the maestro of metal)
Geddy Lee is the bassist and lead singer of the band Rush. I'm not the biggest Rush fan. My older brother was way too into Rush for me to take them seriously. He was a drummer, so like all drummers in the late 70's, he worshiped at the altar of Neil Peart. But what Rush lacked creatively, Rush more than made up for with technical proficiency. So yeah Geddy Lee makes my list.
Rush starts this one off with a little Rolling Stones tease, but they mean well. I really wanted to post Subdivisions as an example of his work but he spends more time on keys than on bass in that song. (even though the bass part is fucking killer)
8. Tony Levin (doctor funky fingers)
Tony Levin plays in Peter Gabriel's band. He is a master of the Chapman stick bass and the funk fingers (he plays with sticks on his fucking fingers). And he makes this list because of all the times I've seen Peter in concert, Tony Levin has been the highlight. The man kicks that bass's ass. And yeah he's played with EVERYBODY on TONS of albums. But it's his work with Peter that lands him here.
Next a Rock classic
7. Jack Bruce (the cream of the crop)
This was a surprise to me but when I thought about the best bass players I had to consider Jack Bruce who has quietly played bass on some of the coolest records of his time. So some of these guys are up here purely for laying down some of the most classic bass-lines of all time.
Here's Cream.
Now we get to Mingus…
6. Charles MIngus (the angry man of jazz)
The professor of the Big Band Swing. Grand-master of the double bass. Played with the great Charlie Parker. Disciple of the amazing Duke Ellington. And did a little record called Blue Moods with Miles Davis. You can't count bassists without Mingus.
Here he is putting his own spin on an Ellington classic.
Let's keep the jazz flowing…
5. Paul Chambers (the anchor of the gods)
Speaking of Miles Davis. The master had a couple of classic crews (Quintets, Sextets) but my favorites will always be his first great quintet/sextet including Paul Chambers on bass. Red Garland on piano. Philly Joe Jones on drums. John Coltrane on tenor saxophone. Cannonball Adderly on alto. And Miles on Trumpet.
This crew made several of my favorite recordings of all-time.
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue taking the top spot.
Here's a televised performance of So What from that album.
And now I explain why disco does not suck…
4. Bernard Edwards (the rhythm of the boogie to be)
Speaking of some of the most iconic bass-lines of all time. Along with Nile Rodgers on guitar and Tony Thompson on drums, Bernard Edwards was a member of the 70's disco band Chic. As well as dropping their own hits, they were the backing band on numerous late 70's and early 80's number one songs. And by the mid 80's, Bernard Edwards bass-lines were sampled by some of the greatest rap groups and scratched by some of the earliest DJ pioneers. Okay… one in particular. But honestly it's the most famous bass-line of all-time. Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia in 1996 much too young.
This is his final concert. They said he was too sick to play but he insisted. A professional to the end. It's a little hard to watch. He doesn't look well. Sounds great.
Back to the classic rock…
3. John Paul Jones (the hammer of the gods)
Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite music groups (right after that Miles sextet I mentioned) And it's because they were all so amazingly talented and masters at their individual crafts. People talk about Jimmy Page and John Bonham as two of the best in the business but it was John Paul Jones who held those two volcanic entities together.
This is The Song Remains The Same. Try to ignore their bare chests (if you can). Try to ignore the large bulge in Robert Plant's jeans (if you can). These are four artists at the height of their (sexual) power and they're having fun.
This is a 10 minute jam song from 1969 starting with one of the most iconic bass lines in history. These are 10 minutes well-spent. This is Dazed and Confused…
And next up… "Clyde on the drums… Bootsy on the bass goodtar."
2. Bootsy Collins (star child, the funk behind the godfather)
As a member of Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy helped redefine the funk genre into an inter-galactic jam session. The bass-line from Parliament's Flashlight is the funkiest shit ever recorded. You know how people like to sing along with their favorite songs? When Flashlight is playing I sing along with the bass. I couldn't find a good live version that featured Bootsy Collins. They had a bunch of different line-ups.
But honestly the stuff he did with James Brown in the late 60's, early 70's is why he makes this list. Funky and tight and did I mention funky as all hell..
Here's some of that. Not the best video but as James says, "Watch my shoes."
And here's a 30 minute version of Flashlight (the funkiest bass-line in music history) with Rodney Curtis on bass. (the man is no Bootsy but he's also no slouch)
And at number one…
1. Israel "Cachao" Lopez (the father of the mambo)
There's not a lot I can say except the man is amazing. Creator of the mambo. The jam master. I don't know if you noticed from this list but I love a good jam session. Cachao is the master of the Cuban jam session. Hell he created that shit.
Here he is with Tito Puente (a personality I find grating). Tito introduces the man (eventually) and then the two jam out for a bit before doing Oye Como Va (with the band) while Tito mugs for the audience. Honestly this clip would be brilliant if Tito would just play the drums and not be all… Tito.
And here is Cachao doing more of what he does best, improvising and jamming out. He's a little older in this clip but as you can see the man can still jam.
And that's my list…
I'd like to thank YouTube for making it nearly impossible to find good clips. And I'd also like to thank the devious musicians who hijack search terms just to get you to listen to their crap. Whatever works for you but… you're not making any friends.
More Music.
More Movie Reviews.
Winter TV Shows.
An updated Bisexual TV Characters for 2017.
The long-awaited return of Photos From Around The Block.
And much more.
Stay tuned.
– Mel


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New case management system hits month-long snag
By Stuart R. Wahlin
Staff Writer
Despite much hype during Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen's (R) State of the County address April 15, a new $6.7 million court case management system will not "go live" as expected in April.
The software and equipment are expected to help streamline operations, ultimately saving money through real-time availability of electronic information shared by various justice system agencies.
Initially, county officials had hoped the new system would be online April 5, but the date was pushed back to April 26 while the finishing touches were being implemented.
The county's outdated online database has been in use since 1999, and data conversion for the new system began as planned April 21, but performance problems caused a roadblock the following day, according to a press release.
"The solution will take approximately four weeks to implement and thoroughly test," the joint press release from Christiansen, State's Attorney Joe Bruscato (D), 17th Circuit Chief Judge Janet Holmgren (R), Circuit Clerk Tom Klein (R) and Sheriff Dick Meyers (D) stated. "Delays of this nature are not totally unexpected for a project of this magnitude."
From the April 28-May 4, 2010 issue

