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A 50-year-old who launched a vicious drunken assault on a man in Queens Park has been jailed for six-and-a-half years.
Stephen Porter left his victim with a fractured skull, broken jaw and two fractured ribs during the booze-fuelled attack.
He punched Aidan McIntyre and then kicked him repeatedly as he was on the ground, leaving his trainers with blood on them.
But Porter, who has a history of violence, claimed he was acting in self defence and had only punched his victim during the incident.
Following a trial at Swindon Crown Court earlier this year a jury rejected his version of events and found him guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent.
And Porter, who still denies any wrongdoing, shouted from the dock 'So much for being honest,' as he was led away to start serving his sentence.
The defendant, who has 'considerable problems with drink', arrived late for the hearing and was having trouble staying awake, insisted he had been telling the truth.
He yelled: "All I have done is been honest and this is where it got me. I could have thrown my trainers away and walked home barefooted."
Porter, of Nythe Road, had been drinking when he launched the attack in the park on Sunday May 5 last year.
The court was told he had 43 previous convictions including a number of assaults and other public order offences.
Sarah Jones, prosecuting, said he was jailed for four years in 1993 for wounding with intent and in August 2012 was put on a community order for three counts of battery.
Paul Trotman, defending, said his client had many difficulties, especially with drink, and is 'in some ways is a very sad person'.
"It is the background of that that led to this offence, though he still denies it," he said.
He said the only serious violence on his record was from more than 20 years ago and asked the sentence to be kept at the lower end of the guidelines.
Earlier he told the court: "He hasn't been following my instructions well, he has been falling asleep in the dock. He wants the matter dealt with today. It's a concern I have."
Jailing him, Judge Douglas Field said: "You are a man who is now 50 and the jury convicted you of this very serious offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
"On the day in question I have no doubt that you were under the influence of drink. I have also not doubt that you punches and kicked your victim.
"The forensic evidence of the blood stains on your trainer showed that you kicked him and your unfortunate victim suffered injuries including a fractures skull, two fractured ribs and a fractured jaw.
"The injuries are still affecting him. He is still having difficulties with depression and his way of life has been curtailed.
"This assault happened in a public park, you were under the influence of drink. Apart from punching him you kicked him, you kicked him when he was on the ground."


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Artist's Bio: Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was a pioneer of Expressionism and had a major influence on Fauvism and German Expressionism. He produced all of his work in a period of only 10 years.
Product Date: 1889
Historical Facts: This work is often regarded as van Gogh's "magnus opus." It is a depiction of the view outside the artist's sanitarium room tha he painted from memory during the day.
Location of Artwork: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Category: Old Masters
Subjects: Colorful, Expressionism, Impressionism, Landscape/Scenic
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Suggested Uses: We know once you've got your brand new, authentic Fathead, you'll be so excited that you'll want to stick it to the first wall you see. But stop for a just a few minutes and make sure you apply it to a clean, smooth, interior surface, because your Fathead loves them and you'll love the way it sticks. We recommend putting it somewhere where everyone can see it since there's no better way to tell everyone you're a fan. Real.Big. Fatheads are perfect for transforming person caves, basements, family rooms, TV rooms, bedrooms, workout rooms, offices or any other interior area with a smooth, clean surface. Need to decorate for a party or get together? Fatheads are the ultimate companion for watching the big game or as decorations for a theme party.
Where Not To Stick It: So we've told you where to put your Fathead but we haven't told you where not to. For those curious folks who may want to try to stick their Real.Big. Fathead in clever places like on the sidewalk or on your Dad's car, you may want to rethink your decorating because to be honest, it won't stick or stay for very long. Fatheads do not like textured or bumpy surfaces. When we say you should put it on an interior surface, we don't recommend putting it in your garage unless you have one of those fancy, finished, heated garages. Fatheads don't like the cold, but who would want to leave their poor Fathead in the cold anyway? Lastly, you don't want your Fathead to stick to itself, let's just put it this way, your Fathead will not let go without a fight. The best way to prevent this is to grab a friend or two and have them help you put up your Fathead. Then you get to show it off that much sooner.
Only valid at Fathead.com. No promo code required. Offer cannot be applied to previous purchases or already discounted items. Offer cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer does not apply to gift cards or already discounted items. Orders of $98.99 or more and shipping within the 48 contiguous states will receive free standard shipping. The minimum purchase amount for free shipping does not include gift cards or tax. Offer may be discontinued or adjusted at Fathead's discretion.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mama coming home tonite, went to NOLA for wedding stuff.( daughter #1 getting married in NOLA this fall) I volunteered to stay behind & dogsit
I planned on a nice slow butt cook on the horizonal BUT the rain came early!
Table top grill with a few mods makes a good low & slow cooker & it's under the 11 ft. patio umbrella.
Fresh 5 & 1/2 lb butt well trimmed from grocery.
Usual mustard & homemade rub.
Set up grill with fuse burn & heat shield.
Off we go!


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Texas Rangers Catcher Mike Napoli BUSTED Checking Out Fan Girl's Butt in Autograph Line [PHOTO]
The Major League Baseball season is a long, exhaustive one. There are 162 games, you're traveling hundreds of days per year and since you're away from your wife/girlfriend for days on end, things can get a little lonely. Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli obviously is no exception, getting busted like this.


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GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. - Minutes after a man pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping and murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who was dumped in a trash bin and later found in a landfill, the little girl's family -- including her twin brother -- addressed his sister's killer.
"You know you did this, and now you're going to jail," 9-year-old Samuel Thompson said to Jarred Harrell from the witness stand.
In a deal sparing Harrell the death penalty, the 26-year-old Harrell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Somer's family was in favor of the deal because Harrell agreed not to appeal any of his convictions.
"Your punishment does absolutely not fit your crime," Somer's mother, Diena Thompson, told Harrell during her victim-impact statement. "Remember now, there is no safe place for you. You do not have an impenetrable cell. There will be no peace in the afterlife."
Somer was a second-grader living in Orange Park when she disappeared while walking home from school on Oct. 19, 2009. She was with her sister and some friends, but ran ahead of them after they had a spat.
It was a route she had taken many times before, and she often stopped at a home to pet a white dog. Usually, no one came outside. On the day Somer disappeared, authorities said Harrell lured her into the home.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler says Harrell had raped and asphyxiated Somer and dumped her body in a commercial trash bin in Fleming Island by the time her mother, Diena Thompson, flagged down a deputy to report her missing.
Two days later, she was discovered in a landfill in Charlton County, Ga.
Harrell wasn't arrested until about three months after Somer's death. Initially, authorities interviewed convicted sex offenders within a 5-mile radius of Somer's Orange Park home, but didn't come up with any substantial leads.
On a hunch, they tailed nine garbage trucks from Somer's neighborhood to the landfill and picked through the trash as each rig spilled its load. They sorted through more than 225 tons of garbage before they spotted her legs sticking out of the garbage.
COURT DOCUMENTS: State of Florida vs. Jarred Mitchell Harrell | IMAGES: Emotions in the courtoom
Harrell lived with his parents on a neighborhood street Somer took to get home. Police said Somer was lured into the home and later asphyxiated and tossed into a trash bin, though they have not released any more details about her death.
After Somer vanished, Harrell moved to Meridian, Miss., to live with an aunt.
He drew the attention of law enforcement two months before Somer disappeared, but he wasn't arrested. His roommates in Florida said they kicked him out for stealing and they discovered child pornography on his computer, which was turned over to investigators.
The Clay County sheriff's office said Harrell wasn't taken into custody then because detectives had to prove Harrell downloaded the child porn.
He only became a suspect in Somer's disappearance after Somer's friends showed officials where they had last seen Somer -- the home with the dog. Also, the parents of one of Harrell's roommates drove by Harrell's parents' home and noticed how close it was to Somer's home. When they saw Harrell's car in his parents' driveway, they told detectives.
According to authorities, Harrell confessed to sexually molesting and killing Somer, then disposing of her body. DNA evidence found on Somer also linked Harrell to the crime.
Harrell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual battery, possession of child pornography and other sex charges, some stemming from an unrelated molestation case involving a 3-year-old relative. Authorities did not release details of that new case.
UNCUT VIDEO: Plea & Sentence | Thompson family | Somer's siblings | Diena Thompson | Judge
The discovery of Somer's body touched off an outpouring of support in northeast Florida for the Thompson family; days of vigils and fundraisers were held so Somer's mom could financially afford to stay home with her other children. A mountain of stuffed animals, balloons and notes to the family sprung up near a tree across from the little girl's home.
Like most little girls, Somer loved to dance, play dress up, draw and color. Her favorite color was purple.
At her funeral, hundreds of purple balloons were released into the sky; purple flowers adorned her wooden casket and her family wore purple ribbons.
Somer had her brown hair in a ponytail with a red bow when she went missing. She was carrying a lunch box and wearing Hannah Montana backpack. It was purple.
"This will be that last breath that I waste and use on you. It is now time to take out the trash," Somer's mother said. "No punishment given to you will be good enough to soothe our spirit."
Copyright 2012 by News4Jax.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text: This website is all about the research process something that confronts genealogists every time they embark on finding something out. I strongly recommend that you download the Genealogical Research Process Map and use it in your research. It is so simple when you see it laid out clearly, but not so simple when you are in the middle of trying to prove or disprove some nugget of ancestral information! Mark Tucker has certainly given a gift to the family historian.


