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GLASTONBURY, CONN. (May 2016) - High school seniors from Bethel, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Westport, and Wilton were recognized as the state's top scholar-athletes at the 2016 Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS)/ Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Scholar-Athlete Banquet sponsored by McDonald's. A 33-year sponsor of the program with a longstanding commitment to educational programs in Connecticut, McDonald's joined CAS/CIAC to honor the following local students as the best of the best in the state at an awards ceremony held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Conn. on May 1. This year, the banquet achieved a tremendous milestone - it honored its 10,000th Scholar Athlete.
• Alexandra DeLuca and Abraham DeFeo, Bethel High School, Bethel
• Janea Butler and Sachin Manning, Bassick High School, Bridgeport
• Leslie Perez Wong and Yoel Salvador, Bridgeport Central High School, Bridgeport
• Ashanti Hall and Tony Figueroa, Bullard Havens Technical High School, Bridgeport
• Kayla Weaver and Gabriel DaSilva, Kolbe-Cathedral High School, Bridgeport
• Verity Sturm and John Hegarty, Brookfield High School, Brookfield
• Katelynn Mooney and Sunchet Saoji, Danbury High School, Danbury
• Marissa Shamansky and Christian Arbour, Henry Abbott Technical High School, Danbury
• Taylor Guth and Alexander Gerbo, Immaculate High School, Danbury
• Sarah LeHan and Christian Ostberg, Darien High School, Darien
• Jack O'Connor, Fairfield College Preparatory School, Fairfield
• Regan Steed and Richie Bellucci, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield
• Gabriella Natoli and Jackson Stearns, Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield
• Emily Schofield and Adam Riobo, Notre Dame Catholic High School, Fairfield
• Claire Conley and David Strupp, New Canaan High School, New Canaan
• Katherine Clark and Patrick Martucci, New Fairfield High School, New Fairfield
• Emily Berzolla and Thomas Glover, Greenwich High School, Greenwich
• Ali Moraveck and Matthew Winkler, Masuk High School, Monroe
• Kari Djonne and Michael Doyle, Newtown High School, Newtown
• Olivia Begos and Dylan Finn, Brien McMahon High School, Norwalk
• Alexandra Whalen and George Kutrubis, Norwalk High School, Norwalk
• Katherine Waugh and Daniel Dolan, Joel Barlow High School, Redding
• Emma Hergenrother and Chase Levesque, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield
• Virginia Lewis and James Hunter, Shelton High School, Shelton
• Kaitlyn Hutter and Gilmar Barrios, Stamford High School, Stamford
• Elle Smyth and Dillon Daine, Trinity Catholic High School, Stamford
• Brooke Shannon and Alex Ghajar, Bunnell High School, Stratford
• Helen Branyan and William Rooney, Stratford High School, Stratford
• Marissa Grasso and Cameron Ryan, St. Joseph High School, Trumbull
• Christina DeBenedetto and William Auten, Trumbull High School, Trumbull
• Rachel Stanford and Jack Griffin, Staples High School, Westport
• Mary Lynch and Matthew Ravichandran, Wilton High School, Wilton
"McDonald's is proud to partner with CAS to honor the best and brightest high school scholar-athletes from all across Connecticut. We congratulate the state's top students who stand out and excel in their academic and athletic achievement," said Scott Taylor, McDonald's owner/operator and president of the Connecticut and Western Massachusetts McDonald's Owner/Operator Association.
The Connecticut High School Scholar-Athlete 2016 Awards Banquet is the largest program of its type in the state. Only one male and one female student are eligible for the award through a nomination from their principal for: demonstrating exemplary academic and athletic careers including participating in an interscholastic athletics; possessing personal standards and achievements that are a model to others; exhibiting outstanding school; and community service and carrying themselves with high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.
About McDonald's
The Connecticut and Western Massachusetts McDonald's Owner/Operator Association is comprised of local McDonald's restaurant owners who are community and industry leaders. They have a long-standing commitment to supporting educational initiatives and organizations in the communities they serve, including providing resources to promote balanced, active lifestyles to kids and nutritional information for families. For more information, follow us on Instagram or Twitter @McD_CTWMA.
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.
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Court rejects Mass. ports' suit against fish law, says it was properly enacted
BOSTON (AP) � A federal appeals court has rejected claims by New England's largest fishing ports that federal fishing law was improperly enacted and would lead to the destruction of local fleets.
In its decision Wednesday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2011 lower court decision in the suit brought by the ports of New Bedford and Gloucester, as well as fishermen and fishing groups.
The plaintiffs argued the new rules installed in 2010 should have been subject to a two-thirds referendum by fishermen.
They said without those safeguards, the rules foster a broad consolidation that will squeeze out smaller fishing businesses.
But the court said federal regulators installed the law properly. And it noted some believe that, rather than destroying smaller business, the rules provide better protection.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chris gives tips about camera shopping, DSLRs, Micro Four-Thirds and EVIL cameras, color spaces and his pet peeve: stuff that camera sales people try to make you buy.
Also, Red Dwarf fans in and around London, send me a mail, I have an extra ticket to a live RD recording in Shepperton on Jan/13 in exchange for a ride from the airport and back.
Show Links:
- Watch the video: The State of the Top Floor
- Leave a question at Audioboo (tag it with asktfttf)
- TFTTF Episode 350: Easy Sells
» Download the MP3 for this episode
» Get the show for free in iTunes
» Get the show for free using RSS


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Are we getting fatter because there is just a lot more irresistibly delicious food around us? Does that explain the obesity crisis?
That theory has been around the block but it is in fashion again. In 2009, David Kessler's book, "The End of Overeating" put forward the thesis that food in contemporary American food has been deliberately engineered–by adding fat, sugar and salt–to exploit our neurochemistry and hijack our free will.
More recently, one of the luminaries of the Paleo movement, Stephan Guyenet, has formulated his own version of this theory, in a compelling series on his Whole Health Source blog, arguing that "food reward" is a main driver of obesity. His prescription: eat a bland diet. Guyenet's talk about this at the Ancestral Health Symposium last month is the buzz of the paleosphere.
But I think the theory is wrong, for the simple reason that it too blindly takes correlation for causation. And in doing so, it gets the causal direction mostly wrong. We don't get fat because food has become too tasty. Rather, to a large extent, it is the metabolism and dietary habits of the obese that make food taste too good to resist, leading to insatiable appetites. And the good news is that we are not consigned to blandness. If we eat and exercise sensibly, we can eat flavorful, delicious foods and enjoy life, without packing on the pounds.


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"I come from the Pistols, the world's most notorious band. We didn't ask for that nonsense. That was just there."
"I'm definitely influential. That can't be denied. That's a historical fact, and in so many different ways."
"For a long time I tried to deliberately shy away from anything to do with being in public at all, and that made life very, very difficult."
As Public Image Ltd. prepare for their first UK live dates of 2013, DiS spoke to frontman, founder, musical icon and cultural anti-hero John Lydon.
In a two-part feature, we reflect on nearly four decades that Johnny Rotten has spent in the spotlight, generating endless headlines while producing generation-defining music.
First, we take a look at John Lydon: The Man - see DiS struggle to get a word in edgeways as we quiz Lydon about his reluctant celebrity status, and find out how he feels about being accused of violence, racism and sexism.
"You're between a rock and a hard place and it's quite crushing, the damage that it does emotionally, because it's such a lie. It hurt me, it hurt my community."
Part two considers John Lydon: The Music - he tells us why it took so long to get PiL back on the road, offers and in-depth analysis of his approach to music and explains the benefits of his band's shape-shifting line-up.
"In many ways what Public Image became was like a college of further education for people. Everybody went on to make very different sounding things but PiL was the springboard for them, and that's very, very good."
For a rare and revealing insight into one of the most controversial figures in the history of popular culture, keep an eye out for DiS meets John Lydon: The Man and The Music.
"I'm here to destroy them rules and principles. They're the enemy. I love a bit of butter on me butty!"
Read Part One here.


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Bloomberg's other anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, started to lose support when some felt that the goal was more about all guns and not necessarily illegal guns. Nobody should be in favor of illegal guns being in circulation. It goes against common sense. If Bloomberg can grow this organization and keep it on message, he can be relevant in helping get illegal firearms off the streets.
Everytown will also aim to cut into the lobbying muscle of the National Rifle Association. Again, if the focus remains on what is already illegal, Bloomberg's opponents will have trouble pushing back on his agenda. But if he calls out select politicians who are popular in their own states, he runs the risk of losing the center of the political spectrum.
He made this mistake the last time, and Congress wound up not making any significant changes following the Newtown massacre. Our laws offer one of two things (sometimes both): they protect liberties and/or they tell us what we value.
For those who feel that tightening the effort to collect illegal guns will not work, it still matters symbolically. We needed to do something following Newtown as a way to show effort and symbolism. It was wrong not to do that.
Illegal firearms and guns in the hands of people with mental illnesses should be a no-brainer. If this is Bloomberg's goal, he can be successful. If he goes the route of vilifying licensed firearm owners, he will only reinforce the constituency he already has.
Gun legislation comes with a lot of emotion. Some of that comes from people who are wary of the government, some comes from people who are wary of those who want to own guns. It is a case of fear fighting fear; paranoia vs. paranoia.
President Ronald Reagan signed the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 that offered protections for gun owners, but it also banned machine guns from being sold to individuals. Nobody can call Reagan an anti-gun politician, yet he saw the pragmatism in the bill.
Bloomberg sees the NRA as not allowing that kind of pragmatism into gun legislation. Maybe he is right, but the challenge for Bloomberg and company is to keep the message clear – unlicensed and illegal firearms are the issue right now.
From a political science standpoint, the creation of Everytown is interesting because it is a test of how influential a former mayor of America's largest city can be. The mayor of New York City is a local post, but it is really a national position as well. Nationally, Bloomberg was a respected politician, but his position on this issue was not widely embraced.
This is a test to see if a three-term former mayor can be politically relevant. Mayor Giuliani, despite being "America's Mayor" did not really have national momentum, and mayor Ed Koch had no real interest outside of New York (or even Manhattan for that matter) in his retirement.
But Bloomberg has time and money, and if he is going to make a difference in every part of America, he is going to have to be successful with Everytown.