subset: commoncrawl


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by Brad Moon | September 12, 2013 9:01 am
Apple (AAPL[1]) did the entirely expected Tuesday and released a pair of new iPhones. But with the exception of Touch ID fingerprint scanning, we didn't get anything remarkably new — mostly relentless, iterative improvement over last year's model instead.
Actually, that's not quite true — the iPhone 5C pretty much is last year's model, but stuffed into a colorful polycarbonate shell with a hundred bucks knocked off the price tag.
There were no surprises, none of late CEO Steve Jobs' famous "one more thing" announcements. The whole thing was done in just over an hour, and was followed by a two-day spanking of Apple stock that really accelerated Wednesday.
What gives?
Steve Jobs led the charge to turn Apple around at a time when the company was in deep trouble and he did so by innovating and taking risks.
Apple Computer dropped the "Computer" from its name, becoming a consumer electronics powerhouse that destroyed Sony's (SNE[2]) Walkman with the iPod, made smartphone pioneer BlackBerry (BBRY[3]) virtually irrelevant with the iPhone, beat Google (GOOG[4]) to the living room with the Apple TV streaming box and topped it all off with the iPad, a game-changer that dominated the new tablet market while bruising PC sales. Jobs wouldn't hesitate to kill his own successes to make way for the next big thing, whether it was the iPad eating into Mac sales or axing the iPod Mini, the top-seller in Apple's lineup[5] to make way for the new, flash-based iPod Nano.
All risky, innovative decisions, but the new Apple was a leader other companies tried to follow.
Since Steve Jobs passed away and Tim Cook has taken the reins, the shine has come off Apple and its stock. While AAPL did reach its nadir at $700, one could strongly argue that much of the push still came on products Jobs had a hand in. However, Apple stock now sits 33% off that peak and was nearly 43% off earlier this year.
One of the most fundamental issues: Apple's transformation from risk-taking innovator to a hawk of the bottom line.
The new Mac Pro[6] notwithstanding, Tim Cook's Apple has been cautious, releasing iterative upgrades of existing products. And it's falling behind.
The iPad Mini was a smaller iPad released in reaction to the success that Google (GOOG[4]), Amazon (AMZN[7]) and others had in selling cheap, 7-inch tablets. Earlier this year, Apple lost the tablet platform crown to Google's Android[8] — it's no longer dominating the tablet market, but is instead trying to keep up.
The new iOS 7 is the biggest upgrade to Apple's mobile operating system since it was released, but it was needed just to level the playing field with Android and Microsoft's (MSFT[9]) Windows.
Meanwhile, the iPhone has seen market share shrink to just more than 13% worldwide as consumers increasingly favor cheaper, bigger and more customizable Android smartphones. Apple's response? Several years of higher-resolution displays, faster processors, and thinner and lighter phones. A fingerprint scanner. And now, with the iPhone 5C, different colors. The low-cost iPhone that Apple could have leveraged to dominate the low end? Nowhere to be seen (a $549 iPhone 5C is not it).
It's no wonder investors are not impressed, and even Apple's board is apparently getting restless[10] about lack of innovation.
Of course … Steve Jobs used color to help drive sales of refreshed products (iMacs, iBooks and iPods all got the color treatment), so why can't Tim Cook get away with it?
Because with Jobs, despite the fact he offered different colors and price points to lock down customers on Apple's existing products, investors and consumers alike had confidence that the next big thing was around the corner. No one thought that Jobs had run out of ideas — that color was his attempt at innovation.
But that confidence is gone.
Tweaking a year-old iPhone to make it slightly more affordable isn't innovating or creating a new market — it's trying to wring as much as possible out of an existing smartphone market without taking the risk of releasing a true low-cost device.
That could be forgivable, except there's no sense that Tim Cook has something else revolutionary up his sleeve.
There are rumors of an Apple smartwatch and an Apple television set[11], but even the faithful are starting to worry that these products will never materialize — or perhaps worse, that by the time they do, Apple will be the also-ran, not out front.
Tim Cook's Apple needs to prove it can innovate the way Steve Jobs' Apple did and take risks if it's going to return to its glory days. Today's Apple is madly profitable, relentlessly efficient and being run like a well-oiled machine. However, as Microsoft has so readily illustrated with Windows 8 and its Surface tablets, once you stop taking risks and settle in to being a predictable, profit-focused machine, it becomes a whole lot tougher to innovate your way back to relevance when your core business starts to slump.
Without innovation and the kind of risks that Steve Jobs was willing to take, the days of Apple creating and dominating new product categories — and the explosive growth that comes with this leadership — are being left behind.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
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text: Overview -- U.S. midstream energy company NuStar Energy L.P.'s credit profile has weakened due to continued poor results in the asphalt-refining business and a trading loss in the fuels-marketing segment. As a result, financial leverage will be significantly higher than our previous estimates, requiring NuStar to obtain an amendment to its debt to EBITDA covenant for the second and third quarters of 2012. -- NuStar also announced that it has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg LLC to sell a 50% interest in its asphalt-refining assets for $175 million in cash plus working capital. -- We are lowering the ratings on NuStar and its operating subsidiaries to 'BB+' from 'BBB-'. The outlook is stable. -- The stable outlook reflects our view that the partnership will likely reduce leverage, have sufficient liquidity, and focus on expanding its core transportation and storage segments during the next 12 to 18 months. Rating Action On July 6, 2012, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its ratings on San Antonio-based midstream energy company NuStar Energy Partners L.P., including the corporate credit rating, to 'BB+' from 'BBB-' and revised the outlook to stable. Our issue-level rating on NuStar's senior unsecured notes is 'BB+' (the same as the corporate credit rating). We are assigning a recovery rating of '3', which indicates our expectation for average (50% to 70%) recovery if a payment default occurs. Rationale The downgrade reflects that NuStar's financial risk profile will be considerably weaker than we previously expected due to losses in its asphalt-refining and fuels-marketing segments, which requires covenant relief in the second and third quarters of 2012. NuStar's financial performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 will be very weak, hurt by poor results in the asphalt refining business and a trading loss. The partnership's asphalt operations will generate negative EBITDA and the fuels-marketing segment will generate a loss because the partnership did not hedge its heavy fuel oil and bunker fuel inventories for about two months even as commodity prices sharply declined. Consequently, NuStar was going to breach its debt to EBITDA covenant of 5.5x as of June 30, 2012 and 5x as of Sept. 30, 2012 were it not for an amendment to its credit facility by its lenders. NuStar's decision not to hedge its inventory when it historically used hedges in the past raises concerns about NuStar's financial policies, and, together with the potential breach of financial covenants, is inconsistent with an investment-grade credit profile, in our opinion. NuStar indicates that its entire fuel oil inventory is fully hedged as of May 25, 2012 and the partnership intends to remain fully hedged in the future. We view NuStar's announcement that it plans to form a joint venture with an affiliate of private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg (not rated) to own and operate NuStar's asphalt refining assets as a positive step in improving NuStar's overall credit profile, because it should reduce future cash flow volatility and the need for large working capital investment. We believe that the partnership can also use expected cash proceeds of $400 million to $500 million to reduce debt or help fund capital spending. However, this view is tempered by the fact that NuStar will still have significant ties and obligations to the joint venture. NuStar will provide an unsecured, seven-year, $250 million credit facility to fund working capital as well as offer initial guarantees and credit support of up to $150 million. We also expect NuStar to continue to be the counterparty to the supply contract with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), which supplies the bulk of crude oil to NuStar's asphalt refineries. We are revising NuStar's financial risk profile to "aggressive" from "significant" due to our expectations for higher leverage in 2012 and 2013 compared with our previous expectations. Under our base-case forecast, we assume that NuStar receives no EBITDA from the asphalt segment in 2012 and minimal distributions in 2013 while providing working capital support to the new joint venture of $100 million to $150 million (depending on commodity prices). We have also reduced our 2012 EBITDA assumption in the fuels-marketing segment to about $35 million from our previous forecast of between $50 million and $60 million, and continue to view the San Antonio refinery as break-even in 2012. Our EBITDA projection for the transportation and storage segments will be about $40 million to $50 million higher in 2012 due to the completion of organic projects such as NuStar's St. James terminal expansion and various crude transportation projects in the Eagle Ford crude and gas-gathering area. We assume total 2012 EBITDA will be about $460 million and total debt to EBITDA will be about 5.5x compared with our previous estimates of 5x. For 2013, we forecast total debt to EBITDA to be in the high 4x area, above our previous forecast of about 4.5x. Due to NuStar's weak operating performance, we expect distribution coverage to be below 1x in 2012. In our view, coverage could remain weak through 2013, given the cash flow lag related to many of the growth projects in the partnership's transportation and storage segments. The partnership's core transportation and storage segments continue to generate the bulk of overall cash flow (about 80%). These largely fee-based businesses generate stable cash flow and support our business risk assessment of "satisfactory" under our criteria. At the same time, the large growth projects in these segments will keep the balance sheet somewhat stretched through 2013, in our view. Liquidity We consider NuStar's liquidity "adequate" under our liquidity criteria. We project that sources divided by uses will be about 1.2x during the next 12 months. Our assumptions for the partnership's sources of cash include about $350 million of funds from operations, $450 million of net proceeds pro forma for the asphalt joint venture, and about $700 million of unused capacity available under its $1.5 billion bank facility that matures in May 2017. Key uses include about $475 million of capital expenditures (related to maintenance and growth), $134 million of long-term debt maturities, and distributions of about $360 million. A key assumption in our liquidity analysis is that we would expect NuStar to scale down its capital spending if sources of liquidity became constrained. On June 29, 2012, NuStar obtained a covenant waiver from its bank group and revised its maximum debt to EBITDA covenant to 6.5x and 6x for the second and third quarters of 2012, respectively (5.5x and 5x previously). Based on these revised covenant levels, we believe the leverage covenant will continue to limit the amount NuStar can currently borrow under its $1.5 billion revolving credit facility. As of March 31, 2012, the partnership's credit facility had a maximum debt to EBITDA covenant of 5x, compared with NuStar's ratio of 4.6x. Recovery analysis See our recovery report on Nustar Energy L.P. to be published following this report on RatingsDirect. Outlook The outlook on NuStar is stable, and reflects our view that the partnership will reduce debt to EBITDA to about 4.75x by 2013 from more than 5x in 2012 and have sufficient liquidity to fund its growth initiatives during the next 12 to 18 months. We could lower the rating if NuStar exhibits a more aggressive financial strategy in managing its businesses, such that there is a renewed focus on segments with a higher degree of business risk and more volatile cash flows, or if NuStar cannot reduce leverage below 5x. A higher rating, currently not under consideration, is possible over time if we see management embrace more conservative financial policies and demonstrate that it can consistently maintain leverage in the low-4x area. Related Criteria And Research -- Key Credit Factors: Criteria For Rating The Global Midstream Energy Industry, April 18, 2012 -- Liquidity Descriptors For Global Corporate Issuers, Sept. 28, 2011 Ratings List Ratings Lowered To From NuStar Energy L.P. Corporate Credit Rating BB+/Stable/-- BBB-/Negative/-- Senior Unsecured BB+ BBB- New Rating Recovery Rating 3


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Staff Writer
TEMECULA -- Chaparral boys tennis coach Ric Campo expected a close match Friday against Canyon Springs.
However, the host Pumas showed their coach that they were the superior team with a 15-3 nonleague win.
Canyon Springs (3-1) entered Friday's match undefeated, but put up little resistance against Chaparral (4-0).
Sophomore Bryan Newell, the Pumas' No. 1 singles player, still has not lost a set, but had a bit of challenge against the Cougars' Andres Romero, a foreign exchange student from Venezuela.
Newell defeated Romero, 6-2, en route to a sweep. He won his other two sets 6-0 and 6-1.
"He was a bit better than I expected," Newell said. "I haven't played against somebody that good since last year. It was intense, but I played well."
Chaparral also picked up two singles sets apiece from sophomore Evan Tarpenning (1-6, 6-4, 6-0) and freshman Harry Huxford (1-6, 6-0, 6-3).
"We anticipated a tough match and I told the team that it would be a challenge," Campo said. "I believe our team was pumped up and ready to play."
Chaparral again got a dominant performance from its three doubles teams as they won eight of nine sets. Joshua Smith and Stephen McDaniel recorded a 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 sweep at No. 1 doubles and Ryan Federico and Josiah Wright had 6-4, 6-0, 6-0 sweep at No. 2.
"Our No. 2 doubles is playing fantastic," Campo said. "They are both solid players and they work well together. Josiah is a good serve and volleyer, and Federico is a good baseline player."
Scott Stack and Sean Bragg picked up two sets (1-6, 6-2, 6-2) at No. 3 doubles. The Pumas' improved play in doubles could give the team an advantage in Southwestern League play.
"They played a lot more in the offseason," Newell said of the team's doubles players. "The loss to Temecula last year really got us pumped up to get ready for this season."
Chaparral is off for two weeks, but jumps into league play March 26 when it hosts Temescal Canyon.
"We are anxious, but we know the league will be really strong," Campo said. "We have heard a lot about Murrieta and Elsinore. They should be really strong and Temecula and Temescal Canyon will be good, too."
Adrian Pomery can be reached at (909) 676-4315, ext. 2630, or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: World Superbike: Alstare And Ducati Split Up Cycle News Staff | October 25, 2013 Photography by Gold & Goose The bad news: Ducati and Team Alstare have split up, ending a near one-year partnership that saw the Belgium-based team run the factory World Superbike team for Ducati in what was a frustrating season for both entities. The good news: Ducati will continue in World Superbike in 2014 with a team and riders yet to be named.Although things were expected to continue status quo, Alstare has lost one of its "main partners" and the team is being forced to downsize its future plans, according to the Ducati release.In a meeting held at the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale, Bologna, Alstare team owner Francis Batta and the Ducati management decided the best course of action would be an early termination of the agreement before the start of the 2014 season. "I am extremely sorry that an operation that had started on such a positive note had to be concluded before its time without achieving the results we were aiming for," said Ernesto Marinelli, Ducati SBK Project Manager. "This was a very difficult year in terms of sports performance, but I am convinced that it nevertheless made us both grow and lay solid foundations for our future development and improvement. In these months together, I experienced the constant professionalism and expertise of everyone at Team Alstare, and I hope to be able to work with them again in the future. My special thanks, both in my personal capacity and on behalf of the whole company, go to Francis [Batta] for the effort he has put in this year – as he always has throughout his career."Batta was also disappointed that the team won't be able to continue."I am very sad because this challenge, which began last November, was very important for me as a fresh start after missing one year," said Batta. "Working with Ducati was incredibly thrilling, although unfortunately, we failed to achieve the results we had set ourselves. The 2013 racing season has been incredibly hard for us, and being unable to start from a solid position in 2014, I would rather not take risks that might compromise our ability to complete the season. I would like to thank Ducati for trusting me and I wish them all the success that they deserve." The top Ducati rider in this year's World Superbike Championship was Ayrton Badovini, the Italian finishing 12th in the championship with the highlight a third-place finish in race one of the Russian round. Carlos Checa, meanhwhile, suffered through an injury plagued year in which he finished 15th in the title chase. Checa announced his retirement last week.Share this:ShareFacebookTwitter Comments


