text:
|By Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer
|McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
That prediction nearly proved prescient last year, with an attack that left Tuono alive, but with three bullets in his gut -- and his girlfriend's father accused of ordering the hit.
Now, the details of that attempt on Tuono's life, sketched in government court filings this month, offer the latest account of one facet of
Friends and law enforcement sources describe Galati as a mob hanger-on, eager to cozy up to Mafia dons and trade quips from Goodfellas, his favorite film.
Court documents suggest that visitors to his
And though no "made man" himself, Galati's recent legal problems have authorities salivating. Longtime friendships with current and former
Now that he faces three separate cases -- the Tuono charges in Camden and counts related to insurance fraud and witness intimidation in
Federal prosecutors in Camden have not specified what drove Galati's desire to see Tuono dead. But, they say, he made little effort to hide his animosity.
"I will kill him myself. I will strangle him. I will poke his eyes out," Galati is quoted in recent court filings as once telling an employee. "I am going to stab him right in the forehead with this thing." He was wielding an ice pick at the time.
Galati has denied any involvement in the
Court filings suggest Galati's attorney,
Voci did not return multiple e-mails or calls for comment. But he has previously said his client had no interest in snitching.
"My client is not cooperating with city, state, or federal law enforcement agencies," Voci said in May. "He has not considered it."
Galati's garage -- American Collision & Auto Center, near
Merlino briefly worked there after his release from prison in 1992. And at various points, investigators say, Ligambi's wife, son, and nephews have all held jobs there.
When Ligambi himself was locked up in 2011 facing federal racketeering conspiracy charges, Galati sent money to his prison-commissary account through handoffs to mob associates outside the garage. And when the mob boss was finally released after a mistrial in January, American Collision was one of his first stops, according to court filings.
Friends describe Galati as infatuated with the gangster lifestyle.
"He saw Goodfellas too many times," said one. "Him and some of the guys used to sit around the shop quoting lines to each other."
As his pals pursued loan-sharking and gambling rackets, Galati developed a lucrative scam of his own.
In 1995, he was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison on federal racketeering and fraud charges. Prosecutors alleged at the time that he ran his auto-body shop as a criminal enterprise, ordering workers to steal and vandalize cars -- sometimes of his own customers -- to generate more business and increase insurance claims.
Testifying at Ligambi's trial last year, mob turncoat
Galati would copy his customers' car keys and hand them off to Borgesi, so that he could later steal the cars off city streets and wreck them, Monacello said.
"People would take their cars back to Ron," he testified. "
Even back then, Galati withstood attempts by federal investigators to entice him to rat on his friends.
Investigators have long believed that a van used in a 1993 rush-hour ambush of mob boss
Police later found the vehicle abandoned with two makeshift portholes cut in its side, used by gunmen to strafe Stanfa's car. The attack came at the height of Stanfa's war with Merlino for control of the
Some saw Galati's '90s insurance-fraud prosecution as an attempt to persuade him to give up those behind the
After his release from prison, Galati appeared to go legitimate and transferred the garage into his son's name. The shop even landed a city contract worth
In May, District Attorney
Prosecutors say Galati staged dozens of bogus car wrecks using all manner of props, including frozen deer, geese, and dog carcasses stored in American Collision's back offices, weeds pulled from the river banks at
"I live my life to cheat insurance companies. My high every day is to cheat insurance companies," Galati would often say, according to one of the grand jury witnesses quoted in the presentment against him.
It was through that scheme, federal investigators say, that Galati met
The would-be assassins are now cooperating with authorities. They told investigators they went so far as to scope out their targets' garage and obtain a weapon to use in the planned attack, before Galati called it off in favor of a new target -- Tuono.
Prosecutors say Galati gave Johnson, Walker, and Matthews several addresses for properties owned by his daughter's boyfriend and sent them to a house near Broad and
Walker and Matthews eventually caught up with Tuono days after
Three shots rang out. Tuono fell.
Prosecutors say her father had given his hitmen one specific instruction before they set out: If there was a woman with Tuono, she was not to be harmed.
But now it appears
Once the subject of the warning to Tuono, she now could become a key government witness in the case against her father.
He is set for trial in
(c)2014 The Philadelphia Inquirer
Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.philly.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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First song
First song
@SbND Everything is Archie's. :-)
1st song was Modern Day Cowboy by Tesla and then a lot of Def Leppard.
@JT - may have to ask Siri to conjure up some Archies :)
@rejdds - pre- or post- Pyromania?
Why Unitopia's "Tesla" of course, preferably the live version from "One night in Europe".
playing these songs in the background while working...
@george - very cool tune... makes me want to get in my car and cruise the town.
@gerti - the live version is really good and arguably better production than the studio version; difficult to do that live
@JT - I forgot how simple yet tight the harmonies were by the Archies... somewhat indicative of some music from that period and best exemplified by the Beach Boys and Beatles around and just prior...
@SbMD It has a pretty good pedigree. Don Kirshner, Jeff Barry, who did a lot for Phil Spector, and Andy Kim. And it's damn catchy.
@JT - totally agree!
Pre and post Pyromania. Going to see them Oct 5th in Mpls. Tesla and Foreigner will be playing also.
@rejdds - officially impressed and know you will have a blast. Is is at the Target Center? Love that place as a venue. Saw Rush and Eric Johnson there many years ago... spectacular!
Unchained by VH?
Rock on!
Thunderstruck is pretty awesome at 11 too!
Someone mentioned Time Flies by Porcupine Tree...love that song. The mid-song drum riff reminded me of Whiplash.
Love This Is Hardcore by Pulp. Turn it up to 11.
Zap is the big Porcupine Tree fan:)
@NKYTA - ah, even more common ground :)
I may have to add the aftermarket subwoofer just for Thunderstruck, and Back in Black... seriously...
Funny sidebar -- one of my guitar amps goes to 11 also in homage to ST... seriously :)
... one too many uses of the word "seriously"...
Seriously, my first album was Back in Black.
@trixiew - hadn't heard it until now... solid song... for driving or otherwise.
"Strange Magic" by Electric Light Orchestra played by chance on Slacker
on my ride home after picking up my P85D on 3/17/15
@BH - seriously, a great album :)
First album was Foreigner 4.
@dougharvey - most appropriate. I'll bet that would sound even better as a FLAC in the MS
My first album was Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" on 8-track quadraphonic. Does that count?
Yes, I am a big Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson fan. I have 5 or 6 different Slacker stations dedicated to their music. I think Lycanthrope is a fan too.
For me, it was Pink Floy's: Money.
Pink Floyd's Money
So what are the best Slacker stations to listen to this kind of stuff(Like "Strange Magic")? I am new to Slacker since the 2 1/2 weeks I picked up my 90D. I have not taken the time when not driving to look into it, but so far I have not been too crazy about the stations listed.
Candido's Jingo...
listening to David Mancuso's The Loft. Willing to bet 100 billion dollars that no one on this forum would ever listen to this!
Reminds me of my student days in the seventies in NYC/partying, not studying...
How about a "Strange Magic" station?
High Voltage by "Electric 6".
@CZ - definitely counts... And 8-track quad was pretty sweet tech
@bob.calvo - brilliant song off of an all time great album. That and Great big gig in the sky in particular sound pretty stellar IMHO
@sbeggs - listened to the song in the OR today. Please send the $100B in mixed small and large bills.
@P.Dolby - on my listening list...
It seemed appropriate after signing off on a car loan that was noticeably more than the cost of my first house!
But now my Pink Floyd Slacker Station is forever dubbed "Money" Radio. ;-)
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash, @Bob.Calvo :)
Last song:
Sheep Go to Heaven by Cake
Bravo! You listened to jingo? or the entire Loft album?
Working on getting the money together...
Can't remember the band but driving home from SF the second weekend of ownership, I got in the car from the hotel valet and on Slacker was a song, "Tesla Girl" I think it's from the 80's.
@CaptZap I was turned on to Porcupine Tree via the Slacker Pink Floyd channel.
A quirky (in a good way) tune. Has a really bouncy beat like its going off the rails at any moment.
Can't be your last song, @BH :)
Here's a change of pace: Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock.
Love that song (Watermelon Man)--introduced in a music appreciation course during undergrad. Sheep was just really appropriate on my first day back at work after my mini-sabbatical.
Did someone already mention Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant?
Another pace change: Freezer Burn by Smokin' Joe Kubek--that channel will lead you to another forum member's work.
"Four legs good. Two legs bad!"
-The sheep from Animal Farm
Most appropriate in the context of work.
Bonus song that sounds great in the MS, for all playing the home game - Mediterranean Sundance - live from One Night in San Francisco; John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia, and Al Dimeola.
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
@teslagiddy and @notblueclk - Electric Avenue part of my "Most Favored 80's" mix along with such classics as "Funky Town" and "Take on Me".
@BH - Listening to it now. Solid music. Sounds like hearty Texas blues. Might be wrong.
A forum member connection?
kwshepherd shows up occasionally
1st song was
Can't take my eyes off you by Frankie Valli
2nd song
Firework by Katie Perry
My first song is going to be:
"Girls, Girls, Girls" by Mötley Crue
- and then for number two:
"Kick Strat My Heart" by Mötley Crue
First one bescause the song starts with motorcycles starting up - Play it loud as a homage to leaving ICE engines :-)
Second song: Power and speed baby!!!
"kickstart my heart"
Too funny. On one of my cassette tapes from the 80's recorded off the radio I have Funky Town immediately following Electric Avenue. I'm so used to hearing them in that order that when I got digital versions of those songs I put them in that order in my play list. Several other combos like that too (Bob O'Reilly "teenage wasteland" and Carry On My Wayward Son).
@BH - that's cool. Hope he pops up again, and maybe on this thread.
Nice song pics @Red and @bernta :)
@Bernta, I think Kick "Strat" My Heart also describes what they do in concert.
@teslagiddy - to round out the "one hit wonder 80s list" on my playlist are such memorable ditties as "Too shy" by Kajagoogoo, "Take on me" by Aha, and "Down Under" by Men at work (although they are more than one-hit wonders), and "Safety Dance" by Men without Hats
But, the stripped down nearly acoustic version of "Blue on black" has been a favorite on the playlist (props to KWshepherd if he is reading)
@Paul - it is just amazing watching them create music. Bona fide pioneers.
SbMD Concert will be at Excel Center(Mn Wild Play there) Puts Target Center to shame.
@rejdds - sounds like an impressive venue!

