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An Afghan-led takeover of security in Oruzgan province is set to occur ahead of schedule, raising the likelihood some Australian troops may be withdrawn sooner than expected.
"All of our assessment and analysis and view is now that transition will be complete in Oruzgan Province by the end of this year," Defence Minister Stephen Smith told reporters in Perth on Tuesday.
Previously, the timetable for a formal transition extended to the first quarter of 2014.
Australia still has some 1550 troops in Afghanistan, most operating in Oruzgan Province.
Security responsibility has been handed over progressively to the Afghan army and police.
Mr Smith gave no indication of when troops numbers could be reduced.
But Prime Minister Julia Gillard last year said Australia's commitment would look very different once the transition had been completed, with the majority of troops returning home.
Mr Smith said completing the transition remained a major challenge for the Australian Defence Force, as were post-2014 arrangements.
Australia had made it clear it was prepared to continue some training of Afghan army officers and provide special forces for training or counter-terrorism operations under an appropriate mandate.
"These discussions will now become a priority for not just Australia but the international community," he said.
Mr Smith said he would anticipate an ongoing but reduced US military presence in Afghanistan after 2014 and a status of forces agreement was now being negotiated with the Afghan government.
"I am certainly not envisaging that Australia will be there by ourselves or on our lonesome," he said.


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Chad's Top Ten Country Songs of 2012 [Video]
Last Friday, we held our 2nd annual Big BKR Smackdown and let you guys pick YOUR favorite songs of 2012. We took thousands of votes over the course of 12 hours until we finally narrowed the Top 92 songs of the year down to the #1 song of the 2012. Check out your Top Ten by CLICKING HERE! As the year officially comes to its close, I have decided to share my picks for the Best Songs of 2012. Some on my list made yours. Others may be a surprise. So, here goes . . .

subset: commoncrawl


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Stockdale leads Raiders to sixth straight win
Published: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 10:42 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 10:42 p.m.
ALACHUA — When it comes to filling out a lineup card, baseball coaches like their top two hitters to set the table for the rest of the order.
Photo Galleries
That's just what leadoff hitter Chad Stockdale and Daniel Drageset did Thursday for Santa Fe.
Stockdale went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles, and Drageset had a double and two RBIs as the Raiders won their sixth straight game, beating North Marion 4-2 in a non-district contest at Matt Schwartz Memorial Field.
The game, which was originally scheduled to be played at the Colts' home field in Citra on Wednesday, was postponed because a hole in the field developed from a rotted oak tree stump.
Stockdale and Drageset accounted for five of Santa Fe's seven hits on the game, which was tied at 2-all heading into bottom of the sixth inning. UF signee Kirby Snead opened the inning with a single to center for the Raiders, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a sacrifice fly to right.
Then what seemed liked a routine fly out to left turned instead into a huge North Marion error, scoring Snead and pushing Tim Deen, who reached on a walk, to third. Deen scored on a passed ball, giving Santa Fe a 4-2 lead.
The Raiders (7-1) closed out the contest with a double play in the top of the seventh.
"They were hitting aggressively at the plate," Santa Fe first-year coach Todd Gray said of his leading two hitters. "They were looking for first-pitch fastballs early in the count and getting on it. That's the pitches they were hitting and driving. They did an outstanding job."
Raiders starter Clint Duke struggled early, pitching five innings and allowing just two hits with six strikeouts and six walks. Sophomore lefty Austin Burritt (2-0) picked up the win in two innings of relief.
"This was probably his worst outing of the year and at the same time one of his best," Gray said of Duke. "He gave up one hit and walked seven and still gave up just one run, and it was an unearned run."
The Colts (4-4) scored a run in the first, but Santa Fe tied it after Stockdale and Drageset opened the fourth with back-to-back doubles. Drageset's single to left-center after Stockdale's two-out double in the fifth gave the Raiders their first lead at 2-1.
"North Marion is a good team," Gray said. "We just out-executed them today and got the win."
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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If those TPBs are a clue as to what Simone intends for Red, then the Sonja faithfull are chained to the wall in the most wretched of Stygian dungeons. The kindest thing to say is Prophecy on steroids.
I DO hope that is not where she will be taking us, but am not optimistic.


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Preventionista Travel Log: Washington State
One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel to the various regions of this lovely nation and see what the different states and territories are doing when it comes to the prevention of sexual violence. There are so many interesting things happening out there! I am constantly amazed at the creativity and resourcefulness of local preventionists.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP) annual conference in Vancouver, WA. I was there to deliver a workshop on the messaging project collaboration between NSVRC and Framework's Institute. But more importantly, I was there to connect with the folks who are in the trenches every day. This is where I get my inspiration.
I always know I am at a great conference when I can't decide which workshops to attend. The selections were amazing! I decided to split my time by attending both prevention-focused and intervention-related workshops, and I'm so glad I chose that strategy. I learned about the important role that judges have inside and outside of the courtroom, how programs can build and sustain high quality sexual assault services in dual and multiservice agencies, the power of social media to further our social change efforts, and the importance of expanding our lens and looking at industries beyond entertainment that profit from rape culture. In each of these workshops, I heard story after story of how local programs are using new and creative ways to prevent sexual violence despite funding and staffing cuts. It never ceases to amaze me how dedicated these individuals are.
The keynote presenter, Dr. Raymond Reyes, provided an inspiring message about the importance of self-care as we move through this work and the importance of bringing our whole selves into our work – not just physically showing up, but bringing our heart, mind and souls to the work as well. And the preventionists and advocates who I had the pleasure of speaking with at this conference are certainly doing that. I left feeling very encouraged by what I saw and heard in Washington.
And along those lines about self-care…one thing I always try to do when I travel is get outside of the hotel and take in the sights. And the sights in the Pacific Northwest are spectacular. I was all the more amazed at the excellent work being done, because if I was surrounded by this beauty every day I'm not sure I would be able to get anything accomplished!
Special thanks to the great folks at WCSAP and all the local advocates who inspired me last week! Be sure to check out the fabulous resources on the coalition's website!
Self care is so critical to our work. I was talking about this at the annual membershipmeeting of the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence last week. I'm so glad that so many coalitions are making this a priority!
Agreed! It is so important to hear from advocates that their programs are finding unique and creative ways to prevent burn-out.