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Like all truly world-beating bands, MACSTANLEY is greater than the sum of its parts. It started with the simple beginnings of big dreams, two chance meetings and a humble song-writing competition in Cape Town, and has grown to encompass sold-out shows across South Africa and Europe, pioneering work with a full orchestra, radio hits and a growing global fan-base.
Throughout it all, Andy Mac, Clinton Gahwiler and Neil Benjamin have upheld an unflagging commitment to giving their audiences songs that make music live beyond the live show, the CD album or the download.
On 26 April 2016, MACSTANLEY will be performing at Café Roux The performance will include all the old favourites with a collection of the melodic pop songs they're well known for, some haunting ballads and a few edgier, harder rock tracks.
Have a listen… Click Here


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A-Rod accuses MLB of 'gross, ongoing misconduct'
NEW YORK >> With the World Series over, Alex Rodriguez resumed his criticism of Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig for its investigation that led to a 211-game suspension that the New York Yankees third baseman is trying to overturn.
In addition to a grievance filed by the players' union, Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against Selig and MLB that accused them of engaging in a "witch hunt."
"I am deeply troubled by my team's investigative findings with respect to MLB's conduct," Rodriguez said in a statement Thursday. "How can the gross, ongoing misconduct of the MLB investigations division not be relevant to my suspension, when my suspension supposedly results directly from that division's work?"
MLB suspended Rodriguez on Aug. 5 for violations of its drug agreement and labor contract and was allowed to keep playing pending a determination of the grievance. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz has heard eight days of hearings, and the next session is Nov. 18.
Speaking last weekend at the World Series, Selig praised MLB's investigative team, saying "I'm very comfortable with what they did and how they did it."
"I've been in baseball now for 50 years," he said. "I thought I'd seen everything, but I hadn't.
Rodriguez waited to respond until after the World Series had ended.
"It is sad that commissioner Selig once again is turning a blind eye, knowing that crimes are being committed under his regime," the three-time AL MVP said. "I have 100 percent faith in my legal team. To be sure, this fight is necessary to protect me, but it also serves the interests of the next 18-year-old coming into the league, to be sure he doesn't step into the house of horrors that I am being forced to walk through."
Rodriguez and MLB have publicly assailed each other for months. MLB accused Rodriguez of "possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years."
"This latest, sad chapter in Mr. Rodriguez's tarnished career is yet another example of this player trying to avoid taking responsibility for his poor choices. Given the disappointing acts that Mr. Rodriguez has repeatedly made throughout his career, his expressed concern for young people rings very hollow," MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"Mr. Rodriguez's use of PEDs was longer and more pervasive than any other player, and when this process is complete, the facts will prove that it is Mr. Rodriguez and his representatives who have engaged in ongoing, gross misconduct."


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Six Weeks ago TLA announced their new RSS Advertising system – Feedvertising (aff). I was one of the publishers who had already been beta testing it for a couple of weeks and so have now been using it for two months.
I thought it was time for an updated review of it.
Since starting out with Feedvertising I am happy to report that it is the best performing and most effective RSS advertising system that I've come across.
I've been testing it solely on "That Work" – SLG's feed for the time being but in the coming weeks will add it to a couple of my other WordPress based blogs (to this point it's only available to WP 2.0 publishers – one of it's few weak points).
A quick recap on what Feedvertising is:
- It's a WP plugin based system
- It inserts text ads into your blog's RSS (at the base of each post)
- It allows you to either sell ads yourself privately, run your own ads (ie to promote your other sites) or to sell ads through TLA's marketplace
I've opted to run a few of my own ads and let TLA sell the rest to the advertisers already in their system.
Initially I set it to sell just two ads and ran six of my own (to promote my job boards etc) but once the first two sold in a matter of days released two more ad slots to advertisers. These two also have been filled and so now I've released two more spots for advertisers today.
The price of ads is determined by a combination of the category of your blog, your blog's alexa ranking and bloglines subscriber numbers. As a result "That Work" – SLG does pretty well at bringing in a decent amount that far exceeds anything I've managed to earn from RSS advertising using other systems like AdSense or Feedburner.
Obviously the number of ads that you sell will depend upon the profile of your blog – but for me so far it's been quite worthwhile.
A couple of weaknesses or suggestions for how Feedvertising could improve:
- stats on how the ads are performing – I've no way to know if my own internal ads convert at all
- it is only available to WP 2.0 users (I'm sure they're working on expanding – I know I'd love to run it on my MT blogs also)
- demand of advertisers to impact pricing – ie when ads sell out it'd be nice to see the ad rate go up or for publishers to be able to override TLA's pricing (similar to what Performancing's Partners system allows). While there is scope to build your ad revenue by building the ranking of your blog and bloglines subscriber numbers it would also be nice to make more if there is demand.
- I'd love to be able to automate the ability to fill empty slots with your own ads. At present you nominate how many ads are for sale in the market place and how many are your own ads. If the ads in the marketplace don't sell there's no way to fill that ad rotation with an extra one of your own.
Overall the strengths of this system far outweigh the weaknesses. It's easy to install, it's very low maintenance to run and I really like the option to run your own ads through the rotation. They also don't seem to have a minimum level of traffic for you to join up for it as a blogger – unlike AdSense and Feedburner's RSS advertising options which are only for more highly trafficked blogs.
If you're a WP blogger looking for a way to monetize your RSS feed I'd definitely recommend giving Feedvertising a go.


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Estimated Delivery Date -
Everyone needs a bottle opener, and our newest bottle opener is also a keychain! Constructed of once-fired military grade brass, the 7.62mm bullet bottle opener is a must-have for all. This keychain also features an aluminum dog tag keychain laser-engraved with the "All American" division patch.
* CUSTOMIZE ITwith your name, rank, service dates, or phone number on the reverse side.
* 100% Made and Sourced in the USA.
* We strongly recommend that you do not travel with this product on your person or in a carry-on bag for domestic flights. The TSA may consider it a weapon, which could lead to confiscation and/or a fine. We recommend that you do not attempt to transport it at all when traveling internationally. *


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Initially drawn in by typographic papercraft, we quickly realized the portfolio of Lobulo was a treasure trove if dynamic designs. Splitting time between London and Barcelona, Lobulo Design is actually just one man: Javier Rodríguez García. His penchant for working with paper has gained him much respect, and even a viral following online. The well-produced short videos he posts on social media give a nice behind-the-scenes glimpse at Lobule in action, feeding that central hunger for all-access documentation (see some below). The intricacy of Lobulo's work is striking, and his sense of color and space outstanding. We especially appreciate work that is outside of our comfort zone, and this certainly falls into that category. Just awesome.
Via lobulodesign.com


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The io9 Book Club meets every month to discuss a book, and then the author usually joins us for a chat. This month, we're reading Maureen McHugh's short story collection After the Apocalypse (we reviewed the book here). We'll meet September 4th (rescheduled from the previously-announced August 21) to discuss the book. Watch for a post that day announcing the book club, and jump into comments for discussion. There's still time to read the book, too, so get moving!
We're hoping McHugh will join us later in the week for a discussion.
If you're wondering what this whole io9 Book Club thing is all about, you can visit our past meetings here.


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Adela Arthur and the Creator's Clock
Book 1 of 5 in The Chronicles of A series
Genre: Fantasy
by Judyann McCole
To Whomever This May Concern:
I wish I could tell you the contents of this book were purely fictional. That I, Adela Arthur, was just a normal sixteen-year-old from Portland and that dragons, giants, elves and mermaids were just myths. I wish these were legends shared by crazy old grandparents around campfires. After all, that is what I used to believe. I never would have thought they lived on the other side of our mirrors in a world called Cielieu. But they do… I never would have thought there were humans, better known as Volsin, who lived among them with the ability to create light from a single thought. But there are… I never would have thought I was one of them… But I am. I am the last Arthur, and I was brought to the human world after a Volsin, filled with greed, began to strip the light from our kind. The human world was supposed to be a safe haven… but he's found us, and the only way to stop him is to go back to Cielieu and begin training as a student in the Elpida Castle of Light. Like I said, I wish the contents of this book were purely fictional and not my life…
Adela Arthur is now on Amazon:
About the Author:
Inspired by Maya Angelou and even a little of Dr. Seuss, JUDYANN MCCOLE began writing when she was in middle school, but most of it was just simple poetry. She was a senior in high school when she started working on Adela Arthur and the Creator's Clock during her history class. It started off as a short story for a group of young kids she babysat for and grew into an adventure she herself wanted to go on. She is currently attending college in Virginia where she hopes to finish the next adventure in Adela Arthur's life.
Follow Judyann: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Follow the Book Tour
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card plus an eBook copy of Adela Arthur and the Creator's Clock
Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win. Make sure to pick up your copy of the book!
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Disclaimer: Susan Heim on Writing is not responsible for prize fulfillment. This post contains my Amazon affiliate link.


