text:
your key to freedom
Everything you need for smooth on-the-go zipping.
Find Zipcars anywhere in the world and get directions to your reserved ride.
Make reservations 24/7, plus change, extend, or cancel 'em on the go.
Unlock and lock your ride and even honk the horn. Beep, beep! (Remember: you'll still need your Zipcard for initial entry.)
Contact us with a tap of a button if you encounter any bumps in the road.
let's be text friends.
(just not while you're driving, plz & thnx).
Text alerts*
Sign up for text alerts so you know when time is ticking on your reservation (and you can avoid pesky late fees). You can even text to extend your reservation if your car is available.* Standard message and data rates apply


text:
By Asma Alsharif
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - One of Saudi Arabia's most senior clerics said he was not consulted about King Abdullah's decision to grant women more political rights, one of the first signs of discontent from powerful conservatives since the reform was announced.
In a speech last week the Saudi monarch announced that women would vote and run in future municipal council elections and serve in the appointed Shura Council which advises the king on policy.
King Abdullah said his decision was made after consultation with the country's most senior clerics, who have extensive political and social influence.
"I wish the king did not say that he consulted senior clerics... When I heard the speech and what was said about consultation, without a doubt I had no knowledge of it before hearing the king's speech," Sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan, a member of the senior clerics council, said on the al-Majd television channel on Friday. A recording of the broadcast was available on YouTube.
The cleric was careful in his remarks not to criticize the king's decision directly, and did not say whether or not he supported the reform. But he referred to an Arabic proverb which warns that "the thread between a leader and his people" will snap if it is pulled too hard.
Saudi Arabia's clerics, who are generally conservative, are said to be less than pleased about the reformist ideas of the king. A senior cleric criticized the kingdom's first mixed-gender university after its launch in 2009 and was immediately relieved from his position.
Lohaidan himself was removed from his position as chief of the kingdom's highest tribunal, the supreme council of justice, after he issued a religious edict that called for the killing of some television executives. He remained as a member of the senior clerics council, which has about 20 members.
"I am a member of the senior clerics council and (am one of two clerics left) who have been members since the council's first meeting," he said, attesting to his status and influence.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, applies the austere Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam.
The kingdom's ruling al-Saud family have always run the kingdom in close alliance with Wahhabi clerics, trading state support for legitimacy. During the Arab uprisings this year, the clerics backed the government's ban on political parties and protests.
King Abdullah has promised cautious reforms since he ascended the throne in 2005, but the pace of change has been slow.
Women's rights in particular are a sensitive subject, provoking impassioned opposition from many of the country's conservatives, and the decision to allow women to vote came as a surprise.
Women in Saudi Arabia are legally regarded as minors. They cannot travel, work or even undergo certain surgeries without the written permission of a male relative officially recognized as their guardian. They are not allowed to drive.
Earlier this year, a campaign calling for an end to the ban on driving was met by calls for men to assault women who got behind the wheel in public.
On Tuesday a judge in Jeddah sentenced a woman to 10 lashes for driving, which some activists interpreted as an expression of the unhappiness of conservatives over the reform.
"The king is not expected to ask every single cleric... what I am concerned with is that this questions the king's decision and this is a very serious thing to do. He is a government employee," said Hussein Shobokshi, a liberal Saudi analyst.
"Why is this done vocally, publicly and in a TV channel based in Saudi Arabia? This is a worrying sign because this is unprecedented... Usually the clerics don't voice out in public. They do it privately," Shobokshi told Reuters.
(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Angus McDowall and Sonya Hepinstall)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and Bombardier Transportation are pooling their expertise in the area of railway vehicle research. During a press conference at DLR's facility in Göttingen, Prof. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board of DLR, and Dr Klaus Baur, Chairman of the Management Board of Bombardier Transportation Germany, today signed a cooperation agreement aimed at long-term collaboration.
The terms of the contract include regular professional exchanges and provide for simpler commissioning of joint research and development work. The framework agreement covers an initial period up to 31 December 2014.
The main aim of the agreement is to jointly promote research and development into next-generation high-speed trains and to optimise the use of each party's expertise. Practical fields of collaboration are railway vehicle aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, dynamic stability, interior airflows and interior acoustics. Lightweight vehicle construction, energy systems and energy management, issues regarding homologation and railway control systems, as well as safety systems, are also covered.
"In the medium-term we expect the creation of express trains that are more climate-friendly, more efficient, lighter and more comfortable," explained Prof. Wörner during the signing ceremony. "We are developing technologies for tomorrow's trains and identifying what could be technically feasible. However, only with a strong partner from private industry, such as the one we have found in Bombardier Transportation to an optimum degree, can we determine whether and how our ideas can actually be implemented in practice," continued Prof. Wörner. DLR was pleased to agree to Bombardier Transportations proposal to enter into a framework agreement, the DLR Chairman explained. He said that the Göttingen research site possesses a long tradition and an excellent level of expertise in the field of high-speed research. Over the next year, two key test facilities for high-speed vehicle construction are to be opened: a tunnel simulation facility that is globally unique and a crosswind test facility.
"DLR is an ideal research and development partner for Bombardier. We are world market leader in rail technology; DLR is the leading research institution in the area of mobility. This is an ideal combination for exchange between industry and science," emphasized Dr Klaus Baur, Chairman of the Management Board of Bombardier Transportation Germany.
"Both partners have excellent specialists, whose fields of activity outstandingly complement each other. We will use these abilities in close cooperation and for a systematic exchange of expert knowledge. The innovative strategy of Bombardier focuses on making rail traffic even more attractive, more economical and environmentally friendly. Together with DLR we will be able to recognise and set technical trends even earlier," continued Dr Baur.
In two special presentations, Prof. Andreas Dillmann, Executive Director of DLR's Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Göttingen, and Dr Alexander Orellano, Manager, Centre of Competence in Aero- and Thermodynamics at Bombardier Transportation, presented the topics of railway transportation aerodynamics and high-speed research for the trains of the future.
Prof. Dillmann explained that a key safety aspect for high-speed trains is crosswind stability, especially with regard to double-deck trains as planned by DLR. The forces acting upon high-speed trains are enormous, particularly in tunnels, on bridges or when there is oncoming traffic. For example, at a speed of 300 kilometres per hour, there is very little downforce on the leading vehicle of the train, so it could tip over if subjected to a strong crosswind.
Dr Orellano used the aerodynamic table developed by Bombardier Transportation to demonstrate the aerodynamic effects that act upon trains that are constructed using various techniques. Using a silver rotary switch, five construction variables can be adjusted for the table. The user can then run a race against the ZEFIRO high-speed train developed by Bombardier and tested in DLR's facilities. In this way, users can understand which components of a train have an effect on aerodynamics.
With its five wind tunnels related to high-speed vehicle construction, DLR possesses a test facility portfolio that is unique in Europe. At DLR, the elements for tomorrow's trains come together in the 'Next Generation Train' project. The expertise of nine of DLR's institutes will be combined under the auspices of the DLR Institute for Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart.


text:
I love the premise of Femme Fatale by Cindy Dees, so I'm tickled that Entangled Publishing provided a digital copy to give to one of you.
About the book:
Former teen star Olivia Harper has a problem. If she can't shake her girl-next-door image and become the femme fatale her latest role requires, her career will flop. But with her squeaky-clean image, Liv's hardly been kissed, let alone had her world rocked between the sheets. There's no way she'll ask her playboy co-star for pointers, so she turns to the sexy new military consultant for some discreet…guidance.
Major Blake Ramsey is stuck hiding out babysitting actors who can't even lace their combat boots, until his boss can deal with the fallout from his last mission. When Liv propositions him, he can't decide whether she's the naïve girl she claims to be or a bombshell looking for another conquest.
But as the lessons heat up, Blake and Olivia catch the eye of the papparazzi and jeopardize both their lives..
You can read an excerpt at Entangled Publishing's website HERE
Ready to enter for a chance to score a copy of Femme Fatale? Just fill out the widget below:
You can purchase Femme Fatale by clicking these links:
Check out Femme Fatale on Goodreads:


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Korea United Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Korea United Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message ErstwhileJoined: 28 Dec 2008Posts: 1Location: Asia Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:17 am Post subject: Korea United Hi, everybody. I hope that the two Koreas can unify. I believe that unification could solve the problems that North Korea has with poverty and isolation from the world. I think it is time for South Korea to help their fellow countrymen. South Korea should extend all of the help they possibly can. Money, food, medicines and technological assistance is what North Korea needs now. South Korea, you are a wealthy nation. You are in the position to help bring about an end to the sabre-rattling. The rest of the world is not in the same situation you are in, right next-door. Please, forget the past and go on to a future of peace and co-operation with your near-neighbor. Back to top pugachevVJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 2295 Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 9:29 am Post subject: It seems to me that it is the North Koreans who are sabre rattling. It is the North who do not want to engage with democratic nations. The South Koreans have tried to ease the tensions between the two sides, but are always rejected by the North, which always seeks to gain some advantage with its intransigence. The North has chosen its path, let it walk along it until its shoes wear out. Back to top Anuradha ChepurJoined: 20 May 2006Posts: 933 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:05 pm Post subject: On an unrelated side note - it was in the news today that Indians have gone out and become permanent residents in 180 out of 183 countries. Those three are Pakistan, North Korea and Bhutan. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


text:
We are now getting a first look at Ali Fedotowsky as the newest Bachelorette on the block. ABC has released some press photos of the 25 year old former Bachelor contestant.
According to numerous reports, Ali started filming her season two weeks ago. The two-hour premiere of The Bachelorette will debut on ABC Monday, May 24 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
It's safe to say ABC is trying to project Ali as the girl next door by having her wear a pair of sneakers with her dress; allrighty then. More on the press release below –
"Ali, 25, has been a fan favorite from the moment she stepped out of the limo with her sexy raspy voice and a peacock feather to meet Jake Pavelka on the last season of The Bachelor. She became the front-runner for Jake's heart, but instead they found themselves in a heartbreaking situation when she made a gut-wrenching decision to choose a job she loved over the man she loved. Ali made the surprising safe choice to go back to work, but regretted it immediately.
But it's not too late for Ali now. Admitting that she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life, she has let go of everything this time her apartment, her job, her stability to really make a life-changing commitment to put her heart first."
Click The Read More Button For Another Promo Photo of Ali –