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Medicine Poisoning Sends Thousands of Kids to ER Annually [AUDIO]
More children are getting into medicine found at home, according to a report by Safe Kids Worldwide.
The report, Keeping Families Safe Around Medicine, finds that a poison control center receives a call about a potential medicine poisoning for a child age five and under every minute of every day, and young children visit the emergency room 64,000 times each year due to medicine poisoning.
In three out of four cases, the child got the medicine from a parent or grandparent, according to the report. Since 2005, there has been a 23 percent increase in the number of grandparents living with their grandchildren, and 13 percent of grandparents care for a grandchild on a regular basis.
"It's known that older adults take more medications than younger adults and while parents and grandparents know to keep medications up and out of the reach of kids, grandparents may not always keep their medication in a child resistant container," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "They may put it in a daily pill counter or an easy to open container."
According to the research, more than half of respondents said they would not think to call the Poison Help Number, but in seven out of 10 calls, the child can be treated at home with no trip to the emergency room needed. Nearly 500,000 calls are made per year to a poison control center.
"If you're child is not in great distress — if they are breathing fine, call the number," Carr said. "It can give you great information and you will know immediately what to do to take care of your child."
The number is 1-800-222-1222.
So, what can you do to prevent medications from getting into the hands of your children? Carr said to take a look around your home.
"You'll probably see that some things may be out either on a night stand, on a kitchen counter or even in a purse that should be tucked up and away," Carr said. "You have to remember that it's important every single time to keep medication up and away and out of the reach of children."
For tips on safe storage, safe dosing and safe disposal of medicine, visit safekids.org.


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You choose how to use it. Use and results vary. Click here
The Tummy Tuck's unique 10 minute method ignites a fat burning chain reaction, like flipping a switch that sets off a domino effect slimming fat away from your belly long after you've taken off the belt. Each day that you use the Tummy Tuck, you're gradually reducing the fat around your belly.* Learn More About the Easy 10 Minute Method.
Apply the Thermal Accelerator cream to your midsection, your belly and around the sides (the love handles).
Put on the Tummy Tuck Belt and do 2 minutes of standing abdominal Tummy Tighteners.
Relax or do other activities for 8 minutes. You're done! You can now take off the belt.
Heat Vision Photography
Look below at how this heat vision photography captures the effect. Before the Tummy Tuck method, measurements were taken. Then, they followed the 10 minute Tummy Tuck method, and right after the belt was taken off, temperatures were again recorded. Just look at how the temperature begins to rise and continues for over 3 hours. The unique Tummy Tuck® 10 Minute Method ignites a fat burning chain reaction, like flipping a switch that sets off a domino effect gradually reducing fat away from your belly long after you've taken off the belt. The increase is only a few degrees so it's comfortable and unnoticeable to most people. So after you take off the belt, it's gradually slimming the fat away from your belly as you're going about your day.*
Ultrasound Imaging
In a joint clinical study, 2 medical universities put the Tummy Tuck to the test. To measure belly fat, they used state of the art ultrasound imaging to document the thickness of the belly fat under the skin. Look at the photos below showing a significant reduction in the fat layer after continued use of the Tummy Tuck system.*


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By Maya Bornstein In an age ruled by immediate gratification, waiting for a good thing can be pretty agitating. Thus sprang the concept of reserving a table at a restaurant, right? As consumers, we just want …More
Articles for Brewpubs
Customer Service Negotiation Tips
By: John Szymankiewicz, Beer Law Center Over a career as an engineer, project manager, lawyer and business owner, I've learned how to deal with customers, especially upset and ill-tempered customers. I think negotiation is a key factor …More
Combating Underage Drinking
Authored by Steve Hindy. Reprinted with permission. Jan/Feb 2014 The New Brewer Item in The New York Times Sunday magazine, September 8, 2013: The 5 Most Popular Alcoholic Drinks Among People in the E.R. with Alcohol-related Injuries, …More
Growlers: The Next Generation
Authored by Jack Curtain. Reprinted with permission. Jan/Feb 2014 The New Brewer There are ceramic growlers that are works of art and there are growlers that support the planet. It would be way beyond hyperbolic to refer …More
Cask Ale: Expanding Your Beer Offerings
Authored by Tom Hennessy. Reprinted with permission. Jan/Feb 2014 The New Brewer Warm and flat is where it's at." So said my friend Erik Jefferts back in 1996 when he was head brewer at Phantom Canyon …More
Chef + Brewer = Elevated Beer + Food Pairings
Authored by Sean Z. Paxton. Reprinted with permission. Jan/Feb 2014 The New Brewer Food is a culmination of different ingredients (fruit, vegetables, dairy, proteins, herbs, and spices) mixed with acid, fat, or liquid, served raw or …More
Ramping Up Server Training
Authored by Ginger Tin. Reprinted with permission. Jan/Feb 2014 The New Brewer When you have a well-trained staff, you will see an increase in profits as they help increase revenue while lowering costs. As someone who was …More
Sustainable Uses of Spent Grain
CraftBeer.com – Spent grain, the leftover malt and adjuncts after the mash has extracted most of the sugars, proteins, and nutrients, can constitute as much as 85 percent of a brewery's total by-product. Author Kay …More
Frosted Glassware Is Not Cool: Temperature Tips for Craft Beer Retailers
CraftBeer.com – Julia Herz shares a cheat sheet for the tens of thousands of retailers, including brewpubs, who are serving craft-brewed beer. This list specifically addresses temperature, which is just one of the many components …More
Making the Case to Taste
CraftBeer.com – Being food itself, craft beer complements all types of dishes and flavors, but for some reason many people can't get past pizza and pretzels. Andy Sparhawk takes three classic food combinations and makes …More


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Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold 3.00-7.00 lower while calves traded fully 5.00-10.00 lower and as much as 20.00 lower on unweaned new crops.
Fall calving areas of Missouri and Arkansas suffered the brunt of the losses with severe discounts and light demand noted on fleshy bawlers. Sharply lower prices were a continuation of the previous week's weather related sell-off and additional pressure from global economic and violence fears. Virtually every major publicly traded commodity market was sharply lower to start the week on Monday, followed by somber moods when news of the Boston Marathon bombing surfaced.
Wintry weather refused to relinquish its hold with yet another round of snowstorms moving through the Rocky Mountain States and on to the Northern Plains. Auctions were cancelled or postponed again this week in places like Torrington, WY where blowing snow halted any livestock movement, but much farther north in Billings, MT marketing was brisk and somewhat disconnected from lower markets in the Plains and the Midwest.
Trading was active on Thursday at the Billings Livestock Commission boasting a load of 572 lb steer calves at 175.50 and selling young cow/calf pairs up 1825.00. Granted, some support was seen in the feeder markets late in the week but before the grizzly bearish cattle-on-feed report that was released Friday afternoon. On-feed inventories as of April 1st came-in about one percentage point higher than the average guess at 95 percent of a year ago, while March fed marketings were about that much below expectations at only 92.3 percent.
Placements continue to baffle analysts who have been chasing the number lower for months only to see March headcounts moving into feedlots show up at 106 percent, compared to the average prediction near 99 percent. These data are nearly inexplicable following another year of deep culling of breeding stock, but forage availability of any kind has been very tight and the comparing placement value from a year ago was very low at 93.6 percent of 2011. However, feeder cattle indeed continue to come out of the woodwork with nationwide auction receipts surprisingly heavy so far this month which could bring another big placement number on next month's COF report, but that might be too practical.
CME Feeder Futures and deferred Live contracts will likely feel the pinch of Friday's report, while the April feeder board is already maturing at its lowest point and nearly 25.00 lower than when it was heavily traded early this year. What feeder markets need is sunshine and warmer temperatures to pop pastures and lure consumers to the backyard grill. Heavy rain and snow measurements have been mostly welcomed across the parched central portions of the United States. Farmers and agricultural analysts may be impatient to begin corn planting, but moisture is the key ingredient and modern equipment can easily knock out over 90 million acres in a couple of weeks. This week's reported auction volume included 55 percent over 600 lbs and 44 percent heifers.


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[Note: if you are seeking confirmation of what you believe is a recent discovery, go to this page on reporting potential discoveries. For general inquiries, please use our Contact form and select "General Observing" as the subject.]
The AAVSO Annual Report for 2015-2016 has been published and is online. Both a high-resolution and a low-resolution version are available at https://www.aavso.org/annual-report.
Slate of candidates for AAVSO Council elections to be held November 2016
Richard Berry, Lyons, Oregon
Tom Calderwood, Bend, Oregon
David Gagnon, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Mike Joner, Provo, Utah
Katrien Kolenberg, Heverlee, Belgium - *running for re-election
Linda Morgan-O'Connor, Danforth, Maine
Richard S. Post, Lexington, Massachusetts
Gregory R. Sivakoff, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Biographical statements from candidates
Richard Berry, Lyons, Oregon
Annual Report of the AAVSO for 2014-2015
The Annual Report of the AAVSO describes the activities of the AAVSO over the past fiscal year, and provides general information about the organization.
The AAVSO has joined Astronomers Without Borders to support them during their GAM (Global Astronomy Month) activities.
Kristine Larsen
2015 - Present
Astronomy, Ph.D.
AAVSO Communications was launched in March 2015. The purpose of this monthly email is to highlight new initiatives and ongoing projects in a concise way which we hope you will find informative. Sometimes there is just so much going on that it is hard to keep track of it all. We hope that AAVSO Communications will make it easier for you to see what is happening and follow the links to read more about what interests you.
February 3, 2015
The AAVSO Program Committee spent many months evaluating the AAVSO's programs and activities. This committee has now released its report. A pdf version of the report may be found at
Program Committee Report to the Membership
La American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) y la British Astronomical Association Variable Star Section (BAAVSS) tienen el agrado de anunciar que el archivo de observaciones de estrellas variables de la BAAVSS ya está disponible a través del sitio web de AAVSO. Los archivos de la BAAVSS cuentan con más de 2,5 millones de observaciones de estrellas variables realizadas en su mayoría por astrónomos aficionados de todo el mundo durante los pasados 150 años.
The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) and the British Astronomical Association Variable Star Section (BAAVSS) are pleased to announce that the variable star observation archive of the BAAVSS is now available through the website of the AAVSO. The BAAVSS archives comprise over 2.5 million variable star observations made mostly by amateur astronomers world-wide over the past 150 years. These data now join the archives of the AAVSO in the AAVSO International Database, which consists of over 25 million variable star observations made by observe


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This nifty little piece of software has a checklist for the entire process, from getting started with basic family information, through the nitty-gritty of planning activities and creating a budget, down to post-reunion activities, including evaluation forms and thank-you notes for your fellow committee members. Great tips on coming up with a theme for your reunion and ideas for locations are also available at <www.family-reunion.com>.
The tips and ideas are worth the price of the software, even without the list-creation functions. In fact, if you're planning to share work on list files, you're probably better off to employ a widely used spreadsheet program such as Microsoft's Excel, since Family Reunion list files can't be saved as other formats.