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Dear Friend Who Sent Me this Text Yesterday:
Hi. Great to hear from you. And sorry about my short reply. I intended for that to be a wry lead-in to a longer response, but it ended up being the kind of afternoon where things devolved in such a rapid and startling way that I really did end up wishing for cages and juice boxes.
Anyway, it's funny that you should ask this, since I've been talking about it with a lot of other friends lately as well. Not all of them are writers, but they're all asking questions about how to pursue their passions fits into a family-focused life.
I'll tell you right now that I don't have all the answers. There are days when I spend too much time online and not enough time with my kids; there are also days when I tell myself that I'm not getting any writing done because I'm making my family my top priority, when by "making my family my top priority" I mean "watching Netflix." So if you asked me that question because you perceive that all my days are a marvel of balance and peace where I manage to surpass my writing goals while lavishing my children with hours of focused attention, delete my number from your phone so that you never make such a grievous error again.
I also can't tell you exactly when you might find some extra hours in your day, since what works for me right now (writing during naptime and staying up too late) won't necessarily work for you — it might not even be what works for me a couple of months from now. However, if you texted me because you're morbidly curious about the life principles that allowed a homeschooling mother of six children under age 10 to get a book written, or you'd like to know which bits of wisdom I've collected from people far holier and wiser than I am that have helped me over the years, I'm happy to share.
Here is a brain dump of everything I know on the subject:
1. Make sure this activity gives you energy
This sounds like an obvious question, but it's worth taking a second to stop and ask yourself, Is this something I really love?
If your life is anything like mine, you have precious little free time, and even less extra energy. You don't need to add more work to your schedule. However, if you pursue a passion that gives you energy when you undertake it, it can be a blessing to both you and your family.
A friend of mine refers to finding this kind of work as discovering your "blue flame." Find your blue flame, and you'll find something you can do that will bring you joy, and will also fill you with energy that you can give back to others.
2. Prioritize ruthlessly
I really want to start a garden and can vegetables and figure out how to program iPhone apps and decorate my bedroom and improve my Spanish and learn to sew. But I've made a conscious choice to set those activities aside, at least for now, so that I can devote my limited free time to writing.
Someone else's priority list might look totally different. A friend of mine recently discovered that her blue flame is growing and preparing quality food, and I think she kind of feels sorry for me when she imagines me hunched over my computer in my darkened office while she's out in the sunshine, digging onions out of the dirt in her garden, with a pot of freshly-picked corn boiling in the kitchen. She doesn't have time for writing because she uses all her extra time gardening, just as I don't have time for gardening because I'm writing.
If you're in a crazy season of life and you've found a passion that you'd like to pursue, I believe you can do it — but it's going to involve making tough choices about how you use your time.
3. Pitch the vision
Let me guess: finding time to develop your hobby feels frivolous. Self-indulgent, even. You realize that it would require sacrifices from the whole family to help you make this happen, and you don't see how it could be worth it, especially that you probably wouldn't be making any money from it.
This is why point #1 is so important: because if you really have found your blue flame, you'll find that pursuing this activity fills you with a passion and energy that will spread through everyone in your house. At the very least, it will help you mentally declutter after difficult days. Yes, it might require sacrifices, but there will be payoffs too. If you explain that to your family, it makes it a lot easier for them to offer you the support you need when their own bandwidth is limited.
4. Think "we, " not "me"
When Joe and I started talking about how I could find more time to write, it led to a shift in our family culture. Asking how I could get their support pursuing my passion led to asking how I could help Joe and the kids pursue their own interests as well. Now we see all of our individual activities as things that we undertake together as a family, even if only one person is doing the work. When Joe was training for a triathlon this summer, it was our thing, as was me writing the book, my son playing football, my girls taking dance lessons, and so on.
It sounds so obvious as to not be worth stating, but for me it was a small revelation when I realized that having a truly family-oriented life involves me and my husband and children all thinking in a family-oriented way. Once I began to see my writing work as something that takes place within the larger context of the goals of the other people in my house and the overarching goals of our family, I was able to stop stressing about whether I had my priorities in the right order — everything naturally fell into place.
5. Accept the natural ebb and flow of time for your hobby
Another obvious statement: one thing about putting family first is that, well, sometimes the needs of your spouse and children come first. You'll have periods where you get all the time you need to work on your craft, but there will also be periods where even a couple of hours per week is hard to come by. It's always painful to have to pull yourself away from a fulfilling project just when you were on a roll, but it's important to accept that it's part of the process.
Also, if you use these periods strategically, they can actually help you improve your craft. They can be great periods of study and research that you might not otherwise get if you were knee-deep in work.
For example, in the months before Joe took the CPA exam, he needed tons of time to study. This meant that I had very little writing time, since I was in single parent mode on evenings and weekends. I had to set my memoir aside completely, and was barely able to keep my blog updated. So while I didn't have hours per week to write, I was able to find time to read. I would read books about writing at the park while the kids played, in 15-minute snatches of free time that came up throughout the day, and before I went to sleep at night.
I was happy to be able to give that extra time to my family, but all the reading and research I did ended up making me a better writer as well.
6. Learn to distinguish healthy limits from Resistance
I am forever indebted to Steven Pressfield for introducing me to the concept of Resistance in his book The War of Art. He does an excellent job of elucidating the kind of spiritual warfare we face when we try to improve our lives in any way, especially when we create art. Resistance is the voice that whispers that you might as well give up since you're no good at this anyway; it's the force that compels you to hit the snooze button, even when you got enough sleep; it's the headwind that slams you in the face, just as you're starting to move forward.
And those of us who aim to put our families first are particularly susceptible to it.
Per #5, there are plenty of times when it's the right thing to do to set aside our hobbies for the sake of our families — but understand that Resistance is going to be all over this opportunity, and will hand you excuse after excuse not to do your work. Err on the side of putting family first, and don't hesitate to give your loved-ones more of your time if it seems like they need it. But if all is well with your family, and you find that taking a break from your craft looks more like messing around on Twitter and less like reading books with your kids, it's time to tell Resistance to shut up and go do your work.
7. Know the real source of happiness
It's tempting to fall into the mentality that the goal is to practice our crafts all day every day. If I can just grit my teeth and get through this time of having all the screaming short people in the house, they'll eventually be gone and I can work on my hobby all the hours of all the days! It'll be bliss! the thinking goes.
As someone who probably missed a calling to be a desert hermit, I'm as susceptible to that line of thinking as anyone. But if I've learned one thing in the past eight years of trying to balance my hobby with family life, it's this: the practice of your craft will never bring you lasting happiness in and of itself.
I have a few writer friends who have had their books end up on the New York Times Bestseller List, and they unanimously have this to say about the experience:
It's a high. And being on a high is, by definition, a fleeting state. Eventually, you must come down.
Work hard at your craft. Aim for excellence. Enjoy your successes. But don't spend your life chasing the highs of worldly achievement. God is the only source of true happiness, and there is no better way to experience God than through intimate connections with other people. There's nothing thrilling about wiping noses and refilling sippy cups. Cutting PBJ sandwiches into tiny squares and chatting about ballet class over dinner are not glamorous activities. But while those moments might be small, they are real and solid, and they will fill you up in a way that all the success in the world never could.
So, friend, I am excited about this new adventure. I believe that God put this passion on your heart for a reason, and I can't wait to see what you do with it.
I'll be praying for you, and for every other person who is wobbling through this crazy balancing act of pursuing a dream while putting family first.


