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I'll take most requests as long as there's enough detail and if you use them you need to give credit. For those who like them I CAN'T do Scratch, I absolutely suck so please don't ask. Thank you and I'll probably get to any request before school, lunch, or for half an hour after school, I live in central time zone so just figure it out if you want to know when in your time zone. tnx
Ok from past posts I'll list what I can do:
Recolour (mid level not extreme)
Splice (Make sure it isn't stupid)
add on (just add pixels in a certain way to an already made sprite)
Type change
and Revamp


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MONROE, La. (AP) — Northeast Delta Human Services Authority has joined efforts with Franklin Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 and Morehouse Community Medical Centers to provide services for patients who need both behavioral and primary health care.
Under the agreement, Northeast Delta will accept appropriate referrals from the Franklin hospital district and Morehouse medical centers to provide major mental health and substance abuse disorder services. The Franklin district and Morehouse centers will accept appropriate referrals from Northeast Delta to provide primary health and dental care services to patients who do not require services for serious mental illnesses.
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority director Dr. Monteic Sizer tells The News-Star (http://tnsne.ws/Rlx8Cw ) he hopes the partnership will serve as a model for other health care providers.
Information from: The News-Star, http://www.thenewsstar.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Home : Brands : Jack Black : Jack Black Men Eye Products :
There is a reason that wrinkles seem to form first around the eyes. The skin in the eye zone is notoriously thin, much more so than anywhere else on the face. The formulas of Jack Black Men Eye Products are designed to provide protection against their premature appearance, and to minimize them when they do appear. There are several reasons why these lines occur, and how the thinness of the skin can affect them.
Well-moisturized skin actually has greater volume, allowing the skin to smooth out any folds and lines; if the tissues become dehydrated, these become more apparent. Also, if the structure of the supporting tissues -- the collagen and elastin cells -- becomes weakened, lines and wrinkles can form. The ingredients in Jack Black Men Eye Products are formulated to help skin accept and retain moisture, while supporting the strength and regeneration of collagen and elastin. Sun damage, temperature extremes, wind and even age can easily affect thinner skin, but Jack Black Men Eye Products can help counteract them to provide a smoother appearance and greater health for the eye zone.
To add one or more items to your bag, check the box to the left of each desired
item and then click the "Add to Bag" button at the top or bottom of the page. Items
are listed in SKU number order.
Nothing makes the face look older, faster, than wrinkles around the eyes. Leave the sexy "crinkly" look to the mature movie stars; Jack Black Men Eye Products can help you retain your youthful looks, while protecting your skin against potential damage. These clinically proven formulas reduce the appearance of lines, wrinkles and dark circles, firm the skin and decrease the amount of puffiness that often occurs under the eyes.
Many of the signs of aging or environmental stress can actually be reversed, with the proper skin therapy. The ingredients in Jack Black Protein Booster Eye Rescue have been selected to address the root causes of lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles. By boosting the level of hydration in skin tissues (and protecting against excessive moisture loss), promoting the strength and production of supporting collagen and elastin tissues and promoting a healthy turn-over of skin cells, these signs of aging can be dramatically reduced. Horsetail kelp (Laminaria digitata) even brightens the dark skin that can appear under the eyes. A broad range of botanical oils, including aloe leaf juice, sunflower seed oil, linseed extract and safflower seed oil are moisturizing, while caprylic/capric triglyceride (derived from coconut) and golden bamboo extract help the skin retain moisture.
Using a combine vitamin A/vitamin E therapy, along with grapeseed oil, Jack Black Eye Balm Age Minimizing Gel helps regenerate skin and encourage cell growth to reduce visible wrinkles and lines. Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) extract and cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) are also beneficial for firming puffy areas under the eyes.


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A light but meaningful book about a young hippo who is about to start school. Her best friend, Tiny, a mouse is very conservative and keeps telling plump Penelope that what she wants to wear, eat for lunch and carry for show and tell is all wrong. After hearing him out Pen turns out the next day in her original choices and discovers that being herself is the best thing she can be. On one level it's a terrific tale--on another, as a parent you may have some qualms about going along with some of the off the wall choices kids can and do make. 5 & up.
Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2013.
Young preschoolers will relate to this little story about Pip who is so happy to have a big red balloon. But then, the inevitable happens and it is Posy who comes up with a clever way to cheer-up Pip. Spoiler alert: Posy and Pip have good fun with bubbles that are supposed to pop. 2 � & up
Age: Toddlers. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Great literature it's not, but it is an entertaining book of one liners by a dad ( like mine) who always made corny jokes. For example, "Whenever I say, "I�m hungry," Dad says, "Hello, Hungry. Pleased to meet you." As the young narrator tells us again and again...his dad thinks he's funny and in the end,we think kids will agree with that dad. Good for some silly giggling together. Some of the jokes will go over the heads of preschoolers. 5 & up
Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2013.
Tiptoe Joe has a surprise. With his happy smile, a charming love of a bear in red tie-up sneakers, shares his excitement as he invites all the animals of the forest to come see his secret! It's a short, sweet, and lively read-aloud with a repetitive refrain paired with the sounds animals make when they follow Joe. Suspense builds as the crowd grows and they reach Tiptoe's home where his wife holds their little secrets in her arms. 2 � & up.
Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2013.
A young science book starring two puffins that get separated in a storm. A friendly whale tries to help Peter find Paul based on Peter�s short descriptions of his friend. When he says his friend is black and white the whale takes him to the penquins. When he says Paul is noisy he takes him to a flock of parrots. In searching for Paul we get to see a nice variety of birds until at last Paul and Peter have their happy reunion. A small story with lovely illustrations for young listeners. 3 & up.
Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Designed for early grades, this beautifully illustrated biography of Nelson Mandela touches on the major events in his life from being sent away from home at an early age to his election as President of South Africa. It is not so much a warm fuzzy storybook as an overview that will explain with beautiful art why he remains an historic iconic figure who will not soon be forgotten. They say 4-8. We think this is more like a book for 7 & up.
Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Hard to imagine how a garden slug would aspire to play baseball and, of course, to be a star slugger. Just the idea of all this is silly, but it holds together as an entertaining yarn that kids who aspire to play baseball will relate to. In this season of baseball books, here's one for the youngest player. 5 & up.
Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Although he is long gone, Babe Ruth's name lives on as a legend to all who know anything about baseball greats. Unlike so may baseball books that center on a singular event, in this child-sized biography the author manages to tell about Babe's early years when he got into so much trouble as a truant that his own father helped send him away to a reform school. Inside the walls of Saint Mary's George Ruth found a mentor and found himself. The story has a nice roundness as the Babe never forgets Brother Matthias, who teaches him the game and the school that nurtured him. As always, Matt Tavares' illustrations capture the time and place and even the Babe's memorable face. A keeper! 7 & up.
Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
The chase is on, Cowpoke Clyde has a dirty dawg who needs a bath. In this merry romp dawg keeps getting the best of Clyde and the other animals on the ranch. A fun yarn told in verse that makes for an amusing read-a-loud. 4-8
Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Too bad we missed this one before Valentine's Day. But, it is never the wrong time to say how much you love someone. Written in verse, this is a delightful collection of reasons for loving the ones you love. Read it to your child, your spouse, your parent, your best friend�whoever and whenever. It's funny, touching, and even thought provoking. All ages.
Age: . Award Year: 2013. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - All Rights Reserved. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Award are Registered Trademarks of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.
Instructions for submitting product to the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for review.
Contact the Toyportfolio by phone at (212) 598-0502 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Copyright 1995-2015
Products reviewed by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio are provided by the manufacturer at their cost. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio does not require or accept fees for reviewing products.


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LAS VEGAS -- The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't won a Freeway Series over Orange County's Angels since 2006, but with a win tonight they'll take three of four, and it would be only the fourth time since the advent of interleague play that the Dodgers would emerge the victors. Overall, the Angels still hold a 57-42 advantage in wins and a 9-3-5 edge in series.
In order for the Angels to keep the Dodgers from accomplishing the series win, they're going to need C.J. Wilson to step up big time, and with the way he's pitched lately, that's a tall task. Over his last five starts, opponents are hitting .416 against him, which has led to 25 earned runs over 18 innings. Fortunately for the Angels, they've been able to get him out of the game quickly enough to give their stellar offense a chance to come back and win three of those starts.
After missing a month due to a sprained ankle, Wilson came back on Saturday at Tampa Bay and couldn't make it out of the second inning. His ankle was fine, but his stuff wasn't, as he was tagged for six runs in a 10-3 loss.
In the grand scheme of things, Wilson is expected to be a huge part of the Angels' future this season, not only in their quest to pass the A's in the AL West, but also in any potential playoff series. He's supposed to be the No. 3 starter behind Jered Weaver and Garrett Richards, but as of right now, he's got a lot more work to do.
The good news for Wilson is that he's won his last six decisions at home and the Angels have won 36 of their last 51 home games overall. And not that it means much, but the Angels are 17-4 in their last 21 Thursday games. The Angels are also 6-1 in the final of four-game series this season. Maybe those numbers contribute to Wilson being a short favorite tonight.
The Dodgers tonight start Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has been on a roll lately, allowing only seven runs over his last four starts covering 26 innings. The Dodgers won all four games, with Ryu getting the decision in three of them.
The surprising part of Ryu's game this season is that he's been stingier on the road (2.89 ERA) than at home (3.94). Dodger Stadium is usually a safe haven for pitchers to lower their ERAs. In Ryu's only meeting with Angels, he threw a two-hit shutout last May at Dodger Stadium.
Look for Wilson to shake some of the rust off his last start and not be as bad, but he's in a tough spot against Ryu. With Ryu the +101 underdog, the Dodgers are the play.
Thursday selections:
Pirates (Volquez) -134 vs. Marlins, 7:05 p.m. ET
Royals (Guthrie) -107 at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. ET
Dodgers (Ryu) +101 at Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET
Live odds: Baseball betting numbers from Las Vegas
Sign up for The Linemakers' free newsletter and follow us on Twitter.