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FortressCraft Looks A Lot Like Minecraft, Coming To Xbox 360
Developer Projector Games is prepping an episodic sandbox creation game that's due to hit Xbox Live Indie Games in March. Wow, does it ever look like Minecraft.
The official FortressCraft website contains several videos of the game and information (the first episode will be a co-op sandbox mode and the second will "start to introduce the game"). It also has forums with such topics as "So, what will you do when [Minecraft developer] Mojang sues you?" and "Differences between FortressCraft and Minecraft?".
The developer replies to these questions with a lengthy missive about how everything is a copy of something else and such. "There's no intellectual property I could be sued over for this," reads the post. "Notch has invented no new technology for this game. I'm not infringing his copyright or trademarks. He himself has said he's happy for clones and remakes and mods and tools."
Read the whole post here if you like and watch the video below and let us know what you think.
[via Kotaku]


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LIMERICK - Although the Spring-Ford Area School Board planned to vote on re-advertising its vacant Region II seat, the appointment decision appears well out of the board members' hands now.
Clinton Jackson, one of two candidates the board deadlocked on, filed his petition with the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Friday.
Jackson's filing means the decision of who will fill Julie Mullin's old seat now solely belongs to a county judge.
'In the event the court retains jurisdiction by way of a proper petition, the power to appoint will be out of the district's hands,' board solicitor Mark Fitzgerald explained Monday.
The school board deadlocked three times, 4-4, over two different meetings on Jackson and Janet Stokes, the finalists of four who applied and were interviewed for the position.
Mullin's resignation was accepted at the Spring-Ford board meeting Jan. 27, the only meeting held last month due to snow. Her resignation technically became effective when she assumed the role of tax collector, which occurred Jan. 6 at Upper Providence's reorganization meeting, when her swearing-in was scheduled.
Pennsylvania's Public School Code Section 322 says Mullin could not be both a school board member and a tax collector at the same time.
By the same code, a school board has 30 days from the date of a resignation to vote on a replacement. That means Spring-Ford's window closed around Feb. 5.
A meeting was held Feb. 10 in which Jackson and Stokes were brought in for additional questioning after their initial interviews the week before. The vote count did not change, however.
Jackson's petition came four days after the last meeting.
On the agenda for the board's regular workshop meeting this Tuesday night was an action item to re-advertise the vacant seat.
With a petition filed, the board advertisement could really only be to urge petitions to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.
The agenda item could be struck in light of Jackson's petition filing.
Stokes said Monday that she had not yet filed a petition for the empty seat but that she plans to soon.
An online search of Montgomery County records showed no others filing petitions as of Monday night.
It is unclear which judge will decide the appointment.
Jackson is an engineer who has served on the advisory board of the Spring Valley YMCA. He said he favored expanded science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses and seeking partnerships or 'co-ops' with local businesses to provide learning experiences for district students.
A board member from 1997 to 2005, Stokes advocated setting up a sort of personal mentor program for students in the district as well as adding 'rigor' to the district's curriculum to combat 'grade inflation' she believes is occurring within the district.
The Region II seat (which covers the Limerick and Trappe areas, according to the school district's website) became open after Mullin was elected to become the new Upper Providence tax collector in the fall.
In November, Mullin said she was leaving her seat to 'help the school district in a different way.' She took over from Beverly Nohl, who the board said made errors in her points and had issues with the 'timeliness' of filing taxes.
Check out a Twitter recap from Feb. 10's meeting interviewing Stokes and Jackson.


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A new analysis of the Republican tax overhaul from the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reaches a simple conclusion: the legislation is so deeply flawed that it needs to be rewritten.
CBPP's Chuck Marr, Brendan Duke and Chye-Ching Huang identify three fundamental problems with the new tax law:
- It makes income inequality worse while ignoring the wage stagnation experienced by millions of American workers.
- It reduces federal revenues despite an aging population and rising health care costs.
- It makes the tax code more complex and invites "rampant tax gaming" by businesses.
The authors of the 24-page report provide extensive data to support their claims — Huang tweeted that "This has quite possibly been through more iterations of drafting & more review by external folk than the GOP tax law itself" — and include plenty of charts along the way.
In the end, the authors argue that the legislation's problems are so fundamental that they cannot be fixed by tinkering with the rules. "Instead of pursuing minor fixes or technical corrections to the law, policymakers should set a new course and pursue true tax reform that avoids the regressiveness of this law and accords more favorable treatment to working people with low or modest incomes; raises revenue to meet national needs; and improves economic efficiency and strengthens the integrity of the tax code."
You can review the full analysis here.


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May 2017 Buyback TimesLocation: Pulver Pavilion, Cotter Union Wednesday May 10 8:30-4Thursday May 11 8:30-4Friday May 12 8:30-4Saturday May 13 8:30-4Sunday May 14 10-4Monday May 15 8:30-4What you need to know about selling your books...Students who own books they no longer need may sell them with the Bookstore's textbook recycling buyback program. Books from Colby's recycling buyback may be re-used at Colby or at other campuses across the country. When a book is to be used on campus next semester you have two options...1) At our end of semester buybacks in May and December, the College will pay 50% of the current price of a new copy of the book if the book: Is a required text for a class next semester. Is needed to fill next term's enrollment.Is in resalable condition. 2) Or you can use our Colby Bookstore U-Sell ®; ProgramStudent-to-Student Textbook Recycling - we just help a little! The Colby Bookstore U-Sell program, started in 1988, gives students a chance to have their text placed on the bookstore shelves with our regular textbook stock. As a student YOU set the sale price and if your text sells, YOU receive all the money. We do not charge any fees or percentages for this service. U-Sell book registration is available twice a year during the end of semester buybacks in May and December. We've got the most up-to-date list possible of the books faculty are definitely assigning for next semester's courses. You can U-Sell any book which is on this list of "adopted" books. Money for books sold through the U-Sell program is available just after book return period ends at the start of the following semester. Want to know more about the U-Sell program? Here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions about U-Sell... For books not needed here on campus...The Bookstore acts as an agent for two national used book wholesalers during our end of semester buybacks. We provide this service so that students can sell their books even if we can't buy them at the higher bookstore price. If one wholesaler doesn't need your book, we will automatically check the second wholesaler. This allows us to recycle more used books into the national used text market, and gives you the best value possible for your books. The prices paid for used books by the national wholesalers are set by them and average 10% to 33% of the price of the book if purchased new. Many factors contribute to the price set for books by the wholesalers, including: Release or impending release of a new edition - old editions have no national value. National supply and demand for the book in the textbook market. Have more questions?Have more questions about Textbook Recycling Buyback and how it works? Here's our Textbook Recycling Buyback FAQ.
Sorry, this item is currently unavailable.


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Dear Google, please refresh your cache: the city's largest residential brokerage has dropped "Prudential" from its name.
The former Prudential Douglas Elliman returned to its roots as Douglas Elliman last month after it was reportedly unable to strike a new licensing agreement for the name "Prudential."
The Douglas Elliman name, originated along with the firm in 1911, has been adopted by all of the company's businesses, including its commercial real estate arm, and the firm redistributed a statement today saying so, perhaps as a rebuttal to multiple media failings to follow suit on the change.
Read More