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WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Moving a house at Wrightsville Beach will mean traffic delays Wednesday and Thursday.
The Palmgren-O'Quinn House will be moved to a site near the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History and the town's visitors' center to become the new southeastern regional office of the NC Coastal Federation, as well as the group's new environmental education center, according to the StarNews.
Crews will use a barge to move the house along the Intracoastal Waterway. That means the bridge will open at 5 p.m. Wednesday for longer than usual so the barge can get through.
Starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, the home is scheduled to travel west along a short stretch of US 74 beginning at Pelican Drive and ending at W. Salisbury St. While the move is taking place, the structure will occupy both travel lanes of US 74.
Wrightsville Beach Police will be on site to stop traffic and escort the house along US 74.


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Edit Article
wikiHow to Write More During a Writing Assessment Test
If you have that good old writing test tomorrow, or even in a few days, don't worry, it's not as bad as you think it will be. Follow these few steps and you could learn how to write more during an examination of writing.
1Don't worry. Overreacting over a test can sometimes put you off. Try to relax and shrug it off before the examination starts.
2Understand what you have to write about. Nothing is worse than not getting what you are told to write about. Don't feel embarrassed or scared to ask a question. People won't laugh.
3Plan. It is one of those things that teachers will tell you over and over again. Do it on a spare piece of paper. Don't do it on the day, if you already know what to write about.
4Start with a cliff-hanger intro. If you know what you're going to write about, the rest will be a lot easier. If you have to write about the future, start by saying something like 'It is <year> and things have changed, a lot. <Say what has changed, is it gotten futuristic and sci-fi? Or has it gone back in time?>'
5Dividing your words into more paragraphs not only makes it look like you've written more it also looks a bit more professional. Don't overdo it with paragraphs though. Put the // symbol if you think there should be a paragraph where you have forgotten to put one.
6The Five 'W's - Who, What, Where, Why and When. Also put how if you can. Normally put these in the first 2 or 3 paragraphs, but if necessary spread them out.
7Add in adjectives (describing words). Saying things like 'There was a crystal ball on the table' sounds a little boring. Things like 'There was a mysterious, glowing, crystal ball on the beautifully patterned table, covered by a square, dark red, piece of cloth.' makes it more interesting and puts up your grades a little. Don't overdo it though.
8Make sure your characters speak. It will make it look like you have written more, and more interesting. Also, instead of just putting 'said <name>'. Put things like shouted, exclaimed, interjected <name>. It will up your scores.
9Add things that are not needed. Put in commas, these things, extra words. Make sure it still makes sense if you take the commas out though. Usually put descriptions or feeling in these.
10Spell out abbreviations. If in your story there is a bit like, ASAP, put in As Soon As Possible instead. Or if there is, Don't, They're and That's. Put Do not, They are, or That is instead.
Community Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters leftSubmit
- Don't flood your work with adjectives and speech. It looks stupid and confusing.
- If you are told to stop, stop. Just put 'uncompleted' at the end of your work and do what instructed afterward.
- Don't brag to other people about how good it is. Tell them what it is about, but only if they ask.
Things You'll Need
- Sharp pencil/pen. Eraser and spare pens and pencils just in case.
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Cool overlays
One of the special PlayClaw features is graphics overlay support. These overlays can be seen by you on a game screen while playing a game or/and by your audience in a stream or recording. PlayClaw has a number of pre-installed overlays such as Teamspeak overlay, Webcam with chroma key, Twitch chat, System Information, FPS and more.
Online streaming
You can stream your gameplay with PlayClaw to various streaming services such as Twitch, YouTube and others. A webcam feed with chroma key and other different graphics elements can be added to your broadcast.
Local video recording
PlayClaw can capture video from graphics applications, games and the Windows desktop. Captured video can be encoded in real time using a hardware accelerated codec H.264/AVC MPEG-4 or with software codecs like a classic MJPEG.
PlayClaw features
High video encoding performance
PlayClaw can use a hardware acceleration in H.264/AVC MPEG-4 codecs. Three technologies are supported — Intel QuickSync, AMD APP and NVidia Encoder.
Webcam overlay
You can easily add your webcam feed in video or online streaming. Chroma key effect (green screen) will add a professional look to your video.
No capture FPS limit
Set frame rate to any value. 1, 10, 60 or 200fps — doesn't matter. PlayClaw creates a smooth recording!
Sea of audio
PlayClaw supports up to 16 audio sources for video recording and streaming. You can add several microphones to commentate your gameplay, add cover music and more.
Fully functional trial version without time limit.
Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32 and 64-bits versions)


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Continue to take your medication on time and get regular rest. Straying from the diet and daily routine that is working for you could bring on a flare-up of your IBD.

If you feel the holiday blues coming on, don't be afraid to talk to your healthcare provider. The sooner you get help, the better you will feel throughout the season. Keep your spirits up with some holiday jokes, spoofs, and poetry.

Decide which social functions you can realistically attend without causing yourself too much stress. Running yourself ragged to make every holiday party you're invited to can leave you too tired to enjoy any of them. Be up front with family and friends about holiday doings. Let them know that you may pass on some traditional holiday foods in order to avoid being ill. If you're throwing a party, keep it simple to save yourself energy and frustration.
Holiday shopping while wondering where the restrooms are isn't anyone's idea of fun. Why not do your shopping on the Internet or by catalog? Remember to start early to give plenty of time for shipping. Avoid stress after the holidays by budgeting for holiday shopping. Stick to your budget to avoid impulse buys, over spending, and over shopping.
Holiday gatherings tend to be centered around food and drink. Be sensible about holiday drinking. Some people with IBD find that alcohol can contribute to symptoms such as diarrhea or gas.

Take a time out for yourself if you need it. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be detrimental to your health. Some quiet time to de-stress is important. It doesn't have to be anything formal -- it could be any activity that relaxes you.

If you're traveling across the country or just across town, be sure to prepare yourself and your companions in the way that's best for you. Leave plenty of time to get to your destination -- plan in some bathroom breaks!
Remind your family and friends how much you love them by telling them. Take the time out of your busy schedule to reconnect with the people you care for. After all, this is what the holidays are all about!
Save time and money and send some Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or New Year e-cards instead of the paper variety. Most people don't mind getting holiday cards by email, especially if you can include pictures or details about your year.

Too many of us strive to have the "perfect" holiday parties and gifts. Take it easy on yourself -- you can still have a great time even if the food and decorations don't turn out picture perfect.


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Hey there, I'm Michael.
I'm a WordPress, web and UI/UX designer in Austin.
Over the last 10 or so years, I have built over 200 websites for various businesses and organizations.
I have an obsessive attention to details, and I can always find a way to improve a user experience. Getting inside the mind of the people I am designer and developing a website or application for is one of my personal strengths.


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A man accused of stealing a safe containing $53,000 in cash and collectable coins from Goldberg Karate Studio in Wolcott was arrested after a police chase last night and appeared in court on Friday.
Wolcott police identified Daniel Deleo, 25, of Terryville, as a suspect in the theft of the safe and began searching for him.
Police said he was thought to be traveling with his wife Cynthia Deleo, 24.
Their vehicle, a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, was found abandoned in Newington. The license plates, Connecticut registration 932ZBH, were removed and police think the couple is using another car with those plates.
When police issued a news release, they said the couple has ties to Newington and Terryville and family in Ohio and Maryland, police said.
At 10 p.m. on Thursday, police received information that the couple was heading to a home on Allentown Road in Plymouth, just over the Wolcott line to get gas money, so Wolcott police went to apprehend Deleo.
They saw Cynthia at the house and were speaking with her when a Daniel drove up in a gray car, police said, so they turned on the cruiser's lights and sirens to try and stop him.
Deleo, who had recently been released from prison on a third-degree burglary charge, fled on Route 72 in Bristol, then east on Interstate 84, where the Connecticut State Police took over the attempt to stop. Deleo, police said.
The chase continued onto Interstate 91 north, then onto Interstate 291 east to exit 5, where Deleo finally stopped.
State police charged Deleo with reckless endangerment, criminal attempt at assault on an officer, interference with a police officer, weapon in a motor vehicle, reckless driving and failure to bring a vehicle to a stop when signaled.
He was released on a $75,000 non-surety bond to Wolcott Police, then transported back to Wolcott police for processing on stated charges.
Daniel Deleo appeared in court on Friday and officials said he has a criminal history dating back to 2006 that includes burglary and larceny charges, owes nine years of probation and has three pending matters.
Bond was set at $20,000 for motor vehicle charges, plus $200 for burglary. He is due in court next on Oct. 30.
Cynthia Deleo was also charged with hindering prosecution and bond was set at $25,000. She has past convictions for burglary and narcotics, officials said. She still owes three years of probation and they were having trouble trying to reach her in the past few weeks.
Cynthia Deleo is next due in court on Oct. 30.
Both have self-reported substance and mental health issues, officials said.