text:
7 Sep 2014 08:42:35 AM
Invicta FC 8 Summed Up in One GIF
(GIF via r/MMA)
Invicta FC 8 aired on UFC Fight Pass last night.
A Fight Pass deal was a welcomed development. Invicta finally had a stable medium to broadcast their shows on…or so we thought.
After a pretty entertaining card, the stream froze shortly into the main event, which pitted Michelle Waterson against Yasuko Tamada.
People were understandably upset, though some tried to justify the stream going down by saying the phone stream was intact. The stream bounced back for about 10 seconds in the third round and then froze again. It didn't come back (at least not for us) until Mike Schiavello was saying goodbye to everyone. From what we did see of the main event, Waterson looked incredible. She was agile, her strikes were lightning quick and she was unloading fierce combinations on Tamada. Tamada, on the other hand, looked like she was about 60 years old. We're not kidding either. Her age is unknown. She had to be close to 40 at least. Outside of the fact that she was slow, her skill set was anemic. Waterson destroyed her.
Overall, the event was pretty good if you ignore the stream collapsing at the end (bad streams must be some kind of Invicta curse).Read More DIGG THIS


text: With an extensive background in photography, combining education with industry experience as a color printer, studio manager, and photographer, Danelle Manthey has a holistic understanding of her medium. She carefully controls the dynamics of her shoots; her subjects, their clothing, the setting, and the lighting are all precisely orchestrated and set the stage for intense connections between photographer and subject. Her portraits explore identity, often expressing the duality between inner and exterior selves. In a series of environmental portraits, Manthey has captured people across the United States among their Christmas lights; in a later project she produced a haunting series with a lonely young girl mannequin (where the influence of Diane Arbus emerges), and most recently, she has produced photos inspired by old circus portraits; through all of these series, Manthey strives to …Read more


text:
BEULAVILLE � East Duplin�s Brittney Woodard wasn�t fazed too much by her foul trouble.
BEULAVILLE � East Duplin�s Brittney Woodard wasn�t fazed too much by her foul trouble.
Instead, Woodard didn�t back down inside, which allowed the senior to score 23 points and grab 9 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 51-31 nonconference girls� basketball victory over Southwest on Wednesday night.
Later, Southwest defeated East Duplin 66-46 in the boys� game.
Woodard finished 9 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 5 from the free throw line. She scored 15 points in the second half to help East Duplin (6-1) pull away after the Panthers carried a 20-19 halftime lead over the Stallions (1-5).
�We just moved the ball and got up and down on defense,� Woodard said.
Woodard, a first-team all-area player last year who helped her team to the sectional finals, was called for three fouls in the first half and picked up her fourth one with 2:28 left in the third quarter with the Panthers leading 30-21.
But while Woodard said she was frustrated having to sit on the bench with foul trouble, she came back strong in the fourth quarter, scoring 9 points in the final eight minutes.
�Our offense is designed to get the ball to the short corner and look for Brittney,� East Duplin coach Mark Lane said. �When we swing it, Brittney will make herself available.�
Woodard often would position herself near the basket for easy looks. However, she didn�t take the credit for her good game.
�We moved the ball well, stopped dribbling (aimlessly) and stopped our turnovers,� she said.
Makayla Byrd added 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals for the Panthers. With East Duplin leading 26-21 with 5:40 left in the third quarter, Byrd scored 7 points on three consecutive possessions to extend East Duplin�s cushion to 33-21.
The Panthers also did not commit a turnover and held Southwest to just two field goals in the third quarter.
Overall, East Duplin forced 20 turnovers and committed 16 with eight of coming in the fourth quarter.
�I thought we played with more energy,� Lane said of the third quarter.
Mikhayla Dugan led Southwest with 13 points and 16 rebounds. She had 9 points after halftime, but it wasn�t enough.
�We did things well tonight. We had a lot of steals, but we threw the ball away and had too many unforced errors,� Southwest coach Bev Marley said. �A part of that is that we are still out of shape. We have to pick it up on defense. We are going to have a defensive practice (today).�
Another factor was foul trouble to Southwest point guard Taylor Marley, who drew her fourth foul midway through the third quarter.
�It puts another inexperienced player on the court,� coach Marley said. �We have tried too many different combinations.�
Lane agreed Marley�s foul trouble hurt the Stallions.
�She is a good player,� he said. �When they run their offense they look to those two players (Marley and Naya Burney).�
Southwest 66, East Duplin 46: Southwest turned a competitive game into a lopsided win by forcing 10 third-quarter turnovers en route to a nonconference victory.
The Stallions (3-1), coming off a loss at Northside on Tuesday, led East Duplin 28-22 at the break. However, Southwest turned many turnovers into transition points to pull away from the Panthers (2-5) after halftime.
�We kind of thought of it (full-court pressure) last night toward the end (of the Northside game) because we had a little bit of transition from it,� Southwest coach Tommy Barnes said.
Corey Wohlever scored 16 points, J�Veon Walker added 12 points and 10 rebounds, Malique Judd scored 12 points and Jonathan Williams had 10 for the Stallions, who shot 51 percent from the field in the second half.
Dallon Jones led East Duplin with 14 points.
�We just were not ready to play,� East Duplin coach Robert Ross said. �I didn�t have them (players) ready to play. It�s that simple.�
Southwest 4 15 4 8 � 31
East Duplin 12 8 14 17 � 51
Marley 2, Brooks 1, Dugan 13, Burney 9, Sherman 6. Totals� 10-43 10-24 31.
McGowen 2, Woodard 23, Smith 2, McKinzie 8, Byrd 13, Johnson 2, Hall 1. Totals� 20-60 10-14 51.
3-Point Goals� S 1 (Burney), E 1 (Byrd). Rebounds� S 33 (Dugan 16), E 39 (Woodard 9, Hall 9, Byrd 8). RECORDS� S: 1-5, hosts Richlands on Friday. E: 6-1, at Southwest on Monday.
Southwest 15 13 23 15 � 66
East Duplin 16 6 6 18 � 46
Walker 12, Jo. Williams 10, Pouncey 3, Jef. Williams 8, Jordan 3, Sanders 2, Wohlever 16, Judd 12. Totals� 28-62 8-16 66.
Fla.Laporte 1, Scarborough 6, Stallings 5, Poole 2, Herring 2, Hall 4, Williams 8, Jones 14, Flo. Laporte 4. Totals� 21-54 4-9 46.
3-Point Goals� S 2 (Jo. Williams, Jordan), E 0. Rebounds� S 41 (Walker 10, Judd 8), E 26 (Stallings 8, Williams 7). RECORDS� S: 3-1, hosts Richlands on Friday. E: 2-5, at Southwest on Monday.


text:
In this video I interview Jesse Stay, co-author of I'm On Facebook Now What? and founder of SocialToo. Jesse talks about Facebook and how Facebook Connect can help you build a stronger online community.
You'll also hear about Jesse's Twitter strategy using multiple Twitter accounts and the tools he uses to stay on top of social media. Be sure to read the takeaways below.


text:
In today's rap industry, free mixtapes are often stronger than the label-pressed releases that hit Best Buy, Amazon and iTunes. Reasons include sample clearances, the absence of a hit single, and more creative freedom without a record label's meddling, but either way, the difference is clear in the music: some artists are giving higher value for free than they are for the $10-$15 at the store.
Big K.R.I.T. announced that he will soon release King Remembered In Time, and many fans are hoping that will continue the winning streak from his previous three free albums instead of his major label debut Live From The Underground, which wasn't met with as much universal acclaim.. Read below


text:
Meet thousands of Finley singles through one of the best Finley online dating sites. Matchmaker.com has great instant messenger and live video Finley chat service for our members. Finley dating has never been easier with our show interest feature that will allow you to break the ice with attractive local singles.
Matchmaker.com has some great services for Finley singles looking for a longer term relationship. Besides our great Finley chat product with live video matchmaker users can send email messages to people in the area. The Finley dating scene can be hard to find the right person at times; however, we are here to help and our Finley online dating service is free to register.
FinleyJoin Now Free!
Finley Girls | Finley Men | Finley Gay | Finley Lesbians
More Finley Links:
Finley Personals | Finley Speed Dating | Finley Chat | Finley Singles | Finley Love
Senior Dating | Catholic Dating | Christian Dating | Muslim Dating
Black Singles | Asian Singles | Latin Dating
Try our Finley dating service today. Matchmaker.com is one of the oldest Finley online dating services on the Internet and has brought thousands of couples together from the area. Test drive our Finley Chat room with one of the best online communities for the Finley single person. Also, keep in mind that we have a huge member base of Finley singles and that we also cater to members of the many backgrounds.
Still not convinced that matchmaker is the free Finley dating service for you? Once you've filled out the quick registration process you will be to see full size photos and profiles of thousands of Finley singles. Did you know that free Finley dating is a few clicks away? Find love and romance in Finley at matchmaker today!