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The Revel Ultima speaker line made its debut in 1996. This, the first loudspeaker line with the Revel moniker, established Revel as one of the premier loudspeaker manufacturers. Attaining this status at the onset was no accident. Unlike a new startup, Revel was seeded within a large corporation, Harman International, and had at its disposal vast R&D resources and an experienced team. The recipe for success was there from the beginning.
Once the Ultima line was populated, Revel spent subsequent years applying this know-how to establish new lines at lower price points. The Performa line came first; this was followed by the Concerta line. Both lines have received favorable reviews at Secrets.
- Studio2 Floor-standing
- Design: Ported, 3-Way
- Drivers: One 1″ Beryllium Dome Tweeter, One 5.25 Titanium Midrange, Two 8″ Titanium Woofers
- MFR: 31 Hz – 18 kHz ± 1.5 dB
- Sensitivity: 87.7 dB/W/M
- Crossover Points: 230 Hz, 2 kHz
- Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms
- Dimensions: 46.25″ H x 13.75″ W x 20.5″ D
- Weight: 140 Pounds/Each
- MSRP: $15,998/Pair USA
- Voice2 Center Channel
- Design: Sealed, 3-Way
- Drivers: One 1″ Beryllium Dome Tweeter, One 5.25 Titanium Midrange, Two 8″ Titanium Woofers
- MFR: 65 Hz – 18 kHz ± 1.5 dB
- Sensitivity: 89 dB/W/M
- Crossover Points: 235 Hz, 2 kHz
- Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms
- Dimensions: 24.2″ H (with Pedestal) x 25.5″ W x 14″ D
- Weight: 74.5 Pounds/Each
- MSRP: $7,999Â USA; Optional Pedestal $599
- Gem2 Surround Speakers
- Design: Sealed, 3-Way
- Drivers: One 1″ Beryllium Dome Tweeter, One 4″ Titanium Midrange, One 8″ Titanium Woofer
- MFR: 75 Hz – 18 kHz ± 1.5 dB
- Sensitivity: 86.4 dB/W/M
- Crossover Points: 400 Hz, 2.3 kHz
- Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms
- Dimensions: 24.2″ H (with Pedestal) x 12″ W x 5.4″ D
- Weight: 38 Pounds/Each
- MSRP: $9,998/Pair USA; Optional Pedestals $1,398/Pair
- Revel Speakers
I have reviewed a couple of Performa systems over the years and compared them to the Ultima Studio and Voice loudspeakers, which have anchored the sound of my home theater for a long time. In my opinion, the crossover point came with the launch of the F52. During this review, I found that the F52s performed better than the Studios in many regards. Most notably, the tweeter was excellent as was the tweeter/midrange integration. It had been over a decade since the launch of the Ultima line, and the time had come for a makeover!
By now, the plans for the Ultima2 line had been made public. Kevin Voecks talked about the Ultima2 line in the mini-interview which accompanied my review of the F52/C52 Performa loudspeakers. The waiting game started. Fast-forward to May, 2007 and the Ultima2 line started shipping.
What Meets the Eye
The design of the Ultima2 is a departure from the distinct appearance of the Ultima line. The unique modern look has been replaced by conservative styling which is simple, yet elegant. For non-dedicated listening spaces where appearance is an important consideration, this change might be welcome since the speakers are likely to blend well in more surroundings. The finish is limited to two options: high-gloss black or high-gloss mahogany. This may be an issue with some, but the high-gloss black finish works for me.
While the styling is different, there is still a striking resemblance between the old and the new. That has to do with the transducer configuration. When I talked to Kevin Voecks about this a while back, he said that the design of the Ultima2 was seen as a ground-up effort; every aspect of the design was put on the table. When they revisited the transducer configuration (transducer dimensions, crossover frequencies, etc.) for the Studio2 and Voice2, they pretty much came back to the design of their predecessors. That must have been a good feeling!
Transducers and Cabinet Design
The Ultima2 series employs new transducer designs offering greatly reduced distortion levels. The midrange and woofers utilize titanium diaphragms with dual-neodymium magnetic motor systems and oversized voice coils. The tweeter, shared across all the Ultima2 models, is a pure beryllium dome, a first for Revel. The tweeter is housed in a third-generation waveguide which provides excellent integration with the mid-range unit.
As is customary with all Revel loudspeakers, high-order crossovers are used. The use of a high-order crossover optimizes both on- and off- axis response, the importance of which Revel has emphasized from the beginning. Separate filter boards are used for the woofer, midrange, and tweeter to prevent any mutual interference between them.
The cabinet is an integral part of any loudspeaker. While aesthetics are important, of equal importance, arguably more so, is its effect on a loudspeaker's sonic quality. To meet this need, the Ultima2 models have a front baffle which has been acoustically designed to minimize diffraction. The side-walls are also curved to aid the off-axis response. The only exception here is the Gem2, whose shallow profile prevents some of these design options. All models use 1†thick walls and employ extensive internal bracing.[For more details on the design of the Ultima2 series, please read the accompanying Q&A with Kevin Voecks on Page 5 of this review.]
The Ensemble
For this review I requested a Studio2 pair and a Voice2 to anchor the front. A pair of Gem2s was relegated to surround sound duty.
The Studio2 floor-standing loudspeaker is a reflex design featuring the following driver complement: a 1†tweeter, a 5.25†midrange, and two 8†woofers. Crossover frequencies are specified at 230 Hz and 2 kHz. The port is down-firing on the Studio2; the narrow profile on the back probably dictated this change from the rear-firing port used on the Studio. As is typical with all Revel speakers, acoustic controls are provided to tailor their response. A Tweeter Level switch allows the output level to be adjusted in 0.5 dB increments from -1 dB to +1 dB. A Low Frequency Compensation switch provides three settings: Normal, to be used if the Studio2 is located 3+ feet away from the walls; Contour, to be used if the bass sounds bloated; and Boundary is to be used if the Studio2 is situated less than 2 feet from the walls or is installed within a cabinet. Anyone buying the Studio2s will hopefully have a qualified installer who can figure out the best placement and setting combination guided by some in-room measurements.
A notable absence on the Studio2 is the rear tweeter. When asked about this omission, Kevin mentioned that it was indeed included in the initial design. When they measured the power response of the new tweeter coupled with the newly designed waveguide, they found the response to be already what they wanted, so . . . .
The Voice2 center channel loudspeaker is a three-way horizontal design featuring the following driver complement: a 1†tweeter, a 5.25†midrange, and two 8†woofers. Crossover frequencies are specified at 235 Hz and 2 kHz. Revel has always utilized a three-way design in their center-channel models. The transducer geometry is such that the tweeter and midrange units are vertically aligned with a woofer on each side. Such designs generally provide a smooth off-axis response from a horizontal design, although this is not a guarantee if not followed by sound design practice. This is pretty much a requirement for a social application such as home theater.
A Tweeter Level switch offers the same functionality as the control on the Studio2. A Low Frequency Compensation switch is also offered, however, the designations, and their corresponding use, are different from what is offered on the Studio2. There are three options: Flush to be used when the Voice2 is placed in a bookcase or wall unit; Stand - to be used if it is placed on top of a video monitor or a shelf; and Stand + if it placed on the optional pedestal stand.
A rounded base with four attached feet is included with the Voice2. The curved base allows the Voice2 to be tilted upwards or downwards. Two screws are provided to lock in the position once the desirable tilt has been achieved. Note that the original Voice did not include a base, so this is a nice addition providing an out-of-box solution for shelf or monitor placement. For floor placement, an optional stand can be purchased from Revel. This is the option I chose. The base plate which ships with the Voice2 mounts on the stand and tilt can be similarly adjusted. Tilt adjustment was not an option with the Voice stand, so this is a welcome change.
The Gem2 is a three-way multi-purpose speaker intended for use in either a floor-standing or wall-mounted configuration. This is also a speaker which will likely serve as a surround speaker in a multi-channel setup, as was the case for this review, although someone with an unlimited budget should aim for five Studio2s! Unlike the other Ultima2 models, the Gem2 is compact and maintains a shallow profile, which was undoubtedly a requirement for wall-mounting. It features the following driver complement: a 1†tweeter, a 4†midrange, and an 8†woofer. Crossover frequencies are specified at 400 Hz and 2.3 kHz.
Acoustic controls are also provided on the Gem2. The Tweeter Level control functions the same way as the Studio2. The Low Frequency Compensation control alters the response depending on the proximity to a boundary or some room mode coupling. Three settings are provided: the Normal setting applies when the loudspeaker is located 3+ feet into the room; the Contour setting is available when some muddiness is encountered in the mid-bass; and the Boundary setting applies when the loudspeaker is mounted on a wall or inside a cabinet. Two additional settings, On Axis and Off Axis, are provided depending on whether the loudspeaker is on or above the listening axis. Select the Off Axis setting to tilt the sweet spot down when the Gem2 is mounted 5 feet or higher.
The Gem2 ships with a wall-mount bracket. For a floor-standing install, an optional stand can be purchased. The wall-mount bracket needs to be fastened to the stand, and then the Gem2 slides into the bracket just like it would for an on-wall installation. Before doing this however, the speaker wire needs to be fed through an opening in the stand.
All the new models use a magnetically attached grille. The loudspeakers are attractive to look at sans grille; however, care must be taken to prevent eager little kid fingers from exploring the transducers! All models facilitate either bi-amplification or bi-wiring. Threaded inserts are provided to screw in two types of ends: Spike, to be used when the loudspeaker sits on a carpet, and Glide, for when the loudspeaker sits on a wooden or tile floor.
Revel has designed dedicated surround loudspeakers in the past with configurable dispersion patterns: monopole, bipole and dipole. The Ultima2 series is the first to offer no dedicated surround loudspeaker. Revel believes that a surround speaker is best served by a monopole design; therefore any Ultima2 model can be relegated to surround sound duty, although the Gem2 is likely to be the popular choice here. As you will read later in the review, I don't think that this is a big omission.
The primary purpose of this review was to review these loudspeakers in a multi-channel setup. As such, a crossover frequency of 80 Hz was used, and the bass duty was relegated to a pair of Revel B15a subwoofers. The audio calibration was performed by Bob Hodas. One big change from before was the relocation of one of the two subwoofers which greatly improved the bass response. There is no substitute for accurate in-room measurements and someone who has the experience of tuning many rooms. This turned out to be a good investment, one I wish I had made earlier. The Gem2s were stand mounted and placed directly to the side of the listening location, adjacent to the side-walls.
The front L/R placement was not optimized with full-range reproduction in mind. When configured in this manner, their coupling with the room modes produced a sub-optimal response. As a result, listening in this configuration was confined to a brief period.
The Low Frequency Compensation setting was set to Stand+ and Boundary for the Voice2 and Gem2 respectively. All the other acoustic controls were left at their default settings. Note that with the Studios, I needed to trim the level of both the front and rear tweeters in order to achieve the right balance.
The Sound
In my review of the Performa F52, I noted the exceptional integration of the midrange and tweeter. The sound seemed to emanate from a point-source. This notable improvement over the Studio was something I was looking forward to hearing in the Studio2. It did not take long to hear this improvement. Points in space had a tighter definition; borrowing some video terminology, it was as if the image has a tighter focus. There was a three dimensional quality here which was evident on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (Sony Classical, SK51352). The Studio2s provided an effortless presentation bringing the string instruments to life. There was no sign of compression when listening to music at a high volume level, and the detail in the quiet passages stood out regardless of volume level.
Patricia Barber's Café Blue (Premonition Records, PREM-737-2) is another reference disc which takes an occasional spin during a review. Track 11, "â€Nardis†has a percussion solo midway through the track which pans across the front. The imaging here was excellent. The new tweeter has a remarkable level of transparency and is able to preserve all the detail in a recording. You could hear the delicacy of the cymbals when they were brushed or struck along with these notes lingering in the air as they decayed. This sounded superb.
I did briefly configure the Studio2 to run full-range and found them to perform very capably in this regard. The Studio2 could reproduce deep bass without any audible strain. In my setup, however, I did prefer the Studio2/B15a combination. The bass was deeper and smoother, but that was not surprising given that placement optimization was carried out with this setup in mind. In addition to the placement, the parametric-equalizer controls had also been exercised on each subwoofer to even out the combined response. The Studio2 does provide acoustic controls which can be used, but those filters have a broad response. It would have been nice if a multi-band, or even a single band parametric equalizer had been provided on the Studio2. For me, however, this is not much of an issue since I am an advocate of using a subwoofer even with full-range loudspeakers.
I greatly valued the Ultima Voice for its ability to reproduce the human voice. The Voice2 does that even better: voices took on an even more natural form, and there were no boxy or chesty colorations to speak of. This was true of both male and female voices. I watched many movies during the course of this review and found dialogue reproduction to be just wonderful.
The Ladysmith Black Mambazo's SACD, Long Walk to Freedom, is a prime example where the cohesiveness of this multi-channel setup gets highlighted. This is a mix where unlike the gimmicky sound effects which typically linger in the surround channels in a movie, you get voices in the surround channels. The first track on this album, "Nomathemba", showcased the importance of a high quality surround loudspeaker. Voice pans had a consistent timbre resulting in an immersive, continuous sound field. The consistency was not perfect, but that is most likely due to a difference in how each loudspeaker interacts with the room, rather than a fault of the loudspeaker itself. Even so, this was the best timbre matched set that I have ever reviewed.
The Eagles: Farewell 1 Tour – Live From Melbourne HD DVD is a concert disc with a lively atmosphere which gets heartily conveyed. You can sense the excitement of the crowd as they cheer and applaud the band. The mix makes good use of the surrounds, and the part which surprised me here was how effective the Gem2s were at recreating the lively atmosphere even though they are a monopole design.  Yes, a conventional dipole design does create a more diffuse sound field, but I was happy with the Gem2s performance in this regard, and when it came to music, I was certainly drawn to their accurate timbre and monopole characteristic which mated extremely well with the rest of the ensemble.
Several months have elapsed since I've had this system, and during that time this loudspeaker ensemble has provided me with a truly exceptional experience. In looking back at the review, I see that I have used nothing but superlatives to describe their sound. This system is very well-rounded across the frequency range. The timbre is both accurate and well-matched within the family.
If I were to nitpick, two things come to mind: the rear panel door and the price. The rear panel door does not have the feel that you would expect from a loudspeaker in this price range. It also may not close if you plan to use some thick and/or stiff cables. And then there is the price. Yes, this system is an outstanding performer, but it also commands a high price. This price will no doubt limit their market penetration. For buyers for whom this system may be out of reach, there is still an excellent alternative: a system built around the Performa F52s.
What matters most, however, is their sound. Here they excel. This is simply the best surround sound system I have ever reviewed, and it is also the best yet from Revel. This reference caliber system gets my highest recommendation.
Associated Equipment
DVD/CD playback: Sony PS3, Denon DVD-3930CI, Toshiba HD-A1
Preamplifier: Lexicon MC-12HD
Amplifier: Proceed AMP5
Projector: Sony VPL-VW60
Screen: Stewart StudioTek 130 G3
Cables: Kimber/BetterCables/Monster interconnects/speaker cables
Power: Power Plant Premier
Room: ASC SoundPlanks/Iso-Wall/Soffit/TubeTraps
Interview with Keven Voecks
Developing the Revel Ultima2 Loudspeaker Series – A Q&A with Kevin Voecks, Director, Revel Products
Sumit: When did plans for the Ultima2 series take form?
Kevin: Work began as far back as 2004. The tweeters and the enclosures were the longest lead-time aspects.
Sumit: During a previous conversation you had mentioned that you approached the design of this series from the ground up. Even so, the Salon2, Studio2 and Voice2 ended up sharing some design characteristics of their predecessors. Can you please comment on this part of the design process?
Kevin: I didn't want to take anything for granted in the conceptualization and specification process. That even included the basic topology of the models—as well as how many models there were. My conclusion was that the Salon2, Studio2 and Voice2 topologies were still the best approaches. The Salon2 and Studio2 were originally specified with rear tweeters, but we discovered during development that they were no longer required (see below). The original Ultima series included the Embrace bipole/dipole surrounds. Dipoles and bipoles time is past, because they were originally specified due to the limited bandwidth matrixed surrounds of days past. Not only are their (theoretically) less-directional properties not now required, but bipoles and dipoles are inherently much less timbre-accurate than monopoles. Since the advent of full-bandwidth discrete surround channels, music mixers have been putting a lot of music into the surrounds (in addition to the fronts). Quite simply, if you play an inferior speaker at the same time as the front speakers, it will result in degraded sound quality. These facts led to the inescapable conclusion that the surrounds should now be very high-quality monopole designs. Since most people demand an on-wall form factor for surrounds, we were challenged with making on-wall speakers of a far higher sonic caliber than ever existed on the market. That really defined the "Gem2,†which is equally suitable as a front L/R loudspeaker. Switchable boundary compensation circuits allow for the use of the Gem2s either on-wall, on a bookshelf, or on stands away from boundaries.
Sumit: All the Ultima2 models use newly designed transducers. How have they evolved over the years leading up to these new designs?
Kevin: The Ultima2 woofers and midranges are far more sophisticated than the original Ultima transducers. In common with the original Ultima transducers, the Ultima2 woofers and midranges behave like theoretically-ideal pistons throughout their operating ranges. However, the motor systems are much more sophisticated—incorporating distortion-reduction mechanisms that even compensate for the tendency of the voice coils to "pull†the magnetic flux field—which would otherwise result in motion-dependent distortion. In fact, double-blind listening tests reveal that the Ultima2 series models sound dramatically "cleaner†than the original Ultima series. It is interesting to note that we did not find this to be the case in comparing the original Ultima series to competitors that came along during the years! The Ultima2 series is capable of far greater dynamic range at the loud end of the range. What's more important to me personally is that it's as if the "noise floor†was greatly reduced, providing breathtaking detail at low volumes and an incredible sense of "black†between the notes.
The tweeter is the result of an extensive development effort between three companies. It simply sets new standards for low coloration and unparalleled transparency.
Sumit: The tweeter dome is made out of Beryllium. What advantage(s) does this material offer over the materials that Revel has used previously?
Kevin: The combination of characteristics of Beryllium in terms of velocity of sound, density and Poisson's ratio offer the best performance of any known material. Note that the density of Beryllium is approximately half that of diamond!
Sumit: Is the dome manufactured by Harman?
Kevin: The dome is manufactured for us by an American company. We consulted with them to provide critical know-how for the challenging task of forming the Be dome.
Sumit: The waveguide is in its 3rd generation now. What are the differences in design and performance compared to the waveguide which was used on the F52s?
Kevin: The Ultima2 high frequency waveguide benefited from our on-going R&D regarding modeling and optimizing waveguide performance. In practical terms, it allows us to better match the directivity of the midrange and especially to optimize the higher-frequency dispersion. Our in-house "stereo lithography apparatus†which allows us to make tooled parts in only hours was critical to the development of the waveguides. Extraordinarily small dimensional changes result in significant performance impact, so the ability to create slightly altered "tooled†waveguides at will is critical.
Sumit: The rear tweeter found on the Studio is absent on the Studio2. What was the reason behind this?
Kevin: I specified rear tweeters for the Salon2 and Studio2. However, during development we discovered that the combination of the dome profile, the waveguide (and their interaction) and the complex-radius baffle resulted in such good dispersion (and power response) that the rear tweeter was no longer required.
Sumit: The Gem2 can be wall-mounted. You also offer in-wall designs in the Performa series. How does a wall-mounted design compare to an in-wall design?
Kevin: They are both working into "half-space†or 2-pi environment, which increases the predictability of the effect of the boundary. The Gem2 is Revel's best-sounding loudspeaker for 2-pi applications.
Sumit: Is the fact that they are at or near a boundary beneficial?
Kevin: It offers some advantages. First of all, the interaction with the wall is known in advance, unlike floorstanding speakers, in which case the speaker-boundary interference response (SBIR) is unknown. Secondly, the solid angle gain can be used to advantage to contribute to a higher system sensitivity.
Sumit: You don't know what room they will be in, so you can't predict their interaction with the room modes. How does this play into the loudspeaker design?
Kevin: It is true that we cannot predict the result of room mode/loudspeaker interaction. First of all, we make speakers that have extraordinarily flat response, with very little dynamic compression. In addition, the Ultima2 series speakers have adjustable low frequency cut controls that can facilitate placement when they cannot be placed optimally, or in environments with very energetic modes.
Sumit: Will there be a followup subwoofer for this series?
Kevin: There will be an Ultima2 subwoofer early next year. It has taken a long time to come out, as it will simply leapfrog the performance of existing subwoofers. I promise it will be worth the wait!
Sumit: Is there anything else under development that you can talk about?
Kevin: There will be new developments at CEDIA in September!
Sumit: I look forward to seeing the new introductions at CEDIA. Thank you.


