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The Yadkin County Democratic Party held its convention on April 13 to address the controversial issues facing the party today.
Democratic Party Chair Larry Vestal provided the welcome for the meeting, noting that some last-minute changes had to be performed when the keynote speaker had a last minute conflict and wasn't able to attend.
Instead the convention was split into various speakers on topics including religion and the party, the importance of writing to your local paper, immigration and LGBT issues.
Rev. Nancy Johnson, a Methodist reverend from East Bend, took to the podium first to discuss how it is possible to be a Christian and a Democrat.
Johnson said it's important to remember that it is not the place of humans to judge our neighbors.
"My scriptural ground rules when I think about others is Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all was to love God with all of your heart and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself," Johnson said. "God takes the burden to judge off you and me, and I am so thankful because I am not faced with that."
Johnson said this is important to remember when dealing with such controversial religious topics such as abortion and homosexuality.
"Our Republican friends seem to want to impose their Christianity on the government," Johnson said. "We have that thing called separation of church and state. … It's just not the 1950s anymore. Life has changed, and we have separation of church and state. We need to take the responsibility of teaching our children our spiritual values in the home and the church."
Dr. James McGrath, a Forbush resident, has been a frequent letter to the editor contributor at the Winston-Salem Journal on political topics. Dr. McGrath said Democrats should this medium to encourage and celebrate diversity.
"We need to celebrate the fact that everybody is different and they have different views," Dr. McGrath said. "The only way to get it done is to speak up and you can do this by sending a letter to the editor."
Dr. McGrath said that he prefers to look toward the print medium because television news has become unapologetically biased.
"The way things have morphed on television news everybody is singing the same tune," Dr. McGrath said. "None of these pundits on television really strike me as great thinkers."
The convention then welcomed its younger speakers. Moises Serrano, a Hamptonville resident, was asked to speak on his experiences as an undocumented immigrant.
Serrano shared that his parents were Mexican immigrants who came to America as farm workers. After several years of moving around his mother and father were able to find jobs working in a factory but due to the way they entered the country he is trapped in a legal limbo as undocumented.
"I graduated from Starmount High School and I got a scholarship, but they wouldn't award it to me because of my status," Serrano said. "Based on current immigration laws I must leave here and live in Mexico for 10 years and then come back on a student or work visa. If I got to school as an undocumented immigrant then I must pay out of state tuition with no financial aid. How am i supposed to do that working two and three part time jobs?"
Serrano said that as a member of the immigrant community he feels personally attacked by the Republican Party and its immigration agenda. He insists that deportation is not sending dangerous immigrants out of the country but people like him and his parents who are just trying to obtain and education and work in the U.S.
He encouraged his fellow Democrats to demand meaningful immigration reform that doesn't punish other young people like himself.
"We are sending young people back to Mexico, and they are lost because it is not their home country," Serrano said. "True power isn't voting people into office. Power is holding these politicians accountable when they aren't doing the right things in office."
Bradley Hardy was the final speaker for the convention. He said he was taken aback at how far the Yadkin County Democrats have come over the years.
"Right now in this room we have an undocumented youth and an LGBT youth speaking and this is so innovative," Hardy said. "I think it's important when you have a convention to not walk away just knowing who you are but it's important to know why you are."
Hardy said that the current issues facing the LGBT community will soon be looked upon the same way racism was looked upon in the 1960s and 70s.
Hardy said that his generation is very concerned with equality and said that 88 percent of people ages 18 to 29 polled said they were in support of "marriage equality."
"It's going to take the Democratic Party to stand up and take on this issue," Hardy said. "We're going to develop a whole new generation of activists. We can recruit a whole new generation of Democrats if we're honest and we start to stand up and address the issues."
Hardy said that it's important that Democrats choose their phrases carefully. He noted that the issues of marriage equality should not be referred to as gay marriage.
"Homosexual people don't go gay grocery shopping and then attend gay church," Hardy said. "They don't want gay marriage; they want marriage equality."
Hardy said it's hard to be a LGBT community member in a county where 82 percent of people voted for amendment one.
"That basically means one of 10 people don't have a problem with you and if you're in the room then you are that person," Hardy said. "I think having this topic on the agenda today is a good first step for the Yadkin County Democratic Party."
Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Web of Science citation analysis reveals the significant impact the Beatles had on the global scholarly research landscape.
50 years ago, four young musicians from Liverpool, England appeared on the global stage and took the world by musical storm. To celebrate the Beatles' rise to worldwide fame, analysts at Thomson Reuters conducted a search of the Web of Science, their premier scientific search and discovery platform, to identify hundreds of pertinent papers devoted to the band, their music, and their continuing influence. From that list, 10 were selected to demonstrate the academic attention the Beatles continue to inspire decades after worldwide Beatles Mania first took hold in 1964, the same year the Web of Science originated.
The full article can be found here.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I've gotta go with Shawshank on this one. Misery, The Green Mile, and Stand By Me would be right behind it. Several others would be on the "VERY honorable mention" list. I'd say The Shining, but it's more like a Kubrick film, based (loosely in many parts) on an SK story.


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Monday, January 14, 2013
Children on a bus headed for Summerville Elementary School Thursday morning found two bullets on the floor of the bus, prompting a brief search of lockers and an investigation.
Dorchester School District 2 PIO Pat Raynor reported that a student informed the bus driver that there were two bullets on the floor at the back of the bus. The driver immediately retrieved the bullets and notified district officials. The bus had run a route earlier in the morning for Summerville High School, Raynor said.
District security officers working with the Summerville Police Department immediately conducted a security sweep at Summerville High School. The students who rode that bus were all questioned and a search was conducted that included their lockers and utilizing metal detectors. No weapons or ammunition were found, Raynor said.
As the investigation continued Thursday at Summerville Elementary and Summerville High School, the Principal at Summerville Elementary met again with the students that rode the bus where the bullet was found. One of those students did eventually admit to having the bullets on the bus, Raynor said.
The Summerville Police also questioned the student and will file a report.
The student will be recommended for disciplinary action, Raynor said.
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for those of you unfamiliar with vice magazine, it's perhaps the most in-depth, confrontational investigative journalism available. they're known for heading straight into harm's way, reporting everywhere from the front lines of the syrian and libyan rebellions to drug camps in the congo to north korean labor camps in eastern siberia.
their interests and reporting are diversified to a point that they have several online tv shows about food, fashion, drug culture, street art, music, and those odd rightwing guys out in the bunker in the woods talking to god on a two-way radio. their most recent foray into a specific aspect of society is an mma show, 'fightland.'
Fightland | by Vice.com
their pieces feature everything from the big-name interest stories, (op-eds on fedor, interviews with UFC champions, etc), to small-name interest stories (video blogs of joe lauzon's training camp, charlie brenneman's road back to the UFC, favorite fight songs), to vice-style off the grid, gritty journalism, (jonathan brookins leaving for india, muy thai tryouts in phuket, cuban amateur mma circuits).
i implore you all to thumb through it. here are a couple tastes:
God and Wrestling Come to MSG | FIGHTLAND
Mirko Cro Cop Kills My Dreams, Burns My Eyes | FIGHTLAND
The Snowman vs. the Cops | FIGHTLAND
this was the most recent sample on the page. pretty good insight.
In all the years Ive been following mixed martial arts Ive only felt real pity twice.
The first time was UFC 128 in March, 2011, when Jon Bones Jones beat Mauricio Shogun Rua for the UFC light heavyweight championship. That fight was so one-sided, and Rua looked so lost, almost angelic, in his suffering that I couldnt help feeling for him what any halfway decent person would feel for any person getting swallowed by his greatest fear: Pity in the true Aristotelian sense of the word. Now, I dont claim to understand anything about Aristotle, but Ive read enough quotes on daily calendars to know that real, "classical" pity is what we feel for someone whos experiencing suffering he doesnt deserve. And no one not Shogun Rua, not Rick Santorum, not anyone -- deserved to fight Jon Jones that night.
My second experience with pity took place this past Saturday during the main event of UFC 155 in Las Vegas. Watching heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos get completely overwhelmed by Cain Velasquez for 25 unending, suffocating minutes bordered on the inappropriate. I felt like I was seeing some part of dos Santos no one outside of his closest friends and family was ever supposed to see: complete vulnerability. He looked terrified; he looked lost; he looked like he wanted nothing more than to sleep for a thousand years, tucked away in the dark, alone with his shame. Junior dos Santos looked innocent.
But this is one of the most remarkable things about being an MMA fan: We get to witness unfiltered human emotion. This is true to a certain extent with all athletes, of course, but football players are buried behind masks, baseball players are protected by teams, and runners, swimmers, gymnasts, and golfers dont offer themselves up to be physically mauled in public. When they lose, their loss isnt equated with a death. The look in Junior dos Santos eyes wasnt the look of a person who was losing a game; he was losing his life. And for the first time, he didnt know what to do about it. Its an amazing thing to see a look of profound, existential powerlessness on the face of someone who had always been the personification of indestructibility.
But my experience Saturday went beyond simple identification. It wasnt just that for the first time I could feel what an MMA heavyweight champion was feeling; I always knew Junior dos Santos was capable of being afraid. This was something different, something more meaningful, more elemental, and at the same time more unnerving. This was looking inside another human being all the way. It was an autopsy. The entirety of Junior dos Santos -- the unbeatable champion, the "baddest man on the planet" -- was laid out on display for all the world to see. Which, when you think about it, is both the most disquieting thing in the world and an act of highest generosity. And so mine was a noble voyeurism. That's what I keep telling myself.