text:
NEWARK – Two New Jersey-based ticket brokers sued by the Office of the Attorney General in May after allegedly offering concert tickets for sale before the tickets were available to the general public have agreed to revise their business practices and to pay $5,000 each to settle the suits.
Almost Backstage Inc., of Vauxhall, which does business as abtickets.com and Ticket Town, Inc., of Fort Lee, which does business as northeasttickets.com, each agreed to not offer for sale, sell or advertise for purchase any concert ticket prior to the initial on-sale date. Each defendant also agreed to not offer tickets prior to obtaining ownership, custody and control of the tickets or obtaining a contractual right to the tickets.
"We want to end the fraud committed against the public through the offering of phantom tickets," Attorney General Anne Milgram said. "Our message to the ticket resale industry is very clear – it is fraud to sell something that you don't have and may never have, while giving the public the impression that these tickets are yours to sell."
Both defendants did not admit to any violations in reaching settlements with the Office of the Attorney General and its Division of Consumer Affairs. Each company will pay $5,000 to the state, in addition to complying with the state's Consumer Fraud Act.
As alleged in the attorney general's complaints, Almost Backstage and Ticket Town advertised and sold purported tickets to Bruce Springsteen's September and October concerts at Giants Stadium before any tickets were available to the public. Many of the advertised tickets were identified by specific section and row number at prices far in excess of face value, varying between $317 and $575.
"We continue our efforts to produce a level-playing field for consumers who expect, and are entitled to, an equal opportunity to purchase tickets when seats initially go on sale," said David Szuchman, Consumer Affairs Director. "We will take legal action against those ticket sellers who don't voluntarily stop their deceptions and false promises."
Three additional lawsuits filed in May against other ticket sellers remain active. The lawsuits were filed against Select-A-Ticket, Inc., of Riverdale; Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., which does business as cheaptickets.com, of Chicago; and TicketNetwork, Inc. in Connecticut. Orbitz and TicketNetwork are believed to be partners in a joint venture to advertise and resell tickets to events in New Jersey.
The Office of the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs in February reached an agreement with Ticketmaster regarding tickets being offered for sale on the company's TicketsNow resale site following an investigation into the availability of tickets to Springsteen concerts held in May at the Izod Center in East Rutherford. The company agreed to change its business practices under terms of the settlement, agreeing not to allow ticket resales on its TicketsNow site before tickets go on sale on its Ticketmaster site.
Connect with NJTODAY.NET
Join NJTODAY.NET's free Email List to receive occasional updates delivered right to your email address!


text:
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
I'm a second-generation Eagle; my father was awarded his Eagle on September 28, 1952.
Dad attended the 1950 National Scout Jamboree (NSJ); I attended the 1977 NSJ; and, my son attended the 2005 NSJ. I also served on Summer Camp staff at Camp Grimes for a few summers before joining the US Air Force in 1981.
< More to follow... >
|Gulf War veteran


text:
Father's Day health ad shocks, but will it work?
Will dark humor inspire men to see the doctor? A new public health campaign launced just in time for Father's Day hopes it will at least startle them into thinking about their own mortality.
In one public service announcement, a young salesclerk begins explaining a product's extended warranty to a father and his son. "But there's no need for you to get that," he deadpans, addressing the dad. "You failed to get the tests you needed at the doctor…so you won't be around in two years to see him grow up, which means the warranty would be useless."
Men have famously high levels of denial about their health risks. They die younger than women, they're hospitalized more often with complications from preventable illnesses and studies show they're more likely to see a doctor if pushed by their spouses.
About 57 percent of U.S. men see a health practitioner for routine care, compared with nearly 74 percent of women, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which launched the campaign with the Ad Council to encourage men to get preventive care.
Shock ads have been used for years to get through to populations that aren't listening or paying attention. Who can forget the powerful "Keep America Beautiful" campaign which featured The Crying Indian (Iron Eyes Cody) who shed a tear after garbage was dumped on his feet?
More recently, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene unveiled an ad campaign that portrayed globs of human fat spilling out of a soda bottle and asked "Are you pouring on the pounds?"
The World Health Organization has urged governments to include graphic images of sickness, suffering and death caused by tobacco use. And some say the most memorable shock ad in Australian history was the 1987 Grim Reaper campaign unleashed at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
But it's not clear how effective the ads are. One preliminary study using brain imaging technology found that low-key anti-smoking ads are more likely to be remembered than attention-grabbing messages. The study, published in the journal NeuroImage, didn't look at whether seeing the PSAs altered the smoker's attitude; it asked only what they remember seeing.
Still, the new Healthy Men campaign is less of a shock ad and more of an emotional appeal, which ultimately might be more effective. The public service ads ask a simple question: Do you want to be around to see your children grow up?" If not for you, do it for them.


text:
Looks like you're already verified.
If you still have trouble signing in, you probably need a new confirmation link email.
{* resendLink *} Please resend verification.
You're now logged in.
Are you already a home delivery subscriber for Austin360.com?
You're now logged in.
You're now logged in.
After World War II, the American road trip began appearing prominently in literature, music, movies, and photography. While the myth of the American frontier had long engaged artists, and key photographers such as Walker Evans and Edward Weston made seminal trips through America in the 1930s and 1940s, many more photographers purposefully embarked on trips during the post-World War II era in order to create work about America or better understand their place in it. The Open Road considers the photographic road trip as a genre in and of itself. The exhibition presents the story of photographers for whom the American road was muse. Presented in chronological order, the featured artists and road trips represent the evolution of American car culture, the idea of the open road, and how photographers embraced the subject of America in order to reflect on place, time, and self.


text:
Through rain and snow and bitter cold, my friend and I have done our twice weekly stroller walks for several months, almost without fail. There is a paved trail near my house and when you do the roundtrip, it is about 5 miles. I like that the trail has mile markers so I know how far we've gone, although I rarely look at them because my workout partner and I are solving the problems of the world instead. Activity and adult conversation, talk about time well spent for stay-at-home parents! We both have older kids in school so we meet after school drop off for our walks. How much easier it is to stay consistent when you have a workout partner depending on you! I know I would have bailed on those rainy days if it weren't for her!
My other workout partners are my dog, Roxxy, and my baby, Lila. Somehow Roxxy knows when it is a walking day and she shakes with excitement from when we wake up until we hit the trail. I am able to push the stroller and walk the dog simultaneously, very easily. Lila almost always takes her morning nap in the terrain . I use the rain cover to keep the wind and rain off of her and she just sleeps and enjoys the ride. We are hoping to work up to running, but for now we are just happy to be walking.
It feels great to move, especially in winter. What is great is that once you build it into your routine, it is easier to branch out and try other things. I just took a Pilates class yesterday and got in touch with my abs for the first time in 2 years. I did Pilates years ago and loved it, but time flies when you are having babies and it has been a while!
How are you staying active this winter?


text:
'Ray Donovan' & 'Masters of Sex' Renewed for Third Seasons By Showtime!
Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex have both been renewed for third seasons by Showtime!
"Both Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex are quintessentially Showtime: bold, provocative, premium television with production values at the top of the food chain," David Nevins, President, Showtime Networks Inc, said in a statement (via Variety). "These acclaimed shows are filled with complex and interesting characters and settings that will no doubt give audiences compelling television to invest in for seasons to come."
Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight star in Ray Donovan and Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen star in Masters of Sex.
ARE YOU EXCITED to see more Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex??


text:
Does it matter where you buy nail care supplies? And what's at stake when products designed for professional use are available to the general public?
The two camps have taken their sides. On the one side are nail technicians concerned over the future of their industry, worried that public access to professional products will be the death of their businesses. On the other side, there are those who downplay the importance of where products are bought and sold, saying there is no clearly "best way" to buy products: it's merely a matter of personal preference. And in between is a group of professionals who want to see the integrity of their products maintained, yet who need to be able to buy products from a variety of sources and to choose a supplier based on many factors: price, convenience, education, and availability, among others.
This is the distribution debate, and today's topic is "Does it matter where you buy your products?"
Nail technicians have so many choices about where to purchase products than technicians did just 10 years ago. Today, distributor's salespeople call on salons in person. A technician can go to a local beauty supply store and look and try products before she buys or she can browse a full-color catalog and call in her order for mail delivery.
These expanded options attest to the increased importance nails have attained in the professional beauty industry and to the economic clout nail technicians and manufacturers have in the distribution "food chain." The attention on nails is also due in no small part to tremendous consumer demand for nail care products. Consequently, the way manufacturers distribute their products has become increasingly complex.
For a clearer understanding of which distribution method best suits your business needs, let's look at the most commonly used methods.
Full-Service Distributor
The traditional full-service distributor generally has a warehouse operation and services the salon with field salespeople. That means a salesperson regularly calls on a salon to take product orders, handle product questions or problems, and otherwise keep the nail technician informed about industry trends, new products, upcoming education, etc. Ordinarily you place an order, and the products are delivered to the salon.
Essentially, full-service distribution is a channel for professionals only to buy products. That means the public – your customers – cannot get the products a full service distributor carries. Obviously, this ensures that your clients cannot circumvent the salon in favor of doing their own nails with the same products you use.
Also, because full-service distributors sell only to professionals, your clients cannot get the same retail items you carry in the salon.
This is a very important issue because nail technicians need to concentrate more on their retail programs. Nail technicians and salon owners who understand that the route to greater earning power is through retailing at-home products argue that they are unable to do so because the very individuals who supply their retail products also sell them to the public. If these products are so readily available, the mystique of salon exclusivity is lost. Using a full-service distributor is designed to alleviate that pressure.
Only a fraction of what consumers are spending on their nail care needs is being spent in the salon. Although the nail salon should be the natural choice for a consumer who wants the best quality, best suited nail care item, it usually isn't. When a woman thinks about buying a file or bottle of polish for herself, she most often thinks about buying those products at the drugstore or supermarket. Nail technicians need to work to change that mindset, but they should also realize that they need to offer a product that these potential clients can't get elsewhere.
To sell a client a $5 bottle of nail polish or a $4 bottle of cuticle oil, you must convince her of your salon products' value. Specifically, you back them up, guarantee your work, convince her that the products have a higher, professional-only quality, and assure her that she cannot buy them anywhere but at a salon.
If your client is convinced of the products' value but she can purchase them herself at the same beauty supply store you do, and often for less than you're charging, why would she purchase those items from you? She could save money and get the very same "salon-exclusive" products.
By restricting the sale of products, the full service method protects the nail technician's ability to provide service with a unique professional product.
Nail Trends From NYFW Spring/Summer 2019122 photos
Express Yourself: Emoji Nail Art for Every Emotion18 photos
An acrylic service, usually with acrylics, incorporating both white and pink powders so a nail technician can create a realistic-looking acrylic...
Learn More
How can I cut costs and finally make a profit?
As a mobile tech, how do I ensure I get paid?
What is this washboard-pattern defect in the middle of my thumbs?
Is it normal that I'm in pain after doing a couple clients' nails?
How do you handle a client who constantly tries to correct you or tell you what to do?
Featured Products & Promotions | Advertisement
View Store
How big is the U.S. nail business? $7.3 billion. What's the average service price for a manicure? Dig into our decades' deep research archives.
View All
VietSalon is a Vietnamese-language magazine and the sister publication to NAILS. Click the link below to sign up for a FREE one-year subscription.
Subscribe to NAILS & SAVE!
Get a free preview issue and a Free Gift
Subscribe Today!