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Florida used to be known as the land of sunshine, oranges, and retirees, but recent events have conspired to create a new moniker - the land of bad real estate loans. Here's a look at which banks are hurting from their overexposure to this sunny land.
IN PICTURES: 20 Tools For Building Up Your Portfolio
Eroding Credit Quality
This new title is demonstrated by a review of fourth quarter of 2009 credit quality and other statistics conducted by FIG Securities. The survey showed that the median level of bad loans was 10.3% in the fourth quarter of 2009 for 256 banks in the state. This was up from 9.7% in the third quarter.
CenterState Bank of Florida (NASDAQ:CSFL) reported total non-performing loans as a percentage of total loans of 4.42% as of December 31st, 2009. This bank does maintain strong capital and reported a tangible common equity ratio of 11.3%.
1st United Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ:FUBC) is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, and has also been hurt by its exposure to Florida, but much less than its peers. The bank reported that its ratio of non-performing assets to total assets was 2.26% at the end of the third quarter of 2009.
Vision Problems
One bank that probably wished it had never heard of Florida is Park National Corporation (NYSE:PRK), based in Ohio. In 2007, Park National Corporation, apparently not satisfied with its current growth in the Midwest, purchased Vision Bancshares. Vision was a bank holding company that owned two banking subsidiaries, one in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and one in Panama City, Florida.
Park National recorded a $44.4 million loan loss provision from this subsidiary in 2009, after recording a $47 million loan loss provision in 2008. Also, Park National took a goodwill impairment charge of $55 million in 2008 related to its Vision Bank subsidiary.
Vision Bank had a problem loan ratio of 27% in the Panama City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) at the end of 2009. Despite the problems with its Florida subsidiary, Park National ended 2009 with a tangible common equity to tangible asset ratio of 7.75%, up from 6.61% at the end of 2008.
Citrus Overload
The rush to Florida during the boom times has also hurt the larger regional banks. Synovus Financial Corp (NYSE:SNV) has several banking subsidiaries in various Florida markets that have asset quality problems. The bank reported total credit costs of $427.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.
I can't help but wonder how much the investment community is to blame for many banks crowding into Florida in search of growth. Management teams were under intense pressure from some investors when loan and deposit growth dipped below that of their peers.
The Bottom Line
Despite the situation occurring in Florida, it's clear that one day that the problems will pass. The state has been the scene of many real estate cycles throughout its history. The key for investors is to figure out which publicly traded banks will survive this cycle. (Investing in big buildings means big money - and bigger risks. To learn more, refer to Find Fortune In Commercial Real Estate.)
Use the Investopedia Stock Simulator to trade the stocks mentioned in this stock analysis, risk free!


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My Style
Jair Dynast shows off his swag and style in his tribute to streetwear culture on the new club banger "My Style".
Buy "My Style" online at iTunes
Art of Invention
Jair Dynast a tribute to the accomplishments of African-American inventors and their contributions to our society. "Art of Invention".
Get "Art of Invention" online at iTunes!
Jair Dynast returns with the same innovative swagger and boom bap beats on the metaphor laden "Simple Plan".
Buy "SIMPLE PLAN" online at iTunes
Touching on unplanned pregnancy Jair Dynast delivers more fresh air to Hip-Hop with his new single "CONVERSE".
Buy "CONVERSE" online at iTunes
The 2nd of the double A-side 12-inch singles is "PROMISE" where Jair speaks on living life to the fullest no matter how much stress it presents. After an early leak to a few notable DJs "PROMISE" has already been #8 in the Top 100 Most Wanted on Greece's Radio 1.
Buy "PROMISE" online at iTunes
VICIOUS is a gut renching tale of black on black crime and jealousy. Jair Dynast vividly takes you into a dark world of self hatred. VICIOUS nabbed the highly coverted #1 spot on the Top 30 Grassroots Hip-Hop Charts at Rapattacklives.com over heavy weights like Talib Kweli and is revered by DJs worldwide.
Buy "VICIOUS" online at iTunes
PULL UP is the flipside of the #1 Chart Topping 12-inch that includes "VICIOUS". PULL UP is a certified club banger that numerous DJs descibe as "always getting rewinds turn crunk sets!".
Buy "PULL UP" online at iTunes
Jair Dynast talks about his threads but its a much deeper track than it initially seems. Dynast contrasts his relaxed street fashion with that of other rappers who are still rocking conflict ices. Your wardrobe is a major crisis, he tells his diamond-studded peers. Jair Dynast rapper buys local supporting community businesses, reflecting pride in his urban upbringing, and looking stylish. To download the Music Video for Jair Dynast's "My Style" at iTunes click here
Jair Dynast's new rap music video is a tribute to the accomplishments of African-American inventors and their contributions to our society. You can download this song for FREE at http://www.jairdynast.net or buy Jair Dynast downloads at www.itunes.com/jairdynast
Many of their inventions were so revolutionary that they have made significant changes to thousands of lives and will continue to do so for many decades. Malvern rapper, Jair Dynast is determined to spark debate about the negative stereotypes of hip hop culture and change attitudes by quietly inspiring youngsters that experience adversity. Be sure to watch the high quality version hip hop video.
Jair Dynast returns with the same innovative swagger and boom bap beats on the metaphor laden "Simple Plan". Download "Simple Plan" for FREE at JairDynast.net
Click play to view the opening sequence of the TV Series "Make Some Noise" currently broadcasting on CBC TV. Jair Dynast's song "Can't Wait (Apathy Is Boring)" is the theme song for the new TV series.
As a songwriter, Jair Dynast uses uses his gritty, metaphor-laden delivery to inspire inner city youth to be educated about politics. Jair reaches underground hip-hop music fans with the Make Some Noise theme song, "Can't Wait" (dubbed Apathy is Boring by Omni Film Production). The rapper uses witty punch lines and grimy beats to grab attention and motivate young hiphop heads on the subject of politics in their community and the political voting process. "Can't Wait" is one of the songs on Jair's new solo debut album, "VIALENCE". The music and lyrics have been licensed as the theme song for the 13-part CBC-TV mini-series, Make Some Noise that first aired in April 2006.
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Thomson Reuters has been named as a category leader in the Chartis RiskTech Quadrant™ For Operational Risk Management Systems, category leader in the Chartis RiskTech Quadrant™ for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Systems and has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in its Leaders Quadrant of the "Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms Magic Quadrant." Thomson Reuters was also named as Operational Risk Software Provider of the Year Award in the Operational Risk and Regulation Awards 2013. Find out more and read reports below.
Chartis Research names Thomson Reuters as leading EGRC Solutions provider
Chartis Research, a research and advisory firm that provides technology and business advice to the global risk management industry, has named Thomson Reuters as a leading provider for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (EGRC) solutions.
The report outlines how Thomson Reuters combines powerful technology with comprehensive and trusted regulatory and risk intelligence. Organizations get a complete overview of risk, which helps them connect regulatory obligations with business goals, manage their risk exposure and drive innovation and success.
Operational Risk & Regulation Awards
Thomson Reuters was named as Operational Risk & Regulation's operational risk software provider of the year in the Operational Risk and Regulation Awards, 2013.
Thomson Reuters was recognized for Enterprise Risk Manager a solution that enables organizations to establish a framework for operational risk based on their risk appetite, helping them to deliver an appropriate risk culture. Enterprise Risk Manager captures information such as incidents, indicators, assessment responses and scenario analysis data in a flexible and connected way. Risk managers can analyze this risk intelligence through the lenses of their organization's various structures and reporting lines, so that both the cause and effect of 'a risk' can be fully understood. Reporting – whether it is on-screen, ad-hoc, or in a formal format – helps risk executives communicate their organization's risk position to the business, senior management and the board.
Gartner Positions Thomson Reuters in the Leaders Quadrant of its 2013 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms
Gartner, the leader in delivering technology-related insight to over 13,000 companies, recently released the 2013 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms*, where Thomson Reuters was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant. Gartner's assessment of the main software vendors should be considered by organizations seeking a technology solution to support the oversight and operation of enterprise wide risk management and compliance programs.
* Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms, F. Caldwell, J. A. Wheeler, 24 September 2013.
Chartis Research Names Thomson Reuters as leading Operational Risk Management Solutions provider
Independent research carried out by Chartis Research has validated Thomson Reuters as a category leader in its recent report on "Operational Risk Management Systems for Financial Services 2013".
In their report, Chartis Research highlights the operational risk management capabilities of Thomson Reuters risk management software and details why Thomson Reuters is considered a category leader in this space.