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PG's Chris Kies is On Location in Nashville, TN, for Summer NAMM '09 where he visits the ModTone Effects booth. In this segment, we hear three of ModTone's pedals-the Clean Boost, Metal Pedal and Funk Filter Enveloper. The Clean Boost is an American designed true bypass boutique style pedal that adds nothing but horsepower to your signal with no added noise or unwanted fuzz. It features a proprietary circuit design to allow up to 25db of boost.
The Extreme Metal pedal is another true bypass boutique style pedal that delivers insane gain levels that go from subtle to over the top. Their specialized scoop knob covers plenty of metal territory while leaving all the articulate definition intact.
The Funk Filter Enveloper that recreates vintage envelope or auto-wah type effects. It features High pass, Mid Pass and Low Pass settings that can be used in conjunction with the F-Factor control and Drive settings to deliver a wide range of tones that work on clean or distorted signals.


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DC Super Heroes
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes launches today on Wii U
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is now available for Wii. The game was released last year on other platforms and sales reached over 3.5 million. The game can be purchased through retail or through the eShop for €49.99 / £39.99. Check out the launch trailer below showing off all sorts of neat Wii U […]
DC Super Heroes headlines
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes to launch on Wii U in the spring
Warner and TT Games have announced LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be released on Wii U. The game has sold 3.4 million units since its 2012 release, and has been enhanced for Wii U with an interactive map and character selection tools using the GamePad's touchscreen. Tge game can also be played using […]
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes announced by Warner
Warner Interactive has officially announced TT Games is developing LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, after various rumors and speculation over the last couple of months.


