text:
Kurdish Heritage Reclaimed
After years of conflict, Turkey's tradition-rich Kurdish minority is experiencing a joyous cultural reawakening
- By Stephen Kinzer
- Photographs by Lynsey Addario
- Smithsonian magazine, June 2010, Subscribe
In the breathtakingly rugged Turkish province of Hakkari, pristine rivers surge through spectacular mountain gorges and partridges feed beneath tall clusters of white hollyhock. I'm attending the marriage celebration of 24-year-old Baris and his 21-year-old bride, Dilan, in the Kurdish heartland near the borders of Syria, Iran and Iraq. This is not the actual wedding; the civil and religious ceremonies were performed earlier in the week. Not until after this party, though, will the couple spend their first night together as husband and wife. It will be a short celebration by Kurdish standards—barely 36 hours.
Neither eating nor drinking plays much of a role at a traditional Kurdish wedding. On the patio of a four-story apartment house, guests are served only small plates of rice and meatballs. Instead, the event is centered on music and dance. Hour after hour, the band plays lustily as lines of guests, their arms linked behind their backs, kick, step and join in song in ever-changing combinations. Children watch intently, absorbing a tradition passed down through generations.
The women wear dazzling, embroidered gowns. But it's the men who catch my eye. Some of them are wearing one-piece outfits—khaki or gray overalls with patterned cummerbunds—inspired by the uniforms of Kurdish guerrillas who fought a fierce campaign for self-rule against the Turkish government throughout much of the 1980s and '90s. The Turkish military, which harshly suppressed this insurgency, would not have tolerated such outfits just a few years ago. These days, life is more relaxed.
As darkness falls and there is still no sign of the bride, some friends and I decide to visit the center of Hakkari, the provincial capital. An armored personnel carrier, with a Turkish soldier in the turret peering over his machine gun, rumbles ominously through the city, which is swollen with unemployed Kurdish refugees from the countryside. But stalls in music stores overflow with CDs by Kurdish singers, including performers who were banned because Turkish authorities judged their music incendiary. Signs written in the once-taboo Kurdish language decorate shop windows.
By luck, we encounter Ihsan Colemerikli, a Kurdish intellectual whose book Hakkari in Mesopotamian Civilization is a highly regarded work of historical research. He invites us to his home, where we sip tea under an arbor. Colemerikli says there have been 28 Kurdish rebellions in the past 86 years—inspired by centuries of successful resistance to outsiders, invaders and would-be conquerors.
"Kurdish culture is a strong and mighty tree with deep roots," he says. "Turks, Persians and Arabs have spent centuries trying to cut off this tree's water so it would wither and die. But in the last 15 to 20 years there has been a new surge of water, so the tree is blossoming very richly."
Back at the wedding party, the bride finally appears, wearing a brightly patterned, translucent veil and surrounded by attendants carrying candles. She is led slowly through the crowd to one of two armchairs in the center of the patio. Her husband sits in the other one. For half an hour they sit quietly and watch the party, then rise for their first dance, again surrounded by candles. I notice that the bride never smiles, and I ask if something is amiss. No, I'm told. It is customary for a Kurdish bride to appear somber as a way of showing how sad she is to leave her parents.
The party will go on until dawn, only to resume a few hours later. But as midnight approaches, my companions and I depart, our destination a corba salonu—a soup salon. In a few minutes we enter a brightly lit café. There are two soups on the menu. Lentil is my favorite, but when traveling I prefer the unfamiliar. The sheep's head soup, made with meat scraped from inside the skull, is strong, lemony and assertive.
Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.
Related topics: World History Communities Rituals and Traditions Turkey
Additional Sources
Preventing Conflict Over Kurdistan by Henri Barkey, Brookings Institution Press, 2009
Comments (10) |
first Kurds not minority in Turkey:about 30-35 million Kurds live in Turkey Republic (and population rises up more than others or turks)the biggest Kurdish city is istanbul about 6million Kurds lives and secon is Khorasan of iran 3or4 million Kurds lives there mostly Shii Kurds,in west Anatolia in izmir about 1,3million,in antalya 750.000,Mersin 1 million,Konya700.000.ankara 1milyon;and South east region about 9 milyon people is %85 is Kurds which is the higest increasing ,rising up population for Turkey,Eastern Anatolia %70 is Kurd with 10 milyon people.Also such as Kirsehir and Aksaray almost helf population is Kurds.Cia factbook is a big lie because they want to show kurds as minority,Kurds always were majority,since Hurrians and Hitites.Because now no contry for own by Kurds Persians and Truks steal all about Kurds.Kurdistan length from Sinop till Khurmuz Gulf.Azeri,Xiyiang(Sincan) people,Synctians are closer to the Kurds not turks,turks were gypsies of mid asia,Rojbash hevalno.
Posted by Slahaddin Elkurdi on September 26,2012 | 05:37 PM
All the usual silliness from the commentors. Nevertheless, a good article though I think most Kurds would never suggest Saladin did anything for them. And it's kind of odd that the church was ruined in the 'convulsions' that broke up the Ottoman state. I hear many synagogues were ruined in the convulsions of World War 2. In any case, things are indeed changing for the better here, despite all the silly 'There is no Kurdistan' comments...ugh.
Posted by Jeff Gibbs on January 6,2011 | 03:08 PM
! There arent any Kurdish guarilla. they were used as a pawn by the EU.
Posted by Kagan Keskin on January 1,2011 | 06:33 AM
There isn't a Kurdistan in or around Turkey but a province where Kurdish population is very intense.
The fact should be laid out properly in any source of media.
Posted by esin kara on August 23,2010 | 03:44 PM
Just a minor criticism, the article describes the PKK as 'guerillas'. In my mind an organisation that has indiscriminately killed some 40,000 people, since 1984, can only be described as terrorists. You fail to mention that the EU & UN also recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization. Very cute piece though, very fluffy.
Posted by Phoenix Macabi on June 15,2010 | 11:17 PM
What was the "Kurdish Problem" and how is Turkey trying to solve it?
Posted by Bhavya on June 9,2010 | 08:36 AM
I have worked as a Humanitarian Organization Director in Kurdistan of Turkey and Iraq now for 18 years and although I am currently on extended furlough your very nice article brought alive fond memories of life with the Kurds. Thank you for the sensitive and thoughtful words concerning their history and culture. I will make sure my friends hear about this article so they can enjoy it too.
Posted by Robert Anderson on May 30,2010 | 11:29 PM
It is good to see a sympathetic, broadly informative article about the much misunderstood Kurds (pronounced Koords) in this Magazine. A few corrections: the "ancestral homeland" extends far beyond SE-Anatolia in Turkey, it stretches over the Northern Zagros mountains and North-Eastern Mesopotamia to include parts of North-Western Iran and Northern Iraq. Kurdish is, after all, a West-Iranian language.
While indeed large Kurdish groups were nomadic - migrating annually with their flocks of sheep and goats from winter-warm Upper Mesopotamia to their summer pastures in the Taurus mountains, the post-1923 borders between Iraq and Turkey have blocked these migrations. Most Kurdish groups that continue with their husbandry live winters in permanent villages and take their flocks to summer pastures nearby. Very few, small groups of nomads remain in the Iranian-Iraqi-Turkish border area. The Kurd as nomad is an anachronistic clichee.
And the "wedding party" is, indeed, the actual wedding, the religious ritual just confirms the wedding contract negotiated well in advance; civil formalities, if any, are a recent addition.
Stephen Kinzer deserves thanks for his observations from a corner of the world that is still difficult to enter, yet important to understand.
Posted by Dieter Christensen on May 25,2010 | 04:00 PM
"The route took me over rugged hills, along the rims of vertiginous gorges, and past the haunting ruins of a church, destroyed in the convulsions that accompanied the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century."
That church is at a place called Kochanes (aka Qodshanis, Qudshanis), until 1915 the "Rome" of the Church of the East (Old Church "Nestorians"), the home of its patriarchs, and still a focal point for those Assyrian tribes who once were just as powerful in Hakkari as were the Kurds. Mr. Kinzer and readers of his illuminating article would do well to study this aspect of Kurdistan's history as well. (See my "Fever & Thirst: An American Doctor Among the Tribes of Kurdistan, 1835-1844," Academy Chicago, 2005, among other works.) The Assyrian patriarch, once resident in Kochanes, now lives in Chicago.
Posted by Gordon Taylor on May 23,2010 | 12:46 AM
I like the part where the women said nobody went to see a dcotor and how they used herbs to cure. Americans think we have to see a doctor for the slightest discomfort and expect medicine to be prescribed every time. And it's bankrupted the USA to do something each and every human body does by itself, which is to heal itself.
Posted by Leo Fonoimoana on May 20,2010 | 01:21 AM