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Just Say 'Yes!': The unlikely rise of WWE's Daniel BryanWritten by Jeff McGinnis | | email@example.com
Many of the greatest things that ever happened in the colorful history of professional wrestling were things that weren't necessarily supposed to happen.
Oh, they were "worked," predetermined, planned, etc. With very few exceptions, they were scripted to happen. But many events that helped shape what wrestling is today arose out adaptation — the creators of the product recognizing that the current long-term battle plan wasn't working, or that a better plan was staring them right in the face.
Originally, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley (now known as Triple H) was supposed to win the WWF's King of the Ring title in 1996. But when he had to be disciplined, they changed gears and had another guy named Steve Austin win instead. He gave his famous speech about "Austin 3:16″ and a legend was born.
A kid named "Rocky Maivia" was supposed to be the WWF's next big thing as a smiling, happy good guy. Fans hated him. A lot. So he morphed into a brash, cocky baddie who resented those same fans. He became a BIT more successful under that name: The Rock.
Then there was another young talent who was getting nowhere as a bland good guy with no personality. The talk was he was very, very close to being cut when he appeared on a Halloween episode dressed as Vanilla Ice. That caused his character to be modified into a rapper, and the pieces fell in place for John Cena to become the biggest star of his era.
Indeed, though wrestling is just storytelling in a physical format, many of its greatest moments came about as an audible, showing a willingness to admit something wasn't working and deciding to change course. This is part of the reason why it was so frustrating to fans and observers that WWE seemed to be stubbornly refusing to adapt when it came to the rise of wrestler Daniel Bryan.
The popularity of Bryan — real name Bryan Danielson — was one of those magical things that seemed to come about organically over time, and without any real intent on the part of his employers. One of the most respected and popular figures on the independent scene, Danielson finally signed with WWE in 2009 after years of being considered one of the best wrestlers in the world.
From the beginning of Bryan's WWE career, though, it often seemed like he was never getting the opportunities to succeed that one would think a talent of his pedigree would. Upon debuting on the company's new "NXT" show, he was portrayed as a loser who couldn't win a match. He was the second talent "cut" from the show.
When the "NXT" rookies took in part in a major story where they "invaded" the company's flagship show, "Raw," it looked like Bryan's star was rising. Then he was legitimately released from WWE for pretending to choke someone with a tie during the show — apparently a step too far for the now-PG company.
He returned to the company a few months later, being consistently used in prominent positions, but with the added oddity of having the company's primary commentator, Michael Cole, single him out for near-constant ridicule. This continued for over a year, as he continued to impress observers with his in-ring abilities, up through Bryan's first major title win and subsequent change into a villain. Then, at WrestleMania 28, Bryan was written to suffer a humiliating defeat for his title in 18 seconds. Few wrestlers who had taken such a loss came out with any career momentum intact.
But a funny thing happened. That night, and in the days following, the fans who watched the show became outraged at what they saw as misuse and disrespect of an incredibly talented guy whose work they liked. They began chanting in support of him, even though he was portrayed as a villain. His pre-match ritual of galloping to the ring and chanting "Yes!" while thrusting his arms in the air became a rallying cry. A cult hero was born.
His popularity continued to grow over the next year or so until WWE decided to give Bryan a try as a main-event-level player. He was written to defeat top dog John Cena to win the company's major title. But then, the company immediately had Bryan lose the belt to Randy Orton, undercutting the biggest moment of his WWE career mere minutes after it happened.
For the next few months, Bryan was consistently in the main event of shows, but also consistently minimized by the bad guys, who played off fan emotions by proclaiming Bryan unworthy of being champion. The problem was, Bryan was never given a chance to prove them wrong, almost always being written to lose or be humiliated in the end. When the numbers for Bryan's first pay-per-views as the main draw disappointed, it was apparently seen as proof that Bryan simply wasn't meant to be a top guy — instead of being seen, perhaps, as a reflection of fans' distaste for how his story was progressing.
Any plans to use Bryan as a major hero were dropped, and indeed he was suddenly made into a villain again, which no fan wanted to see — perhaps in an effort to silence the audience who were still loudly protesting for him. Any chance that Bryan's story would have a happy ending seemed gone.
But again, a few more funny things happened. A spontaneous "Yes!" chant broke out at a Michigan State basketball game, giving WWE a surprise burst of mainstream publicity — which they couldn't take advantage of, given how Bryan was now supposed to be a villain shunning the catchphrase. The embarrassed company made him a hero again the very next week.
Then, WWE reintroduced former star (Dave) Batista, who won the annual Royal Rumble event, on a clear path to win the company's top title at WrestleMania 30. But again, the fans wouldn't stand for it. They booed the supposedly-heroic Batista out of every building he appeared in. It became apparent that if the planned main event would happen, it would be a catastrophe. The fans knew what they wanted, and they signaled it with chants at every chance possible.
Finally, finally, WWE had no choice but to listen.
At WrestleMania, Bryan defeated the company's storyline figurehead, Triple H, to earn a place in the show's main event. Then, in front of 75,000 deliriously happy fans, Bryan was awarded the company's top championship. And even though the crowd had been deflated by some of the show's prior events, the Superdome still erupted into frenzied cheers when Bryan was declared the winner.
It wasn't supposed to happen. But it did. The 5'8″ grappler with the scraggly beard and wacky catchphrase somehow stood as the biggest star on the industry's biggest night.
It's not smooth sailing from here. There's no guarantee that Bryan's run as a true top talent will succeed. But he'll at least be given the chance, and that's what every fan — the ones who chanted his name, who shouted his catchphrase, who wrote of their disapproval online, who voiced their support — that's all they wanted. And Bryan, who through it all has been nothing less than the pinnacle of class and professionalism, finally gets to reap the rewards his talent should earn him.
WWE, as it has so many times before, finally adapted its battle plan. Kicking and screaming, perhaps, but it did. And this time — with the undying support of the fans — when the question was asked whether or not Bryan deserved a moment in the sun, the answer was clear.
Tags: Batista, Daniel Bryan, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley, John Cena, Michael Cole, NXT, Randy Orton, Raw, Rocky Maivia, Royal Rumble, Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, WrestleMania, WWE, WWF


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- 96% polyester, 4% spandex
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adjective amus·ing \ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ\
: causing laughter or enjoyment : funny or enjoyable
Full Definition of AMUSING
See amusing defined for English-language learners
Examples of AMUSING
- He's one of the most amusing people I know.
- It was amusing to hear her tell the story.
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- Synonyms
- fun, delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, pleasurable
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Elomi Lingerie are part of Eveden Limited, a company who specialise in gorgeous lingerie for the fuller figure. Elomi brings you stylish and exciting lingerie in cup sizes up to J so you can have the beautiful, sexy lingerie you want and still enjoy the comfort and support you need. From everyday neutral shades to bright pinks and blues, Elomi is sure to have a range which is perfect for you.
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The goals of the Sloan Kettering Institute's Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program include the conception, design, and synthesis of new anticancer and antiviral agents; elucidation of mechanisms of action and resistance of anticancer agents; preclinical evaluation and toxicology of promising new agents; translational research bearing on radiation and chemotherapy; risk assessment of new therapies; and broader aspects of cancer etiology, prevention, and pathogenesis.
The program functions as a conduit for bringing discoveries in the basic biological sciences - generated from cancer-related molecular pharmacology and from the other research programs - to preclinical and clinical evaluation. More than half of our researchers are engaged in laboratory-associated clinical investigation.
The largest research program of Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program includes faculty immersed in the whole spectrum of pharmacological fields, ranging from drug development, drug sensitivity and resistance, molecular biology of drug action, cell signaling, chemoprevention, transcriptional regulation, neuropharmacology, antibody and cytokine therapy, and tumor antigens to the development of improved tumor assays.
In the near future, several discoveries from the laboratory will likely be tested in the clinic. The vaccine program, utilizing synthetic carbohydrate antigens, is being expanded and evaluated in breast, ovarian, and prostate tumors. Deoxyepithilone B will be evaluated further in preclinical models, and a pharmaceutical partner is sought for its clinical development. Gene therapy protocols using drug resistance genes will be written for patients with lymphoma and breast cancer. New treatment strategies for patients, depending on tumor phenotyping and genotyping, are also in development.