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- Name
- Pidgin
- Location
- 350 Carrall St., Vancouver, British Columbia
- Phone
- 604-620-9400
- Website
- www.pidginvancouver.com
- Price
- Sharing dishes, $3 to $29 (most in the middle $8 to $12 range)
- Cuisine
- Modern pan-Asian
By now, everyone's heard of Pidgin – even those who have no intention of ever going. This is the restaurant in the Downtown Eastside that's become the target for daily protests against neighbourhood gentrification. Politics aside, it's interesting that they chose Pidgin, because in so many ways, this is the restaurant of the future.
Pidgin isn't a fine-dining restaurant, but it's too elegant to be called casual. You can sit at the bar and snack on chicken wings or reserve the chef's table next to the kitchen and spend hours gorging on a 10-course tasting menu. There is no distinction between appetizers, main courses and sometimes dessert (the half duck is served with carrot cake batter). The flavours are a mash-up of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and European cuisines, and there are a lot of vegetable plates.
The only thing about Pidgin that is clearly defined is the design. You can tell this is a Craig Stanghetta room the minute you walk through the door. The creamy palette, the high-gloss white ceiling mouldings, the quirky installations made from antique scissors, the marble pendants strung like necklaces on the bathroom walls, the odd piece of stuffed taxidermy – they're all his signatures.
Try to get one of the floating high-top booths across from the bar. They really are suspended above the old tiled floor, affixed by their sides to the room divider.
The bar program really speaks to how traditional dining is being turned on its head. The list includes a whole page of single-malt scotch and only four wines by the glass (served on tap, as are a couple of sakes). The craft cocktails are beautifully presented. The Mary Ellen Smith, for example, is a refreshing gin and carbonated sake spritzer garnished with a long peel of cucumber spiralled around the inside of the glass.
Makoto Ono is the executive chef behind the glass-walled kitchen. The expectations are high. Raised in Winnipeg, where his parents opened the city's first sushi bar, he shot to fame in 2007 as the inaugural winner of the inaugural Canadian Culinary Championships Gold Medal Plates. Recruited to Beijing by some high rolling investors, he opened Makoto restaurant for the Olympic Games, and later moved to Hong Kong, where he launched the lauded Liberty Exchange.
Mr. Ono does snack food very well. His chicken wings, battered in potato flour and drizzled with a spicy house-made gochujang (Korean chili paste) are not the least bit greasy. Bitter shishito peppers, lightly blistered and dusted with Parmesan, are great for picking. A raw oyster shot, packed in a glass with horseradish cream and apple juice, is an invigorating mouthful of hot brininess that plays all sorts on tricks on the tongue.
There's a sense of adventure on his plates. Kohlrabi (a turnip) is cut into long, thin "dan dan noodles" tossed in a spicy Sichuan sauce that doesn't pull its punch. But it's too bold a dish for fussy tofu brittle slivers, which just get lost in the mix.
Beef tartare is another slightly off-balance fusion. I could eat the fermented miso cream garnish by the spoonful. Wasabi-infused tobiko (flying fish roe) add sinus-clearing textural pops. But the beef itself, which appears to be flank, is roughly cut and full of sinew that gets caught in the teeth.
Some of the simplest dishes are the best. Wild mushrooms with sugar snap peas soak up the richness of soy-yuzu brown butter. Pork belly is punctuated with crisp Asian pear and smoked bamboo.
But the seafood was problematic. Sea urchin was past its due date and tasted so strongly of iodine it obliterated the silky cauliflower mousse and ponzu-jalapeno salsa. One day, the humpback shrimp, lightly cured in citrus, was fresh and snappy. Another day, it was warm and slimy.
Pidgin is worth checking out. The chef is full of great ideas and his food bursts with bold imagination. He just needs to be less fussy and more focused.
Rating system
No stars: Not recommended.
* Good, but won't blow a lot of minds
** Very good, with some standout qualities
*** Excellent, well above average with few caveats, if any.
**** Extraordinary, memorable, original, with near-perfect execution


text:
DETROIT (WWJ) – In the midst of a power struggle with the state over control of city finances, Detroit City Council voted Tuesday to raise taxes on city-based corporations.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Florence Walton reported City Council voted 8-1 to increase the corporate income tax from 1 percent to 2 percent.
Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown said it's all part of a shared sacrifice in helping the cash-strapped city.
"We don't need state legislation to do something that this body can do without help from Lansing," said Brown. "Raise additional dollars from the corporate community … but I can't in good conscience ask city employees to give back 10 percent and not ask the corporate community to share in that sacrifice."
The increase is expected to raise about $6 million dollars in 2013.
Detroit has borrowed more than $600 million since 2005 to stay solvent, and floated another $137 million in bonds last week to avoid bankruptcy, which was projected to happen sometime this spring. The city is battling with the state, which wants a nine-member financial oversight board put in place to force Detroit to make serious structural financial changes.
The board would be tasked with consolidating departments, and more, to help the city survive financially. City Council members and residents have loudly protested the consent agreement, with some saying it's racist and others saying it strips residents of their right to have decisions made by their own democratically elected leaders.
The move to raise taxes came during marathon council sessions where the consent agreement was debated.


text:
LAURENS, S.C., May 27 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman and her two daughters were arrested after police found more than 80 dead animals in their home and on their property, officials said.
Rebecca Keith, 58, and her daughters, Amanda Keith, 33, and Sara Keith, 31, were arrested Thursday and charged with ill treatment of animals and failure to bury animals properly, WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, reported.
The Laurens County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the problem at the Keiths' home when they went to the house to serve an eviction notice to the women and smelled a foul odor. They then discovered more than 80 dead dogs, cats, birds and baby deer wrapped in plastic and stored in a refrigerator, freezer and other areas throughout the home and property, officials said.
The Keiths had been living at the property since October and said the family was emotionally attached to the animals.
"I guess you could say they're like family," Amanda Keith told WSPA-TV. "We didn't want to leave them behind. We've already had to leave so many behind."
The Keiths also disputed the number of animals found at the home -- they said there were only 20.
The three women have since been released from the Johnson Detention Center on $5,000 bond and have moved out of the house, the report said.


text:
It's Christmas! Well, not yet I grant you, but this is the last Cheap As Chimps of the year and we're taking this opportunity to round up some of the biggest and best titles of the year. Whether your looking for a gift for the gamer in your life or want to treat yourself this festive season here's a selection of the games of 2011 that should not be missed out on and where to find the best prices across the internet.
Merry Christmas.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; at Amazon UK
Xbox 360 – £27.00/$41.92/32.13 Euro
PS3 – £27.00/$41.92/32.13 Euro
PC – £19.99/$31.02/23.79 Euro At GAME
It's already sold more copies than the previous game in the series, won a trove of awards and stolen the lives of gamers all over the globe. This isn't a game that lends itself easily to description, apart from to say this is one of the best story driven, immersive and complete titles ever released in the history of the video game. Skyrim offers true value for money when it comes to game time to buck ratio and has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. If your buying this for someone other than yourself, the best thing you can give them in addition to this is the time to play it in uninterrupted sessions. Let them unwrap it then leave them the hell alone.
Be sure to check out our guide to Skyrim here.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception; at Gamestation
PS3 – £37.99/$58.91/45.23 Euro
This is a rather personal view point I know, but I really can't stand Drake. Don't get me wrong I love the Uncharted games, it's just our hero comes across as a massive swaggering bell-end, the type you find at Christmas parties that after a sniff of anything stronger than an a glass of white wine and lemonade starts groping at women and wanting to fight the littlest bloke he can find, in an effort to make up for his micro-penis. The type of chap who thinks not only is it acceptable to dance but also use a stall in the toilets when there are spaces at the urinals. My prejudices aside, Uncharted titles have always been the number one exclusives on the PS3 and the third in the series see Nathan "Tiny Knob" Drake back in action following in the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence, with some familiar faces along the way as well as all the puzzle and gun play we've come to expect. The game has had some stellar reviews and is definitely not to be missed by fans of the franchise.
Nintendo 3DS – £19.99/$30.98/23.79 Euro
Those old enough to remember the original Star Fox all way back on the SNES will have many a warm feeling toward this all time classic and now you can relive those glory days of early 90's gaming on Nintendo's 3D handheld. This is actually a remake of Star Fox 64, which appeared on the N64 and for those who remember that release, this outing will feel very familiar indeed as it is a virtual carbon copy. For nostalgia fans and newcomers this is a chance to get to grips with a great shooter which now includes multiplayer options.
Xenoblade Chronicles; at Amazon UK
Wii – £19.99/$30.97/23.70 Euro
We're pick Xenoblade as our game of choice for the Wii and it's a title that is sure to please fans of Japanese fantasy RPG's everywhere. Xenoblade will feel quite familiar to anyone who has played the Final Fantasy games with combat similar to that of FF XII, but the big difference with this title is the feeling of an open world for you to explore at your own leisure, rather than moving from one set piece to another and then an obligatory cut-scene. The game has been out for over a year in Japan and has receive some barn storming reviews with critics describing the Monolith Software title as "…the best Japanese RPG of this generation", which is high praise indeed. Unfortunately, US gamers will not see a release in their country, but if these plans change we'll be sure to keep you informed. We get the feeling that Xenoblade may become one of the gems of the Wii, so it is definitely worth a look.