text:
Skype 3.0 for Windows beta update and the Garage
Today we put out an update to Skype 3.0 for Windows beta. Last week we also put one out, but discovered a bad bug and pulled it in a few hours. Today's update has this bug fixed, as well as many others. Most important fixes regard voice and video quality and HTTP/SOCKS proxy not working previously. Read more and see the download info on the [Garage blog](http://blogs.skype.com/sites/garage/2006/11/skype_for_windows_30_beta_upda.html).
I guess this also acts as a "launch" of sorts for the whole [Garage](https://developer.skype.com/SkypeGarage). It's a place where we will be distributing various unstable/preview/beta versions of Skype, as well as patches and contributions we've made to open source projects, and other experiments we do ourselves around Skype. Read the [introduction](http://blogs.skype.com/sites/garage/2006/10/welcome_to_skype_garage.html) for more, and take a look at the things already there. The most interesting ones to me are the [Database projects](https://developer.skype.com/SkypeGarage/DbProjects). The developers sat down and went "hmm… we need to build a database on a shoestring budget. And we need to scale it to.. uh.. let's say one billion people. That should do it for a while." The Garage Database Projects site has a lot of interesting material and actual code on this.
So if you want to follow the bleeding edge of Skype, [subscribe](http://feeds.feedburner.com/SkypeGarage) to the [Garage blog](http://blogs.skype.com/sites/garage/) for any future beta/preview Skype updates, and come participate in things before they reach the general public.
6 thoughts on "Skype 3.0 for Windows beta update and the Garage"
qtrans_asbjoern said 7 years ago
And it still requires admin rights on Vista. COME ON. Fix this ASAP!
jatak_max said 7 years ago
Yeah… Admin rights on Vista is pretty retarded… It wont autostart when Windows starts for that reason ;/ I've tried everything
Otherwise, great piece of software, no doubt!
Best regards, Max Thrane
http://MaxT.dk -
quomatic said 7 years ago
Skype 3.0 Beta Firefox Extension Disables Google Notebook
installing skype 3.0 beta's firefox extension makes writing and editing within google notebook impossible. the problem is probably skype's way of problematic implementation of its firefox plugin. Removing the skype plugin fixed my problem.
this is more of a bug report, couldn't find a better forum/place to report it. -
bilfaina said 7 years ago
It is very nice program
but is has the following bugs:
1- when you are calling someone and you got message from another person and you want to add him or her to your contact list, the program hungs and stop working
2- Also the prgram is a little bit heavy and takes alot of system resourses 23% of CPUWith my best regards
Dr. Bilal from Jordan -
brian.wee said 7 years ago
Is there any personal Blog space available in Skype? Something like MSN space? Thanks!

subset: commoncrawl


text: NZL Team reports Day 5 Optimist Worlds in Cesme By Peter Dawson, 1:15 PM Thu 24 Jul 2008 Peter Dawson reports on the fortunes of the NZL Yachting Trust Optimist team competing on Day 5 at the 2008 Optimist Worlds in Cesme, Turkey: 'After two discussions between coaches and jury who did not see eye to eye over last nights decision by the jury to abandon the last 2 flights of the day, the sailors were back on the race course to resail Race 10b and10b. ...[more] Optimist Worlds Report , Day 3 – NZ top qualifier By Peter Dawson, 6:50 AM Sun 20 Jul 2008 The boats were held ashore for light winds and the first race got underway at 1:50pm. Race 6 Flight 1 – Logan and Andrew: At the start of the race we had 5 knots with a slight sea. There was a right favoured track and Andrew and Logan both came in from the left. Logan was 19th at the top and Andrew was 49th. At the finish Logan was 18th and Andrew was 46th. ...[more] NZL Yachting Trust Optimist team - Worlds- Day 2 By Peter Dawson, 8:58 AM Sat 19 Jul 2008 The breeze was 15 knots and steady with a short chop. There was a delayed start for an hour because the race committee decided it was a bit shifty (20-30 degrees) to send the sailors out. ...[more] ASB Finn: 'Weed is still a massive problem' By Dan Slater, 6:13 AM Fri 18 Jul 2008 Dan Slater reports from the ASB Finn campaign building up to the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao. 'The weed is still a massive problem and the last two days it has got lots worse. This has made racing and testing really difficult and almost unfair. On one ½ mile beat today I had to clear the rudder and centerboard 6 times. Some patches are up to 25m long on the course area. ' ...[more] NZL Optimist team - Day 1 Worlds Report from Cesme By Peter Dawson, 6:07 AM Fri 18 Jul 2008 Day 1 of the Worlds finally arrived after a few days acclimatization and training. Practice Race yesterday was the usual shambles so no further report on that. Racing got underway on time at midday. There are three flights for each race, 250 entries so about 84 boats on a start line ...[more] Andrew Brown reports on the 2008 Moth Worlds By Andrew Brown, Force Racing, 7:37 AM Sun 13 Jul 2008 The Moth Worlds 20008 ended up being two days of racing after five days of no racing. On Thursday four races were held with two in the morning then two after a lunch break. With 99 boats on the startline the start was a huge part of the race and in the first race I had a shocker, getting into irons out of a tack and then having to catch up the rest of the race. ...[more] Moth at last - Racing on Worlds Day 5 By Alexandra Harris, 5:08 AM Fri 11 Jul 2008 After four days of howling winds, the 99 boat 2008 Moth World Championship fleet raced today in Weymouth UK. Thierry Martinez was on the water for today's four races. Here are a few of his images. ...[more] Speedboat takes advantage of Southern Technology By Richard Gladwell, Offshore Yachting magazine, 9:32 PM Wed 9 Jul 2008 Soaring an impressive forty six metres above the Viaduct Basin in downtown Auckland, Speedboat's rig represents the new leading edge in spar and rigging technology. Constructed a few metres away in Southern Spar's factory in nearby Pakenham Street, the state of the art carbon spar is stepped aboard the most powerful racing yacht in the world. ...[more] BMW ORACLE's new sail design program underway By Jane Eagleson, 8:53 PM Thu 26 Jun 2008 BMW ORACL,E Racing's sail design and production team are now well underway in developing the huge new sails required for the 33rd America's Cup. The sail design team is headed by BMW ORACLE Racing sail trimmer Ross Halcrow (NZL), and includes designers Laurent Delage (FRA), Robert Hook (AUS), and Juan Meseguer (ESP). ...[more] Devil in the detail for Speedboat's sails By Zoe Hawkins - North Sails New Zealand, auckland , 4:23 PM Sun 15 Jun 2008 Speedboat is the name of the latest 30m canting keeled racing sloop to make a challenge for speed records and offshore titles. Launched in Auckland this April the boat is described as more like a giant version of the Volvo Ocean Race winning ABN Amro than your stock-standard supermaxi. ...[more]