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A video with Dr. Joseph Mercola on how Frucoxanthin and the Asian diet can help with weight loss.
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text: Bosch Diamond Cup Wheels Home › Tool Accessories › Diamond Cup Wheels - Concrete Grinding › Bosch Diamond Cup Wheel 5" Concrete Surface Grinding DC500Bosch Diamond Cup Wheel 5" Concrete Surface Grinding DC500 E-mail this product to a friend Pin It Tweet Regular Price: $202.80 On Sale For: $109.91 Shipping Weight: 2lb Quantity: BoschDC500 is ideal for sanding thin layers of thermo-plastic protective paint finishes on concrete and fiberglass. The medium-hard metal bonding and wide segment spacing have been designed for low working temperatures preventing the protective paint finish from smearing during grindingDC510 is ideal for quick grinding down of thick concrete layers. The optimized cobalt bonding has been equipped with tungsten carbide and thus allows even the toughest use so roughing concrete is no longer a problemDC520 is ideal for large-area material removal of lime plaster, hard finish plaster, sandstone and abrasive concrete. The hard metal bonding even resists loads caused by strongly abrasive materialsDC530 is ideal for creating fine surfaces on granite building materials, artificial stone and concrete. The surrounding turbo grinding ring enables fine grinding results for finishing work. Also works great on edges and corners without breakage5" Diameter, 7/8" Arbor, 12,200 Max RPM. Shipping Estimator* Shipping estimate for US onlyCountry:United StatesArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBangladeshBelarusBelgiumBelizeBermudaBoliviaBosnia and HerzegowinaBrazilBulgariaCanadaCayman IslandsChileChinaColombiaCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGibraltarGreeceGuatemalaHong KongHungaryIndiaIndonesiaIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKuwaitMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPakistanParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSouth AfricaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States minor outlying islandsUruguayUzbekistanVenezuelaYugoslaviaState/Province:AA (Armed Forces Americas)AE (Armed Forces Europe)AlabamaAlaskaAlbertaAmerican SamoaAP (Armed Forces Pacific)ArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineManitobaMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonOther (Non U.S.)PalauPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandPuerto RicoQuebecRhode IslandSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandsVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingYukon TerritoryZip:Shipping Estimate: also purchased Bosch 5" Concrete Surfacing Grinder Scarifier Vacuum Port 1773AK


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Comedienne and actress Rebel Wilson was spotted recently with a friend soaking up some rays on a beautiful Hawaiian beach. The 27-year-old curvacious star is enjoying a tropical holiday on the island and was seen sporting a navy blue halterneck one-piece as she headed down to the water for some snorkeling. The Super Fun Night
Archive for the 'General' Category
Model Kate Moss Escapes London Fall for Jamaica
Well, who can blame her? With six months of rain ahead of them, I am sure most Brits are planning a sunny getaway to help them get through it. She is undoubtedly trying to make the most of her time off before she starts as a contributing fashion editor for British Vogue. It was announced
"Made In Chelsea" Star, Kimberley Garner, Shows Off Her Smokin' Bod
The 22 year old was poolside at the exclusive club Bar D'Or in St Tropez, showing off her awesome beach body and modeling a bikini from her line, Kimberley London.
Famous swimwear designer Melissa Odabash joins with Marisota to release 'Sea' plus-sized swimwear
Promising a stylish spring swimwear collection for real women, renowned swimwear designer Melissa Odabash has partnered with online retailer Marisota to release a brand new line called 'Sea'. The new line, designed for what they call "real" and plus-sized women, will launch this spring. "I've been privileged to see some of the world's greatest celebrities
Shirtless Rob Lowe spotted surfing on Malibu beach
Most men spent Super Bowl Sunday fixated on their television sets, but actor Rob Lowe had other plans, like catching some waves out on a Malibu beach. The at times shirtless 49-year-old was spotted in a lycra wetsuit when he wasn't exposing his defined pecs. As an avid surfer, this isn't the first time the
Extreme surfer Garrett McNamara conquers his own record on a 100-ft monster wave
Extreme surfer Garrett McNamara has broken his own world record by riding a massive swell measuring 100 feet. The 45-year-old daredevil rode the monstrous wave just off the coast of Nazare, Portugal. He called the experience "overwhelming", and also "very challenging". "I feel very blessed and I feel that we've achieved everything we wanted to
Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramirez enjoys picture-perfect Mexican beach vacation
One can assume that Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramire's Mexican vacation was every bit as magical as the photos. Ramirez was spotted lounging beachside at the Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa in Puerto Vallarta under the sun and losing herself in a magazine. With a cocktail in hand and the turquoise waters as a
Mud-covered Demi Moore spotted at Mexican beach resort where she irritated fellow guests
She's no stranger to controversy, and Demi Moore is at it again after apparently exhibiting some "outrageous" behaviour at a Mexican beach spa resort. Photos from Demi's time at the resort show her mud-covered and lying on the sand while a group of women take part in some beach meditation. Fellow guests of the Amansala
One Direction band members strip shirtless for new Kiss You video
Looking more like the Beach Boys, the members of boyband One Direction stripped down to their boarder shorts and took to some surfboards for the shooting of their new music video Kiss You. The foursome Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik stood shirtless in front of a green screen for the shooting of
Shirtless Harry Styles (and newly single) spotted on Caribbean beach
One Direction bad boy Harry Styles was recently spotted shirtless during a day at the beach during his Caribbean vacation. The 18-year-old singer was spotted showing off his collection of nearly 30 tattoos. He was seen with his hair in a pony tail while sporting a pair of Ray-Bans and a sometimes low-sitting pair swimming


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Stimulate the imagination for creative playtime with the Fire Engine 5' Tunnel by Pacific Play Tents. This tunnel is designed for crawling around. Just connect several together to create a maze or add the coordinating Fire Station Tent sold separately by Pacific Play Tents for added fun. Tunnels promote the use of your child's imagination, help develop motor skills and muscle strength and ensure hours of playtime fun. Tunnel features wonderful train graphics and is half nylon and half mesh, great for keeping an eye on the kids.
- 70 denier, 190T polyester taffeta with P.U. coating
- Flame retardant, meets CPAI-84 & ASTM F963 safety standards
- Sturdy spring steel construction, interior padding for safety and comfort
- Collapses flat for easy storage
- Easy cleaning with a damp cloth and mild soap
- Dimensions: 5' long x 19" diameter


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The Noggin Nest Head Support, with a unique patented cut-out design, is the only head support to help guard against "Flat Head Syndrome." This necessary cushion works by slightly raising baby's head so that it isn't lying flat against a hard surface. Use the Boppy Noggin Nest head support in baby's bouncer, swing or stroller.
- Patented design includes a cut out hole to relieve pressure from the back of the baby's head, helping to maintain the roundness of his head
- Generous side padding provides comfort


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Topic: FA Cup picks and previews 2010-11
FA Cup 12 and 13 March
- Saturday -
Birmingham - Bolton
St Andrew's
Kick-off: 12:45 GMT
This season: Bolton 2 Birmingham 2 (PL).
Last season: Bolton 2 Birmingham 1 (PL). Birmingham 1 Bolton 2 (PL).
Birmingham have been strong recently, but had a game against Everton on Wednesday, while Bolton's last game was last weekend. Bolton was strong against Birmingham last season, but are much better at home.
More than 2.5 goals.
Manchester United - Arsenal
Old Trafford
Kick-off: 17:15 GMT
This season: Manchester United 1 Arsenal 0 (PL).
Last season: Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3 (PL). Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1 (PL).
Arsenal are coming off a tough away game against Barcelona, while Manchester United will be desperate to bounce back from their defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Manchester United to win.
- Sunday -
Stoke - West Ham
Britannia Stadium
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
This season: West Ham 3 Stoke 0 (PL). West Ham 3 Stoke 1 (LC)
Last season: Stoke 1 West Ham 1 (PL). West Ham 0 Stoke 1 (PL)
Stoke have struggled against West Ham this season, but I believe the hosts will be able to book their place in the Semi final with a win in this one.
Stoke to win.
Manchester City - Reading
City of Manchester Stadium
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
This season: Not played.
Last season: Not played.
This could be Manchester City's only chance of winning something this season and I believe they will be desperate to win this one and I believe they will.
Manchester City to win with 0-1 handicap.