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Plans for an $823 million flood control project for the Souris River Valley in North Dakota are in limbo due to federal policy changes and disagreements in Congress.
Corps of Engineers officials are studying new rules that impact changes to existing flood levees and the type of environmental study needed for projects, according to the Minot Daily News and KXMC-TV.
Bills in the U.S. House and Senate also differ on whether the corps can start new projects, and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said it is doubtful a final bill will pass before the November election.
"We're kind of holding and waiting to see what they say," Minot Public Works Director Dan Jonasson said.
Regional corps officials said they don't influence national policy.
"We do have some support from our division for this if we can do new starts," said Judy DesHarnais, deputy district engineer for project management with the corps in St. Paul, Minnesota. "We think there's potential, which is why we really would like to have this one move forward."
The June 2011 Souris River flood caused by heavy spring snowmelt and rains resulted in nearly $700 million in damage in Minot, and also affected some rural areas and communities in the north central North Dakota valley. Minot wants to start construction on the long-term flood control project, but federal money is needed for the effort that would include $530 million in improvements in Minot.
City Manager Cindy Hemphill said Minot and the state might be able to provide startup funds. The Legislature next year will be asked for $70 million to help pay for more than $102 million in flood control improvements, property buyouts and engineering costs. Minot also has designated a half percent of its city sales tax for flood control, amounting to from $6 million to $7 million a year.
The city receives many phone calls from people who went through the 2011 flood and are concerned about future protection, according to Mayor Chuck Barney.
"The psychological impact on the community is still raw, and we need to address it," he said. "We need to protect the citizens and their property and the whole basin."


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Snowmobile tour with ice-fishing
Snowmobile tour with Ice-fishing
Welcome to a breathtaking tour with our snowmobile. We take you on a tour through deep forests in a beautiful winter world in the area around the Torne river. We drive in small groups and make our own tracks. We drill a hole in the ice and try to catch our own lunch. During the break around the fire we offer you a Lappish lunch and some other delicacies. We use modern snowmobiles with four-stroke engines.
Price includes: guide, two persons per snowmobile, winter cloting (boots,winter overalls, thick gloves, warm hat) , equpiment, lunch, transfer
Duration of activity: 5,5 hrs
Total duration includes: time for transfer, changing clothes, break for meal/coffee
Distance covered: 20-40 km
Departure point and start time: Kiruna Guidetur office at 10:00 am. Please be there 30 minutes before departure
Price: Adult 1295 kr, child 648 kr
Please note: you must have a valid driving license for a car to drive a snowmobile. Persons without a license can ride on the back with someone else or with the guide. Small children will be pulled in a sled behind the guide.


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Artist description:
5 years later :) (mouse)
Flash Draw Created May 04, 2012 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2012 sedosh_.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
wow u drew that with a mouse your so talented!
Amazing! This is sooooo good! I love that you use flash :) 5hrts !
wow it kind of looks like u drew chopsticks with sushi!!
This is really neat, quite realistic.
wonderful drawing ! 5♥s
very cool!
omg this looksso good :D (i´m hungry ^.^) 5/5h
realistic and great! 5/5 Thank you for your comment!
Fantastic...Your original was well done, and your redraw is even more impressive. 5/5


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'Tis the season of hubris and feigned humility, of covert campaigning and overt obfuscating—Really-it's-just-an-honor-to-be-nominated—of borrowed bling and $10,000 couture gowns that no one paid for. It's a time of handicapping odds and making prognostications. Now that the Oscar nominations are in, the speculation begins. There is drama: Which ex will snatch Best Picture from his/her not-so-better-half? And there is suspense: Will Mo'Nique cave to convention and shave her legs? The Academy Awards will not bring about world peace, resuscitate the U.S. economy or resolve the crisis in Haiti. (But do expect to see lots of "Remember Haiti" ribbons adorning those couture gowns.) In the long run, the Oscars matter not one bit—save for the bottom line in the winner's paychecks.
But damn, are they fun.
This year, the fun is multiplied by 10, as in 10 nominations for Best Picture. One could argue that this makes for a bloated field. (The Blind Side? Seriously?) On the other hand, you could argue that it opens up the field for smaller films that might have been overlooked. (Yay, District 9 and Precious!) One thing is for sure: It'll make for an even longer night with an event that's already a marathon stretching the tolerance of its viewing audience.
Speaking of marathons, there is the not-unexpected anointing of James Cameron's 3-hour-long epic, Avatar, the most successful film ever, which was tapped with nine Oscar nominations. It's a gorgeously imagined film that, notwithstanding its stilted dialogue, broke boundaries and set a new standard for filmmaking. It's a film that's also attracted its share of controversy; critics have had a field day analyzing the mega-blockbuster's not-so-subtle themes about colonialism and its somewhat troubling, Dances-With-Wolves vibe. Up against Avatar is Kathryn Bigelow's tense take on the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker, cast as the underdog. As Cameron and Bigelow were once married to each other, it's already being dubbed the "battle of the exes," but it's also the battle of the big film versus the little film, pitting Cameron's 3-D, sci-fi tale of the blue people versus Bigelow's gritty realism. With all this hoopla, is there room for an upset? Will Tarantino's blood-soaked Inglourious Basterds whomp them all? Or will this be the year of the little picture? Does Precious stand a chance? Should it?
I was pleasantly surprised to see District 9 in the mix. It's seriously smart sci-fi with something to say about xenophobia, apartheid and the military industrial complex. (Will it win? Um, no.) Then there's The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, which I have yet to see because I couldn't shake the whole Magical Negro feel of the trailers. (Am I wrong? Should I see it? Let me know.) I was underwhelmed by the existential navel-gazing of A Serious Man, but hey, it's the Coen Brothers, so you pretty much expect them to represent at the Oscars. Up was charming—but Best Picture? Nah. I appreciated Up In the Air and its take on the downsizing of America. (I also appreciated—very much appreciated—George Clooney's performance, on many levels. Let's leave it at that.) But no way is it taking home the Oscar.
But even with this expanded category, there were some surprises about who was left out. Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are was a beautifully moody take on Maurice Sendak's childhood classic. It was imaginative and fearless, a thing of wonder. So not even a nod for Art Direction? I don't get it. And I was surprised to see Pedro Almodóvar's Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces), starring his muse, Penélope Cruz, passed over for Best Foreign Film.
As for Best Director, once again, we're going to see Cameron and Bigelow duking it out to the end. (We could very well see a split Oscar night, with Bigelow taking Best Director and Cameron taking home Best Picture.) Which is too bad for Tarantino, Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)—and Lee Daniels, who directed Precious and is only the second African-American director to be nominated for an Oscar. (And no, the first wasn't Spike Lee. It was John Singleton for Boyz 'N The Hood.) Nope, no black director has ever won.
I can't call the Best Actor category—I can see Jeff Bridges taking home the little gold man for A Crazy Heart or Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker. Or Colin Firth for fashion designer Tom Ford's A Single Man. And while I love me some Morgan Freeman—can anyone else play God with a straight face? Twice?—I can't see him winning for playing Nelson Mandela in Invictus. And Clooney? Sorry, boo, but it's just not going to be your year.
But will it be Gabourey Sidibe's year? She's been nominated for Best Actress. (Watching her giddy turn on Good Morning America after the awards nominations were announced, I think I'll believe her if starts spouting the it's-really-just-an-honor line.) Others up for Best Actress: Helen Mirren for The Last Station; Carey Mulligan for An Education; Meryl Streep's been nominated. Again. (For Julie & Julia.) Can the Academy just go ahead and grant her a Lifetime Achievement Award already, so that the rest of the actresses in Hollywood stand a chance next award season?
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor are Matt Damon for his rugby-playing turn in Invictus (take on an Afrikaner accent and a prosthetic nose and you, too, can get nominated); Woody Harrelson for The Messenger, Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (unbelievably, his first), Stanley Tucci for his serial-killer turn in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones (also, unbelievably, Tucci's first) and Christoph Waltz for playing a nasty Nazi in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Plummer's likely to take the award, but I'll be rooting for Waltz.
On the Supporting Actress front, Mo'Nique is the actor to beat. Sorry, Penélope Cruz (Nine); Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air); Maggie Gyllenhaal (A Crazy Heart), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air). You just can't compete with the fearlessness and the fabulousness that is Mo'Nique in Precious.
Teresa Wiltz is The Root's senior culture writer. Follow her on Twitter.


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After putting quite a bit of 5.45 and 5.56 through the Rainier XTC over the last 9 months, I feel pretty confident in saying that it's the best muzzle compensator value on the market.
18 thoughts on "Rainier Arms XTC"
As always, you have the video to back up your points. Well done. I have an XTC (in addition to FSC556 and BC 1.0) as well and you're entirely right, good deal for the money.
I cannot help but note that the large square-ish ports are very similar to stock AK-74 brakes.
Fine, I'll buy one…
Hi, Andrew. This is listed as a compensator but in the product summary it says it also helps reduce flash. The 2nd part worries me. I live in CT and we can't have folding/collapsible stocks and flash hiders. muzzle breaks/comps and hi caps are fine. Just those two items stayed restricted as CT passed their own AWB ban in 93 which had no sunset clause. Luckily there was never any mag cap restriction.
Move. CT sucks, lived there for 29 years. Never going back.
I'm from CT. Moving out of the state as soon as I am done with school. I agree (been here 23 years now). I've looked at buying a pre ban lower but there are some critics that say you can get into trouble with that if you put a modern top half on and the debate goes on and on.
I love replies like these. Yeah, I'll just pack up and leave all of my family and friends because I can't have flash hiders or folding/collapsible stocks.
Besides my family and friends some of my favorite eateries are here. Been going to Pepe's for 35 years. Besides, it's not like we're MA, CA, NY or NJ. We can still have suppressors, SBR's, SBSG's, AOW's and full-auto only. In fact my next AR (besides my custom AR-10 .44 Automag carbine) will be a 9″ barreled .300 BLK that will eventually get a can.
Topslop, I meant to "reply" to Mike. Sorry. Blog reply:FAIL lol
Actually, I did exactly that, packed up and moved on principle, leaving many friends behind. The gun thing was part of it, along with ever increasing taxes and generally just not enjoying the inescapable, endless bombardment of liberal mindset. Actually, my family all have left that state, mostly for economic reasons.
I agree, the food there is great; it's the only thing I miss. Hoffman's or Newington Gun purchase for the .300 BLK? or simply online?
And I was in a shit mood when I answered your response with "Move," but still, it's been the best thing I could've done.
It can't be any good, it's not Inconel 😛
Is the XTC melonite treated? Thinking of putting this on a Spike's 5.45, so I was wondering how yours handled the corrosive 5.45 surplus ammunition.
Not advocating this mindset but at less than $60 and if you like it alot, just replace it with another one if there is corrosion.
Fantastic review there. Love the slow motion footage and the production quality in general. Looks like a great compensator for the money.
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If price weren't an issue, the fsc556 or this?