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Pioneer DVR-110D: Dual Layer Double Time!by Purav Sanghani on 9/15/2005 12:05 AM EST
- Posted in
- Storage
20 Comments
Back to Article
yanon - Saturday, September 17, 2005 - linkI am glad that I just bought a Benq 1640A. I can't wait to test it on Tuesday. Reply
deathwalker - Friday, September 16, 2005 - linkIts sad to see such poor product development work being done a Brand name Mfg. There is no excuse releasing a product for production that does not meet the expectations of not only the buying public but also a product that does not live up to a companies reputation. Reply
Bozo Galora - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkheres the 1.17
since the review was so negative, I think it deserves an addendum with FW 1.17 Reply
RyanVM - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkWhen are you guys going to review the PX-716A? Reply
imaheadcase - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkHow come we don't see SATA based CDROM/DVD/DVD burners? Is it lack of standard for those? Expensive? Even if performance was not a reason, sure would look nicer in a case than the old ribbon cables..
Just seems like lately i've noticed lots of computer parts seems, well outdated compared to how fast other stuff changes. hehe Reply
Anton74 - Friday, September 16, 2005 - linkIndeed.
On the same token, why can I buy 1GB of RAM for less than $100, but most all optical drives seem to have a 2MB buffer, or 8MB at the most for the more expensive models?
Similar story for hard drives, which could potentially benefit even more. Why aren't there models with something like 64MB or even 128MB buffers? I'd be perfectly willing to pay ~$20 more for the increased performance.
/soapbox Reply
xsilver - Saturday, September 17, 2005 - linkmost of the memory on hdd's and optical drives is provided via 1 memory chip
your usual ddr/ddr2 uses a 8/16 chip configuration
they also try to use lower latency/higher frequency ram
however, yes I do agree though that devices should come with a 32mb buffer, which is feasable Reply
joex444 - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkIndeed, as already commented, the Plextor 712SA and 716SA are both SATA drives, 12x and 16x (which also has some more features over the 712SA). Last I checked, the 716SA ran about $120 or so.
I was considering buying one, but realized that it would be incompatible with my SATA chip, which is one reason that you don't see more of these drives -- motherboard compatibility. Apparently the SATA chips were designed for HDs or something stupid like that... Reply
bldckstark - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkThe SATA reviews are just one Google search away.
http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?article...">Plextor's PX-712SA Dual-Format DVD+/- SATA Drive
http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20040709/">MSI's DVD Drive Gets The SATA Connection
It's a big world out there, you should take a look sometime. Reply
KristopherKubicki - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkUnfortunately, OSD manufacturers don't have mature unbridged SATA interfaces. Thus, they need to rely on a bridge to support SATA, but the logic goes if you're buying a DVD/CD drive you've probably got an older computer (because new computers come with DVD/CD drives).
On the other hand, there is some market for OEM components, as removing the PATA interface for some companies (Dell) saves them a fraction of the production cost -- but unfortunately then the OSD manufacturer ends up eating that cost with the bridge chip.
Plextor did just that for a bunch of people at first, and coincidentally the company is in trouble now. When the margin on these kind of products is so razor thin, *anything* to increase the cost is a huge problem for manufacturers.
So in short - there is no market to support SATA on OSD right now.
Kristopher Reply
DigitalFreak - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkBut who can afford dual layer media? I don't care if the drive can burn DVD+-R/DL @ 20x, if I have to pay $3/disc for the media... Reply
Anton74 - Friday, September 16, 2005 - linkIt makes for a good backup medium. Tapes of similar capacity are far more expensive, and far slower as well.
Not to mention, the price of the media will undoubtedly drop over time. Reply
Questar - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkStill reviewing DVD drives? $50 items?
I'm left speechless. Reply
LoneWolf15 - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - link
Still reviewing DVD drives? $50 items?
Yeah, because all of us would like to buy three or four, spending money and time to RMA if necessary because Drives A, B, and C didn't have good write quality standards across multiple media manufacturers and burnt horrible discs, or burned 80% of the media on the market at 2-4x instead of max. rated speed.
Just because a product is inexpensive doesn't mean it's not worthy of a review. Heck, I'd like to know which 120mm case fans produce the least amount of noise, for example. Do I want to buy ten just so I can test it out myself?
In the same way, DVD burning today is much like second-gen CD writers about nine years ago. Media differed by manufacturer, and some drives did a lot better writing than others. The problem is rarer today now that technology has matured, but with DVD burners, the technology is like a child; some growth has been achieved, but it's still a long way from maturity. All of us here want the best for our money. Don't you? Reply
vijay333 - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkYes. Who cares how cheap they've become? It's a matter of how often you actually use them these days - you'd still like to get the best possible product. Falls into the same category as mouse reviews... Reply
wanderer27 - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkFirmware is at v1.17 on the Pioneer Site. Why are we looking at v1.08 issues ? Reply
PuravSanghani - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkAt the time we tested this drive, 1.17 had not yet been released, which we stated in the review. We would also like to get some feedback from those who do have newer firmware versions applied on the performance/quality of burning to various types of media.
If you do have the DVR-110D, or any other product we have reviewed in the past for that matter, with newer firmware than we have tested with, we would like any input you, our audience, can provide to help the rest of the community.
For those looking for reviews besides DVD writers, we have quite a line up in the coming weeks so keep an eye out!
Purav Reply
DigitalFreak - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkI would like to see an updated review with the 1.17 firmware, if it fixes any of the issues they had. However, it appears that 1.17 has only been out for a week, so they probably had the article done awhile ago. Reply
Lifted - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkyou heard me, fix it! Reply
n7 - Thursday, September 15, 2005 - linkBenQ DW1640 still has the crown!