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All the World's a Stage: A Seattle Theater Blog
As a self-described theatre geek and culture vulture, Maia is always partaking in the arts. This will be the place to hear about what she's seen and her recommendations on what you should behold; in the theatre world and beyond.
Posts filtered on Tag
Talking wine with Jason Wise of documentary 'SOMM'
A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down with director Jason Wise after watching his documentary SOMM. It follows four friends putting most everything else in their lives on hold in an attempt to pass the rigorous Master Sommelier exam – an exam of which less than two hundred people have passed […] [Read More]


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Twitter has reached nearly 200 million users registered accounts who post 110 million tweets per day as of the January 1, 2011, Twitter spokesperson Carolyn Penner tells me. That's up from 160 million registered accounts as of September 2010 and 95 million tweets per day as of early December — steady, but not explosive, growth. That's why the company is now focused on building out its international presence.
Twitter said on Tuesday on its blog that it had launched its service in Korean, its seventh language to date. But even more interestingly, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams also visited Seoul and held a press conference on Wednesday to talk about the recent launch.
Among the announcements Williams made at the event, the biggest were two new partnerships with local companies, which shows how Twitter could approach new countries in the future. Twitter partnered with LG Uplus LG Uplus, the country's third-biggest carrier, to allow users to tweet via SMS (presumably so that even feature phone users can tweet), and to attract users, SMS tweets will be free on the network for the next six months.
Twitter also partnered with local portal and search engine Daum. Twitter users in the company will be able to log into Twitter simultaneously while logging into Daum. Daum will also display real-time search results with Korean Twitter users' updates.
Twitter reportedly sent an email titled "Twitter loves Korea" out to local reporters about the press conference. Korea certainly seems to love Twitter too. Williams said Twitter has seen 3,400% growth of Korean language tweets in 2010, growing faster than tweets in general. There are also a number of high-profile Twitter users in Korea, from the president to pop star Kim Hee-chul. Also, it's common to see Twitter, as well as other social networking services like Facebook Facebook, accounts on Korean business cards.
Twitter's already in Japanese, and popular in that country. Adding another highly networked country like South Korea will be good for the service, especially as a potential test bed for new features or usage patterns — since Asians use social networks differently from North Americans.
While in the country, Williams also reportedly visited the offices of the Korean president. A video clip of the Q&A session Williams held with Korean reporters is below:


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Body Solid Tools Olympic Shrug Bar
by Body Solid Tools | Item #: 767543 | Model #: OTB50 |
We're sorry, this item is not available in your selected Club. Check another Club
About this item
Doing shrugs with this Olympic Shrug Bar builds mass and thickness throughout the mid-back and upper traps.
Uniquely designed to eliminate contact with the upper thighs and front torso to provide greater range of muscle contraction and deep tissue development. Used for shrugs, dead lift, bench press, military press, squats and lunges. Builds thicker, stronger legs by allowing you to use heavier weights with less strain on the lower back. Solid steel with super-durable zinc plated finish.
Assembled Country
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Click Chick: More movie titles heading to IMAX
Look for more Warner Bros. movies on IMAX over the next three years. The movie giant plans to release up to 20 films in that format starting in 2012. Some of the titles include Jack the Giant Slayer, Man of Steel, 300: Rise of an Empire, Pacific Rim and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Now remember, that's the 2nd Hobbit film which is coming out next year. Read more about it from Deadline.
Christmas Comes Early for Trekkies: I've got big news for you. Next month, Paramount will show nine minutes of footage from the Star Trek sequel on IMAX, says The Wrap. Star Trek Into the Darkness doesn't open until May 17 of next year. But consider this a little early present from me.
The Wizard of Oz Prequel: I'm a big fan of director Sam Raimi so I'm pretty pleased that he's the guy behind the Oz the Great and Powerful. Check out the newest trailer from the film:
Listen Up Metal Heads: Black Sabbath is coming out with "The Vinyl Collection: 1970-1978." Those are the classic Ozzy years, it will be released on 12/12/12...that's apparently twice as evil as 666. It's supposed to be an elaborate vinyl boxed set containing their nine most appreciated albums, according to RockCellarMagazine.com.
Hope Gets Hitched: Remember that brouhaha involving Olympian Hope Solo and fiance Jerramy Stevens and other people at a party the other day? Well, that didn't stop them from walking down the aisle Tuesday night. The two reportedly got hitched, according to Bleacher Report. So how did the fight at the party start? It started over where they would live after they got hitched. Guess they worked that out.
Cute Animal Video: Watch these cute English bulldog puppies frolic and play:


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Furniture quality and sentimental value are key factors in deciding whether to invest in upholstery repairs.
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" I will definitely use them again if the need arises. They took the rocker away and brought it back in beautiful condition, and did the paneling work on site the day they brought back the chair. The chair repair took exactly as long as they estimated. They are extremely polite and very professional.
" He first explained to me what I could expect and what not to expect. He cleaned the cabinets with a solution and they are so clean and shiny that they actually look new once again. He filled all the holes and did an amazing job of matching the pickled colored cabinets. He is an artist more than a furniture touch up person in my opinion. If you have cabinets in an ok state and you do not want to replace them you at least owe it to your pocketbook to speak with this person.
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Local Articles in Smithville
Furniture - Refinishing & Repair, Upholstering - General
Leather & Vinyl Repair, Furniture - Refinishing & Repair
Leather is a great, durable furniture option. Learn what type of leather is best for your lifestyle and how to take care of it for years of enjoyment.
Furniture - Refinishing & Repair
Tall furniture topples easily. Protect your family by safely securing it with anchors.
Leather & Vinyl Repair, Furniture - Refinishing & Repair, Upholstery Cleaning
Quality leather furniture can last decades, but like almost any investment, it needs proper care and routine maintenance to hold up well.
Angie's Answers
In Search The List under the Services category - category you need is Furniture - Refinishing and Repair
Who can I call to repair the reclining mechanism on a leather home theater couch?
Who would you call to repair a Barcalounger?
That's an interesting concept, plus now you can buy all-new furniture at your new place. You can find ratings and reviews on local real estate agents on Angie's List. I would definitely finding a few agents who are familiar with that kind of listing, or alternatviely, you may want to consider an auction house to help sell off our furniture (which you can also find on Angie's List). Check out both servcies here www.AngiesList.com
If you use promo code ANSWERS, you'll get 20% off an annual membership. Good luck with your sale!
If you use promo code ANSWERS, you'll get 20% off an annual membership. Good luck with your sale!
Does anyone know where to get fitted sheets for a ComforPedi Loft mattress made by Simmons? Its a Queen .
Hello, I have a very nice piano that I want to sell. How do I go about it on here? Thanks for any information provided, Gail
Furniture Refinishing reviews in Smithville
It was the second time I used their services. The first time was to build a track on an antique dining room table so that I could put in a leaf. He did perfect work and called before he arrived. He was very professional, but also very relaxed and explained everything he was going to do. This time I used him to repair a drawer on an antique roll-top desk and he was all of these things during this second experience as well. I would definitely recommend him to others. His prices are also very fair."
The guy was really great. He is very passionate about his work and customers. He went above and beyond what I asked him to do. He made a brand new pad for the chair and did not charge me for it. He also wiped down all the wood on the chair with lemon seed oil. He did another one of my chairs that was not even part of the job and the wood looks brand new. He is a very friendly and likable person. I would would have him back in a minute!"
I called to return the finished table. It looks beautiful now ! I cannot tell where the
He was very good. I would recommend him and I would have him again. I would have paid more. He was a nice man and did a good job. His quality of work was good. He was very reasonable."
We started in May and he completed in mid September. Around mid December, we would wipe our cabinets and little chips would start coming off. He was kind enough to give me the paint information, but I'm leaving it alone because I separated as well, which I don't think is normal. Also, when they taped my hardwood floors to keep the paint off of them, they pulled up the refinish when they tore the tape off. They didn't really offer to resolve the problem. A few of the cabinets are not aligned and a little crooked. I have been trying to reach him for the past 5 weeks. we've made 2 appointments for him to come out to check on things, but he failed to show up. He does not answer or return my phone calls. I even missed 2 days of work for those 2 appointments."
It was great. The piece was picked up and dropped off as planned. As a matter of fact I had a ring and some water spots on a small table and he took care of that for me when he dropped off the dining table top for no charge. Very professional and personable.
It was amazing. They gave brand new life to the sofa and love-seat and another 5 years of life. I didn't know they could do something like that. He was very responsive and was good at helping us get the right color. He was good at explaining how it works. A year later the old dye was showing up and he came out to fix it."
This is our second time using Vitaly and professional and expert as his craft. We wouldn't consider using anyone else.
Furniture Refinishers in Smithville, TN
Companies below are listed in alphabetical order. To view top rated service providers along with reviews and ratings, Join Angie's List Now!
All Watch Battery Replacement Georgia Clock Repair
105 Enterprise Dr
Cicero's House Artistic Productions LLC
505 Drillane RD.
Down Under Faux
36 Prince Street
Exquisite Designs
47332 Sterdley Falls
Harry A Eberhardt & Son Inc
2010 Walnut St
Laura's Designs
405 East Mission Street
Leo A Paquin HANDYMAN
PO Box 238659
Northcross Construction
6099 Mt Moriah Rd Ext
Patio-Guy Patio Furniture Enterprises
538 North Darlington St
Perma Ceram of Knoxville & Tri-Cities
6512 Baum Dr
Table Tek
245 Union Street
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wow, what a week! And I have to talk about it to somebody!
First, the Gift was from Heather at girlichef and was actually a Sea Salt give-away. Her darling son pulled my name out of girlichef's lucky hat and…. It was MY lucky day. I received my sachet of Gourmet Espresso Bravo Sea Salt from Charmane's Gourmet Seasonings as well as an adorable little pinch bowl.
Thank you girlichef and helpers for this super fun gift. Now I am trying to come up with the perfect recipe to use this amazing Espresso Sea Salt in.
The Prize was an incredibly fabulous and adorable VINTAGE APRON from Karen at Domestic Muse as part of her Everything Old is New Again Retro Recipe Contest and I won the Main Course Category with my mom's 1960's Surprise Burgers! Yay mom! I won this and I so cannot wait to wear it in the kitchen:
Thank you a gazillion, Karen! This was such a fun Contest and I hope it becomes one of your regular features. What a blast from the past some of those cool and groovy recipes were! I may have to make those Cream Cheese Dainties from 7th grade Home Ec class after all – in your honor!
The Give-Away is from The Apron Goddesses.
The lucky winner of this super give-away walks away with a Monogrammed Linen Ice Milk Apron gift pack! The aprons are simply gorgeous and will be a joy to wear in the kitchen while you whip up those family heirloom recipes. The Apron Goddesses is a beautifully designed and awfully cute blog for all those Apron Goddesses out there who can't get enough…aprons. Chock full of beautiful aprons and apron give-aways, this blog is a wonderful find!
And last, but far from least, the Honor – and what an honor – is being the first post on the brand spanking new blog honoring AK Muckraker of Mudflats fame. Her Forum Administration, Moderator's, friends and faithful followers wanted to show our love and respect for this amazing political blogger and, of course, her informative, in-depth, thought-provoking and often humorous blog by creating a blog especially in her honor. We all can participate by creating things or posting our own "guest post" on this space dedicated to sharing our thoughts about Mudflats and honoring the blog. I pulled up the new iheart.themudflats.net and saw, much to my amazement, my own Life's a Feast post honoring AK Muckraker with my very own buttery Moose Nuggets Mudflats cookies.
Thank you ever so much for this high honor. I am thrilled.
And, now, back to cooking….
12 comments:
- ~Carole said...
It's great to be you! I'm so jealous, LOL. That apron is gorgeous. Congratulations on everything!
- April 23, 2009 at 5:32 AM
- scraps said...
How fun for you! You do have such a gift of writing along with you cooking, glad to see you have won.
- April 23, 2009 at 8:05 AM
- Rosa's Yummy Yums said...
Wow, what great prizes! i'm jealous too ;-P!
- April 23, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- girlichef said...
You're on a roll, woman!! Can't wait to see what you do with the salt...and that apron is so adorable :)
- April 23, 2009 at 10:24 AM
- Ana Powell said...
Gosh, lucky you.
I love the apron, just beautiful.
I am really glad for you x
- April 23, 2009 at 11:36 AM
- asiangrrl said...
You deserve it all, Jamie. That apron is SO you!
- April 23, 2009 at 2:14 PM
- Donna-FFW said...
Congratulations.. good for you. Cant wait to see you wear the apron, I soo wanted an apron.
- April 23, 2009 at 8:21 PM
- teresa said...
Isn't it fun! You deserve all of it!
- April 24, 2009 at 6:31 AM
- Sara said...
Congratulations! I never win anything :)
- April 24, 2009 at 7:10 AM
- Julia said...
Holy mole you won a great one! I saw that one too and entered as well. Wa! But thanks for posting about TAG and playing along with the reindeer games!
And I always want to eat a cookie...
- April 24, 2009 at 11:32 AM
- the ungourmet said...
That is the sweetest little apron!
Your blog is lovely! Thank your for stopping over at my blog today! Have a wonderful weekend!
- April 24, 2009 at 12:53 PM
- Chef E said...
Sounds like you took my SWAG crown on this post :) Congrats on the vintage contest...I hate to say it but I only use aprons at work, and not at home...just go through a million dish towels a week though!
Oh I got salt, some purple, from girlichef too!
- April 27, 2009 at 12:32 PM