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- What is Trap-Neuter-Return?
- How You Can Help
- Adopt A Cat
- Cat Information Center
- Feral & Stray Cats - An Overview
- Lost Cats
- Kittens
- Nuisance Behavior
- Pet Ownership
- Relocating & Abandoning Cats
- Reporting Abuse
- Low Cost Spay-Neuter Options
- Upcoming Events
- About
- Photo Gallery
- Contact
Working together to reduce Dutchess County's Feral & Abandoned Cat Population
Some say that cats domesticated humans so that one day we would invent the internet and give them the reverence they deserve.
While you're cruising the web looking pictures and videos of cute kittens and laughing at LOLCats, we hope you'll stop here - a website dedicated to helping cats - and take a moment to look around.
Feral and stray cats who live outside have a tough life and over population makes it tougher.
Dutchess County, New York, like many areas of the U.S., has a cat overpopulation crisis. Thousands of stray and feral cats are found in every community, rural and urban. Each female can produce up to three litters a year with each litter containing an average of four kittens, resulting in explosive growth of the cat population. P.A.N.T. is committed to helping to resolve this issue through education, prevention and adoption programs. We use the humane and proven method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and form alliances with veterinarians, the general public, local governments and volunteer groups. We hope you will help too.


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Multiple Jobs (Karachi)
Employer: Karachi International Container Terminal
Industry: Finance and Accounts, Management, Office Skills, Textile and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics
Location: Karachi, Pakistan
Job Description:
A well reputed multinational company urgently required , General Manager, Sr. Manager Finance, Executive Secretary, Services Manager, Supply Chain Executives, Superintendents & Supervisors.
(Preference will be given to the experienced people of Shipping Marine).
This job has expired


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Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
6" HD TRILUMINOS Display
720 x 1280 pixels
1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8928 Quad Core
8GB on-board memory
13-megapixel camera with pulsed LED flash and auto focus
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Launch Date: April, 2014
We are planning to undertake our Sony Xperia T2 Ultra review at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile you may like to see why 3G awarded the Sony Xperia Tablet Z 4.5 stars out of 5.
Dimensions : 165.2 x 83.8 x 7.65 mm
Weight: 172 grams
Screen size: 6" HD TRILUMINOS Display for mobile with Mobile BRAVIA
Screen Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels display resolution
Pixels Per Inch (PPI) : 245 ppi
Processor: 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8928 Quad Core
Battery capacity: 1700 mAh
On-board Memory: Up to 8 GB
Camera: 13-megapixel camera with pulsed LED flash and auto focus
Operating system: Google™ Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Ultrafast / 3G / 4G LTE: Yes/ Yes/ No 4G
Bluetooth / NFC : Yes/ Yes
Colours: TBC
Launch Date: Anticipated in April 2014
Price: TBA but expected to be under £330.
The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra is a more affordable version of Sony's Xperia Z Ultra which excelled in all areas. The only issue for some was its cost of £500.
Enter the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra which has had around £170 shaved off its price compared to the Ultra and still comes with many of the goodies featured in the Xperia Z Ultra.
The latest Xperia phablet comes with a stunning a 6-inch 720p TRILUMINOS display with Mobile Bravia 2 engine. It weighs in at 173 grams and is just 7.6mm thick and comes with a a screen to phone size ratio of 73.6%.
The power is provided by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor which is helped by up to 8GB of flash memory. The snapper is introduced by Sony as a 'best-in-class' 13-megapixel camera with pulsed LED flash, auto focus and 16 times zoom.
Some sacrifices have been made to achieve the lower price including making the smartphone out of a combination of plastic and aluminium, which has also meant that it isn't waterproof. Those wanting 4G LTE will be disapointed as its not included and the T2 Ultra is a less powerful device overall compared to Sony's Xperia Z Ultra.
The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra will be on sale in the UK in April although a specific date has not yet been confirmed.
The price has been confirmed by Sony for the Xperia T2 Ultra and this is 400 Euros which equates to somewhere around £330. This seems excellent value for those wanting a non 4G phablet. There is a choice of colours : white, black and purple.
Head back to 3G.co.uk to this page which will be updated the minute the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra goes on pre-order or indeed on sale or simply register above to be notified by email of the arrival of the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra is first Google Play Edition phablet and it's bagged KitKat
All content and images are copyright © 2015 3G.co.uk all rights reserved


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Fox Searchlight took a huge gamble picking up Steve McQueen's Toronto 2010 entry "Shame," starring Michael Fassbender as a tormented sex addict, which hit theaters in 2011. Fans of McQueen's work (which also includes 2008's "Hunger") have been chomping at the bit for his next film. Searchlight is giving his "Twelve Years a Slave" --starring dream team Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano and Fassbender--a limited release on the Oscar-friendly date of December 27, 2013.
Pint-sized Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (and Broadway's new "Annie") and Michael Kenneth Williams of "The Wire" also have roles in the sprawling cast.
Written by John Ridley from the book by Solomon Northup, the film centers on his true story: Northup (Ejiofor), a freed black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War United States. Fassbender plays Northup's malevolent slave owner, and Pitt a Canadian abolitionist.
The film is a Fox Searchlight release.


text: [[quoteright:317:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Voltron_in_the_sun.jpg]][[caption-width-right:317:Let's [=GoLion=]!]]->''One!... Plus one!... Plus one!... Plus one!... Plus one!... [=GoLion=]!!''百獣王ゴライオン (''hyakujuu ou goraion'')[[note]]King of One Hundred Beasts [=GoLion=][[/note]] is a CombiningMecha from {{Toei}} that aired in 1981. Since shows like this were a dime a dozen in Japan, it unfortunately got overlooked. But [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff elsewhere, including America]], where HumongousMecha shows were still practically unheard of, it got recognition as the lion robot of ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.The show takes place in the then-future year of 1999, and Earth has just been hit by World War III, and all the cities are nuked. Five space academy students come across the ruins, and before they even have time to grieve, they are taken as slaves by ships of the Galra Empire. They manage to escape, are nearly shot down, but are pulled in by a mysterious force from the planet Altea.Stumbling across a ruined castle, they meet Princess Fala, the last survivor of the planet's royal family after the Galra empire ravaged the planet, and her advisor Raible. They determine that the explorers are there to pilot Golion, a robot that was unrivaled in battle thousands of years ago, but split into five lions after he tried to take on a goddess.So the pilots form Golion, and become the protectors of Altea (including Fala herself after one of the pilots is killed), and eventually overthrow the Galra empire.Even though the series never took off in Japan as well as ''Voltron'' elsewhere, it does have a cult following, and [=GoLion=] appeared in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW''.See also ''Anime/DairuggerXV'', ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', and ''Franchise/SuperSentai''.----!!Tropes:* AlienInvasion* AlwaysChaoticEvil: There doesn't seem to be a single decent member of the alien species that makes up the [[TheEmpire Galra Empire]].* AllYourColorsCombined* AnimalMecha: The series is called ''Beast King [=GoLion=]''. What'd you expect?* AnimalMotifs: ''Guess''.* AnyoneCanDie* AssKickingPose* BackupTwin: Ryoh Shirogane.* BigBad: Daibazaal. [[spoiler: That is, until Sincline ends up usurping him.]]* {{Bishounen}}* TheBigGuy: Tsuyoshi.* ByThePowerOfGreyskull" "Let's [=GoLion=]!"* CallingYourAttacks* CatsAreMean: [[WickedWitch Honerva]]'s RightHandCat.* ChestInsignia* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Averted. The pilots' uniform color doesn't correspond to their respective lions, a pilot wearing red might own a black lion for example. In fact, only Shorty and Hothead wear uniforms that match their lion's color.* CombiningMecha* DarkerAndEdgier: It never quite matches the works of GoNagai or YoshiyukiTomino, but it's still a fair bit more brutal than most kid-friendly SuperRobot shows of its day and downright shocking to anybody who's more familiar with ''Voltron''. It's particularly notable the way the director seems to take perverse delight in causing secondary or unnamed characters to drop like flies, most notably the entire population of Earth in the first episode.* DeusExMachina: At the end of a two-parter where [=GoLion=] is trapped by a hyper-gravity planetoid, the space goddess shows up out of nowhere to free him.** King Raimon does this a lot. * DroppedABridgeOnHim: Takashi.* TheEmpire* ErmineCapeEffect: Even when not fancied up, even in uniform, Fala still wears her [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia tiara]].* EverybodysDeadDave: The team are introduced returning to Earth only to find the rest of humanity has nuked itself into oblivion. Naturally this part was edited away for ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''... * EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Fala, and her cousin Amue.* EverythingsBetterWithSparkles: Fala does sparkle sometimes.* EyeBeams: [=GoLion=]'s Eye Flash. It also shows up as a monster attack from time to time.* FairytaleWeddingDress: A dress made for Fala to wear on her possible future wedding.* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Why the censoring on ''Voltron'' isn't considered outright {{Bowdlerization}}.** Indeed. The Earth itself even blows up in one episode; something WEP ''really'' couldn't show.* FauxActionGirl: Fala when she isn't piloting the blue lion.* FighterLaunchingSequence* FirstChurchOfMecha: Golion is just worshiped as one on Altea. When he went up against an actual Goddess, he got a major lesson in humility.* ForGreatJustice: The opening song.* FriendToAllLivingThings: Fala and the mice. She even knows their language.* GenreSavvy: The first MonsterOfTheWeek was actually smart enough to attack the lion robots when they were trying to combine.** A later Beastman tried the same trick, only to discover that the Lions now had a force field during their combination to prevent this.*** Which in itself, is GenreSavvy on the part of the Lions.* GratuitousGreek: The Mecha Beastmen were named for Greek letters.* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: WorldWarIII, when the US and USSR launch their missiles at each other, happens eight years after the USSR fell.* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Ryou, who stabs Prince Sincline in the heart before tackling him off the top of his exploding fortress.]]* {{Hidden Backup Prince}}ss: Princess Fala, who is the only survivor of her family.* HighPressureBlood: The episode with the Red Beret fighters from Galra/Doom. While [=GoLion=] in general has a harder edge than Anime/{{Voltron}}, this episode rivals even the infamous first ten minutes of ''Manga/ElfenLied''. This is one instance where the edits made perfect sense for a syndie kids cartoon.* {{Homage}}: It could be unintentional, but Fala's grand dress [[http://www.sfstlskyway.com/allurawall.jpg bears a resemblance]] to [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Princess Aurora]]'s.** Right after the title card in the first episode, a Galran ship flies past the screen in a way reminiscent of the Star Destroyer at the beginning of ANewHope.* HumongousMecha* IKissYourHand: Princess Fala receives this from the Earth pilots when pledging to fight for Altea, except for one guy who gets interrupted by an alarm.* InfantImmortality: ''Horrifically'' ''averted''.* KickTheDog: Sincline has many.* KilledOffForReal* KingOfBeasts* TheLancer: Isamu.* LatexSpaceSuit: All of the pilot suits.* {{Leitmotif}}* LimitedWardrobe: Everyone else has exactly two outfits - his uniform, and one set of civvies, save for Fala, who also has a dress.* MeditatingUnderAWaterfall* MentorOccupationalHazard: Averted with [[spoiler: Raible, who survived the series.]]** Played straight with [[spoiler: Hys]]* MiniDressOfPower: Amue, after she gets rescued and gets involved in the final battle.* ModestRoyalty: Once Fala is a pilot, she usually wears her pink jumpsuit instead of her fancy dress.* MonsterOfTheWeek* OedipusComplex: The [[spoiler:half-Galran, half-Altean]] Sincline has a lot of daddy and mommy issues, especially with Fala resembling his long dead mother.* OjouRinglets: Fala, although the way they are drawn makes them easy to mistake for sideburns.* OneTwoThreeFourGo* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The original five Golion pilots usually called each other by nickname: "[[TheHero Chief]]", "[[SacrificialLamb Quiet]]", "[[TheLancer Moody]]", "[[TheBigGuy Hothead]]", and "[[TheSmartGuy Shorty]]". They were otherwise only known by their last names. (The "[[TheChick Princess]]" manages to fit into the scheme later.)* OverlordJr: Sincline, the even worse then his dad variety.* ParentalAbandonment: Fala's parents and sibilings were killed when she was still a baby. Raible raised her since then.* PimpedOutDress: Fala's princess dress.** Amue's princess dress isn't that fancy, but when she wears her battle mini dress, it fits this trope better.** The wedding dress Hys made for Fala to wear for her eventual wedding.* {{Pride}}: As mentioned, [=GoLion=] was originally a single robot who thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread; when he tried to fight a space goddess, she split him into the five lions to teach him some humility.* PrincessClassic: Even as a pilot, Fala is like this.* PrincessesPreferPink: Fala wears pink with nearly everything, even her uniform.* {{Robeast}}: The Deathblack Beastmen. A group of more powerful, robot monsters called the Mechablack Beastmen were introduced later on.* RocketPunch: [=GoLion=]'s Four Lion Attack has it launch the lion heads on its four limbs at the enemy.* RockThemeNaming: The original five pilots have the names of metals as their surnames.* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething -- Fala as one of the pilots.** Sincline is an example, though in most cases it would have been better for Daibazaal and Galra if he was a Royal Who Did Not Do Anything. * SpannerInTheWorks: Honerva's plan to take down Altea by [[spoiler: killing Shirogane]] falls victim to two spanners- one was Kurogane in Red Lion coming up with the idea [[spoiler: to push the Deathblack Beastman Galcia into some magma]], and when Galra attacks again before Altea could train a replacement,[[spoiler: Fala takes Blue Lion]]. * SpellMyNameWithAnS: Before Media Blasters' official spelling, "Fala" was usually romanized as "Farla".* TheShortGuyWithGlasses: Hiroshi.* SlipperySwimsuit: Happens once to Princess Fala. A high dive while wearing a bikini leads to her top surfacing before she does.* StandardizedLeader: Akira.* TheStarscream: Prince Sincline.* StayInTheKitchen: The way Fala's guardians treat her some of the time.* StockFootage* SuperRobot* ThemeNaming: The original team all have metals for their names: Kogane (Gold), Shirogane (Silver), Kurogane (Steel), Seidou (Bronze), and Suzuishi (Tin).* ThemeSong: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQsABGChyVk See here.]]* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Subverted oh so many times, that's what happens when you get DangerouslyGenreSavvy villains.* TransformingMecha: Mecha Beastman Delta went from robot to DrillTank.* TrueBlueFemininity: Amue's main dress.* UnwillingSuspension: Amue.* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Sincline goes crazy and kills Honerva when he found out that his mother was human.]]* VillainousCrush: Sincline has it ''bad'' for Fala. * {{Warrior Prince}}ss: Fala, and even Amue near the end.* WickedWitch: Honerva.* TheWorfEffect: Every encounter the titular robot has with a beastman who is a physical threat to Golion is an example of this.----