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The Top 5 Tucson Adventures — as voted on by Experience AZ readers:
Old Tucson Studios
201 S. Kinney Rd.,
Tucson, AZ 85735
(520) 883-0100
Old Tucson Studios is an Old West theme park and a working movie location where you'll find Western movie history, historical tours, shopping, seasonal events and more.
Biosphere 2
32540 S. Biosphere Rd.,
Oracle, AZ 85623
(502) 838-6200
The $150-million facility opened in 1991 as a massive closed system that would last for 100 years to test nature, technology and human endurance. Opened to the public in 2002, visitors to Biosphere 2 can explore inside the 3.15-acre structure on a fully-guided tour.
University of Arizona
1200 E. University Blvd.,
Tucson, AZ 85721
(520) 621-2211
With its main campus covering 380 acres in Central Tucson, this university offers plenty of attractions and activities, including the Arizona State Museum, the University of Arizona Museum of Art, the Campus Arboretum and more.
Mission San Xavier Del Bac
1950 W. San Xavier Rd.,
Tucson, AZ 85746
(520) 294-2624
Mission San Xavier del Bac is referred to as the "White Dove of the Desert." This active Franciscan mission is located on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2021 N. Kinney Rd.,
Tucson, AZ 85743
(520) 883-2702
A world-renowned zoo, with more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants, a natural history museum and a botanical garden — all in one place.
Experience AZ Fall-Winter 2012


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Carshalton Athletic have released a statement outlining changes to the club's funding and first team structure.
Highlights include:
- We [the board] have agreed a change to the way we fund, recruit and develop players for the first team.
- The external funding for the first team budget will be phased out over the next three months.
- Tom Bird, Paul Vines, David Ray, Ashley Carew, Wayne Gray and Jack Clark have had their contracts cancelled.
- Tommy Williams will take over as caretaker manager until a new manager is hired.
- "It's fair to say that the first team has not matched the success of other areas of the club".
The statement in full
In recent times there has been a dramatic change in all aspects of the club. The stadium, club house and general condition of the facilities have vastly improved.
We have gone from a club with a first team and a couple of junior teams to an award winning FA Charter Standard Community Club with 45 teams whose efforts in improving the standards of the game have been recognised nationally.
As a business we have been equally successful, over the years we have introduced and grown numerous new income streams, increased our turnover and profitability to a situation where the club is financially stable, well run and has no external debts.
The income the club receives goes to pay the staff wages, rent, rates, light, heat and running costs of the ground and the services we provide to the local community.
The success above has been largely due to an enormous amount of hard work by some very committed people and of course the support from all our club members who have attended matches and club functions etc.
It is all the more credible that we have done this at a time when the county is in the grip of a financial recession and it is for this very reason the board of directors have seen it a suitable juncture to review our financial circumstances at the club.
It's fair to say that the first team has not matched the success of other areas of the club, despite our commitment and having invested significant sums over a period of four years with four different managers the costs of trying to achieve success have been much greater than what we have actually achieved.
At the end of every season there has been a high cost to running the first team without much to show for it. This in itself is neither new to this club or football in general but it is something that when we looked at securing the long term sustainability of the club we realised would need to be to be addressed.
Carshalton Athletic have been very fortunate and are enormously grateful that Paul Dipre has for the last four years has worked almost full time at the club and has made the investments that have afforded us the platform to develop so successfully.
The club is now in a position where it needs to make that final step to self-sufficiency and not rely on external backing.
Taking into account the views of the club management, shareholders, staff, fans and club members we have reviewed the ambitions of the first team and we have agreed a change to the way we fund, recruit and develop players for the first team.
This effectively means the club will return to a more prudent operating method where the first team wages but will be set by what the club can afford.
The external funding for the first team budget will be phased out over the next three months at which point and then moving forward it will be set by the board of directors at a level the club as a business can sustain by itself.
This will put the club on a sound financial base and maximise the clubs security and stability for the long term.
To meet this target there will be a significant cut to the first team budget which will result in some players leaving the club.
This process has started already, and as you may be aware contract cancellations have been agreed with Tom Bird, Paul Vines, David Ray, Ashley Carew, Wayne Gray and Jack Clark.
We have also made some operational changes to maximise profitability in order to support the budget to the highest practical level. We believe that, despite losing some players we will retain a good squad of both experienced and younger players which is capable of competing in the Ryman Premier division.
As you are aware we are currently without a first team manager, there has been a huge interest from a wide variety of applicants.
The board has made a shortlist and is working hard to secure the right person for the role. At the moment Tommy Williams continues as sole caretaker manager with Ian Hazel returning to his ever pressing Carshalton Athletic academy duties.
It is hoped that an announcement on the new manager will be made in the near future.
The board are conscious that many will view this action by the club in a negative light. This could not be further from the intention of a very committed board who have the taken these bold steps after long deliberation and with the sustained future of the club in the forefront of our minds.
To secure the future of the club and to avoid a return to previous era's that threatened the clubs very existence we need to be run on a more prudent self sustainable fashion.
We strongly believe this is a positive step forward, we have a thriving youth system, a youth academy the envy of many and a strong reserve set up.
We do understand that there will be a period of change in the 1st team playing staff and that we will have to have a blend of youth and experience.
That said I can assure you the management team & staff will all be working hard to ensure we can have the most competitive budget we
can. We would ask that you are patient with us through this transition period and that you get behind the new manager when appointed.
We will need your help and support to make this work. It's only by working together will the club achieve sustainable long term success and continue to be a feature in our local community and beyond for a very long time to come.
The Board of Directors