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B.Ed & Teacher Education Colleges
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B.Ed & Teacher Education Colleges
Hotel Management Culinary Arts Colleges
Other Educational Institutions
This page features list of Law Collegesin Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradeshoffering Legal Education including Civil Law, Criminal Law, Business Law, Forensic Law etc. and courses such as Bachelor of Law (BL), Master of Law (ML) etc.
Shri Swami Vivekanand Law College, Ghaziabad
Sankalp Institute of Law, Ghaziabad
Modern College of Law, Ghaziabad
Integrated School of Law, Ghaziabad
Law Topics: Administrative Law ~ Alternative Dispute Resolution ~ Company Law ~ Constitutional Law ~ Contract Law ~ Criminal Law ~ Civil Procedure ~ Environmental Law ~ Family Law ~ Human Rights ~ Industrial Law ~ Intellectual Property ~ International Law ~ Jurisprudence ~ Law of Evidence
Also check List of Law Colleges in India and Law College Admission Notifications
Business Schools - Engineering Colleges - Medical & Nursing Admissions - BEd in Distance mode - Journalism & Media Studies
Enter a detailed keyword. Ex: IGNOU MCA Admission Notification 2012


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Beautiful Vancouver, WA awaits our arrival for Conclave, October 6 - 9, 2017. Just a short shuttle ride from the Portland (Oregon) airport, Vancouver's historic and vibrant downtown is fun. Nestled along the Columbia River, you will find plenty to do after the conference ends each day - take a walk along the river, explore the fort, enjoy a great meal, or relax with new friends. To learn more about Vancouver, watch this short video or browse the Vancouver USA Magazine. Click on the Vancouver customized link below to find out about the many fun and educational things to do while in Vancouver.
For many business and marketing teachers, the MBA Conclave Curriculum and Teaching Conference has become the single most important conference they attend. To help accommodate the greatest number, we're moving to a new time of the year and working to minimize days out of school without sacrificing the extremely high-quality programming this unique conference is known for.
Be A Conclave Presenter
Have a particularly interesting project or idea to strengthen business and marketing education? Share it at Conclave and we'll help pay your way. Our presentation slots are expected to be filled by mid-June, so don't get left out. Here's the details.


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Three cheers for elastomer!
In case you hadn't noticed, we tend to rant and rave a lot about what you shouldn't put in your body. And we're not just talking about taking unwrapped candy from strangers. No, we're talking about sex toys, too. As consumers, we're responsible for educating ourselves about what we stick where the sun don't shine — 'cause the manufacturers just trying to make a buck sure aren't going to inform us. When we rant and rave, we lavish particular scorn on phthalates, which are an ingredient in jelly rubber, unstable vinyl (a.k.a. PVC), and other soft plastics — and, by the way, potentially carcinogenic. Okay, fine: you get it. The world is full of toxic sex toys and sitting on a dildo just isn't the fun, harmless, innocent activity people used to think it was. So what should you put in your body?
Enter — cue the singing angels — elastomer. Excuse us while we get technical for a second: In the sex-toy industry, the word elastomer is used to refer to thermo-plastic elastomer (TPE) or thermo-plastic rubber (TPR). The chemical process involved in making TPE is different from that of making vinyl and jelly, so the resulting product is phthalate-free and latex-free (yay!). Even Greenpeace recommends it as a better alternative to PVC. It can be manipulated into a wide variety of textures much more easily than silicone (which was once considered to be one of the few real safe sex toy materials), which means that safe toys can now be designed a lot more creatively: Gone are the days when you had to look wistfully at those toys with the playful little nubbins, knowing that they were all made of nasty jelly rubber. For example, toy manufacturer Vibratex has a new generation of phthalate- and latex-free soft toys made from this material — like their Elastomer Rabbit Habit. Soft elastomer is super squishy and porous, which means you should use a condom to keep it bacteria-free and wash it with mild soap and water.
But elastomers can also be hard and nonporous, like Fun Factory's Smartballs, which means you can forgo the condom and wash the toy in the top rack of your dishwasher (just make sure it's not on a day your Mama is stopping by). Fun Factory has trademarked their hard, nontoxic, hypoallergenic version of TPE as Elastomed, but because there are no industry standards for the materials of sex toys or the terms used to describe them, any manufacturer can use the word elastomer to describe a toy that might have phthalates or latex in it. In other words, buyer beware. We recommend shopping at a place you trust with both your credit card and your genitals — Good Vibrations and Babeland are two shining examples. Before purchasing a toy, ask them about the material. If they don't know, then don't buy it. And until you find a toy that's suitable for actual human use, don't forget that — last we heard, anyway — Greenpeace has nothing bad to say about your right hand.


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Has anyone ever used a blanket for batting? I have had our king sized top all ready to be sandwiched for over a month, but never seem to have the money to buy it. I have a thin blanket that is large enough to use, but I'm afraid of messing up our quilt... I really need to get it done soon... It's starting to get really cold here now, and all we have on our bed is a queen sized comforter laying sideways... Any suggestions would be very welcome and appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!


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[bitsontherun Yi7tgSQY]
WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-A new warden has been approved for Winston Choctaw County Regional Correctional Facility after recent accreditation issues. Monday, County Supervisors approved Sheriff Jason Pugh's choice of Neal Higgason. Higgason has been the Chief of Patrol for the Sheriff's Department and has correctional experience. He will still have to be approved by the Mississippi Department of Corrections. A recent recommendation by the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the threat of lack of accreditation of the facility due to failure to correct the issues led to the personnel changes.


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You knew pretty well what you were doing. Don't pretend you're innocent now. You are important to her and that means that every word and every action has the potential to hurt her. Everything has a meaning.
01. Antonio Orozco - "Devuélveme la Vida" (Devuélveme la Vida)
02. Pambo - "Perdón" (Voces por Haití)
03. Shakira ft. Santana - "Illegal" (Oral Fixation Vol. 1)
04. Westlife - "Fool Again" (Westlife)
05. Dar Williams - "If I Wrote You" (End Of The Summer)
06. Josh Ritter - "You Don't Make It Easy Babe" (Hello Starling)
07. Annie Lennox - "Waiting In Vain" (Medusa)
08. León Polar - "Déjalo" (L.P.)
09. Julieta Venegas - "Me Voy" (Limon y Sal)
10. Dar Williams - "Iowa" (Mortal City)
11. Dashboard Confessional - "Vindicated" (Dusk and Summer)


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This Android battery saver app prolongs battery life by controlling the status of wifi, mobile data, bluetooth and synchronization. The connecttivity is enabled at intervals to synchronize messages, e-mails, calendar, contacts etc.
I was not 100% satisfied with the solutions available on the market, so I wrote this one ;)
Contact me if you find bugs or have feature requests and consider contributing some code, constructive feedback, or money ;)
Looking for help with improving the GUI, documentation, and translation
Now also available on Samsung Apps:
Help translating this program to your language:
- Can prolong battery life by up to 200%
- Automatic control of wifi, mobile data, master sync, and bluetooth
- Sync Interval: Update of e-mail, whatsapp, facebook etc. on intervals
- Night mode: Update intervals can be disabled during night
- Works with unrooted devices
- Network devices can be permanently enabled during screen on or USB power plugged in
- Current status of network devices is saved an restored on wakeup
Other Useful Business Software
User Reviews
Be the first to post a review of BatterySaver!


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In Esbeck's recent article at Christianity Today he offers several reasons why he is not "cheering" this decision. I have summarized them below.
- Christian prayer at town meetings leaves the hearts of non-Christians "hardened to Christianity."
- As a result of the decision in Greece v. Galloway non-evangelicals and non-Christians will seize the opportunity to pray before town meetings. Wiccan priestesses and atheists will want to take a turn at offering an invocation
- It makes people distrust evangelicals and undermines "principled pluralism" as a way for people of all faiths or no faith at all to live peacefully in American society
- If Christians are given special privilege in town government they will lose their "prophetic" voice to speak against the culture when necessary.
- The decision will encourage a mere "civil religion" in Greece by wedding piety to local patriotism.
- "Free exercise of religion" has never meant that "people of faith have a right to capture the engines of government and put them to work on behalf of their confession."
Read the entire piece here.
I also recommend checking out Brian Beutler's piece at The New Republic: "Conservative Christians Just Won a Huge Case. Why Won't They Celebrate?"