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- Home
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Churchill Downs Adds New Pool for Kentucky Derby Future Wager
Fans can now back their opinion on the prospects for next year's Kentucky Derby sooner rather than later. For the first time, Churchill Downs Racetrack will add a fourth pool to its popular Kentucky Derby Future Wager and it will coincide with closing week of the racetrack's 25-day Fall Meet: Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, Nov. 30.
Byrne Adds Blinkers for Quick Turnaround for Promising Juvenile Almost Famous
When the highly-regarded 2-year-old Almost Famous faltered in upper stretch and finished a non-threatening fourth in the $61,800 Street Sense on opening day of the Churchill Downs Fall Meet, trainer Pat Byrne quickly admitted that he was completely mystified.
Lukas Says BC Classic Runner-Up Will Take Charge "Possible" for Clark 'Cap Run
The narrow loss to Mucho Macho Man in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade I) at Santa Anita by Willis D. Horton's Will Take Charge might not be the final race of the year for the late-blooming 3-year-old star.
Kentucky Derby Winner McGaughey Ships Abaco to Churchill For Saturdayi's Cardinal
Solid Appeal and Somali Lemonade will share top billing as the 119-pound starting high weights for Saturday's $100,000-added Cardinal Handicap (Grade III) at Churchill Downs, but Eastern invader Abaco could be the horse to beat when 10 fillies and mares go to post in the 40th running of the 1 1/8-mile turf race.
Wise Dan, Groupie Doll Among First Breeders' Cup Stars Back Home in Kentucky
Reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan, fresh off his second consecutive victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile (GI), and Groupie Doll, the Filly & Mare Sprint champion of 2012 and a repeat winner in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (GI) at Santa Anita, are back in Kentucky following their early afternoon arrival at Louisville International Airport on a flig
Don't Tell Sophia Rallies From Last To Take Grade II Chilukki at Churchill Downs
Don't Tell Sophia rallied from last in the field of 10 fillies and mares to sail past 5-2 favorite Wine Princess en route to a 2 ¼-length victory in the 28th running of the $165,200 Chilukki (Grade II) on Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
Ms Anna Destiny Runs Away with Churchill Downs' $59,700 Dream Supreme
Lloyd Schwing Racing's Ms Anna Destiny made a four-wide move on the turn for home and drew away in the stretch to win Friday's ninth running of the $59,700 Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs by a widening 4 ¼ lengths over 9-5 favorite Vuitton.
Bourbon Courage,Runner-Up in Return, Still on Schedule for Clark Handicap
A victory by Bourbon Courage in his return from nearly six months on the sidelines would likely have made a soggy day at Churchill Downs a bit more perfect for owner Bourbon Lane Stable, but trainer Kellyn Gorder liked what he saw and his colt remains on track for a bid in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by
Nearing End of Racing Days, Wine Princess Takes Regal Pedigree Into Chilukki
As the steady Wine Princess nears the end of her racing days, trainer Steve Margolis is dealing with mixed emotions as his filly appears to be in career-best form.
Special Post Times Friday & Saturday for Breeders' Cup Simulcast
Churchill Downs will have special post times for its 10-race programs on Friday (Nov. 1) and Saturday (Nov. 2) so the races coincide but don't overlap with a simulcast of the Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita.
Pure Fun Heads Deep Field for Saturday's Chilukki; To Be Run 20 Minutes Before Breeders' Cup Classic
Magdalena Racing's Grade I winner Pure Fun, who returned from a five-month layoff to prevail in the $202,300 Indiana Oaks (GII), heads a deep field of 12 fillies and mares entered for Saturday's 28th running of the $150,000-added Chilukki (GII) at Churchill Downs.
Last Chance to Register for Online Sale of 2014 Kentucky Derby, Oaks Tickets is Halloween
If you have not registered to take part in Churchill Downs Racetrack's ("CDRT") November online sale of seating for the 2014 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and the Longines Kentucky Oaks, the opportunity to participate in the sale will disappear very soon
Churchill Downs to Debut Exclusive 21+ Premium Lounge Area for Nov. 16 'Downs After Dark'
Those looking to socialize in a club-like premium lounge area while enjoying a night at the races will get their opportunity when Churchill Downs introduces the new "Skye Lounge" for the track's only "Downs After Dark" nighttime racing and entertainment event of the Fall Meet on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Fort Larned Set For Breeders' Cup Classic Defense After Monday Work at Churchill Downs
Janis Whitham's Fort Larned completed his serious preparation for this week's bid for a second consecutive victory in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade I) at Santa Anita with a five-furlong workout under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. early Monday morning at Churchill Downs.
Final BC Classic Work for Fort Larned on Monday; Track Mourns Passing of VP Tricia Amburgey
Janis Whitham's Fort Larned, the reigning winner of the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade I), is set for a final pre-race tune-up on Monday at Churchill Downs before he boards a Tuesday flight to California for his bid for a rare second consecutive victory in the Championships' main event on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.
Coastline Prevails in Opening Day Street Sense; Clever Beauty Wins Rags to Riches
John Oxley's Coastline took the lead from Almost Famous around the turn for home and increased his advantage in the stretch to take the inaugural running of the $61,800 Street Sense by a widening three lengths over Ichiban Warrior on opening day of Churchill Downs' 25-day Fall Meet.
20 Things to Know About Churchill Downs' Fall Meet
Just four weeks after staging the inaugural September Meet, horse racing returns to Churchill Downs on Sunday (Oct. 27) for the 124th Fall Meet, an action-packed five-week run of great racing and entertainment.
Claiborne's Vexed Bids for Record in Rags to Riches on Churchill's Fall Meet Opening Day
Kentucky's legendary Claiborne Farm will attempt to claim a new spot in the record book at historic Churchill Downs when the 2-year-old filly Vexed takes on seven rivals in Sunday's first running of the $60,000-added Rags to Riches Overnight Stakes, the co-featured event on the "Stars of Tomorrow I" racing program that opens th
Unbeaten Almost Famous Tops Inaugural Street Sense on 'Stars of Tomorrow' Fall Opener
Unbeaten Almost Famous, a dazzling winner in his racing debut in September at Churchill Downs, looms as the likely favorite in Sunday's $60,000-added Street Sense, one of two overnight stakes races that highlight an 11-race program that raises the curtain on the 25-day Fall Meet at the historic home of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yu
New 'Single 6 Jackpot' to Highlight Fall Meet Wagering Menu
Churchill Downs Racetrack will debut the new 50-cent "Single 6 Jackpot" – a multi-race wager with a low minimum and big-payout dynamic – when racing returns to the Louisville racetrack for its 25-day Fall Meet on Sunday (Oct. 27).