text:
Kings take control of basketball ops in Reno
Jul. 11, 2013
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings are taking over basketball operations of the NBA Development League's Reno Bighorns under a new shared partnership between the two teams.
Bighorns owner Herb Santos Jr. will remain in control of business operations in Reno as part of the agreement announced Thursday. The move will allow the Kings to groom players and coaches — and oversee roster moves — in an affiliation similar to minor league teams in baseball.
The partnership is the seventh of its kind between NBA and D-League teams.
The Kings and Bighorns have been tied together since Reno's inaugural season in 2008-09. Last season, Reno also was affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz. New affiliates for both teams will be announced later this summer.


text:
Source Outdoor
Manufacturing can still be done profitably in Miami — at least on a small scale with a focus on custom pieces and fast turnaround. Outdoor furniture maker Source Outdoor started out importing most of its pieces when it was founded in 2008. Today, it manufactures about 65% of its products at its Miami headquarters. CEO and founder Gerald Shvartsman says manufacturing in the U.S. gives the company more control over quality, faster order fulfillment and the ability to easily customize cushions and finishes.
Stateside manufacturing offers another advantage, Shvartsman says. The company can keep a large variety of products in stock year-round. The strategy has been successful so far for the $10-million business, which has 70 employees. This year, it expanded with a new 10-person custom awnings division.


text:
The temperatures across the country may be dropping (unless you live somewhere like the perpetually pleasant Los Angeles), but the box office is heating up, especially as Disney's Frozen hits theaters this Wednesday. The first post-2D animation Disney Princess feature is an absolute delight as Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and company deliver up a supremely memorable, heartfelt, and genuinely funny animated musical. After the razzle-dazzle of the stunning visual effects work had passed, I found myself wanting to dive deeper into the film with the stars themselves, so you know what? I did. For those of you who won't be seeing Josh Brolin stay at the world's worst hotel this weekend, do yourself a favor and check out my interviews with Bell, Menzel, and Gad. Oh, and pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa while you're at it. You've earned it.
And while we're at it, why not check out the adorable answers celebrities like Bell, Tom Hiddleston, Christina Hendricks and more gave to the question of "what's your earliest Disney memory?"
Are you excited for Frozen? Who is your favorite Disney princess? Let us know in the comments below!


text:
Four fair dice are marked differently on their six faces. Choose first ANY one of them. I can always choose another that will give me a better chance of winning. Investigate.
Explain why it is that when you throw two dice you are more likely to get a score of 9 than of 10. What about the case of 3 dice? Is a score of 9 more likely then a score of 10 with 3 dice?
A standard die has the numbers 1, 2 and 3 are opposite 6, 5 and 4 respectively so that opposite faces add to 7? If you make standard dice by writing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on blank cubes you will find there are 2 and only 2 different standard dice. Can you prove this ?


text:
KineMaster Pro Video Editor Full v22.214.171.12499 Apk is the only full-featured video editor for Android, now with multi-layer video. With KineMaster you can add video layers* to your project, allowing for true split-screen or picture-in-picture effects, and more. For professionals and amateurs alike, KineMaster offers an unprecedented level of control over the mobile editing process. For artists and educators, handwriting layers allow you to draw directly on the video. Use the slick videos you make with KineMaster to increase the reach and popularity of your YouTube channel and become a YouTube star. Video layers are available on supported devices only. Currently, devices using Qualcomm Snapdragon 800/805/808/810, Tegra K1(64bit, T132), or Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7420 are supported, with support for more devices coming soon.
Updated: September 8, 2016
Current Version: 220.127.116.1199
Requires Android: 4.1 and up
Category: Media & Video
Size: 34M
- Multiple layers for video, images, stickers, text, handwriting in video clips
- Frame-by-frame trimming, splicing and slicing
- Instant preview anytime
- Hue, brightness and saturation controls
- Speed control for video clips
- Fade in/fade out sound (overall)
- Volume envelope (Precise volume control from moment to moment within a clip)
- Transition effects (3D transitions, wipes, fades, and more)
- A variety of themes, animations and visual and audio effects
- Share on YouTube, Facebook, Google+, Dropbox and more
- Supported OS and Devices
KineMaster can be used on most devices running Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean MR2) and above, but you will have the best editing experience when using the latest Android version available for your device
For the best editing performance with KineMaster, including 1080p support and video layers, devices using one of the following chipsets are recommended:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800/805/808/810
Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7420
Tegra K1
- Supported Formats
Video formats: .mp4 (H.264 Baseline/Main/High Profile + AAC LC), .3gp (H.264 Baseline/Main/High Profile + AAC LC), .mov (H.264 + AAC LC only, and only on devices where .mov files appear in the device's pre-installed Gallery app))
Audio formats: .mp3, .m4a, .aac
Image formats: .jpg, .png
Real-time video and audio recording
What's New
uninstall any previous version if you have trouble and clean install or clear you data cache
- Improved performance of media indexing
- Bug fixes
Free Download KineMaster Pro Video Editor Full 184.108.40.20699


text:
|Episode Description
|Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 - 8:00 AM
"Passions of the Pitaya"
Travel with host David Yetman and Mexican ecologist Alberto Burquez to an area southwest of Guadalajara, Mexico where locals celebrate an annual festival dedicated to tasty Pitaya cactus fruit. Once used as a source of water for natives, the Pitaya has now become a reason to celebrate. In this episode, Yetman journeys to the city of Techaluta to watch workers harvest Pitayas by lamplight, where he places a bet on a midday horserace, and participates in a Pitaya-eating contest. D
|More on PLUS (MT)
|No upcoming shows in database
|Previous on PLUS (MT)
|No Past shows in database


text:
|About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
|Story Favorites Author Favorites Links
|I'm heading into my freshman year at college (and so excited about it!). I've been writing and reading fan fiction for a very long while, all the way back to my pre-teens. I thoroughly enjoy writing, and the feeling of finishing a story is much better to me than all of the reviews in the world (don't let that stop you from reviewing, though!).
|Author Favorites


text:
Dave's Rating:
True Hollywood story...
"It's great."
"It's chill."
"That's mine."
"It's so cute."
There's a limit to how many times your ears can absorb the repetition of a meaningless verbal tic before it feels as though your entire listening apparatus has been shot up with novocaine. Add listless "vocal fry" to the mix, so that everything coming out of the speaker's lips sounds like a slow, bored croak and it's a blinking aural signpost into a life lived in a veal fattening pen of vapidity. This is the way people talk in The Bling Ring and these are the meaningless expressions they volley back and forth; the effect is funny and sad, the most overtly satirical element in Sofia Coppola's otherwise deadpan investigation into greedy teenage formlessness.
The kids in question (Emma Watson, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, Claire Julien, Taissa Farmiga) are all either students at an alternative high school for dropouts or, in the case of Watson's character, homeschooled by a mother (Leslie Mann, more or less mimicking her character from This Is 40) whose favorite textbook is The Secret and whose goal is making sure her daughters get the fame they deserve.
Based on the true story of the group of Southern California teenagers who broke into a series of celebrity homes to steal millions of dollars in clothing, luxury items and cash, these are Coppola's contemporary Marie Antoinettes without kingdoms, kids who demand Birkin bags and bottle service. "I want my own lifestyle brand," says the lone gay boy in the group, and that's about as careerist as these kids get before they get caught.
They rob, they drink, they snort cocaine, they hang out in Paris Hilton's empty house (Coppola got permission to shoot there) as if it were their own, they shop on pricey Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles, they get frozen coffee drinks and they talk about what outfits are cute. Then they get arrested. Then they get interviewed by Vanity Fair. And since truth is always more bizarre than fiction, in real life two of the girls got their own reality show on E! called Pretty Wild, a baffling mix of true crime documentary and confession-cam idiocy.
Coppola wisely decides to ignore that stuff, probably realizing that the hyperactive quality of anything that would wind up on The Soup would throw her off the trail of discovery. Her approach to these kids isn't condescending, it's clinical, as though her microscope wants to know the mechanism that creates children who are acquisitive but not curious, lacking inner resources but not motivated to figure out what's really missing. She presents them as the logical outcome of a culture that thinks Orlando Bloom's and Rachel Bilson's love lives should be news to anyone who isn't already Orlando Bloom or Rachel Bilson. It's not empathy but it's also not moralizing. She's interested in function but not fault. Let E! handle crafting a spin on these kids. That's their job.
66 out of 100 Metascore®
Read other critic reviews
You can fly. Eventually.
Songs about butts.
Death to the patriarchy.
Stay home.
All Dave White's Movie Reviews
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