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If you're coming to Bath on holiday so you can get away from it all, chances are you'll want to enjoy a bit of relaxation. The great news is you can find plenty of relaxing past times in this beautiful city, you just have to know where to find them. We have pulled together some of the best ways for you to relax while you're in the area so your time here is an enjoyable and unforgettable one.
Narrowboat Experience
Bath Narrowboats Canal Experience Centre is the ideal destination for your day of relaxation. Take a trip along the beautiful canal in one of the many beautiful boats available. It doesn't matter if you've never had the experience of sailing a narrowboat as full instructions will be given. You may want to take advantage of hiring a boat that comes with a crew, but you should be aware these tours cost a little more.
Sailing along the canal is a wonderful experience that is sure to relax and entertain you. Simply set off from your b and b in Bath in good time and make your way to Sydney Wharf where you will find the Bath Narrowboats Canal Experience Centre.
The Pig and Fiddle
If you wish to relax with a pint or glass of wine in your hand, then you may find the Pig and Fiddle at 2 Saracen Street the ideal place for you to do just that. This friendly and charming pub has a large range of ales and ciders available if you fancy tasting a few. The food is made to a high standard and meals are served until 7:30pm. Relax, have a pint and enjoy a traditional pub atmosphere.
Royal Victoria Park
Spanning 57 acres and named after Princess Victoria the park is one of Bath's most tranquil areas. If you come to the area at the height of summer you'll find it does get busy, but even with the hustle and bustle the park can still offer you relaxation. Whether you're looking to enjoy a picnic or you simply want to feed the ducks you'll have ample opportunity to do just that. Take a stroll and admire the statues, the bird aviary and the wonderful plants you'll come across on your walk. Sit on a bench and watch the world go by as you enjoy all that Royal Victoria Park has to offer.
Victoria Art Gallery
With an impressive 117,000 visitors to the art gallery a year, you can be sure that you'll love everything it has to offer. The wide range of exhibitions and collections will appeal to all and you'll find there really is something for everyone here.
If you do not wish to pay to visit the gallery you will be limited to seeing the permanent collection only. If you wish to have a look at the temporary exhibitions ticket prices start from £2 (Price is correct at the time of writing). Come and browse at the remarkable collection and relax as you walk around the gallery enjoy viewing old and modern masterpieces alike.


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The Fast-Track Guide on How to Talk to a Girl You Just Met
So you've just picked up this amazing girl five minutes ago, and you're already frantically trying to figure out how to talk to a girl you just met. You've opened the conversation, bantered a little about the weather or some other dull topic, and you're quickly running out of things to say. Think fast, Cassanova! Try to get the first date tips from the expert! Knowing how to talk to a girl you just met can get pretty easy, once you've gotten the hang of it and eventually you will find how easy it is to know what to say to girls.
The first thing to remember is that girls hate conversations that have little or no direction or something that shows you do not what the right things to say on your first date. You know those exchanges that just seem to drag on and on with seemingly no point at all? Yeah, those kinds. They don't like it when a guy comes up to them, asks them a series of pointless questions, and offers to buy them a drink. Tactics like those cannot be any more obvious. A guy might as well ask her straight up if she's interested in crashing at his place for the night. This is what you do not want to do.
When you're figuring out how to talk to a girl you just met, it always helps to be creative. Dump the standard questions. Twist them around to make them a lot more interesting. For example, instead of asking her the conventional "What hobbies do you enjoy?" you can say "You look like a girl who's always on the lookout for adventure. I bet you skydive or go on safaris" or "Tell me, do you have any hobbies that might shock the socks off of me?" The girl is then burdened to either disprove your guesses or play along; either way, the ensuing discussion makes for good conversational material.
Know How to Talk to a Girl You Just Met
One tip is to pay close attention to what she's saying. This is crucial in mastering how to talk to a girl you just met, because that's exactly it: you just met her. You have no idea what she likes, or what she does, or what topics she might find interesting. It's up to you to find certain "hook and ladders" in her statements that will move the conversation along.
For example, if she says "I just saw this Korean pop band with my sister last week. I didn't understand a word they were saying, but I actually enjoyed it", you can choose from different possible paths by that one statement alone. You might explore Korean pop bands, the fact that she has a sister, why she enjoyed a concert that didn't sing a word of English.
Another good piece of advice is to never let things go too fast, too soon. Stay away from depressing subjects, such as family issues, recent breakups, or other similar topics of conversation. If she brings them up in passing, take note of her cues. She might want to discuss it, in that case, be sensitive and non-judgmental. Still, don't allow the exchange to linger on the topic, and steer it to more pleasant things to talk about.
Once you've gotten the hang of how to talk to a girl you just met, remember that your goal is to get her to see you again beyond that initial meeting. Reverse psychology always works; you can come up with reasons with why you shouldn't see each other again. You can say "Too bad my schedule is full, I'd really like to go out with you sometime" or "You're usually not my type, even if I am somehow drawn to you". A girl will find herself thinking about why she should see you again, instead of why she shouldn't. Two nights later when you're sitting across her on a dinner table laughing, you'll agree that learning how to talk to a girl you just met was definitely worth your best efforts.


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Name Change Slated for CUs Using "Deere"
WATERLOO, Iowa - There's a name change in the winds for John Deere Community Credit Union by the end of 2005. The move was sparked by a Deere & Company request that the $858 million credit change its name to avoid trademark confusion. Also impacted by the name change request are East Moline, Illinois-based Deere Harvester CU and Ottumwa, Iowa-based Deere Community Federated CU. Though the credit unions have always operated independently of Deere, the company asked for the change since use of the trademark name, in whole or in part, may imply incorrectly to some that the credit unions are directly affiliated with or a subsidiary of Deere & Company. All three credit unions have until the end of 2007 to complete the name change. The relationship with John Deere employees and their respective communities will continue uninterrupted with no change in the quality of service provided by the credit unions. "Deere & Company continues to value the great services provided by the credit union to employees and to others in the community, and Deere will work cooperatively with the credit unions to assure a smooth name transition," said Curtis G. Linke, vice president of corporate communications at Deere & Company. "I wish to emphasize that the credit unions have done nothing wrong to bring this about. On the contrary, the credit unions have grown and become even more valuable to its members over the years. Deere & Company recognizes this success and the quality of service, but simply needs to clarify the relationship with the company." According to Linke, only Moline, Illinois-based Deere & Company CU will be permitted to retain some reference to Deere, because it has not expanded its field of membership and is focused solely on John Deere employees.


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WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Key Internet firms and the Obama administration have reached a deal concerning government requests for their customers' personal data, officials said Monday.
The tentative agreement reached last week with Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc., Google Inc., LinkedIn Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. would also apply to companies that weren't party to the negotiations, the officials told the Wall Street Journal. The deal still needs the OK of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge.
Concerns about the federal government's surveillance of its own citizens have spiked since June when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing the extent to which the nation's intelligence operations reach.
The Journal said the deal seeks to balance the government's interest in keeping its espionage activities secret and the companies' interest in providing customers information about their role in government monitoring.
The Journal said under terms of the agreement, companies could give out ranges for the number of government demands for information for a given period, and how many customer accounts were affected.
The New York Times reported Monday U.S. intelligence-gathering efforts now include scanning users of smartphone game applications to obtain personal information about the players.
The Times said previously undisclosed classified British intelligence documents leaked by Snowden show the NSA and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters have cooperated increasingly in a "mobile surge" to collect and store data from dozens of smartphone apps such as "Angry Birds."
The Times said the scope the surveillance efforts' and the extent of their success are unclear.
President Obama announced this month his administration is moving to restrict the government's ability to spy on its citizens through the collection of so-called metadata gleamed from people's phone calls. But the Times said he did not address the issue of intelligence agencies monitoring such applications and other smartphone functions.
The newspaper said the leaked reports do not indicate whether the companies cooperate with the government agencies.
"NSA does not profile everyday Americans as it carries out its foreign intelligence mission," the agency said in a written response to the Times' questions about the program. "Because some data of U.S. persons may at times be incidentally collected in NSA's lawful foreign intelligence mission, privacy protections for U.S. persons exist across the entire process."
The NSA said similar protections exist for "innocent foreign citizens."
The Times said the British spy agency declined to comment on any specific program but said all its activities are lawful.


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Schwinn Stingray-type handlebars for a child stoker?
Hmm... anybody think about using something like this?
angled back at a pretty strong angle, to reach back to a kid stoker?
I'm kind of the odd man out in that I'm using kids' bike handlebars for my current kid stoker setup. I *was* using the bars off of his 16" bike, but then he couldn't ride his bike.
So I switched on some off a girls' 12" bike; they are a little narrower (good) and have a little less rise (not good). When he stands on the pedals, he has occasionally hits his knee on the seatpost that I'm using to set back the bars. I wonder if I had Stingray bars if I could skip the seatpost altogether and just mount them in the regular stoker stem..?
|All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:42 AM.