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Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Lexiterian
- Posts: 482
- Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:14 pm
Does anyone have a history of this word? My own limited research reveals no array of answers, other than vulgar Latin and PIE origin. Does it survive in other languages? I enjoy it when the good Doctor informs us of the PIE root and its subsequent twists and turns.
William A. Hupy
Re: array
etymonline wrote:array
c.1300, from O.Fr. areer "to put in order," from V.L. *ar-redare (cf. It. arredare), from L. ad- "to" + Frank. *ræd- "ready" (cognate with Goth. garadis, O.E. geræde "ready;" see ready).
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
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BowhuntingOutlet is also Proud to Announce that Members of the Professional Bowhunter Club will receive additional discounts here at the BowhuntingOutlet!


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The first stage of competition begins with this solicitation for a two-page Statements of Interest (SOI) from eligible organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that address the country-specific requirements identified in this solicitation, which are based on the 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). In the second stage of competition, the TIP Office will invite selected applicants to submit full proposals that expand upon their capability to perform the project proposed in their SOI.
Learn more.
© 2016 National Sexual Violence Resource Center – Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-04 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


text:
Despite concerns about adequate funding, a committee of Louisiana's top school board Tuesday approved plans to overhaul the state's often-criticized pre-kindergarten system.
The plan, which sparked mostly positive comments from child-care leaders, was endorsed by a committee of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education without dissent.
Most of the full board sat in on the meeting, which means that final approval on Wednesday is all but certain. The plan that won approval is aimed at revamping what critics call a pre-K system that features uneven quality, standards and availability.
The state will establish early learning performance guidelines for those from zero to age 3 and academic standards for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Pre-K centers and schools will get letter grades, and state aid will be linked to how the centers perform.
Pilot projects are set for the 2013-14 school year.
All the changes take effect for 2015-16.
But several officials questioned how the state can upgrade standards for pre-K centers without additional funding, which is a major problem amid state budget problems.
BESE President Penny Dastugue, of Mandeville, said that, if the overhaul is done right, the issue of additional funds has to be raised with the Legislature "when the state can do that."
Monica Candal, policy and data analyst for Stand for Children, said the plan represents a strong framework to revamp pre-K classes.
"This is the first of its kind in the country," Candal said.
Melanie Bronfin, director of the Louisiana Partnership's Policy Institute, said her group is pleased with plans to phase in the changes.
"We are certainly headed in the right direction," Bronfin said.
Among the key concerns, she said, is to ensure that child-care groups have a say in how details of the overhaul are implemented.
Ensuring access to top-flight programs for children from low-income families is another priority, witnesses said.
The pre-K changes stem from a law enacted earlier this year.
The legislation left details of the overhaul to the state Department of Education and BESE.
State Superintendent of Education John White said that, of 44,000 low-income 4-year-olds, about 42,000 are served by public pre-K programs.
However, the quality, costs and access to programs varies widely.
One aim of the law is to improve kindergarten readiness, which is 54 percent now and which state officials hope to get to 70 percent.
The new rules will apply to early childhood programs serving children from birth to age 5 that receive state or federal dollars.
The list includes pre-K classes in public schools, LA4, Head Start, Early Head Start and Early Steps, among others.


text:
Florida State Archives
From Ancestry.com Wiki
Division of Library & Information Services
Bureau of Archives & Records Management
500 S. Bronough St., First Floor
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
The state archives is the official repository for the public records of Florida and is located in the same building as the State Library of Florida. Its book collection includes over 10,000 family and county histories. See the Florida Memory Project at www.floridamemory.com.


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HUNTINGTON BEACH – A crash Sunday night left a motorcyclist dead and the bike's passenger injured.
A passing driver came upon the crash at Springdale Street and McFadden Avenue around 10:37 p.m. The 1979 Yamaha's driver, a 42-year-old man, had been thrown from the bike into a tree, said Lt. John Domingo of the Huntington Beach Police Department. On Monday, the Orange County Coroner's office identified him as Travis Schumacher of Westminster.
A 55-year-old woman who had been riding on the motorcycle was thrown into a parking lot west of Springdale Street, Domingo said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment. No other vehicles were believed to have been involved in the crash, and it was unknown if alcohol was a factor, Domingo said.
The Huntington Beach Police Department's accident-reconstruction team responded, and the crash's cause remains under investigation. Police are seeking witnesses, and anyone with information may call officer Bob Barr at 714-536-5666.
It was the second fatal motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach over the weekend. On Saturday, a motorcyclist collided with a BMW around 10 a.m. at Bolsa Chica Street and Pearce Drive. He later died from his injuries.
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.com or 714-704-3709


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Print this issue
A composed and consistent strategy of impeaching the commonwealth's witnesses proved to be the difference as Sharon High School won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 22nd annual statewide High School Mock Trial competition held March 29. Salem High School was the runner-up in the finals, which were held in Boston's historic Faneuil Hall.
Sharon High School's team of mock defendant, attorneys and witnesses successfully defended their client from a pedestrian-auto accident that would later result in a fatality and eventual vehicular homicide charges. Acting as prosecutors, Salem High School's team of prosecutors, investigators and witnesses sought to portray the fictitious teenage defendant - who was driving home from a house party - as reckless and irresponsible.
"Your poise and confidence in the trial setting was truly spectacular," said the Hon. Barbara A. Dortch-Okara, presiding judge for the finals and associate justice for the Massachusetts Superior Court, addressing the two teams following the judging. "The techniques you employed are on a par with those of upper-level law students. And, both finalist teams demonstrated an extraordinary level of confidence and preparation."
The road to the 2007 Mock Trial finals began in January with more than 1,500 students competing and representing 118 schools across Massachusetts. There were 220 trials held at 57 trial venues. A total of 191 attorneys or judges presided over the trials. For the ninth consecutive year, the program was sponsored by Brown, Rudnick, Berlack & Israels LLP in Boston.
For more information about the MBA Mock Trial program, visit www.massbar.org, call (617) 338-0570 or e-mail [e-mail mocktrial].