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All breaks for all arrivals
Wonderful setting with clean lodges and plenty to keep children entertained on rainy days. Very friendly staff.
Very good base for walking and the caves are great especially on a hot day
Brecon Cottages is an absolute gem. Thoughtful and comfortable accommodation with breathtaking surroundings. The ideal location for a true get away from it all holiday.
Visited in the 80's, with our children revisited with our granchilden. Chalet and pool how we remembered them, replace fitted sheets and it would be perfect. Fantastic holiday would highly recommend.
Went off-peak, site was quiet and very pleasant.
A lovely place to stay, really clean and very helpful friendly staff. We are looking forward to staying again.
Lovely place although rooms a little dated I would definitely stay again the staff were so helpful and lovely and the surroundings were beautiful
Grandchildren loved it could hardly keep them out of pool only there for long weekend would have loved to stay for a week
Peace & quiet in the Brecon Hills - once you find it ! Sign at the entrance only tells you about the caves, Sat Nav will take you 3 miles down the road if you use the post code. But a nice place to relax, wonderful couples cabin. Only down side - everywhere you want to go is a drive/cycle of a fair distance, but that's the price for peace & quiet !
Will fed return to the cottages
Fantastic holiday, as a family of 4, Mountain Thyme was perfect. The location is spectacular with far reaching views of the beacon hills. Staff are very friendly and helpful and a lot of facilities for such a small complex. We had no issues with musty smelling rooms or damp or toilets which I had read in previous reviews. This is a great central point to explore the Gower Coast as well. Thank you
wonderful location, site was spotless, staff very helpful and lovely, would like to return again and again
We love it here, this was our 5th visit and we've already booked for next year! The staff have always been extremely helpful and and although the facilities are not abundant there is a fab pool you can access more or less whenever you want too and the surrounding area offers more than enough to keep you fit and healthy whilst enjoying the beautiful views. If you prefer the beach, then Swansea has a good one (loads of shells) and is only about 50 minutes away. What more do you want from a holiday!!
One down side for me personally is the introduction of free Wi-Fi but that's just my opinion.
Excellent holiday in beautiful surroundings. Accommodation immaculate with everything you could possibly need along with complimentary wine and chocs! Lovely warm clean pool which was never too busy. Helpful and polite staff who are very knowledgeable with regard to the local area and things to do. Safe play areas for families with a lovely coffee shop and attraction as well. Two lovely pubs that serve great food within a mile away along with a beautiful country park. What more could you want. Wonderful break.
all mod cons available at the fantastic spacious crows nest two in a beautiful part of the country with dinosaurs at your doorstep -what more could a young family want?


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Vacuum Cleaner Belts
Did you know that proper maintenance can extend the life of your vacuum cleaner? One of the most basic maintenance items is belt maintenance. It is crucial part in your cleaning system that connects your motor to the brush roll. To check this, you need to remove the bottom plate and place a finger under the best to feel if it is taut. If you find that it's not, and it is showing signs of wear, it is time to replace it. While it is recommended you change vacuum belts once or twice a year, the frequency will actually depend on how often you use your vacuum cleaner. Frequent use makes it prone to cracks, sagging and other forms of damage. The motor is unable to turn a belt that does not have good traction on the brush roll. As a result, your vacuum does not clean up to its potential.
Looking for belts for your vacuum cleaning system? At GoVacuum, we recommend customers reduce the risk for vacuum repairs in the long-term by regularly checking the internal parts including belt, bag and hose regularly. While our advice represents general care and maintenance, we also stock a wide range of vacuum cleaner accessories including belts for a wide range of cleaners and ensure that your vacuum cleaner performs according to your needs!
Sears/Kenmore Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Belt (2 Pack)$7.19Fits most Sears/Kenmore canister power nozzles which use a flat belt. Replacement belt for Kenmore vacuums (requires Sears Nos 5279 and 5281) Approximately 1/2 wide and 2 3/8 in diameter 2 belt per package Learn More
For Kenmore Canister Power Mate Serpantine Vacuum Drive Belt, Fits Part 20-5218, CB-3, and MC-V370B, 1 pk.$10.43/ Pannasonic canister vacuum cleaner power nozzle belt, measures 3-3/8 inch and has grooves on the inside of the belt. 1 Belt Per package. Learn More
For Kenmore Vacuum Cleaner 20-5279 Belts$6.90This is a generic kenmore product. It is made for kenmore vacuum and is manufactured by OEM Manufacturer. 99% of the orders are shipped within 24 hours. You will receive a tracking number as soon as your order is processed. Learn More
Kenmore CB-1 / 5285 or 20-5285 Vacuum Cleaner Belt - Generic$6.44Quantity Per Package: 1 Fits Models: For Kenmore Canister With Power Nozzle OEM Part Number: 5285 also fit all Kenmore Progressive, Wishpertone, and Intuition canister models. Fits Style CB1, CB-1, Canister Belt 1, or 20-5285 and 5285. 1 Belt per package. Learn More
Sebo Airbelt D4 Red Canister Vacuum Cleaner with ET-1 Powerhead and Bare Floo...$899.00
- Hospital-grade s-class filtration
- ET-1 powerbrush
- Full-size on-board tools including a crevice tool, upholstery nozzle, and dusting brush
- 50 ft. cleaning radius and 40 foot power cord with Auto Rewind
- 5 Year Warranty on the motor and non-wear parts; 1 year warranty on labor
For Kenmore CB-1 Progressive Series Canister Geared Belts, fits Part 5285, 20-5285, and 609943. 2 Pack.$8.2099% of the orders are shipped within 24 hours. You will receive a tracking number as soon as your order is processed. Learn More
Ultracare VacBelt Kenmore UB-5 (Replaces 5287) 2 Pack$22.89VacBelt Designed for Kenmore UB-5 Select Power Center Series Uprights Learn More
Kenmore UB-8 / 20-5270 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Belt$6.11Kenmore UB-8 / 20-5270 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Belt Learn More
Kenmore UB-1 4369591 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Belts, 2 pk. Replaces 20-5240 and 20-5275.$8.29Kenmore UB-1 4369591 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Belts, 2 pk. Replaces 20-5240 and 20-5275 Learn More
Kenmore UB-9 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Belt, Part DP5283, 20-5283.$13.00Kenmore UB-9 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Belt, Part DP5283, 20-5283. Learn More
2-Pack Kenmore 20-5275 Replacement Belt$7.002-Pack Kenmore 20-5275 Replacement Belt Learn More
Results 1 - 16 of 16


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Food Flashes
Food Flashes focuses on what's happening in the dining community, from restaurant openings and closings, to chef changes, to heart-healthy menus to kids' specials.
Posts filtered on Tag
Good Taste With Tanji celebrates 5 years
Tanji Patton will celebrate five years of her website, Good Taste With Tanji. The celebration will take place 6-9 p.m. July 11th at Mercedes-Benz of Boerne. "I can't believe it's already been five years. We have had so much fun bringing great food, wine and interesting places to our viewers. I just love San Antonio […] [Read More]