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Today - August 9, 2011 - marks the 66th anniversary of U.S. atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki. When the 20-megaton "Fat Man" bomb fell that day, heat, radiation, and traumatic injuries killed an estimated one-fourth to one-third of the city's inhabitants. Survivors faced terrible health effects, including increased risk for cancer and birth defects.
More than half a century later, it's hard to grasp the bomb's physical and emotional toll. But keep clicking to see archival photos, along with drawings made by survivors. The latter - reproduced here with permission of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center website Children of the Atomic Bomb - were collected by Dr. James Yamazaki, who at the age of 33 was the lead doctor on the U.S. Atomic Bomb Medical Team assigned to Nagasaki in the aftermath of the bombing.
Credit: Images from the History of Medicine, National Library of Medicine
Artist: Yamada Ikue
A mother fled the flames with her child in her arms.
Year of Birth: 1933
Age at time of blast: 12
Age when image created: 41
Credit: Children of the Atomic Bomb/UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Artist: Kihara Toshiko
As we fearfully crossed a railroad bridge, my two brothers and I saw bloated red, blue, green, and purple corpses floating.
Year of Birth: 1928
Age at time of blast: 17
Age when image created: 47
Artist: Takakura Akiko
A woman driven by unbearable thirst trying to catch black raindrops in her mouth.
Year of Birth: 1925
Age at time of blast: 19
Age when image created: 49
Artist: Yamashita Masato
Charred body of a four or five-year-old child pointing to the sky.
Year of Birth: 1924
Age at time of blast: 20
Artist: Matsumoro Kazuo
A woman whose burned skin had peeled off and was hanging down.
Year of Birth: 1913
Age at time of blast: 32
Age when image created: 61
August 31: My younger brother who died vomiting blood. His nose was bleeding, and his hair had fallen out. There were small red spots all over his body.
Age when image created: 50
Artist: Takahara Yoshio
My dead friends. They became bald. Their gums and fingertips bled, and they died.
Year of Birth: 1911
Age at time of blast: 34
Age when image created: 63
Artist: Ishikawa Fumie
Dead pupils on the verandah of an elementary school. One dead boy was standing and leaning on an umbrella shelf.
Age at time of blast: 16
Age when image created: 46
Artist: Taguchi Mitsuko
Charred body of a mother who died while trying to protect her child. Her hair stands on end.
Year of Birth: 1915
Age at time of blast: 30
Age when image created: 60
Artist: Tasaka Hajime
A severely burned mother and child asked passersby for water.
Year of Birth: 1930
Age at time of blast: 15
Age when image created: 45
Artist: Fujimoto Sachiko
A young pregnant woman and children fleeing near Koi.
Age at time of blast: 11
Age when image created: 40
Artist: Ogawa Sagami
Corpses in the water tank were swollen and red while those around it were charred and shrunken.
Year of Birth: 1917
Age at time of blast: 28
Age when image created: 57
Loading corpses on a hand-drawn cart.
Artist: Ikegame Haruo
People fleeing toward Yoshijima airport. Their clothes were torn, and their bodies were burned red, their skin was peeling off and hanging down.
Artist: Ishibashi Shinko
Heaped up corpses. Most people are dead with their eyes open.
Year of Birth: 1938
Age at time of blast: 6
Age when image created: 35
Artist: Shunk Scott
English translation of description is coming
Year of Birth: 1927
Age at time of blast: 18
Artist: Kobayashi Masao
They fled with their arms raised in front like a procession of ghosts.
Year of Birth: 1899
Age at time of blast: 45
Age when image created: 74
A sea of fire filled with the moans of people pinned under their collapsed houses.
Artist: Ishizu Kazuhiro
Survivors burned over their whole bodies flee the city.
Year of Birth: 1908
Age at time of blast: 37
Age when image created: 66
Artist: Iwamoto Atsuko
People walking along the river. Sergeant Fumoto. Corpses floating in the river.
Year of Birth: 1932
Age at time of blast: 13
Age when image created: 42
Artist: Yamabe Sh?ji
Ruins of a barber shop. A skelton remained sitting on a chair.
Year of Birth: 1903
Age at time of blast: 42
Age when image created: 71
Artist: Amano Katsuko
Soldiers cremating corpses on a galvanized iron sheet.
Year of Birth: 1931
Age at time of blast: 14
Age when image created: 44
Artist: Takeda Hatsue
Female students at Nukushina Elementary School. Scene from the window is the burning city of Hiroshima
Artist: Kanemasu Hiroko
At Ninoshima Elementary School a moment after the blast.
Age at time of blast: 7
Age when image created: 37
Artist: Usagawa Yoshitaka
An infant clinging to its dead mother.
Age when image created: 43
Artist: Ariki Ayako
Students at a relief station died calling for their mothers and fathers.
Artist: Michitsuji Yoshiko
I ran toward my house through a sea of flames.
Artist: Yamagata Yasuko
One day later: Corpses in a water tank. The charred body of a mother holding a baby, still standing as if in flight.
Artist: Takahashi Akihiro
Running away with a friend. My friend, whose feet were burned, crawled across the wooden bridge over Ota River.
Half-naked people running on a street, their hair burned and frizzled.
Artist: Suga Y?ko
People jumped into the river to escape the tremendous heat of the fire, and many drowned and were swept away.
Artist: Kojiri Tsutomu
Picking up maggots that appeared in the wounds.
Year of Birth: 1940
Age at time of blast: 4
Age when image created: 34
Artist: Yoshimoto Satoshi
Cremating family members.