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There's always something new and exciting at Straub's.
See what's happening with your favorite store department items and people now.
You're house will thanks you for this delicious smelling holiday favorite.
Slow Cooker Apple Cider2013-11-21 17:50:17Not only is this festive drink delicious, it will make your house smell spectacular!Prep Time15 minCook Time8 hrIngredients- 1 gallon of apple juice
- 2 oranges
- 1 lemon
- 1 oz of cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon of whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon of whole allspice
Instructions- Open apple juice and pour into large slow cooker.
- Cut oranges and lemons into large slices.
- Push whole cloves into orange skin all the way around slice, so it sticks out of both sides.
- Place clove studded orange slices and lemon slices in apple juice, let them float.
- Place cinnamon sticks in mix and sprinkle in allspice.
- Turn slow cooker on and cook on low for 4-8 hours.
- Strain and serve warm.
Adapted from Number 2 PencilAdapted from Number 2 PencilStraub's http://straubs.com/ -
A fun, new bread to bring to the table.
Pumpkin Cranberry Twists2013-11-20 21:36:45Yields 16Try these for a great alternative to dinner rolls.Prep Time25 minCook Time15 minIngredients- 4½ cups bread flour, divided
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 egg
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions- In a large bowl, stir 1 cup flour, yeast, and warm water until combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, oil, salt, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and egg until combined.
- Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine.
- Using a wooden spoon or dough hook attachment, stir in remaining flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface 7-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed OR knead on medium speed with dough hook attachment 5-6 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour in a warm place until doubled.
- When dough is doubled, punch down and knead in cranberries and pecans.
- Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch log. Fold each log in half, then twist both ends once, pinching seams to seal. Place twists on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Cover baking sheets with tea towels or lightly greased plastic wrap. Let twists rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover twists; brush with beaten egg. Bake 15 minutes until golden brown and baked through. Cool slightly before serving.
Adapted from Girl Versus DoughAdapted from Girl Versus DoughStraub's http://straubs.com/ -
An appetizer you'll be proud to pass at your party.
Bacon & Fontina Stuffed Mushrooms2013-11-20 19:30:14Yields 24What's better than bacon and cheese in a mushroom cap?Ingredients- 24 large fresh mushrooms
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions- Preheat oven to 425°
- Remove stems from mushrooms, leaving only mushroom caps.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, fontina cheese, bacon, onions, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley.
- Fill each mushroom cap with about 1 tablespoon of filling.
- Place on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Bake, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Adapted from Taste of HomeAdapted from Taste of HomeStraub's http://straubs.com/
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"We in science are spoiled by the success of mathematics. Mathematics is the study of problems so simple that they have good solutions."
Tags: Good | Mathematics | Problems | Science | Simple | Solutions | Spoiled | Study | Success
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Whitfield Diffie
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Lots of people working in cryptography have no deep concern with real application issues. They are trying to discover things clever enough to write papers about.
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If you have ambition, you might not achieve anything, but without ambition, you are almost certain not to achieve anything.
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I understood the importance in principle of public key cryptography but it's all moved much faster than I expected. I did not expect it to be a mainstay of advanced communications technology.
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One of the things that characterizes good intellectual work is a certain self-importance.
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Fresh off the release of his well received "Dream Chasers 2" mixtape, Meek Mill has made a big announcement. The Philly MC has aligned himself with Jay-Z's Roc Nation management.
Meek joins MMG label mate Wale, as well as Rihanna, Shakira, Ester Dean, Melanie Fiona and Santigold as artists managed by Hov's company.
Check out what Meek had to say about the signing during his interview with LifeandTimes.com
"Yeah, that's the new deal I put together. Me coming up in this rap game, I was always an underground artist coming up by myself and making all of the moves by myself. And my manager – he's just like me, we've been coming up in the streets by ourselves. So we just decided to partner up with Roc Nation and take things to another level."
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And the build up for E3 2009 continues. The good news is that the pre-E3 dry spell hasn't quite started yet, but we're in the final stretch here, folks. Everybody and their mother -- or grandmother, in the case of Old Grandma Hardcore -- is getting ready for June's big event.
That still a week away, though. Now as for this week, we once again saw rumors, denials, confirmations and teases about what we'll be seeing not just at the upcoming annual game expo but for the rest of the year as well.
http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_m...pww.jpg?130264It feels like the calm before the storm is here. News has started to come in smaller amounts this week as we get closer to the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It may have been a bit of a slow news week, but that doesn't mean there was no news to speak of.
Link: PSP Weekend Warrior
With E3 so close, I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to finally knowing if there's a new PSP coming out soon or not. A new PSP model would be a brand new nut for homebrew devs to crack with their hammers of code. But that's in the future, and we're still stuck in the now. The now is nowhere near bad, though, as the PSP homebrew scene is still churning out some rather impressive apps and games for the Sony handheld.
Link: PSP Homebrew Weekend Warrior
http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_m...3ww.jpg?724124By our estimations, the Hideo Kojima tag is the one that's seen the most use on our PlayStation 3 blog this week, thanks to all the hubbub surrounding his next project. It's Hideo-rific!
Link: PS3 Weekend Warrior
http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_m...0ww.jpg?248373If all the rumors about Microsoft's hardware are true, then Microsoft is probably scratching its head right now with its disclosure security fail. Then again, leaks and snitches are as old as secrets. For this edition of the Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior, we'll take another look at the rumorama updates surrounding Microsoft's supposed new hardware.
Link: Xbox 360 Weekend Warrior
http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_m...iww.jpg?649092This week is heavy on the Wii. We've got publishers and first party devs all looking to pack more games for the Wii. There's Bethesda and their big plan, XSEED and their Ju-on game, some from Capcom, and even a dead rumor rises from the grave to come to the Wii. To cut a long story short, the Nintendo Wii is gonna get swarmed by new games in 2009.
Link: Nintendo Weekend Warrior
http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_m...eww.jpg?275031The iPhone front this week is all about the games. We've got all sorts of news for this recap - info on the latest games for iPhone and iPod Touch, info on upcoming releases, price drops, and even games that had to be taken out of the App Store.
Link: iPhone Weekend Warrior
Industry News & E3 2009 Watch:
Two things stood out in this week's crop of industry news: the Electronic Entertainment Expo (otherwise known as E3) and the growing swine flu pandemic. Now, E3 is instantly understandable, but what does the H1N1 virus have anything to do with games? For starers, if you get really sick that would probably cut down on your game time at the very least, but the main reason is that it has actually caused a few development studios and publishers to skip the annual expo.
The first company to announce that it was reconsidering its E3 plans was Capcom's Japanese division. Capcom eventually confirmed that Dead Rising 2 executive producer Keiji Inafune was canceling his E3 appearance. With the top guy not attending, Dead Rising 2 was also pulled from the event.
Link: Capcom Japan reconsiders attending E3 on account of Swine Flu
Link: Capcom no longer showcasing Dead Rising 2 at E3
Two other Japanese companies also cut down the number of their E3-bound staff due to the virus outbreak. Square Enix canceled the E3 attendance of its Kingdom Hearts team. An unspecified number of Koei's Japanese staff also pulled out of the event. Both companies' US- and Europe-based staff, however, will still be in attendance.
Link: Square Enix, Koei cut number of staff attending E3 over swine flu fears
Be that as it may, E3 is still definitely a go. Heck, they've even released the floor plans -- one of the most valuable resources any E3 attendee can have. I've never been a big planner, but knowing where everybody is definitely helps. Now if only we exactly what they're bringing to the floor. Hey, sticking around for a "mystery game" that turns out to be Hannah Montana Saves Christmas or whatever is not my idea of fun.
Link: E3 Expo 2009 Floor Plans unveiled
Putting all the mystery E3 announcements aside, we also got to hear about some games that we already know are coming. Answering an earnings call, GameStop exec David W. Carlson revealed the release of four major titles by October and November.
Of course, it's always a bit of a hit-or-miss thing when retailers slap release dates on games. Sometimes they're just pure speculation, sometimes they're spot on. Kinda like analysts. Or psychics.
Link: GameStop exec reveals release margins for Tekken 6, BioShock 2, Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin's Creed 2
QJ Front Page:
From stalwarts like Fanjita and Dark AleX to the new breed like Davee, we've covered a wide assortment of PSP homebrew developers in our QuickGuide - Who's Who Edition. With E3 on the horizon, though, we've had to cut back on the QuickGuides as we scramble to prepare for what promises to be another successful expo.
For the last edition of the QuickGuide, we present to you a look at the life and times of StrmnNrmn, the man who stormed the PSP scene with his Daedalus legacy.
Link: QuickJump QuickGuide #16: StrmnNrmn, storming the PSP scene with his Daedalus legacy
In addition to the QuickPeek you're reading right now, we also rolled out three special editions focusing on the big three's hardware announcements at last year's E3. These special editions offer a quick look back at the things that happened, things that were said, things that would have been better off had it actually occurred -- basically a trip back down memory lane -- during the big 3's E3 2008 experience.
Link: E3 2009: QuickPeek Special Edition - Microsoft last year
Link: E3 2009: QuickPeek Special Edition - Nintendo last year
Link: E3 2009: QuickPeek Special Edition - Sony last year
And that's it for this issue of the QuickJump Quickpeek. Next week we'll be continuing with our E3 specials, so keep an eye on those. Since we covered the hardware stuff this week, I guess you already have an idea of what we'll be shining the spotlight on next time.
Keep jumpin', folks. QuickPeek out!


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Beach Bunny
Lady Lace Top
Beach Bunny swim separates offer a variety of mix-and-match styles for a unique, beach ready look. Lace, chain, and ruching details combined with comfy fabrics make for an undeniably flirty, figure flattering look.
- 89% polyamide 11% elastane
- Hand wash cold
- Neck and back tie closure
- Braided neck strap
- Lace and sequin front detail
- Metal accents on ties
- Styled with Beach Bunny Lady Lace Bottom in Navy Pink.
- Modeled in size S. See fit guide for model's dimensions.
- Revolve Style No. BEAC-WX66
- Manufacturer Style No. 3403T1


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User Review for Boulevard 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat
very sturdy made underneath and the cushions are soft for the baby. The snaps are alot easier to close than the baby carrier we had. Since this is a close out you may not have this concern but the color shown is not what we received. It is not red but pinkish mauve. However we are still happy with the product.
User Review for Marathon 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat
Amazing seat at an amazing price!!! Super fast shipper. Love this pattern
User Review for Marathon 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat
I love this car seat!! Have a Britax Boulevard -- which I always felt was top of the line. I think I might like the Marathon a little better. Because you have to manually adjust the shoulder straps (which is annoying for some), it feels like the seat is a little more sturdy. Know that sounds odd -- but our Boulevard has moved up and down so much with two kids that it feels like the headrest is loose. This is probably not the case and only my perception, however. I have an 11 year old Volvo and it fits nicely in my back seat, much better than the Evenflo Triumph that I had previously. That one was very wide and had side adjusters which made it a challenge to secure in a side seat. With the Marathon, the straps are also very thick and actually stay at armpit height, versus my old seat where the clip moved up and down no matter now tight I secured it. Wouldn't even hesitate on this one! Well worth the investment.
User Review for Boulevard 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat
Britax really makes a quality product. The plastic on this seat is much thicker and therefore durable than even the more expensive competitor seats. The latch system is amazing. It is a breeze to pull the seat in and out of the car. I don't dread it like I do with my other one. It is EASY to install tightly. This seat always installs tighter than my others have in the past. It has nice side impact protection, and it is the most comfortable seat with it's wonderful, above average padding. The buckle RARELY twists. Think it may have happened once in over a year. It always stays in the same position. The top adjusts to height without taking the carseat out of the car too. There is a pad for the snap buckle as well, which makes it more comfortable for my boys. The chest clip also stays put. My kids don't mess with it as there is a rubber piece on the sides that prevents it from easily moving. Great engineering and design, Britax. When I have money, I will buy another one. They are expensive, but worth every dime. I have no complaints about this seat. It makes me feel that I have done my best as a parent to protect my child.
About Britax
Britax has been a pioneer in child passenger safety for over 35 years. Their legacy of leadership in developing new and exciting innovations enhances the safety of your child's car seat and improves the ease of installation and use.
They have been at the forefront of car seat technology for years and this focus has helped make Britax the best-selling car seat in Europe and one of the most trusted brands by parents in America.
Britax's products undergo rigorous testing at five Britax facilities worldwide. The company also works closely with vehicle manufactures to encourage design improvements that will enhance the performance of a child's car seat. Britax also maintains continuous dialogue with their consumers, child passenger safety technicians and other child safety advocates to ensure proper installation and use of child car seats and to develop new ideas.
The Britax Decathlon Convertible Car Seat is built around safety and comfort. It features the LATCH system, making installing the car seat easy and efficient. This car seat also features a 3-position adjustable crotch strap and its design ensures the head and neck area stay safe. The Britax Decathlon is an innovative car seat, which includes certain features not found on any other car seat.
The Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat has been voted #1 in convertible car seats by a leading consumer report organization. The Boulevard offers parents the assurance of knowing their child is safe and secure. It featured deep winged sides to protect your little one from side impacts. It fits into almost all standard sized vehicles and adjusting this car seat is as easy as 1-2-3.
Britax designs and manufactures a complete line of car seats including convertible car seats, rear facing car seats, face forward car seats and booster child seats. While child safety is of the utmost importance for Britax, the car seats demonstrate a flair for style which is reflected in all the Britax products. Additionally, high-quality, easy-to-clean fabric is used in all their Britax car seat covers.