text:
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Hollywood sweethearts Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore cemented their two-year romance by tying the knot during a ceremony in front of 100 guests, according to published reports.
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Kutcher, 27, and Moore, 42, were married at a private home Saturday night, Us Weekly and People reported on their Web sites.
Kutcher's publicist, Matt Labov, told The Associated Press on Sunday afternoon that he had no comment
on the reports and referred all questions to Moore's representative, Stephen Huvane, who did not return telephone messages.
According to the magazines, the wedding guests included Moore's ex-husband, Bruce Willis, and their three daughters, Rumer, 17, Scout, 14, and Tallulah, 11; actors Wilmer Valderrama, Lucy Liu and Soleil Moon Frye; and Frye's husband, Jason Goldberg, who co-produced the MTV television show "Punk'd" with Kutcher.
The reported marriage was the first for Kutcher, whose credits include the TV series "That '70s Show" and films "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Guess Who?" and the third for Moore, who has starred in three dozen films during her 24-year career including "St. Elmo's Fire," "Ghost" and "G.I. Jane."
Moore's two previous marriages - to rocker Freddie Moore (1980-84) and Willis (1987-2000) - ended in divorce.
Moore and Kutcher met in 2003.
In an interview in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, Moore described Kutcher as her "soul mate" and said they wanted to expand their family. But she said they had no marriage plans.
- Associated Press
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text:
Employment effects of a payroll tax cut – Evidence from a regional tax subsidy experiment
The Finnish government implemented a temporary exemption from employer social insurance contributions for the employers that are located in high unemployment areas of the Northern Finland. The payroll tax exemption was designed as an experiment that aimed to evaluate employment effects of a regional payroll tax reduction. As a result of the experiment payroll taxes were reduced by 3 – 6 percentage points for three years beginning in January 2003. In this paper we evaluate the employment and wage effects of the regionally targeted payroll tax reduction. We compare the employment and wage changes in the target region to the employment and wage changes in a control region with a similar unemployment rate and industry structure than the target region. As finding an identical control region is not possible, we adopt a matching procedure by choosing, for each firm in the target region, a matched pair from the control region. We perform propensity score matching and use the estimated propensities as balancing scores to create a control group of firms that is similar to the treatment group in all the observable pre-treatment characteristics. We then estimate the effect of the payroll tax reduction using difference-in-differences estimators, essentially comparing employment and wage changes between the matched pairs after the start of the experiment. We report results from both nearest neighbour and kernel matched comparison groups. To enhance the transparency of the evaluation we have created the matched firm pairs from the plant database of Statistics Finland and designed and published the evaluation method before any data on employment or wage outcomes were available in December 2003. We will follow the employment change of the selected firms based on annual tax reports that will be available in March 2004. Detailed information on the wage responses will be added to the report in May 2004 based on the payroll data of the members of The Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers and The Employers Federation of the Service Industries.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
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text:
By Jennifer Grimes
Triplicate staff writer
The possible sale of another chunk of private land to a state agency is raising the eyebrows of some Del Norte County supervisors.
Point St. George area land owned by the Stephen Westbrook family is of interest to the California Coastal Conservancy, an agency set up by the state Legislature to keep coastal lands accessible.
Westbrooks more than 400 acres wont take an enormous bite out of the countys tax revenues and the deal is far from done, but the possibility is making supervisors Clyde Eller, David Finigan and Chuck Blackburn feel the walls of state land control are closing in on the countys budget.
The agencies involved and the government representatives in Sacramento must realize Del Norte County must look to its tax base or state funds, or face bankruptcy, Eller said.
His concern about the possible Point St. George land sale was sparked by the recent negotiations to sell 25,000 acres of the Stimson Lumber Company land to Save-the-Redwoods League, he said.
We got on-board way too late on the Stimson sale, by the time we got on that, we were told the deal was practically done, Eller said.
But Westbrook said the sale is really a non-issue at this point. He and the conservancy have discussed the sale for about 10 years, and nothing has come of it yet, he said.
Recently, however, the conservancy contracted an appraiser to establish the lands value, according to Karen Gear, North Coast regional director for the agency.
Were interested in it because it is such a resource, Gear said, pointing out it is the site of an ancient Native American village in addition to its natural beauty and access to the coastline.
She said the appraisal is not finished and no firm offer has been made.
When and if there is an offer or sale, Westbrook said it will be private and not the business of the Board of Supervisors.
Eller said he does not want to intervene in a private sale, but is still concerned in general about losing the countys income.
If you give land to a state agency to essentially lock it up, in a sense, it prevents development. And a healthy community is a growing community, he said.
County counsel Bob Black said there are ordinances to prevent counties from being surprised by large revenue losses due to private land sales.
I learned there are some counties with revenue neutrality ordinances that say no transactions should result in the loss of revenue to the county. And that puts a policy out front that any such transaction would have to reckon with the county first, Black said.
No such ordinance is actively being considered as yet, however.


text:
Three burning questions: What looms for Stars in long off-season?
1. What changes will the Stars make to the lineup in the off-season? Dallas will likely lose free agents Ray Whitney and Vern Fiddler, and also could consider other moves with veterans still under contract.
2. How is Kari Lehtonen viewed after he loses his first playoff series in Dallas? He allowed five goals in each of the last two games, and was unable to shut the door on a late Ducks' rally.
3. Has Jamie Benn stepped up to a new level in the eyes of the NHL? The Stars captain was fantastic in the series and earned praise from Anaheim to Toronto to New York.
Follow Mike Heika on Twitter: @MikeHeika


text: Liz McKenna's research focuses on the class dynamics and mobilizing structures of Brazil's current protest cycle (and lack thereof). Her broader academic interests include state-society relations, social movements, and stratification. Before coming to Berkeley as a graduate student, McKenna studied and organized in six favelas in Rio de Janeiro for two years. In 2008 and 2012, she worked as a grassroots organizer for the Obama presidential campaign. She holds a B.A. in social studies from Harvard.


text:
Published: November 2007
Learn More
In Learn More the
National Geographic
magazine team shares some of its best sources and other information to expand your knowledge of our featured subjects. Special thanks to the Research Division.
Related Links
Census of Marine Life
See some of the images of marine microfauna taken by biological oceanographer Russ Hopcroft during his expedition off Australian waters.
Glaucus atlanticus
Learn about this flamboyant creature through the sea slug forum, and navigate the site to discover other nudibranchs that inhabit the sea.
Ocean Acidification Network
This site is chock-full of information on ocean acidification. You can find publications, an events calendar, video clips, and radio downloads that discuss the latest on this alarming trend.
Hanlon, Roger T., and John B. Messenger.
Cephalopod Behaviour
. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Hoover, John P.
Hawai'i's Sea Creatures: A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates
. Mutual Publishing, 1999.
Kleypass, Joan A., and others.
Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and other Marine Calcifiers: A Guide for Future Research
. National Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 2006. Available online at
Orr, James C., and others. "Anthropogenic Ocean Acidification Over the Twenty-First Century and Its Impact on Calcifying Organisms."
(September 29, 2005), 681-86.
Pagani, Mark, and others. "An Ancient Carbon Mystery."
(December 8, 2006), 1556-57.
Royal Society.
Ocean Acidification Due to Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
. June 2005.
Valdés, Angel, and Orso Angulo Campillo. "Systematics of Pelagic Aeolid Nudibranchs of the Family Glaucidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda)."
Bulletin of Marine Science
(November 2004), 381-89.
Zachos, James C., and others. "Rapid Acidification of the Ocean During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum."
(June 10, 2005), 1611-15.
NGS Resources
Krajick, Kevin. "
Discoveries In the Dark: Troglobites
National Geographic
(September 2007), 134-47.
Liittschwager, David and Susan Middleton. "
Hawaii's Outer Kingdom
National Geographic
(October 2005), 70-91.
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text:
Posted by Chau Tu
For Marketplace, Wednesday, September 7, 2011
On today's show, we heard about the new normal in today's economic climate, how to deal with it and what its long-term impact will be. More and more people are finding themselves falling into contract work. The struggling Yahoo fired its CEO. A new statistic shows that 15% of Americans go hungry. Texas continues to battle devastating fires. And continuing our series on the impact of 9/11, we took a look at how that event has changed disaster preparation. Here are the songs we played:


text:
Data Tracking Approach Digs Deeper Into Members' Habits
Relational database technology could dramatically shift how credit unions review and manage nearly all aspects of their business operations.
The tool uses a different approach to information management by providing additional perspectives on data and tailoring those views to meet both broad and specific needs of credit unions.
Christine Barry, a financial service technology analyst with the Boston-based research firm Aite Group, likened the relational databases' increased abilities to the difference between providing pictures in two and three dimensions and moving from an account-focused approach to one geared toward the members.
Barry used an example where a credit union previously might have only been able to compare usage among the same individual products such as checking accounts to checking accounts or credit cards to credit cards.
Now, that same credit union can compare product usage among members, she noted. The traditional account-focused approach might have only revealed that 15% of the credit union's checking accounts had direct deposit. The relational database could show that some members who had direct deposit were also strong users of home equity lines of credit.
Using its relational database, the credit union could also ask for more information about three sets of members: those who don't have direct deposit, with an eye toward discerning how to deepen direct deposit penetration; those who have direct deposit with HELOCs, and how they are used; and those with direct deposit but no HELOCs, in order to understand how to better cross-sell members that product.
"This really is a wave of the future," Barry said. "It's all about deepening that relationship with the member, meeting them across a wider spectrum of needs and cross selling solutions for both banks and credit unions."
While relational database technology is not really new, Barry said the costs of converting existing databases to relational ones, combined with the much greater power the new technology provides, has yet to break through among credit unions on a wide scale.
However, that slow adoption may change as financial pressures from low interest rate margins, increasing costs of regulatory compliance and diminishing streams of noninterest income combine to force credit unions to seek cost efficiencies and marketing advantages wherever they can find them.
The $296 million Oregonians Credit Union in Milwaukie, Ore., discovered it had been spending more money than it wanted to on a few shared branching transactions, said Sam Launius, executive vice president.
The financial institution, which grew rapidly through mergers from 2004 through 2006, inherited shared branching from one of the merged credit unions and decided to keep the network, Launius said.
"We recognized its value in 2006 and the role it could play in helping us with branch placement and emergency preparedness planning," he explained, pointing out that the mergers had provided more than 3,000 SEGs with most branches in the Portland, Ore. area. "We tend to have members spread over more of the state than we have branches."
While Oregonians is happy with the acquired network, Launius said the credit union was spending a bit too much for some shared branching transactions. Using its relational database and reporting tools, the cooperative figured out which members' transactions were costing the most and crafted a strategy to address the problem.
Oregonians previously used CUnify, Fiserv's core processor that has a relational database component, for some time but had not really deployed all of relational database features, said Launius. As staffers were testing Crystal Reports, a new reporting tool, with the database, they discovered relatively few shared branch users were costing the credit union more money than it wanted to spend.
"We have between 1,700 and 1,800 members using shared branching per month but found something like 150 or 200 members were costing us something like $30,000 per year in shared branching fees," Launius said.
The members had not meant to cost the credit union money and were not aware of doing so, according to Launius. Oregonians was able to use the database to identify products, services and approaches to change member behavior.
The addresses of frequent shared branch users showed that some of them probably didn't realize they had an Oregonian branch not too far from where they lived or worked. Once identified and alerted, they were happy to start using the credit union's branch, Launius said.
Another subset of heavy shared branch users were identified as not yet having the credit union's debit card, unable to use ATMs or get cash back at point of sale terminals, Launius said. Once debit cards were offered, most of the members were eager to start using them and moved from costing the credit union money with each transaction to Oregonians recouping a bit of revenue at each new point-of-sale terminal.
Finally, using the tools allowed Oregonians to take the final step and put a fee system in place for heavy shared branch usage. From the data collected, the credit union determined that the break between standard shared branching use and excessive use was 2.5 transactions. As a result, it made the first two shared branching transactions free per month and then charged a $3.50 fee per transaction starting with the third one, Launius explained.
Members who conducted three or more shared branching transactions in the previous month were sent a letter explaining the new policy. Launius said while there was some pushback from some members, most complied with the new pricing policy.
Oregonians has been very pleased with how well the relational database worked to both identify the costly transaction pattern and to enable the credit union to put solutions in place.
"Being able to view data on both a member and transaction basis was a real game changer for us," Launius said.


text:
Ricco: On the inside of football with John Richardson - 20/04
TONY PULIS now confesses there wasn't too much encouragement when he was asked by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish to take over an ailing club that looked doomed to relegation.
Palace's Premier League days seemed numbered in November - and just about everyone Pulis contacted agreed, except his former Stoke chairman Peter Coates and ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pulis said: "I looked at it and everyone I spoke to said it was a difficult one. Alex Ferguson and Peter Coates were the only two who said I should take it. They were two very good judges."
Now, thanks to miracle-worker Pulis, Palace are safe from the drop.
THUMBS UP: To Gareth Bale for his wonder-goal against Barcelona, which endorsed Real Madrid's decision to make him the world's most expensive player.
There is no finer sight than a player bursting through a defence. Liverpool, with their lightning-fast breaks, are heading for the title and Bale is set for personal glory.
I looked at it and everyone I spoke to said it was a difficult one. Alex Ferguson and Peter Coates were the only two who said I should take it
WE all moan about our football team but it's official that Rochdale fans are the game's longest-suffering.
Although there appears to be some light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, with likely promotion from League Two, it doesn't prevent Spotland being dubbed football's gloomiest club.
Crunching data from some 220,000 games since the formation of the Football League in 1888-9, the English National Football Archive has given Rochdale a top-suffering rating of 66.12, just ahead of Hartlepool (64.72) and Exeter (64.00).
Rochdale have spent 78 seasons in the bottom tier, though that shouldn't extend to 79 in 2014-15, with League One in their sights.
No fans deserve that more than Dale's hardened lot.
IT'S nothing personal but a number of Premier League clubs are hoping Nuremberg are relegated.
That is looking increasingly likely for the Bundesliga side - something which will please Everton, Newcastle and West Ham, who are all chasing the German club's wiss striker Josip Drmic.
The 21-year-old, tipped to be one of the stars of this summer's World Cup, has an escape clause of £3million if Nuremberg fail to beat the drop - making him an absolute bargain.
THUMBS DOWN: To the escalating row between Cardiff and Crystal Palace over the attempts of Tony Pulis' club to find out the Welsh team's line-up in advance.
It wasn't rocket science to predict the majority of the players, and for Cardiff to call for the game they lost 3-0 to be replayed is beyond belief.


text:
Written on: 16/07/2013
Fantastic bike, great service. Bike arrived when promised and all set up ready to ride, well almost, had to put pedals on and align handle bars but that was a piece of cake. Would highly recommend TREDZ to any one
considering purchasing a bicycle. Hopefully any after sales service will live up to pre-sales.


text: We had a customer write us a note the other day with her check for prepaying for the season complaining about a price increase in " these hard economic times" . This customer also added about $200 in extra services. Her price increase for the whole season was only $10. I'm a little confused and amused at the same time. I guess she thinks we should drop our prices like what we are seeing in retail stores right now. Would any of you consider a price drop for your customers? Could you survive by cutting your prices? Has anybody done it to keep customers?


text:
BELL GARDENS (CBS) — Authorities have identified a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a vehicle in Bell Gardens.
Aurelia Arciniega, 47, died at a hospital shortly after being struck in the 6300 block of Florence Avenue at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the coroner's office said.
The motorist stopped at the scene and was interviewed by police, but was not arrested, Bell Gardens police Sgt. Keith Ivany said.
The circumstances of the death were under investigation.
(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Artist description:
"Excalibur Excalibur, From the United kingdom, I'm looking for him, I'm going to California!!' BAAKA!
Java Draw Created Jun 20, 2010 460 x 640px Unless noted Copyright 2010 sumnima255.
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.
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NOOOO thattt....songgg D8
YAY EXCALIBUR! LETS KILL HIM! XDDD gaah nues now i cant get the song out of my head D:::::
nice ~~