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Online games spoofing the 2008 presidential election are plentiful these days, but Truth Invaders takes one of the more unique approaches that we've seen.
In the Space Invaders knockoff, players select among several questionable statements made by both the Obama and McCain campaigns and then try to turn lies (red) to truth (green).
Designer Jeremy Bernstein, who previously created The Redistricting Game, describes Truth Invaders as FactCheck.org meets Space Invaders.


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Smith Premier 1
The Smith Premier full-keyboard upstrike typewriter is one of the giants of typewriter history. The machine was the first typewriter built by the L.C. Smith & Brothers gun factory in Syracuse, N.Y. The inventor was an engineer by the name of Alexander Brown, who was employed by Smith.
Legend has it that Brown saw the Sholes & Glidden typewriter at an exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 and vowed to build a better machine. His boss gave him the room he needed and Brown began his series of improvements on the S&G. The Smith Premier Typewriter was introduced in 1889 and it was indeed a major improvement compared to the Sholes & Glidden and many contemporary machines.
What was most striking about the Smith Premier 1 (SP1) was the relief of cattails and flowers and the columns cast into the sides of the machine (pic 4). But the secret of the improvements was on the inside. Brown had decided to drop the concept of levers that swung the type up against the platen. Instead, he developed a system of cranks and rods that could easily be fine tuned and adjusted and that made operation very light.
A second feature that Smith Premier used as a special selling point, was the circular brush that was mounted inside the machine to clean the type. A separate crank was used to turn the brush (pic 6) around and to bring it up to clean the type.
The Smith Premier 1 was replaced with a second model in 1894, that was built without the ornately decorated sides. Starting with the SP3 in 1901, the machine had a total of 84 keys (the SP1 and 2 had 76) and was available in different carriage widths on the models 4, 5 and 6.
In 1908 Smith Premier launched a new model, the SP10 that was the only full-keyboard frontstrike typewriter ever built. The SP10 was the last of the 'real' Smith Premiers. After the demise of the company, the brand name was bought by the Remington Typewriter Company that continued to launch regular office machines and portables with the name Smith Premier for many years.
The Smith Premier was also the model for several unique products. One of these was the Lino-Typewriter, a machine that was in fact the SP1, but the keyboard lay-out of the Linotype composing machine. This machine served a niche market of Linotype operators in need of a typewriter.
Courtesy of: Robert collection


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Demi Moore Reunited With Daughter Rumer
May 01, 2013 12:36 PM by Donna W. Martin
Demi Moore and daughter Rumer Willis have been at odds since Moore and soon-to-be ex-husband and Punk'd star, Ashton Kutcher split last year. But mother and daughter have reunited and it seems like their relationship is on the mend. Keep reading for more details.
Following her split with Kutcher, Moore, 50, checked herself into rehab and her troubles with Kutcher distanced Moore from her three children, Rumer, 24, Scout, 21, and Tallulah, 19. Then in July of last year, rumors were swirling that Moore's children were thinking about filing a restraining order against her. But a source close to the family said that while things weren't as good as they used to be between Moore and her children, they would never take it to the extreme of filing a restraining order against their mother. "They love their mom at the end of the day, and they're never going to completely abandon her," the source said.
It's horrible how divorce and the stress that comes along with it can tear families apart or distance them from one another for months or even years. While Moore's split from Kutcher has taken a toll on her, she's trying to bounce back and get on with her life. After being estranged from Willis for months, mother and daughter have reunited and things seem to be on the mend.
According to US Weekly, Moore and Willis were spotted leaving a yoga class at Golden Bridge Yoga. Mother and daughter both seemed happy and were smiling as they exited the 90-minute yoga class. "Everything seemed very normal and friendly," a source said. Then they walked separately to their vehicles. Moore left with a girl friend and Rumer left with her boyfriend, Jayson Blair.
What do you think about Moore and Willis reuniting? It's about time, right? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.
Want more? Follow our tweets on Twitter and like us on Facebook! Click here for more information about American Idol. For other great reality TV news, please feel free to check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.
Photo Credit: E!
Topics: MTV Reality TV Shows, Punk'd |
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Celebrity Moms & Babies
P. Diddy Shares Family Photo — See All Six of His Kids!
P. Diddy might be the head of a music and retail empire but he's also king of the castle back home. The 44-year-old has five biological children and a close relationship with the eldest son of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Kimberly Porter. That's a total of six little Diddys running around!
Taking to Instagram on May 27, Sean shared a snapshot of his brood and it's all kinds of adorable. Upfront we've got Sean flanked by his three main men. Eldest son Justin is on the far right; last we heard he was attending UCLA on a football scholarship. Stepson Quincy is to his father figure's left while Diddy's youngest son, Christian, sits on the right.
We'd consider this a pretty serious family photo given the faces the quartet of fellows are pulling if it weren't for the three little cheerleaders lightening the mood in the background. Puff's twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie bookend their half-sister Chance; all born in 2006, the girls might as well be triplets!
The only thing missing from this crowded family photo are the women who contributed the other half of the equation. That be Diddy's high school sweetheart Misa Hylton-Brim for Justin, his former longterm flame Kim Porter for Christian, D'Lila, and Jessie, and finally Chance's mama, Sarah Chapman. Phew! Christmas at the Combs household has got to be nuts!
Source: P. Diddy on Instagram