text:
Spotlighting Success at the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and Lupus Research Institute
Unequaled Support and Service
43 years serving lupus patients of NYC.
Unprecedented Research Results
$170 million for novel, innovative research delivering the decade's most pivotal breakthroughs.
Unparalleled Advocacy Success
$4.6 million in new Congressional funding to help alleviate racial disparities and ensure diagnosis and treatment for all.
New Progress: LRI Research Yields Breakthroughs
New Momentum: Patient Advocacy Victory


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My favorite game growing up was Candyland, and leave it to Urban Outfitters, creators of the Everyone Loves a Jewish Girl tee to sell a version with a Jewish twist. Great for keeping the little ones occupied at Chanukah parties!
Take dreidel and combine it with poker, and you've got an awesome update on the traditional dreidel game! Fun for adults as well as the kiddies and perfect for Hanukkah/Holiday parties.Tags: games, gifts, fun, party, poker, gifts for him, hanukkah, party games, HannukahAdded 9 Years Ago from Popjudaica


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"Game changer" is a term you hear often when people talk about how technology has changed their industry.
Fanfare, a company that provides testing solutions to service providers, network equipment manufacturers, and enterprises, recently announced the release of iTest, a test automation product. iTest 3.4 is a comprehensive testing solution for device and heterogeneous system testing. It offers new features such as Virtual Testbed (VTB) capabilities. VTB enables testers to build test cases before devices exist, beginning the quality process months earlier than before. You can also use the product for test development by using virtual replicas of real devices and test equipment. As a result, organizations can better utilize their lab assets and infrastructure, improve tester productivity while offline or working remotely, and enable earlier testing, accelerating time to market for new products and services.