text:
MIAMI - 6:00PM - Showers and storms pulling west into the Everglades this evening and we will see our rain chances go down especially starting tomorrow morning through the afternoon. Tonight 30-40% chance of a shower with lows dropping into the upper 70s. Tomorrow our highs go into the low 90s with just a 20% chance of a shower as dry air moves back into South Florida.
12:22PM-Showers and storms are still on the radar this afternoon and storms will develop again this afternoon. Rain chances are at 60% this afternoon but will drop as soon as late tonight and into the next few days. Temps will be the coolest today but warm into the lower 90s later this week.
12:00AM - Showers are showing up on the radar, mainly off shore for now. Heading into the early morning hours and into Monday afternoon, a persistent ocean breeze will push more of the showers inland across South Florida, some rain will be locally heavy. For the latest on the tropics, check out our Hurricane section on www.justweather.com
Copyright 2012 by Post Newsweek. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Topic: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news. (Read 19124 times)
Хahar 🤔
YaBB God
Posts: 39216
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #25 on:
August 09, 2010, 12:50:46 am »
It's a þorn, not a double-sided b!
Update reading list
Quote from: King on February 21, 2014, 08:48:00 pm
The idea of parodying the preceding Atlasian's postings is laughable, of course, but not for reasons one might expect.
YaBB God
Posts: 15831
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #26 on:
August 09, 2010, 10:22:33 am »
Quote from: Хahar on August 09, 2010, 12:50:46 am
It's a þorn, not a double-sided b!
There's also a list of acceptable transliterations in a proposal I created earlier, and you used none of them
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in Atlasia
YaBB God
Posts: 6178
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #27 on:
August 09, 2010, 11:12:49 pm »
Interview with Oakvale
by Dallasfan65
Question 1:
So, despite being relatively new to Atlasia, you quickly ascended to the Governor's mansion. When you first registered, what were your expectations?
I don't know, really. I wasn't very ambitious at first, I was just checking out the game.
I got involved in Atlasia proper when Antonio V signalled that he'd be resigning and it was suggested that I run for the Lt. Governor's position. I thought that being Lt. Governor of the Pacific would be an interesting diversion, and give me something to do now and again.
Needless to say, I certainly didn't expect to become Governor soon, if ever.
Question 2:
Recently, Xahar launched a challenge against you. How do you feel the campaign has been so far?
, in a word, at least so far, but that's the Pacific for you. It's, uh, pacific.
Fortunately, Jbrase has offered to host a debate between Xahar and I that I look forward to, so hopefully that will liven things up a bit. I'm glad that I've got someone to run against, which is more than you can say for the Pacific a lot of the time...
I should add that I'm optimistic about my chances of winning the election, but I'm not taking it for granted by any means. I'm hoping to use the debate as a platform to make a clear case for re-electing (or just plain electing, in my case) ArchangelZero and I.
Dallas: That's good - I hope you guys run a clean campaign.
Question 3:
Under your tenure, there's been an increase in activity in the Pacific - including a Pacific Hiring Incentives Act passed. Are there other things you feel that the Pacific ought to address, within the region?
There's a lot of issues we need to address, obviously. The unemployment problem springs to mind - the PHIA is a step in the right direction, but we need to go further. One thing I'm going to do in the coming weeks is trawl through the region's statute looking for any particularly egregious regulation we can roll back in an effort to make the Pacific more business friendly, and, ergo, increase hiring.
On another level, I've proposed creating a dedicated government position to manage wiki articles relating to the Pacific. I'm going to wait until I'm elected in my own right before introducing the relevant legislation, but I think it's a good idea, and, if it works, the federal government should pay attention.
I'm also toying with the idea of bringing back the long abolished Pacific Chief Justice position, but that could be messy...
Question 4:
What are your thoughts on the Purple State Administration?
I certainly approve overall.
I entered Atlasia during the unfortunately inactive term of alfeitch's Presidency, so it's a welcome change to have an engaged administration.
There have been stumbles, of course - Secretary Constine's gaffe on the French burqa ban, for example, the appointment of a Maoist to a government position - but overall I thik PS and co are doing a fine job.
That said, how the ConCon turns out will ultimately define Purple State's administration, so I, like others, will be waiting to see the results.
Question 5:
Assuming you get re-elected as Governor, what are your future plans in Atlasia? Any higher aspirations?
I imagine that the thought of higher office of some kind crosses every Atlasian's mind at some point, but, for now, I'm happy working as Governor of the Pacific.
I did briefly consider running for the Senate as Lt. Governor, but that was before I ascended to the Governor's mansion, so that obviously became irrelevant.
At some point in the future, I wouldn't rule out a run for national office, but that's all academic at this stage.
President Areus Ho'kee's Republican Party gains in the 1990 midterms, in
Dust In The Wind - The Story of Thad O'Connor
YaBB God
Posts: 6178
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #28 on:
August 10, 2010, 01:46:53 am »
Interview with Xahar
by Dallasfan65
Question 1:
It is well known that there is a rivalry between you and the Jesus Christ Party. What, would you say, is the cause of this?
Well, when I joined Atlasia I saw that the JCP controlled my home region. I found the idea of that monolithic control rather repulsive, particularly with an organization named after its leader. I resolved to oppose that, and the Dear Leader tolerates no opposition, so the breach was inevitable.
Question 2:
Recently, you declared your candidacy against the incumbent Governor, Oakvale. What are your thoughts on the campaign thus far, and what would you plan to do as Governor?
I wish there could be a campaign, but given that my defeat is inevitable, a campaign seems like a waste of time. If by some sort of warp in the space-time continuum I were elected, I would try to replace the Legislature with a real elective Legislature. The way it is now, a small clique of active voters and JCP zombies controls the Legislature, and voter interest and participation are both low. Even in the rare cases where that is not the case, as in the recent election for a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, voter knowledge is practically nil. For that reason, the Pacific recently embarrassed itself by sending a zombie to the Constitutional Convention on the back of the zombie vote. Nor is this a new problem: when I came to Atlasia, I did not even know I was allowed to vote in the Legislature. I am sure that the same is true for many new Pacificans. Elections to a small legislature would allow new Pacificans to get involved in the process and also give lawmaking to a representative sample of the people, rather than whoever is involved enough to vote or reliable enough to be PMed to vote.
Question 3:
You previously ran for President of Atlasia in February 2010 - what was the experience like?
It wasn't as rewarding as I had hoped, obviously. I started out with high hoped, but by early February I had realized it wasn't happening. I really ran after that just to ccarry the LNF banner. Near the end, of course, we were beset by running-mate problems and such. But my loss wasn't exactly traumatizing (I'm no stranger to losing), and it was a good expeerience to be running a national campaign.
Question 4:
What is your opinion of the Purple State administration?
I was out of town last week, so I'm a bit out of the loop, but my opinion is generally positive. The jury is out on the Constitutional Convention, but the remainder of the legislative agenda has been, I think, unassailable.
The appointments, which sparked a furor when they were made, haven't been bad, either. Although I wish that Hashemite had had the opportunity to continue his work in the Department of External Affairs, I think that benconstine has done a commendable job as his replacement. He has demonstrated the same openness and determination that made his predecessor so good; I have had the opportunity to talk to him in the course of his work, and I would encourage others to avail themselves of the same.
Question 5:
In the past, you were Governor of the Southeast. What is your opinion of the name change, and also of Ernest's lawsuit?
I think that both are amusing. The game needs some silliness from time to time, and this matter delivers.
Question 6:
Finally... The Porcupine: Freedom Paper or Horrible Paper?
Last Edit: August 10, 2010, 01:48:53 am by Senator Dallasfan65
President Areus Ho'kee's Republican Party gains in the 1990 midterms, in
Dust In The Wind - The Story of Thad O'Connor
YaBB God
Posts: 18451
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #29 on:
August 10, 2010, 02:05:09 am »
Quote from: Senator Dallasfan65 on August 10, 2010, 01:46:53 am
For that reason, the Pacific recently embarrassed itself by sending a zombie to the Constitutional Convention on the back of the zombie vote.
Perhaps it is not too late to prevent the fine folks over at the Constitutional Convention from finding out about all of this. Nothing ruins an infiltration of zombies like a pesky know-it-all who just had to let the cat out of the bag.
Quote from: Justice TJ on December 20, 2015, 06:19:30 pm
Donald Trump wants America to be his personal safe space.
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YaBB God
Posts: 6178
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #30 on:
August 10, 2010, 04:05:26 pm »
Interview with Winston D'israeli
by Dallasfan65
Question 1:
Recently, you were confirmed as Secretary of Internal Affairs. What made you desire the position, and how do you feel about your work so far?
Well, I had always wanted a role in the economy anyway, given that it was an area of special interest to me. So when Purple State offered me the position, I jumped at the chance to be SoIA. So far, I feel I've helped create some discussion of policy, but there is still plenty more work to be done and I look forward to working with the Cabinet upon it.
Question 2:
Previously, you served as Senator. How would you describe your tenure in office, and what legislation during that session was your favorite?
Early on, while still a POP member, I authored much legislation to further the cause of that party. Afterwards however, I did very little simply because of the whole issue of me being 'illegitimate' or whatever. My favourite session was probably the one over oil nationalization, simply because it created vibrant discussion which I feel put new life into the Senate.
Question 3:
In your earlier days, you were one of the first Atlasians to join the ARC. What was the experience like?
Varied - It was enjoyable being part of a new force in Atlasian politics on one side, but at the same time, it was not very nice having the whole issue of Hamilton lurking over the party, and us not being recognized by... well... pretty much anyone as legitimate. Also, the whole party structure was pretty authoritarian. Hamilton was pretty much the Grand Poobah so it didn't allow for much independence.
Question 4:
Do you approve of your boss, thus far?
Well, if you're referring to Purple State, I'd say yeah overall. He's made a few compromises I would rather he hadnt, but overall he's proved to be a good president who has actually implemented new policy, which is always good to see. He's doing a good role of shaping the executive role in government.
Question 5:
You recently moved to the Midwest Region. How do you like it?
It's been alright so far. A bit crazy but that's the Midwest for you
Can't say I have any strong opinions either way as of yet.
Question 6:
Finally... Dallasfan65, HP or
Asking that question implies that this is in fact a two way choice, which is in fact a false dichtomy as there are a whole plethora of options which I may choose to hold about whether 'Dallasfan' is a 'HP' or 'MEGA-HP' [/gully]
Nah, you're an alright guy
Bad politics, but can't be helped I guess
President Areus Ho'kee's Republican Party gains in the 1990 midterms, in
Dust In The Wind - The Story of Thad O'Connor
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
YaBB God
Posts: 2205
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #31 on:
September 12, 2010, 10:23:19 am »
Interview with Sam Spade
by hantheguitarman
Question 1:
You are currently the Chief Justice of the Atlasia Supreme Court. Is this the highest office that you plan to achieve in Atlasia?
I don't think the citizens of Atlasia would exactly want me in any higher office and I concur.
Besides, didn't you get the memo - this is the highest office in Atlasia! Trying challenging my decisions.
Question 2:
Ernest, a former legislator for the Imperial Dominion of the South has challenged the region's authority to change the title of it's chief executive from Governor to Emperor. What are your thoughts on the lawsuit? If you were to make a ruling on it, what way do you see yourself ruling?
I hate to make comments on pending litigation that might be before the Court, even though Ernest has presently not indicated any willingness to continue pursuing his case yet.
That being said, the titles themselves are quite stupid, imo. Can't we revert to just naming our Region its proper name - the Confederate States of Atlasia?
Question 3:
What are your thoughts on Junkie's Atlasia Law Journal? Do you agree with his articles?
I am happy to see someone trying to analyze and synthesize our decisions, as disjointed as they often look and seem. Moreover, I was recently amused at being compared to Justice Stevens. I don't know whether I agree with his articles, but that's not the point - rather, his ideas are quite valid and worthy of consideration, that says enough.
I am also quite grateful that he recently brought his case (which we ruled against him - see most powerful office strikes again!), because his arguments and certain parts of the Bono v. Atlasia II decision needed to be addressed, in my view.
In short, he should continue and do more, not less.
Question 4:
What are your thoughts on the Purple State Administration? If you had to give them a grade, what grade would that be?
I don't agree with everything they've done, but at least they've been active and willing, more than I can say for a lot of administrations. So I guess a B?
That being said, letting ilikeverin into the Constitutional Convention is pretty much one of the dumbest ideas ever.
Question 5:
You currently reside in the Southeast/Dirty South, which is now known as the Imperial Dominion of the South. Do you approve of this name change?
See above - Jefferson Davis is rolling over in his grave at the sight of these changes.
Question 6:
What are your thoughts on the current Constitutional Convention? Do you approve?
Most of the changes being made are superficial, rather than substantive changes, so if they pass, little will change. I tend to be opposed to change, especially change without reason, so in general I support this. But I think they could be doing more than just that in some places.
Of course, even those superficial changes, as I have examined them, will create important substantive changes that, as usual, the drafters are unaware of at this time. Entirely expected.
Question 7:
Pirates or Ninjas?
Pirates always struck me as a little bit fruity, since they're out on the sea all the time. So, ninjas I guess, even though I don't like the Japanese and hated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
YaBB God
Posts: 6178
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #32 on:
November 18, 2010, 06:18:48 pm »
President Areus Ho'kee's Republican Party gains in the 1990 midterms, in
Dust In The Wind - The Story of Thad O'Connor
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #33 on:
June 27, 2012, 01:30:39 pm »
Supreme Court and the IDS: The Front Lines of Atlasian Politics
The Supreme Court of Atlasia and the Imperial Dominion of the South are currently both the scenes of battles that will have a serious impact on the future of this great nation. In the court lies the potential for a Marxist-Tweedist coup that would oust President-elect Napoleon in favor of failed presidential hopeful Boss "Young" Tweed. Tweed cites the general welfare section of the Atlasian Constitution's preamble, claiming that it is the duty of the Supreme Court to declare Tweed the President-elect as Napoleon would go against the general welfare of the people (not to be confused with