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Jennifer Aniston Chosen As Hottest Woman Ever, Is She?
By Mack Rawden 4 years ago
Every year, various outlets put out lists arguing for a particular man or woman as the sexiest of the year. Hotness is subjective. In our most honest moments, were all weirdos with some strange fetishes, which is why no scientific formula nor master list will ever be created that accurately measures beauty. Facial symmetry and eye color and callipygousness all play a role, but the order and proportion to which they do vary wildly between observers. Thats why one mans meh-shes-okay is another mans hottest woman alive. There will never be consensus, but that still doesnt stop people from making lists arguing for one.
The latest 100 sexiest was created by Mens Health, and it goes a bit further than shuffling around women based on whether theyve looked hot in the past year. It shuffles them around based on how theyve looked for their entire lives. Its a list of the 100 hottest women of all-time, and not surprisingly, the vast majority are alive today. Americas sweetheart Jennifer Aniston topped the list, narrowly edging Raquel Welch, Marilyn Monroe, Britney Spears and Madonna.
I have no idea how to feel about this. On the one hand, I think Jennifer Aniston is incredibly sexy. I think shes noticeably hotter than any of the four other women I mentioned above. Now and again, I will even watch old Friends episodes exclusively to get another peek at her sporting the Rachel haircut. That being said, it seems incredibly stupid to say shes the hottest woman of all-time, right? How do we know Cleoptra wasnt hotter, or Mary Magdaline or Adams first wife Lilith? Its pretty presumptuous to assume weve lived through the hottest woman of all-time's prime.
I dont know. I want to hate this list, but Ive always personally thought Jennifer Aniston was the hottest woman in the world. What do you think? Is she the hottest woman of all-time? Sound off by voting in the poll below
Is Jennifer The Hottest Woman Ever?
For more questions of the day, head here.


text: What trailers are making the rounds in our fair offices of late? We're keeping it light this week (I blame it on the fact that since our spring fever has prematurely turned into summer frenzy, we can't handle anything too cerebral): we're loving the romantic comedy What If starring an adorably un-Harry Potteresque Daniel Radcliffe alongside an equally sparkly Zoe Kazan (and Adam Driver, who we love for reasons unknown to us), in theaters in August. Emma Stone and Colin Firth are equal parts delightful and punny in the preview of Woody Allen's set-in-the-south-of-France romance, Magic in the Moonlight (opening July 25). And the Elmore Leonard dark crime comedy, Life of Crime, stars Jennifer Aniston as the super-blonde and unliked wife of a wealthy businessman (Tim Robbins) who's kidnapped by a band of morons (Mos Def, John Hawkes, and Mark Boone Junior)—and whose husband doesn't want her back … cue the scheming mistress played by the divine Isla Fisher. (out August 29).


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Andy Cohen's column on Dolphins.com appears at 6 a.m. every weekday from training camp through the season and when events warrant during the offseason.
Be sure to follow Andy Cohen on Twitter at @ACohenFins.
Who will the Dolphins sign? How aggressive will they be? Do they go for the marquee names in the first week or sit back, evaluate the landscape, and then make their move? Yes, the sweet smell of free agency is in the air. And isn't it refreshing?
This is a franchise that desperately needs to move on and Free Agency 2014, which begins today, affords them the opportunity to do exactly that. The rumors are flying everywhere. The agents are whispering to their confidants. The negotiations have reached the fast lane. And the Dolphins, with plenty of money and all sorts of needs, are right in the middle of it all.
I expect the Dolphins to be aggressive over the next few weeks. Kind of like a hurry-up offense in mid-March. But I'm also realistic about what can be accomplished. You don't turn around an entire football team in one free agency period. That's for dreamers. But you can, nonetheless, fill all sorts of needs, build some real offseason momentum and set the stage for a productive draft.
Yes, the fun is about to begin. No, it doesn't come close to replacing that feeling of a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon in September at Sun Life Stadium. But, as far as the offseason goes, free agency and the NFL Draft are about as good as it gets.
It's time for research to produce results, time for convictions to produce contracts, time for the Dolphins to start improving as a football team. There is plenty to do and the decisions that are made over the next several weeks will have a profound affect on both the short term and long term fortunes of this team.
Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin, you are on the clock.
I'm really interested to see how the offseason game plan takes shape, the strategy Hickey and Philbin utilizes in re-building this offensive line and the areas, other than the line, where change is deemed most important. Running back? Linebacker? You've heard the rumors. Now they start coming to life. Now we start getting a clear sign of the goals and priorities.
What we know right now is that the status quo isn't the answer. We know that what happened at the end of last season simply won't suffice. The mandate is clear and undeniable. Fix the problems. Upgrade the talent. Spend wisely.
I've said this before and I will keep repeating it. It doesn't matter what decisions Hickey has made in the past; it matters what he does with this team at this time. That's how he will be judged. That's how he should be judged. It's all about making prudent decisions just like the one that was made in signing cornerback Brent Grimes to a four-year contract. That sent an important message. What happens over the next few weeks will send an equally important message.
I've been asked numerous times over the past few months which of the available left tackles the Dolphins should go after in free agency. My answer is always the same: The right one. I'm not being funny as much as I am truthful. We've seen this franchise select "the wrong one" far too many times over the years at all sorts of positons. We've seen millions of dollars spent on the offensive line alone without the results any of us were looking for.
That needs to change. And those changes need to begin now. Hickey and Philbin have established an excellent working rapport in a short amount of time. They share similar views and strategies and have, I'm told, put together a well-calculated plan of attack.
Today, that plan begins to unfold. A different type of March Madness has arrived for the Miami Dolphins.
2014 Free Agency: Complete Preview
Free Agency Preview: Offensive Linemen
Free Agency Preview: Defensive Line
Free Agency Preview: Wide Receivers
Free Agency Preview: Tight Ends
Free Agency Preview: Running Backs
Free Agency Preview: Linebackers
The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed by The Finsiders Blog represent those of individual writers, and unless quoted or clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions, policies or desires of the Miami Dolphins organization, front office, coaches and executives. Writers' views are formulated independently from any inside information and/or conversation with Dolphins officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.


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Martise Bright is one tough football player who isn't afraid speak his mind. Tough words coming from a tough player.
Bright has been looking forward to his return to the football field after sitting out his junior season with an injury, a stress fracture to his back.
Brittany Creamer has his story.


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I been neglecting My fetish for trashy black and white photos lately, so I'll give you this photo of an Indian baker to compensate for that neglection.
This shoot was made in outskirts of Agra, where me and My ex-girlfriend ended up after a 20 minutes nerve wrecking tuktuk drive through most of a Agra – and some highway driving as well, where I was pretty sure I was going to end My days, in a horrible crash with a big truck – we where heading out there to catch the night bus to Rishikesh – a ride at about 350km – after arrival and loading our luggage in to the bus, we had a couple of hours to kill, so we started to explore this rather huge parking lot, filled with trucks, truck drivers and all kinds of small shops.
- Camera: EX-FC100
- Aperture: ƒ/3.6
- Shutter speed: 1/30s
- Focal length: 6.42mm