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Presented by Artscape's Creative Placemaking Lab and moderated by Artscape's Vice President Pru Robey. Recorded webinars include a presentation by a leading practitioner, discussion, Q+A. Recorded webinars are 60-minutes and just $30 each.
Artscape has partnered with UBC to offer an online course in Creative Placemaking, the practice of leveraging arts, culture and creativity to drive community growth and transformation. For more information, visit UBC's Centre for Cultural Planning and Development.
The Creative Placemaking Toolbox is designed to provide you with the tools and resources you'll need to get started on your own cultural facility development or to explore the practice of creative placemaking.
The Creative Placemaking Lab fosters dialogue about creative placemaking and city building through the arts through a range of activities, including a Mentorship & Coaching Program, Creative Placemaking Workshops, and Research and Development.
How do I go about finding a space? Gross lease, net lease, net-net lease—what's the difference? These are some of the questions that Artscape hears most. Now you can license Square Feet and tailor the answers to your community!
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This free resource compiles and organizes key data points, from recognized sources, related to the Canadian arts, culture, and creative sector and also includes original analysis from Artscape's Creative Placemaking Lab.
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Some emerge at night, creeping up on their unsuspecting prey under cover of darkness. Others are so stealthy or well camouflaged that their victims never see them coming. Many of them have razor-sharp teeth, and some can jump up to 150 times their own height or defy assassination attempts. All, however, are after the same prize: warm, oozing blood.
While they might sound like characters in an Anne Rice vampire novel, animals ranging from leeches to bats and even birds consume blood. (Scroll down for a list of 10 real-life vampires.) "There's blood everywhere," points out Bill Schutt, vampire bat researcher and author of Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures. "I'm surprised there aren't more animals that evolved to have it as part of their diet."
While so-called sanguivores are a diverse group, they face similar challenges in finding and feeding on blood, and have evolved a variety of adaptations to suit this specialized diet.
Most vampires are small, which helps them to evade detection. They have finely tuned sensory systems that home in on their next meal. Incredibly sharp teeth, or comparable tools, slice into flesh easily, decreasing the pain inflicted on the host. Finally, bloodsuckers have developed anti-coagulants that keep the red liquid flowing while they feed.
While sanguivores can be deadly—not because they drain you dry but because they carry diseases—many are merely nuisances to humans. In some cases we even benefit from them. Hirudin, for example, an anti-coagulant found in leech saliva, is used to prevent blood clots after surgery.
Here are 10 real, wild bloodsuckers.
Vampire Finches
The vampire finch of the Galapagos Islands is not, as Schutt says, a "card-carrying vampire." It sups on the red stuff in addition to its regular diet of seeds, nectar, and eggs.
The vampire finch, the only bird known to consume blood, acquires the liquid-iron supplement by pecking the wing and tail of the blue-footed booby until it bleeds. Only one bird will drink from the booby at a time, but others line up behind. "It's pretty comical to see three or four birds just waiting for the next bird to move away," says Schutt. "I guess this behavior evolved because if they swarmed the booby, it would get upset and move away." The booby doesn't appear to suffer any long-term damage from serving as a donor.
Lampreys are jawless fish that live mostly in coastal and fresh waters. Sometimes called eels because they have long eel-like bodies, they spend the first several years of their lives as harmless larvae. As adults, however, certain species are parasitic. These incredibly successful hunters attach themselves to other fish species and even marine mammals. They strike their quarry with their circular mouth, holding on with their hook-like teeth for hours or even days as they eat. While such attacks might kill smaller fish, victims that escape carry a visual reminder of the encounter: a circle-shaped scar.
Two parasitic lampreys, silver and chestnut, are native to the Great Lakes. Since the 1930s they've been competing with an invasive species, the sea lamprey, which Great Lakes officials have spent decades trying to combat and prevent from spreading further.
Vampire Bats
Of the world's more than 1,000 bat species, only three drink blood. These flying mammals, native to South America, Central America, and two Caribbean islands, are about the size of a mouse. They slip their slim, sharp incisors and canines into the flesh of mammals or birds, and then lick up the blood seeping from the wound (it keeps flowing because of anti-coagulants in their saliva), swallowing up to five teaspoons' worth—about half their body weight—in a feeding. "They have to feed on blood constantly," says Schutt. "Not only do they have to get it every night, but they have to get enough of it not to starve. These animals can starve to death in 48 hours."
The common vampire bat (which, as its name suggests, is the most widespread) feeds on the blood of cattle and other livestock. It creeps along the ground at night, and then springs up to three feet high onto its quarry.
The other two sanguivorous bats, the hairy-legged vampire and the white-winged vampire, prey on sleeping birds perched in trees. "They crawl underneath the branch, they crawl underneath the birds' foot, and they just use their teeth to flick one of those scales away," says Schutt. "The bird doesn't usually know anything as the bite is so sharp." White-winged vampire bats sometimes feed on chickens. One cozies up to the hen, nuzzling her like a chick, while another sneaks up behind to feed.
Vampire bats can carry rabies, and in warm, humid climates, the open wounds they cause are susceptible to infection.
All of the world's 2,000-plus flea species subsist on mammal blood. The insects can lie dormant in a cocoon for more than a year before they sense the body heat and vibrations that signal the presence of nearby hosts. Fleas have no wings, but they get by just fine without them: Their legs launch them into the air, to heights more than 200 times their own body length. Fleas have four rows of "teeth" that stab the skin to release a flow of blood. This tiny, paper-thin vampire will keep biting long after it's had its fill—up to 15 times its weight—passing the excess on to its larvae.
These eight-legged arachnids detect animals by their breath, odors, heat, moisture, or vibrations. They wait on the tips of grasses and shrubs, holding on with their third and fourth pair of legs; when a meal brushes by they climb on and crawl to a suitable place to dig in. They attach firmly—some secrete a cement-like substance to keep them locked in place—and feed for days, becoming grossly engorged, with some consuming up to 600 times their weight in blood.
There are two major categories of ticks: soft and hard. Hard ticks have a hard shield behind their mouthparts (often incorrectly called the "head") and feed primarily on humans and other large mammals. Soft ticks, which lack the shield, typically prey on birds or bats.
Despite their small size, ticks are among the most-feared vampires, because they transmit illness such as Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, African tick bite fever, and numerous other maladies.
The bedbug may be the bloodsucker that most people are likeliest to encounter. "All the things that humans love, like clutter and travel, are the kinds of things that these creatures have become adapted to," says Schutt. These bloodsuckers are remarkably resilient. They disappear during the day—into cracks and crevices, in bedding and furniture—and emerge at night to feed. They can survive for 18 months without a meal, and they've developed resistance to pesticides. Perhaps it's not surprising that such a tough creature would display a violent mating behavior, known as traumatic insemination: The male stabs the female's abdominal wall and injects his sperm directly into the wound.
While bedbugs are undeniably bothersome, so far they haven't been shown to transmit diseases to humans.
This candiru is an inch-long fish, related to the catfish, that inhabits the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. It locates its victim by following a trail of nitrogen compounds that wash out of the gills of larger fish. The candiru then slips in beside the rich blood vessels beneath the fish's gill and, using its spine-covered head, scrapes away until it draws blood.
In 1997 a Brazilian man claimed that while he was urinating in a river, a candiru swam up and into his urethra. Doctors removed a 13-centimeter-long specimen, but the account has been met with extensive skepticism.
Assassin Bug
"Assassin" isn't an exaggeration with these bugs, which are known to mimic prey caught in a spider's web by plucking and stretching the silk of the webs with their front legs. When the spider comes to collect its meal—bam! The assassin bug seizes it in its forelegs and simultaneously stabs it with its mouthpart, a needle-like, double-barreled proboscis. The bug injects saliva, containing anti-coagulants, while it sucks up blood.
The bugs also feed on people, and transmit a pathogenic bacterium that can cause Chagas disease, a serious disorder that affects the heart, digestive system, and nervous system.
All of the more than 2,700 species consume water and nectar, but only the females drink blood, using the protein and iron from the liquid to make their eggs. Females detect their prey by movement, odor, carbon dioxide, and body heat. They siphon the blood through their proboscis.
In addition to being a great nuisance that leaves behind itchy welts (a reaction to the anti-coagulants in the saliva), the female mosquito is certainly the deadliest vampire to humans, because she transmits malaria, West Nile, yellow fever, and many other diseases. In 2010 alone, the World Health Organization reports, there were approximately 219 million malaria cases worldwide and 660,000 deaths. In addition to preventive measures and existing drugs, health officials are testing vaccines against the malaria-causing parasite that mosquitoes carry.
Leeches are essentially big stomachs. All have adapted an enormous gastric tissue that takes up the majority of their bodies. "So most of them can feed on blood up to five to eight times their unfed body weight," says Mark Siddall, a leech expert from the American Museum of Natural History.
The suckers use one of two different kinds of feeding mechanisms. Leeches that dine on turtles, frogs, and birds have a muscular proboscis (a modified throat tissue tube) that they use to penetrate the host's capillaries. Medicinal or terrestrial leeches, meanwhile, have three circular ridges, or jaws, with a series of hard, spiky teeth that cut into tissue. Once cut, the leeches use their mouth to apply suction to the blood, pulling it into their guts.
Contrary to popular belief, there's no scientific evidence that leeches possess an anesthetic in their saliva to keep their prey from detecting them. "My suspicion is that most people don't feel a leech bite because when you are in water your skin is desensitized by the coldness of the water and because you are constantly feeling movement of water," explains Siddall. "It's also a very small incision."
Humans have long (and sometimes misguidedly) depended on leeches for medical purposes. Today these animals are used in certain types of microsurgery to promote healing and restore circulation.


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What is the correct command to purge, please?norm.h wrote:I thought I had found the answer, but sadly not.
I looked in Update Manager history and found 3 VM files.
I then did a search in Synaptic for VM, and found the same files, as one would expect.
As they were the only VM files I removed them, did a restart [not a cold reboot] but the message still appears.
I tried rm [in terminal] and got "No such file or directory", so I went back to Synaptic, reinstalled what I removed last night, and tried rm again with the same result.


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If you have already registered and have a user name and password, enter that information below to begin.
* Praxis® and Praxis Core® are a registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). This product is not endorsed or approved by ETS. This online program is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service.


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Southern Candle
Clean Air Mango Vanilla - 8oz Classic Jar Scented Candle
Clean Air Mango Vanilla - 8oz Classic Jar Scented Candle
Fruity blend of sweet mango and vanilla. Odor eliminating candle. 4 inches tall, 3 1/4 inches diameter (approx. 40 hour burn time).
Every candle crafted by Southern Candle is made of natural soy wax and is carefully hand poured to give you the highest quality product. Our candles are then packaged in a beautiful decorative box, perfect for giving as a gift or enjoying yourself. Get inspired by our luxury scented candle line.
Our Southern Candle Clean Air One-Of-A-Kind candles are guaranteed to eliminate any odor. Our Proprietary unique formula attacks odor molecules in the air and physically breaks down the molecules and destroys them in as little as 30 minutes.
Other fragrance candles simply cover up odor by overpowering them, but the odor molecules are still in the air, still in the room. Our Southern Candle Clean Air candles literally destroy odor-causing molecules and clean the air.
Why Southern Candle Soy Candles: Soy wax burns longer than paraffin wax. It also is a cleaner burn, so you will not experience any soot stains, and your home will remain toxin-free. Soy is grown on American farms and is a renewable resource and biodegradable, so you can burn our candles guilt-free. You know that black soot like smoke most candles give off? Well that's petroleum! Most store-bought candles are made with a petroleum base! Not only is that bad for the environment but also harmful to your health!
Southern Candle Burning instructions: Trim wick to 1/4 inch before lighting. Keep candle free of any foreign materials including matches and wick trimmings. Only burn the candle on a level, fire resistant surface. Do not burn the candle for more than 4 hours at a time. Always burn candle within sight.
- Natural Soy Wax
- Cotton Wicks
- Comes In Custom Designer Gift Box
- 3 Times The Fragrance Of Most Candles
FREE Freight On All Orders Over $49.00
All of our candles are hand poured in the foothills of North Carolina with only the highest quality of materials.
Southern Candle
P.O.Box 304,
Terrell, NC 28682
Tel & Text: 704-402-8357 Fax: 828-478-1409
Hours of Operations:
Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST
You can email us directly or send us a message using the form below.


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We have imaginatively titled this feature "7 Questions" and the 'concept' behind it is that we just get loads of bands to answer the same set of questions and then we put it up on the site and loads of you read it. They should be identifiable as a feature and so you will be able to grow to love it with ease. That's the theory anyway.
We're bringing you 7 Questions from bands we love like Crackout, Eva, I Own Kings, Stapleton, S.Rock Levinson, Kids Near Water & Miss Black America just for starters. You have no idea as to the lengths we will go to for these interviews. We will struggle through wind, rain and fire…but only if we are in danger of dying. We probably just ask em really politely and give them sweets in the vain hope that they won't hate us. But I digress.
So, yeah, prepare yourselves for 7 Questions. There will be 7 Answers just underneath. It's coming soon (the 1st one is already up, and now the 2nd one is up as well). It's genius. Promise.


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Welcome to Kee's. We strive to deliverthe finest quality handmade chocolates using the best possible ingredients. Founded by Kee Ling Tong in 2002, Kee's Chocolates has gone on to garner accolades from reviewers around the world, who praise both the freshness and texture of our bon-bons and hand-rolled confections.
Keep chocolates refrigerated and consume within one week of purchase. Creme brulee should be consumed within two days. Follow us on twitter, and like us on Facebook.