text:
Michelle Williams as Glinda in a character poster for "Oz: The Great and Powerful." (Disney)Link
Mila Kunis as Theodora in a character poster for "Oz: The Great and Powerful." (Disney)Link
James Franco as the wizard in a character poster for "Oz: The Great and Powerful." (Disney)Link
Rachel Weisz as Evanora in a character poster for "Oz: The Great and Powerful." (Disney)Link
"The Lone Ranger" isn't the only film teasing an upcoming Super Bowl ad this week: Disney also released a munchkin-sized teaser of its latest spot for Sam Raimi's "Oz: The Great and Powerful," as well as several new character portraits.
The movie recounts the tale of just how Oz (James Franco) journeyed from dusty Kansas to the glorious Technicolor world over the rainbow. In the screenplay, credited to Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, a strong storm blows Franco's magician/con man into the distant land, where he encounters talking china dolls, flying monkeys and several witches, including Mila Kunis' Theodora, Rachel Weisz's Evanora and Michelle Williams' sunny Glinda.
It's the first new film from Raimi since his under-appreciated 2009 horror outing "Drag Me to Hell," and it sees the director returning to the massive blockbuster territory he explored with a trilogy of hit "Spider-Man" films that launched in 2002. It also sees him reunited with prolific composer Danny Elfman, who initially collaborated with Raimi on his 1990 feature "Darkman."
Earlier this year, Elfman told Hero Complex that the score came "lightning fast" — he wrote the bulk of the music in only about six weeks.
"'Oz' was very clear, what the tone was," he said. "We're going to take an approach that's old school but not self-consciously old-fashioned. Let the melodrama be melodrama, let everything be what it is. I also think there's the advantage that I'm able to write narratively, and when I'm able to write narratively I can also move quicker because that's my natural instincts, I can tell a story in the music."
There's not much music to enjoy in the latest tiny teaser clip, but Elfman's complete orchestral score will be unveiled when "Oz: The Great and Powerful" journeys into theaters March 8.
— Gina McIntyre
Follow us on Twitter: @LATHeroComplex
Composing wizard Danny Elfman talks 'Oz' score
Elfman knows score: 'Burton opened every door'
'Frankenweenie' schooled by Burton's life
'The Hobbit' collected: Complete coverage
'Iron Man,' 'Star Trek': 13 must-see movies in 2013
For composers, video games mean opportunity
'Iron Fists': Rapper RZA makes jump to director
'Medal of Honor' score brings composer full circle
James Bond: A tuneful 50-year overview
Oscars 2013: 'Hobbit,' 'Skyfall,' 'Avengers' nab nominations
Tim Burton on his 'weird mental process'


text:
Google rolled out a new feature that would let users of Street View see how a street or a landmark looked in the past.
"If you've ever dreamt of being a time traveler like Doc Brown, now's your chance," Google said in a blog post, referring to the famous character in the time travel movie "Back to the Future."
Google collected historical images dating back to 2007 to set up what the company called "a digital time capsule of the world."
Users can view images of the construction of the Freedom Tower in New York or the stadium for the upcoming World Cup competition in Fortaleza, Brazil. There are also images of devestation in Onagawa, Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
– Ben Pimentel
Follow Ben on Twitter @benpimentel
Other stories from MarketWatch:
Golden State Warriors to buy Salesforce land
Facebook earnings: Online ad business in focus


text:
YDN Women Lace up Low Heels Sandals Pointed Toe D Orsay Pumps Slingback Party Dress Shoes5 B(M) US|Rosy Rosy 5 B(M) US
Rubber sole
Mid-heel measurement: approx.8 cm
In a Synthetic finish, these give a sexy and confident edge whilst also providing support and comfort.
These stylish lace-up sandals are composed of Pointed toe, Lace up, Slingback and Sexy V-cutouts.
Showcasing a very simple and chic way, to create the best exquisite sandals for your fancy prom party and more.
All YDN shoes are finished by strictly handcraft. Customization service of size, color, height or more are available.
Mules & Clogs


text:
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities in northern Nevada are seeking murder charges against a 25-year-old man they believe is responsible for killing five people, carjacking a newspaper deliveryman, and setting fire to an elderly couple's home all in a matter of hours.
Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil said it appears Jeremiah Bean acted alone in the random shootings at two homes in the rural town of Fernley, and another about 30 miles west at the Interstate 80 exit for the Mustang Ranch brothel near Reno.
"The only way I can describe it is senseless," Veil said at a news conference Wednesday.
Bean was arrested Monday on burglary charges and identified as a "person of interest" in the string of homicides, but authorities now say they have enough evidence to seek open murder, arson, robbery, gun and grand larceny charges.
Investigators said Robert Pape and Dorothy Pape, both 84, were found dead early Monday in a house in Fernley, a city of 19,000. Angie Duff, 67, and Lester Leiber, 69, were found dead in a home a half-block away.
Veil said it appears Bean stole the Papes' vehicle, which apparently broke down or got stuck near the Mustang exit. It was there that he allegedly shot 52-year-old passer-by Eliazar Graham, a newspaper deliveryman from Sparks, and took his truck.
Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen said the female caller who reported finding Graham's body near the roadway was so distraught she had trouble providing her location.
A vehicle was found burned at one of the homes where the victims were found, but Veil said it's been difficult to determine who it belongs to because license plates and identification numbers were destroyed in the flames.
Veil said it appears Bean set the fire to destroy evidence.
Bean had been staying two houses away from Duff's home, Veil said. But there's no evidence that he was connected to any of his victims, and deputies said they haven't determined a motive.
Drug use on Bean's part is "definitely a possibility," according to the sheriff.
Veil said the attacks were on a scale he hasn't seen in his three decades in Lyon County, which is historically a small farming community but has grown significantly in the last decade, attracting workers who commute to jobs in Reno.
"I think there probably should be a sense of relief that we believe we have the person responsible for this in custody," Veil said. "However, I think there's probably going to be a sense of shock and disbelief that something like this would happen here."
Bean was being held at the Lyon County jail. He has a local arrest record and a felony conviction related to burglary and attempted grand larceny, deputies said, and he finished his parole in December. He has also acknowledged gang ties.
Veil urged residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity, even while he called the killings isolated.
"These things happen, and they happen in little Lyon County, where ... they shouldn't," Veil said at a news conference Wednesday. "We don't want this in our community. We've just got to say no, we're not going to put up with this."
Associated Press writer Michelle Rindels contributed to this report from Las Vegas.


text:
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Rabbit Records
Don't miss this great post over on the Classic Children's Records & More blog (a goldmine of oddball kiddie records from the past) showcasing two vintage Looney Tunes albums.
The first is a 1974 LP from Peter Pan Records titled Four More Adventures of Bugs Bunny which was a reissue of four stories previously released as read along book-and-record sets. Mel Blanc provides all the voices including Elmer Fudd and even the female voices of Petunia and Granny. "Get That Pet" (where Granny finds a new pet (Bugs) to replace Sylvester) and "Porky's Picnic" are the best of the four tales. Plus, you get to see some crazy looking cover art by longtime Peter Pan Records illustrator George Peed of the LT gang.
They also have up the 1961 Capitol Records collection, Bugs Bunny and His Friends which was a compilation of the great Capitol LT records of the 1940s & 1950s including "Daffy Duck's Duck Inn", "Bugs Meets Hiawatha" and others.
4 comments:
- J.E.Daniels said...
I actually have that Peter Pan book-and-record of "Get That Pet".
Been thinking of posting that for a while!
- January 21, 2008 at 6:54 PM
- Harley Green said...
interesting stuff!
- January 22, 2008 at 10:05 AM
- Dave said...
Thanks for giving my blog a heads up. I have a friend who is looking for the first Bugs Bunny LP called "The New Adventures of Bugs Bunny". Do you know of anyone who has that one to share? Thanks again. Love your blog.
- January 23, 2008 at 4:00 PM
- Jon Cooke said...
Hey Dave, I don't own (and have never heard) "New Adventures of Bugs Bunny" LP. I did own the "Four More Adventures" record that you posted on your blog at one point, so hearing it again was a treat. Keep up the good work on your blog!
- January 23, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Adorable stuffed animals and a pillow too - these attractive characters are more than just a soft toy!
These cute plush toys double as pillows with their fun kid-friendly fur and soft embroidered details. By undoing the Velcro fastener, they can be quickly and easily be folded to make a super soft pillow!
Available in a range of fun characters, these products are suitable for all ages.
Pillow Heads comply with EN71-1/2/3 and Furniture & Fire Safety Regulations.
Pillowheads are tons of fun! Make friends with one today! They are the perfect pillow for kids.
Not microwave heatable.
Dimensions unfolded approx 50cm x 35cm
PillowHead Slippers and children's backpacks also available.