The People
). The SoFE as well as most sane Atlasian call BS however and have faith the court will do the same.
In the IDS is an effort to extend southern voting rights to all southerners. The Southern Unity Amendment sponsored by Representative and former Emperor Jbrase would allow those who have been citizens of southern states outside the IDS for a certain period of time to participate in elections conducted by the IDS. While this has received mostly positive reviews it has also be viciously attacked Representative Duke who has fears of carpetbaggers ruining what he referrers to as 'The Dirty South'. Representative Duke, long opponent to the IDS's Cultural Revolution of Awesomeness, has been running has been running an exhausting schedule of debating the bill, protesting the bill outside the Capitol, an running skateboarders of the sidewalks by his house with a shotgun. Currently the Amendment is looking favored to pass in the Legislature.
YaBB God
Posts: 19324
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #34 on:
June 27, 2012, 01:33:25 pm »
Ironic, I was just thinking yesterday we needed some papers. Glad to see my favorite is back!
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #35 on:
June 27, 2012, 01:57:22 pm »
YaBB God
Posts: 2688
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #36 on:
June 27, 2012, 09:54:47 pm »
It's good to see some new posts here! I especially like the interviews here. If the outlet is going to start doing them again, I'd gladly volunteer to answer questions. :]
Fmr President & Senator Polnut
YaBB God
Posts: 19605
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #37 on:
June 27, 2012, 10:46:47 pm »
Good to see it back - obviously I will make myself available for interviews
Dogma is a comfortable thing, it saves you from thought
- Sir Robert Menzies
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #38 on:
June 27, 2012, 11:56:26 pm »
Coming Soon: interviews with tmthfu94, Polnut, and Tweed!
YaBB God
Posts: 6565
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #39 on:
June 27, 2012, 11:59:37 pm »
I'd also like to do an interview as well
Ted Cruz
House/Senate Races
Marlin Stutzman (Indiana GOP Senate Primary)
Jim Banks (GOP/IN-3)
Trey Hollingsworth (GOP/IN-9)
Tom Massie (GOP/KY-4)
David Brat (GOP/VA-7)
Tim Tebow (GOP/FL-4) (if he chooses to run)
Dan Bongino (GOP/FL-19)
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #40 on:
June 28, 2012, 05:35:25 pm »
World Eagerly Awaits SC Ruling On IDS Trojan Act
Today we are expected to receive the long awaited ruling on the future of safe sex. Lat year the IDS passed the Trojan Act, expanding the amount of condoms available to college students in an effort to fight STI's. However earlier in the month in an unprovoked attack, agents of the federal government attacked and seized control 12 Imperial cities and attempted to rob the south of billions worth of property. Facing the arrest of all agents and possible criminal charges against Fuzzybigfoot the matter was instead taken to court where we await the ruling.
We would like to remind everyone that The Porcupine in the most trusted name in news. Our competition, "The People" meanwhile have this to say.
"The People...do not support...giving...women...votes."
Incredible stuff.
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #41 on:
June 28, 2012, 05:52:22 pm »
An Interview with Clarence
By Jbrase
Thank you for taking the time do do an interview with the Porcupine. What are your future plans for Atlasia?
My pleasure, Jbrase- thanks for the interview. My plans are to continue to be an active Senator... I love the role and find the discussions to be interesting and I always learn something new, even when the votes don't go my way. When I was running for President- much of my time and attention went towards the campaign and I've now put much of that time to my role as a Senator which I enjoy very much. I am of course very passionate about issues involving the armed services, foreign policy, and education. I will continue to fight for what I believe in and make the conservative case as best I can
You recently lost an election for president, making it to the final round and withing 11 votes of Napoleon. What were your personal expectations on election day(s)?
Before I made the decision to run- I spoke with many wise folks who gave me insight into the way things work with the elections. I was prepared from the start for an uphill battle and told the folks on my campaign- ZuWo, Yelnoc, etc- that the best we can do is try our darnedest. Well- we tried our darnedest and on election day I reckon we had as good a chance as any one else! After the election was halfway thru, it became clear we were the underdogs but I was happy to see us close the gap in the final hours. I am very proud of the final result and grateful to those who made it possible to come within reach of victory
Currently Tweed is fighting the results in court and if successful will have essentially pulled of a Marxist coup. Would you support a Tweed government if he rose to power in this fashion?
I hope the Supreme Court rules in favor of the democratically elected President- my former opponent and friend Napoleon. I'm no expert on the board's constitution, but it seems if the Court rules for Tweed- we have no choice but to follow that decision and work to reform the court so it does not happen again. I've seen two bills- from Ben and from TJ- which have that intention already. However- as perhaps the person on this board who worked the hardest to prevent Napoleon from being elected, I find Tweed's case to be amusing but not convincing in the slightest. I also don't believe the theory some folks have put forward that there is a silent majority rooting for Tweed in this case- I believe folks want the will of the voters to be followed
Everyone knows the Navy is the best branch. but what would you consider the second best?
Yes- every one does know that- you're right. I want to say first that I consider every one who has served or currently serves in our armed services to be kin to me and I love and respect them all. I put the Marines with us sailors since they're in our department, so the choice for me is between Army and Air Force. I've much respect for airmen and the critical role they have in preserving our nation's security- even more so today then when I served. However- at risk of angering dead0man I consider Army second best due to the experience I have serving with soldiers. I was a Seabee and our motto was we build, we fight... and much of my job involved construction (we build) but there were a few times I had to heed the second part of the motto. Fortunately- the first of these times I had soldiers by my side including some of the best trained warriors in the military- Rangers and Special Forces (I once made the mistake of referring to an Army Captain as a Green Beret and he informed me not very kindly that a green beret was something he wore, not something he was). Later on- I served on a Civic Action Team with both Marines and soldiers and the valor I witnessed was a thing of beauty. I owe my life to those men and will sing the praises of the Army every chance I get...
Which was your favorite Darrin on Bewitched?
Because my wife once admitted she'd have left me for Dick York, I'm going to go with Sargent...
The porcupine, great newspaper, or the greatest newspaper?
If it helps you sleep at night, Jbrase- greatest ;-)
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #42 on:
June 28, 2012, 08:30:39 pm »
Interview with President Polnut
Thank you for taking the time for an interview with The Porcupine.
As you are in your final days of a presidency, what do you look back on as your greatest achievement and your greatest failure as President?
It's odd to look back and say "I should or could have done x or y" but I would say that I will back on this time and say I was disappointed that we couldn't get traction on regional financing reform. But honestly, I'm going to look back on my two terms with a degree of pride. I worked with Senate to put in place social service and health reforms to make them solvent for future generations. We put in place protections for those hit by predatory home lending, got our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and our unemployment rate is down and we're on the edge of a Budget surplus two years ahead of schedule.
In a move no one saw coming, Boss Tweed has sued your SoFE in hopes of taking the presidency. Who do you predict will be the next President of Atlasia?
Tweed is off his meds, Atlasia now longer needs and as the results show, want him. I'm confident the Supreme Court will ensure Governor Napoleon will take his rightful place as president in a week's time.
Mick Dundee vs Steve Erwin
I hate both of them... but Dundee in a pinch.
You have recently decided to sue the IDS over a law promoting safe sex. What is your issue with giving condoms to college students?
The Federal Government is suing the IDS for an unconstitutional element of the Bill. I'm fully supportive of greater availability of instruments for safe sex, but the IDS legislature made a choice that left us with no choice. I made an offer to the Emperor to amend that legislation to keep that element in place... but I've heard nothing in response.
What are your future plans for Atlasia?
I made some declarative statements last year that I was made to regret. Times change and situations do too and what seemed a reasonable position suddenly seemed unrealistic.
I won't say that I have no future role in Atlasia, but what that is will be determined by the circumstances.
How would you like a job as official interviewer for The Porcupine?
That's a kind offer, but that's one I'll confidently pass on.
© tweed
YaBB God
Posts: 36725
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #43 on:
June 28, 2012, 09:03:46 pm »
I would like to take the moment to vehemently deny that I have ceased to take any or all of my three prescribed psychiatric medications.
I wanna contribute to the chaos
I don't wanna watch and then complain,
'cause I am through finding blame
that is the decision that I have made
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine
Reply #44 on:
June 28, 2012, 09:48:40 pm »
The porcupine is pleased to welcome are newest staff members, we are ready to announce 3 of them:
Tmthforu94 - Senior Analyst/Mideast Correspondent
SJoyce - Imperial Correspondent
Snowstalker - Northeast Correspondent
Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 11:42:09 pm by Jbrase
Averroës Nix
YaBB God
Posts: 10014
Re: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.
Reply #45 on:
June 28, 2012, 10:15:15 pm »
Glad to have not one, but two newspapers that will have an active regional correspondent in the NE. I hope that at least one paper will cover our ongoing debate over the Roscoe Conkling Equity Before the Law Act.
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.
Reply #46 on:
June 28, 2012, 11:42:55 pm »
Quote from: Averroës Nix on June 28, 2012, 10:15:15 pm
Glad to have not one, but two newspapers that will have an active regional correspondent in the NE. I hope that at least one paper will cover our ongoing debate over the Roscoe Conkling Equity Before the Law Act.
You can count on coverage from Atlasia's most trusted name in news.
Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 12:48:42 am by Jbrase
YaBB God
Posts: 6373
Re: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.
Reply #47 on:
June 29, 2012, 12:46:02 am »
Moar Announcements
We are happy to announce Oakvale as our newest member to the team. He shall be the Senior Judicial Analyst, Pacific Correspondent, and Political Cartoonist. Welcome aboard!
YaBB God
Posts: 11526
Political Matrix
Re: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.
Reply #48 on:
June 29, 2012, 12:53:55 am »
Thanks, Jbrase, I'm excited to be joining the
team. In my retirement from electoral politics I've been looking for something to do, and with the interesting court cases currently underway, joining this fine newspaper as, amongst other things, Judicial Analyst, is a great opportunity.
YaBB God
Posts: 10296
Re: The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.
Reply #49 on:
June 29, 2012, 07:01:41 am »
Thanks for the job, Jbrase! I'll get started right away. I've made a
Wiki article
Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 07:24:15 am by SoEA SJoyceFla
Quote from: peenie_weenie on November 08, 2017, 08:44:57 am
incredibly rude and unconstructive
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text:
Pixar has been one of the most brilliantly run studios in Hollywood for some time. They churned out movie after movie which grossed them over 100 million dollars, sold more in toys, garnered critical acclaim, and won awards. Their last endeavor Cars 2 was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record. It seemed that everyone who worked there was passionate about their projects and wanted to be there. The only complaint really being that it was considered kind of a boys club, so what do they do, with their 13th movie they put in a strong female protagonist that's central issue deals with the relationship between mother and daughter. From the outset Brave looked like a home-run but a major plot point in the second half changes this movie's fate and it becomes something different entirely.
Any of the first teasers that came out made it seem like it was going to be an intense mixture of adventure and magic. But then those behind the scenes decided to not use any of the footage from the trailer in the movie. Despite that even the first sequence laid the groundwork for an epic adventure tale. The visuals are absolutely stunning in this movie and the music is enchanting. It places you in the exact mood you need to be in for a movie that is all about a princess who changes her fate.
Nothing about the plot is all that ingenious when it comes to daughter being forced to marry against her will (On a side-note: I have been seeing a lot of female empowerment movies recently, you go girls). Merida is an independent girl with the heart of a warrior and does not want to be married off just because of some tradition, while her mother has been training her to be queen her whole life. Merida would much rather explore the outdoors and practice her archery on horseback all day. From here the movie still has all the potential in the world to be something great and could very well be.
But then something happens, about halfway through the movie a major plot point occurs and throws any credibility the movie was building towards into the water. I don't want to give the plot point away, as it is supposed to be a twist I think, but if you would like a hint please click here for everyone else just move on. All of a sudden the movie moves away from female empowerment into a slapstick session, which was completely unnecessary as there are plenty of laughs everywhere else in the movie. The toughest part about the plot point is it becomes the main focus of the story, so while I can say I liked everything about this movie except this one detail it becomes a MAJOR detail. From here on to the end it seems that everything the movie was building to is forgotten in order to wrap the story up.
It almost feels as if Pixar doesn't care anymore. Whether it is giving Larry The Cable Guy a whole movie, finding out where Sully and Mike matriculated from, or frankly giving the boys club a story about female empowerment. It seems there is less effort being put in at the studio to come up with groundbreaking ideas. All of Pixar's movies before this have been about guys and boys and growing up and been told from that point of view. Pixar's movies have been great in the past because they were writing from somewhere they know; you could feel a personal investment in the story. While Brenda Chapman wrote the story and helped direct, the rest of her main staff are men. So a story about a mother-daughter relationship being told from the perspective of boys may have been one of the problems with developing the full potential of the story.
The movie does come back around and the climax of the movie features some very touching scenes. Plus I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up just a little bit with the Scottish music playing in the background and a little girl coming over to give her Mom a big hug and tell her that she loves her. There is a beautiful movie in here somewhere evidenced by these last moments, the sweeping Irish landscape, and the beautiful music, but that one moment really turned off any momentum the movie built towards. Even the plot points that occur following the twist are more believable. It really is just frustrating they took the movie in that direction. And after that there was no coming back for Brave. B-