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About the Book
It is a book about childhood, happiness, friendship and love.
About the Creator
Reka Peti-Peterdi is a photojournalist working in Los Angeles, California. A native of Budapest, Hungary, she received her M.S. degrees in Communication and French from the University of Pecs, Hungary. Reka came to the United States in 1999 to join an international scholarship program. Her dedication to photography was evident at an early age. She has authored over 20 travel photo books featuring several top international destinations and writes frequently for online travel magazines. Her total obsession with photography has taken her on journeys to many marvelous countries throughout the world. She enjoys shooting a great variety of subjects. Her favorite themes are nature, portraits and her beloved travel destinations, California and Hungary.
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It seems to be my word of choice these days. I've never cared much for swearing or cussing (as some people call it). I was amazed at how good at that my father was. He is now 103 and doesn't do much swearing any more, but in his day, I always thought he was better at that language than anyone I knew. I have heard that from other people about older relatives — Uncle Joe could cuss a rhyme. Funny, when you think about it.
Enough of that ... back to "seriously." As I said, it seems to be my word these days. Seriously, I say, gas is $3.95 a gallon? What's with that? Yesterday, the same gas was $3.75 a gallon. Seriously, I'm pumping different gas today than was in the underground tank yesterday?
Seriously, I bought ground chuck last week costing $2.69 per pound — this week it is $3.29. I need to check the market prices more closely. Seriously, I didn't see that much of an increase from one week to the next.
I say seriously about other things other than prices. Things that didn't bother me at all when I was 25, slightly irritated me at 45, and now at 60-plus cause me to have "seriously" creep into my vocabulary. Did my advancing age decrease my tolerance? That's a question I try not to contemplate too "seriously."
Recently I called (and called) a company for a repair issue. I was transferred to a girl with the title of Customer Relations Case Manager. Seriously, what does she do? Her title alone brings out my word, and then I find out that her office is in Costa Rica, and the reason no one has not gotten back to me in 10 days was the earthquake in Costa Rica last week. Seriously, I thought I was calling somewhere in the United States — did I know I was talking to Costa Rica? Costa Rica? Seriously, you have to love those 800 numbers.
Seriously ... what do all the people I see with their cell phone to their ear have to say all the time? Today, after pumping gas at a local establishment, I went inside to pay. Usually I pay at the pump, saving myself a few steps, but I decided to go inside. I paid for my gas and a little snack, obviously my reason for going inside, and as I try to leave, a very young boy, maybe 9, walked right in front of me, cell phone to his ear, and oblivious to everyone else as he pushed through the door. His mother apologized for him, the boy still unaware. Seriously ... good manners, young man, are always appropriate. I must not have enough to say or not enough friends. I don't even use up the minutes I pay for on my cell phone. Seriously ... is something wrong with me or them?
As you can see, my "seriously" moments are diverse. I guess it's not a bad word, but seriously, I need to relax and not stress about the things I cannot change. Gas prices are what they are; ground chuck costs what it costs; people in Costa Rica need jobs too; and cell phones are a way of life.
Do all of us need to relax more? I don't know about you, but "seriously" I do!
Nita Wyatt of Wyanet can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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You exercise your body to stay physically in shape, so why shouldn't you exercise your brain to stay mentally fit? With these daily exercises you will learn how to flex your mind, improve your creativity and boost your memory. As with any exercise, repetition is necessary for you to see improvement, so pick your favorite exercises from our daily suggestions and repeat them as desired. Try to do some mentalrobics every single day!
Once you have gotten someone's name, you can help yourself remember it by making it meaningful to you. To do this, you need to make the name concrete by visualizing it or finding a substitute word that can be visualized. Some names like 'Baker,' 'River,' or 'Holly' can be visualized directly. For names like 'Conroy,' 'Hargrove,' or 'Olefsky,' you can use substitute words or phrases such as 'convoy,' 'hard road,' or 'leaf sky.'
Whatever you use, be sure to get a mental picture of the name. Really see the image in your mind. This will help you remember it later. If you ever encounter a name that is too difficult to visualize, or if you just don't have enough time to make the visualization, it won't matter. Just having spent a little time trying will help because you will have focused on the name longer that you would have without using this technique.
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Big Brother 12 Start Date Announced!
Yakksters, thanks to our very own, SassyGal, we have wind that Big Brother 12 will premiere on CBS on Thursday, July 8! You're gonna want to stick to the Yak for all of Big Brother 12 news as we gear up for another summer! Join us in our forums!


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Fox Hosts Voter Suppression Group To Spin The Presidential Election
Blog ››› ››› REMINGTON SHEPARD
Fox News hid the controversial nature of the group it relied on to analyze political races in Minnesota.
Fox & Friends hosted Minnesota Majority's Jeff Davis to discuss Obama campaign advisor David Axelrod's claim that Minnesota will not likely go to Mitt Romney. When co-host Gretchen Carlson introduced Davis, she identified him as the "founder and president of the grassroots, non-profit group, Minnesota Majority," allowing Davis to hype GOP chances in the state without noting that his organization is a conservative one heavily involved in efforts to push voter ID laws in Minnesota:
In 2010, Minnesota Majority pushed the debunked claim that Sen. Al Franken won his 2008 election because of fraud involving felons illegally voting. Fox News hyped the group's findings, at the time calling it a "conservative watch dog group."
After its voter fraud findings were discredited, Minnesota Majority joined the effort for a voter ID law in Minnesota, despite voter fraud being virtually non-existent in the state.
Such laws have been found to depress voter turnout, particularly among demographics who often vote for Democrats and who heavily supported Obama in 2008 minorities, low-income Americans, students, and older Americans.
As part of its voter ID law effort, Minnesota Majority posted a controversial illustration to its website in February, featuring an African American dressed as a felon and a man in a mariachi costume:
- Posted In
- Elections
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel
- Person
- Gretchen Carlson
- Show/Publication
- FOX & Friends
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Updated rules for commenting are here.


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Topic: Want to do a Fundraiser
Hi All,
I want to do a fundraiser but honestly have no idea where to even start. Anyone have any suggestions? Also anyone else in NY that would want to help with the fundraiser??
cholangiocarcinoma.org :: Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Discussion Board
a resource for patients, friends, caregivers and loved ones.
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
|La fundación de colangiocarcinoma (CCF) ahora ofrece servicios de traducción en Español.
Por favor publique sus preguntas en Español y un intérprete le va responder.
Join our new Mentoring Program
A new discussion board experience is coming this September!
After 10 years, we're upgrading our discussion board to a new modern system. The new forum will be easier to use, mobile-friendly and loaded with new features! We'll be taking all of the existing posts and users over to the new board, you won't have to do anything. If you have any questions, we've started a thread here to discuss.
Hi All,
I want to do a fundraiser but honestly have no idea where to even start. Anyone have any suggestions? Also anyone else in NY that would want to help with the fundraiser??
Did you ever get any info on this? I am interested in doing a golf tournament. I think that should be pretty easy to set up, but we're not sure what to do with the money. We want to make sure that it goes directly to cholangio research.
Hi Brian,
I didnt get any info for doing a fundraiser...
Are you in the NY area? If you are we could work together and come up with something...
Brian and Angela....thanks for your great idea. It comes at the perfect time. The Cholangiocarcinoma, in cooperation with the National Cancer Institute, will be offering a grant for research on Cholangiocarcinoma by the end of this year. More information will be posted within the next few days.
I also wanted to mention something you might not be aware of. The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation is staffed by volunteers only. The work we do truly is an act of love solely. focused on helping patients touched by this disease. Unlike many other Foundations salaries are not paid to any of us. Our ultimate goal is to help researchers find a cure for this disease.
You might want to send an e-mail to Stacie regarding your great thought of a fundraiser. She will be happy to help you.
Angela and Brian,
We are happy you'd like to do a fundraiser. We just updated our site with information to help you and others. Just click on the "Get Involved" button and "Local Fundraisers". If we can be of assistance, let us know.
The information expressed is not medical advice. The discussion boards are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for the medical advice of physicians or other healthcare providers. Read the full disclaimer.