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Infinity M
Dual Voltage, Rack Mounted Power System
The Infinity M DC Power system is a modular power plant that supports dual voltage (+24V/- 48V) operation through the use of a comprehensive range of advanced rectifiers and DC/DC converters. Primary voltage is supported by rectifiers and battery reserve, while secondary voltage is supported by DC/DC converter modules. Primary voltage can be -48V or +24V. The Infinity M Power System has primary voltage capacity for +24V and -48V power up to 1,600A; secondary voltage capacity is up to 300A per expansion module.
Features and Benefits
- ECO Priority Source ready
- Dual Voltage power system with ultimate flexibility
- -48V up to 1,200A (65KW) or +24V up to 1,600A (44KW)
- Secondary voltage up to 600A
- High availability wireless telecom applications
- Telecom service providers
- Efficiency approaching 97%


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In her message for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet is calling for bold action and decisive leadership to galvanize efforts to end the pandemic of violence against women and girls.
Launching COMMIT, a new initiative asking governments to make national commitments which will be showcased globally, Ms. Bachelet underlines that ending violence against women is possible. Today 125 countries have laws that penalize domestic violence, a huge step forward from just a decade ago. But she said this is not enough. Up to seven in ten women continue to be targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is still not a crime.
"We all must do better to protect women and prevent this pervasive human rights violation. Governments and leaders must lead by example. Now is the time for governments to translate international promises into concrete national action," says Ms. Bachelet in her message.
"We hope to see new and improved laws and national action plans that provide for safe houses, free hotline services and free health and legal aid to survivors. We count on education programmes that teach human rights, equality and mutual respect, and inspire young people to take leadership on ending violence against women and girls. We need increasing numbers of women in politics, law enforcement, and peacekeeping forces. We need equal economic opportunities and decent jobs for women," she adds.
Next March, the focus of the UN Commission on the Status of Women will be to tackle violence against women and girls and expectations are high for Governments to agree on frameworks that will truly address ending violence against women and girls.
Coinciding with the International Day, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively dedicated to ending all forms of violence against women and girls, is announcing its Call for Proposals for its 17th grant-making cycle. Special focus will be on violence against adolescents and young girls, and proposals that foster their leadership and activism as champions of change.
The Executive Director's Video Message for the Day:
English version: http://youtu.be/SH4tlxxc9nc;
French version: http://youtu.be/IOOfidorjGM;
Spanish version: http://youtu.be/MZRuWu0CEao
Special Compilation on Ending Violence against Women
Source: UN Women
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Botox Gallery
Patient Info
Before and After Botox Jawline Slimming
* Individual results may vary
Weber Facial Plastic Surgery
Contact us to schedule an appointment!Schedule a Consultation
© Weber Facial Plastic Surgery. All Rights Reserved. Designed & Developed by Studio III
10463 Park Meadows Drive Suite #110 Lone Tree, CO 80124


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About the ProductAn elegant armchair for conference room or dining room. The seating shell is closed, with an open base available in chrome or powder coating. Either as a low armchair with four legs or a sledge base or as a conference chair on castors, the Megan is always comfortable.
The BrandMore about this Brand
Good design (ars) and durability (fortis) come together in Artifort, a manufacturer of some of the world's most epochal furniture. Upholsterer Jules Wagermans founded the company in Maastricht in 1890. Following World War II, Artifort shed its traditional roots to embrace the modern movement under the guidance of interior/furniture designer Kho Liang le. Collaborations with the likes of Theo Ruth (Congo chair), and Gerrit Rietveld, cemented Artifort's reputation with architects and design lovers as a manufacturer at the cutting edge of design.
Environmental Performance


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Find out more about how Eaton uses Control-M and Remedy:
Business Challenge
Eaton Corporation, a $22 billion global enterprise, delivers advanced solutions for managing power in buildings, vehicles, machinery, and businesses. The company has doubled in size over the past three years, resulting in a complex technology and application environment. IT needs to ensure seamless support for this "virtual city" of 102,000 employees and 125,000+ external partners in 175 countries with a common operating model that encompasses standard processes, tools, and performance measures worldwide.
BMC Solution
Remedy Service Management and Control-M enable IT to support Eaton's rapidly growing technology and application environment. IT leverages these solutions to enhance service support and keep Oracle®, SAP®, Microsoft®, and other business-critical applications running securely and reliably while driving efficiencies that cut day-to-day IT costs and free up budget dollars for innovation.
Business Impact
Remedy solutions provide process standardization, automation, and visibility that enable the staff to run IT like a business. IT uses Control-M to consolidate and automate workloads for single-point management to ensure successful, on-time completion.
- Data captured via standard ITSM processes and tools helps IT measure performance, identify inefficiencies, and ensure continuous improvement.
- Service management best practices improve service quality for 70,000 PC users who rely on the service desk for handling incidents, service requests, and inquiries.
- Workload automation ensures that 2.3 million batch jobs a month run reliably so critical business systems operate at peak performance.
- Accurate, consistent data supports Eaton's enterprise strategy and roadmap for delivering consistent historical and operational analytics and reporting.


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the big game records of ontario sixth edition
available now!
Upcoming Big Buck Shows
Bring your trophy out to a Big Buck Show to be scored by Official Measurers
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order your big game certificate or scoresheet plaque today!
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Ontario monster whitetails magazine
Ontario's leading source for educational, entertaining and simply amazing stories about Ontario deer hunting.Devoted to reaching out to the grassroots hunting community with detailed stories and pictures of how hunters around the province are successful in harvesting Ontario's biggest bucks.
Visit omwmag.com for more info »


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Timely hitting lacking in loss to Tigers
White Sox go 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Scherzer
CHICAGO -- An encouraging first month to the 2014 season for the White Sox finished with a bit of a thud in a 5-1 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field.
Detroit (14-9) took both games of the two-game set, presenting a little reminder that the American League Central still goes through Motown. It doesn't hurt a team's playoff cause when Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are the starters taking the mound.
Scherzer (3-1) wasn't razor sharp Wednesday, allowing baserunners in four of his six innings pitched. But when the 2013 AL Cy Young winner needed to get a big out, he moved into a second gear much like Verlander did Tuesday night.
"He's great, he's always tough," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura of Scherzer. "You get some guys on, you get opportunities and that's when good pitchers really show their stuff. He did that today. We at least got him a high pitch count, and he couldn't get eight or nine innings."
"Yeah, we missed out on a couple of opportunities today and yesterday, too, but those guys are pretty good pitchers and have been for a while," said White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers, who helped the South Siders avoid a shutout with a ninth-inning single to bring home Dayan Viciedo. "They do some good things in those situations and get the job done. We just have to find a way to battle through on some of those and get some runs across."
Easier said than done with Scherzer on the mound.
With Jose Abreu on second after a two-out double in the first, Scherzer pitched around Adam Dunn with a bit of an unintentional, intentional walk. He then struck out Viciedo, who had two doubles, to end the threat.
Adam Eaton walked and Gordon Beckham singled with one out in the third, although Beckham's line drive to center originally was ruled a force out at second. The play was overturned by replay, with Ventura winning his first challenge in five attempts. But Scherzer retired Abreu on a groundout and fanned Dunn.
Flowers and Marcus Semien struck out with runners on first and second in the fourth to pretty much put an end to the White Sox last viable threat.
"Really, I pitched my best when there were runners on base," said Scherzer, who fanned seven over 105 pitches. "I was able to take it up a notch and get my location and execute pitches. That's the reason I was able to keep runs off the board."
While the Tigers had one of their aces throwing, the White Sox went with a bullpen day begun by Hector Noesi (0-2).
Noesi's first start since May 16, 2013, at Yankee Stadium was needed because of Chris Sale and Felipe Paulino being on the disabled list and Erik Johnson being sent down to the Minors to regain confidence. Noesi cruised through the first three innings, needing just 27 pitches and retiring nine straight after Ian Kinsler's leadoff single.
A second time through the order proved more dangerous for the right-hander, who is now 0-10 over his last 14 starts. The Tigers scored four times on four hits and a walk in the fourth, an inning that Noesi did not finish.
"Well, you know, I haven't thrown four innings in a long time -- in like four or five months -- but I feel pretty good today," Noesi said. "I just got tired."
"His pitches, heavy ball, easy arm action, all those kind of clichés, but he really does have two or three of them," said Flowers of Noesi. "He has a nice easy fastball that jumps on you. His slider was pretty effective today, too. He just kind of fell behind a couple of guys, made some mistakes in that inning and kind of compounded on us. But I definitely like his arm. I think he's a very talented pitcher."
Jake Petricka (2 1/3 innings), Zach Putnam, Maikel Cleto and Daniel Webb combined to allow one unearned run over the remaining 5 1/3 innings, with the one charged to Cleto. Webb actually entered in the ninth with the bases loaded and nobody out, but struck out Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera before walking Victor Martinez to force home that run.
This developing bullpen, which has not allowed an earned run over the last 14 1/3 innings, stands as one of the reasons for excitement building with the White Sox. They have an offense with Abreu and his Major League-rookie records for home runs (10) and RBIs (32) for March/April at the center, not to mention strong production from Eaton at the top down to Alexei Ramirez and Flowers at the bottom. Ramirez's fourth-inning single set a franchise record for most hits in March/April at 40, eclipsing Paul Konerko's record of 39 in 2002.
Chicago has lost four of six to the Tigers. But as the White Sox (14-15) prepare for three games this weekend in Cleveland, they certainly don't feel overmatched.
"You've seen us compete in every game against them," said Flowers of the Tigers. "We just worry about our thing and let them worry about theirs. There is no doubt that's a very talented team: strong pitching staff, starting rotation. They have some good bullpen guys in there, a couple of new additions, and then their lineup.
"Even the backup catcher playing the past couple of days has swung the bat well and did a good job. There is definitely nothing easy about that team over there, but with that said, there is nothing easy about our team either. We just come out and play our game and I like our chances against them."