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APR 10, 2014 - ABC News/ESPN
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Rick Nash scored the winning goal with 1:42 left, on New York's third shot of the third period, and the Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Thursday night.
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Running in Place
Americans are learning more but are not catching up to the rest of the world
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The United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy, " claims a task force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations chaired by former New York City schools chancellor Joel I. Klein and former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
Not true, says Yu Xie, a leading professor of sociology and statistics affiliated with the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan. The press release summarizing the message of his book, Is American Science in Decline?, penned with Alexandra Killewald, declares that "American high school students are doing more coursework and performing better in mathematics and science than in the past." "All current signs indicate that American science can remain a leader of world science for many years to come," the authors declare.
So who is right? Are Klein and Rice scaremongers? Or is Xie whistling in the dark?
It is well documented that the math performance of even advanced students in the United States trails that of some 30 other countries (see "Teaching Math to the Talented," features, Winter 2011). And only 32 percent of U.S. students achieve proficiency by 8th grade, a percentage that places the United States at the 32nd level among countries whose performance has been surveyed ("Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete?" features, Fall 2011)
But is the United States now beginning to catch up, as Xie suggests?
In a paper I prepared with coauthors Eric Hanushek and Ludger Woessmann ("Is the U.S. Catching Up?" features, Fall 2012), we answer this question by tracking gains in test performance between the early 1990s and 2011 in 49 countries. Noticeable gains in math, science, and reading have been achieved by U.S. students in 4th and 8th grade on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). But students in the other countries are, on average, making the same rate of gain. Indeed, the rate of improvement in the United States is no better than the median rate for 49 industrialized and developing countries.
Students in three countries—Latvia, Chile, and Brazil—are improving at an annual rate nearly three times that of the United States, and students in another eight countries—Portugal, Hong Kong, Germany, Poland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Colombia, and Lithuania—are making gains at twice the rate of students in the United States.
Furthermore, the upward shift in the United States is concentrated among 4th graders. Gains among 8th graders are only about two-thirds those of the younger kids, implying serious slippage in the middle years of schooling.
Even worse, trend data from international tests reveal only one-third as large a gain in the United States as that identified by NAEP.
It is not clear which tests—NAEP or the international exams—are providing the most accurate information on progress over time. But by any measure, U.S. performance is mediocre, not stellar.
Yet Xie and his colleague tell us not to worry. "American universities have been producing new graduates in science at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels in increasingly large quantities." It is a minor matter that "the number of science degrees awarded to native born men has been stable" while that of U.S. visitors is climbing rapidly.
Yes, U.S. universities can still attract and educate talent from abroad as long as this is a prosperous, stable democracy. But when a country's elementary and high schools can no longer educate its own young people up to the highest international standards, then its security is endangered—just as Klein, Rice, and their task force have said.
Comment on this article
When I raise the example of Finland, here and elsewhere, I get a polite tap on the head and told that their system is great–for them. It won't work here. And then I get a litany of excuses about homogeneity and a few other supposed reasons we can't go Finland on our schools.
If you count yourself in that crowd, fine. And if you do, please explain why we can compare American students with foreign students on standardized tests but we cannot apply the lessons of one foreign country here? What, does 'ethnicity matters' work only in one direction in this debate?
Maybe the Finnish mathematics education is not as good as
you think it is. Look at
for some examples.
Richard, "However, mathematics teachers in universities and polytechnics are worried, as in fact the mathematical knowledge of new students has declined dramatically."
Looks like the college I used to teach in–'those darn kids don't know anything anymore…' Where's the data?
Thing is, if you value PISA, NAEP, or any other comparable international comparison, Finland still rises to the top.
Please do your homework before commenting. Finland
took TIMSS in 2011, but we do not have the results yet.
They took TIMSS in 1999, just 8th grade which was all
that was tested that year, and their scores in algebra and
geometry were below the OECD average. Otherwise they
have not taken TIMSS.
The article I linked to had some data about university
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Amanda Miller's list of "People I Wouldn't Suspect of Fraud" just keeps on growing week in and week out! Amongst the already listed TSA employee, postal carrier, United Nations employee and firefighter I now introduce to the list: a newspaper deliveryman. A guilty plea was announced last week by Andre Tyler, a Maryland newspaper deliveryman, to unauthorized use of an ... Read More »
Friendship Volunteer Fire Department Not So Friendly After Deputy Chief Embezzles Federal Funds
When I hear the mention of Alabama's Friendship Volunteer Fire Department (FVFD) my mind immediately jumps to the thought of a sweet, small, benevolent, rural community; and not necessarily to fraud and theft. ::Sigh:: Thank you cruel world for shattering my optimistic thoughts, yet again. It was announced last week that the Deputy Chief, Angelia Curran, of the Friendship Volunteer ... Read More »
Economic Birth Control : Steady Decline In Births Since Start Of Recession
A new study out by The Pew Research Center shows a correlation between a decline in the economy and birth rates. Apparently since 2008 there has been a sharp decline in not only our economy but also fertility rates in the United States. In 2007 the United States hit 4,316,233 births, a record high number, but since that time the ... Read More »
Former Employee Defrauds United Nations
Jeffery Armstrong was found guilty on nine counts of wire fraud in over $100,000 of salary payments by holding concurrent jobs at both the National Labor Relations Boards (NLRB) and the United Nations (UN). Back in June of 2011 Armstrong was indicted on nine counts of wire fraud for his scheme to defraud the UN and the NLRB but was ... Read More »


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I am comparing Lucene/Solr, Whoosh, Sphinx and Xapian for searching documents in DOC, DOCX, HTML and PDF. Only Solr is documented to have a document parser (Tika) which directly indexes documents. So it seems a clear winner.
But to level the playing field, I like to consider the alternatives. Do the others have direct document indexing (which I may have missed)? If not are they can it be implemented easily? Or is Solr the overwhelming choice?


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Aberdeen Caledonian Thistle Celtic Dundee Dundee United Hamilton Academical Hearts Kilmarnock Motherwell Ross County St Johnstone
Birmingham City Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Brentford Brighton & Hove Albion Bristol City Burnley Cardiff City Charlton Athletic Derby County Fulham Huddersfield Town Hull City Ipswich Town Leeds United Middlesbrough MK Dons Nottingham Forest Preston North End Queens Park Rangers Reading Rotherham United Sheffield Wednesday Wolverhampton
Luis Suarez 'stole from us'
FUMING Mansfield bosses branded Luis Suarez a cheat after his blatant handball helped knock the minnows out of the FA Cup.
Whether it was deliberate or not, it should be sorted out. We should be at least having a replay.
The Uruguay striker appeared to control the ball with his hand as he made it 2-0 to the Reds before Matt Green pulled one back for the Stags to set up a frantic finish.
And Mansfield chief executive Carolyn Radford said: "It feels like it was stolen from us."
Daniel Sturridge fired Liverpool ahead on his debut but it was Suarez who stole the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Referee Andre Marriner allowed the 58th-minute goal to stand after consulting fourth official Michael Jones and deciding it was not deliberate.
But Stags chairman John Radford was fuming afterwards. He was overheard insisting Suarez had cheated his club out of a possible lucrative Anfield replay.
His wife Carolyn added: "Whether it was deliberate or not, it should be sorted out. We should be at least having a replay."
Stags goalkeeper Alan Marriott hit out at Suarez and said: "The lads have seen the reaction. You see Luis Suarez laughing as he kicks the ball across the line.
"He knows himself what happened. Even Stewart Downing said to us that he couldn't believe professional officials missed that.
"When it turns out to be the decisive goal, then it's a sickener for everyone."
But Reds boss Brendan Rodgers defended Suarez. He said: "The ball hit his hand, no question, but it wasn't deliberate.
"The officials decided it wasn't deliberate. It bounced up and hit his hand. I'm not sure what people want him to do in that situation.
"The officials make the decisions. If it was someone else we wouldn't even be discussing it. It wasn't his fault."


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I am using ZD 1.0.3 (Build 1696) on OSX. Backend is ZCS Network Edition 5 (I think 5.0.16 or 5.0.18)
I have two big issues.
The first is that appointment invitations from Thunderbird+Lightning and Google Calendar do not appear as invites. I am not offered the usual Accept/Tentative/Reject buttons. However if I log into the web interface, they are recognized and meeting invitations, and proper action is taken.
Second is the calendar in ZD seems to live out of sync with the server. I accepted an appointment in the web interface, and three hours later it is still not showing in ZD. I have quit ZD, I have even shutdown the service and let it restart by relaunching ZD, to no avail. The "in sync" indicator is green and says Status: Online in the tooltip.
Please advise.


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Simply confirm your registered email address below and click "Reset Password." We will immediately email you a link back to the site where you can enter a new password for this account.
10. Construction Workers
9. Farmers and Ranchers
8. Truck Drivers
7. Power Line Installers and Repairers
6. Garbage dna Recycling Collectors
5. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
4. Roofers
3. Pilots and Flight Engineers
2. Fishermen
1. Loggers


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I have some facebook matter that want to solve. I dont even know these problems can be solved or it is just normal to be like this. Pls see the attached for my problems. I will give 2usd for this work because i dont think it is hard to solve… (Budget: $2-$8 USD, Jobs: Graphic Design, HTML, PHP, Website Design)
Comments Off on some facebook matter by potatocat609
some facebook matter by potatocat609
105 total views, 2 today


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A drug dog responsible for the discovery of millions of dollars worth of narcotics has died.
"Ronnie" was just six years-old and served proudly with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office narcotics division since 2005.
The dog was found dead in his kennel at his handler's residence on May 2nd. The cause of death was listed as acute heart failure.
The sheriff's office says within his first two months of service, Ronnie found four kilos of cocaine and some $37,000 that belonged to a Mexican drug trafficking organization.
Ronnie was transported to the Rollins Laboratory in Raleigh for necropsy to determine cause of death and rule out the possibility of foul play.


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blocks from Vijay Mallya's investment holding company UB Holdings, said two people familiar with the developments.
* Canadian Securities Administrators, the securities market regulator of Canada, has barred Indian asset management companies from selling investment products to local investors, dealing a blow to these fund houses.
* India's central bank has extended the relaxation of the period of realization and repatriation to the country of the full value of goods or software exported by six months. The relaxation will now be effective till March 31, 2013, the Reserve Bank of India said in a release.
* Reliance Industries and the oil ministry have narrowed their differences over auditing of the controversial KG-D6 block and pricing of natural gas, raising hopes of quicker approvals and development of more fields in the gas-rich region, government and industry sources said.
* Jindal Power & Steel has started producing coal at its mine in Mozambique this month, with first exports expected by January next year, the company's country head for Mozambique said at an industry conference on Tuesday.
* The cabinet committee on economic affairs will on Thursday consider a proposal to sell A 9.5 percent stake in NTPC It will also consider a proposal to allow state miner NMDC to acquire 50 percent stake in Legacy Iron Ore , a listed Australian entity.
* Oil & Natural Gas Corp is planning to sell dollar bonds to fund the $1 billion acquisition of a stake in oilfields in Azerbaijan, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
* Rahul Dhir, the former CEO of Cairn India, is teaming up with Warburg Pincus to set up an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on promising assets in sub-Saharan Africa, a person close to the transaction
* Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd have put a plan to jointly develop a terminal in Mangalore on hold, senior executives in both companies said.
* The Essar group's Ruias family is working on a plan to lower its stakes in Essar Shipping and Essar Ports, said a source close to the developments. A group spokesperson confirmed the stake sale plan in the Indian companies.
* Maruti Suzuki exported 8,300 units of the M800, an increase of 57 per cent compared to the 5,300-odd units sold in the corresponding period last year, said Shashank Srivastava, executive director of international business development at the
auto maker.
* Media baron Kalanithi Maran and his


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Long Hill
Stroll the spectacular Sedgwick Garden and hike the wooded trails
572 Essex St., Beverly, MA 01915
19 people saved this
This former family retreat in Beverly has been renowned for its gardens for almost a century. Explore cultivated gardens, an extraordinary woody plant collection, an apple orchard and meadow, a network of woodland trails even a children's garden, chickens, and an organic farm!
Of Note:
- Amenities: Accessible Facilities
Kick Off the Summer with a Great Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend is almost upon us, which means the unofficial start to the summer...
Search All Listings Here.