text:
The Fundamentals: LeBron James taking his game to staggering new heights
By Rob Mahoney
The play of LeBron James has long been one of the most compelling aspects of the NBA, but lately the experience of watching the world's best basketball player has taken on an entirely new significance. Outrageously efficient performance has become so predictable for James that every appearance is now appointment viewing.
By now, most NBA fans have caught wind of James' most recent exploits: a five-game stretch in which he topped 30 points on every occasion, anchored five consecutive Miami victories and posted an absurd 71.4 field goal percentage. Trim away some of James' misses at the end of the first game in that stretch, and he's made 49 of his last 65 shots (75.4 percent), which may be the closest thing to shooting perfection that we're likely to see from a player with such a large role.
For those of us who have had the pleasure of watching James so freely ply his trade, this recent stretch has been a breathtaking experience. Yet for those players unlucky enough to line up opposite James, his performance must be suffocating. Every touch brings its own terrifying potential, as James approaches his on-court goals with an authoritative certainty. He wants to get to the hoop off the dribble for an easy score, and so he does -- without much concern at all for defenses, physical limitations or other factors that inevitably steer the play of basketball mortals. Every trip down the floor serves as a reminder that LeBron James simply cannot be stopped, and when he's executing at this high a level, I'm frankly not even sure he can be slowed.
We've waited an entire decade for James to stop growing as a player, but during this season he has been more effective and controlled than at any point previously. Much of that is a tribute to James' nearly flawless offensive judgment, as he consistently wards off a slew of inferior options in orchestrating the Heat's offense to maximum effect. But not all of his staggering efficiency can be traced to restraint. What we're seeing in Miami is a perfect spiral of smart team basketball and staggering individual brilliance, the combination of which has yielded an unparalleled season. In NBA history, the list of players to average 27 points and 6.9 assists and post a 63.3 true shooting percentage (which factors in two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws) for a season is as follows:
LeBron James.
If we loosen the assists requirement to focus solely on scoring output and shooting efficiency, Charles Barkley, Adrian Dantley and Kevin Durant (who's having an incredible season in his own right) sneak in to qualify as well. That means that no playmaker has ever had a scoring season this potent and no premier scorer has ever had a campaign with such productive passing.
That combination of skills is nothing new for James, who was trumpeted as something of a Jordan-Magic amalgam from Day 1. But there's an obvious distinction to be made between being a can't-miss prospect and a superstar player who apparently can't miss. We've seen plenty of elite scorers and top-notch playmakers, but James deftly walks that line in a way that no player ever has before, and has continued to build out his game in a way that takes full advantage of his prodigious skill set.
By refusing to settle for inefficient offense, James puts defenders in an impossible situation. The kinds of maneuvers that typically goad superstars into hoisting mid-range jumpers (playing off them, attacking a ball-dominant hand, etc.) don't work well with James, as every sliver of open space surrendered to him just gives him more room to gain speed and analyze angles. Watch how James exploits the bit of space that Metta World Peace is hoping to use as a cushion against him:
But at the same time, the opposite strategy -- crowding James on the perimeter in order to make him uncomfortable off the dribble -- can yield similarly disastrous results. Watch here as Caron Butler attempts to deny James his immediate space:
Still, the last thing a defender should want to give James is a full field of vision, if only because he sees the complete game with an impossible clarity. The passing angles are accounted for. The driving lanes are surveyed. Every possibility is considered in the briefest of moments, all while opponents grow increasingly nervous with every second that James holds the ball -- and their fate -- in his hands.
And frankly, they should be a bit spooked. James is making 75.6 percent of his attempts at the rim this season, he's hitting a career-high rate on his runners and floaters and he has the benefit of working with teammates who understand his tendencies and how to best complement him. Lineup tweaks and an increasing familiarity have given the Heat's offense an astounding harmony, with teammates surrounding James' creative efforts with the kind of choreography usually reserved for a scripted play:
Because of that synchronized movement and James' abilities, the Heat often breathe life into what could otherwise be a rather blunt offensive maneuver. In the face of that limitless possibility, it's LeBron's discipline that really sets him apart. He can do it all, but why settle for anything less than the optimal result on any given possession?
As dominant as James is with the ball, he never seems to get quite enough credit for all he does to make himself available away from it. High-usage ball handlers have a bad tendency of running out to the perimeter in an effort to command control of a possession, but James trusts his teammates and understands the game well enough to find space within a more natural flow. Rather than make a jagged cut to the top of the floor, James seals his man in the post, curls to create an opportunity to catch the ball at a point of advantage and screens willingly. Few stars more fully understand the value of all that comes before the catch, and it's through that mentality that Miami's ad-libbed sequences still tend to create quality shots.
Beyond that, James has undergone an incredible transformation as a perimeter-shooting threat, primarily by capitalizing more consistently on his spot-up tries. According to Synergy Sports Technology, James rates as the second-best spot-up player in the league in points scored per play. That's largely due to the unbelievable 53.3 percent mark James has posted on spot-up three-pointers, up from 33.9 percent shooting last season. He hasn't changed his shooting form significantly, but the repetition of attempting squared-up long-range attempts has apparently triggered James' evolution into a dependable three-point shooter.
James looms over most every Heat possession. When he's not threatening defenses off the dribble, he's fighting for position or spacing the floor, setting up a checkmate three moves in advance. His fantastic skill set has broadened to the point where he's a completely continuous threat, capable of projecting his power and influence throughout Miami's every offensive action. In fact, I'd guess it's harrowing in its own way for opponents to bear witness to LeBron's almost casual dominance. He doesn't demand the ball. He doesn't force the action. He just peers into the game itself and sees all of basketball's doors open to him.
• I don't have any nits to pick with the NBA's field for the All-Star Saturday events, but it's worth noting that three of the season's top five perimeter shooters in terms of three-point percentage will be absent from the three-point contest. Kyle Korver (46.4) leads the league in accuracy, but he won't be participating this year after last competing in the 2004 and 2005 contests. Kevin Martin (44.3) and Ersan Ilyasova (44.2) will also stay home, though we don't yet know if any of those three players were actually approached or whether they were glossed over for the sake of players with more three-point attempts (in Ilyasova's case) or more star power.
• It should be interesting to see what effect Pistons center Andre Drummond's back injury -- which will keep him off the court for 4-6 weeks -- might have on his league-leading offensive rebounding marks. Drummond should still qualify as a leader (his 16.3 offensive rebounding percentage ranks first in the NBA), but back injuries can be unfortunately persistent for many players and could conceivably make Drummond a bit less bouncy (or a bit less active) upon his return. Either way, this is a tough break for a rookie big man having a monster year. The fact that his rebounding numbers rate so favorably (he also registers eighth in defensive rebounding percentage and third in total rebounding percentage) relative to the league speaks to his amazing production.
1. J.J. Barea goes to the block
Some of the NBA's greatest joys come in watching players very obviously stray from their comfort zones, particularly when said player stubbornly clings to an improbable, mismatched skill. One of my favorite such examples to watch for: the post-up work of the 6-foot (in lifts) Barea, who didn't hesitate in attempting to back down Nolan Smith all the way from the three-point line:
2. Doug Collins commits to a head-scratching decision
Collins is a good coach, but what on earth is he doing with Dorell Wright? I don't know of any criteria or framework that could lead to a coach willingly choosing to play Royal Ivey over Wright, and yet that's what this season has come to for the Sixers. Jason Richardson and Thaddeus Young are both out of the lineup, which should in theory open up plenty of chances for the perfectly useful Wright to make his mark as either a wing or a stretch big. But Collins has opted instead for the likes of Ivey and Jeremy Pargo (all while running Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen for 40-plus minutes), despite the fact that both kind-of point guards have shared minutes on the floor with Jrue Holiday. Power to Collins in his attempts to add some ball-handling to lineups lacking in shot creation, but this latest turn only serves as an extension of his weird treatment of a capable rotation player.
3. Eric Bledsoe plays on a fault line
The Clippers' Bledsoe has been brilliant at times and confounding at others, but through good and bad it can at least be said that Bledsoe is consistently unstable. I mean that quite literally: I'm convinced that no NBA player falls down more often than Bledsoe, who tends to hurl his way down the paint in the most straightforward use of his athleticism possible. He's a ball of kinetic energy, and whether he's driving toward the hoop or trying to evade a trap, the odds are good that the sequence will somehow end with Bledsoe's hitting the deck as he scrambles to make a play.
4. Stay tuned for Nando De Colo
As fun as it is to watch the Spurs' top players execute on both sides of the ball, I appreciate the opportunities that their success has created for rookie guard De Colo. He's not exactly NBA viable in his present form, but De Colo bears more than a passing stylistic resemblance to Manu Ginobili, and shares in his flair for exciting passes. He might be a bit raw for a 25-year-old, but De Colo's game offers a legitimate reason to stick around through garbage time of the Spurs' next blowout.
5. Waiting on P.J. Carlesimo
With Gerald Wallace in the midst of a horrid season, I'll admit to getting impatient with the slow lineup adjustments of Nets coach Carlesimo. Every drop of available data is clear in evaluating lineups that feature Wallace as a small forward, and the numbers aren't pretty. Substituting Reggie Evans for Kris Humphries in the starting lineup brings Brooklyn's most-used lineup to a completely neutral pace-adjusted point differential, while virtually every other combination involving Wallace and two big men has been a sag on the Nets' performance.
Moving Wallace into a role as a nominal power forward, however, has resulted in some of Brooklyn's best defensive lineups and achieves an optimal amount of floor spacing. This isn't rocket science, and yet consistently Carlesimo still seems reluctant to use Wallace as a power forward on a more consistent basis.
6. Russell Westbrook, the sound and the fury
Of all the phenomenal finishers and explosive athletes around the league, none invokes more mid-drive anticipation for me than Westbrook -- simply based on the potential for an incredible audio-visual experience. His speed and body control are magnificent in their own right, but what makes Westbrook's finishes such gems are the ways he translates power into sound.
A hard dribble bangs on the court before leaping into his hands. The crowd collectively gasps at the audacity of Westbrook's launch point, and the potential of a dunk to come. Then Westbrook completes the play by hammering the rim and screaming into the embedded microphone, perhaps embarrassing some poor, silent defender who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's such a fun player, and worthy of appreciation in all his sonic glory.
7. It's finally Andrew Nicholson's turn
Nicholson's playing time has been somewhat spotty in his rookie season with Orlando, but coach Jacque Vaughn is finally starting to dole out more substantial minutes to the 6-foot-9 forward as a result of injuries. Nicholson has logged at least 20 minutes in four consecutive games, averaging 12 points and six rebounds. There are no guarantees of role or playing time, nor should there be. But it'll be nice to get a longer look at Nicholson on a more regular basis, as there's been plenty to like about his offensive game.
8. Ricky Rubio invokes the worst kinds of Jason Kidd comparisons
The points of comparison between Rubio and a young Kidd have been obvious, from their pure playmaking to the lack of shooting range to their knack for picking up steals. But where Rubio and Kidd may share the most explicit link is in their habit of botching wide-open layups when they get to the rim.