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Woman, 80, swallows diamond at Fla. charity event
Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 9:27 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 9:27 a.m.
TAMPA — The idea behind the Tampa Woman's Club charity event was simple. For $20, you could buy a flute of champagne and a chance to win a one-carat, $5,000 diamond.
Organizers of the Saturday afternoon event placed $10 cubic zirconia stones in the bottom of 399 of the 400 champagne glasses. The prized diamond, donated by Continental Wholesale Diamonds, was placed in the last.
The problem? Miriam Tucker, 80, accidentally swallowed it.
Tucker told local media that she didn't want to put her finger in the glass to get the jewel. Instead she took a few sips of champagne. As she was talking and laughing with other women at the table, she realized she swallowed the jewel.
"What a dumb thing," she said.
Meanwhile, organizers and jewelers Joy Pierson and Andy Meyer were puzzled that no one came forward with the diamond.
"We knew the winner had to be at one of two tables," Pierson said, who along with Meyer examined each stone with probes and a loupe.
As they hovered near the table, Tucker eventually spoke up. "She said she swallowed what was in her glass," Pierson said.
Event chairwoman Gina Roth insisted that Tucker follow her to a hospital for an X-ray. The diamond didn't show up, but Tucker already had a colonoscopy scheduled for Monday.
She told Dr. Bruce Edgerton what happened and he retrieved the diamond, put it in a biohazard bag and gave it to Tucker's daughter. After the procedure, they went to a jewelry store and had the diamond cleaned, tested and verified.
"It's an amazing story," said Tucker, who hasn't decided on a setting for the diamond. She plans to bequeath it to her 13-year-old granddaughter, where the diamond will "stay in the family with a story to go with it."
The jewelers said they've participated in other charity events in which they held a drawing for a diamond. But this was the first time they used a champagne glass.
"We might change the way we deliver the diamond," Pierson said. "I don't think we'll put it in a glass again."
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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• 1950s Halterneck Floral Circle Dress
• Fabric: Cotton Sateen
• Skirt length: 27.5 inches
• Made in London, UK
• Dry Clean only
Nothing says 'fifties frock' quite like an authentic, vintage floral print. We are continually adding to our Limited Edition 'Floral' collection, making it understandably a favourite with our customers! These fresh, cotton summer dresses feature our signature boned bodice and full circle skirt, making them a popular choice for weddings, parties, summer picnics and festivals.
Accessories (petticoats, belts, flowers) are NOT included, but are available to buy in our Accessories section.
Please be sure to measure yourself correctly before placing your order, to avoid disappointment.


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UF students go to polls
Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:27 p.m.
University of Florida students will face a choice on Tuesday and Wednesday to pick what political party will control and direct Student Government and its $18.2 million budget.
Where to vote
University of Florida Student Government Elections will be Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day. Students can vote at any of these polling locations:
UF Student Government elections will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day. Voting locations are at the Reitz Union, Southwest Recreation Center, Springs Complex, Veterinary Medicine Academic Building, Marston Science Library, Broward Hall, Jennings Hall, Murphree Hall, CSE building and the Levin College of Law.
Students will choose the presidential, vice-presidential and treasurer candidates from the Swamp Party or the Students Party. The Swamp Party ticket includes Christina Bonarrigo for president, Joselyn Rivas for vice president and Jayce Victor for treasurer, while the Students Party ticket includes Johnny Castillo for president, Jenna Goldman for vice president and Will "Billy" Farrell for treasurer, according to the UF Student Government website.
Also on the ballot are candidates for senators to represent each UF college and a non-binding referendum on the soft closing of bars. Currently, clubs and bars are required to close at 2 a.m., but the referendum states that allowing a soft closing at 3 a.m. would "let bar and club patrons take their time to make sure [students and residents] are in a state to leave and head home," according to a sample ballot.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Will Fox Correct The Record On The GOP's False Benghazi E-mail Claims?
NYT Report Counters Republican Narrative And Fox Reporting
Blog ››› ››› BRIAN POWELL
A New York Times article directly refutes the claims of House Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner, that State Department officials knew immediately that the attacks on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 were connected to "Islamic terrorists." Fox News willingly repeated the attack on its evening programming May 9 -- but now that the Republican distortion has been exposed, will the network clarify its reports for viewers?
Boehner called for the release of a State Department e-mail sent in the wake of the Benghazi attacks that he claimed suggested the assault was perpetrated by "Islamic terrorists." At the House hearing on Benghazi on May 8, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), purporting to be reading from the email in question, quoted a State Department official as saying, "the group that conducted the attacks...is affiliated with Islamic terrorists." The phrase "Islamic terrorists" holds significance for Republicans who have suggested the administration knew from the outset that terrorists were behind the attacks but initially attempted to cover-up this knowledge for political reasons.
The May 9 editions of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier and Fox Business Channel's Lou Dobbs TONIGHT hyped the Republican line. According to a Nexis transcript search, Baier played clips of Boehner calling for the release of the e-mail, to which Fox guest and Fortune columnist Nina Easton responded, "I was happy to see Speaker Boehner call for the release of those internal e-mails. Anybody who thought that this was just a Republican hazing as the opposition party in power, I think those concerns were put to rest yesterday. I mean, there's so many unanswered questions."
Lou Dobbs also played Boehner's call for release of the e-mail, noting afterward that "somewhat predictably, no response from the Obama administration at this hour." Dobbs continued, claiming that Boehner's comments and the May 8 congressional hearings into the administration's response to the Benghazi attacks "open up new questions about the accuracy of the past testimony of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."
The New York Times, however, obtained a copy of the e-mail in question and reported that the phrase conservatives are putting in the mouth of the State Department official -- "Islamic terrorists" - is in fact not used to describe the perpetrators of the attack. Rather, the official describes the perpetrators as having ties to "Islamic extremists" -- a distinction with a difference, according to the Times report:
[A] copy of the e-mail reviewed by The New York Times indicates that A. Elizabeth Jones, the senior State Department official who wrote it, referred to "Islamic extremists," not terrorists.
The distinction is important, administration officials said, because while the White House did not initially characterize the attack as terrorism, senior officials, including Ambassador Susan E. Rice, acknowledged the possibility that extremists had been involved in the assault.
Fox News is no stranger to carrying water for the Republican Party, and the network has led the charge to push Benghazi cover-up conspiracies. But now that the latest GOP line on Benghazi has been exposed, will Fox inform its viewers?
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- National Security & Foreign Policy, International Conflicts
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel, The New York Times, Fox Business
- Person
- Lou Dobbs, Bret Baier, Nina Easton
- Show/Publication
- Lou Dobbs Tonight, Special Report with Bret Baier
- Stories/Interests
- Benghazi
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text: Mexican Coke, now becoming more widely available in the U.S., is developing a cult following among consumers, The Grand Rapids Press reported. "(Mexican Coke) seemed so much better," one consumer told the newspaper, adding, "It's just not as fizzy or harsh tasting." She's not alone in her opinion. A Facebook page dedicated to the drink


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— February 2003
By Ben Ellison
Web Surfing at Sea
|Electronics Q&A
I enjoy your column
in PMY. Is there any way I can get a 3W digital and analog bag
phone for use afloat and also ashore? C.R., by mail
To my knowledge no one is making the digital equivalent of an all-in-one bag phone, but I understand that even higher performance can be had by hooking your mobile to an amplifier (2-watt maximum for digital), and then to a high-dB marine antenna. Some of this equipment is designed for multimode phones, which roam to analog when necessary, possibly increasing your coverage. Shakespeare and Digital Antenna each market the gear and needed patch cords. Apart from the fixed antenna, all the pieces are portable, even bagable.
Got a marine electronics question? Write to Electronics Q&A, Power & Motoryacht, 260 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10016. Fax: (917) 256-2282. e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. No phone calls please.
This article originally appeared in the January 2003 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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DID YOU KNOW...The Most Interesting Message Board Topics of the Week: November 10-16
These days, in the new age of social media revolution, the best source of information is YOU. Each day, fans of BroadwayWorld post tens of thousands of comments on our multiple message boards (main and local), weighing in on the latest news, rumors, reviews, stars and more. Each week, we find a few stand-out threads - those that have sparked particularly interesting discussion that we've decided to shine a light on each week in our newest feature: DID YOU KNOW...The Most Interesting Message Board Topics of the Week, brought to you by YOU!
Be sure to check back each week to see if YOUR thread made the list!
Broadway Show Posters
Where better to purchase Broadway show posters than the legendary Triton Gallery? Check out what they've got here!
(started by Triton Gallery)
Broadway's largest set desgin
Which Broadway shows sets do you think are contenders for the largest ever?
(started by Gmerchant123)
Switching theatres on Broadway vs. West End /board/readmessage.php?thread=1053366&dt=2
Have you noticed a difference in frequency between Broadway and West End shows switching theatres?
(started by anmiller07)
West End current must-see
What do you think is the current must-see show in London?
(started by qazdannywsx)
Revivals That Were Surprise Hits
Every now and then a revival surprises audience by giving them something they don't expect. Can you think of any prime examples?
(staretd by ucjrdude902)
Principal Understudies going on for Opening Night /board/readmessage.php?thread=1053228&dt=32
Occasionally an understudy will get to go on in place of the actual actor on opening night. How often do you think that happens?
(started by Quiche2)
Favorite Musical Revival & Dramatic Revival Ever /board/readmessage.php?thread=1052907&dt=36
If you could pick just one musical and one play as an example of the best revival ever, which ones would you defend?
(started by chanel)