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The names that claimed an unnamed decade.
Putting it to a democratic vote a la this summer's SLAMonline Top 50, the order was delivered and the dix were down. Sorry to Melo and Truth, but these cats were the best in show. The final tally proved it wasn't even close.
Try guessing the Decade's Top 10 without reading on. You can do that. But putting their accomplishments into words? Good luck.
Here's our best shot at it….
No. 10: Jason Kidd
by Brad Graham
Understanding why Jason Kidd is one of the decade's best is easy, especially because his recipe for success is straight out of a Rachael Ray cookbook… you take Hobble's vision; a master chess player's decision making; Jedi Knight anticipation; UPS' delivery system; a drug dealer's push; Mos Def's tempo and Bernie Madoff's thievery. Mix it together, let it cook under the Californian sun and serve it once every generation.
The superlatives rightfully spew out whenever Kidd's discussed in reference to this decade because the consummate point guard's dime dropping play is as effective as Kobe Bryant's scoring, Ray Allen's jumper, LeBron James' drive, Dwight Howard's glass cleaning, well, you get the picture, and have ever since Kidd playmaking prowess was unleashed.
Speaking of making plays like Santa does toys, it was during the '08-09 season that Kidd became the fourth player in NBA history to reach the magical 10,000 assist milestone. That mark meant he's now the only player in NBA history with 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds. Not bad for a player who can't shoot a basketball.
Equally important, on April 5 '08, in a game that saw Kidd hand out a season high 20 assists against, of all teams, the Phoenix Suns (more on them in a minute), he dished out his 10,142 career dime. This helped him surpass Magic Johnson for third on the all time NBA assist list. Of course his placement didn't last long as Kidd leap frogged Mark Jackson early in the 2009/10 season for 2nd place on the assist list.
Remaining an immeasurable asset, J-Kidd joins Sam Cassell, Ben Wallace and Tim Duncan and as the most under appreciated talents of the decade. Don't feel too bad for him though, Kidd did collect a staggering $135,822,835 worth of NBA Owner's dollars this decade to make up for his troubles. So when it's reported that he averages a triple double once every 10 games or so, just know he's getting paid for a reason. Don't worry, it doesn't help me sleep any better either.
The comparisons to Tim Duncan also extend beyond locker room value as the PG finds himself locked into a similar battle (think Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett) with fellow virtuoso Steve Nash for the title of decade defining playmaker. A battle he's handed over to Chris Paul and Deron Williams. However, unlike the Spurs' superstar, Kidd found himself traded (twice) this decade.
In '01, following charges for spousal abuse (in which he missed 15 games) Kidd was shopped after the Suns suffered another first round playoff exit (this time by the Sacramento Kings). Along with Chris Dudley, Kidd was sent to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake.
Note: This trade would later allow the Suns to land Amar'e Stoudemire via the '02 Draft, thanks in large to Marbury's inability to play at Kidd's level. To say the Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury deal didn't work out remains a gross understatement. As a result, the Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs for the first time since '88, wining just 36 games. Marbury dropped 20.4 ppg but the Suns clearly missed Kidd who instantly turned his Nets from losers to Eastern Conference Champions.
Kidd's well documented culture changing arrival in Jersey not only had all 176 Nets fans wanting to be seen out at East Rutherford, it had him receiving legit MVP votes. Much like Kevin Garnett's impression with the '07-08 Boston Celtics, Kidd was the League's real MVP in '01-02 but was denied the honor (he finished second in voting to Duncan) because stats and fashion dictated that point guards don't receive the Maurice Podoloff trophy. That was the thinking at the time.
In fact it was way back in '03 (before Nash become a dual MVP and everyone's second favorite player) that Jason Kidd's popularity hit the ceiling. The seminal guard not only graced the cover of EA Sports famed NBA Live series, he once again led his New Jersey Nets out of the fog that is the Eastern Conference to their second consecutive Finals appearance, either making him one of the greatest losers of the decade (like Karl Malone in the '90s) or a rare generational talent who continually overachieved and carried a mediocre roster / franchise (or both).
It was here in New Jersey that proof of Kidd's worth became apparent. In a seemingly pedestrian 120-114 overtime regular season win over the Washington Wizards (in which he collected his 86th triple double) Kidd helped himself and former team mate Vince Carter chalk up another appearance in the NBA record books. The duo became the first team mates since Michael Jordan (41 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds) and Scottie Pippen (15 points, 12 assists and 10 boards) to notched T-D's in the same game and this was back when Tim Burton's Batman was tops at the box office.
Vinsanity collected 46 points, added 16 rebounds (becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to record a triple double with at least 46 points / 16 boards, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Alvin Adams) and yes, he even somehow managed to hand out 10 assists. Of course, who set up the majority of VC's points… you guessed it, Kidd. He nabbed a then career high 16 boards, equaled his '07 season high with 18 assists and slipped in 10 points (thanks to late free throw). Point to all this? Kidd would tell reporters that "I wish I could have a triple-double like Vince." Guess he'll just have to settle for being the active leader. Oh well. Let the record show that LeBron James is second among active players, a mere 80 plus triple doubles behind Kidd.
Following his impressive stint in Jersey, Kidd would later be reunited with his first NBA franchise, the Dallas Mavericks in early '08 thanks to a trade that included the two teams swapping starting PG's. Note: This trade was due in large to the Mav's embarrassing first round NBA Playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors and their inability to match up with the bruising Baron Davis. Speculation has also been made that Kidd wanted to bolt from Vince Carter but only ESPN's Bill Simmons believes that. Of course the Mavs (with their superior supporting cast have continued to shine, thanks to Kidd) while the Nets continue their tour towards the Antarctic Circle.
While NBA success is apparent, it's with his national team that Kidd's showing is best represented. Collecting two Olympic Gold Medals in Sydney (2000) and Beijing ('08), respectively, Kidd finishes the decade undefeated when wearing the stars and stripes. Winning USA Basketball's 2007 Male Athlete of the Year, Kidd became the nations definitive point guard, showcasing that no one orchestrates the fast break better. Much like his '08 Dallas Mavericks' reprisal, Kidd became Jerry Colangelo's Team USA anchor.
Now that the naughties are (almost) over, we can sit back and appreciate Jason Kidd. He finishes the decade ranked 2nd in career assists with 10,337 dimes dropped (and given he never ran with a player of Karl Malone's calibre, his career total impresses this blogger as much as John Stockton's); 3rd in career and 2nd in Playoff triple doubles, respectively, making him the NBA's accountant (aka good with numbers); 6th in total steals with 2,200 and counting (making him the decade's master thief) and last but certainly not least, 29th in SLAM's revised Top 50 of All Time.
Above all that, the subject of Jason Kidd has never really been about the seven All Star berths (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008); the four All NBA First Team selections (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004) or the eight All Defensive Team nods (First team: 2001, 2002, 2006. Second Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007) simply because his impact and play has never been based on individual glory. Kidd's legacy and ability to deliver a bouquet of highlights is one of elevated team play (both on the NBA timber and for Team USA) but if you really want to make it about the numbers, a complete list of Kidd's first 100 NBA triple doubles can be found here.
No. 9: Dwyane Wade
by Chris Deaton
Dwyane Wade is the champion of his class.
The finest hours of the deities are revealed under the brightest spotlights on the biggest stages. And although LeBron has his MVP and a defining game, Wade has his ring—something borne of defining games (3, 4, 5, 6).
At 27, his accolades project a legendary career: a Finals MVP, a superlative Olympic performance that keyed his country's gold medal and five-consecutive All-Star appearances from 2005-09. He was honored as SI's "Sportsman of the Year" in 2006, joining the likes of Russell, Kareem, Michael, Duncan and Robinson. Last season, he posted a career best 30 points and 7.5 assists a night en route to his first appearance on the All-NBA First Team.
And his résumé would be fuller were it not for a reckless abandon that has sidelined him 20 games or more in three of his six full seasons.
His play has frequently captured Jordan's flavor, with exceptional finishing ability, a dangerous turnaround and coolness in the clutch. One of his game's biggest knocks is his lack of range—but consider that MJ failed to crack 30 percent from three until his sixth season, and even then, it wasn't an integral part of his game, nor did it need to be. Perhaps much is and will continue to be the same for D-Wade.
With Kobe in his 14th season, it's possible that Wade, a player with less mileage, stands to inherit the mantle of the game's best shooting guard during the 2010s. He is one of two men on this "Decade's Best" list whose greatest years likely lie ahead. If that's the case, in Dwyane Wade, the sporting world may be witnessing the evolution of one of the greatest players in NBA history.
No. 8: Steve Nash
by DeMarco Williams
Stephen John Nash is so good he's actually underrated. Yeah, he's been toasted with the two MVPs ('04-'05 and '05-'06; only the third guard to ever accomplish the back-to-back) and six All-Star Game appearances, but there's just so much more to the cool Canadian's game than that.
Take, for instance, the man's durability. Nash, 6-3 and 175 pounds if you weighed him right after the Christmas feast, averaged 77 games per season over the 00s. And then there's his grossly overlooked shooting. Last year Nash became the only player in League history to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line over three straight campaigns. Of the three achievements, Stevie's long-distance dialing is probably the most overlooked. The '03-'04 was the only season this decade the one-time Mav/full-time Sun didn't finish in the top 10 in three-point percentage.
Still, when most folks think of the gritty guard, they immediately hark memories of him leading a fast break and delivering a crisp Spalding to Dirk, Amar'e or J-Rich over the years. And while the magical dishes are nice (The 35-year-old currently leads the NBA in dimes and is already in the top 10 for career assists), Nash is kinda like Michael Vick. See, the actual passing is only part of the fun.
Stevie has already amassed three 30+ scoring nights this year. Hell, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Baron Davis have that many combined! He totaled over 20 in seven straight contests last year. He's even had a couple of 40-point explosions over his hall of fame career.
Wait, did somebody say underrated?
So, yeah, call Stephen John Nash a great floor leader and assist machine all you want. He is most definitely that. Just don't say we didn't warn you the next time the decade's finest pure point guard torches your squad for 30 of his own.
No. 7: Allen Iverson
by Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz
Say what you will about Allen Iverson – just remember who you're talking about.
There are players on this list who had more successful a more decorated decade than "The Answer," but few were more iconic. The imagery of Iverson is almost endless. Conjuring his name brings up memories of crossing over Michael Jordan (a little bit of a cheat since this moment went down back in the archaic 20th century), stepping over Tyronn Lue in the NBA Finals and the infamous practice rant which will go down in YouTube lore.
Iverson both lived and played at a speed that prevented almost anyone from keeping stride with him. And though his approach and style were polarizing, his results were undeniable – an MVP season in '00-01 and a litany of games taken over by the League's favorite mighty mite. Toughness became his calling card after he proved time and again his willingness to play through a seemingly endless series of injuries.