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Alternate Assessments
The purpose of an alternate assessment is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics for grades 3-8 and 10, Science (Grades 4 and 6), Social Studies (Grades 5 and 7) and Biology (Grade 10) based on alternate academic achievement standards. Students who perform significantly below grade-level may have personal learning goals that cannot be adequately measured with a grade-level standardized test. The Case Conference Committee determines, based on the eligibility criteria adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education and the student's individual and unique needs, whether a student with a disability will be assessed on the alternate assessment. Therefore the student's goals and objectives are generally prerequisites to grade-level academics or are highly individualized extensions to the standards.
The ESEA Flexibility Waiver requires Indiana to administer a fully operational alternate assessment based on the 2014 college- and career-ready English/Language Arts and Mathematics Indiana Academic Standards by the spring of 2015. Indiana will administer the National Center and State Collaborative Assessment for English/Language Arts and Math, and will continue to use the Indiana Standards Tool for Alternate Reporting (ISTAR) to assess Science and Social Studies. In addition, teachers may continue to monitor student progress related to functional skills utilizing ISTAR.
English Language Arts and Math - National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC)
NCSC is a project led by five centers and 24 states to build an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The goal of the NCSC project is to ensure that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for post-secondary options.
Since 2011, Indiana educators have been instrumental in the development of the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) Assessment.
- Aligned with college- and career-ready standards, the NCSC Assessment is designed to replace ISTAR in the areas of English/Language Arts and Mathematics beginning in 2014-15.
- Students will interact directly with the items on the NCSC Assessment. Indiana educators and students participated in the NCSC Assessment pilots during the spring and fall of 2014. The pilot experience provided important feedback in terms of test items and administration.
- 2015 Indiana State-Specific Guidance for NCSC
NCSC Operational Test Blueprint
The purpose of the test blueprint is to make transparent to educators the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of students on the assessments. This document describes the current design of the NCSC test blueprint for the summative assessment in Mathematics and ELA. This is a draft document, and it will be updated pending data from pilot testing in fall 2014. The final operational blueprint will be published in early 2015, prior to operational testing.
Draft NCSC Operational Test Blueprint 12-10-14
NCSC Instructional Guidance
Project SUCCESS is a resource center that supports higher academic achievement for students with disabilities. Building local capacity will ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for post-secondary options.
Project Success http://projectsuccessindiana.com/
More information can be found at http://www.ncscpartners.org/
Science (Grades 4 & 6 and 10), Social Studies (Grades 5 & 7) - Indiana Standards Tools for Alternate Reporting (ISTAR)
ISTAR is a teacher rated web-based, standards-referenced assessment system designed and provided by the Indiana Department of Education. The ISTAR content is referenced to the continuum of assessment indicators that have been extended directly from the Indiana academic standards for Science and Social Studies.
Additional Resources
- NCSC General Information
- NCSC Parent Information
- ISTAR Alternate Assessments - Science, Social Studies and Biology
- ISTAR Alternate Assessments - Life Skills and Employability, and Progress Monitoring
- Criteria for Determining Participation in ISTAR
- ISTAR 2013-14 Cut Scores
- ISTAR 2013-14 Performance Level Descriptors
- Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts and Mathematics (2014) and Special Populations
- ISTAR 2014 Results are available to schools through the Learning Connection for students who met participation criteria and were assessed with ISTAR.
- Click here to view 2014 ISTAR Results by corporation and school
Karen Stein
Special Programs Assessment Specialist
Office of Student Assessment
Telephone: (317) 232-9050
Toll Free: (888) 544-7837


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Well here goes nothing *clicks the application*.
Well here goes nothing *clicks the application*.
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
Edit: Nevermind, it's been explained.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TastyGameHub<< Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mgoQ...0&feature=plcp<< INSANE DAYZ SHOT Armory Alt
Ooo, IRC. I'd rather be an OP in there. Ahh, memories. Didn't know people still used it :P
Not eligible.
Oh this won't end well, as usual. Overly active trigger happy new mods, I wish you had some recruit training camp first .
Ugh, I'm only eligible for the Fun Stuff section. Can't apply there because of the ban hammer temptation. Too many people having fun wrong.
Thing says I'm not eligible for any forum. Too bad News doesn't count. xD
It's ok, I probably have my hands full over at DiabloWiki anyway. Good luck to those who do apply!
App'd, Really hoping that im recruited :3
Off-Topic. My gifts for everyone here.
(Incase Fuzzzie comes in here!) http://www.snackordie.com/2008/07/14...rcookies14.jpg
Im gonna have to get some cookies now... Those have made my sugar tooth go crazy.
Sorry, can people be nominated as a mod?


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Reviewed by 1 customer
Best Uses
Love this hat! I help my husband in the hay field. I was out in the sun 7 hrs one day raking for him and had no sunburn on my face. He liked it too as he made the comment that he thought my hat helped improving my raking. I think that was a compliment. :)
Women's Straw Cruiser Hat
Item: 77507


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Only hotels in Norwalk are listed below. Find cheap and discounted hotel/motel rates in or nearby Norwalk, CT for your upcoming personal or group trip. Discover the most popular Norwalk Connecticut hotel/motel rooms. Review the Norwalk hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Norwalk hotels. Group booking? Search Norwalk Group Hotel DealsThe Norwalk center point is approximately the area of Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum and 1 mile from Maritime Aquarium At Norwalk.
Norwalk Hotels, Motels & Accommodations
Next 20 Norwalk Hotels > [1 - 20 of 50]
Next: See My Norwalk Hotels with Pricing >


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Total Commander, Version 8.51a, is a Shareware file manager for Windows® 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8, and Windows® 3.1.
(April 30, 2014): Total Commander 8.51a final (32+64 bit) for Windows released
Features in Total Commander 8.51a now include :
New:Image gallery of Total Commander with the most important functions
You can find our e-mail address on the Support page, but please read our FAQ first.
Last modified on April 30, 2014. This page has been visited times since Dec. 18, 1996 (only counted with images set to ON).
Windows® is a
registered trademark of Microsoft® corporation.
This page and Total Commander are Copyright © 1995-2014 by Christian Ghisler, Ghisler Software GmbH, Switzerland. All rights reserved.


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Quick Links
Shop All Jewelry
NLZ10465 In Stock
This two tone sterling silver and gold vintage butterfly is truly a beautiful and unique pendant. The butterfly pendant measures 1/2 inch in length. The inner wings of the butterfly are a pretty sterling silver with cz accents, while the outer wings of the butterfly are a vermeil gold. The two contrasting tones give this piece a fun look and appeal. This pendant will look fantastic when paired with a sterling silver cz butterfly ring or sterling silver butterfly earrings.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


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Stadium: MP's furious attack on 'humiliating shambles'
Last updated at 16:45, Thursday, 26 April 2012
An MP has launched a furious attack on local government regeneration chiefs after West Cumbria lost the chance to host 2013 Rugby League World Cup games due to plans for a new £5.5 million stadium stalling.
Copeland has withdrawn as a host venue for the tournament after talks over access to a proposed new stadium in Whitehaven collapsed.
Copeland MP Jamie Reed has called the situation a "humiliating shambles" and has warned Copeland and Cumbria County Council they are in danger of squandering a historic opportunity for an economic renaissance in west Cumbria on the back of the £2bn Britain's Energy Coast plan.
"Britain's Energy Coast is the best hope we've got of delivering on our ambitions for west Cumbria," he said. "Those in local government, whether in the borough or county council, need to be honest about what they can achieve. There's no place for amateurism in the development of west Cumbria. Those not up to it should get out of the way and leave it to those who know how to do it.
"I think the stadium will happen, but we are going to miss the World Cup which would have brought real recognition and investment to the area. The chance has been squandered and people will want to know why.
"It's about credibility. I believe that all partners involved have to look at themselves and admit why this went wrong and ensure it doesn't happen again.
"This is the last chance saloon and more embarrassments like this will not be tolerated."
The group behind proposals for the Pow Beck scheme pulled the plug on the project in its current form after talks over access to the proposed site broke down.
The scheme's backers – Copeland Borough Council, Whitehaven Rugby League Club and Whitehaven Amateur Football Club – insist the idea is not dead and the stadium could still be built. But they say it is not "feasible or affordable" to continue with negotiations with the Whitehaven Miners' Welfare Association about an access route to the stadium across land the miners own. The miners say they are not to blame and have called for an inquiry.
First published at 16:39, Thursday, 26 April 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk
Have your say
It is so typical to hear this news west cumbria needs to be taken out of the dark ages and moved forward this will create jobs and bring money to west cumbria i think the miners need to open there eyes and help out the next generation instead of making things difficult if i was Jamie reed i would be shown up you just cant help some people
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Oct. 4, 2006
WORCESTER, Mass. - Twenty-two of Holy Cross' athletic teams have achieved a perfect 100 percent graduation rate, according to the Graduation Success Rate Report, which has been released by the NCAA. The data used to calculate the Graduation Success Rate is from the four-class aggregate of entering classes from 1996 through 1999, for which the NCAA has compiled sport-by-sport figures.
The Crusader programs to post perfect graduation rates were baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's golf, women's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
Overall, the lowest Graduation Success Rate for any Holy Cross team was 91 percent, well above the NCAA Division I average of 77 percent for all sports.
In addition to the individual sport figures, the NCAA will release the overall Graduation Success Rate for each institution later this month.
To view the complete NCAA report on Graduation Success Rates, click here.