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A former Obama administration official and campaign surrogate hammered Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his wealth and taxes on Sunday, accusing him of using sophisticated accounting practices to lessen his tax burden.
"I think what Americans will find is that he pushed the envelope to the edge. He did stuff that simply ordinary Americans won't be able to relate to," said Steven Rattner, Obama's former chief adviser on the auto industry, on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.
Rattner added that, while he's familiar with many of the practices Romney used to lessen his tax burden, he doesn't know "anyone who did everything that he did," adding that some of the "tricks" Romney used were ones that even Rattner's friends in private equity didn't know existed.
"I think it's going to make Americans recoil, and that's why I think he's not releasing those returns," he said.
Steve Schmidt, former campaign adviser for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, seemed to back up Rattner's assertion. Though he said that there was "nothing that was disqualifying" found by the vetting process when Romney was being considered as a potential running mate for McCain in 2008, he did admit that Romney's tax returns "do not look anything like the average American's."
Rattner, the former car czar and co-founder of private equity firm the Quadrangle Group, defended private equity as a legitimate business, but asserted the Obama campaign's line against Romney's strongest credential: That it has nothing to do with creating jobs.
"Private equity, by and large, is a perfectly legitimate business exercise. What it is not is a practice of creating jobs. Where I part company with Governor Romney is where he starts to claim credit for creating all these jobs. That's not what private equity does. Private equity makes money. It makes profits in a very—in a legal and in a usually responsible way. But it's not a job-creation machine. It doesn't qualify you to be the job-creator-in-chief," he said.
Rattner also said Romney had been "politically stupid" in leaving the circumstances surrounding his exit from Bain Capital so murky, but explained that it likely had to do with the company's lack of a concrete transition strategy and that Romney probably didn't know how long he'd be gone.


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- Current Events
- NAESV Calls on Congress to Immediately Fund the Federal Government
NAESV Calls on Congress to Immediately Fund the Federal Government
For Immediate Release
October 4, 2013
Contact: Monika Johnson Hostler, email@example.com
The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) is the voice in Washington for state coalitions and local programs working to end sexual violence and support survivors. NAESV calls on Congress to immediately find a path forward to fund the federal government. Over 1300 rape crisis centers rely on federal funding to support victims and prevent rape through the Victims of Crime Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and the Rape Prevention Education Program.
Advocates at rape crisis centers provide the nation's frontline response to sexual assault at no cost to victims: meeting victims at emergency rooms at all hours; answering 24 hour hotlines; providing crisis intervention; running support groups for both recent victims and survivors of childhood abuse; mentoring volunteers; and providing awareness and prevention programs to their communities. Many rape crisis centers serve broad geographic areas or dense population centers.
"If Congress does not end the shutdown very soon, rape crisis centers will not be able to pay advocates or keep their doors open as the ability to draw down federal funds ceases. Women, men, boys and girls who will tragically experience rape in the coming weeks will not have an advocate available to them, counseling sessions for survivors in crisis will be canceled, and prevention programs at high schools will end," said NAESV President Monika Johnson-Hostler.
Advocates provide essential support to victims of sexual violence. A 2006 study found that when victims receive advocate-assisted services following assaults, they receive more helpful information, referrals, and services and experience less secondary trauma or re-victimization by medical and legal systems. Furthermore, the same study found that when advocates are present in the legal and medical proceedings following rape, victims fare better in both the short- and long-term, experiencing less psychological distress, physical health struggles, sexual risk-taking behaviors, self-blame, guilt, and depression.
Before the shutdown, rape crisis centers were already reeling from budget cuts and sequestration. According to a 2013 survey of rape crisis centers conducted by NAESV, half of programs had reduced staff, one-third of programs had a waiting list for basic services, and several programs had closed.
We owe it to victims of sexual violence, who have survived such an intimate and devastating violation, to make sure the funding is available to support them in their time of crisis. Congress must act to prevent an even worse nightmare for victims—the lack of services and support from local rape crisis centers.


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With the weekend coming up (and hopefully some nice grilling weather!) I was wondering, how do you experiment?
Are you inspired by what's on sale at the grocery store? A new type of wood? A vacation, or a trip to a restaurant? What's the most unexpected source of inspiration you've found?
Also, any advice for grillers trying to go outside their comfort zone?


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Did you know?
Kings Park hosted the semi-final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in which South Africa beat France 19-15 in torrential rain.
Kings Park has been the home of rugby in Durban since 1891 and has hosted many top soccer events during this time as well. The Springboks generally play a Test match every year at this stadium.
Home ground of the Sharks rugby franchise, Kings Park can accommodate up to 55 000 spectators and also features several venues for after-match entertainment, having been significantly renovated about a century after its inception.
While the national soccer team usually play its Durban fixtures across the road at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Kings Park still hosts a number of domestic soccer matches.
The lower stands at Kings Park are just a few metres away from the field, allowing spectators to get right up close to the action. Pre-match entertainment is taken very seriously, with a variety of dancers, acrobats and other performers presenting choreographed routines. Children will be amused by Sharkie, the team's mascot, who runs around the stadium in a full shark suit.
The club rugby fields outside Kings Park stadium double as parking spaces and live entertainment venues on match days. Fans gather to braai (barbeque) and discuss the game, creating an atmosphere for which Durban has become famous.
There will usually be an assortment of music and entertainment on a specially erected stage, while some of the star players come out to answer questions, sign autographs and hand out freebies.
Durban rugby fans are known for their hospitality and love to engage in friendly banter with supporters of visiting teams. Pop into the Sharks Supporters Club building right outside the stadium to meet the most passionate local rugby gurus.
Music concerts at the stadium in recent years have included performances by Metallica, Collective Soul and Simple Plan.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Kings Park stadium
Tel: +27 (0)31 308 8400
How to get here
Kings Park is situated less than 2km from the Durban beachfront and easily accessible from the M4 freeway. Shuttle transport is available on match days, while metred cabs are a reliable option for those who don't wish to drive to the stadium.
Best time to visit
Kings Park hosts rugby matches between the months of February and October every year, while soccer is played throughout the year.
Around the area
Moses Mabhida Stadium is literally right across the road from Kings Park. Here you can try out a number of adventure activities when sports matches are not in progress. The Suncoast Casino is also a short walk from Kings Park.
What will it cost
A ticket to a Super Rugby rugby match at Kings Park will generally cost around R100. Tickets for Currie Cup matches are even cheaper.
Where to stay
The Durban beachfront is home to a large assortment of hotels, all of which are just a few minutes away from Kings Park stadium.


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To celebrate pumpkin season, which unofficially lasts from October 1 through Thanksgiving, Cooking Channel staff decided to forgo a carving contest — too messy for the office — in favor of a fun and tasty (and much cleaner) pumpkin dessert bake-off.
The sweet and toasty smell of pumpkin (and pumpkin pie spice) filled the room as we nibbled, evaluated, and voted for our top pick. Organizer extraordinaire Michelle welcomed and encouraged savory entries, but all participants preferred the sweet route. Here's a sampling from the pumpkin dessert buffet.
Kristine contributed a super-popular pumpkin cheesecake from Food.com: "It's billed as an unofficial Cheesecake Factory copycat and a former Cheesecake Factory employee even left a 5-star review giving it a thumbs up for being spot on," she says. Maple whipped cream was served on the side.
Kate riffed off of Sassy Radish's pumpkin bread pudding recipe, subbing rich, eggy brioche for challah.
Kirsten's pumpkin bundt cake was studded with lots of chocolate chips and baked up in a lovely rose-shaped pan. The recipe comes from the new cookbook we're giving away this week, Desserts from the Loveless Cafe. The giveaway ends at 5pm today, so hurry up and enter to win if you want a chance at the book!
Alison's pumpkin tiramisu offered an ingenious combination of pumpkin-infused mascarpone and boozy gingersnap cookies.
Michelle came in second place with a pumpkin ice cream from scratch, sandwiched between two homemade ginger snaps.
But the crowd favorite and 'Pumpkin Fest' winner was Rich's walnut-topped pumpkin cheesecake**. His family recipe was a late addition to the spread, but, almost immediately, half of it was gone.
** By popular demand, Rich has shared his winning family recipe with us. Try it out for yourself at home.
Walnut Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cook Time: 1 hour 35 min
Make 1 day ahead.
16 graham crackers, crushed
3/8 cup white sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 eggs
1 16-ounce can organic pumpkin
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons butter
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Prepare crust: Melt the butter and combine graham crackers and sugar in bowl, then place mixture into 10′ springform pan. Use spoon to compact the crust along the bottom and sides of the pan.
3. Prepare filling: Beat the cream cheese, then add the remaining ingredients and beat to a smooth consistency. Pour the filling into crust-filled pan. Place in the preheated oven for 1 hour 35 minutes. Check readiness by inserting toothpick in top and pull out to see if clean. If the toothpick is wet, it's not ready.
4. Prepare topping: Chop the walnuts, then combine with the sugar and room temperature butter in a bowl and mix together.
5. Once the cheesecake is ready, take it out of oven, add walnut topping and place back in oven for another 10 minutes. Let the cheesecake set to cool, then place it in the fridge overnight. Serve chilled the next day.
Are you in the mood to bake something pumpkin-y this weekend? This cook-off delinquent who didn't enter her own dish sure is! Here are some favorite pumpkin recipes from Cooking Channel to get you started:


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Ciao Bellas! The Best Street Style from Milan
The Woman: Kim Stolz, 30, NYC
The Job: The cycle five America's Next Top Model contestant is a vice president of sales for the equity derivatives team at Citigroup—and that's just her day job. By night, Stolz can be found at the Dalloway, a small-plates hot spot she runs with her wife, Lexi Ritsch.
The Uniform: Stolz navigates a daily fashion mood swing—transitioning from the trading floor to the dance floor—by layering chunky necklaces over office-friendly separates from Tom Ford and Chris Benz, and swapping classic pumps for Rag & Bone ankle boots.
Pictured here: Wool-blend jacket, Nicholas K, $794, collection at Michael Nusskern, Newport Beach, CA. Cotton T-shirt, Isabel Marant, $455, at Isabel Marant, NYC. Stretch body-con skirt, Band of Outsiders, $1,095, collection at Barneys New York. Leather handbag, Myriam Schaefer, price on request, collection at Savannah Santa Monica, Santa Monica. Patent leather and calfskin ankle boots, Chanel, price on request, call 800-550-0005.
ELLE: Between Citi and the Dalloway, you live quite the double life.
Kim Stolz: It's an art. I get to work at 6:30 a.m. and I leave at 5:30 p.m. Often I'll go straight to the Dalloway but continue sending Citi e-mails from there. Finding an outfit that suits both is tough and ends up pushing the limit for both dress codes.
ELLE: How did you transition from Top Model to banking?
KS: I landed on the show after losing a bet—it wasn't something I was trying to do. I studied foreign policy in college and considered law school. I've always been interested in the market, and once I got into finance, I realized I loved being on a trading desk.
Pictured here: With Ritsch at the Dalloway, where Stolz starts evenings after full days on the trading desk. "I don't sleep a lot," she says. Stretch-wool gabardine blazer, J Brand, $1,250, collection at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. Foil modal T-shirt, Kelly Wearstler, $155, at Kelly Wearstler, West Hollywood. Leather pants, MM6 Maison Martin Margiela, $1,095, at Maison Martin Margiela, NYC. Woven leather ankle boots, Daniele Michetti, $720, collection at shoescribe.com. Ritsch, left, in her own clothes.
Man Up With Fall's Latest Looks


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Maintaining the Creative Edge
1 November 2011
UCL research across a broad range of disciplines helps to ensure that leading design and engineering company, Arup, can stay at the forefront of creativity and innovation.
Interesting research ideas
As a major engineering consultancy located only a stone's throw from UCL, Arup has long enjoyed informal connections with some of the university's academics, mainly from the Faculty of Engineering and the Bartlett School of Architecture. The opportunity to develop this into a more formal and sustained relationship came when Arup's Chief Operating Officer Alain Marcetteau was asked to join a UCL board tasked with inviting interesting research ideas from across the university that wouldn't normally attract funding.
Standing taller, seeing further
Both parties saw eye to eye on the importance of blue-sky research, and from this understanding grew the idea for closer collaboration. Now there are some 30 points of engagement between the company and the university. 'We have a growing list of Arup contacts connecting in to UCL contacts,' says Dr Anna Clark, UCL Director of Business Partnerships, who brokered the alliance. 'These are genuine interactions.' Last year, Arup became the third winner of the UCL Enterprise Partner of the Year Award. The company cherishes the award as something that sends the right signals. 'We'd love to win it again,' says Jeremy Watson, the company's Director of Global Research.
Naturally, the focus is on the built environment. Yet the collaboration extends across a diverse range of disciplines, from virtual environments to urban sustainability and from laws to geoinformatics. With his own background in philosophy, Marcetteau was able to see the merit of such connections. 'He likes to ask the same sorts of questions we ask ourselves,' comments Clark. Crucially, disciplines that fall within the scope of UCL's research activities but that might traditionally be considered less than relevant in construction or engineering are also brought into play.
Game-changing technologies
For example, UCL is a world leader in medical and imaging technologies. These might seem to be remote from the needs of construction. But they are not. 'You've got to understand the game-changing technologies. These techniques are jumping the fence from the medical field all the time,' says Clark. Such technologies not only have a way of finding applications in fields distant from those for which they were developed, they also promise to transform the shape of the hospitals which Arup designs.
Closer to Watson's background in physics is new work in energy control. Arup has built connections both to UCL and to the National Physical Laboratory in order to create a vision for measuring buildings' energy consumption and more broadly to instill a new discipline of 'carbon metrology'.
Fostering innovation
'The biggest problem for a company is to ensure continuing innovation,' Clark concludes. 'Recruitment is a factor, but alone it is not enough. You need an environment which stimulates cross-fertilisation and exchange – and imaginative innovative ideas .' Arup has long fostered such as environment, where teamwork is the norm and creativity is prized. Now, in partnership with UCL, that ethos is reinforced, as Arup staffers can pursue additional studies at UCL and UCL researchers give seminars at Arup.
IMAGE: Arup collect their award for Enterprise Partner of the Year, at the UCL Enterprise Awards 2010 (Left to right: Terry Hill, CBE, Chair of Arup Board of Trustees and Former Global Chairman; Dr Jeremy Watson, Arup Global Research Director; Alain Marcetteau, Chairman of Arup UK & Middle East)


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"Hello Yuki Thanks for writing back. This weekend is not good for me since I"m out of town for business. Can I maybe write you next week and try then? I never played for a long time and I hope you won't get frustrated easy. Talk to you…"
Bill Huang has not received any gifts yet
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Wessex League fixtures were once again hit today as the long awaited League Cup semi-final between Sholing and Alresford Town, at Winchester City was postponed.
New Street's home game with Laverstock and Ford also did not beat the deluge.
Surprisingly Whitchurch's home game with Bemerton Heath survived a pitch inspection as is ON at the time of writing.


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Reviewed by 3 customers
Comments about PBS NATURE: River of No Return DVD:
This is a nature DVD documentary that was not as great as I thought it would be, first it is too short and second even when the takes are great the narration is wanting, they could have easily hired a professional narrator which certainly would improve the quality of the film.
On the other hand some pessimistic remark regarding a diagnosed illness of hers is out of place on any soothing nature documentary, which may also trigger fear with some naive viewers. The fact is that most of US watch great outdoors documentaries, at least I do, to calm down, relax and be in armchair "contact with Mother Earth"
Yet in my case as a barefooted hiker, runner, sun lover, sun gazer and vegetarian I enjoy, besides watching about it, almost daily practical contact with the outdoors.
Yet I applaud the fact that by filming the majesty of one of roads, mining and civilization free largest wilderness areas they were sharing with us the grandeur of Church River of no Return and since Isaac and Bjornen spent a year with only a tent for mosquito, bears, and wintertime protection I have felt four stars for this documentary were deserved.
Comments about PBS NATURE: River of No Return DVD:
This is a movie that shows what most of us never see. The peaceful and lively action among animals and the wild that is home to itself, and not to humans so much, is rarely seen in such close-up and vivid truth. What a great film team. The footage is spectacular. Watch it! This is what is lost through the city life I lead...this is what our children are likely not to see unles we help them know it's there....great movie! When is the next installment being aired? We're ready right now!
Comments about PBS NATURE: River of No Return DVD:
I like this episode, so beautiful, both the scene and the words.


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India scraps chopper deal, adds 7 years to IAF's wait
With budget session less than a week away and the Opposition waiting to corner it over alleged kickbacks in the VVIP helicopter deal, the govt made a pre-emptive strike on Friday by announcing the Rs. 3,760-crore contract with AgustaWestland would be cancelled. Rahul Singh reports.delhi Updated: Feb 16, 2013 02:16 IST
With Parliament's budget session less than a week away and an aggressive Opposition waiting to corner it over alleged kickbacks in the VVIP helicopter deal, the government made a pre-emptive strike on Friday by announcing the Rs. 3,760-crore contract with AgustaWestland would be cancelled.
A day after HT reported that a decision had been taken to freeze business with Italian defence group Finmeccanica, the defence ministry issued a showcause notice to its UK-based subsidiary AgustaWestland "seeking cancellation of the contract" — signed in February 2010 — and set a seven-day deadline for it to reply.
"The ministry has initiated action for cancellation of the contract," a spokesperson said.
The decision is a big setback to the Indian Air Force because a fresh tender implies new choppers — to replace its Mi-8 fleet, first proposed way back in 1999 — will be inducted only by 2020.
It has severe implications for Finmeccanica too. India could ban the Italian conglomerate, currently angling for military contracts worth almost Rs. 44,000 crore, for at least five years.
This will be the first instance of a military contract being cancelled after deliveries had begun — putting a question mark on the fate of three choppers already paid for and parked in IAF hangars. These could be returned. Further payments were frozen on Wednesday.
India will invoke the integrity pact to scrap the deal.
Under this clause, standard in all contracts worth more than Rs. 100 crore, the bidder commits that bribes will not be offered to influence the deal. Any violation empowers the government to cancel the contract and recover money already paid along with interest.
Italian investigators have alleged Finmeccanica bribed former air chief SP Tyagi to change the tender requirements and paid middlemen more than Rs. 375 crore in kickbacks, and a CBI probe is underway. The integrity pact in this contract can be invoked till February 2015.
Senior UPA ministers have asserted the government is ready to debate the controversial deal in Parliament, which promises to see a stormy session.