text:
Bill O'Reilly, the most popular talk show host on TV, finally came down from his mostly spin/no spin perch and laid it on the line. I like O'Reilly but, in my opinion, he unconsciously tempered his utterances over the years to hide his natural conservative tendencies.
Bill O'Reilly, the most popular talk show host on TV, finally came down from his mostly spin/no spin perch and laid it on the line. I like O'Reilly but, in my opinion, he unconsciously tempered his utterances over the years to hide his natural conservative tendencies.
Big mistake. Calling himself neither Republican nor Democrat had to be a tough row to hoe for an opinionated person like O'Reilly, but as a journalist, he's had enough information from the last half century to "call it like it is." He finally pulled the trigger—no pun intended.
A street corner makes a poor father.
Here's some of what O'Reilly said as he took up the empty challenges by President Obama and his AG Eric Holder to have a "conversation" about race:
• Bill let the race hustlers have it right between the Benjamins for exploiting racial tensions after the Zimmerman acquittal.
• He challenged Obama to lead us instead of continuing to pander to the victimization, sense of entitlement and hopelessness he and his minions preach to blacks.
• O'Reilly pointed out that young black men were responsible for more homicides in this country than whites and Hispanics combined.
• Bill stipulated that anyone involved in selling drugs or using guns must get harsh jail sentences.
• He said that a lot of the problems with black males are the result of a staggering 73% of black babies born out of wedlock and the lack of male role models other than the gangs on the street or the hip-hoppers on the stage.
• As an old high school history teacher, O'Reilly stipulated the necessity of strict regimen which would force children into a disciplined education as they donned school uniforms and uttered speech unencumbered by curse words or Ebonics that make it difficult to make it in the American marketplace of jobs.
• He challenged the hip-hoppers and black icons of Hollywood to cut the gutter lingo in their movies and songs and start helping to get generationally poor blacks out of the funk they're in.
Ideas are king their sources commoners
For those who think that O'Reilly or I are pandering white bullies attempting to go where no white man should, I say hogwash! Over the last five years we voted a black to the White House twice! Best I can remember that job has been held by white males for the last 225 years. Personally, I couldn't care what color our presidents are or if we were led by a 6'5" leprechaun. Hold on! That's O'Reilly's Modus Operandi! The point is, it's about who can get the job done!
My experience with putting together a group of restaurant owners who owned stores in the African American market took place in the 90's in my position as a coop president for a major food chain. Operators who had stores in the African American market complained that some of the generic promotions and advertising didn't work in their neighborhoods, so I formed and headed up a committee of this group to develop programs that sold better in their areas.
Some promotions did so well that the entire coop used them in future promotions. Everyone seemed a lot happier, because we got parity and even a little advantage over the general market, at times. After some frustrations in the beginning, the most important color was the green we were bringing home to our families and communities, not the black or white of our skins.
One would think the NAACP would want to be part of the solution instead of the problem. Seems their suggestion for gaining control of unwed births is to advocate for what the founder of Planned Parenthood set as a goal early on. Margaret Sanger pressed for the restriction of birth rates for undesirable intellects and poor races, AKA blacks.
Planned Parenthood, a major purveyor of abortions accounts for 36% of the murder of black babies in the womb when blacks comprise only 12% of the USA's population. Not only are PP backed by the NAACP but all the liberal black leaders I know of, including and especially President Obama.
Why do I care? Because the race issue will continue to rip this country apart until there's a civil war or we become Greece, something we're well on our way to.
Anyone not hear about Detroit declaring bankruptcy? This country is on as surely an unsustainable course as they were. Much of the problem was the Democrat-run city kicked the can down the road for the last 50 years.
We need leadership not empty pontification based on false premises.
So, by the power vested in me as a pundit, I hereby put into nomination William James "Bill" O'Reilly as the next President of the NAACP.
Hey, they could do worse—and they have for the last half century.


text:
This item was a gift to someone that is in another state, so I don't know about the appearance or packaging - except that the recipient said it was very, very well package - took him 15 minutes to get it apart. :)
He liked it a lot, & I'm so glad I found you on the Internet. This is a great gift for a man - I didn't want to send him flowers or chocolates for Valentines. Of course, great gift for women too. I will order from you again - instead of ordinary gifts. It was a hit.
The Valentine Gourmet Delight Gift Basket by Northern Harvest Gift Baskets is a festive gift filled with delicious Wisconsin treats for Valentine's Day. The lidded willow basket contains heart-shaped Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, Bavaria Beef Summer Sausage, fresh roasted Fancy Mixed Nuts, and Assorted Chocolates. Your Valentine will enjoy these gourmet treats and be able to reuse the gift basket for storage.


text:
Seen and heard at the Cannes Film Festival
The Associated Press
May. 19, 2013
CANNES, France (AP) — Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival:
In the Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis," Justin Timberlake sings music set to a very different beat than "Suit and Tie."
Timberlake plays a bearded pop folkie in the film, which was to premiere Sunday night at the Cannes Film Festival, about the music scene of early 1960s Greenwich Village. Oscar Isaac stars as a more serious but less successful folk musician than Timberlake's smiley Jim Berkey.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, Timberlake called Berkey "part of the transition that is sort of the underbelly of the time." The film summons the period of New York folk just before Bob Dylan arrived in the early '60s.
"Obviously, it's on the surface, a different style from the music that I make in real life," said Timberlake. "But listen, man. I grew up in Tennessee, the home of the blues, the birthplace of rock 'n' roll — Memphis — and a lot of country music. So my first musical lessons were given to me by my grandfather on an old Gibson guitar. He taught me how to fingerpick."
Timberlake helped write the music to the film's most comical song, "Please, Mr. Kennedy," which he sings with Isaac and Adam Driver of "Girls." The oft-repeated chorus goes: "Please, Mr. Kennedy, don't shoot me into outer space."
Timberlake got reflective about the curious mix of talent, luck and timing that goes into a music act breaking out. In contrast to the success Timberlake has had in music and acting, the characters of "Inside Llewyn Davis" are those for whom things never click.
"I've been in the right place and met the wrong people, and I've been in the wrong place and met the right people," the former boy band singer said. "Usually, the second one ends up being the thing that can catapult someone's career."
Timberlake suggested disregarding how one's work is received.
"There's a lot of analysis now, a lot of analytics on what might be success and what might be failure," he said. "I don't know that I would measure the success or failure of it by how it's perceived because once it's done, it's sort of out there. You have to let it live in the ether."
— Jake Coyle, http://twitter.com/jake_coyle
Young British actor George MacKay is making a splash at Cannes — literally, amid the weekend's torrential downpours — with his compelling central performance in the mythic maritime drama "For Those In Peril."
Set in a fishing town on the stark Scottish coast, Paul Wright's debut feature stars 21-year-old MacKay as sole survivor of a boat accident that killed five others, including his elder brother. MacKay carries the intense and poetic film as a young man struggling to cope with loss, even as his survival alienates him from his bereaved neighbors.
"You got our film and our weather, too," MacKay joked, sitting in a wind-whipped beachside cafe during interviews for the film in Cannes.
Playing in Cannes' Critics' Week competition, the movie has garnered strong reviews for its exploration of guilt, masculinity and mythology.
It's a mature and meaty role for MacKay, who got his movie start aged 10 as one of the Lost Boys in P.J. Hogan's 2003 adaptation of "Peter Pan," shot at Warner Bros' studios on Australia's Gold Coast.
"It was mad. They built a pirate ship — it was extraordinary. I think, the fact that we were 10, I don't think we realized how ridiculous the scale (was)," said MacKay, who also appeared alongside Clive Owen in 2009 family drama "The Boys Are Back."
"For Those in Peril" was a much smaller-scale operation, shot over six weeks in a small town in northeast Scotland — and, for several key sequences, in the cold North Sea.
The boundlessly enthusiastic MacKay says even the frigid water scenes were made bearable by "lots of cups of tea ... lots of towels, lots of food."
"We were kept safe," he said. "We were out in the middle of the ocean doing it and we had the water safety guys come — very dramatic — shooting across in their little (boat), whack you out and wrap you in towels. It was all good."
And the town had a bonus: "Best fish and chips you've ever had."
— Jill Lawless, http://Twitter.com/JillLawless


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
The Town of Porter Historical Society will feature Niagara Ontario Parks Commission Superintendent of Heritage Jim Hill in a Q-and-A forum on the topic, "Why Was the Niagara Region So Important to the War of 1812 and Why Should People Care?"
The program takes place at the Historical Society's annual meeting, Monday, June 17, at 7 p.m. in the Youngstown Presbyterian Church, 100 Church St.
This is the third and final program in a series of 11 programs that have focused on the history of the region during the War of 1812, and included such well-known local historians as Doug DeCroix of Western New York Heritage Press, and Dr. Thomas Chambers, chair of the Niagara University history department.
Dinner will be severed at 6 p.m., and reservations are required. Call 716-745-1271.


text:
Cantrell did not promise that CI would lead the charge to beat the Chinese on sequencing the cotton genome, but he did lay out an aggressive cotton breeding and genetics initiative Cotton Incorporated is mounting in response to industry concerns about erosion in fiber quality of the U.S. cotton crop.
"This troubling trend must be reversed if we are to remain competitive in world cotton markets," Cantrell told the Beltwide Cotton Production Conference in Nashville Tuesday.
"I am optimistic that this trend will reverse, and we will get back on track of growing a higher quality of cotton in many regions of the Cotton Belt," he said.
CI's efforts are focusing on rebuilding the genetic base of cotton through germplasm enhancement. This, he said, is the foundation off cotton's "house" and it has been neglected for at least 20 years due to a lack of public germplasm development.
"Unfortunately, the research capacity of government agencies has tightened as budget deficits mount across the belt and in the nation's capitol."
That is why he said it is more important than ever that Cotton Incorporated, the grower-funded research and promotion arm of the U.S. Cotton industry, help pick up the funding slack in these difficult economic times.
Genetic diversity has not been lost, Cantrell contends.
"There is a lot of gold in the hills. The difficulty is knowing what to use and how to use it," said Cantrell.
This year the number of DNA markers will increase more than three-fold through efforts funded by CI. "It is very important that these be used without restrictions," said Cantrell, who said this information would be published this year in a scientific journal. The DNA markers provide a roadmap for cotton scientists in developing high quality and higher yielding cottons.
Heat tolerance is one key to increasing yields, and Cantrell said CI is funding a coordinate shuttle-breeding program that combines field screen and evaluation of boll retention and pollen fertility in Arizona with breeding programs in Georgia and California to develop more heat germplasm all breeders can use.
This germplasm program is complemented by evaluation of metabolic of the genetic strains and parents in greenhouse and growth chamber experiments with USDA-ARS in Texas.
CI is also funding efforts to evaluate the relationship between higher lint number per seed and fiber quality traits. High yields often impact negatively on fiber properties. CI is also funding DNA-marker research to develop cottons resistant to root knot nematodes as well as the genetic resistance of reniform nematodes.
Cantrell said these programs are moving forward with a sense of urgency to recover the 20 years of lost ground. CI funding is helping speed the process by supporting the winter nursery in Mexico.
This nursery has been used by private and public agencies for many years to reduce the breeding time by at least five years. However, this nursery was not being fully utilized because of budget cuts in the public breeding sector. CI is now providing significant support of this program to benefit projects in Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
One of the pitfalls to public breeding is the loss of experimental seed increases due to weather and other factors. To counter these costly and unexpected losses, CI is establishing a public germplasm increase program in Arizona where public breeders can grow experimental strains for expanded regional tests in their home areas.
Arizona is a major commercial seed producing state because of its almost tropical growing and harvest conditions. Cotton Incorporated efforts will allow public breeders in the Mid-South and Southeast to take advantage of the same ideal conditions to ensure that their seed increase nursery programs keep moving forward with multiple locations.
And, finally Cotton Incorporated is funding a fellowship program to train the next generation of U.S. scientists in cotton improvement. Five fellows are currently working at Texas A&M, Louisiana State University, Clemson and the University of Arkansas.
These Ph. D. or postdoctoral students are all involved in cotton breeding, genetics and molecular biology.
"They will be the future scientists and leaders in USDA, state universities, and the commercial seed industry. This is clearly an investment in the future," Cantrell.