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May 30, 2016
The students had to research a famous American for six weeks,
make a costume, and act like that person during several plays at
their school.
"It has been a lot of fun. We got to see different people and how they had to struggle and what they had to go through and helped to make life easier for Americans," said West Lauderdale Elementary teacher Elaine Sorrels.
Over 700 students from kingergarten through fourth grade were able to attend the plays Friday. the program was also presented to the West Lauderdale Elementary PTO.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


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Siri: What's it like to have competition in your backyard?
That sentence alone made me realize why I keep coming back to El Reg.
Keep it up guys and gals! Have a great Summer!
Google has released its signature search app, Google Now, on Apple's iOS. Google's search apps have been on iOS for years and have included voice search for quite some time. The new release is notable inasmuch as it brings some of Google's more advanced search services that resemble, challenge or surpass Apple's own voice-driven …
That sentence alone made me realize why I keep coming back to El Reg.
Keep it up guys and gals! Have a great Summer!
It's not competition of course, as Apple have ensured all non-Apple products on iOS don't play on an even playing field.
Google could never integrate with iOS like Siri does so Siri is always more accessible, Chrome on iOS is forced to use WebKit and the non accelerated javascript engine, so Safari is always better.
Android of course doesn't have these imposed limitations. If Apple wanted to make a Siri for Android, they could simply hook onto the search intent and offer the user the option to replace the built in search with Apple's offering. Ditto for maps, ditto for web browsers..
See how evil Apple are? This is not dissimilar to what Microsoft did to Netscape.
It's heading into winter in the promised land right now, you insensitive clod! :-)
.. for US intelligence to get digitally perfect, personally identifiable voice prints of everyone on the planet. And everyone is happy to just collaborate - quality.
Who said that Echelon was out of the game?
Don't ever use a telephone.
You probably should stay off the internet if you're that paranoid.
Assuming that voice becomes a primary way to interact with mobile technology, and that this lasts for a few decades, could this actually alter pronounciation of some words to better fit the foibles of the technology? Once someone gets used to asking their phone for information on transport disruptions in 'South-Wark,' the new computer-friendly pronounciation may well slip into use in conversation too.
(Loughborough - 'nuff said...)
Sci-Fi has been suggesting that for decades, or at least that we'll speak a special dialect when conversing with computers.
Generally my Google Now recognises my normal pronunciation as long as I speak clearly, it does unfortunately stumble and always completely fail when I want to call my wife, it refuses to recognise her name, jealous much (no I don't sleep with my phone).
The Google test-to-voice system in navigation app on android regularily gives utterly weird pronunciations. On a recent trip in Bristol to pick up something from a ship I'd never been to before it was managing qiute happily with "Stapleton Road" until we got to Staple Hill - which it transformed into the much more interesting sounding "Stap Le Hill".
Anyway, its probably just American-ised pronunciatiation that produces Glow-sester-shire and War-sester-shire (though quite how they get Jag-war is beyond me!). Remember once being on a tube train in London where someone was trying to persuade a group of Americans that the station they wanted was really called Totnam Court Road and not Tote-en-ham Court Road!
Best American pronunication came when I was at a conference in Glasgow and went out with a group of other attendees for a meal one night and an American who'd been recommended the restaurant told use to drive along the road and turn right at "Soo-see-hal" ... took bit of time to realize he meant Socky-hall (or even Sauciehall) Street
So basically adverts which try and make more money for Google
Yeah who'd have thought Google would be as evil as to try and make money from their software.
So basically adverts which try and make more money for Google
Nope, just cards with info on, what the weather is like, how long it will take to get home, traffic issues etc - never once had an advert pop up.
Just searched for Google Now (UK) in the itunes store and got no results.
As for which is better, Siri does appointments and understands 'comma', 'full stop', 'new paragraph' better, where GNow seems better at dictation (it'll write comma perfectly, nearly everytime).
Its an update for the Google search App, not a new Google Now App.
'What do you think about "Google Now" on iOS?'
And Siri's response?
"I don't really have anything to say about Google now. Or ever."
What a sulky cow she is! (It seems she's not taking the news very well!)


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Is it possible to change the settings of a league through the Fantasy Sports API?
is yes, how can I achieve this?
Thank you!
Sorry, the only supported HTTP operation for league is GET. You'd need to be able to POST data to the API in order to change the settings through the API.
in Fantasy Sports API


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A friend and I signed up for the San Antonio MS 150 in october. Just wondering if anyone had any sort of advice? We are both first timers for this sort of thing.
Advice on accomidations, the ride itself that make it more enjoyable.
Also my wife and three small kids are going to be heading up to San Antonio with me. Anything that they should know. Can they meet me for lunch at the lunch area. Also how hard is it for them to make it to the finish line each day.
Sorry if these questions seem "silly" but you know how wives are.