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Huge Hole in Yoggie USB Stick Firewall
A full-fledged Linux computer on a USB stick: Yoggie uses this astonishing hardware trick to protect Windows machines against Web-based attacks. But there are some things that do not work as intended by the developers as an exhaustive test in Linux Magazine #94 / September will reveal. Just a few simple tricks were all it took to work around the firewall.
In our lab Linux Magazine author Jörg Fritsch discovered a major vulnerability in the Yoggie gatekeeper, Pico version 1.3.8 that gives attackers the ability to work around the firewall and directly attack the target system. The only requirement was for the attacker to be on the same subnet as the target system's physical interface. This is the case on an enterprise LAN, for example, but also on an Ethernet network at a hotel, or a WLAN hotspot at an airport. Of course, these are exactly the kind of hostile environment in which Yoggie is designed to protect users. The proof-of-concept attack involved four steps:
Step 1: A Nessus scan of the Yoggie-protected system would seem to indicate that the IP address belonging to the physical interface is perfectly protected – the system does not react to any kind of packets sent to it. Surprisingly a UDP traceroute revealed the internal IP address belonging to the Yoggie stick, that is, the address the stick uses to communicate with the host system.
Step 2: Initially it is impossible to scan the internal address, as its subnet is unknown and not routed. Our test team chose a suitable group 16 subnet mask that would work in any case and set up a route to the subnet on the attacking machine. The physical interface of the protected system was used as the gateway address.
Step 3: An Nmap scan of the new routed group 16 subnet revealed two addresses: the Yoggie firewall appliance's internal address and that of the new virtual host adapter.
Step 4: The final Nessus scan of both IP addresses revealed the vulnerability: the host system state is visible to Nessus as if Yoggie wasn't in place. There would be nothing to stop an attacker exploiting any vulnerabilities on the host system.
The author immediately disclosed the vulnerability to Yoggie (in the night of March 16/17 2008), and the manufacturer developed an update to version 1.3.9 with 36 hours to remove the security hole. The response time is fast, but the vendor's information policy is anything but exemplary. The company responded negatively to various inquiries as to when Yoggie would be releasing an advisory on the vulnerability, stating that Yoggie automatically installs updates and this was far more than a classical advisory could ever hope to achieve. The only reference to the security disaster is in a history file on the firmware:
1.3.9 (18 March 2008) ------------------------------- Fixed: ------ Issue #1008: Critical security update; device hardening including network interfaces and improved Firewall stealth mode
This is not a convincing argument. If a stick does not have an online connection, the system is still vulnerable; and even if a connection exists, there is still a race condition that leaves the host vulnerable. As the attacker has to be on the LAN, situations where the system would be vulnerable to attacks while the gatekeeper was installing an update are conceivable. Corporate mode also gives the administrator the ability to say which updates are installed on sticks. The terse comment quoted above makes it impossible for users to realize the full potential of the threat. An Yoggie has still not revealed the bug two months after the event.
Yoggie failed to give a full explanation of the vulnerability at first, but then confirmed our author's, and Linux Magazine's suspicions. Basically, the gatekeeper acts as a NAT router like any normal Linux firewall, the only exception being the connection to the Windows system. This means that all precautions that apply to the firewall configuration apply here, too. The Yoggie stick created netfilter rules but without specifying interfaces: the »-i« and »-o« parameters thus only applied to the IP addresses.
The proof-of-concept attack sent packets directly targeted at the internal address to the external interface. The Linux kernel's internal routing algorithms correctly forwarded the packets without a firewall rule intervening.
The full article with an exhaustive test of the Yoggie Pico Gatekeeper will be available in Linux Magazine #94 / September.
Issue 205/2017
Buy this issue as a PDF
Linux Kernel 4.14 Released
Torvalds lashes out at a Canonical developer who introduced a regression.
Fedora 27 Is Released
Developers can now access Red Hat Enterprise Linux Developer subscriptions on Fedora 27 at no cost.
Samsung to Bring Linux to the Galaxy Phone
Samsung is testing Linux desktop for its DeX experience.
System76 Releases Pop!_OS
An Ubuntu-based operating system designed for professionals.
News and views on the GPU revolution in HPC and Big Data:
HIP: CUDA Integration with ROCm
Exploring AMD's Ambitious ROCm Initiative
Crypto-Currency Mining Drives a Surge in GPU Sales
New Platform for GPU-Enabled HPC and Ultra-Scale Computing
Radeon Instinct: Evolving, Adapting & Learning Evolving, Adapting & Learning
Linux Comes to Windows
Run multiple Linux distributions in Windows 10.
Docker Embraces Kubernetes
Docker is now offering Kubernetes as an orchestration platform.
Kubernetes 1.8 Announced
The new release comes with two new features for better security.
Final Ubuntu Desktop 17.10 Beta Arrives
Ubuntu completes the cycle of life and goes back to letter A and Gnome.
Linus Torvalds Invites Attackers to Join the Kernel Community
He wants attackers to join the community instead of attacking the code.


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Louisville's WDRB announced the hiring of Sterling Riggs as the new morning show anchor today. Riggs replaces Barry Bernson, who announced his retirement earlier this month after more than 40 years in local news.
Riggs, who will leave his position as an anchor and senior producer at KTEN in Denison, TX, will be paired with current morning co-anchor Candyce Clifft. "The demands of the morning co-anchor position are many and unqiue, and it takes a special kind of person to handle them," WDRB vice president Barry Fulmer said. "He's knowledgeable, he's personable and he's really excited about the chance to explore an entirely new part of the country."
Although Bernson is slated to retire in October, Riggs's first day at the Fox affiliate will be August 19. Riggs, who has also worked at KXAN in Austin and KLST in San Angelo, took a four-year break from the news business in 2005 to be chief operating officer of a local development community in Destin, FL. He returned to television at KTEN, an NBC affiliate, in 2009.


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More allegations have surfaced against a Mercer County man who was arrested last May for allegedly attempting to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl. Adam Carnevale, 27, of Lawrence Township, is now accused of paying money to at least six underage girls in exchange for sex.
"Shocking," said Carnevale's neighbor, Shalom Levin. "That's the only thing to say. Shocking."
According to police, Carnevale repeatedly paid the girls money, clothes, alcohol and cigarettes for sex. Investigators say the six victims ranged in age from 12 to 17.
Carnevale allegedly found his victims through social media sites such as Facebook. After Carnevale found the 12-year-old victim he immediately asked her if she wanted to perform oral sex on him for cash, according to police.
Police also say he threatened to put a 15-year-old girl's nude photographs on the Internet if she didn't perform oral sex on him.
Carnevale allegedly gave the girls $40 to $60 per encounter and would often have sex with the girls in parking lots and even inside his parent's home.
Carnevale was arrested last May by Falls Township Police after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl. The new allegations against him surfaced while he was in prison.
Carnevale remains in jail on a $1 million bond. Police continue to investigate whether more victims are out there.
If you have any information on Carnevale or any other victims, please call Falls Township Police at 215-949-9100.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
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Review for Colorado UpLift, Denver, CO, USA
Bar none, the most brilliant model in the country for reaching at-risk youth on a large scale. The intensive DAILY interaction all year and the fact the program is rooted inside the public school system with a proven curriculum, make this one of the most highly scalable and effective models in existence. It is no wonder this is also taking off in other cities under the leadership of The UpLift Group.
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Developed in association with legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer, the PIE Compressor was precision-modeled on a vintage Pye compressor like the ones he used in historic sessions at London's acclaimed Olympic Studios. A mainstay in esteemed British studios throughout the classic rock era, the original Pye processors are considered by many to be among of the best buss compressors of all time. The Waves PIE plugin features a meticulously modeled VU meter with superfast refresh rates that recreates the accuracy, sensitivity, and ballistic behavior of a physical analog meter.
Demo version
7 days demo licenses are available HERE (registration and activation required!)
Bundle content
All Plug-Ins, Collections and Bundles include the identical content as described on www.waves.com. As the content might be extended by the supplier from time to time, our descriptions might not be up to date in rare cases.
Product activation:
An internet connection on any computer is required to authorize / activate the product (Challenge/Response).


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Philippine Pres. Joseph Estrada was impeached by the Philippines House of Representatives on Nov. 13, 2000, and the Senate began his trial on December 7. He was accused of bribery, corruption, betrayal of public trust, and violation of the constitution. The charges arose from accusations by Luis Singson, a provincial governor, who said that he had given Estrada $11 million in payoffs from illegal gambling and diverted tobacco taxes in return for promises of political favours. Estrada denied the charges. Vice Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo joined with former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos in asking Estrada to resign, and nationwide demonstrations called for his resignation. Counterdemonstrations, however, revealed continued popularity for the former tough-guy movie star.
Estrada's trial capped a tumultuous year in which the Philippines struggled with poverty, rebellion, and lawlessness amid accusations of corruption, cronyism, and economic failure. Finance Minister Edgardo Espiritu resigned on January 5, criticizing what he called the government's "culture of corruption." Aprodocio Laquian, Estrada's chief of staff, said in March that the president would hold drunken parties with friends who were called advisers and issue presidential decrees, which would later have to be countermanded. Laquian was forced to resign.
Several business deals created public perceptions of governmental favouritism for Estrada's cronies. These, added to economic troubles, a stock market scandal, and guerrilla challenges, discouraged foreign investment that was needed to help the economy grow. Estrada said in January that he would not pursue controversial constitutional changes to seek more investment by expanding foreigners' ownership rights. By September foreign investors had withdrawn $390 million from financial markets. Unemployment was high, and economic growth, at one of the lowest rates in the region, was insufficient to raise the rapidly increasing population from poverty.
Five days of typhoon rains caused a 15-m- (50-ft-) high mountain of garbage to collapse into a squatter community on July 11. More than 215 bodies were found in the area known as the Promised Land outside Manila, where 80,000 people earned their living by scavenging garbage.
The southern Philippines was disturbed throughout the year by guerrilla warfare and kidnapping. Some Muslim rebels fought for independence from the predominately Roman Catholic nation, while other Muslims seemed to be primarily bandits. In addition, the Communist New People's Army made sporadic attacks.
On April 23 a Muslim extremist group called Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 people, mostly Western tourists, from a Malaysian resort and took them to Jolo Island. Some journalists and Christian evangelists who went to the bandits' jungle camp to talk and pray with them were also seized. The Philippines government had ransomed earlier prisoners but refused the bandits' high demands. Libya then negotiated the release of the Westerners by September 9, reportedly for $1 million each. An American convert to Islam went to talk to the Jolo bandits on August 29 and was taken hostage. As various Abu Sayyaf bands seized more hostages, the government lost its patience, and on September 16 it sent 4,000 troops to attack the Jolo bandits. Some of the Abu Sayyaf members surrendered, but others continued to hold prisoners as they eluded troops for weeks.
A larger Islamic group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), continued a fight for independence that had taken an estimated 120,000 lives over three decades. After the most severe fighting between Muslim separatists and the Philippine army in 25 years, the army captured the MILF's headquarters at Camp Abubakar on Mindanao Island on July 9. Salamat Hashim, the exiled MILF leader, then called for a holy war against the government. Armed men later killed 21 Christians in a Mindanao village.
|Quick Facts
|300,076 sq km (115,860 sq mi)
|(2000 est.): 76,320,000
|Quezon City (designated national government centre and the location of the lower house of the legislature and some ministries); many government offices are in Manila or suburbs
|Head of state and government:
|President Joseph Estrada


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- Relaxed fit
- Size medium has an approximate 26" body length and 22-1/2" sleeve length
- Drawstring hood
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- Center front kangaroo pocket
- Logo tab with an "LRL"-engraved metal rivet at the front left hem
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Steve Chiotakis: OK kiddies: "SpongeBob Squarepants" turns 10 today. Can you believe it? It seems like yesterday we were watching Scooby Doo. And it's not just kids who've made ol' SpongeBob an $8 billion a year merchandising bonanza for Nickelodeon. Rico Gagliano reports.
Rico Gagliano: Richard Gottlieb is a toy analyst. But he says you don't have to be into toys to know there's a lot of Spongebob Squarepants stuff in this world.
Richard Gottlieb: I have actually purchased Spongebob carrots before. Spongebob was on the package. When you get Spongebob carrots, you're really out there.
Out there in childland and adultland. The silly show's appeal goes far beyond kids. Gottlieb says that's because it's got "the wink."
Gottlieb: And that's the ability of the creator to in a sense wink at the adult by having a message that goes over the child's head, but gives the adult pleasure, a little bit of a surprise.
The show's ridiculous situations actually speak to grown-up issues. Like the time the dour squid "Squidward" moved to a gated underwater suburbia, and wound up bored out of his . . . squll.
Squidward: We might as well rename this "Squidward's paradise." Or perhaps, too much paradise.
The result: an army of kids and grown-ups -- among them our nation's president -- who proudly pledge allegiance to team Squarepants. VH-1 just aired a Spongebob documentary featuring testimonials from the likes of LeBron James. And a jewelry line is on the way, with items priced at a very adult $95 to $350 bucks a pop.
In Los Angeles, I'm Rico Gagliano for Marketplace.