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UPDATE: Jennifer Hudson's nephew's body reportedly found
God, I was hoping it wouldn't end like this: Authorities have found the body of a 7-year-old African-American child in a White Suburban that was owned by Jennifer Hudson's late brother. The SUV was believed to have been stolen by William Balfour and was reportedly the center of the domestic dispute that ended in the fatal shooting of Jason Hudson and his mother. TMZ reports:
The body was found inside a 1994 white Chevy Suburban. It is the same SUV owned by Jason Hudson, the murdered brother of Jennifer. Before his arrest, cops were looking for William Balfour, the suspect and estranged husband of Jennifer's sister. The license plate of the Suburban matches Jason's SUV.
The SUV was found a few miles from the area where cops arrested Balfour.
The SUV is now being towed from the scene. Unclear if the body is still at the scene. No ID so far.
Neighbors say the vehicle has been parked there since Saturday. Balfour was arrested Friday night.
The SUV has been towed with the body still inside the vehicle. The SUV is now at a police garage in Chicago.
I don't want to get all talk radio on you guys, but I seriously hope they figure out who did this and throw the book at him. And by book I mean the electric chair. You have to have no fucking soul to kill a child. What the hell did he do to you? Just a terrible ending to a terrible series of events.
The Superficial's deepest, heartfelt condolences to the family of Jennifer Hudson.
UPDATE: Julian King's Amber Alert has been called off, according to TMZ. Not good.