text:
With this in mind, the National Trust has compiled a top 10 list of "secret" walks in Britain, which can only be reached on foot and which all offer a hidden gem at some point on the route.
From a viewpoint few would otherwise reach to the story of an old legend or a newly accessible coastal path, the "secret discovery" on the walks means they must be completed to be enjoyed to the full, the Trust says.
The list is topped by a walk along the White Cliffs of Dover and also includes treks at Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland coast, Malham Waterfall in the Yorkshire Dales, Trelissick in Cornwall and Erddig in Wales.
Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland
The walks, selected by National Trust experts, are released as the charity marks the start of the Great British Walks festival this Sunday.
It has also revealed poll findings showing nearly one in four people walk less than five miles a month.
One in six never venture more than 500 metres from their car, the study of 1,000 members of the public found.
Malham Waterfall in the Yorkshire Dales
Nine out of ten adults agreed that the majority of children walk less now than when they were young themselves, with 61% saying they walked more as a child than they do today.
More than half (58%) said they wished their children got out and walked more, while more than a quarter (27 per cent) admitted they did not walk as much as they would like to as they are not fit enough for long hikes.
Almost a third of people (31 per cent) blamed the weather as a barrier.
Stowe Gardens, Buckinghamshire
Alex Hunt, the National Trust's lead on outdoor engagement, said: "The Great British Walk is all about celebrating the outdoors and discovering new places on foot.
"There is something magical about walking somewhere new and uncovering its story, and the Great British Walk is the perfect way to join in and discover something new."
The White Cliffs of Dover Walk - click to enlarge
Dunstanburgh Castle Walk - click to enlarge
From tomorrow, all 10 secret maps walks can be downloaded for free from the National Trust website.
Telegraph Travel is publishing National Trust videos for each walk this week, see below.


text:
LIDAR-Lite: A New Benchmark for Optical Distance Measurement Sensors
The founders of PulsedLight , Bob Lewis and Dennis Corey, recognized that there was an unmet need for an optical distance measurement sensor technology that addressed applications where a very small, low-power, high performance, reduced cost optical ranging sensor was required, such as robotics and UAVs. So in 2011 they co-founded PulsedLight, LLC in Bend, Oregon to bring their vision for a new optical ranging sensor technology to market.
After more than two years of work, we are ready to introduce our technology in the form of the LIDAR-Lite, a very small form factor, optical distance measurement sensor capable of measuring out to 40 meters using inexpensive, off-the-shelf, electro-optical components.
First, a Little Science
All optical ranging sensors use the principle of "Time-of-Flight" (ToF) to calculate distance to a target. Simply put, ToF calculates the time it takes for a signal, light in this case, to travel from the sensor to a target and back to determine distance.
Pretty simple in concept...
But, as the target gets farther away or you want to measure distance in bright light or against non-reflective targets, the transmitted beam has to be more powerful and/or collimated. In other words, you need a laser and a power source to support the laser.
Because light travels really, really fast, 299,792,458 meters per second or 1mm in 3 picoseconds, you need a very precise clock to measure the signal's round trip. And in order to reliably detect the return signal, the detector needs to be very sensitive.
All of this, very collimated light sources (lasers), very sensitive detectors and super precise clocks are the reason even the least expensive optical range finders can cost hundreds of dollars.
PulsedLight's Solution
We have created a series of new innovations which applies edge based signal reconstruction methods, similar to that used in radar, to optical rangefinders and also incorporates signal correlation processing to perform a "signature match" between a captured transmit signal record and the received signal. This specialized signal processing method enables a single-chip processing implementation using programmable logic chips suitable for low cost, ultra-small optical distance measurement sensor applications.
This approach allows us to:
- Recognize and process a very weak return signal.
- Quickly and accurately calculate distance without having to directly measure it real-time. In other words, we don't need a super precise clock to make it all work. (Our acquisition time is 0.05 second and measurement accuracy for the LIDAR-Lite is 5%.)
- Implement our core technology in a single, system-on-chip solution, enabling sensors that have the lowest complexity hardware, and size.
- Create a sensor that is easily reconfigurable via software control.
In simple language, our technology extracts the maximum performance out of the emitters and detectors used. In the LIDAR-Lite we use components similar to those found in a TV remote control system to create a sensor that can measure distances out to 40 meters in a module that measures 51mm long X 30mm wide X 39mm tall.
Our processor-based approach also means that the modules can be easily configured under software control to operate in different modes; proximity detection, distance or velocity measurement. Modes can even be changed "on-the-fly". Pun Intended...
The experience gained from developing long-range sensors for industrial and consumer products has been applied to this design allowing us to maximize its performance. The resulting tests of early prototypes, including flying it on a UAV, have been very promising.
The beam width of the LIDAR-Lite as delivered is 1.5°. This narrow beam provides long-range performance and also enables better target selectivity than an ultrasonic sensor. The optics can be removed increasing the beam width to about 6° and reducing range to approximately 5 meters. This broad, short-range beam is great for applications, such as proximity detection.
Operating from a 5vdc power source and drawing only 100 milliamps peak power when it is taking a measurement and under 10 milliamps when idle, the LIDAR-Lite is ideally suited for projects running from battery sources where low power consumption is critical.
The I2C communications interface allows multiple modules to be connected as slaves to a common communications bus.
The combination of attributes found in the LIDAR-Lite- high performance, low cost, small size, light-weight, low power consumption, and dynamic configurability along with I2C communications and addressing - means that it becomes practical to install multiple sensors on a project with minimal weight and power penalties. For more details, check out the LIDAR-Lite specification and data sheet.
If we are able to get this kind of performance from an LED, why aren't we offering a laser-based LIDAR-Lite 100? Eye safe... Installing a laser would be the next logical step. However, before you can sell a laser-based device, even a simple laser pointer, it's necessary to obtain eye safety certification. This takes additional time and delays the delivery of our technology to you. But, by supporting our campaign on Dragon Innovation today, you move us closer to being able to offer this capability in the near future.
We have a developed a revolutionary optical sensing technology that can be used in a variety of applications. We are excited to see what you will do with it and your support enables us to realize our goal of making our technology widely available to a large community of creative people. Thank you in advance for your support.


text:
Property sale has ramifications
Written by Gene and Nellie Furrow, Gothenburg Friday, 26 February 2010 23:16
To whom it may concern...
We really appreciate your generous act of buying the Rainbow Trailer Court and donating it to the Gothenburg schools.
However, your generous act has put an enormous burden on our family. Our family will more than likely be forced into foreclosure because of the lack of funds available to us for the buying of a lot and expenses involved in moving our home out of the trailer court.
Again, we really do appreciate your generous act...our only wish is next time, please consider the effect it will have to all that are involved.
So, please pray for us. God bless!


text:
By Deepa Seetharaman
DETROIT (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy will put up for auction this week a $50 million loan awarded to the now-closed Vehicle Production Group LLC, an unusual move by the DOE that may give U.S. taxpayers a chance to recoup a portion of their investment.
The auction may also mark a path for the government to offload non-performing loans made to other troubled, taxpayer-backed companies, including hybrid sports car maker Fisker Automotive, which owes the DOE $192 million and has so far failed to secure a buyer.
The auction will be held on Thursday, according to a auction notice posted on govsales.gov, which tracks government asset sales. (http://www.govsales.gov/html/DOESale.html)
A DOE spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
VPG, a maker of wheelchair-accessible vans that run on compressed natural gas, shut down in May after running out of cash. The DOE and VPG have been in talks with potential buyers for the company.
VPG is "in the process of being purchased and should be back in production soon," John Walsh, VPG's former chief executive officer, said in an email late on Tuesday.
VPG and Fisker were awarded $50 million and $529 million respectively under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program that also provided funds to Ford Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co and Tesla Motors Inc.
But VPG and Fisker struggled to meet the performance targets laid out in their loan agreements. VPG stopped operations after the DOE froze its assets.
"The loan is presently not performing," the DOE said of the VPG loan in its auction notice.
The buyer of the loan could press VPG's owners for repayment or exchange it for equity in the business if the company resumes trading.
In May, some Fisker investors proposed to buy the DOE loan at a discount in hopes of salvaging the company. This prompted the DOE to examine the legal ramifications of a loan sale.
VPG will still face an uphill battle to resume production although its focus on natural gas may be attractive to some buyers, analysts said.
Fisker, which has not built a car in more than a year, is a more severe challenge.
"I just don't see a great argument for making the bid and resurrecting either of them," said Brett Smith, industry analyst with the Center for Automotive Research. "It's so tough to be a niche manufacturer like that in this world."
Fisker declined to comment.
(Additional reporting by David Ingram in Washington; Editing by Eric Meijer)


text:
Hey everyone:
Just wanted to tell you that I was in a minor car accident yesterday. I'm okay, other than a little bruising and soreness.
After a wonderful date with Wes (we went to the San Francisco Zoo and had so much fun), I got a taxi home. The taxi wasn't paying attention and crashed into the back of a stopped bus.
I was a little shaken up, but thankfully there was a wonderful lady named Tricia there to help and comfort me. A fireman checked to make sure I didn't have any broken bones.
I'll be taking a little time off from illustration, just until the soreness in my hand and shoulders goes away. But the premiere of The Poet and the Flea on Wednesday, November 28th is definitely still on!!
Anyway, I hope everyone stays safe (and makes sure to wear a seat belt, even in a taxi)!
For more updates, don't forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