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Phil Knight Discusses State Of College Basketball Coppolella Banned As Part Of Braves' Penalties Jones Won't Sue NFL Owners Over Goodell Dish/CBS Dispute Likely To Affect Thanksgiving NFL MillerCoors, NASCAR Yet To Reach Extension Ruppe Is UA's Latest Exec Departure Sellout Crowd Turns Out For Crew Playoffs FC Cincinnati Owners Sign Option To Buy Stadium Site Duracell, SoFi Buying Six-Second Ads On Fox NBC's Preschlack Says Chicago Cuts Part Of Evolution
SBD/Issue 152/Sports MediaPrint All
ESPN, NFL Net Draft Coverage Gives Sneak Preview Of Selections
Viewers Of ESPN, NFL Network Saw Draftees
Celebrating Before Goodell's Announcements
TALENT REVIEW: In K.C., Jason Whitlock writes ESPN's Herm Edwards "turned in a disastrous and distracting performance during the two-day NFL draft." Edwards "spent two days on air making damn sure he didn't offer one opinion that could potentially put him at odds with an NFL owner, general manager or remotely talented player." Whitlock: "Edwards was so bad that my sources in Dallas reported that [former ESPN analyst] Emmitt Smith could be heard shouting: 'I would've have did a better job!'" (K.C. STAR, 4/27). But USA TODAY's Hiestand writes Edwards "showed he can avoid coachspeak" with his take on Vikings draft pick WR Percy Harvin. Edwards: "This is one of those guys ... he's going to have a wreck. So, you better have a good body-and-fender man" (USA TODAY, 4/27). Meanwhile, the ST. PETE TIMES' Jones wrote ESPN analysts Steve Young, Mel Kiper and Keyshawn Johnson "were outstanding all day" on Saturday. As for Kiper, "no one knows more, and no one delivered more." And NFL Network's Jon Gruden's "true calling might be as an analyst." The "most interesting moment was Gruden predicting" that the Buccaneers, his former team, would pick Kansas State QB Josh Freeman (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 4/26). THE BIG LEAD writes, "Really liked Jon Gruden's work on the NFL Network set. ... He had a few great lines Sunday" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 4/27).
Writer Lauds ESPN For Its
Coverage Of '09 NFL Draft
UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY: In Philadelphia, John Gonzalez writes of all the "awkward, hilarious, train-wreck interviews conducted over the weekend, the best featured" ESPN's Erin Andrews, former Univ. of Texas WR Quan Cosby and comedian Bill Cosby. Every time Andrews asked Quan Cosby a question, "his cell rang and he answered it." Meanwhile, Bill Cosby was wearing a Temple Univ. jersey and helmet, so his words "were muffled by his face mask." Gonzalez notes the interview "went on for about five painful, amusing minutes" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/27). THE BIG LEAD wrote of the segment, "The potential was there for a decent segment, but geez, that was painful" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 4/26).
NFL To Look Into Use Of Twitter And Web To Reveal Draft Picks Early
NFL Will Review How Teams Announce Picks,
Determine If Policy Needs To Be Developed
TROJAN HORSE: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Hannah Karp reports the Jets Saturday, after trading for the No. 5 pick to select QB Mark Sanchez, revealed the pick on Twitter, "texted it to their Jets Wireless subscribers and posted it to their Web site, all before ... Goodell made it to the podium to make the pick official" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/27). Meanwhile, CNBC.com's Darren Rovell noted Sanchez is "briskly picking up followers at a 150-per-hour pace" for his Twitter feed following his selection Saturday (CNBC.com, 4/26). Sanchez has 7,993 followers at presstime (THE DAILY).
WEEKEND TWEETS: More than 48,000 fans followed the Draft via the NFL's Twitter pages this past weekend. Tweeting for the first time, Goodell amassed 3,690 followers, second to NFL Network's Rich Eisen, who drew 4,383 followers. Eisen posted 309 updates during the two-day draft. NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes had more than 1,500 followers (John Ourand, Staff Writer). NFL Network's Fran Charles said of Goodell using Twitter durign the Draft, "What is this world coming to?" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 4/24).
Is Lack Of Exciting Racing Driving NASCAR Cup Ratings Down?
NASCAR's '09 Ratings Down
Compared To Last Year
CAUTION FLAG: In Charlotte, David Poole wrote the economy "can be used to explain a drop in attendance and sponsorship issues, but it doesn't explain why television ratings have been down in recent weeks." With the ratings down for Talladega, where racing is "almost guaranteed to be compelling," it "will at least suggest a deeper, more systematic problem for the sport" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/26). In Alabama, Josh Moon writes Talladega "continues to dish out the best racing, the most exciting finishes and the best TV ratings." If the "back-and-forth competition isn't there, very few people want to watch," and if "you need proof of that, look at the numbers for tracks like Chicagoland, Phoenix or Kansas City." Those tracks "suffer in the ratings" because the "racing stinks" (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER, 4/27).
People & Personalities: Jazz' Hundley Signing Off After Season
Hundley Retiring After Calling
More Than 3,000 Games
MONDAY NIGHT HEAT: In N.Y., Bob Raissman reported Marv Albert's contract with Westwood One radio to call "MNF" games has expired, and the company wants to cut his annual salary of around $500,000 "in half, maybe more." Sources indicated that Albert's "initial reaction was to nix" the offer, and some are "already speculating about his replacement." WFAN-AM personalities Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan have the "inside track." However, Raissman noted Boomer Esiason "definitely will be back" as the analyst for Westwood One's "MNF" broadcasts. A source said that Esiason's contract, worth about $600,000 annually, stipulated "if Westwood One kept its NFL package Boomer would return" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/26).
QUITE FRANKLY: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's tenure at the net comes to an end Thursday, and in N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes, "What had been abundantly clear among ESPN's TV and radio audiences from the start -- that Smith was a self-promoting, race-based gasbag with almost no discernible sports credibility beyond maudlin genuflecting at the feet of big shots -- had finally become clear to ESPN's shot-callers." Smith said of his departure, "If this is where I stop, then at age 41, I'm not growing anymore, and I couldn't live with that" (N.Y. POST, 4/27).
NOTES: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones wrote if ABC/ESPN NBA announcer Jeff Van Gundy "called analysis of every NBA game, I would watch every NBA game" (TAMPABAY.com, 4/26)....Former Detroit News sports columnist Rob Parker, who left the newspaper after heavy criticism surrounding his questioning of then-Lions coach Rod Marinelli, today will start writing columns for WDIV-NBC's Web site (FREEP.com, 4/24).
Media Notes
FS Carolinas Broadcast Goes Out For About 20
Minutes During Devils-Hurricanes Game
PLAYOFF RATINGS NOTES: CSN Bay Area's telecast of Thursday's Sharks-Ducks Game Four delivered an average 3.2 local rating, with more than 77,400 HHs in the S.F./San Jose market watching the game. Sharks playoff games on the net are averaging a 3.7 rating, up 164% from the 1.4 regular-season average (CSN)....In Dallas, Barry Horn reported the Spurs-Mavericks first-round Western Conference playoff series is "averaging a 10.0 rating locally" in the Dallas market. The series is averaging a 16.5 rating in San Antonio (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/25).
PAY TO PLAY: In L.A., Jill Painter writes Lakers G Kobe Bryant's Web site, KB24.com, is "one of the premier athlete sites around." As a member of Bryant's fan club, you can "win a meet-and-greet" with Bryant or "design a pair of his shoes." There is a "blog, forum and all sorts of good stuff." Bryant also "will post at least once every couple of weeks" on the site. Fans can use these features "all for $49.95," as the "premium content is for paying customers only." Painter: "Wouldn't it be nice if those making millions recognized there are many who can't afford these luxuries anymore" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 4/27).


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Sandoval's mother safe after San Bruno fire
Sandoval's mother safe after San Bruno fire
SAN DIEGO -- Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval confirmed a report that his mother, Amelia, was evacuated from a home he's renting in the San Bruno neighborhood that was ravaged Thursday night by a natural gas explosion. Sandoval learned after the Giants' 7-3 victory over San Diego that his mother was safe.
"She's all right," Sandoval said. Amelia Sandoval took shelter in San Jose, where another son and Pablo's brother, Michael, is playing for the Giants' Class A affiliate in the California League playoffs.
Bay Area television station KTVU initially reported that Amelia Sandoval was among the residents who were forced to leave the area. "My prayers are with everybody up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.


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Get a free shipping quote.
I have a beautiful 10 year old TWH mare. She's right around 15 hands, jet black with a white blaze, she has a real thick mane down to her shoulders and a real long tail too. I hate to get rid of her but we have to many horses and not enough riders. I can't say enough about her, she's a big baby she will follow you around everywhere, she loves to be brushed and loved on. Stands good for the vet and farrier. Stands good to be saddled and mounted doesn't mind the fly spray or being washed.... (read more)
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