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- What is marketing? What forms can it take?
This is hard to answer definitively, because marketing constantly mutates, adapting to new forms of media. I work in the marketing department of a large UK brand, and our campaigns are often divided into Above the Line and Below the Line. Above the Line refers to mass campaigns which use traditional broadcast media like TV, newspapers and magazines. These campaigns have a wide reach, but are necessarily pretty generic. Below the Line is all about targeting individual customers and getting them to make a purchase, so it tends to be shorter term and you need to be very clear who your customer is.
Publishers do very little Above the Line marketing, especially for children's books. Even the adverts in magazines or in public locations etc. are highly targeted – take a trip on the tube and see how many adverts there are for books that aren't crime, thriller or chick-lit (almost none).
Any marketing budget that a publisher allocates to you is too precious to be spent Above the Line, it has to be used to reach consumers who have a strong chance of buying your book. This is the beauty of web advertising and social media - you can track a user from reading a tweet all the way to buying your book on Amazon. Below The Line marketing delivers measurable results.
Of course, many of the newer forms of internet marketing blur "The Line." Is viral marketing targeted or does it just float around from person to person like a dandelion seed? And what about Twitter, which is fast becoming a massive broadcast outlet for assorted brands and public figures?
- How much marketing will a publisher do and how much is an author expected to do themselves?
The general rule of thumb here is: the more money your publisher has spent to acquire your book, the more marketing budget they will allocate to it. You can see the blizzard of publicity that The Emerald Atlas is attracting at the moment. You may also note the crazy auction price it achieved at Bologna last year…
It's every writer's dream to get a six-figure book deal, but be careful what you wish for. I'm working on a project right now with a multi-million pound marketing budget and the pressure to deliver is intense. If you have a big advance, failing to meet your publisher's sales projections might mean that you never get another chance.
The short answer to the heading question is – expect to do a lot of the marketing yourself. But you might get a nice publicist like Nina Douglas to help.
- Your publisher's marketing budget – spending it wisely
Assuming you do get a few quid from the petty cash tin, what should you do with it? You may be better concentrating on small-ticket promotional items like bookmarks, postcards and the like to stretch the budget as far as it will go. Should you ask your publisher to pay for your website or will you get something better for half the cost if you find someone yourself? Publisher-built websites can sometimes be quite impersonal and may struggle to include content that will bring the reader back for another visit. What about book trailers? They sound daunting, but you probably know someone with the video production skills to make a good job of it.
- The book trailer – do you need one? Who will see it?
Books are quite difficult to market over the internet – the cover photo is usually small and the format of a webpage makes it hard to concentrate on even a chapter presented online. Plus, words are designed to come alive in your head, not via Flash Media. What the book trailer does is to sneak your novel into one of the key places that teenagers hang out online – YouTube. By dramatising elements of your story, you can sell the theme and even the tone of your novel in a very short amount of time. And it needs to be short, because a) everybody's attention span is shot to hell b) you've probably had to make the trailer yourself on the cheap and every second is costing you money.
- School visits
I've never made a school visit, so my experience here is limited. I do know that they are a superb way to market a book to your actual target audience. Some authors are so popular that, if they had time, they could schedule a visit every school day of the year. And these are not the megastar authors either, in fact when your sales go into the millions you will tend to do less public appearances, not more. In some ways, visiting loads of schools can be like an apprenticeship for authors early in their career - writers like Jacqueline Wilson and Caroline Lawrence have built huge followings by really working the school circuit.
By and large, children love school visits, but opinion amongst parents can be mixed. I know my wife objects to having to buy a book by an author she's never heard of, and there can be a lot of peer-pressure amongst the children to make a purchase. But this is also why school visits are such an effective way to reach readers, and authors do get paid for their time as well.
- Getting spotted as an unpublished author – how to stand out from the crowd and sell yourself effectively to agents and editors
- Step 1 – Don't be crazy, obsessive or impossibly needy.
- Step 2 – If you are crazy, obsessive or impossibly needy, don't let anybody know.
The internet is a wonderful device for preserving your anonymity. Unfortunately, some writers don't seem to realise that and spend a lot of time telling everyone their problems and seeking sympathy. It's one thing if their problems are personal ones, and let's face it we all go through some pretty grotty periods in our lives. But once writers start bitching about the issues they face getting into print, then they can become publishing poison.
Google yourself right now. What do you find? Do you have a blog, an open Facebook page or a Twitter account? What have you written about yourself on the Ning? All of these resources are a keystroke away for any agent or editor. If you set the wrong tone, or don't look sufficiently professional, that glimmer of interest from an agent will become a form rejection. And you'll never know about it.
Believe me, I've said one or two things online I've regretted in the past. But this is what making mistakes is all about...
- Social media – getting the best out of Facebook and Twitter.
Where to start? One thing that the internet is not short of is advice on marketing using social media. You can even pay companies to attract Twitter/Facebook followers for you – I can't imagine anyone but the most desperate taking up that option.
Social media is ultra-low-cost and very effective if used the right way. It is also enormously time consuming, so it favours the time-rich and cash-poor. Students of the power of social media marketing might like to study the case of Talli Roland who framed the publication of her debut e-book as a David and Goliath struggle against Amazon, and managed to get it into the top 25 Kindle chart.
- To blog or not to blog?
The question of whether to blog might seem a bit redundant, considering what you're reading right now. But it is very pertinent. There was a time (about a year ago) when every writer felt they needed a blog, and I watched the blog roll on the SCBWI Ning expanding on a weekly basis. But recently, there's been a definite retreat from this position. Fatigue can set in quite quickly when you have a blog that no-one seems to read week-in, week-out. More than that, there are so many writers' blogs that having a good blog is no longer a guarantee of getting noticed. But there are alternatives to a personal blog, which brings me onto my next point...
- The benefits and drawbacks of group blogging
More and more authors, especially published ones, are scaling down their personal blogging and joining group blogs. By pooling resources, likeminded writers can provide daily content to readers but themselves only have to post on a fortnightly or even monthly basis. Being a group blogger is like getting to join a gang, and you know that the other members will rally round and comment on your posts – which looks great to any new visitor to the site.
The drawback of group blogging is the diffusion of personal voice, because it's much harder for someone to follow your individual posts in the way they could with a personal blog. But the flipside is discovering other writers whose work is equally fascinating.
I could say more on group blogs, but check out Candy Gourlay's great post on the subject from last week.
- What is a platform, and how vital is it for a children's author?
According to this blog post by the estimable Nathan Bransford:
Platform is the number of eyeballs you can summon as you promote your book.
Platforms are good because they allow you to build an audience before you even publish a word. You are part of my platform, along with everyone else reading this blog. I know that if I brought out a book tomorrow (ok, it won't be quite that soon), I could rely on quite a few people to buy it, even if it was dreadful (but I'm sincerely hoping it won't be). Talli Roland built a huge platform on Twitter to prepare for her book launch and priced her product low to entice them to buy.
I remain a little unconvinced about platforms for children's authors, simply because it's so hard to get actual children involved. Maybe new initiatives like Girls Heart Books will change that.
Right, that's more than enough words from me! What's your take on all this?


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OA Crossover Reservation Form
on December 5, 2012
OA will perform a crossover/Arrow of Light ceremony for any pack wishing one, provided two conditions are met:
- reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
- the ceremony team must have a team member available to perform the ceremony on the date requested. Remember, the OA ceremony team are high school students with school obligations, so it is possible that none would be available on the requested date.
Please fill out the reservation form and return it as soon as possible to help schedule the date that you want.
For more information or if you have questions, please contact Sean Waiss… (262) 884-0936


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Discipline without compassion is cruelty, Scandinavian actor Stellan Skarsgard declares as the early-20th-century governor of a Christian boys' reform school on the remote island of Bastoy, in the fiord of Oslo. But it's a corrupted compassion that throws his young wards into underground cages, makes them cart rocks pointlessly from one pile to another and facilitates sexual abuse.
Born in 1965, director Marius Holst grew up in Oslo but had never heard the true story of a violent rebellion in 1915 by 29 boys at Bastoy, a harsh, punitive environment for young offenders. In the late 1990s, Holst met a man who had once been one of the boys on the island, sending the filmmaker off to interview others, whose caretakers addressed them not by name but dormitory assignations such as C-1 or C-19.
The rebellion was little-remembered in Norwegian history. Was it an incident Norway had preferred to forget? ''Maybe so,'' Holst says. ''The public opinion back in that day was the state used huge resources to help these boys, who paid them back by destroying public property and attacking people employed by the state.''
Holst, however, unearthed a universal story of the human capacity to abuse power in the familiar name of religion. ''You go to any institution of correction and there are still people of power who at the outset have good intentions but the power corrupts them and when something goes astray they'd rather protect the name of the institution,'' he says.
The real Bastoy boys told stories of sexual and corporal abuse through the decades. In creating the film's characters, Holst imagines a specific prolonged case of a dorm master's sexual abuse that triggers a teenage ward's suicide as a tipping point to spark rebellion.
Most of the filming took place in Estonia because Bastoy, ironically, is today occupied by one of the world's most liberal adult prisons. Holst's decision to film scenes on overcast days adds to the dramatic impact; the blue lighting becomes more monochrome, infusing the film with artful Nordic melancholy.
But Holst pulls back on the pathos and Skarsgard gives the cowardly governor nuances of moral misguidance, while Benjamin Helstad as the illiterate Erling - C-19 - and Trond Nilssen as Olav - C-1 - are poignant as they tell one another metaphorical tales of whalers' freedom.
GENRE Drama.
CRITICAL BUZZ Classic retelling of buried history of power abuse, best feature Amanda 2011 (Norwegian Academy Awards).
STARS Stellan Skarsgard, Benjamin Helstad, Trond Nilssen.
DIRECTOR Marius Holst.