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Sony's PlayStation 4 announcement was a mixed bag, but the system's unveiling was still—mostly—a success.
There are many things we still don't know about Sony's next-gen console, the appropriately named PlayStation 4.
We don't know what it will cost, for one thing. For another, we don't know what it will look like.
That being said, we still know quite a bit, including the fact that it's a machine with powerful specs—including 8GB of super-fast DDR5 RAM.
We also know that a lot of game developers are on board, including CD Projekt RED, who have stated that The Witcher 3 will be coming to the PS4.
"Combining CD Projekt RED's unique artistic vision and tech with the capabilities of PlayStation 4 will make The Witcher 3 a truly next-gen RPG," said Dam Kiciński of CDP. "With Sony's new hardware and our new engine, there are no limits to what we can create in the process of realizing our vision for Geralt's dark fantasy world."
And finally, we know that the system is coming out in time for Christmas this year. So start saving your allowance or putting some extra money in the savings account.
At last night's PS4 event, Sony unveiled the system's controller which you can take a closer look at here.
They also showed us several games, including exclusives like Killzone: Shadow Fall and inFamous: Second Son, and several other titles like the indie game The Witness and Capcom's Down Deep, which may be a next-gen sequel to Dragon's Dogma.
Sony's PlayStation Meeting was admittedly a mixed bag, but it packed in a great deal more information—and reasons to be optimistic about the system—than many are giving it credit for.
Much Ado About Social
One thing Sony pushed too hard at last night's event was its social media integration, including a "Share" button on the DualShock 4 controller.
Many gamers are understandably wary of the social media craze, and see Sony's hyping of its social features as a bad sign.
I'm not so sure. Social media is an inherent part of our lives now. Some of us choose to ignore it, but many enjoy and/or participate in social media on a daily basis.
From what I can see, there is no reason anyone will be forced to use any of the PS4′s social media functions if they don't want to—any more than you're forced to use the Wii U's social media functions.
Nintendo's console features social media integration that is similar, though not exactly the same, as the PS4. This opens the door for interesting social functions to be added to games like ZombiU, which allowed gamers to post messages to one another in the game via spray-paint (similar to Demon's Souls.)
The PS4 will go further, allowing users to stream gameplay or spectate and even take control of one another's games.
I, for one, rarely make use of social functions while gaming. I have no Xbox 360 or PS3 friends to speak of, for instance. I never chat during games, either via a headset or in an MMO chat box. I just ignore the existence of these features entirely, which is something I plan on continuing with the next-generation.
Others, however, may make more use of these features. It would have been, to put it quite bluntly, insanely stupid of Sony to ignore this trend—even if their conveying of the social features during the event last night was flawed. (And I believe it was flawed, because it placed too much emphasis on social features.)
Does Facebook integration mean that the PS4 will be a Farmville emulator? Of course not. Sony isn't putting the sort of horsepower into its next console that we heard about last night to deliver gamers a Facebook-game machine. This is just an added perk. Whether it will sell systems is an open question, but there's no reason to believe it will harm the core gaming experience.
Just as the gaming industry (and the money behind that industry) is too in love with social media, mobile, and every other trend we see these days—and likely why Sony made such a fuss over it last night—gamers are too hostile and overly concerned over social integration.
Social will be an option for those who make use of it, and will likely open the door for an increased use of the PS4 as an eSports device. Improved social functionality should also make match-making and online competitive play more streamlined. For those who want to opt-out, just opt-out (like me!)
Beyond that, it's much ado about nothing.
Backwards Compatibility
Forbes video game contributor Jason Evangelho says the lack of backwards compatibility, saved games transfers, and transfers of PSN digital purchases is the "definition of insanity" (though Far Cry 3 used a slightly different definition.)
I disagree.
I can honestly say, with a straight face, that I don't care one bit about backwards compatibility, even though I'm aware many others do. I can respect that, but I don't share the opinion.
Jason suggests that it's a "a nail in Sony's coffin that its marketing team needs to address immediately," but I think that's a bridge too far. People are angry now, but it will pass once enough new games are announced for the PS4.
For one thing, the PS3 was equipped with hardware that made backwards compatibility pretty much impossible unless Sony had decided to once again use the same architecture. That would have been a terrible idea, and the move to standard x86 architecture is a far superior direction for the company to take. It will make the system future-proof, for one thing, and make the possibility of PC ports for PlayStation games very real.
For another thing, at least for me personally, I have no plans to get rid of my PS3. I made that mistake with many older systems, including the PS2, and I don't plan on making it again. I will own both systems, and I will still play my PS3 games on my PS3. Sure, it would be nice to be able to play those games on my PS4, but it's not a deal-breaker.
In fact, the PS2 only recently stopped production, so support for the PS3 should be expected for some time. There's a bunch of really great PS3 titles coming out this year already, for that matter. The two systems will coexist, with or without backwards compatibility.
The fact that Sony had no good options here is important, especially since they made the right decision by moving to x86. They're using Gaikai to soften the blow, and even though we don't know how that will shape up, it's still a step in the right direction.
Better still, there will be no anti-used games DRM, which would have been the actual definition of insanity.
Keeping Cards Close to the Chest
The reason Sony didn't unveil the actual hardware itself was apparently because they wanted to keep something for later—presumably, E3. They need to have something to take the wind out of Microsoft's sails when that company unveils its next Xbox console sometime later this year.
My guess is that the controller wasn't supposed to be announced yet either, but recent leaked images of the DualShock 4 forced Sony's hand. Whatever the case, I have the sneaking suspicion that this announcement was supposed to be focused on services and software.
Frankly, I don't care at all about what the machine looks like. We know that it's running some impressive specs, even though not every last detail has been unveiled:
People have worried that because we didn't see the hardware, there would be no optical drive. Well take a look at the chart above (taken from this PDF.) The system will play Blu-Ray and DVD. It will have Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth. It will have HDMI, analog, and digital outputs for video and sound.
Beyond that it has a single-chip custom processor with an x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" CPU with 8 cores, an AMD "next-generation" Radeon processor, and the afore-mentioned 8GB of DDR5 RAM.
The specs, so far as I can tell, are great. Sure, you can build a better gaming PC—but Sony would price itself out of existence if it tried to outdo top-line gaming rigs.
The fact that we see such amazing looking games on current consoles should speak volumes about hardware optimization and the efficiency of game development on consoles.
We certainly won't see the best looking next-gen games at launch, but I imagine we'll have some extremely impressive looking stuff in the future. More importantly, the higher powered system should be able to give us much better AI to contend with.
And even though there will be digital download options available for every PS4 title, there is still an optical drive.
Sony is also keeping the price of the system a secret. Almost certainly they're playing a game of chicken with Microsoft. Neither firm wants to be the one to lowball or highball the price, and they both want to see what the other is up to before spilling any carefully kept beans.
I actually wasn't surprised by this, though I was as disappointed as anyone else. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, and I'm still betting the lower-end model will be in the $400-$430 price range.
It's All About the Games
PC gamers are fond of saying things like "Why would I buy this when I can just build a gaming PC that's even better?" As a PC gamer, I understand this sentiment. Yet I spend a lot of time playing games on five-plus year old consoles, and many of these games are excellent and quite a few are not to be found on any PC.
Really, that's the reason we'll play the PS4: for its games. We won't play it for its social media, or buy it for its Netflix streaming. These are great perks but they're just that: perks. The games are at the core of the console experience, and the next generation of consoles will live or die based on their games.
Sony has unveiled a few games, and third party developers are starting to tell us more about their offerings as well, including the above-mentioned Witcher 3, but also Watch Dogs, Destiny, and many more to come in the coming weeks.
My bet is we'll learn about other games from developers like Naughty Dog either before or at least by E3. This is just the first wave of game announcements.
And really, it wasn't half bad. I would have liked to see more, and I would have really liked to see them running the games on the PS4 itself (Watch Dogs, for instance, was apparently running on a PC with the same basic hardware as the PS4.) But as far as these things go, we got to see a number of games in action and we heard about a number of others headed to the PS4 including a new Final Fantasy title.
If Sony can deliver the games and the console at a price that gamers can afford, they will be just fine. The fluff—the social media, the Move motion controls, etc.—that's juts fluff. That's just appealing to investors, to a broader demographic, to the sort of people who buy Xbox 360 over PS3.
What will really make or break the PS4 is its games. With a stellar line-up of PS3 exclusives this year, and development on the PS4 that stretches back to 2008, I have no doubt that we have yet to scratch the surface of PS4 games. Hopefully a strong line-up will be ready for launch this Holiday season.
I'm sure we'll have tons and tons of problems to contend with next generation. We will face many of the same challenges we face today with DLC, rising costs, and the constant experimentation the industry goes through while trying to find out how to make more money off of games, while spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.
The next-generation systems will have good, bad, and ugly features, and there will be room for both praise and criticism.
Sony's PlayStation event was a mixed bag, which focused too much on popular industry memes and buzzwords and didn't show us everything we wanted to see. But it was better, in many ways, than I expected. We did get to see gameplay, and hear from various developers and publishers, and we were given some information about the system's specs. That's more important to me than seeing the physical console itself.
All told, it was a success, if an imperfect success. Sony's stock price may be down today, but I think that may have more to do with the lack of a pricetag than with anything inherently wrong with the console itself.
In some ways, it may also be because Sony focused too much on just improving the hardware rather than on any truly fancy or "innovative" design changes. The complaint that there was nothing "revolutionary" about the system is, to my mind, an added bonus.
That the PS4 is an evolutionary step up from the PS3 is far preferable, in my book, to a revolutionary one. Complete overhauls are better left to Nintendo with their Wii motion controls or their Wii U gamepad.
Sony didn't need to change the game. It just needed to step it up. By focusing on play (however cheesy that sounded last night) they're focusing on what really does make a console a fun gaming experience. Now let's just hope we hear a lot less about the social aspects in coming months, and a lot more about the games.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.