Watching Iverson mature in the latter half of the decade has at times been an uncomfortable and awkward task. A short stay in Detroit was unsuccessful and an even shorter stay in Memphis was downright cringeworthy. But even though Iverson has been forced to reinvent himself – or at least his role – during his second stint with the Sixers, at least one of the decade's best will get a chance to step aside on his own terms. Hey, it's always sunny in Philadelphia, right?
No. 6: Dirk Nowitzki
by Ben Collins
Do you recognize him now? He has these big shoulders now — big, bounding arms swinging on refined hinges. They collect teeth now. As of about three weeks ago, this is true.
No homo. I mean, no no homo? Is that statement itself homohobic? Dirk, would you know? No, no comment?
No, he would know, probably, but he wouldn't say. Just like his Twitter does. He's found a way to say nothing by saying a lot about the only topic he knows everything about. And he can do this in two languages!
But reporters scoff. Boring! And we yawn and jot slowly, then walk away angrily.
Then some woman appears over the summer — someone who appeared to be cheating on him with his own cash — and we wanted to be angry so badly, we wanted to turn on him and punch him in his big, dumb, suddenly really-developed shoulders. But we couldn't. We just felt bad for the guy.
Does that guy even speak English? People will yell this in sports bars. Even now. It will piss us off. It's been 10 years. Yes, we will tell them, he's perfect at it, just like he's perfect at basketball, but we can't write that. You can't turn around one day and say, "Hey, listen, there's a guy who's been almost perfect at something for the past decade, we just haven't been doing our jobs very well."
But how can this person have not seen him before? Is he really that different of a player? In the late-90s and early-'00s he was this quirky, seven-foot, point-center with a jumpshot. Is he really this bruising, solemn, menacing, elbow-wielding, teeth-collecting, dare-we-say-it power forward?
It's not like if you put Dirk Nowitzki and Karl Malone's career paths next to one another you couldn't tell them apart.
Do you recognize him now?
No. 5: LeBron James
by Sandy Dover
The manchild has now grown into a man, the myth has become a bonafide fact, and his legend continues to grow with each step and shot. LeBron Ramone James is arguably the most anticipated and storied player to play the game of basketball. That he came out of high school to be a No. 1 pick is merely a footnote for the player who may be the most skilled big perimeter player to ever play basketball (when his career is summed up).
Starting as a professional point guard, then playing shooting guard, then the "3″ spot and now a legitimate threat to teams when playing power forward, LeBron James is the epitome of an all-world player. Dominating with his Jason Kidd-like vision and passing, shooting fadeaway jumpers from the three-point line with relative ease, attacking the basket like a bull from Barcelona and leading the break in the manner of Magic, it's no wonder he's feared. Standing (and possibly still growing?) at 6-9-1/2 and weighing between 260-275 pounds (depending on the day), even Michael Jordan wasn't as physically imposing.
But it's not the stats that makes Le Cavalier so special–that he has career points/rebounds/assists of 27-7-7, or that he literally can do just about anything in a real-life game that you can think of (he ain't called "Video Game James" for nothin')–no, what sets The King apart from his brethren is that for all of his skills, for all of his physical and mental advantages as a basketball player, he continually seeks to uplift his teammates. He's the new Pippen, he's the new Magic, he's the new swingman, he's the new point guard, but more than anything, he's the new standard. He has been set apart, and for all of his gifts, LeBron James is going to be the player of the next decade as well.
No. 4: Kevin Garnett
by Myles Brown
In practically any argument of "Who's better?" someone will inevitably exclaim "Well if Player X was traded for Player Y, he could've done that…". On behalf of reasonable people everywhere, I beseech you. Please, stop that shit. Things are hard enough to quantify and evaluate without needlessly complicating matters even further with improbable scenarios. The case for any player should be stated based on the facts at hand and nothing more.
Except for K.G. Why? Because of the Blazers, Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers. Instead of marveling at his ability to drag a sub par team into the playoffs every year, Garnett's critics chose to chastise him for his inability to single-handedly upset a title contender. It's bullshit.
With all due apologies to the King, Kevin Garnett is the most unique player in NBA history. He's a 7-0 forward with a guard's skill set who can play and defend any position on the floor. He's the only player ever to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for six consecutive seasons. He's also the only player ever to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for nine consecutive seasons. And he's the only player ever to have his prime wasted on a roster that boasted "All Star" Wally Szczerbiak as the second option.
Upon escaping to Boston, Garnett immediately removed all doubts concerning his elite status by spearheading one of the most formidable defensive units of all time. His versatility, selflessness and infectious desire completely transformed a lottery team into a champion. Had he not been injured last spring the Celtics could arguably be looking to three peat this year. The critics have been silenced and there is only one remaining question about Kevin Garnett.
What would have happened if he spent his prime as a Spur?
No. 3: Shaquille O'Neal
by Sean Ceglinsky
A good debate is good for the soul, although anyone arguing that Shaquille O'Neal should not be mentioned among the top three ballers in the business over the course of the last 10 years needs to have his head examined.
Let's keep it real people, Shaq changed the game. His resume speaks for itself.
For starters, he's won four NBA titles (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006), taking home The Finals most valuable player honor on three occasions (2000, 2001, 2002).
A 15-time All-Star, O'Neal made the team nine different times during the decade (2000-07 and 2009), earning the MVP award three times (2000, 2004, 2009).
Need more proof that his No.3 ranking on this who's who list is worthy? We can go on and on, trust us. In fact, a case can be made that Shaq should be higher.
For example, Kobe Bryant would have had an extremely tough time winning the first three of his four championships in Los Angeles without O'Neal, who averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in each of his eight seasons with the Lakers.
Same goes for Dwyane Wade in Miami. A step slower, Shaq's numbers were down a bit in 2006, but that didn't prevent him from guiding Wade & Co. to a title.
O'Neal is hoping to duplicate the feat this season, with LeBron James in Cleveland, of course. Best believe that if Shaq is successful this time around, he'll cement his name as one of the NBA's best ever, regardless of the decade, or the century, for that matter.
Whether he wins another championship remains to be seen. One thing is certain: His trophy case at home is full of hardware, no doubt about it. Perhaps equally impressive is the collection of nicknames he's managed to compile the last 10-plus years.
Some of his more mainstream monikers are: Shaq Fu, Superman, The Diesel, The Big Aristotle and The Big Shaqtus. Here's a couple you might've missed: The Big Baryshnikov, Wilt Chamberneezy, and the most recent edition to the stable, Shaqovic.
Call Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal what you want, just make sure it's one of the decade's best.
No. 2: Tim Duncan
by Todd Spehr
Sure thing. That's what Tim Duncan is – a sure thing.
In a decade that reeked of hype, praising guys before they're worthy of praise, in some instances underachievement, perhaps the explanation as to why we the consumer isn't enamored with Duncan is for one simple reason: We can count on him.
Duncan is the only player that automatically made his team a contender every year of this period. He is the only one to be the best player on four title teams in this post-Jordan era. And he has this Russellonian quality in that his greatness isn't confined to something like an individual per game statistic; his career numbers certainly are not of the gaudy variety, but his title count is.
We hardly know a thing about him yet Duncan reveals himself in all his glory each time he plays, and therefore tells us more about himself than we realize. In a decade where our stars wanted to be bigger than the game itself, by staying within in it and concentrating on its basic premise – to win – Duncan became the rock in a forever-altering NBA landscape.
How will we remember the Tim Duncan of the 2000s? We won't remember him for one moment, one game, or even one transcendent season. Instead, we'll remember him for being there, for being great in some way, for all of it.
No. 1: Kobe Bryant
by Vincent Thomas
During the 2001 Playoffs Kobe averaged 29 ppg, 7 rpg and 6 apg. The Lakers would go on a 15-1 tear, razing their opponents on their way to back-to-back championships. The championship run included classic performances from Kobe, like his 48 and 15 in a Game 4 closeout of Sacramento.
He followed that up with 45 and 10 in the conference championship opener against the Spurs. He did all this while taking the mantle from Scottie Pippen and playing some of the most deranged and chaotic perimeter defense we've ever seen.
One of his most indelible images of a career full of them probably came in that Game 4 against the Kings. Shaq had fouled out with a good chunk of the fourth quarter remaining. What now? Even though Kobe averaged 28.5 to Shaq's 28.7 that season, Shaq was still clearly the Lakers MVP and the League's Top Dog. So, with Shaq out for the rest of a game against bigs like Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, the thinking was that the series might go on. But Kobe Just took over and then, after nailing a 10-foot floater to quiet the Arco nutbags, ran down the court with his arms by his side and palms parallel to floor making the "chill out, I got this" motion. In a lot of ways, he became Shaq's equal at that moment. It was during this playoff run that the League's best player, Shaquille O'Neal, began calling Kobe "the best player in the world."
By the next season, as L.A. was on its way to a three-pea, folks were forced to start making distinctions. Shaq was the most dominant, Tim Duncan was the most valuable, but Kobe was the best…or whatever all the meant. By 2003, when Kobe averaged 30 ppg for the first time in his career, the arguments kinda stopped. Some folks tried to bring Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter into the discussion, but no sane person really disputed that Kobe was the best all-around player in the NBA. Again, Duncan and Kevin Garnett might have been more valuable and Shaq was still the most dominant force in the League, but nobody played the game of basketball with the brilliance, virtuosity, skill and brio that Kobe played it every game.
What he did in the '05-06 season was downright preposterous. Not only did he average 35 ppg for the season — something that, other than Wilt, only Jordan ('87) and Rick Barry ('67) accomplished — but he averaged 43 effing points per effing game for ALL of January. To do that in the modern NBA is astounding. And, yeah, that's the month he pulled off that 81-point game against Toronto that should go down as the greatest single game feat — considering all the factors — in the history of sport. That's like rushing for 500 yards in an NFL game or hitting six grand slams in one baseball game.
There's something really sad about the 2004-2007 Kobe, though, because it was during these seasons that his skill and athleticism met at a peak and it was also those three seasons when he dragged around a young, talentless Lakers squad that were relevant and compelling only because a martian played for them. Imagine if he could have spent those seasons on a contender. Before you blame him for forcing Shaq out of L.A. and making his own bed, you should check the terms on which Shaq has left Miami and Phoenix (and he most likely won't leave Cleveland like Dr. J left the Sixers, either).
Kobe ended the decade playing with more savvy and wisdom than force and dynamism. More importantly, he ended the decade with an MVP in '08 and a Finals MVP in '09. So his 10-year resume looks like this: two-time scoring champ, 10-time All Star, three-time All Star MVP, league MVP (should have won in '06, too), Finals MVP, four championships and consensus pick for "best player on the planet" title from '03-'08 and arguable in 2002 and 2009, too.
Shaq may have been the NBA Kingmaker for the first half of the decade and Duncan may have been the most valuable player of the decade; but Kobe Bryant was the best.
For more Decade Awards, check out the archive.