text:
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06-28-2012 #11
Try reading this:: forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=90878#p522997
06-30-2012 #12
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Location
- Clinton Township, MI
- Posts
- 104
You can, if you want, install the boot loader to either sda or sdb, the first or second disks, respectively, but if you choose the second disk, then you will have to instruct your BIOS or some mechanism that this is where you will be booting your system. I don't know why you would want to do that. Regardless of whether your Linux software is on your first or second disk, you ought to be able to install the GRUB bootable location to /dev/sda, which will put the bootable portion of the boot loader on the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the first disk. You ought to be able to do this even if your software is on /dev/sdb in one of the partitions there.
The information at GRUB 2 bootloader - Full tutorial may provide you with the background and commands that you will need to fix things; it includes a section specifically aimed at helping resolve issues, and there are some additional tools cited to help you, in case you still have problems. Read it carefully, and ask questions if you don't understand something, but it really ought to help if you take some time, learn what it's saying, practice, and get it right. You'll get a lot of satisfaction (and some new understanding) of how boot loaders in general, and GRUB in particular, work.Brian Masinick
masinick AT yahoo DOT com
08-28-2013 #13
- Join Date
- Aug 2013
- Posts
- 1
I have the same issue on Alienware M17X R1. This is a hardware RAID so some of the comments posted here do not apply.