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2012 South African Theatre Retrospective: Cabaret and Comedy
2012 is almost over, which means that there is no better time to look back at the past year in theatre than the present. This third column in this retrospective feature on South African theatre in 2012 focuses on comedy and cabaret, with previous columns having taken a look at the plays; musicals and operas; and one more to come that zooms in on dance and physical theatre.
Cabaret acts proved to be popular across the country, growing exponentially in number as the festive season drew nearer. Lucy Tops returned to the National Arts Festival with her popular 2011 show, ABSOLUCY, where Port Elizabeth's Centrestage company presented their genre-bending NUVO RETRO TOPSY TURVY MUSIC SHOW. Roland Perold teamed up with Godfrey Johnson for COWARD AND COLE, a tribute to Noël Coward and Cole Porter, while Johnson went solo for his tribute to Jacques Brel, THE SHADOW OF BREL.
Johnson teamed up with Emile Minnie to create MINNIE AND JOHNSON, a 90-minute show that featured each of the two artists in solo spots before teaming up to perform a series of songs in a plethora of different styles. Insofar as cabaret was concerned, this was my personal highlight of the year thanks to the intimate presentational style and the sheer authenticity brought to the table by the performers. The show was immensely moving and uplifting. The piece was also enriched by original material from both performers, notably "Finally Young" from Minnie and "My Shattered Illusions" from Johnson.
Jonathan Roxmouth, who opened up 2012 playing the Phantom in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA after a season as Judas in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in 2011 appeared in a solo piece based around the works of the kings Of comic opera, Gilbert and Sullivan. TOPSY TURVY allowed audiences to swashbuckle with the Pirate King, to giggle with the three little maids from school from THE MIKADO and to learn all about writing an original Gilbertian operetta. Reverence was certainly not the order of the day and the classic songs were rescued from the cluthes of amdram companies across the world, dusted off and given a modern twist for the audiences of today.
The prolific Followspot Productions produced a new show, FACE THE MUSIC, a combination of a revue and music trivia game show that won an Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival this year. Featuring Vanessa Harris, Lucy Tops and Leani Ekermans, the show featured chart-topping hits from the 50 years of pop music. The show proved to be so popular that a second edition of the show was created, with two new cast members, Delray Burns and Margaux Fouché, joining Harris in the lineup.
Comedy shows were also prominent throughout the year, with many comics doing one night shows and short runs at venues around the country and longer runs at the National Arts Festival and as the year drew to a close. Old favourites like Marc Lottering and David Newton appeared in appeared in new shows or revivals of their trademark shows, while up-and-comers like Siv Ngesi, Oskar Brown and Daniel Friedman continued to carve their niche in the industry.
The pick of the bunch for me was Martin Evans's show F.B.P.K. Evans, whose show dealt with his experiences following an accident he had on his Yamaha Zuma, which led to a protracted recovery in hospital and at home. This led Evans on a journey of revelations, both comic and moral and all wrapped up in the ubiquitous question of South Afrcan identity. What set this show apart for me were the clear sense of narrative and purpose that Evans wove into his material as well as the casual and unaffected style of delivery.
In his new show, NO, SERIOUSLY?, Alan Committie also worked in a healthy dose of audience interaction. One segment of the show, entitled "Ask Alan Any Questions That You Want", invited the audience to ask Committie any questions they want. Matthew Wild, Staff Director and Dramaturge at Cape Town Opera, said that he tremendously enjoyed the show, which covered a host of topics ranging from how 50 SHADES OF GREY can save South African education through to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? auditions you never got to see on TV.
In AN AUDIENCE WITH PIETER-DIRK EISH!, Pieter-Dirk Uys presented a showcase of his best loved characters (like Evita Bezuidenhout and Noelle Fine) and impersonations (including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a range of previous South African statesmen), linked by a series of sharp philosophical insights into life in contemporary South Africa. What made this more than simply a "greatest hits" evening was the fact that every show was different, with the audience selecting the line-up from 15 prepared skits that were represented by boxes lined up on stage at the top of the show, and that Uys's social commentary was up-to-date and completely relevant. Freelance writer, actor, singer and musician Godfrey Johnson picked Uys's show as the best thing he saw on South African stages this past year, saying the show reminded him of how important honesty is on stage.
Want to share your thoughts on the best comedy shows and cabarets you saw around South Africa over the past year? Leave your comments beneath this article - and keep an eye out for our look at the shows that will be on offer on South African stages early next year.


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A WORCESTERSHIRE MP has urged councils to reach swift deals on house building in the county - and says all areas must take a hit for the common good.
Conservative Peter Luff, who represents Mid-Worcestershire, has refuted claims from politicians that their areas are under siege from too much development.
He has also told your Worcester News the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) may not be perfect, but it's a better alternative than allowing builders free reign.
As your Worcester News revealed two weeks ago, the number of homes in the plan is expected to rise from 23,200 to up to 27,300.
After Government inspector Roger Clews said the old figure was not enough, councils in Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon have come up with a higher tally.
A fresh two-day examination will take place in March and if approved, all three districts will then have to decide what patches of land to earmark for new development.
Only last week Councillor John Smith, who represents Evesham, said the town had already been "shafted" by too much development.
Mr Luff believes part of the problems are because historically, more and more large properties have been built, despite demographics showing increasing numbers of people living alone or having small families.
He says if people accept homes should be smaller it could preserve some of the green scenery.
Mr Luff said: "We must address the local housing need by getting houses built in the right places, it's something that's got to happen.
"I do begin to wonder whether we can still have large houses, do we all have a right to a three-bed home with a large garden, for example?
"There is an argument over that, but in terms of the numbers we do need more houses, we've just got to find the least damaging locations possible.
"There are some areas that have suffered, and it certainly isn't easy, but people do have a right to be housed."
The new examination on the SWDP is set for Thursday, March 13 and Friday March 14, and will take place at County Hall on both days.
Mr Clews has already said he is satisfied with the land earmarked for employment in the plan, which could generate 30,000 positions if every hectare is filled.
The SWDP is designed to last until 2030, and will guide developers on what patches of land to submit planning applications for.


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This document addresses a problem that occurs in the security provider Schannel.dll file, which is used in Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and Microsoft Internet Explorer. This problem presents when you connect to a site that uses Server Gated Cryptography (SGC) to do high encryption, and the export cipher suite uses one hash algorithm while the domestic cipher suite uses another. In this situation, the Schannel.dll file occasionally selects the wrong algorithm, which results in a failed connection. As a result, Web clients may fail to connect to Web sites that use SGC for strong encryption when a secure connection is required. If either the Internet server or Web client is running Microsoft products, then the connection may fail.
Microsoft acknowledges that when a step-up cipher uses a different digest than the export cipher, the connection may fail. For more information on this problem, refer to SGC Connections May Fail from Domestic Clients .
There are no specific requirements for this document.
The information in this document is based on these software and hardware versions:
Cisco Content Services (CSS) with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) module
The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.
For more information on document conventions, refer to the Cisco Technical Tips Conventions.
With an SGC step-up cert on the CSS SSL module, when the client connects to a site through the SSL module with a 56-bit browser, the browser establishes an SSL connection at 56 rather than stepping up the connection to 128.
For example, imagine the first client hello negotiates a cipher of rsa-export1024-with-rc4-56-sha. The module matches based on the order in the configuration (unless the ciphers are weighted) so when the step-up occurs, the module probably tries to use a cipher of rsa-with-3des-ede-cbc-sha. The digests of these two ciphers do not match, and the failure occurs. Not only must the digests match, BUT the encryption types must match as well.
Based on the example customer proxy list, the solution(s) to this problem are explained in this section.
Currently, the customer has these export ciphers:
ssl-server 4
ssl-server 4 vip address 18.104.22.168
ssl-server 4 rsakey CSSRsaKey4
ssl-server 4 rsacert RsaCert4
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-md5 220.127.116.11 20094
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-sha 188.8.131.52 20094
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-with-des-cbc-sha 22.214.171.124 20094
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-with-3des-ede-cbc-sha 184.108.40.206 20094
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-export1024-with-des-cbc-sha 126.96.36.199 20094
ssl-server 4 cipher rsa-export1024-with-rc4-56-sha 184.108.40.206 20094
To solve the problem discussed in this document, you must pick one export cipher to support (for example, rsa-export1024-with-rc4-56-sha). This is usually not a problem because if a 56-bit browser sends one of these ciphers, both are sent. You can now configure the rest of your strong ciphers, but you must weight them such that the cipher (rsa-with-rc4-128-sha) has the highest weight. The other strong ciphers must be assigned the next strongest weights, and the export cipher the lowest weight. Here is a sample of what this configuration looks like (note that the export cipher has no weight as the default is 1):
Note: In this example, you have two options regarding which export cipher suite to use. Cisco cannot recommend which one to use. You must make a decision based on your business security requirements.
If you decide to use the export cipher (rsa-export1024-with-rc4-56-sha), the proxy list looks like this:
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-sha 220.127.116.11 20094 weight 10
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-md5 188.8.131.52 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-des-cbc-sha 22.214.171.124 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-3des-ede-cbc-sha 126.96.36.199 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-export1024-with-rc4-56-sha 188.8.131.52 20094 weight 1
If you decide to support the other export cipher (rsa-export1024-with-des-cbc-sha), your weights look like this:
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-des-cbc-sha 18.104.22.168 20094 weight 10
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-sha 188.8.131.52 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-rc4-128-md5 184.108.40.206 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-with-3des-ede-cbc-sha 22.214.171.124 20094 weight 8
ssl-server 5 cipher rsa-export1024-with-des-cbc-sha 22.214.171.124 20094 weight 1