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animal print is one thing that will never get out of style and is a great way to add some pop to your outfit. and no need to get intimidated by it – there are many ways of incorporating it into your outfit. whether you want to test it out and be subtle or take it all on and go bold. get inspired by these animal print wearing celebs!
barely there: nicole richie wears a brown shirt with black animal print on it. it adds a nice, subtle texture to her layered look.
subtle: add some glam to an all-black outfit with leapord print accessories, like these shoes on kim kardashian, or try a leopard handbag or belt.
noticeable: this particular outfit is for summer, but can still be applied to fall/winter. follow sarah jessica parker's lead and wear an animal print dress with a plain colored blazer or sweater over it.
bold: how daring are you? vanessa hudgens goes all out in leopard print pants.


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Obama taps Bill Clinton to play role at DNC convention
All-Star panel weighs in
Jul 30, 2012
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All-Star panel weighs in
Jul 30, 2012
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Presidency is going to reinforce the message that President Obama himself will be laying out.
A day or two later which is his belief.
If we're gonna strengthen our economy over the long term we need to do it by strengthening the middle class by investing in the middle class and growing -- economy from the middle out.
President Clinton resided over period of relative economic prosperity.
And it may remind people of what this president President Obama is not a leader on the economy.
The Obama campaign -- tapping former President Bill Clinton with a big speaking role at the Democratic Convention and also talking a lot more.
About the Clinton economy.
Also we'll wrap up by the Romney trip as it continues overseas it's time to talk with -- fox all stars back in Washington.
Bill Kristol editor of the weekly standard AB Stoddard associate editor of the hill and syndicated columnist Charles -- Okay B what about this focus on Clinton and his role at the DNC.
I mean Republican.
There is feeling -- little sour about it because they know that Bill Clinton is really Obama's best hope the best focus from the convention has absolutely necessary it.
I don't think it's a big risk I don't think Bill Clinton's gonna pay him back with some off the reservation remark I think it's the best thing for Hillary Clinton the best thing for Bill Clinton.
And the best thing for President Obama.
I think that Bill Clinton will be reminding.
He -- -- of the good housekeeping seal of approval for wavering Democrats and be reminding.
Democrats and independents watching.
That his record here historic deficit reduction with 22 million new jobs and he will critique.
Romney's approach the economy and Republican economic policies.
And I think he's the best as spokesman that that Obama could put forward.
At the convention especially on a big sports night that threatens -- her viewership.
I think it's just a win win for all three of them.
Charles does this indicate a a weakness with perhaps middle class.
White voters with the Obama campaign and remember last time for President Clinton went out he started by saying you should.
Keep going with all of the bush tax cuts.
Right now it is a sign of weakness he would be coming.
-- -- UH come -- a retirement unless Obama thought.
Enough he was ahead by ten points or even the five were having -- successful economy -- that's in the come out I think this is mostly.
Internal democratic politics.
If they were a large number of disaffected Hillary acolytes who went for Obama the general election.
In 2008 there were larger number today after the performance for the last four years and then thinking how we would've been had Hillary being the nominee and then president.
So I think it's a way to shore up those votes I don't think it has appeal outside -- democratic.
Party after all Clinton is not at all like Obama -- the guys who -- welfare.
He's a guy that was who declared to the government is over Obama lives.
I've created if you build it it was in you it was a government.
Completely different and I think it's the -- from the center right Democrat center left Democrat.
And a man of the left and -- I think it's going to be highlighted -- that speech and not it's not going to be mitigated.
Bill governor Romney is over Poland now after moving on from Israel his speech.
Said by many to be pretty strong on -- Ron take a listen to this.
We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability.
We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course and it is our fervent hope.
The diplomatic.
And economic measures will do so.
In the final analysis of course no option should be excluded.
We recognize Israel's right to defend itself and that is right for America to stand with you -- -- what about this -- Well let -- rocky but the Jerusalem partners that home run I think.
Governor Romney is pro Israel it's that he was recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel -- that Israel and facing Iran.
And the government of people that the government and people in this -- are pro Romney.
And I -- that's not just appeal to Jewish voters that appeals to Americans who are pro Israel which most Americans are.
I think governor Romney very definitely highlighted the distance between President Obama.
And the government and State of Israel without criticizing President Obama without mentioning by name he nonetheless in the speech -- in the meetings.
The prime minister Netanyahu and his visits to the western law.
Highlighted that the fact that he is unequivocally pro Israel has a real sympathy I think.
With the people and State of Israel visiting the western wall people you know that was striking picture on the front page of the newspaper today especially because president Obama's drop in Israel as president state.
Maybe Jen Saki with the Obama campaign said this to reporters quote.
When you look at this trip it seems clear to bunch of fundraisers and photo ops and you know fumbles so we're not sure that that -- is moving the ball for ordered that he is passing the threshold.
He needs to meet for the American people whether he's prepared to be commander in chief.
They tried to jump on this trip.
Are they doing a good job.
Well I mean I agree with bill that they that the Israel portion of the trip has gone well it was a strong message to evangelical.
Voters back here at home that I bet Mitt Romney.
I can be trusted with his support for Israel.
Actually didn't really say anything different policy wise from the Obama administration many of the things he said President Obama has said recently.
He has a -- speeches and -- in other remarks it was Romney's -- and is fluent in his confidence that were the most effective.
After a really disastrous trip to London which I think the Democrats deserve to make fun out.
But in terms of his trip to Israel on the fact that -- old friends of the prime minister and he was able to us and asked a few fund -- and politicize it without stepping in -- too much.
Actually think it was probably an effective trip and and for people who are paying attention mostly to just what he said.
It looked very -- Charles.
Romney and performance in Israel was a master stroke.
It is true that the words were roughly what Obama said but it wasn't only the tone it was the new house.
Middle East diplomacy is conducted entirely code words in their lives.
And Romney have the ones of the middle easterners understand for example when he spoke about Iran Obama had also said Israel's right to defend itself if I was in the abstract.
Romney then added as we saw in the clip that America will be with few.
Meaning above -- says you can defend yourself but we know the behind the scenes.
He's giving a red light speaking about impediments leaking stuff that would indicate -- can't.
An Israeli strike wouldn't succeed Romney saying if you do it I'll stand with you you don't have to worry about America.
Punishing you afterwards.
And also on Iran acquiring nuclear weapons of Obama has said that.
But Romney spoke about.
Acquiring the knowledge and capacity building.
Obama has conceded young Iranian enrichment Romney is saying no we want to stop the program in its tracks these are huge difference is understood in the Middle East.
Without ever attacking Obama that was -- I was a great success.
All right panel thank you stay -- for.
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This chimney system is right of the Diagonal Wall. It forms occasionally. P1- Climb an obvious pitch of WI-4, past a narrow section and belay on the right at a nut&pin station. P2 - (standard) Climb directly up a narrow, steep, thin section and over a difficult overhang.(M6). Variation (left): Move up and left into a parallel chimney, and stick the thin flow in the dihedral (M5+). Belay on the right of an alcove at a 2 pin station. P3 - (standard) Go straight up thin ice and cracks and belay at the base of a ramp angling up and left (M6+). P3 - Variation (left) Scramble up above the belay to the left and climb awkward blocks past a pin (M6), then continue up the gully and left. Step right and mount a bulging roof (M6). Continue on easier ground for 30' and build a station. sling a rounded horn and rap the route, or climb the easy ramp to Broadway. P4 - (standard) Follow the ramp left to Broadway.
The first gully right of Diagonal Wall and 100' left of Crack of Delight rappels.
Full single rock rack plus 4-6 stubby ice screws, some pins.
Fun climbing everytime I've been up there.
I was at a CMC slideshow recently where Jack Roberts (author of the Colorado Ice guidebook) described this as one of his favorite easy mixed routes, when it's in. Will have to try it sometime....
Two icons Jack Roberts & Mike Bearzi, did they do other routes together?
Climbed Fields Nov. 4, 2012:


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Maximum Impact, Minimum Size
WAGO 2273 Series: Small is Big
The new "WAGO" is more than 50% smaller than the original 273 Series. Safe, secure and error-free connection of solid conductors is guaranteed by the transparent enclosure.
Terminal Strips
This 4-conductor terminal strips connector series 862 has been developed specifically to minimize the connection costs of electrical devices.
Modular terminal blocks and terminal strips
Modular terminal blocks and terminal strips with CAGE CLAMP® connection, with fixing flanges or snap-in mounting feet, front-entry wiring series 869 and side-entry wiring series 260, 261 and 262
Lighting Connectors
Since these connections are in accordance with VDE 0606 for testing and insulating, the 224 series connectors can be used in other applications using solid and stranded conductors. For example other applications could be:
MICRO Push-Wire Connectors for Junction Boxes
MICRO push-wire connectors of series 243 for junction boxes for solid conductors.
PUSHWIRE™ Connectors for Junction Boxes
The Original! PUSHWIRE™ connector for junction boxes for solid conductors.
Compact Connector for Flexible Conductors
Solid, stranded and flexible conductors with different cross sections can now be connected using the Series 222.
Push-wire connectors for 6 mm² / AWG 10
For time and cost saving push-in wiring up to 6 mm² / AWG 10 for use in distribution and junction boxes as well as in devices.


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It's considered conventional wisdom that you should never buy a car in its first year of production: that gives the automaker time to "work the kinks out." And that's the kind of thinking Chrysler officials are working to dispel as they prepare to launch the new Dodge Dart in Belvidere.
Chrysler's decision to produce the new Dodge Dart in northern Illinois will result in a wave of new jobs. The automaker formally told workers at Belvidere assembly plant Thursday that it plans to add nearly 1800 jobs at the facility by the end of the summer.


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How do I wear the academic regalia?
To the baccalaureate candidate, perhaps the most important element of academic regalia is the smallest -- the tassel. Traditionally, it is worn on the right side of the mortar board until the president during the ceremony officially and formally confers upon the recipients the degree. The tassel is then moved from the right side to the left side of the mortar board. This act symbolizes the recipient's new and well-earned status.
Master's and credential degree candidates wear the black tassel on the left side of the mortar board. Master's candidates carry their hoods on their right arms during the processional.
All degree candidates or credential recipients participating in the ceremony must wear academic regalia. Corsages or other adornments should not be worn on the regalia, nor should regalia be altered or modified in any way. The Honors Medallions are authorized to be worn as part of the regalia. Appropriate clothing should be worn beneath the regalia. Those who are not dressed properly will be asked to leave the assembly area and will not be allowed to participate.
Where can academic regalia and announcements be purchased and how much do they cost?
The Spartan Bookstore Graduation Center opens April 9. Purchase your bachelor's regalia (cap, gown, tassel) for $45.98 and master's regalia (cap, gown, hood & tassel) for $80.96; to ensure stock availability, please purchase before April 30 (call 408-924-1828).
To be sure you get the proper color and size, you should make your purchase as early as possible. To purchase your regalia, you must know:
- what degree you will receive (bachelor's or master's);
- the name of the department and the college for your major field of study;
- your height, to properly size your gown.
In addition, graduation announcements, class rings, diploma frames and other keepsakes of your accomplishments will be available in the Graduation Center.
Regalia Colors
Master's Degree Hoods | |
MA | White |
MS | Gold |
MBA | Sapphire Blue |
MFA | Brown |
MPA | Citron |
MPH | Salmon |
MSW | Citron |
MUP | Citron |
MLIS | Lemon |
All master's and credential tassels are black. |
Baccalaureate Tassels | |
Applied Sciences & the Arts | Olive Green |
Business | Sapphire Blue |
Education | Light Blue |
Engineering | Orange |
Humanities & the Arts | White |
Sciences | Gold |
Social Sciences | Cream |


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Monochrome Group - Mike McNamee FBPPA
Date: 7th October 12
Time: 11:00AM - 4:00PM
Location: Wilmslow Guild, Cheshire
Postcode: SK9 5HD
Contact: Alan Angel FRPS
Cost: Ł5.00
Type: Lecture
Region: North West
The next meeting of the RPS Monochrome Group will be held on Sunday 7th October at The Wilmslow Guild, Bourne Street, Wilmslow starting at 11.00am.
For this meeting Mike McNamee FBPPA has agreed to come to give his lecture ' Fine Art Monochrome Printing '. Mike will demonstrate the technique and exhibit some of his work, to show us the finished result. Mike is an expert on digital printing, that those of whom have seen his work and attended his lectures will testify.
So this a meeting not to be missed, and the cost is a mere £5, and that includes tea or coffee and biccies.
The Risk Assessment and Health & Safety Issues
Please note that the RPS, RPS North West and the event leader accept no responsibility for any mishaps/accident. The participants must accept their own responsibilities and are responsible for their own safety. Any one who is concerned about this please contact Afzal Ansary FRPS. Phone: 0797 040 3672 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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« Web Wednesday: Garland of Hearts | Main | Freelance Friday: Hearts & Mod Podge A L... »
Valentine's Day is a great holiday for kids to craft. There are so many simple craft projects for them to make to celebrate this day. Take this Tissue Paper Valentine project. This is so cute and simple. All you need is some glitter Mod Podge, and tissue paper. See below for a full supply list, and instructions.
PLAID Supplies
· Mod Podge ® Glitter - Hologram Silver, 8 oz.
Other Supplies
-Glass vase any shape – clean and dry -1 sheet each of tissue paper in colors of choice (used on this project: pink; red; purple; silver) -Scissors -#12 flat brush -Liner brush
1. Cut or tear tissue paper in small random shapes.
2. Paint thin coat of Mod Podge onto outside of vase in a 6" square area.
3. Place small pieces of random colors of tissue paper into wet Mod Podge letting them overlap slightly. Brush on Mod Podge over top of applied tissue. Brush more Mod Podge adjacent to the area just completed and continue to place tissue until vase is covered with tissue.
4. Cut heart shapes from silver paper. Use Mod Podge to attach to project where desired.
5. Use liner brush to apply Mod Podge around hearts and write "LOVE."
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Skincare Specific to Men! Parts three and four continued.
This is it boys. Better take note! You too women! Especially if you want to treat your man to great gifts that makes you as happy as he will be! The previous entry hit body and hands, grooming tools and a fabulous eye cream. So today it's all about the...
Jun 12 2009, 07:12 PM
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Filed under: Great Gifts, Online Shopping, Sensitive Skin, Dry Skin, Moisturizing, Oily Skin, skin care, men's skincare, shave, shaving lotion, anti-oxidant, scientific skincare, make-over, shampoo, hair, haircare, styling products, perfume, body wash, special event gifts, gorgeous hair, hair products, kits, gifts, sets, antiperspirant, body odor, scent, clarifying, sebum, scrubs, Skincare for Men, body cream, body lotion, shaving needs, Billy Jealousy, Jack Black, balding, Art of Shaving, clarifying shampoo, healthy scalp, scalp treatments, hair removal, graduation gifts, hair loss, travel kits, beauty tips, skin care specific to men, Grooming Lounge The Greatest Shave Ever Kit, Billy Jealousy Hair Kit, Grooming Lounge, Jack Black Signature Blue Liquid Magnetism Gift Set


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- Musician's Friend Best Selection, Price & Service. Guaranteed.
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A great-sounding banjo for the guitarist.
Due to the enormous popularity of the original GT-500 (our SKU #H65736), the GT-750 Banjitar was designed for optimal volume and tone. After numerous tone ring experimentations, a unique 20-hole bell brass tone ring was chosen for its bell-like sound characteristics and chime-like sustain. The brass tone ring provides more acoustic volume and a more focused tone. Upgraded from the GT-500, the GT-750 features the bell brass flat top tone ring, curly maple resonator, and bound fingerboard and resonator. This model also features the Sliding Magnetic Pickup (SMP) with volume control which provides a great banjo-like tone through an amplifier. Final assembly and complete setup performed at the Gold Tone Factory in Florida.
Only a few years ago, a 6-string banjo would have been considered a 'cheater' banjo for guitarists, but today it is well accepted as its own instrument and you will hear the 6-string banjo in many genres of popular music. The GT-750 will certainly be a welcoming addition to any guitarists' arsenal.
Put your guitar chops to a new use. Order today.
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Grab a Button!
Product 953/1940
Randy and Josh have worked hard to make a home together. They've been together a good while, plan to grow old together. So when Randy gets a job offer that will take them somewhere else, make them start over, it's a tough decision. But they have the one thing that will make any house they live in a home. Deep, abiding love.
Filled with all of the small details of an everyday love, along with the kind of heat only a longtime couple can generate, Life as a Porch proves that as long as you have each other, you can face any challenge.
Josh rocked slowly, chair creaking wood on wood, the sound so familiar he almost didn't hear it.
The early evening light left long shadows across the lawn, a light breeze rustled the big maple that shaded the porch. It wasn't cold yet, by any definition, but he wore a heavy cable sweater. He felt the cold more as he got older, felt it enough he was starting to seriously consider Randy's suggestion that they move to warmer climes.
Well. He had the occasional thought about it. Thing was, he loved their home, loved living in this neighborhood where they knew everyone, where they had lived and loved and fought and worked to be accepted by the community as a couple.
The thought of not watching the old maple that graced their lawn changing with each season, of not watching the kids growing from toddlers to teenagers and moving away, bringing back kids of their own, well that made him sad.
"Hey Mr. Keller," called out Robby Winston as his skateboard rumbled noisily along the sidewalk.
"Evening, Robby," he called back, smiling.
It was a good neighborhood.
Warm hands fell on his shoulders, the soft brush of mustache on his cheek familiar and welcome. "Hey, Mr. Keller." The drawl was soft, muted, Randy's deep rumble still thrilling him.
He chuckled, the sound husky, wanton -- Lord, he was nothing but an old hound dog. "Evening, Mr. Preston." He reached up and stroked the back of Randy's hand.