text:
Just past Fifth Avenue, where the gourmet food shops shift into dollar stores and Fourteenth Street turns suddenly seedy, there is a squat, metal-sided building that looks like a relic from a half-familiar past. Coated in grime so thick it's hard to tell whether the striped siding is green or blue, it still bears boxy traces of postwar optimism (it was built in 1946), but mostly it looks haggard, a smile snaggled with broken teeth.
This is the home of the Waverly Food Stamp Center, one of eighteen such centers in New York City. On a recent Monday morning, it was choked with visitors—men, women and kids in strollers—heading to appointments, picking up applications and pressing to get cases reopened. They came in waves, big and constant, which got sucked upward in two tin-can elevators and then spit out into a room that one applicant, Erica, described as "really hot," "crowded" and "loud." It was the kind of place where no one seemed to be in control, and where anyone who might be in control didn't seem to care. And yet somehow, Erica said, the place functioned. Despite hoops and hurdles, visitors frequently walked out with the help they so desperately needed when they came in.
"They do assist you, they do," said a middle-aged man who asked to be identified by his nickname, Mr. Monk, as he breezed out of the Waverly Center. Mr. Monk had lost his job, then his home, to the recession and had decided to apply for benefits because "I have to eat." Still waiting to see if his welfare application would be accepted, he'd already received an emergency food stamp disbursement. "Every red penny goes to food."
Welcome to the food stamp system: decaying, inundated and one of the most unexpectedly effective safety net programs still standing. Indeed, like the crumbling Waverly Center, the food stamp program, more formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, still stands, still works—remarkably well, all things considered. It may not look pretty, but while other social safety net programs, like public assistance (more commonly called welfare), public housing, Section 8 and even unemployment insurance, have been so thoroughly hobbled that they can no longer respond to the struggles of millions of Americans, the food stamp program has remained surprisingly sensitive to people's needs. It is one of the defining reasons more Americans were not as immiserated by this recession as they were in eras past.
The statistics tell the story. On any given day, nearly 1.8 million New Yorkers participate in the program, using electronic benefit cards to buy bread, milk, cheese and other staples. Across the country, the number is 46.3 million, or one out of every seven people. And thanks to an infusion of $45.2 billion in stimulus money, SNAP has helped millions of unemployed and underemployed recession victims. In 2010 alone, food stamps lifted 3.9 million people above the poverty line, the Census Bureau reports. And it did this, continues to do it, despite decades of on-again, off-again neglect, budget cuts and Republican attacks.


text:
Exclusive Comics Excerpt: 'Flight 4'
Every week, the Comics Page introduces you to brand-new graphic novels by the world's best artists and writers. Manga, superheroes, indie comix — we'll cover them all as our editors select the best the exploding comics world has to offer.
When her goofy brothers bring home a mysterious box from an estate sale, a young woman, driven by tragedy, decides to hide herself away …
All week on the Comics Page, we're excerpting Sarah Mensinga's "The Forever Box," a magical short story included in Kazu Kibuishi's anthology of new comics artists Flight Volume 4, coming this July from Villard.
"The Forever Box," by Sarah Mensinga
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five
Tomorrow: "I planned to hide for ten years …"


text:
Message Board
Laurin Wittig Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Wittig has written!
Author Wittig's Book Reviews
Charming the Shrew
Berkley, May 2004 ISBN: 0425195279 In 1307 Scotland, the Munroe brothers fight on the side of King Robert the Bruce. However, a year later, the clan heir Robbie is dead and the next sibling in line Toyg knows he must marry, but prefers not to at this time. He detests even more the ballads about his bravery especially since he feels some guilt that he survived while his beloved sibling died. His father sends Toyg on a mission to deliver a messa...


text:
Memories and the future....
Preparing for school to begin another year is exciting for me, even though I retired in 1996. I can't resist looking at the displays of notebooks, binders, back packs, folders. Do kids still use spiral bound notebooks? I read that some schools hand out electronic notebooks and I-pads.
Calculators are used in many math classes. In my experience, kids can't make change, add, subtract, multiply or divide with their brains, and have no idea how to figure out how much carpeting a room would need, or how many quarts in a gallon. Heaven help them when they run out of batteries or the electricity goes off.
The marketers continue to expand the stuff kids desire. I'm seeing tee shirts and sweat pants with school names, water bottles, jewelry imprinted with school or team names. Just getting a new shirt or pair of jeans is not satisfactory---they must sport the current fashionably expensive brand. Do you ever wonder who makes these "rules" about fashion? I heard on TV recently that orange is the new black! Oh dear---I only like orange on fruit!
In my day---don't you hate that phrase?---we were fortunate to get a new pair of shoes when school began, and if we had grown, we needed a new pair of high top canvas shoes for "gym class." Even calling it "gym," sounds like a foreign word (it is from the Greek). We girls had to wear uniforms in gym---ugly things. Ours were light green. They required washing, starching, and ironing! Starching? Ironinig? More alien concepts today. We also had to take showers after gym" which we all hated. It was long, long ago, when girls were modest and easily embarrassed. (More foreign concepts?)
When we reached junior and senior high, we bought our own books. That was a fun time as we bargained for used books and sold our old ones. We learned market and trading skills doing that. Having to purchase "new books was a hardship for many families.
As a teacher, back to school prep was a time to tidy up my classroom, organize the reading material, put up posters and bulletin boards, make seatinig chars, and make general plans for the year. Daily lesson plans were done weekly.
I am a long way from being a student and being a teacher, but I remember both experiences vividly. It is fun to attend reunions, but a shock to learn how many classmated are no longer living. It is rewarding to see former students enter the larger world, and come home successful. It is rewarding to know our own children are responsible, competent, self-supporting adults, homeowners, raising families of their own.
Time and the river meander on...one grand child has graduated from college; two will be enrolling in college this fall; another will graduate from high school and one from junior high next spring. One will be a 10th grader, one in 8th grade and one in 7th. Life is good when the current flows on and deposits us where we are supposed to be....


text:
The White House has released a photo of President Barack Obama firing a gun, two days before he is set to travel to Minnesota to discuss gun control. It shows Obama shooting at clay targets on the range at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, where he says he engages in the sport "all the time."
The image was released at a time when Obama is pushing a package of gun-control measures in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. But the image of a U.S. president holding a gun is certainly nothing new. A number of men who have held the highest office in America have been pictured holding guns, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush.
Here is a gallery of images showing some of the presidents who have taken up a gun, while in or out of office:


text:
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
And here's your daily dose of depression
Pirates and Royals fans think they have it bad, and their long-term history of losing seasons is worthy of their misery, but if one were to take a snapshot right now, and ignore the past, no team in baseball has a more bleak future than the Houston Astros...
Even the one player who was expected to help in 2010, catcher Jason Castro, likely will not be ready anytime soon. The 2008 first-round pick ended up more than a bit overrated coming into the year, based on a somewhat fortunate showing at the high-octane environment of Lancaster in the California League. During the second half of 2009, his lack of true power was exposed, and that trend has continued into 2010, as he's batting a strange .260/.389/.298 for Round Rock. Plate discipline has always been a strong point, but he has no above-average tools. Like all catchers, Castro is not a runner, but his line-drive swing has led to just four extra-base hits in 30 games for the Express, all of them doubles, and scouts don't see him hitting more than 10-12 homers per season long term, while his defense, like the rest of his game, is solid, yet unspectacular.
3 comments:
- OremLK said...
He's severely underrating every element of Castro's game. Castro won't hit for a ton of power, but he'll hit for more than he's shown so far at Round Rock, perhaps around ML average or a tick below. He has good bat speed and a clean LD swing.
That plate discipline is more important than he thinks. The typical concern with catchers is that they are an automatic out (see Humberto Quintero). Give me a .400 OBP catcher and I don't care how much power he has, I'm sold on him being a solid major league contributor.
As for his defense? Many have said he is an elite, plus-plus defender, and I've even heard it said he has a chance to be the best defensive catcher in the majors.
Don't count on him to save the franchise, but Castro should be a solidly above average player for us for years to come.
- May 19, 2010 at 2:42 PM
- tpack said...
Lazy analysis. He was always more likely to help next year, and even if he was ready this year it's not like he'd be putting us over the top.
Castro's batting almost 70pts higher in May than April, and his slugging % is 100 pts higher. He also walks more than he strikes out. His May OPS, .745, isn't amazing, but it's not depressing. The adjustment from April to May shows improvement.
I think it's great the Astros are letting him play in AAA. If he keeps improving, he could be very good. Goldstein's article is the usual Astro-hater easy bullshit article.
- May 19, 2010 at 2:44 PM
- The Constable. said...
Both extremely valid comments...
- May 19, 2010 at 4:03 PM


text:
elizabeth813 on Family Tree Circles
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
Looking for info on Josie Painter
I have recently begun digging up the past. On my mother's side I get as far as her paternal grandmother (my g grandmother), and I can't find anything else. Everyone knew her as Josie. Her maiden name being Painter. Even in my grandfather's obit she was listed as Josie. However, I cannot find anything on a Josie Painter accept a birth record in NC, shown with my g grandfather and grandfather. I believe her name was actually Sarah Josephine Painter. She had a son prior to my g grandfather- his name is James Walley. I cannot find anything on him either. She was born in NC about 1910, married Sherman Verner. My grandfather's name is also Sherman Verner. She ended up in Polk County TN. I do remember her, but vaguely. And no one that I have spoken to in my family knows anything else about her. My mother did but she passed away 3 years ago. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am willing to share information that I have (with permission of living relatives for their info).
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
- 1
- of1