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Welcome to The Skyook's NBA Power Rankings, where any given week, things can change faster than a James Harden trade.
Previous weeks: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3
Week 4 – November 26th, 2012
1. Memphis Grizzlies | 9-2 | Last week: 1
The Grizz ever so slightly edge the Spurs to keep the top spot this week. Though they only had 2 games last week, they beat the Lakers impressively and lost to a hot Nuggets team. Now they have the likes of the Cavs, Raptors and Pistons (a combined 9-32) coming to town.
2. San Antonio Spurs | 11-3 | Last week: 2
Even with injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson, Spurs still look like a completely well-oiled machine. Tim Duncan just won the Western Conference Player of the Week and while it's well deserved, he should have split it with his teammate Tony Parker, who's been just as ridiculous.
3. Miami Heat | 10-3 | Last week: 5
The Heat make their current 4-game win streak look like a cake walk. Home games against the Spurs and Nets this week will provide a test. They lead the league in scoring (104.8), but is something up with D-Wade (18.1 pts on near-career low 15.1 FGA's per game)?
4. New York Knicks | 9-3 | Last week: 3
The losses to the Mavs and Rockets were ugly, giving up 114 and 131 points respectively. Even giving up 100 to the Pistons was questionable. The Knicks "dream season" won't continue with that kind of D, especially after they just got done gushing about Melo's new found defensive presence.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder | 10-4 | Last week: 6
Big wins over the Clippers and Sixers last week get the Thunder to a very quiet 10-4. I don't think enough has been made about Serge Ibaka's consistent scoring improvement. He's coming in at 15.1 points per game, way up from his 2011-12 average of 9.1 and career average of 8.9.
6. Los Angeles Clippers | 8-5 | Last week: 4
After a nice win in San Antonio, the Clips blew up with road losses to the Thunder, Nets and Hawks. As the team gets healthier, the questions are starting to get more serious about where all the minutes are going to go. Can Vinny D figure out a reliable rotation? Time will tell.
7. Brooklyn Nets | 8-4 | Last week: 8
In the wake of their showdown with the Knicks, it looks like the Nets are about about this defense thing, now leading the league in Points Against. They are playing well, but the Deron Williams (.399%) and Joe Johnson (.402%) shooting struggles still concern me.
8. Denver Nuggets | 8-6 | Last week: 11
The absolute streakiest team in the league. The Nugs season looks like this: 3 L's, 4 W's, 3 L's and now 4 W's again. They get a bump up with a 4-0 week, all against West foes. Though he's only averaging 18.9 minutes per game, JaVale McGee has a surprising PER of 23.5.
9. Atlanta Hawks | 8-4 | Last week: 18
What a week for Hot-lanta Hawks! A 4-0 week and 5 straight wins overall give them the biggest rise of the week, from #18 up to #9. What's not to love about Jeff Teague running the show right now? 13.8 points, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals with very nice percentages (48 FG%, 42 3PT%, 91 FT%).
10. Los Angeles Lakers | 7-7 | Last week: 10
I'm fine with them dropping one in Memphis, but the Kings loss was completely unacceptable. Antawn Jamison is showing some signs of life under D'Antoni, exactly the kind of punch that the Lake Show needs. Looks like Nash is still a couple of weeks away from returning.
11. Boston Celtics | 8-6 | Last week: 9
This is an extremely hard team to figure out. One night, they look like East contenders, the next night they look Lottery bound. The Celtics/Nets divisional battle should be real nice on Wednesday. With the Nets D, can they keep Rondo in check and stop his assist streak?
12. Milwaukee Bucks | 6-5 | Last week: 7
After I give the mad props in last weeks' Rankings, the Bucks go put up a stinking 0-3 week. Maybe Skiles will give John Henson more run after his 17 point, 18 rebound outburst against the Heat? In the same minutes, how is Udrih (1.0) averaging more blocks than Dalembert (0.2)?
13. Philadelphia 76ers | 8-6 | Last week: 13
Now Andrew Bynum is out "indefinitely," whatever that means, to which the rowdy Philly fans have already lost their cool with Bynum. Jrue Holiday is earning every single penny of that contract, as evidenced in his most recent outing of 33 points and 13 assists in a win over the Suns.
14. Chicago Bulls | 6-6 | Last week: 14
The Bulls were very out of sorts allowing a handful of 100 point games to only mediocre opponents. When Nate Robinson is leading your bench squad, that has to be concerning. Very weak second unit right now.
15. Utah Jazz | 7-7 | Last week: 15
The Jazz splits trend continues. Now 5-0 at home, while 2-7 on the road. They have to get more of these away games to have a playoff shot in the West. A positive for this team however, is their balance. Favors is 0.1 point away from being the 7th guy averaging double figures.
16. Golden State Warriors | 8-6 | Last week: 17
Really nice 3-1 week for the Warriors, knocking off the Mavs, Nets and Wolves. While Klay Thompson's PER (9.6) is alarmingly low, his shooting percentage is slowly starting to get better. 23 (10-19), 16 (6-12) and 24 (8-17) in his last 3 games.
17. Dallas Mavericks | 7-7 | Last week: 12
A .500 record at this point is acceptable, but Mavs will be tested heavily with 11 of their next 15 games on the road. It might be time to start giving Jae Crowder more than 19 minutes per game. One would have to consider O.J. Mayo an All-Star at this point right?
18. Charlotte Bobcats | 7-5 | Last week: 22
The Bobs are still floating on Cloud Nine after going 3-1 last week. Interesting to note that they are 2-0 in overtime games this year. Ramon Sessions is quietly sticking his nose in the 6th Man competition. Very respectable averages in just under 30 minutes and plays in crunch time.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves | 5-7 | Last week: 16
After going 0-3 last week, it's so so great to see Kevin Love out there again. Arguably a Top 10 player in the league. It's only 3 games, but the 24.3 points and 14.0 rebounds averages are beautiful. Now the wins need to come, but the team can't blame him.
20. Portland Trail Blazers | 6-7 | Last week: 20
While 6-7 isn't the most impressive, the Blazers sure have a nice young core forming. Aldridge, Batum, Lillard and Matthews all averaging over 17 points per game. And their 5th starter, J.J. Hickson is no sloutch averaging a double double.
21. Houston Rockets | 6-7 | Last week: 21
Thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin McHale and his family after an absolute tragedy. On the basketball side, I wonder how much fun Jeremy Lin had in the Rockets hanging 131 points on his former Knick teammates.
22. Indiana Pacers | 6-8 | Last week: 19
No matter how disappointing Roy Hibbert has been, 11 blocked shots (and the Pacers first triple double since 2003) is uber impressive. We'll see where the Pacers stand after going out on the West Coast to face most of the Pacific division this week.
23. Phoenix Suns | 6-8 | Last week: 23
The fortunate Suns get to start their road trip off this week with the fantastic Cavs, Pistons, Raptors trio. The defense has been horrid, dead last in the league, allowing 103.3 points per game. Jermaine O'Neal is a bit of a feel-good story right about now.
24. Orlando Magic | 5-8 | Last week: 25
With the Spurs, Nets and Lakers on the schedule next, the Magic might be in for a rough week ahead. Maybe I'm setting the bar too high, but shouldn't Big Baby Davis be shooting better than .418% from the field? More Moe Harkless and more Andrew Nicholson!
25. New Orleans Hornets | 3-9 | Last week: 24
Mostly without Anthony Davis, the poor Hornets have dropped 7 straight games, allowing over 100 points in all of them. With Ryan Anderson's shooting performance against the Suns (8 for 13 from behind the arc), he has taken over the team scoring lead at over 17 per game.
26. Toronto Raptors | 3-11 | Last week: 26
Is there a team (save for the Wizards) that loses games as brutally as the Raps. The ref-blown game in Charlotte by 1 point, a last second layup the next and then a double OT loss to the tough Spurs at home. Bargnani's inconsistency is getting very tiring.
27. Sacramento Kings | 4-9 | Last week: 28
The Raps record may be worse, but on a neutral court, I'm taking them over this Kings team. Thomas Robinson is only getting 15 minutes a game and has not made the impact most thought he would. Too early to file him under the "bust" category, given his draft position?
28. Cleveland Cavaliers | 3-10 | Last week: 27
The Irving-less Cavs are pretty dreadful, but Andy Varejao continues to ball out of control and could end up with the rebounding title this season. When are the Cavs going to get anything from C.J. Miles? He's having a horrible time so far in Cleveland, shooting 29% overall.
29. Detroit Pistons | 3-11 | Last week: 29
At least Lawrence Frank has this team competing on a more regular basis after the horrible start. Is anyone else in the "How the heck has Tayshaun Prince stayed a Piston for this long?" camp? Maybe this will be the year he gets moved, for both their sakes.
30. Washington Wizards | 0-11 | Last week: 30
Give the Wizards credit for their creativity, as they are finding new ways to lose all the time. This week included two overtime games, one of which featured a failed last second tip in from Martell Webster that was waived off at the buzzer. Welcome to Washington.


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News: New York Sustainers get a Christmas surprise
Story by Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman
By Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – New York Army National Guardsmen received a Christmas surprise over the holidays: a visit from their governor, representatives and even reporters bearing gifts.
On Dec. 21, 2008, New York Gov. David Paterson and Congressional Representatives Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens, N.Y.) and Steve Israel (Democrat, Long Island, N.Y.) handed out Yankee and Mets baseball caps during a lunch with Soldiers from the Brooklyn-based 133rd Quartermaster Company, 371st Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary),at Al Asad Air Base's Dining Facility 1.
According to an article in the "Daily News," Paterson said he was "overwhelmed" by the response he received from service members.
He went on to say, "The least we can do is come over and bring them some gifts, and tell them how much the American people, in particular New Yorkers, are behind them."
They were not the only Quartermaster Company's holiday guests.
Reporters Marvin Scott and Jill Nicolini from WPIX, a New York City television station, spent the holidays with the Soldiers – and they didn't come empty handed. Along with gifts of DVD players and Toby Keith-singing teddy bears, New York-style cheesecake and hot dogs, the reporters also brought pre-recorded holiday greetings from Gov. Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Soldiers friends and families.
"I'm energized by it because it's not often in this business we get to tell such positive, uplifting stories and to show our support of our courageous men and women of the military," Scott said in a prepared statement on the WPIX Web site. "We're letting our neighbors - our citizen Soldiers - know they haven't been forgotten this holiday season."
The 133rd QM Co. is responsible for several important sustainment operations at Al Asad, said 1st Sgt. Henry Mack, the company first sergeant, from Brooklyn. The unit runs a class I and class III logistics yard, providing everything from food for the troops to fuel for convoys and helicopters. In addition, the Soldiers manage a water purification and distribution site.
"As a quartermaster unit, the quartermaster motto is 'supporting victory,' and that's what we do," said Capt. Tony Plata, 133rd QM Co. commander, from Bronx, N.Y.
The 133rd QM Co. had to do a lot of adapting to accomplish their mission, Plata said. The unit was initially made up almost entirely of clerks, some of whom had to retrain as fuelers and water purification experts.
"The guys have definitely stepped up to the plate and show they're capable," he said. "We can definitely help out the regular Army any time we're called."
Plata said spending the holidays in Iraq was both the most memorable and the most difficult experience in his deployment. It helped, though, to see they were not forgotten, and to get a small taste of home – even if the media did neglect to bring any New York pizza, he said with a smile.
"It was great to have Marvin and Jill [the reporters], the governor out here, the two representatives, to show support for the New York National Guard," Plata said. "It definitely brought a smile to everyone's face."
Connected Media
New York Governor David Paterson, in white, Congressmen...
Spc. Harry Colon, a maintenance specialist with 133rd...
Reporters Marvin Scott and Jill Nicolini, from New...
Reporters Marvin Scott and Jill Nicolini prepare for a...
Reporter Marvin Scott and cameraman Dave Kimmel...
This work, New York Sustainers get a Christmas surprise, by SPC Kiyoshi Freeman, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:01.05.2009
Date Posted:01.05.2009 03:09
Location:AL ASAD, IQ


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Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly showed some more footage from his upcoming movie The Box at Comic-Con, and quite a few unexpected things popped out, including some pretty major spoilers — be warned.
The movie, based on an old Twilight Zone episode, centers around an ordinary suburban couple who receive a mysterious box. Push the button inside and you get rich, but some stranger dies. The couple seem decent enough, though they are plagued by financial difficulties. They are, after all, directly modeled on the director's own parents.
So there is a lot of temptation, but a lot of resistance — right? Apparently not. The wife (Cameron Diaz) shocked the audience by just going ahead and pushing the button. Ultimately, the movie really turns out to be a lot more about what comes next than it is about agonizing over the choice ... and from all reports, those consequences are quite a bit more bizarre and sci-fi than expected.
Another highlight was the face of Frank Langella, who plays the creepy disfigured man who brings the couple the box. He is only glimpsed fleetingly in the trailer, so this was the first chance to catch more of his face. The CGI involved here was apparently disturbingly impressive.


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Wanting to contribute something I gave my first tutorial a shot. Fighting for ages with scribus and a screenshot tool I tried to explain my take on consistend looking and fast to create maps for the weekly gaming session. No fancy piece of art just nice and fast and maybe something for everyone.
If you like what you read and it proves useful I will elaborate on it ( probably I will do that anyway I just need a break from fighting unknown software... ) As always CC, typos and other critters very welcome.