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The magic of the tombs at Newgrange on the winter solstice
Take a step back in time at Newgrange, in County Meath
Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland, is one the most famous prehistoric sites in the world for good reason. It's constructed in such a way that at dawn on the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice) a narrow beam of sunlight illuminates the floor of the structure's inner chamber just after sunrise, filling the long passageway with a bright shaft of sunlight.
It's a marvel of early astronomy that never fails to amaze because Newgrange actually predates the great pyramid of Giza in Egypt by at least 500 years. Built somewhere between 3100 and 2900 B.C., the famous passage tomb at Newgrange is estimated to be approximately 5,000 years old, even predating Stonehenge in Britain by 1,000 years.
The sophistication of the passage tombs design, aligned to mark the passage of the sun in less than twenty minutes on December 21st - the shortest day of the year - is still a cause for wonder in those lucky enough to win tickets allowing them into the tomb to attend the annual event. You can find out how to enter the free draw here.
The sunlight enters the passage through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, directly above the main entrance. Although solar alignments are not all that uncommon among prehistoric passage graves, Newgrange is one of few to contain the additional roofbox above the passage entrance, a sophisticated construction allowing the light to hit the floor of the inner chamber.
On the 21st of December the first light enters about four minutes after sunrise, but calculations based on the precession of the Earth show that 5,000 years ago first light would have entered exactly at sunrise. That makes the solar alignment at Newgrange very precise compared to similar phenomena at other passage graves in England and Scotland.
The structure itself lay hidden beneath the earth for over 5,000 years due to mound slippage, which effectively preserved it, until its rediscovery in the late 17th century, when men looking for building stone came across what they thought was a cave.
It wasn't until 1975 that Newgrange was fully excavated and largely restored under the supervision of Professor Michael J. O'Kelly from the Department of Archaeology at University College, Cork. (Professor O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to observe this event on December 21, 1967)
Restored to its former glory the Newgrange mound is a solid structure that's 250 feet across and 40 feet high, covering one acre of land. Within the mound a long passage stretching approximately one third of the length of the mound itself leads to a cross-shaped inner chamber. The passage is over 60 feet long, so the shaft on sunlight illuminating it on December 21st makes for a particularly dramatic moment. A tribute to its builders, the roof has remained essentially intact and waterproof for over 5,000 years.
Not surprisingly, there's a lot of interest in attending the annual solstice event, and in recent years a lottery has been held for tickets to be allowed into the tomb to view it.
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Today's consumers face a growing array of devices and ways to connect with content–giving them the option to connect anytime, anywhere—and marketers are scrambling to capture their attention. But in their mad dash to engage consumers, marketers have had a constant companion as new products have been brought to market: radio.
Global consumer confidence increased one point to an index of 94 in the second quarter, according to consumer confidence findings from Nielsen. The increase is part of a slow, but steady upward movement in consumer sentiment reported in the first half of the year.
The U.S. market has been tough recently on many of the big consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, after many years during which the leading players typically fared quite well. The advantage the leaders historically derived from their scale and scope is no longer what it once was, and sales growth of the top 25 companies as a group between 2006 and 2011 was less than half that of the nation's top retailers.
Football and wings go hand-in-hand, and for Buffalo Wild Wings it's one of the busiest times of the year. So the 2012 season, Buffalo Wild Wings saw football as the perfect opportunity to implement a cross-device advertising campaign to capture more consumer time and drive in-store traffic.
Marketers who can connect with sports fans have a captive audience. That's because sports fans are connected and passionate when they're engaged. And for sports like football, which compete with the holiday shopping season for attention, it's crucial to deliver the right message in the right environment at the right time.


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"I picked this style for my daughter's baptism cuz it wasn't too religious. It's classy and modern. Beautiful impression, thick paper so it doesn't seem cheap. I'm very hands-on, and it was amazingly simple to create this invitation!"
"We needed a unisex baptism invite for our twin boy/girl and both names fit on the invite and worked perfectly! This invite was great and is a steal for the price. The paper, colors, preset colors and font were perfect and didn't need to be altered. We entered the information and were good to go!. A great invite for the money."
"I used this invitation for our son's dedication at our church. I left all colors and fonts the same, the only thing I changed was the word baptism to dedication because that is what we do at our church. The card turned out beautiful!"
"I fell in love with this design when I was searching for a perfect invite for my daughter's baptism. I love the simplicity and pretty colors. Cards were delivered before the promised date and I have received compliments on the invite."
"The flowers surrounding the cross are adorable for a baby girl's baptism, especially in the spring. Received many compliments on invites from family too!"


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Kalderetang Kambing is goat meat stewed in tomato sauce. The adult goat meat, Chevon, is commonly used for this dish. The meat is sautéed with garlic, onions, and tomatoes then stewed in tomato sauce … [Read more...]
Panlasang Pinoy provides information on the best Filipino recipes, cooking, culinary schools, becoming a chef, and health benefits of food.


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And it's freakin' ridiculous what our party pulls off. We started off with an Ifirit alchemist named Snufalufagus, a Fetchling rogue named Ryrik, a Dhamphir ninja named Mori, and a Gnome inquisitor named Tanner. The Ryrik was my character, a lawful evil, very shifty fellow. After our first session, we picked up a new party member, a Dwarf cleric named Hogsnore. He and Ryrik quickly became enemies, mainly due to their alignments being polar opposites. Hogsnore, being a Chaotic Good cleric who was always doing random, idiotic things that pissed off Ryrik, couldn't have made a better rival for him.
The stakes went up when Ryrik was transformed into a vampire, Snufalufagus started multi-classing in barbarian, and Ryrik was offered an aliance with the campaign's Big Bad if he could assassinate Hogsnore, since Hogsnore is the bastard son of the dwarf king, who is allied with the Big Bad. Ryrik failed at this despite a clever plot, involving disguising himself as a sexy Undine man and seducing Hogsnore, who is indeed a homosexual. However, his treachery was not revealed and Ryrik remained in the party until we were all captured in battle by the enemy.
After that, we were forced to fight other prisoners in a gladiator arena. The first battle; Ryrik and Hogsnore vs the Gnome prince and two of his guards. Ryrik pretty much immediately turned on Hogsnore, but this was a bad move for him. Hogsnore was able to cast two spells in quick succession. He summoned 8 gallons of water directly over Ryrik's head, and then blessed the water to make it holy. That much holy water on top of a vampire pretty much immediately destroys them. He killed Ryrik, this badass vampire rogue, in one hit. If you have to imagine what happened to Ryrik, picture the melting Nazi from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
After that, Hogsnore proceeded to cast a spell on the Gnome prince that allows you to breath under water....with the unfortunate side effect of not letting you breath air anymore. Since there was no water in the arena, the prince pretty much suffocated immediately. After quickly killing the other two Gnomes, the audience was going nuts, chanting "HOGSNORE, HOGSNORE, HOGSNORE!!!". The took him back, and then made Mori and Tanner fight some captured ratfolk. That ended quickly, since they were ratfolk after all....
Finally, it was Snufalufagus's turn. Now, technically, his name is Dr. Snufalufagus, and he has a Phd in "blowing shit up." That is actually what it says on his character sheet. I'll continue with his fight in the next post.


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The nurses are having a really hard time finding a vein into which to place the IV tubes I will need during and after my surgery for morbid obesity. I make my usual "This is why I'm not a junkie" joke that always slays the phlebotomists. A third nurse has been called in. I heard the others powwow about her before she arrived, speaking of her as though she were some sort of blood-drawing shaman. She can't... More >>>
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- Musician's Friend Best Selection, Price & Service. Guaranteed.
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Scale Chord Relationships teaches players how to determine which scales to play with which chords, so guitarists will never have to fear chord changes again! This book/CD pack explains how to recognize keys, analyze chord progressions, use the modes, play over nondiatonic harmony, use harmonic and melodic minor scales, use symmetrical scales such as chromatic, whole-tone and diminished scales, incorporate exotic scales such as Hungarian major and Gypsy minor, and much more!
Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.


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Generally, freedom from legal obligation to perform actions or to suffer penalties, as in "immunity from prosecution". Specific types of immunity are separately defined and discussed.
See also:
Definition from Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary
Exemption from penalties, payments, or legal requirements, granted by authorities or statutes. Generally there are four types of immunity at law: 1) a promise not to prosecute for a crime in exchange for information or testimony in a criminal matter, granted by the prosecutors, a judge, a grand jury, or an investigating legislative committee; 2) public officials' protection from liability for their decisions (like a city manager or member of a public hospital board); 3) governmental (or sovereign) immunity, which protects government agencies from lawsuits unless the government agreed to be sued; 4) diplomatic immunity which excuses foreign ambassadors from most U.S. criminal laws.
Definition provided by Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary.
August 19, 2010, 5:17 pm


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Fresh from spending twelve weeks reworking SF hero Adam Strange in DC Comics' oversized Wednesday Comics series, comic god Paul Pope takes on another sci-fi classic on his blog: Frank Herbert's Dune. Click through for more goodness.
Comicsdestroyer Paul Pope is a true renaissance man, visiting SDCC this year as a DJ instead of just cartooning genius. We talked to him about DJing, music, comics, "pure" fantasy and why kids need new heroes.
Want to relive the Sunday comics of your youth but with better writing and art? DC Comics' newly-announced weekly Wednesday Comics will give you that chances... and also introduce you to some amazing creators.