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Hi, a little search around the forum will give you plenty of answers, also if you browse trough the threads at the end of this page you'll have a nice surprise.. Or not (considering you might want to change router)..
I was looking for some input on bruteforcing admin rights on a 2wire router. I'm using the medusa web-form model. Having trouble figuring out what the deny signal is. I'm using wire shark to dissect the responses, but can't find one. I know the correct password as it is my router, so I've logged in with both the correct and incorrect passwords from the web form with wireshark running, but can't find a packet containing any "access denied" or "incorrect password" ect. Has anyone ever bruteforced a 2wire that can lend some advice? I can post the packet captures if needed.
Hi, a little search around the forum will give you plenty of answers, also if you browse trough the threads at the end of this page you'll have a nice surprise.. Or not (considering you might want to change router)..
محاولة أصعب!..
No need to brute force 2wire admin passwords. This is a well documented vulnerability of many 2wire models and firmwares. As far as using Hydra or medusa, I'm not sure a 2wire is a good candidate. As you'll be able to see below it handles authentication somewhat strangely.
Admin Password bypass 2wire
I have seen this work on equipment deployed within the last 3 months from ISPs. The true danger is that often the wireless settings on 2wire are not altered, and on many of the 2wire DSL modems, the default wireless is WEP. Kinda scary. If one of these things is default, you can break the WEP, use the exploit to break the admin password, and go to http://192.168.1.254/mdc (the management console) and statically configure DNS resolution and redirect whatever page to wherever you'd like. Pretty bad. Everytime I encounter one i assist my client in reconfiguration. Generally I'm coming across the 2wire devices when dropping off a PC i've repaired for a client. Client in this case really means residential.
And to anyone who reads this, please keep ethics in mind. I do realize there are many 2wires out there in default configurations, however I once saw pure_hate put it best.
"It's like walking into someone's house, grabbing a beer, and telling the dude standing there in shock that you're gonna have a go with his wife too." Not cool.
I did search the forums and yes I saw the admin vulnerability "gateway.2wire.net/xslt?PAGE=H04_POST&PASSWORD=admin&PASSWORD _CONF=admin" and no I does not work on my model or the model I had before this one. It has nothing to do with the question I'm asking. That's old news, and was fixed a very long time ago. I know 2wire routers have a lot of vulnerabilities. Thant's why I'm pen testing it.
Last edited by Archangel-Amael; 11-29-2010 at 01:07 PM.
Online Password Calculator - 500.000 pass per sec. - 6hours.. If you'd pay attention to the threads i told you to read, you'd already had your questions answered..
Last edited by skor78; 11-28-2010 at 11:00 PM.
محاولة أصعب!..
I see. A co-worker of mine wanted to do something similar but using phone numbers.
I've had the vulnerability work on newer firmwares, sort of. I use the url which overloads 512 chars, and it works to reset the admin password for the session, but will not save the pw you made into the device. Looks almost like it fails too as when you hit next at some point there is an error. Changes you made to the device during the session are saved however.
I've not tried it on any of the newer routers however. Mostly the ADSL equipment.
Fone Finder query form to look up the exchange prefixes for my target area codes.(look around on the site there is a way to look up all prefixes in a specified area code or city.) There is only a given amount of exchange prefixes per area code, so the remaining key space is only 4 digits. I wrote a simple perl script to feed pyrit phone numbers. This numbers are for spring, TX just change them to your area.
hope this helps your buddy. I wrote a macro to parse the area+exchange from the webpage quickly, but I'm having trouble locating it at the moment. I'll post it later if I find it.Code:#!/usr/bin/perl ## script to generate all possible phone numbers for a given area code and exchange prefix. @prefix = (281203,281210,281288,281292,281296,281297,281298,281323,281350,281353,281355,281362,281363,281364,281367,281419,281465,281466,281528,281541,281602,281651,281681,281719,281791,281801,281825,281863,281882,281907,281967,713389,713992,832292,832403,832442,832447,832585,832636,832642,832797,832813,832928,832967); foreach (@prefix) { for $num ("0000" .. "9999"){ print "$_$num\n";}}
@skor78 no that doesn't really answer my question. That is just a guess that medusa can run 500,000 passwords a sec. I can do math I don't need a website to tell me how many hours it will take for what ever speed it runs at. I'm curious what speed it will run at and mainly just curious to get it working. I think iproute is right the 2wire routers probably are not going to work with a a stock medusa or hydra due to the way it handles authenticity. I'll look into modifying medusa's web-post.mod. I did notice from the packets I got with wireshark medusa seems to stop communicating with the router prematurely. Probably a lot more research and work then I really have time for right now.
Thank you both for your input.
otkaz, i'm sorry i couldn't be of more use, apparently you're far more advanced user than me.. Just tried to provide you the tools according to your request, unfortunately i didn't noticed your intention was to check even the possibility of the attack, as well as the possible speed, just thought you wanted to calc the time it would take to attack it.. You have a nice thread here, which i'm sure i'll follow in it's development.. And i'll try to be more humble next time.
Good luck on your pentesting, and please keep us updated.
محاولة أصعب!..
It's much more common that one might assume.. You weren't rude, and i hope i wasn't too, i just assumed the info you were requesting it was at a much more basic level.. Anyway, there's no point in digressing off-topic, even being cordial to each other, might as well just assume it might get closed for the tiniest reason.It just seems like any time I post on this forum I get people telling me I didn't search and pointing me to post that have nothing to do with what I'm really asking.
Happy "hunting"!
محاولة أصعب!..


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A RUGBY club is showing the red card to hate crime by educating players and coaches about abuse.
Bolton Rugby Union FC has been talking to members between aged five and 19 about the seriousness of hate crime.
More than 120 young people attended a hate crime awareness event at the club in Avenue Street, off Chorley Old Road, which was backed by Sale Sharks players Sam Bedlow, Andy Broadhurst and David Seymour.
Sgt Kevin Wright and PC Neil McMahon, from Bolton Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, spoke about hate crime along with Daniel Ladd, from Bolton Council's community services.
Resma Patel, represented Bolton's Interfaith Youth Groups, and Harry Kay, an under 16s player, also spoke at the evening.
Peter Gore, deputy junior chairman at the club, said: "The children are very much the future of our rugby union club. We want them to play in safety. Rugby union is a tough game and the children don't need grief on the pitch.
"We are concerned hate crime is coming into social media and we want to nip it in the bud."
He added: "I think some of the children didn't know what they had been hearing was hate crime. It's knowing the difference between a bit of banter and taking it too far. I don't think we realise how much we can upset people."
Mr Gore said early intervention will help to educate the children who will be able to use the knowledge while on and off the pitch.
The club got involved in raising awareness about hate crime after the club received a boost from Bolton Council.
Members of the club's first team received training and have spoken to children through to university students at a series of talks.
Eraina Smith, Bolton RUFC safeguarding officer, told people at the event earlier this month that people should not suffer in silence and can raise any concerns with their coaches. The club takes a zero tolerance approach to the abuse.
Mr Gore said he hopes the evening will also encourage players to key an eye out for hate crime incidents. He said the club revealed that many of the parents, players and officials had experienced bullying when they were younger and when it was not common to complain — a habit the club is hoping to stamp out.
Det Insp Charlotte Cadden, the hate crime spokesman for Bolton police, said: "Raising awareness about hate crime is particularly important with young people because we get very few reports from victims.
"We hope people will challenge people when they hear negative stereotypes."
Police hope members of the club will pass on what they have learned to their peers. Officers hope people will have the courage to report incidents of hate crime, particularly disability and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender incidents which are not widely reported.
A Bolton Council spokesman said: "As part of Hate Crime Awareness Week in January, Bolton Council provided funding to a number of organisations to provide training or hold events to raise awareness of hate crime.
"We were pleased to award funding to Bolton Rugby Union Club to provide additional training sessions in schools and for its members combined with hate crime awareness training which emphasised the rugby ethos of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship.
"We hope that this training and awareness raising will raise the profile of hate crime and encourage people to take a stand against it."
Reports of hate crime can be made via report-it.org.uk, or through one of Bolton's third party reporting centres which can be found at bolton.gov.uk or call police on 101.